To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 19
Chapter 10. Give Room by the Hearth Even To a Murderer
With a satisfied mood, Lysander left Edelweiss Heights.
As he reached a point where he could see the whole house, he glanced back. The curtains in the first-floor hall were tightly drawn.
However, his sharp eyes didn’t miss the slight movement of the curtains in the third-floor room.
Lady Perpetua Fairchild was known in Antwerp’s aristocratic society for her eccentricity. Having lived alone in this house for nearly thirty years, it was hard to assign any particular suspicion to her strange behavior at this point.
What piqued Lysander’s instincts, however, was the location of the house, which was very close to the Merilbon River. Not just this house, but also the Count’s residence just across the river.
From here, it’s only five miles to the main stream of the Merilbon River. A few miles more, and it would lead to Marquis Campbell’s residence in Landyke.
And this area, which was part of Fairchild’s land, was much quieter than the area around Marquis Campbell’s residence.
If the escaped convict were truly trying to contact Rosina Campbell, wouldn’t they meet in Rochepolie, not Landyke…
Lysander would have done the same.
Of course, there was the risk of Count Rochepolie being a royalist…
‘Well, that idiot is a bit too foolish for that.’
The guy was so foolish despite having a perfectly normal face, leaving a woman like Deirdre Havisham alone in Rochepolie. She was clearly se*ually frustrated.
Maybe he should charm her and put her under him.
But women like that are more fun to dominate and crush than to seduce. Lysander liked women who were either easy to get or who resisted and had their pride wounded.
The most boring ones were the quiet ones, like Rosina Campbell, who would start crying just from being touched—but even she had secrets behind closed doors. Women were such unpredictable creatures.
Lysander returned to the military police’s station near Rochepolie’s southern border. He gave orders to the military police who came to greet him.
“Keep an eye on Lady Fairchild’s house for a while. Especially watch the Merilbon River side.”
* * *
Returning after meeting with Lysander, Deirdre began to deeply regret having written Edelweiss Heights’ address in the lost-and-found notice.
While Lysander hadn’t come because of the notice, if he had already guessed the connection between Rosina and Darnell, he might have sensed something from the announcement and could potentially return.
Deirdre instructed Bertha to inform the local newspaper that she would not be extending the notice. Later that evening, she sent Rex to Edelweiss Heights, asking him to find an excuse to stay the night there.
Having made this temporary arrangement, she set off for Landyke the next day.
Meanwhile, Rosina seemed to have regained some stability. Wearing a bright yellow gown, the blonde Rosina looked like the spring sunshine.
“Lady Rochepolie! I’m so happy to see you again so soon!”
“I feel the same. Has anything happened?”
Rosina shrugged. From her response, it seemed that Darnell hadn’t contacted her. Deirdre felt relieved.
Breaking off an engagement because a woman has feelings for another man is a woman’s rightful prerogative, and while it may cause gossip, it’s not necessarily a stain on her reputation.
But if the man she’s given her heart to is an escaped convict, it’s not just a stain—it’s a risk of being implicated as an accomplice.
She decided not to bring up the necklace to Rosina.
“So, what have you been doing in Landyke?”
“Oh, probably something similar to what you do in Rochepolie. I visit neighbors within 300 yards, or play the piano all day at home.”
“Any interesting people you’ve met?”
She tried not to sound too probing. Rosina burst into laughter.
“The most interesting person in Landyke this season would be the Countess!”
Just then, Rosina’s aunt came downstairs, and the three women spent some time chatting.
As evening approached, Rosina insisted that Deirdre stay the night, but Deirdre declined. While Rosina went to fetch some cake she had baked at the Marquis’ residence—a custom in the North where high-calorie foods are exchanged between neighbors during this season—Deirdre quietly mentioned to Rosina’s aunt,
“Lady Rosina seems unsettled. Please keep a close eye on her.”
It pained her to say this about Rosina, but for the sake of her safety, someone had to closely watch over Rosina.
Deirdre had traveled to Landyke by sled, pulled by four dogs. In the North, drivers had to be skilled in both driving carriages and sleds. Rex was still at Edelweiss Heights.
When they reached a fork in the road, Deirdre instructed,
“Go right. We’ll stop at Edelweiss Heights.”
“It’ll soon be dark, Lady Rochepolie, and the snowstorm is about to hit. Look over there.”
The driver pointed toward the northern sky. Indeed, a blanket of white snow clouds had covered one side of the sky, tinged with gray.
Deirdre pulled up her cloak. The sled that Frederick had specially made for his wife to keep her warm had a roof, and a brazier was installed underneath, keeping the seats warm.
“Then let’s hurry. If it gets too late, we can stay at the house.”
As the driver had predicted, the fierce snowstorm began to strike. The blizzard was so strong that it was hard to see ahead.
But the Luska mountain dogs were resilient, and the driver, who was a native of Rochepolie, was just as tough. The surroundings soon became dark. All that could be seen were the flickering lights of the sled’s lantern and the thick snowflakes shining as they reflected off the light.
Deirdre hunched down, listening to the rough sound of the sled blades grinding against the ice. Somewhere in the distance, she faintly heard the sound of a horse whinnying.
She rang the bell to stop the sled.