Mandy

“I have no way of doing that, as they did not confide their destination to me,” Skip said.

“That is odd,” Sir Owen remarked. “You are their closest friend, are you not?”

“Indeed, but knowing Mandy, she would not wish to cause me trouble and put me in a situation that could take me there.”

“Then I am disheartened,” Sir Owen returned with a shake of his head. “It is time to take action.”

“Action? What action?” the viscount expostulated worriedly.

The duke had quietly been listening and watching this exchange but was moved to ask dryly, “Indeed, I am curious, what action do you have in mind?”

“As the charges against Ned are absurd, we should be working to get them dismissed,” Sir Owen said sharply. “We need to take action to do that.”

“Just so, how do you propose we go about accomplishing that?” the viscount returned impatiently.

“What have you been doing to find the maid, Elly Bonner?” Sir Owen asked.

The duke’s brows rose. Was Sir Owen fishing for information? Was he worried that they were getting close to finding her? Was that because Chauncey and Ned had found the woman’s beau? Did Sir Owen already know that?

“I have set about inquiries, of course. To date, those inquiries have turned up absolutely nothing. The girl and the diary have vanished,” the viscount answered on a heavy sigh. “My fear is that the diary has already been thrown into the fire.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” said the duke. “This maid took it for a reason. I believe, when we find her, we find the diary and that both will reveal the name of the father of Celia’s unborn child.”

Sir Owen looked more worried than he should have at this conclusion, “Just so,” he said quietly. “As it happens, I have found some information about the maid. Apparently, Elly Bonner was spotted in York three nights ago.”

Both the duke and the viscount were on their feet. The viscount made a blustering sound of excitement, but the duke asked grimly, “Why wait until just now to tell us this? Was she alone at the time?”

“I…I was leading up to it. She isn’t there any longer, but she was seen with someone. A brute of a man.”

“How do you come by this information?” the duke asked watching Owen’s face.

“From one of my servants,” he smiled ruefully. “‘Tis the only way to get any information. They have quite a grapevine.” He shrugged, “At any rate, I immediately sent my man to York to see if he could find any more information about her whereabouts, but although he confirmed that she had been there, she had already left.”

Was Owen trying to send them off in another direction? What was his game, the duke wondered. He was surprised when the viscount interjected at this point, “‘Tis all a hum. The poor girl is probably dead…by the same hand that killed Celia.”

“Upon my soul!” Sir Owen frowned as he rounded on the viscount. “What makes you thin

k so?”

“Stands to reason, don’t it? Look here; this was carefully put in place, step by step to make Ned look guilty. First Ned is delayed from meeting Celia because Elly took him a note which he no longer has…but was no doubt was written by the real murderer. Then, a page of the diary is found. Then Elly and the diary go missing.” The viscount shook his head impatiently, “Dash it to hell! Planned, the entire thing, planned to an inch,” the viscount said with some disgust. “The real murderer saw she was his weak link, this Elly Bonner and must have immediately set out to kill her.”

“Agreed that he wanted her dead, but I believe she realized this and took off. I don’t think he had an opportunity and you are quite correct, Skip, she is his weak link. No doubt he is looking for her as well. She is running for her life which will make it very difficult to find her,” said the duke quietly.

“I believe you are right,” Sir Owen said and turned to the viscount, “One more thing, Skip…” her paused.

“One more thing?” the viscount encouraged him archly.

“Indeed, it has come to my attention…well, how do I put this? No way but openly, I suppose,” he said answering himself and hurriedly saying, “It has come to my attention that you and Celia were intimately acquainted for some months.”

“Good Lord! Is that all? As a matter of fact and though ‘tis none of your business, yes, we were close for a time during the winter. It was over long before spring set in. I don’t mean to be glib about it, but there it is in a nutshell,” the viscount said sitting back in his chair.

“You have not disclosed it all, have you?” Sir Owen put up a chin. “As it happens, you are now courting a young woman and I believe you would be loathe for her to know about your…situation with Miss Celia, as she might not be so very understanding of it.”

“Dash it man, do you think I would murder the poor girl, rather than allow my affair with her be known? You are a fool to suggest such a thing.”

“An affair is not what would make a bachelor so very concerned…but a child of his as a result of an affair…”

“Damn your eyes!” the viscount jumped to his feet. “You dare to suggest I would kill a young woman and one that was carrying my child? Get out of my home with your filthy accusations. Celia and I were over long before she was with child.”