Page 6 of A Stormy Season

“What did you see of the man?”

“Only that he was taller than Cobb. His hat was pulled down low, and to be honest, sir, I didn’t see his face.”

When Luke reached the top of the stairs, he opened the first door on the right, which was his own bedroom. Clothing was strewn everywhere and furniture was overturned.

Luke went in cautiously and headed for the bedside table. He opened the drawer and cursed under his breath. His pistol was missing, just as he’d suspected.

Of course the intruder would take his gun.

“Sir?” Burke stood in the doorway.

Luke’s first priority was his son, so he handed Burke the poker and ordered, “Make sure he’s not hiding in any of the rooms on this floor.” Then he continued toward the nursery, which was the next door.

The nursery looked just as it had when Luke had rescued Sally from Jeffrey’s early morning high energy, telling the nurse he would take the boy to the park. Nothing looked amiss.

Luke carefully lay Jeffrey in his bed, and the child rolled onto his side and continued sleeping.

Taking the poker from the nursery fireplace, he gave it to Sally. “Watch over him, and don’t hesitate to scream if you see a strange man.”

“Yes, sir.” The petite young woman gripped the poker with a determined look. She might have looked comical if Luke hadn’t been gritting his teeth as he planned what he would do if the intruder would only show himself.

There were two other rooms on that floor. Luke threw open the next door, which was his old bedroom. It also appeared undisturbed.

He confiscated that fireplace’s poker and advanced to the only room he hadn’t yet checked—the bedroom where Anne had slept. The door was ajar, and he shoved it open.

Anne’s room was ransacked even more horribly than Luke’s. Every drawer had been emptied on the floor. The mattress had been pulled off the bed and slashed open, along with the pillows. Her tall upright cupboard had been emptied and the back of it smashed. Her trunks were open and upended, the bottom knocked out. Clothing was everywhere, all over the floor and draped over every surface.

Luke quickly checked to make sure no one was lurking in a corner even as his stomach churned at seeing Anne’s bedroom, her personal things, thrown violently about the room. He’d carefully avoided her bedroom ever since she died. It was like a punch in the gut to see it in such a state.

But this was no time for complicated sentiment. He returned to his own bedroom.

“I didn’t find anyone,” Burke said, still wielding the poker.

“Did no one hear anything?” Luke asked Burke in the doorway. “There should have been a lot of noise when they smashed the wooden trunks and furniture.”

“I was fetching the pantry items for the day,” Burke said. “When I come in the house, Cobb was at the bottom of the stairs and the maidservants was huddled around him on the floor.”

“And where was Smith?”

“Smith must of been in his room in the basement, for he comes out running, not quite fully dressed. He must of heard the women crying out.”

Luke sighed. “Very well. Let’s go and check the attic.”

They stored unused furniture in the attic, and it was also where some of the female servants had their sleeping quarters. After a thorough search, Luke and Burke found no strange men and nothing out of place and made their way back down the stairs.

Luke remained cautious, constantly checking his surroundings, still holding the iron poker like a weapon.

He went first to the nursery, peeking in to see Sally sitting beside Jeffrey’s bed. The boy was still asleep.

Luke continued down to the entry hall, still carefully looking and listening, then going down to the basement level where Cobb was being attended to by the surgeon, Mr. Pyle.

Pyle stood and bid the footmen carry Cobb to his room.

“Will he recover?” Luke asked.

“He may, if he regains consciousness,” Mr. Pyle said, pressing his lips together and shaking his head. “It is hard to say with this kind of head injury. He may also have broken bones or internal wounds. We should pray that his senses are restored and he is able to tell us his symptoms.”

“Yes, of course.” Luke’s heart sank even as heat crept into his face. How dare someone come into his home and push his butler down a flight of stairs? The rage nearly overwhelmed him.