Could the scullery maid be Jeffries’s accomplice? His gut tightened in apprehension. He was afraid to discover that something sinister was afoot.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Perry followed the maid’s rapid pace to the attic, his heartbeat increasing with each step. Surely nothing terrible could have happened to the maid; she was Jeffries’s lover and maybe his accomplice. Easily cast aside once he was done with her.
A thought flickered in his mind that it wasn’t that simple. The maid would be perfect for helping him escape. Someone to hide with until Jeffries started over somewhere else. The man was clearly adept at making people believe what they wanted to about him.
Perry’s father was a horrible man, but he was no fool. Rufus Spencer must have seen something in Jeffries that he recognized in himself. An unrelenting cruelty and the ability to use people to achieve his ends.
The room was at the top of the stairs and at the end of an empty hallway. The dark wood floors groaned under each step as they walked along the white walls to Mary’s room.
Nancy led him to a small bedroom in the attic. She stepped aside to allow him entry. The door parted slowly, creaking on aged hinges. Perry inhaled as his gaze scanned the room, which wassparsely furnished with two small beds and a table between the larger pieces of furniture. Each bed was neatly made.
“Who shares the room with Mary?”
“Susan. We questioned her, and she said she hadn’t seen Mary for a few days. Her bed has been empty as well.”
“Ah,” Perry said and nodded. “Which side is Mary’s?”
The maid pointed. “I would return to my duties, my lord, if you no longer have need of me.”
“Of course, Nancy. Thank you for your assistance. Please let us know if you think of anything else.”
With a final nod, Nancy turned and, with a quick step, made her way back to the kitchens. Perry looked over the room, disappointed.
There wasn’t much to investigate.
Casting a look in the hall to confirm he was alone, Perry closed the door and began his inspection of the room. Daylight streamed through the simple sheer curtains, allowing him to see easily. Susan had a few possessions on the nightstand, which Perry left untouched. Mary seemed to have left little more than a box beneath the bed and her servant’s uniform folded neatly on the coverlet.
Apparently, where she was going, she would have no need of a maid’s garb.
Perry pulled the box out and laid it on the bed next to him.
A small hope fluttered in his chest that he might find something of importance.
Unfortunately, it was filled with copious notes. Pieces of paper, wrinkled as though they had been tightly clutched in her hand, were then smoothed out before being placed in the box.
A humorless laugh escaped his lips. Love notes. Secret rendezvous in code.
Perry sat on the bed for what felt like hours, sorting the letters, trying to decode their meeting places. The words were simple,which made sense considering the maid’s literacy skills might be limited.
Each note was initialed with the letter D. Perhaps for Donald Jeffries? Clenching his jaw, he searched for other consistencies. They always met at different places, perhaps at night, Perry had no idea.
B for boathouse, perhaps?
S for stables, maybe? That seemed plausible.
G for gardens? Gatehouse?
Perry frowned. That covered such a long expanse of territory, it would be a struggle to narrow down exactly where they met. One thing was clear: they needed to broaden their search to at least find some signs of where they might have met the night before they disappeared. Once he returned to meet with his brother, Perry would organize a thorough search of the grounds. The village would also have to be investigated. Perhaps the locals had seen them passing through. There was no other way, unless his brother discovered the truth in his interviews.
Tucking the note that sat on top of the pile in his pocket, Perry replaced the box under the bed, exactly where he had found it. He made his way slowly back to his brother, starting to feel the effects of all his activity. His energy had returned, much to his pleasure, but his endurance wasn’t what it used to be.
Upon arriving at Beauregard’s office, a maid rushed from the room and nodded to Perry in passing. Noting the office had been left empty, save for his brother, Perry entered.
“Well, I believe our next step is to take all available servants and explore the grounds,” Perry suggested.
Beau studied his face, waiting for Perry to occupy the chair across from him.
