A Penny's Worth of Affection novel Chapter 38

He rose and reached for his morning coat and hat. "Saddle my horse at once, Georges. I must be off as soon as possible."

"Very well, my lord."

"And ask Peter to pack a bag for a few days journey. He is to bring it to the Inglewood farm as soon as possible."

"Of course. Will you be gone for a long time, my lord?"

"I imagine not." Henry took the stairs two at a time, shrugging on his coat as he moved quickly. "It should be three days or four at the most. I hope it is not too late."

The butler nodded and slipped away in the direction of the stables, leaving Henry pacing the elaborate entrance hall impatient to be off at once. To say he had been most surprised to receive a letter from Miss Jane Rosebury asking for his help would be an understatement, more so since the lady in question had apparently admitted to willingly eloping with none other than Edward Inglewood. Of all the wonders on earth, that bit of information had been the most surprising.

He wondered what Newbridge would have to say about the matter. No doubt, this was the reason for the Duke's recent absence, Henry reasoned, fishing in the pockets of his coat for his leather riding gloves. Instead, his hand closed over the crumpled letter which he must have slipped into his pockets and pulled it out, smoothing it out so he could read it again. There were dried spots on the writing paper which hinted at tears.

Why would she be in tears? He scanned the contents quickly. My Lord Westbrooke,

I am certain this letter will come as a shock to you, but I have no one else to turn to. As you may probably have heard, either from His Grace or perhaps through rumours, which I am sure will have circulated by now, Edward Inglewood and I have decided to go to Gretna Green and tie our vows as man and wife.

I know it is a scandal, but what else could I do? I love Edward as much as he loves me, and I could not bear the thought of being married to His Grace, someone who does not care for me. Please don't judge me on the basis of this scandal.

Please, we find ourselves in need of help. We are certain the Duke will come after us, and heaven only knows what he will do when he does. His temper is quite awful, and he will find some way to punish us for what we have done. I appeal to you, Lord Westbrooke, as you are the only one who can prevail upon His Grace, to come to our aid in some way. I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience this is bound to cost you, but we really do not know who else to turn to for protection, for Papa will not be able to do so.

We are still on our way to Scotland. We have only stopped at an inn, a place called The Wayside due to the storm, but we will be on our way. I do not have any regrets about my decision to marry Edward; I only fear the consequences of our action. Thank you for being so understanding, Lord Westbrooke. I remain, The Honourable, Jane Rosebury

A few minutes of hard riding brought him to Inglewood Manor, looking rather deserted as there was no smoke rising from the chimney, and the house, in general, had an unoccupied look to it. He brought the horse to a stop close to the little stone path that led to the front door and dismounted.

"Is any one in here?" Henry called out, sweeping off his hat and applying his knuckles to the solid oak door in a few sharp raps. As he had expected, there was no response or movement from within, but he could hear the sounds of animals coming from somewhere behind the house.

He turned to take the path that led round the house to the farmyard, following the sounds of the animals. As he rounded the path, he almost collided with a young lad coming the other way, a pitchfork in hand. The boy mumbled an apology, studying the earl from beneath his lashes, which Henry noted were impossibly long for a boy and gave him a sort of feminine look.

"Be begging ye pardon, ye lordship," the boy apologized, reaching up to snatch away the cap from his head, revealing a tumble of unruly red curls. "I 'eard ye call out, but didna know ye would come this way."

Henry studied the boy for a moment, taking in the slender frame and almost feminine look the lad had about him, even his voice was a tad too soft for a growing boy. He dismissed the thought, focusing back on the reason for his visit.