Frederick

"Where is he?" Frederick held Samuel's note out to his butler. "Did he say which club he was going to?"

"No, Your Grace." Marvin looked down at the letter. "He merely asked where you were. I told him you were at Lady Ashworth's and expected to be back at eleven." He handed the letter back to the duke.

"Send Carson into me please." Frederick placed the note on his desk and stared at it. Samuel had caught the pair in the act. What did that mean? Wasn't he supposed to have gone to his school friend, Edmond Witherspoon, for assistance? The pair could only mean George Somersby and his sister Caroline. In the act? Frederick mused. Did that mean Sam had caught them carrying out an indecent act? Fred looked up from the message at the sound of a knock on the door. "Come!"

"You wanted to see me, Your Grace." Carson bowed his head, and then looked up at the new Duke of Irvine.

"Yes. As you are aware your master has not returned. I have a letter from him saying he was going to his club. Would you happen to know which club he was referring to, and how he made his way there?"

Carson coughed into his cupped fist. "There is only one ah... club, the earl ever goes to now days, Your Grace, and that would be Mrs. McGilliget's Gem House." Carson coughed once more. "There is one lady who has the earl's interest. Her name is Ruby. A redhead, I believe, My Lord. The earl did not ask for his carriage or horse so I am under the assumption he walked, sir."

"Did he say when he expected to be back?"

"No, Your Grace. Not exactly. I had the impression he was going to be here by the time you returned last night."

"Thank you, Carson. Will you tell Marvin to have my carriage ready?" Frederick turned back to the letter on his desk. It wasn't unusual for Samuel to stay out, but Fred had the impression Sam wanted to discuss something very important, and knowing his brother, no club or woman would get in the way of that.

*

Well, Sammy had good taste in women that was for sure, Frederick thought as he watched the attractive redhead make her way down the stairs. She curtsied before she took a seat across the table from him.

"My Lord. You wished to speak to me." Erin's stomach tensed. He had the same colouring as Sam but he was of a stouter build. She couldn't believe how much his eyes were identical to his brothers.

"I am under the impression my brother, Samuel Denyer, and you are... um... acquainted?"

"Yes, My Lord." Erin couldn't help but grin at his uncomfortable manner, when posing this question.

"Did he come and see you last night?"

"Yes, he did, sir." Erin nodded. An uneasy feeling crept over her. "He left me right on half past ten, My Lord." She gave him a questioning look.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No, My Lord. Sammy never speaks to me of his private affairs." She caught the look on the duke's face. "Oh. I'm sorry. The earl allows me to use his first name."

"Yes. Of course, he would." Fred smiled to put the girl at ease. Samuel had never been caught up with all the ceremony that came with his birth. "Was he at all different to you in anyway last night?"

"No, My Lord." Erin bit on her lip. The uneasy feeling was growing stronger. She took a chance. "I don't wish to be impertinent, sir, but you are making me worry. Has something happened to Sam?"

Frederick leaned back in his chair, brought his pointers together and pressed them against his chin. The girl looked like she genuinely cared. He lowered his hands and leaned forward. "My brother has gone missing, Ruby. May I call you Ruby?"

Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she nodded franticly. Tears filled her eyes, "Missing?"

"Yes." Fred watched the flow of tears spill over her lashes and trail down her face. "He had informed me that he was going to see an old friend in the country. He returned home mid-morning yesterday, but went straight to bed. Unfortunately, I did not see him on his return. I went out myself last night. When I returned there was a letter from Sam, saying he was coming here, and needed to speak to me when we had both finished our evenings ah... commitments."

"My real name is Erin, sir." She wiped away some of her tears. "Sammy was in a very good mood, and was very happy when he took his leave. In fact, he was very affectionate. The clock struck half past ten, My Lord, as he closed the door and left me to sleep." Erin gasped. "I pray he will be found safe, sir. He means so much to me."

"I'm sorry, Erin. I didn't mean to upset you." Frederick stood. He pulled his folder from his coat pocket and handed her a guinea.

"Oh no, sir." She pushed his hand down. "It's not money I want. Sammy has looked after me very well." Erin stood and peered up at him. "All I ask is news of Sam's well-being. Will you please let me know when you find him?"

"I'm sorry." Frederick put the money away. "Please forgive me. I wasn't thinking." He took Erin's hand and kissed the back of it. "I will certainly keep you informed. Thank you for speaking with me."

*

"I'm sorry, Your Grace. I haven't seen Samuel since we left Eton almost two years ago. I sailed for India almost immediately and was away for a year. Since I've been back, I've heard from Sammy twice. The last letter I received from him was at least four months ago." Edmond poured the duke a glass of brandy and handed it to him. "There was nothing out of the ordinary in it. He said he was living with you in London and not much more really." Edmond lifted his tumbler and took a sip. "Can I ask what this is all about, My Lord?"

"My brother has been missing for over a week. I have employed the services of a runner. Samuel's coat was found near the wharves covered in blood stains." Fred threw back his glass and gulped down the alcohol. "I am afraid he is dead." He peered at Edmond and added, "He had told me, just before he went missing, that he was going to ask for your assistance concerning a family matter."

Edmond reached for the bottle of whiskey. The duke looked like he needed something stronger than brandy. He splashed a measure into a clean glass and handed it to him. "Can I take a guess that this family matter concerned your stepmother and her brother, sir?"

Fred looked over his tumbler and up at Edmond Witherspoon. He lowered the glass. "He said something to you?"

"Yes. It was back when we were at school. Perhaps three years ago. In December. Sammy didn't want to go home for the holidays, because he had a dislike for this couple. He couldn't explain why, but said he had a gut feeling something was not right with them." A sudden feeling of sorrow took hold of Edmond. He had to sit down to contain it. "You say that you think Sammy is dead, My Lord." Ed looked over at the duke hoping he would retract the statement.

"I'm sorry. I hope this isn't true, but all evidence suggests this is likely. The runner thinks he may have been mugged while leaving his mistresses premises, and that his body was thrown into the Thames. His coat pockets were empty."

*

"Where is Anderson?" Frederick studied George Somersby's face, and then peered at his young stepmother. George's face showed no emotion at all, where Caroline would not meet his gaze.

"He left a letter of resignation almost two weeks ago." George sat down at Haliford's bureau and opened the top drawer. For some reason this action unsettled Frederick, and for the first time he looked at George through Samuel's eyes. He didn't like what he saw. George lifted an envelope and passed it to the duke. "I have taken the liberty of finding a replacement for Anderson on your behalf, Your Grace." George tilted his head as Frederick took the note from him.

"We have not seen the earl of late." Caroline brought her hands together and fiddled with her fingers. "We miss him greatly when he is not here, and hope he is in good health."

Frederick couldn't understand why he did it, but he lied. He beamed at Caroline. "Yes. Sammy is in fine health. Now." Fred opened the letter and pretended to read, waiting for some response to his statement.

"Now. Your Grace." George stood up slowly.

Frederick kept his head hung and glanced at Caroline from under his brow. A scowl crossed her face, and then quickly disappeared. There was definitely something amiss. He looked up from the letter and smiled at George. "Yes. He was attacked three weeks ago. A bump on the head and woke up near the wharves." Frederick waved his words aside. He watched George carefully.

"Oh. This is terrible, Your Grace. Has his attacker been found?" George shot a look at Caroline as if warning her to remain quiet. Fred pretended not to notice.

"Alas no. He has no memory of it at all. We are just glad he survived. The runners think it was a robbery as Samuel's pockets had been emptied. His coat was found some distance away and also stripped of everything he had."

George's face drained of colour. Frederick had an urgent compulsion to leave. For some reason he did not feel safe in his own home. "Well." He tapped Anderson's supposed letter of resignation on the palm of his hand and smiled. "Thank you so much for taking this in hand. Denbury Hall cannot run properly without a butler. Sadly, I must take my leave. I have urgent business to attend to in London." He slipped the letter in his pocket, bowed his head at George, and then took Caroline's hand and kissed the back of it. "Until next time."

As Frederick sat in his carriage on his return to London, he felt sick in the stomach. Samuel's suspicions were correct. Fred was certain Samuel was dead by George's hand. He reread Anderson's resignation. There were too many spelling mistakes. Anderson had been well educated. Fred was positive the letter was a forgery, and the person who had written it had assumed the butler had little knowledge of the written language.

Frederick looked out of the window with the deepest regret in his heart. If only he had listened to his younger brother, he and his father would still be alive today.

*

"Don't say a word!" George spun from the window where he watched the duke's carriage pass through the gates of Denbury Hall. He reached Caroline in three strides. "Why did you ask him about his bastard brother?"

Caroline lifted her face defiantly. "I thought it would misguide him, but the earl is alive. You have failed us." George lifted his hand. Caroline grabbed his wrist. "Don't you dare!" she spat. I'm sick of you hitting me. I won't take it anymore."

"Is that right?" George sneered.

"This rage in you has got to stop. We agreed how this would work, George, but your obsession with the earl has driven you to madness, which you are venting on me and I won't have it anymore. You failed. The earl lives, so don't blame me."

"He's lying. The earl is gone. I helped load him onto the ship, and saw him tied to the bulkhead."

"How would you know," Caroline scoffed. "That captain might have thrown him off before the ship set sail."

George paced the room, and then chuckled. "We will play along with the duke's game and see where it takes us."

"If he's alive, George, we dispose of him my way." Caroline cupped his cheek with her hand. "Poison." She smiled. "It worked on Baron Norrington, it'll work on Samuel Denyer, if he's still alive." Standing on tiptoe, Caroline kissed his lips, and whispered, "I'll go to your chamber and be undressed before you get there. You need to relieve some tension, my love, without hitting me."

Finally Fredrick has suspicions. Though it's a bit late now. I wonder what he plans to do?

And Caroline has started to show her true colours. From the sounds of it, this pair have done this before.

Photo taken from Upsplash