Chapter 10
He danced around his room, the unneeded cane left in a corner. Word had spread quickly and Robert had finally visited him. He'd known he would, of course. The man was too kind, by half, something he was all too willing to take advantage of.
Robert had even apologized, foolish man. It was ever so easy to manipulate him. He'd known holding his temper in their last encounter would pay dividends. Now he was back to the Abbey, and, by all accounts, a hero. They all thought he'd left to protect the family.
Looking back at the cane he cringed, he would need to get adjusted to walking with it again. And he would miss the bed in his room here. Of course, he didn't plan on sleeping alone for long. Six months, at the most, and he would be rid of Vera. Then he would marry Anna and move to the cottage Robert had promised.
Laying down on the bed he almost wished he'd had a few extra days. A quick trip into London to slake his thirst would be nice. It would be a long time before he'd have another opportunity. With the war, he doubted Robert would be going in as frequently. Oh well, it couldn't be helped, returning to the lap of luxury would have to make do, for now.
Stepping through the doors to the downstairs, he'd leaned more heavily on his cane. It had taken him longer than he liked to walk to the Abbey but this close, he couldn't be too careful.
Practically the moment he entered, Mrs. Hughes saw him. It was good to see she still thought him worthy. Clearly their moment on the pier had served him well. Plus he was certain her worry for Anna colored her opinions. The first thing he would need to do once they were married was to separate those two, drive a wedge. It wouldn't do to have her nosing about too much.
The rest of the staff, with the exception of O'Brien, were happy to see him. The other notable exception was Barrow who'd made it perfectly clear he didn't work as a servant any longer. The two of them together were dangerous at best. With Barrow no longer working for the house, he would be harder to control.
The bright spot had been confirming his status with Anna. Telling her he'd written to Vera, which he had, he had to create a paper trail. His only concern had been being seen with her. It was one thing for everyone to suspect there was something between them. It was another to have proof. If he were truly divorcing Vera he wouldn't care. A little longer wouldn't hurt and she would want him all the more for the wait.
Barrow had made a key mistake, telling him who he reported to. With the house serving as a convalescent hospital it would be too easy in the coming days to say a word or two to the doctor. He knew if Dr. Clarkson spoke to anyone else in the house they would back him, not Barrow. He just had to wait for his moment.
He'd watched from the corner as the doctor had a word with Barrow. It was wonderful to watch the man taken down a peg or two. Of course, O'Brien would know it was him but with Barrow now knocked down a peg or two elsewhere he wouldn't be able to do much for fear of getting a less desirable posting. Barrow would go back to his box for a while. And O'Brien alone was easily handled.
Leaning on his cane he wandered away. The chaos of the hospital had made filching items much easier. His only problem now was finding places to store his stolen items.