“Then we will leave you to your work,” he said.
Helen stood. “As I’m employed to find the culprit, I must search Mr Holland’s study and bedchamber before we depart.”
Weary from crying, Mrs Packard stood, too. “I’ll assist in any way I can. I pray you catch the blighter.” She cast Nicholas a deathly stare. “Someone must pay for delivering me into the bounds of hell.”
* * *
“I’d wager Mrs Packard had already searched the rooms and destroyed any evidence,” he said as they stood outside the pretty white cottage on the bank of the Great Ouse.
“Yes, she seemed so helpful one can’t help but be suspicious.” Helen touched his arm. Indeed, she touched him at any opportunity. “It’s hard to believe Mr Holland removed all the incriminating documents from the house.”
“Well, the servants confirmed she hasn’t left Oakmere for years, and Laurent has never visited the property, so we must follow other lines of enquiry.”
Helen studied him intently.
“What? Either I have jam on my nose, or you’re obsessed with my good looks,” he said, praying it was the latter.
She managed a smile. “I am totally obsessed with you and am eager to return to the Dog and Gun.”
“Despite the fact we may be accosted in the corridor?”
“I would wrestle twenty men to have you in a bedchamber all to myself.” She gave a sweet sigh, though her smile faded. “Are you sure you want to speak to the midwife? I doubt she will tell us anything to further our cause, and what she says about your mother might be difficult to hear.”
“Your concern for my welfare is touching.” With several people milling about, he could not draw her close and kiss her. “But I hardened myself to my mother’s antics long ago. Nothing Mrs Abbott could say would surprise me.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
He nodded.
Nothing could be worse than his mother’s vile comments. Nothing could be worse than watching his father suffer at her hands for years. Or learning he had a secret half-brother.
“Come.” He gestured to the gate in the picket fence. “The sooner we interview the midwife, the sooner we can return to the Dog and Gun.”
Her features softened, her coy smile saying she was eager to make love again, too. “Then we should not waste another second.”
It took the elderly Mrs Abbott a few minutes to answer the door. Numerous times she called out, asking for their patience.
A face appeared at the window, wrinkled but soft and kind. “You must have the wrong house,” she called in a croaky voice. “Ask at the Bull if you’re lost.”
“Mrs Abbott?” Helen stepped closer to the window. “We’ve come from Oakmere Hall. Mrs Packard gave us your direction.”
The white-haired woman narrowed her gaze. It seemed like an age before she spoke. “What would you want with an old widow like me?”
“We wish to speak to you about Esther Howard,” Nicholas said, infusing a sense of desperation into his tone. “It’s important. Might you spare us a moment of your time? We know you cared for her during her confinement.”
After some deliberation, she nodded and told them to wait.
She was breathless when she opened the door, and leaned heavily on her walking stick. “Be a dear and help me to my seat.”
Nicholas obliged her, feeling instantly at ease with the one person who knew his mother’s secrets. “Might I fetch you something to drink, Mrs Abbott?” he said after settling her into a chair.
“No, no. I just need a moment to catch my breath.” She gestured for them to sit on the narrow sofa. “Though I must warn you, my memory is not as sharp these days.”
“Then perhaps I should explain my story. It will give you time to recuperate.” He waited for her to nod, but then struggled to find his voice, not knowing where the hell to start. “Esther was my mother.”
“Yes, you have her eyes. Blue as a summer sky.”
Though he appreciated the compliment, he thanked God he didn’t see the world as Esther had done.