“Oh yes, the moment he takes Tarlton Manor, he will have no need for his current employment.” She smiled, clearly relieved that the two men were not about to look down on her.
“And yet it is clear that your son already does very well for himself, with or without Tarlton Manor,” Hunter went on, smiling broadly. “I mean he already has his own carriage and driver and this very fine home.”
“Yes, although the home did pass down through my husband’s family.” She smiled as if she were discussing a great estate which was inherited generation by generation. “And the carriage and driver are simply temporary until he inherits the staff of Tarlton also. He has rented the carriage you see, for it would do no good for him to go everywhere on horseback, especially when he is staying at Tarlton. After all, he is to be the master there, and it would not help him to have local society think that he did not have his own staff already.” She smiled conspiratorially as if she were talking to a man who would understand the need for such things.
“Quite so,” Hunter said and nodded in agreement. “One has always to think of society, Mrs Fitzgerald, and I have always thought your son a man of great sense.”
“He is very sensible indeed, Sir, and has always been a most intelligent young man.” She spoke with pride and, just for a moment, Hunter felt a little guilty for manipulating the woman as he was doing. “And very prudent he is too. I must admit, I questioned his choice of driver, the man is something of a drinker, but Kent told me that he was the cheapest he could find and, being temporary, was a very prudent and cost-effective choice.”
“Unfortunately, liquor does ride high amongst the laboring classes, my dear lady,” Hunter said, and she smiled appreciatively, leaving him wondering if this was indeed how the middle classes spent their time.
“I must admit, I have never seen your son’s driver anywhere down south. I take it he is local to this area?” Hunter knew his question was clumsy but was relieved to see that Mrs Fitzgerald had barely noticed.
“Oh yes, he is from the other side of town. It is a very poor place, I am afraid; the people are very different. They are not people like us.” She raised her eyebrows significantly, and Hunter smiled, all the while clenching at the idea that Mrs Fitzgerald and he were by any means the same.
“Ah, that would explain then why I did not already know the man. A very wise move, I must say. Especially if he is going to dismiss the fellow as soon as he moves into Tarlton Manor. Yes, very prudent, very prudent indeed.” Hunter nodded as if in awe of the superior reasoning capabilities of Mr Kent Fitzgerald. “Indeed, my cousin and I had planned to stop at an inn or something similar when we have finished our business in the area. Please, do tell me the name of the inn on the other side of town. I should not like my cousin and me to blunder into such a place by mistake, you understand.”
“Oh indeed.” Mrs Fitzgerald sat up a little straighter, and her eyebrows knitted together in thought. “In truth, I can only think of one inn on that side of town, and it is the Green Man Coaching Inn. Although you would not really need me to tell you of it, for you would be able to easily discern what sort of establishment it is from outside. There is many a hardened drunk in that place; I have no doubt.”
“Then I shall intrude upon your morning no longer, Mrs Fitzgerald.” Hunter began to rise, and he could sense Algernon rising in a somewhat more confused manner beside him. “We shall make our way back down south and will hopefully happen upon Mr Fitzgerald there.”
“Well, I shall tell my son that you called, Mr Bentley. I am sure that he shall be very pleased to hear it.” She began to rise to her feet also.
“Please do, Mrs Fitzgerald.” Hunter bowed deeply. “And I do hope that we shall see a little something of you in the South when your son finally becomes the master at Tarlton.”
“As do I, Mr Bentley.” She inclined her head graciously and then pulled the bell rope at the side of the fireplace.
In a heartbeat, the same young woman who had answered the door to them, likely the only servant in the house, arrived to show them out.
As they untethered their horses, Algernon was quiet for some moments before turning to his cousin.
“Why on earth were you asking about hostelries in the rough part of town?”
“Because we both know that Kent Fitzgerald is certainly not in the South. If he has a degenerate, drunken driver, the man will need to get a drink somewhere, will he not? It is much easier, I should imagine, to hide a kidnapped young woman in a rough place full of drunken people who ask no questions than in a fine coaching inn anywhere else in England. What do you say?” Hunter said and raised his eyebrows.
“I say that that was a very clever little deduction indeed, Cousin.” Algernon mounted his horse.
“And now all we need are the directions to the Green Man Coaching Inn.” Hunter smiled and mounted his horse also.
Chapter 28
“Kent, please understand that I have been two nights away from Tarlton Manor now, and my mother and sister will be desperate with worry. Could you not at least write to them to let them know where we are?”
“I am Kent again, am I? Well, I am not quite so gullible as you would suspect, Emmeline. I realize that you are trying to get me on your side, and I will not have it.”
“I am not trying to get you on my side, Cousin, I am simply asking that you put my mother and sister out of their misery. You are a gentleman, after all, and it would be the gentlemanly thing to do.”
“So that they can alert your Earl and have him come and rescue you?” he said with a sneer.
“No, you may write that we are to be married and then the Earl would have no need to come looking, would he?”
“So, you are telling me now that you are willing to marry me here in the Midlands? You will behave yourself and do as you are told for once?” Kent looked at her with the utmost suspicion.
“I realize that I have no other way out of this, and so I shall marry you if you still wish it.” Emmeline almost choked on the words but knew that she had to do something.