Page 8 of A Rogue to Forget

Just then male voices carried from the entry. Three to be exact.

“Oh dear,” Felicity said. “Should we tell them what happened?”

“No,” Hannah said. “Henry especially. He is already going out of his way to ensure I am well. He is feeling responsible since finding my father.”

“Felicity, did you hear what happened?” Evan appeared at the door, his eyes widening at seeing Hannah. “So you have.”

Henry and Grant joined Evan, both looking on as Hannah blew out a breath. “I am well. There is nothing to worry about.”

“We spoke to the constable, and they have agreed to send a man to walk by daily,” Felicity’s mother said.

“I heard about it from Marta when I stopped by to drop off sweet tarts.” Henry walked into the room and met Mrs. Murray’s gaze. “With all due respect to the constable and officers, once a day is not enough.”

Looking up to the ceiling, Hannah could not think of what to say. Finally, she turned to Felicity. “I will stay here for the time being, but we must find out what it is those men are after. That means searching my house top to bottom.”

“And finding out exactly who those men are,” Grant added. “I have an idea.”

Everyone turned to Grant.

His lips curved. “We will send Hannah and her housekeeper to the market. Each of us will follow separately, at a discreet distance. When they are approached by this stranger, we attack.”

“Attack?” Mrs. Murray exclaimed, her hands on her chest. “What do you mean attack?”

Felicity huffed. “Grant, you will not put Hannah in danger in that manner.”

“Not to mention they could possibly be murderers,” Hannah said, glaring at Grant.

“There is that,” Grant admitted and sighed audibly.

The men settled into chairs and Hannah gave up trying to dissuade them. They would set a plan in motion, and she for one wanted to know exactly what they intended to do. The sooner they investigated, the sooner she would find out why people thought there was money in her house. Additionally, if they were the ones who killed her father, it could prove helpful once they informed the proper authorities.

“First things first,” Evan said. “The three of us will search the house. “One of us will remain there in case one of the men come.”

“I will do it,” Grant and Henry said in unison.

Hannah stood. “The sooner we get this over with the better.”

“First you will eat,” Felicity said, leaving no room for argument. “I will check with the kitchen to make something. Let us discuss all of this over food.”

Hannah was glad for the delicious meal of a simple chicken stew. While eating, everyone discussed the situation.

Despite the state of her life, one thing was certain. She was not alone; the people there in the dining room were like family. Each of them concerned for her wellbeing and doing their part to help. There was no doubt in her mind how fortunate she was.

*

Hours later, thesearch in her house continued in earnest. In her father’s study, they found documentation that indicated her father had indeed sought a loan from a business called Brown Ltd. Of course, Hannah had no idea what the loan had been for.

Just after her father’s murder, investigators had come and asked her mother for documents, but for some reason, she’d either not known or did not wish to provide the ones they found.

In a secret drawer of the desk, they found several hundred-pound notes. The money would be helpful, but again, not so large an amount that someone would kill over.

“I will inquire with my father about this business that Mr. Kerr had dealings with,” Henry said, and looked to Grant and Evan. “You should both do the same. Perhaps one of our fathers knows them through business dealings.”

Once they finished in the study, they moved to the library, which yielded nothing more than some interesting arrangement of books. Hannah had not considered it strange that her parents insisted the books be placed alphabetically by title and not by author. Apparently the norm was to place books by theme or author.

When they went to her parents’ bedroom, she chose not to enter and instead went to the kitchen to seek out Marta.

The woman sat at a table with Silas, both looking glum. Marta looked up as Hannah entered. “If you go live elsewhere, does it mean you no longer require my services?” The woman wiped an errant tear.