Secrets Beneath the Yew Tree

By Maria Quintero

Amidst the haunting mist of Spotswold, a remote village veiled in perpetual drizzle, lies a centuries-old mystery buried beneath the shadow of a majestic yew tree. In this gripping tale of intrigue and discovery, protagonist Richard Hawkehurst, a determined lawyer's clerk, embarks on a quest to unearth the secrets hidden within the village's anc

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Quintero
• Release date: Jun 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798330207367

Book preview

cover-image, CHAPTER I

Secrets Beneath the Yew Tree

By Maria Quintero

CHAPTER I.

After that interview in Gray's Inn, there were more meetings of a similar nature. Valentine received further instructions from George Sheldon and delved deeper into the Haygarthian history, as much as the lawyer's information allowed. However, the entirety of Mr. Sheldon's knowledge seemed insufficient to Valentine when he fully grasped the complexity of the task ahead. He felt like a young prince in a fairy tale, sent on an adventurous journey through a trackless forest, filled with lurking dangers and countless injunctions—such as not speaking a word during the entire journey, not looking over his left shoulder, not patting any strange dog, not gathering forest fruits or flowers, and not gazing at his own reflection in mirrors, water-pools, brazen shields, or jeweled helms. Ultimately, the prince would find himself at the gates of an enchanted castle, where admission was uncertain.

Valentine imagined himself as this favored young prince. The trackless forest represented the intricate genealogy of the Haygarths, and within the enchanted castle lay the crown of success: three thousand pounds. Could he marry Charlotte with those three thousand pounds, assuming he successfully unraveled the Haygarth history? No, that black-whiskered, stockbroking stepfather would demand more than three thousand pounds from the man chosen for his wife's daughter.

He'll try to marry her off to some wealthy City gentleman, no doubt, Valentine thought. With three thousand pounds, I wouldn't be any closer to her than I am now, penniless. The best thing for her happiness and my own is to focus on hunting down the Haygarths. It's rather hard, especially now that I've started to believe she might like me a little.

During the preliminary interviews in Gray's Inn, before Valentine began his new venture, he and Mr. Sheldon agreed upon certain conditions. The most significant of these was that Captain Paget should remain entirely unaware of Valentine's plans. George Sheldon emphasized this point strongly. I'm sure Paget is a good fellow, he said. (He had a habit of calling everyone a good fellow. He would likely have referred to even the most notorious figures with the same term and made excuses for their actions.) Paget is an uncommonly agreeable man, you know; but he is not the person I would trust with this kind of secret. Mr. Sheldon's tone suggested that he would trust Captain Paget with any other secret, from the contents of his secure office boxes to the deepest mysteries of his soul.

You see, Paget is quite close with my brother Phil, he continued. Whenever I find someone cozy with my relatives, I make it a point to steer clear of that person myself. Relatives never work well together, and they never will. It's against nature. Now, Phil has a vague notion of the game I want to play, in a general way, but it's nothing more than a vague notion. He thinks I'm a fool, wasting my time and effort. I want him to keep thinking that. You see, in a situation like this, there's always a risk of others stepping in and ruining one's plans. Of course, that advertisement I read to you was seen by others besides me and may have attracted interest. My hope is that whoever picked it up focused on the female branch and got bogged down in the Judsons' documentary evidence. That's why we should concentrate on Matthew Haygarth. The Judson line is the obvious one to follow, and very few would think of investigating a hypothetical first marriage until they've exhausted the Judson lead. I need you to keep Paget in the dark, so there's no chance of my brother catching wind of our scheme through him.

I'll handle that, Valentine assured him. He doesn't need me right now. He's enjoying himself, riding around in carriages and dining at West End taverns. He won't mind if I'm out of town for a bit.

But what will you tell him as your reason for leaving? He'll definitely want an explanation.

I'll invent an aunt in Ullerton and tell him I'm going down to visit her.

"You'd better not say Ullerton; Paget might get curious and follow you there to check out your 'aunt' and see if she has any money. Paget's a good fellow, but you never know what someone like him might do. It's safer to throw him off the scent completely.