The Haunting of a Duke(41)

"Come,” he said, “we need to get you inside."

"Yes, I think that's wise,” she said, still breathless and trembling.

Rhys helped her to stand and walked her back to the house. They entered through the library and he seated her before the fireplace. He stoked the fire to blazing and called for a footman to bring a lap robe.

"Miss Walters was lost in the maze when the rain began,” he explained, “we need blankets and hot tea, quickly."

When the footman had gone, Emme looked at him. “I wasn't lost. Someone was following me."

Rhys nodded. “I know. I heard them. But there is no reason we should alert the household to it."

Emme nodded, relieved that he did not think her hysterical.

He moved back to the desk and retrieved the journal she had given him the night before. “Do you know what this is?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “No, I don't recall ever having seen that book until last night."

Rhys settled himself beside her on the settee, “In the tower, hidden behind two locked doors and in a secret compartment, you went to it unerringly, as if someone had told you exactly how to find it, or as if you had been in that room before. I am trying to wrap my very rational mind around it, but I can't. “

Emme stared at the book in his hand. “It's hers?"

"Yes. It is Elise's journal. I do not wish to hear that you were sleepwalking, or any of the other excuses you've given people. I need the truth. How does this work?"

Emme shook her head, “I can't tell you that, because I don't understand it myself. Sometimes, when I go to sleep, I will wake up in strange rooms, unsure of how I came to be there, and sometimes unsure of how to get back."

He nodded. He didn't understand, of course, but he was attempting to. It was beyond his comprehension, as he imagined it would be for almost anyone. “Does this happen wherever you go?"

"No. It happened at the Hendersons. That is how I located Lady Henderson's necklace and at the Montclaires'. That is how I found out about Lord Montclaire and Lady Cuthbert. I rarely go anywhere as an overnight guest, unless I have been invited for such a purpose."

Rhys had known about that, or at least known about the rumors. Emme had solved the mystery of Lord Montclaire's murder. His mistress, Lady Cuthbert, had become furious when he had thrown her over and had poisoned him. He had heard, but he had not believed. He still did not, but the certainty was not so great. Something had happened in that room that was beyond understanding.

"Do you believe it was Elise who led you to this journal?"

Emmaline shook her head, “I don't know. I don't know if it was Elise, or if it was someone else. If you recognize the journal as being hers, then it must have been. But I have no memory of being in the tower, until...."

Her voice trailed off and a flush crept over her pale cheeks. He remembered all too well what had occurred on the daybed.

The footmen entered then, carrying blankets, followed by a maid with a tea tray.

"The guests have all gone but for Mrs. Haverston, Lady Isabella and Lord Ellersleigh, Your Grace,” the maid said. “The family has remained. Lady Eleanor is here and she expects Lord Alistair to return shortly."

"Thank you Mary, that will be all,” he said, dismissively, as he tucked the blanket around Emme and poured a cup of steaming hot tea for her. He thrust it into her hands and she accepted it gratefully. When she'd been a child her nurse had often told her that there was little in the world that could not be made better with a cup of tea.

After the servants left, Emme looked up at him. “If the guests have all gone, who was behind me in the garden?"

Rhys considered that question carefully. “I don't know, but I mean to find out. In the meantime, I'll be leaving for London this afternoon. I mean to obtain a special license. I have also sent a letter to your parents. We shall wed on Saturday."

Emme gasped. She understood the necessity of moving quickly, but she hadn't expected it to be so quickly. “My family has no idea. It doesn't matter, of course. At my age I hardly need stepfather's permission as anything more than a courtesy."

"I apologize, but the scandal is such that we cannot afford to wait. The sooner our marriage can be announced, the sooner the scandal can be put to rest."

Emme nodded. It wasn't such a hardship really. A quiet wedding in the country would garner much less attention and gossip than a lavish affair in town. “You're quite right. It is probably for the best this way."

Rhys considered her easy capitulation, “I will leave just after luncheon. I will ask Michael to stay here. The villain, whoever he is, has grown desperate. You must use every precaution."