A Lady Never Tells(81)

“Believe me, you have never been around a hysterical woman if you think that. Let’s go back to where you were and see what we can find.”

“It was probably only nerves,” Mary warned, but she fell in beside him as he started off in the direction she had come.

“I have never met a woman less prone to ‘nerves.’”

“I shall choose to take that as a compliment.”

Royce grinned at her. In the dappled shadows of the bower, his eyes were the color of dark green leaves. “Oh, it is.”

She found herself smiling back. “Still, upon reflection, ’tis likely that it was only an animal, if it was anything.”

“When you called, did you hear it scurry away?”

“No. There was complete silence. I was listening very hard.”

“Don’t you think most animals would have run from the sound of a human voice? And a dog would have barked or growled or tried to join you, surely.”

“Then perhaps a gardener.”

“Why wouldn’t a gardener answer when you called out? I can’t think why anyone would not have answered you—unless they were someplace they should not be.”

They had reached the high hedges, and Mary led him back through them as best she could. “What is this place?”

“A maze. It was built generations ago and became rather overgrown. We used to play here as boys, and after Oliver inherited, he had it restored to its former condition. There’s quite a lovely little pond at the center.”

“Here, I think.” Mary pointed to the hedge on the right. “It was just about here that I heard the noise. I walked that way a few steps before I turned and ran back.”

Royce studied the hedge for a moment, glancing in both directions. “Come with me. I think I can find my way to the same spot on the other side.”

Mary followed him, growing more convinced by the second that she had imagined the whole incident. It was absurd. Wasn’t it? Particularly absurd was the thought that it might have been Cosmo. She could not smell that scent now. And even if it had really been there, how could she be sure that it was the smell of Cosmo’s tobacco? The tobacco was not his alone; doubtless many other men put the same blend in their pipes, or something close to it.

“I think this is just about opposite where you were.” Royce looked down, his eyes carefully sweeping the area.

Mary joined him in his search, though she was not sure what she expected to find. Beside her, Royce stiffened, pointing to the ground right beside the hedge. “Look.”

Mary’s eyes followed the direction in which his finger was pointing. There in the slightly damp earth was the impression of a shoe.

Royce’s tone was grim as he went on, “Someone was here.”

“But why?” Mary asked in a hushed voice. “Why would someone have stood here and said nothing?”

“That is what I intend to find out.”

“This print could be from some other time, not necessarily this afternoon.” She tried surreptitiously to sniff the air. Was there the faintest trace of something smoky? She could no longer be sure.

“I don’t think so,” Royce told her. “The print looks fresh to me, not dried out. Nor was it made by a gardener. It is clearly a gentleman’s shoe.”#p#分页标题#e#

“Oh.” Mary looked again at the print. He was right. It was not the broad outline of a boot, but the slender, more fitted form of a shoe made for a gentleman. “Do you think …” She looked up at him, hating even to express the thought.

“That it’s the same man who tried to abduct your sister?”

Mary nodded.

Royce paused thoughtfully, then said, “It seems unlikely. After all, it has been several days since that incident, and we are miles away. He would have had to follow us all this way, staying out of sight the whole time.”

“Yes, it seems far-fetched.”

“I will speak to the gardeners,” Royce went on, “see if any of them have spotted someone lurking about. I’ll send one of the grooms into the village to ask around, find out if there have been any strangers staying there since we returned.” His voice hardened. “And I’ll make bloody sure that the grounds are patrolled more carefully. There will be a full complement of gardeners out here every day. You and your sisters will have no cause to feel unsafe. Though I would prefer it if you did not walk alone this far from the house again. Stick to the upper gardens.”

“Surely that’s not necessary,” Mary protested.

“Probably not. But just this once … humor me.” He turned, offering her his arm. “Now, would you care to see the rest of the maze?”