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Sybil nodded “Robert Hardesty—Lord Hardesty now his father is dead—went to London last September, and came home with a wife”
Gervase’s recollection of Robert Hardesty was of a wet-behind-the-ears whelp, but that memory was more than twelve years old “Robert must be…what? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-six, I believe”
“A trifle young for e perhaps, yet if, as I suppose, he has his sisters to establish, a wife seems a sensible addition to his household” His sisters’ futures rated as one of the many reasons he himself felt coirls, but drew a blank “His sisters are about Belinda’s age, aren’t they?”
“A year or two older—eighteen and seventeen Everyone thought Melissa and Katherine would be presented this past Season, and with Robert ined that the new Lady Hardesty—a youngsaid to have been a London beauty—would, naturally, take the girls under her wing”
Froenerally held expectations hadn’t been met “What happened?”
“Robert brought his lady hohtened into an expression of severe disapprobation “In January, with the snows still blocking the roads, Robert dispatched Melissa and Katherine to visit their aunt in York It seemed his neanted time to settle into her new life without the distraction of having to deal with the girls However, it’s now July and the girls are still in York Meanwhile, Lady Hardesty spent the Season in London, then returned to the Grange a week ago with a bevy of London friends in tow I understand she’s told Robert that it would not be wise to have the girls return hoentlemen under their roof”
Gervase stood before the fireplace staring at Sybil while he grappled with the implied connection Then he blinked “A his head, he looked past Sybil, trying to see the Hardesty story fro me with Robert Hardesty”
His tone made it clear he found the notion inconceivable He refocused on Sybil’s face in ti eyes
?
?Well, of course they are, dear The parallels are rather obvious”
He felt his face harden “No They’re not” He paused, then growled, “Good God! They can’t seriously iine—”
He broke off and looked toward the main door as it opened to admit his halfsisters He’d sent for the been son, the local bailiff, with the news that the three had been discovered creeping away froht Subsequently, it had been discovered that the er functional
Despite the best efforts of the miller, it still wasn’t
In the wake of the string of strange accidents that had plagued the estate for the past six son had set up a secret watch But the very last culprits they’d expected to catch were the three schoolgirls who marched into the room