She warmed at his passionate defense of the family. Her family. Certainly Jasper was a good master to his staff, for they were all fiercely loyal to him. “I’m sure no one would dare shirk his duty with you around, Willard. You are doing a fine job.”

“Thank you, my lady,” he said, and his cheeks glowed with true appreciation at the compliment.

“Well, I shall be off then,” she said, making no other reference to the outbuilding. The butler certainly didn’t need to know her whereabouts and he had answered her only concern in regards to her own safety. Now she could go along to the building without fear of consequences and tell Jasper she had been careful.

She slipped from the house into the increasing morning sun and headed toward the building at the bottom of the hill. It was a bright day, cool but with the promise of a warmth to come that made her smile. She did love this estate. After Anne was found, she truly looked forward to exploring it without worry and with Jasper by her side.

In a few moments, she reached the lower buildings. In the distance, she saw the storage building and a chair set up beside its door. But there was no footman perched there.

She slowed her gait as she reached the building. Nothing looked out of place. There was a tin of coffee or tea sitting beside the chair and a half-eaten biscuit, as if the young man had been interrupted in his snack. But not by an enemy.

She moved to the door. Maitland had kicked it in when he came before, so it wasn’t locked. She pushed it open and stepped into the dimmer light, letting her eyes adjust as she looked around.

“Parks?” she called out, wondering if the young man had come inside. Or even been asked to reorganize the items that had been ransacked two nights prior. It looked like someone had been setting things to rights since then.

“Parks?” she repeated, a little louder this time.

“Yes, my lady?” came a voice from the back of the room.

She sagged a little in relief and moved toward the sound. But as she stepped behind a row of boxes, she came to a halt. There was a man standing in the room, but it wasn’t a footman to her home, of that she was certain. No, he was tall, broad-shouldered and very handsome with his rakishly long hair and a smirk that made a dimple pop in his cheek.

As he stepped forward, she realized there was another man behind him. Prone, bound at the wrist and ankle, and dead.

No, not dead, she realized with relief as she watched his chest rise and fall. Parks.

“Who are you?” she whispered as she backed toward the door, even though she knew she wouldn’t escape.

It seemed the intruder did, too, for he smiled at her with indulgence. “Handsome Ellis Maitland at your service, Lady Harcourt. What a pleasure it is to meet you at last.”