Hugh spoke up. “I asked around and no one saw a young woman that fit Lady Dunrobin’s description. I do not think she ever made it to Gretna Green to begin with. I suspect she jumped out of the coach on the way to Gretna Green.”
Bennett had so many questions but he needed to inform Delphine of what Hugh had discovered. But she was with Miss Eden.
His heart dropped.
Her friend had been in on the whole thing and she was meeting with the woman in the gardens… alone. He needed to find Delphine and ensure no harm had befallen her.
Turning towards White, Bennett ordered, “I want every available footman to meet me in the gardens at once.”
White looked unsure. “Will that not cause a commotion amongst the guests?”
“I do not care about that,” Bennett said. “Lady Dunrobin went to the gardens to meet with Miss Eden, and I want her found.”
Understanding dawned on White’s expression. “I will go round them up now, my lord.”
Bennett refused to wait another moment longer. He needed to go find Delphine, and quickly. As he raced out the back door, his eyes roamed over the vast gardens. Where was Delphine?
His eyes landed on the garden maze, knowing that high hedges provided privacy to anyone who entered it. That is where they had to be. In a few purposeful strides, he arrived at the entrance of the maze and stopped to listen.
He heard nothing.
What if he was wrong? Time was of the essence and he didn’t have the luxury of making a mistake. He didn’t knowwhat Miss Eden was capable of, which is what scared him the most.
Bennett continued down the maze as he tried to make out any sounds that would indicate Delphine was in here.
Finally, he came to a stop when he heard hushed voices from the next path over. He kept his steps light as he turned the corner.
To his horror, he saw that Mr. Simpkin was pointing a pistol at Delphine, his finger twitching on the trigger. Miss Eden was standing next to him and she didn’t appear the least bit concerned about her friend’s well-being.
Knowing he needed to do something or risk Delphine being shot, he shouted the first thing that came to his mind, “Wait!”
Mr. Simpkin shifted the pistol towards him. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Taking a step towards Delphine, he replied, “I could say the same about you. I thought you two were staying at the boarding house in the village.”
“We are, but we had some unfinished business that we had to see to before we left,” Miss Eden said.
Delphine kept her gaze on the pistol as she shared, “I am the unfinished business.”
“I figured as much, considering they need you dead to conceal their deceit,” Bennett said, wishing that he had taken the time to retrieve his father’s dueling pistols.
Turning his attention towards Mr. Simpkin, Bennett continued by asking a simple question. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Simpkin?”
Mr. Simpkin scoffed. “And what do you know of our deceit, my lord?” he jeered.
Bennett moved over to stand next to Delphine and hoped he was correct in his assumptions. “I know that you married Miss Eden, who pretended to be Delphine, because she escaped from the coach on the way to Gretna Green.”
Delphine gasped. “How could you betray me like this?” she asked, her voice betraying her emotions.
Charlotte’s expression shifted to one of amusement at the accusation. “You always thought you were better than me, but who has the upper hand now?” she taunted, a hint of triumph in her voice.
“I have never thought I was better than you,” Delphine asserted.
“I wish you had stayed dead when you jumped out of the coach,” Charlotte declared.
Delphine’s eyes grew wide in disbelief. “Is that how I ended up in the woodlands, running from you and Mr. Simpkin?”
“And me,” Mr. Paterson said from behind Bennett. “How could you have forgotten your own cousin so easily?”
