Free The Earl of Her Dreams by Anne Mallory

to see Mr. Wicket wringing his hands on his apron.
    “Snowed in. Completely snowed in. Received word that the roads are all blocked. A blizzard stormed across the lowlands. Earliest estimate for the roads to be cleared is a week. The south road from Sherringate will be particularly troublesome, didn’t you know? The coaches will get stuck in the drifts if they run too soon. Even the Haywood would be hard-pressed to make the trip. Oh, and I had some new supplies scheduled to arrive. The winter ale needs replenishing.”
    Kate stared at the man, her mind not quite getting past the “week” portion of his words. “A week?”
    “At the least.”
    “But I need to be in London by Monday next.”
    “Reduced room rate, Mr. Kaden. Sure as sure that you would not get that in London. I supposethat is a good thing. Our inn full of guests for the week. I expect that Misters Janson, Desmond, and Lake may choose to leave, as they are locals, but the rest, yes, good business.”
    The innkeeper hurried off, leaving Kate stunned in his wake. She turned to see Christian smirking.
    “What are you so jolly about?”
    “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
    As guests arrived in the dining room, they were informed of the dismal conditions. They responded to the news that they would be forced to stay for another week with varying degrees of dismay (the Crescents), or joy (Nickford).
    By nine o’clock everyone was gathered except Janson and Freewater. Mr. Wicket clapped his hands to gain everyone’s attention.
    “I have a few announcements to make. Oh, now, where are Julius and Mr. Freewater?”
    No one said a word.
    “Mary, dear, fetch them, will you?”
    Kate watched Lake’s eyes narrow, but he said nothing as Mary walked from the room.
    Freewater appeared in the dining room a few minutes later, looking disgruntled and muttering to himself. He chose a seat at a table by himself and glared at everyone whose eyes he met.
    Mr. Wicket fiddled with some papers until Mary returned with a strange look on her face. “Mr. Janson doesn’t appear to be in his room. I knocked loudly and called out, but he didn’t respond.”
    Mr. Wicket’s brows drew together. “Elias, take the key and wake Julius.”
    Elias did as he was told, only to return with a strange expression as well. “Mr. Janson is not in his room, nor are his belongings.”
    Mr. Wicket twitched. “Not like Julius to dash off without paying. A lively lad, Julius, but not inconsiderate.”
    Kate held back a snort. From what she had seen, Janson was a blackguard in the truest sense. At least Christian was the harmless type unless a woman did something foolish like love the man. Everyone knew that men like Christian flitted from one thing or person to another, leaving only unhappiness in their wake. Men like Janson, however, caused much worse damage. Physical scars, even. Kate had no idea why the Wickets didn’t see what was in store for their own daughter. Kate was inclined to agree with Lake’s assessment.
    “Well, we’ll just have to wait until—”
    The side door burst open and a stocky man fell inside along with a drift of snow.
    “Gordon! What are you doing, man? You’re letting in the snow and wind. Get inside and close that door.”
    “Mr. Wicket, sir. There’s a dead body in the stables. Julius Janson’s been murdered.”

Chapter 6
    Always look beneath the surface, my girl.
    George Simon
to Kate, age twelve
    K ate stopped breathing. Had he just said—
    “Murdered? What do you mean, Gordon?”
    “I found Mr. Janson facedown in the stables. Under a pile of straw.”
    “Good God, man, did you check to see if he was hurt?”
    Nearly every eye turned to stare incredulously at Mr. Wicket after his rather odd statement. Gordon had a dazed expression, but even his browsknit as he gaped at the innkeeper. “His head was bashed in. Don’t think he’s going to need a doctor, Mr. Wicket.”
    The shock on the innkeeper’s face might have been amusing in another situation.