As Alec and Sam melted back into the crowd, Aldridge took Kendra’s elbow, escorting her down the path that led to the kitchens.
For once Kendra appreciated the room’s sweltering temperature. She could feel her frozen muscles and tendons warming, loosening. The room was ablaze with light. Every candle, from the wall sconces to the chandeliers, was burning, and there was a strong scent of tea and coffee and baking bread in the air. The dinner had been served, Kendra realized, and at this hour, the staff would normally be in the process of cleaning up. But tonight, the dirty dishes and platters had been left stacked on the counters, pushed out of the way. Like the stable yard, the kitchens were teeming with activity. An informal assembly line had been formed, where the women made sandwiches and served hot beverages to the men who’d recently returned from the search.
Kendra wondered where Lady Atwood had taken her guests. Probably to one of the drawing rooms, laughing and drinking, oblivious to the fact that a young girl, a girl responsible for keeping their rooms clean, who helped prepare the food they ate, was at this moment suffering at the hands of a madman.
The thought made her angry, but she forced herself to put it aside. Anger was a distraction she couldn’t afford.
“Lady Rebecca!” Aldridge exclaimed. Surprised, Kendra glanced at one of the workstations where Rebecca, wearing an apron, was slicing slabs of ham off the bone.
“Duke.” Rebecca handed the knife to the maid standing next to her, and came around the counter, wiping her hands on the apron. Her gaze was anxious. “Have you learned anything new?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I could not attend dinner and listen to everyone prattle on about their nonsensical lives! And I would go mad if I sat alone and waited for you. At least here, I could be of assistance. Have you learned anything?”
“No,” Kendra answered.
The cornflower blue eyes were earnest as she reached over and placed a warm hand on Kendra’s arm. “We must not give up hope, Miss Donovan.”
Kendra wondered how often she’d hear that.
“Let’s go to the study.” Aldridge turned to the butler, who was hovering nearby. “Harding, please send up pots of tea and coffee.”
“At once, sir.”
Aldridge hesitated, then turned to address the room, which fell silent. “We are doing everything in our power to find Rose. If anyone should remember anything, any detail, regardless of how small, do not hesitate to tell me or Miss Donovan. Is that understood?”
There was a general murmuring of agreement. Rebecca took off the apron, and they moved out into the hallway. Kendra thought she heard the faint strains of the pianoforte, the soft tinkle of laughter.
In the study, embers glowed demonic red in the fireplace grate, the only light in the dark room. Normally, a footman would’ve been on hand to light the sconces and candles, and get the fire going again. But all available footmen had volunteered for the search.
Aldridge dropped down to one knee to put more logs into the grate and coax the fire back to life. Rebecca and Kendra took over the task of lighting candles. Afterward, Aldridge poured three glasses of brandy. “The tea and coffee will allow us a clear head, but this ought to take the chill away.”
Rebecca accepted a glass and sat down. “Tell me what transpired on your calls.”
As the Duke shared their journey, Kendra peeled off her spencer. She picked up a piece of slate. On the board, she began to create a time line.
“Rose was seen upstairs either at nine or nine-thirty. Around ten, she was asked to bring in vegetables from the garden. At eleven, she gave bread and cheese to Thomas.” She underlined that time. “Unless someone else comes forward, that’s the last time she was seen. Molly said she was supposed to help with the linens at one o’clock, but never showed. That’s a two hour window for her to disappear.”
Rebecca frowned. “The girl must have been taken right here in the castle. How the devil is that possible? Surely someone would have seen one of our suspects loitering about? The servants know Mr. Morland, Mr. Dalton, and the vicar. They would have seen them!”
“It’s more possible than you realize.” Ted Bundy had kidnapped women in the middle of busy parks and crowded beaches. No one expected a predator to be in their midst, especially if a predator so fully blended into his surroundings.
“I, too, am finding it difficult to believe,” Aldridge admitted.
Kendra asked, “Did you notice Lord Sutcliffe when we arrived in the stable yard?”
He raised his brows. “Of course.”
“Why?”
“Why? I’d recognize my own nephew, Miss Donovan!”
“Would you recognize him if he was dressed as the gardener? We were in the kitchens for a few minutes before you realized Lady Rebecca was there. We see what we expect to see. There’s a lot of extra help around, and some of the guests brought their own servants. If the unsub dressed the part, he may have gone unnoticed.”