"Yes. My mother mentioned having tea with Clarissa after their fitting, so we are going over there. They should be done with thiat by now, should they not?"
"I would not know, my lord," Jessop said in a tone so dry it almost crinkled.
"Hmm." Adrian scowled faintly, then said, "Have the carriage brought around front, please."
"Very good, my lord." Turning on his heel, Jessop headed back up the hall. Adrian moved to collect his own coat and hat and Hadley"s, then led the way outside.
"Are you starting to question the carriage accident because of this debacle by the fountain?" Hadley asked as they donned their coats and waited for the carriage.
"The fact that she was lured to the fountain by a letter I did not send made me wonder," Adrian said. "That, and the fact that she was b.u.mped into the street. And then there is the fact that she has no idea who b.u.mped her. And there is her fall down the stairs."
"I had not heard about that one," Hadley said. "What happened?"
"Clarissa normally has someone to escort her, usually her maid. This time, she said she grew impatient with being escorted and so decided to make her own way below. She tripped over something at the head of the stairs. No one appears to know what she fell over, however." Adrian frowned. "It may sound silly, but I would have thought that, when they found out she"d tripped, they would have looked at the top of the stairs to see what it was she stumbled over. No one appears to have done that."
Hadley remained silent, considering, and Adrian shifted impatiently. "I know there is no evidence to support that both accidents were anything but accidents, but it troubles me now. Yes, after the fountain incident."
"Her apparent clumsiness is certainly convenient if someone is causing these accidents," Hadley murmured thoughtfully.
"That did occur to me, too," Adrian agreed.
"The stepmother took the spectacles away. Are you thinking she is behind these mishaps?" Hadley chewed on his lip. "She certainly seems to hold some strange dislike for the girl. At least, that"s the way it appears to me. Mind you, I was not looking into that aspect of things, so I could be wrong there."
"You are not wrong," Adrian a.s.sured him. "I believe Lydia identifies Clarissa with the girl"s dead mother, whom she somehow sees as a rival for her husband"s affections."
"I see," Hadley said, then fell silent as the carriage arrived. Adrian told the driver where he wished to go, then got into the conveyance, and they rode in silence to the Crambray house.
"Lady Clarissa is not at home," Ffoulkes announced the moment he opened the door and spotted Adrian waiting in front of the house with Hadley.
Adrian replied, "I was to meet Lady Clarissa and my mother back here for tea after their dress fittings."
"They have not yet returned," came the butler"s response.
Adrian was just beginning to think they would be reduced to waiting in the carriage, when John Crambray appeared in the hall behind the sour-faced old butler and said, "Adrian, h.e.l.lo. Come in! Clarissa and your mother should be back soon, unless they stopped somewhere else. Let the men in, Ffoulkes, and show them to the salon to wait."
"Very good, my lord." Ffoulkes opened the door and stepped to the side to allow the guests entry.
"Unfortunately, I was just on the way out," Lord Cram-bray said apologetically. "I am meeting an old friend at the club; otherwise I would keep you company."
"That is all right, my lord. Perhaps I shall just show Hadley here the fountain while we await the women"s return. I am considering putting one in at my country estate, and I"d like his opinion on it."
"Oh, by all means. Clarissa quite enjoys that fountain. She often sits and reads by it. Or, she used to," he corrected with a grimace. "When she still had her spectacles. Speaking of which, her spare pair arrived this morning."
Adrian stiffened at this announcement, only to relax as Lord Crambray added, "Unfortunately, there was a little accident and they were broken."
The relief that claimed Adrian was almost palpable. He felt his entire body relax ... until Clarissa"s fathier continued: "I shall have to take her to a shop here in town and purchase a new pair before the wedding."
"There is no need for that, my lord," Adrian said quickly. "I shall take care of it."
Lord Crambray hesitated before nodding. "As you wish," he said. Then much to Adrian"s relief, he turned to head out the door. "Enjoy die fountain. I am sure Clarissa and Lady Mowbray shall return shordy."
"This way, gendemen," Ffoulkes announced, and turned to lead the way up the hall after closing the front door behind his master.
Adrian spoke up once the buder had led them to the French doors in the salon. "We can find it from here," he said.
"As you wish." Ffoulkes gave a nod and turned away. "I shall see to it that Cook is preparing the tea for when the ladies return."
Adrian opened the French doors and led the way out. He"d never approached the fountain from this direction-the night of the ball he"d come in over the back gate-but he had no problem finding where he needed to go. He knew the fountain was in the back right corner of the property, so he simply kept taking paths that led in that direction.
"Here we are," he said as they emerged in the clearing.
Hadley paused, glancing at the fountain, then turned and peered toward the path from which they had just stepped. "Did she come this way?"
"That is the path she and Joan took back, so I am a.s.suming it is the path she took here," Adrian said. He followed Hadley to peer at the trees at the end of the path. None was low enough to have caused her a problem. Neither he nor Hadley had to duck his head even to walk underneath, and Clarissa came up only to Adrian"s chin.
Hadley turned back to survey the fountain.
"Clarissa thought she hit her head on a branch coming off this path," Adrian said. "And then she recalls stumbling a step or two forward before she fell and blacked out."
Hadley surveyed the fountain a good ten or more feet away and shook his head. "That is not how she ended up in the fountain," he said.
"I did not think so either," Adrian admitted unhappily.
"And she certainly did not hit her head on a branch coming off the path. Even if she had stumbled off the path, the branches are pruned high enough that she wouldn"t have hit anything."
"Yes," Adrian agreed.
"I am afraid you are right, my lord," Hadley said, moving toward the bushes on the left of the path and using his foot to move the undergrowth aside. He peered at the ground. "It does not appear possible that this could be an accident."
"No." Adrian frowned and turned to survey the fountain, recalling the manner in which his heart leaped in his chest as he"d spotted her floating in the water. He"d thought he"d lost her then, and it hadn"t been a happy thought. Adrian had known he was interested in her and enjoyed her before that, but it was then that he realized his feelings ran far deeper. Yes, he very much feared he was well on the way to loving this woman.
"Oh-ho! What have we here?"
Adrian glanced back toward Hadley at the grim comment, and saw him bending to pick something up. The man straightened a moment later with a long, wide branch in hand. Frowning, Adrian moved to his side.
"Do you think that was the branch? Do you think Clarissa broke it off when she hit it?"
"Not unless she sawed at it first," Hadley said dryly, pointing.
Adrian noted the marks halfway through the branch on the heavy end, then looked at the strand of long brown hair caught in the bark. Hadley removed the hair and raised an eyebrow. "Clarissa"s, by my guess. It looks the right color."
Adrian nodded.
"So, someone cut this down ahead of time, lured her out to the fountain, and knocked her out with it. They then dumped her in the fountain, no doubt expecting her to drown. Your plans to meet up with her here are the only thing that saved Clarissa that night."
Adrian felt a cold kernel of fear begin to grow in his chest. Only his hopes of seeing her that night had saved her. And if he"d chosen a different spot to meet her, or a different night, Clarissa would now be dead. The very idea froze his heart in his chest. The depth of his upset was a bit startling. Adrian hadn"t known her long, and yet her happiness and safety were already terribly important to his welfare.
Hadley tossed the branch down and brushed off his hands. "What of the fire?"
Adrian blinked. "The fire?"
"That same night. I understand there was a fire here. You and Clarissa were found together in a somewhat compromising situation, and you announced your intention to marry her."
"Ah, yes. I had forgotten about that." Adrian"s mouth tightened. "The fire occurred directly outside the door to her room. A candle was supposedly left burning on a hall table there and somehow tipped over and started a fire-or at least, that is what they say happened."
"You do not believe it? Is it because of this-?"
"Clarissa"s door was locked, or possibly jammed shut from the outside. Not that it mattered; the door was too hot by the time I noticed the fire and went over. The fire was roaring on the other side. We had to go out the window. However, had she been alone and asleep ..."
Hadley nodded grimly. "I shall begin to look into the incident at the market when she was nearly trampled. It is possible it was just that-an accident. Still, I shall ask around and see if anyone remembers that day and saw anyone nearby who might have pushed her. I could talk to the staff here about the day she fell down the stairs, as well, but-"
"Nay." Adrian shook his head. "I would rather not alert anyone to the fact that we suspect someone is trying to hurt her."
Hadley nodded. "Now, what about Clarissa? If someone is trying to kill her as we suspect, they may redouble their efforts before she marries you."
"I took care of that. I am paying three of the Cram-bray footmen to keep an eye on her. I arranged it the night of the fire," Adrian said grimly.
"And what about the maid?" Hadley asked.
Adrian shrugged. "She is already supposed to keep an eye on her; she walks her around. Besides, I feared she might tell Clarissa, whom I don"t wish anxious or afraid. She is already under a lot of stress with the preparations for the wedding."
Hadley nodded. "Three should be sufficient. There is-"
"Adrian Maximillian Montfort!"
Stiffening, Adrian turned to the path as his mother came into sight leading Clarissa. He was obviously in trouble; his mother only ever used his full name when she felt he had done something wrong. But he couldn"t seem to find the wherewithal to care. His brain slipped a gear at the sight of Clarissa.
She was wearing a lovely cream-colored dress, and her hair-while pulled back at the sides-was mostly down as it had been that night in her room. He liked it better this way than all tucked up in one of those convoluted "dos women all wore to b.a.l.l.s. She looked lovely.
"Oh, do stop gawking at Clarissa," his mother said impatiently, apparently put out. "She will be your wife soon enough, and you may gawk to your heart"s content. At the moment, /would like your attention."
Adrian blinked and turned reluctantly, asking with resignation, "What have I done wrong?"
"Do you not recall my mentioning having tea with Clarissa today?" his mother asked grimly.
Adrian"s eyebrows rose. "Yes. In fact, Hadley and I decided to join you. It is why we are here."
"Well, that is lovely," Lady Mowbray said with a smile. It hardened as she added, "Except, we were to have it at your house."
Adrian blinked. "My house?"
Lady Mowbray heaved an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Adrian, your house. You were to arrange it with your staff so that they could make the house spic-and-span and present themselves in their Sunday finest so that Clarissa could meet them all and get acquainted-both with her new home and its staff-before the wedding."
"Oh." Adrian stared at her, nonplussed. Come to think of it, he did have a vague recollection of a comment about tea with Clarissa, followed by one about Clarissa meeting the staff, which he hadn"t understood at the time but which made perfect sense now. They weren"t yet her staff, but they soon would be, and by having tea in his home she would have been able to become acquainted with them.
It was a very good idea. Crucial, even. Clarissa"s life and home would change with their wedding. She would have a new residence and new staff, and meeting them ahead of time was really important. It was a shame he hadn"t paid more attention to his mother.
Lady Mowbray heaved another put-upon sigh, then glanced at Hadley. "Mr. Hadley. My son has mentioned you to me."
Adrian stiffened, afraid she would give away what the man did for him, but she was clever enough not to, and simply said, "Clarissa, this is Mr. Hadley. He a.s.sists Adrian with projects from time to time. Mr. Hadley, this is my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Lady Clarissa Crambray."
"Lady Crambray."
Hadley moved forward to take her hand, offering a smile as his eyes moved over her head. Adrian knew he was searching for the wound from the night of the fire. However, there was nothing left to see. It had been a week and a half since the accident, and while there had been a b.u.mp and bruise at the time, there was no longer. Had Adrian been able to get hold of the man sooner, there might have been something to notice, but Hadley had been off in the north of England to handle another matter for another lord. He"d returned only the night before, and had come to see Adrian first thing this morning.
"Good day, Mr. Hadley," Clarissa murmured. "What do you a.s.sist Adrian with?"
Adrian stiffened at the question, but needn"t have bothered. Hadley was quick on his feet and lied without hesitation. "Oh, this and that. A bit of everything, really."
"Oh," Clarissa said, but still looked curious.
Hadley continued, "In fact, his lordship was just telling me this morning that, for his next project, he wishes to create a fountain out at Mowbray in the fashion of the one at your father"s home here in town, which is why he invited me to tea with you two ladies today. He thought this way we could get acquainted, and I could take a look at it, so I know what I am talking about when I approach workers about making one," he explained. Adrian marveled at the man"s skill.
"Oh, of course." Clarissa smiled widely. "That would be lovely. Now, Mr. Hadley shall be returning to your house for tea with us then, shall he?"
"Er ..." Adrian frowned. "I believe Ffoulkes was seeing that Cook would make tea here."
"We explained the mix-up to Ffoulkes when we arrived," Clarissa said. "He said not to worry, that he would tell Cook not to bother. He did not think she could have gotten much farther than putting water on to boil."
"We also explained the mix-up to Jessop," his mother announced. "And he was going to see to it that your cook got started on tea at once, so it would be ready when we returned."
"You were at the house?" Adrian asked.
His mother nodded. "How do you think we learned you were here? Jessop told us. We explained to him that you were confused, and that we were to have tea in your home, and then we followed you here to bring you back."
"Oh, well, then ... I guess we could head home," Adrian murmured, wondering how upset his staff was with him at the moment. He"d learned long ago that angering one"s help could mean a good deal of discomfort.
They walked back along the path to the house, and were actually preparing to get into the carriage when Hadley said, "Actually, my lord, perhaps it would do me better to get to work on this latest project rather than join you for tea, lovely as that would be."
"Oh, yes. Yes, of course." Adrian turned to offer his hand. "Thank you, Hadley. I shall look forward to hearing from you."
The man shook his hand with a nod, then turned and made his way off up the street.
"Is Mr. Hadley not joining us after all?" Clarissa asked as Adrian got into the carriage. He took the empty bench seat across from the ladies.
"No. He has business to take care of," he said vaguely, setding on his seat, his eyes sliding over her. She was like a ray of sunshine in that light-colored dress, and Adrian marveled that she grew more beautiful to him every time he saw her.
His mother began to chatter about their fittings that morning, and Adrian listened with half an ear as they made the short journey to his home. His mind was conjuring thoughts of his last ride in a carriage with Clarissa, and he decided it was probably a good thing that he didn"t live far from his mother"s house. Despite Lady Crambray"s presence, he felt himself stir in his breeches.
At his home, Jessop had the front door open before Adrian and his companions had quite reached it. "Welcome home, my lord."
One look at the man"s face, and Adrian knew he was in the doghouse with his butler and probably the rest of the staff. He didn"t need the sneer that greeted him to know that. He supposed the servants had been rushing about like crazy, cleaning and dusting. Not that his home or servants were not always neat and clean, but they would have put a little special shine into things, or at least tried to in the short time since they"d learned their new lady was coming.
Yes, if they"d had more warning about Clarissa"s visit, they would have done all in their power to make a good first impression. However, they hadn"t, because he hadn"t paid attention to his mother, so he hadn"t informed them about the planned tea today, which was why Jessop was presently glaring at him as if he were some form of pond sc.u.m the man had just noticed on the rug.
"Never fear, Jessop," Lady Mowbray said as she led the way inside. "I have already lectured him on not listening to me and not warning you."
"Very good, my lady," the butler said. But his glare did not ease.