ESP 24

chapter 24

“I arrived here yesterday afternoon… how did you get here so fast?”

“Lord Seymour, the Marquis, contacted me. You wrote him a letter while the Count was away.”

“And Ebony Heights?”

“No one has come since then. Everything you mentioned in the letter has been handled as well.”

Dmitri had all the qualities of an excellent butler: he executed his master’s orders flawlessly, yet never spoke of anything he deemed unnecessary for him to know. He would no doubt have wanted to ask where the letters had been sent from, or about the ones Keith had told him to burn—but Dmitri didn’t utter a single word, leaving Keith to speak first.

“And Undine Isle… was everything alright there?”

“If you mean the books you sent, yes. The caretaker received and stored them. I burned them along with any letters or manuscripts from the study.”

“Good work… But you’re not going to ask what they were?”

Dmitri’s expression grew serious.

“I know better than anyone that the Count is innocent. But if there are documents you insisted be destroyed, they should be destroyed without question. I do not wish to know or hear about them.”

“This has nothing to do with the current situation. But things are a bit complicated—”

Keith stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the butler’s expression darken. In truth, Dmitri had looked like he wanted to say something the moment Keith first opened his eyes and saw him. Keith had a rough idea of what it might be and had been deliberately changing the subject.

Keith let out a light sigh.

“Dmitri, the investigation by the ‘Queen’s Eye’ has nothing to do with that book or with you. There’s no need to blame yourself—”

But what Dmitri said next was completely unexpected.

“Mistress Arlington is at Undine Isle.”

Keith sprang up so quickly that the teacup Dmitri was holding on a tray nearly toppled… yet Dmitri skillfully caught it.

Keith thought he misheard.

“…Who is there?”

“Mistress Arlington, the former Countess Dalmore.”

“How on earth did—”

Dmitri lightly pressed his hand on his master’s shoulder. It wasn’t the place of a mere butler to do such a thing, but the two of them shared enough equality in their relationship that it didn’t matter.

“Please calm yourself and hear me out. Do not raise your voice.”

Keith managed to control his excitement.

He remembered how, hoping for Briony’s safety, he had divorced her without a proper farewell. He recalled her leaning out of the carriage at Ebony Heights, glancing back at him as she escaped. It was more painful to imagine her feelings then than to think of her being wrongfully imprisoned.

And now, that Briony was at Undine Isle…

…Not at Ebony Heights, but at Undine Isle.

“I followed your orders and took her to Shawbury. Then I immediately returned to Ebony and attended to my duties, including receiving the letters you sent. But one night while burning your manuscript at Undine Isle, Mistress Arlington and Miss Myer knocked at the back door.”

Then it struck Keith.

Briony knew the location and existence of the estate.

About a year after their marriage, she had come to his study and asked about Undine Isle from the property ledger. He hadn’t wanted to hide it, but explaining why he hadn’t told her from the start would involve speaking of his sister’s death, so he had hesitated. Briony must have sensed his discomfort, for she didn’t pursue the topic further. Keith had almost forgotten about it… until now.

“What happened in Shawbury?”

“It seems there was friction with Sir Gideon Arlington.”

Dmitri said no more, so Keith had to speak.

“That’s because I divorced her. I wrote in the letter that it wasn’t Briony’s fault…”

Dmitri responded.

“That man… Sir Gideon Arlington… even in a brief encounter, is extremely unpleasant… and capable of making others uncomfortable. It’s understandable that Mistress Arlington couldn’t tolerate him.”

“What do you mean? That title belongs to Briony originally.”

“And the late Lady Arlington’s estate is the same. Now that Mistress Arlington is of age, she can inherit Lady Arlington’s assets. But it seems Sir Gideon Arlington isn’t willing to hand them over willingly.”

Keith couldn’t contain his anger and began pacing the room again.

“That’s illegal. Briony doesn’t need to sue that wretched man. One document to the appropriate court is enough. If only I could—”

“That can wait until after you leave safely. Miss Myer explained that Mistress Arlington came to Vernon because she didn’t know the situation at Ebony Heights and needed temporary refuge with the Vernons, whom she knew. But I believe it’s simply that she had nowhere else to go.”

“Oh, heavens.”

Keith covered the lower part of his face with both hands and muttered repeatedly.

“Oh, heavens… Briony… how could such a thing happen to her?”

“Therefore, I have judged it best for Mistress Arlington to remain at Undine Isle for the time being.”

“Of course,” Keith said, pacing faster than before, leaving Dmitri to give up trying to meet his gaze.

“Ensure she has everything she needs to stay comfortably, even if it drains all funds from Ebony Heights.”

“Should I move her to Ebony Heights instead?”

Keith shook his head. Undine Isle—surrounded by rivers and marshlands—was a place that alone reminded him of deep, old wounds. Yet he was not sentimental enough to prioritize memories of the dead over the safety of the living.

“Who is watching over Briony? Is she healthy? Did Sir Gideon Arlington properly care for his daughter?”

“She’s doing well, all things considered. Only a bit tired from all that’s happened in a short period. Also, Mistress Arlington intends to attend the trial as a witness.”

Keith froze in place.

“…What?”

“She is worried about you.”

“She cannot come to the trial.”

“I, too, believe she shouldn’t be caught up in this, but I could not prevent her.”

Dmitri bowed his head. Keith pondered this. Briony had a kind heart and believed in his innocence; it made sense she would worry about him. In fact, it pleased him. But for her to testify for him in court now would place her in danger. Depending on luck, even Her Majesty the Queen might personally interrogate the accused.

“What if I say I don’t want her to come?”

“I could relay your message… but she would not listen. Mistress Arlington values your innocence above all else.”

Of course, Keith was innocent. Briony would not want him to be falsely accused and executed, but Dmitri’s tone implied it was the innocence itself that mattered—not merely his safety. Keith couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Why would Briony go so far as to prove my innocence…?”

His wife, whom he thought he had safely returned home, divorced her, and yet she returned to Undine Isle—because of conflict with her father—and now wanted to testify for him in a disgraceful trial. Those three facts alone astonished Keith.

So when Dmitri finally revealed what made it necessary, it completely overturned Keith’s expectations.

“While you were imprisoned, the lord of Weardale visited Shawbury and proposed to Mistress Arlington during her stay there.”