Victorian Dream Read Online Free PDF Page B

there somewhere we might speak more comfortably?” he suggested, lowering his arm to his side.
    “Certainly. My quarters are this way.”
    Merrick led the way through a door, down a hall, and into a secluded section of the east wing of the house. “This is my wife, Wynona,” he introduced, as they entered a small yet comfortable sitting room.
    “Have you eaten, lad?” Merrick asked.
    Walker shook his head. He’d come directly from the ship to the estate, the fullness of his concern outweighing the emptiness of his belly.
    “Fix Captain Garrison a plate, please, Wynona.”
    “Of course, dear. Right away.” The kindly woman smiled, and hurried off toward the kitchen they had just vacated.
    “Will they be all right?” Merrick asked. There was true apprehension in the man’s eyes, the kind of concern one held for friends, not just for one’s employers.
    “Yes. But only by the grace of God. Have you been with the St.Christopher’s long?”
    “Grew up with Master Phillip. My father worked for his father. When we were young, we got into some fine troubles,” he added, with a chuckle.
    Walker smiled in understanding. “Regardless of the fact that they are far away, Merrick, you’re the man he needs to watch his back. And you’re the man I need to help keep Trelayne safe as we figure out why this happened. Can you think of anyone who would want to cause harm to them or the company?”
    “Not as I could say. Mr. St.Christopher is kind to all his employees. From me at the top,” he said, with pride but not vainglory, “down to the youngest footman and cabin boy. And the Missus is generous to a fault, what with them bazaars for the needy and all those church socials. The only one with his aristocratic nose out of joint lately is Mr. Lucien.”
    “Who’s that?”
    “Lucien Lanteen. Mr. Phillip’s solicitor. For some reason he was against the partnership. And he’s got designs on Miss Trelayne, if you know what I mean. But overly protected though she is, the lass is also of an independent mind, and nobody’s fool. Leads him a merry chase, but ain’t ready to be caught.”
    It should not matter to him who Trelayne favored, or with whom she kept company, but Merrick’s revelation regarding her nature pleased him. The idea this solicitor was interested in her, did not.
    “Tell me more about Mr. Lanteen.”
    “Ain’t much to tell. He’s a bit of a loner. Been Master Philip’s legal council for some time now, and he oversees the books. He ain’t a bad sort that I know of, just a tad wild like so many young folk now days. Likes the ponies and a bit of elbow shaking. Plays the dice,” he added for clarification. “Joins in anything he thinks might make him look a station or two above his calling.”
    “And you don’t believe he would be involved with anything as underhanded as this?”
    “Well, he’s a bit of a scoundrel, to be sure. And there ain’t no telling what he gets up to when he’s not here mooning over Miss Trelayne. But I have no evidence he harbors a cruel streak necessary to do what you described. And I seen him around here within the last week, so it hardly seems likely he was over on your shores at the time of the incident.”
    Merrick’s wife returned with a tantalizing plate of roast beef and gravy, browned potatoes, and a fresh loaf of Cook’s earlier achievement.
    “Thank you, ma’am,” he said, as they retired to a dining area. “I can’t tell you how much I needed a good home-cooked meal.”
    “You’re welcome, Captain,” Wynona sliced the bread, and poured tea for him and her husband. “Don’t make yourself scarce around here,” she added. “We enjoy visitors. Especially handsome ones.” With that, she gave him a wink and busied herself elsewhere.
    “We lost our boy in ’47, in South Africa,” Merrick said. “He would have been around your age, had he lived. She likes to see a young face at the table.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss, Merrick. It’s never right