Secret Letters by Leah Scheier Read Free Book Online Page B

then continue on to your recent problem.”
    The earl nodded and settled deeper into his chair. “I have two children, Mr. Porter,” he began. “The eldest, Alfred, or Lord Victor, is the only child from my first marriage to Lady Gwendolyn Lennox. Lord Victor’s mother died when he was quite young and he has few memories of her, and so he regards the current Lady Hartfield as his mother. Lady Rose is my daughter by my second marriage. She has lived most of her eighteen years at Hartfield, my country estate, with the exception of the Season months, which we frequently spend in the city. Several days ago I traveled alone to town to attend to a business matter, leaving my wife, son, and daughter at Hartfield Hall. It was during my absence that Lady Rose disappeared. Two nights ago, late Wednesday night, she vanished from her bedroom. Her bed had been slept in, and a large satchel, several articles of clothing, and her best jewels were missing from her bureau. There was no sign of a struggle, and nothing else in the house was missing. My wife and I believe that she fled from the house in the early hours of the morning before the servants were awake.
    “When Lady Rose did not appear for breakfast on Thursday morning, her brother suggested they go look in on her. They found the door locked, and there was no answer from within. Lady Hartfield has a duplicate set of keys, which she retrieved, and when she entered, she found Rose gone. The window was open, and our daughter’s keys lay upon her writing desk. My wife telegraphed to me at once, I rushed back home, and we searched the room together. When we discovered the missing clothing and jewels, we immediately recognized the horrible scandal that would ensue if her flight became known. After some discussion, we agreed to consult you privately, while circulating the story at home that the young mistress had gone to stay with her aunt in Brighton. My son, as you may have read in the papers, is shortly to be married to the daughter of the Duke of Wellsborough. Her family is of the strictest and most religious standards. Any shadow of impropriety in our household would serve to break off the match.”
    Mr. Porter nodded briefly and cleared his throat. “Was your wife the only one with a key to Lady Rose’s room?” he inquired.
    “No, I myself have a master key that fits all the locks in the house. No one else has access to it, as it sits on my bedroom dresser with my other keys and does not leave my side while I am awake. Rose does not normally keep her door locked, but that night she chose to fasten it, and then left her keys on the table behind her.”
    “How did she leave the room, then?”
    “There is a tall tree outside her window. As a child, she used to climb down to the garden every morning until her mother finally ordered the branches trimmed. They have since grown to their original height and are easy to scale.”
    “How would you describe Lady Rose’s character?”
    Lord Hartfield shifted uneasily in his chair. “I think most men would claim to have trouble understanding their daughters. Young girls seem to act on whims and moods that are a complete mystery to their parents. And yet I would say that my daughter has never been as excitable as the majority of her acquaintances, nor as capricious or spoiled. She was always a devoted child and a loving one, if a little quiet and awkward. This Season was her coming out, and even I must admit that so far it has been a complete disaster. She hung about in the shadows during the dancing, answered company in monosyllables, and was finally declared by the family physician to be suffering from an ‘attack of nerves’ and so unable to participate in the remainder of the social season. My wife was quite unhappy over it.”
    I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the missing Lady Rose. Perhaps the strain of disappointing her family over and again had proved too much for her. I could not blame her for running away, and I