Page 24 of Adeline

But Jasper was already running for his own steed and had mounted before Landers said another word.

Ripping the reins from the post they were tied to as the groom had begun tending the horses, Jasper kicked the beast into action and charged from the stables toward the plant. He kept his attention on the uneven ground of the meadow as he allowed his horse his head, the gelding knew the way to the plant as well as Jasper himself.

Never once did he glance over his shoulder to see if his servants followed.

From the fright on Landers’ face, there was no time to think…only time for action.

Chapter 9

Adeline entered the Faversham kitchen, happy to see Emily’s familiar face as she and two other servants carried in the morning’s spoils. It was a room normally dominated by servants and off-limits to the master’s family—at least in her family homes—however, Adeline was a guest, and she was uncertain what to do to occupy her time until Lord Ailesbury summoned her to depart. In other cases, she would have sought a restorative walk about the property, but the intensity of the storm was increasing once more, and she had little urge to wander the Abbey alone. Besides, while snooping around Lord Ailesbury’s home would have, at one time, felt like an adventure, since gaining a certain understanding of the man, she saw it as more of an invasion of his privacy than anything else.

And so, she strolled through the foyer, down a corridor, and toward the only sounds she could hear.

Of course, the kitchen was the liveliest room in any home.

Which was certainly why her parents had specifically forbidden all of her siblings from partaking in any rousing activity to be had within the room.

Adeline was not forbidden to enter the kitchen at Faversham Abbey.

“Good day, miss,” Emily called, lifting a large bird onto a table at the back of the room. “Ye and the master sure did spear three plump turkeys. It be true ye took down the first?”

Adeline laughed, walking to where the servants struggled to lift the second bird. “Gossip certainly travels fast at Faversham.”

All three women turned open-eyed stares on her. Even Cook, who hadn’t paused in her stirring of a large pot to greet Adeline, pivoted to face the commotion at the back of her kitchen.

“No, miss,” Emily rushed, hurrying over to Adeline. “No one be gossip’n—“

Adeline smiled at the women, who one by one allowed their terrified expressions to overtake their faces and their gazes to drop to the floor. “I certainly did not mean to insult anyone here or insinuate that you spoke out of turn.” She grasped Emily’s hands, and the servant stiffened at the contact. “Besides, I am a firm believer that gossip is never all negative. In fact, if it were not for the wagging tongues of London, my dear friend, Theodora, would not have admitted her love for my brother, scoundrel that he is.”

“I only overhead m’lord speak’n ta the stable master of ye skill with a bow.”

“He mentioned me?” It took four sets of eyes narrowing in her direction before Adeline realized she’d spoken the thought aloud. For one of the first times in her life, a deep blush overtook her. “I meant my skill. Yes, my skill. Lord Ailesbury was certainly dubious to have me accompany him.”

“Aw, well,” Cook chimed in. “Ye certainly showed him ye worth, yes ye did. It do the lad well ta be put in his place, if only e’er once in a while.”

Emily, along with the two other maids, broke out in a fit of giggles. Adeline was helpless to stop herself from joining in.

“It was rather satisfying to see the astonishment on Lord Ailesbury’s stuffy face when I took down that turkey.” They all laughed once more. An odd bout of homesickness struck Adeline—not so much for her family but for her closest friends. It was usually Josie, Georgie, and Theo who commonly brought Adeline’s laughter. Though, as of last year, Theo had become family when she wed Adeline’s eldest brother.

Adeline glanced through the open kitchen door, past the meager gardens, and to the stable yard beyond in time to see Lord Ailesbury run back into the structure and flee on his horse in the direction they’d ridden earlier.

The hairs at her nape stood on end. She need not be close to know something was amiss.

Shouts could be heard as one of the servants called for horses—for him and another man—as Maxwell ran toward the kitchen, where Adeline stood. All stares in the room focused on the commotion in the yard, the activity in no way lessened by the storm.

When Maxwell skidded through the door and into the room, he glanced about, but for whom or what, Adeline could not tell.

“Maxwell.” Adeline rushed forward as the man’s shallow breaths turned ragged. “Where is Lord Ailesbury headed in such a hurry?”

“A man, Grovedale…he is trapped at the plant.”

“Grovedale?” Emily shrieked, her head shaking from side to side. “Ye be certain that be the name?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Maxwell confirmed. “The stable master sent me ta get Abbington. He needs ta summon a physician to the plant. Now!”

At some point, Mrs. Hutchins had entered the kitchens, witnessing the spectacle. “I’ll find my husband,” she called, turning and rushing from the room.

“But where is Lord Ailesbury going?” Adeline demanded, giving Maxwell a solid shake.