Not My Idea (A Gentleman of Misfortune Book One (Rough Draft))

Chapter Fifteen

Exhaustion hung on me as Miles, and I approached Braglow. There was a group of servants outside the house. Some had guns in hand, and others were carrying lanterns. They appeared to be preparing to do a search.

I didn't even have to exchange a glance with Miles as we kept our distance. The butler let us into the house and then showed us to the drawing room. It seemed everyone in the room was talking at the same time. Beside me, Miles appeared taken aback as Phoebe wailed something undecipherable and clung to her mother's arm. Rosamund was seated in the center of the room, waving her fan in front of her face.

"Has something happened?" I asked, raising my voice to be heard over everyone. "I saw the servants making preparations to search for something."

"Lucas! Where have you been?" George demanded, spinning around. "Rosamund and I were held up on the road by highwaymen. I managed to hit one of them so they cannot have gone far."

"A highwayman? Here?" Miles responded, his tone shocked. A little too shocked if I were to be perfectly honest. There was such a thing as overdoing something, and I could only be glad that everyone else was in such a frantic state that they didn't notice. "Don't be ridiculous, Bywood. What would entice a highwayman to come here?"

"It's true!" Rosamund exclaimed, her voice a shrill screech that made me flinch. She held her right hand out. "They took my ring. The awful man pulled it right from my finger."

Ward was watching me in a disconcertingly keen way. "Did you not hear anything or see anyone on your walk here?" he asked.

"I came by way of the pond," I said. I would have shrugged, however, I knew that would only cause myself pain. "I ran into Miles there and persuaded him to join us. We saw no one."

"Well, there was that shadow," Miles corrected.

Taken aback, I swung my head to stare at him. What was he doing? "You imagined things, Miles. I didn't see anything."

"Where was this 'shadow?" Mr. Ramsey asked. "I am sending all of our male servants out to search for these villains."

"It was just this side of the pond," Miles responded eagerly. I shifted my foot enough to knock his ankle. He cleared his throat. "Of course, as Luke said, it was just a shadow. I thought perhaps it was a poacher, but Luke said not to worry about it."

George stiffened. "Lucas!"

"Poaching happens, George," I said defensively. "What was I supposed to do? Run after him and demand he stop?"

"You wouldn't say that if it was your estate."

Mr. Ramsey cleared his throat. "I believe we are getting a little away from the point here," he said, calmly. "Though I do understand your concerns about poaching, George. After we eat, I will join the search. I know my own lands better than anyone, save my steward."

"Mr. Bywood, you're looking a bit faint," Ward remarked. "Never say the walk from Bywood Hall to here has left you winded."

"It has not," I said sharper than I had meant. Why was he so observant? Did he suspect something? I dared to glance at him from the corner of my eye. The tall man had an infuriatingly smug expression on his face.

"Why must we speak about Lucas?" Rosamund demanded, closing her fan with a snap. Clearly, she didn't appreciate losing the attention of everyone in the room just as I didn't appreciate gaining the same attention. "He was not accosted by villains!"

"We should go into dinner," Mrs. Ramsey said desperately. This would be the second time that the poor woman's plans were cast awry by unfortunate events. Miss Darkin and Phoebe's plunge into the pond had put a sudden end to the picnic, and now the attack of a 'highwayman' was threatening to ruin her dinner party.