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Henry stopped sweeping when he saw him approach. “Good morning, Mr. Stewart,” he greeted. “Can I get you anything?”
“No.” Guy reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out a few coins. “I wanted to give you something before I depart.”
He extended the coins to the boy, whose eyes grew wide. “Thank you!” Henry gushed as he reached for them.
“Life is a difficult journey, but with hard work, you can make something of yourself,” Guy advised. “Promise me that you will continue to work hard.”
“I will.” The boy clutched the coins in his hand. “I hope you have a safe journey back to London.”
As Guy looked at the boy, he realized that he saw a part of himself in Henry. His face was dirty, his hair was tousled, and his clothes were terribly wrinkled, but Guy had witnessed firsthand how hard Henry worked.
With a parting smile, Guy walked back to Hawthorne. “Are you ready to investigate a poisoning?”
“I am,” Hawthorne said as he laid two coins on the table.
They departed the inn and stepped into the waiting coach. It jerked forward as Hawthorne asked, “Do you truly believe Phineas isn’t capable of poisoning his grandmother?”
“Phineas is a blackguard, but I do not believe he would resort to poisoning.”
“Why is that?”
“Because he is a coward.”
“How do you know that?”
Guy leaned back in his seat. “I attended Eton with Phineas. He made my life miserable, but once I started fighting back, he let me be.”
“Why did he make your life miserable?”
“Why else?” Guy asked. “I was the poor kid who was there only because of a scholarship.”
Hawthorne gave him an approving nod. “That is an impressive feat,” he acknowledged. “They don’t hand out very many of those scholarships.”
“No, they don’t, but that didn’t stop the other students from tormenting me.”
“I am sorry you were forced to endure that.”
Guy shrugged. “It has shaped me into the man I am today,” he admitted. “I learned many tough lessons from my years at Eton.”
The coach came to a stop in front of Miss Locke’s manor, and Guy could immediately tell that something was wrong. Footmen were roaming the grounds, concerned looks on their faces.
He exited the coach before it had come to a complete stop and rushed towards the main door. He pounded on it and was pleased when it was promptly opened.
The butler greeted them with a strained smile. “How may I help you?”
“Is Miss Locke available for callers?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Whyever not?” he demanded.
The butler opened the door wide. “It might be best if we have this conversation inside,” he said, ushering them in.
Once they stepped into the entry hall, the butler turned towards them with a solemn look on his face. “I’m afraid that Miss Locke is missing.”
“Missing?” Guy repeated in alarm. “How is that even possible? We just saw her a short time ago.”
“Miss Locke returned from her ride, and a groom saw her walk into the woods,” the butler explained. “He became worried because she never lingered that long in the woods alone. So, he went to ensure she was all right, but he was unable to find her.”
