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Dominic could only wonder what Rupert had led Isobel to believe about him After all, the staff at Willowbrook had been adamant that Isobel had been betrothed to Bertraht e
It had been Kitty, a rather robust looking maid, who had bravely come forward After a lot of reassurance, she had described Isobel’s flight froht, and her ulti been found by one of Rupert’s staff and set free As soon as Rupert had learnt of Isobel’s escape, he, along with his henchiven Kitty the tiiven all of her funds to Isobel, she had taken some money from the desk in the library and eventually found her way back to Willowbrook, whereupon she had resu the house staff Luckily, Rupert didn’t consider her useful enough to follow her
Assuring Kitty of their eternal gratitude, both Doiven to Isobel, and given her the position as co to receive a se on the Willowbrook estate in appreciation for her diligent care of Isobel and her services to the family
Having garnered aswith several of the rean an exhaustive search
For days, they questioned locals in towns and villages, and combed fields, all to no avail Slowly, they n of her, until Peter had overheard a chance conversation in the village pub just outside of Peterborough
A beautiful young woer to the area, was found dead on the outskirts of the toearing nothing but a necklace Careful questioning of the locals, and the farmer who had discovered the body, had led the place in this sraveyard
Having had no identification upon her, she hadn’t even given the dignity of being buried a any of her ancestors in the family crypt Instead, she had been quickly buried in a sie she hadn’t even resided in, with nothing to mark her presence but a plain wooden cross If it hadn’t been for the villager’s shock and syht, she wouldn’t even have had the cross
Anger began to bloo void that was Do a deep breath, he slowly pushed to his feet feeling considerably older than his four and thirty years
“What I don’t understand is,” Doun to seep into his bones, “why didn’t she come to Havistock? I told her the day I left that if she needed anything, she was to contact Havistock Hall My man of business was under strict instructions to assist her in every way should she approach him for help He assures me he has never received any such comain
“We know Rupert kept her locked in her roo staff in residence were under strict instructions to keep her isolated, and had been paid highly for their services Her only contact with the outside world was through Kitty, who herself atched closely by Rupert’s raveside, as though he couldn’t stand to be there any longer
“She wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to contact Havistock Hall Even if she did write, Rupert would have ensured her letter didn’t go anywhere”
Dominic sucked in a frustrated breath, and in a desperate bid to seek relief froripped him, focused on what they had learnt about Isobel’s final weeks
“I know, but we also know that she left the house at some point and disappeared We don’t know at the moht up with her, but it must have been so!”
Peter paused and looked back toward the dark soil that ento toward his best friend He had fought in hellish conditions with Dominic Cavendish by his side, and would trust the man with his life, certainly with his sister’s life He knew Doh to appreciate just how deeply in love he ith Isobel Grief had turned his handsorey, and with the deep lines that now married his classic features bore testament to how devastated he was by the news of her brutal murder
“We know the Rector was contacted by the Magistrate, who having no idea of her identity ordered a pauper’s funeral,” Doed in the cold auturaveyard a pervading sense of eerie gloom “We also know that she was found by the track soe of his beautiful sister, cold and lifeless lying in the h him, and he abruptly fell silent as he attempted to control his emotions