To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 54

Frederick replied irritably, but Hartley wasn’t intimidated.

“That’s true… but it’s also true that the Count was reckless this time… You almost got caught by Cottenham.”

“I didn’t get caught.”

The reason Frederick had been able to escape the mountain with the two daughters was because Betty and Emily were already familiar with the mountain paths. On the other hand, most of the military police from the Upper Island didn’t know the route well.

Along the way, he had left the horse they took from the Count’s mansion and had the young ladies change into new clothes at a mountain keeper’s hut he was directed to by Betty and Emily. They cut their long hair and made rough disguises before leaving the hut.

While he was at it, he also took a cart from the hut. After getting the two women into the cart, he had to coax and calm down the reluctant Fars to get him to pull it.

He felt bad for the mountain keeper who had been robbed, but he left a purse full of gold coins as compensation, so it should be enough.

“Anyway, stay put in Swinton for now. If something happens to the Count…”

Hartley’s voice trailed off, and Frederick didn’t need to hear the rest.

There was only about a month left before the princess was rescued. This plan had been carefully crafted over a long period of time. The layout of Strasbourg Castle, security measures, infiltration methods, escape routes, and a backup plan in case of failure.

Since Count Fairchild was the only one who could persuade the princess if she refused to leave the castle, he had to go to Strasbourg. He had already prepared a cover story for his long absence.

Any disruption would increase the chances of failure, so it was understandable that Hartley was becoming anxious. If more variables were added, his stress levels might cause him to collapse from stomach ulcers.

Frederick admitted honestly to the new complication.

“I think Deirdre has found out about Heather Glenwell.”

As expected, Hartley’s brown eyes shifted uneasily.

“…Up to what point?”

“Up to the fact that Lady Heather died in Rochepolie. She also seems to know about Lord Holborn’s arrest, so she’ll probably figure out the truth soon.”

Deirdre was clever. Because of that, Frederick had made sure to keep matters related to ‘White Rose’ away from their home after their marriage, and he had repeatedly warned Hartley.

Roger Blanc visiting the townhouse and preventing Fars from dropping Deirdre were his mistakes, but those two incidents made his wife suspicious immediately.

Heather Glenwell, who had died while wandering pregnant, and soon after Count Glenwell being arrested, meant that Deirdre would naturally connect the two incidents.

It was fine for her to discover the connection between the two incidents. But…

“Deirdre wants to clear Lord Holborn’s name.”

Because it wasn’t Lord Holborn who protected Viscount Darnell, but rather Lord Rochepolie. If Glenwell were to be executed, it would be creating an innocent victim.

Hartley let out a quiet sigh.

“Ah… but even if the charges are cleared, it’s obvious they’ll just come up with another one.”

“Exactly. For Cottenham, it would allow him to cover up his mistake of missing Darnell, so he’d likely want to stick to this charge.”

There was no way to save Glenwell now. If they weren’t on the verge of rescuing the princess, Frederick might have chosen to make Heather Glenwell’s case public, hoping to reveal the truth to the people.

In that case, the late woman’s honor would have been tarnished, and Christian would have gone mad trying to track down the source of the rumor. That would have resulted in another innocent person’s blood being spilled.

Nothing comes without sacrifice.

That was the first lesson Frederick had learned in this whole affair.

“So… will you tell the Countess what Christian did to Lady Heather?”

Hartley asked, and Frederick instinctively replied.

“No.”

“Still, if the Countess finds out that Lady Heather was a lady-in-waiting at the palace…”

With just a description and some knowledge of Heather’s family and character, it wouldn’t be hard to find out who she really was in life. If Deirdre figured it out on her own, she would reach the truth without anyone having to tell her. From the start, it was something Frederick couldn’t have stopped.

Still.

Still, he wanted to keep her as far away from the truth as possible.

“Have you forgotten, Sir Mark Hartley? Count Fairchild is a royalist. If Deirdre finds that out, she’ll give up.”

Pretending to be a royalist had its advantages, but there were certainly downsides. The most fatal one wasn’t having to smile at Christian’s smug face or receiving Deirdre’s mild contempt, it was the fact that it would make his wife believe he was an unworthy man.

If he didn’t take action to save Glenwell, Deirdre would suffer from a guilty conscience. On the other hand, if she found out the secrets and plans of Count Fairchild…

“I can’t put Deirdre in danger.”

He firmly stated. That was his absolute principle.

Hartley nodded. Through the Baronet’s shoulder, he could see the ivory box where Deirdre’s letter was kept.

Not yet.

It was still not the time to tell her anything.