106. Love's Dream in Peril (16 page)

“Get out!” he roared. “Get out of here, you stupid girl!”

Terrified, Adella fled from the study and ran to her bedroom.

All the way there, she could hear her uncle’s shouts and the crash of books and furniture falling to the floor as he raged against her.

She lay on her bed and waited until it was dark and the sounds of turmoil from below gradually died down.

It frightened her to think what might have happened if her uncle had struck her instead of his model Fort.

She was sure that was what he had wanted to do and she did not feel safe, even here in her bedroom with the door locked.

No one came to call her for dinner and even Beth seemed to have deserted her.

When all had gone quiet downstairs and she could no longer hear doors slamming or Uncle Edgar’s voice, she reached for her bell-pull and tugged it gently.

A few moments later there was a scratch at the door and she went to open it.

“Miss? Are you all right?” The maid’s mob-capped head peered into the room.

“Beth,” Adella whispered, her voice was little more than a croak. “Beth, I need your help!”

She had to get away. Beth would help her. Beth would know of somewhere she could go and escape from this darkness, this agony of loss and betrayal.

*

Digby was utterly exhausted. He lay back on the narrow bed in his dark attic room and closed his eyes.

The house was very quiet, for the children were in bed and asleep and the Judge and Mrs. Dryden had gone to the theatre.

They had invited him to join them, as the Judge was very pleased with Digby.

The lawyers had won their important case and were full of praise for his tireless efforts to help them.

“You are becoming indispensable,” the Judge had said. “Come out with us and relax. We will enjoy your company.”

But Digby had no desire for the bright lights and the drama of the theatre. He felt utterly drained and empty and he longed only to sleep and to forget himself and the awful mess that his life had become.

But he could not relax. As soon as he closed his eyes, desperate to drift off into peaceful oblivion, all he could see was the lost betrayed look on Adella’s face yesterday in the Square, as she watched him walk away.

He felt such terrible guilt and pain for letting her down again. Yet what else could he have done?

Digby tossed and turned restlessly. Now he could hear voices down below on the stairs and the sound of hurrying footsteps.

What was going on? The footsteps came closer, thudding on the wooden stairs that led up to the attics.

And then there was a thump on his door and a loud voice calling his name.

“Digby? Are you in there?”

Digby’s heart turned over. He knew that voice so well. His old friend, Lord Ranulph!

He struggled into his dressing gown and went to open the door.

“Is she here?” Lord Ranulph’s voice was breathy and urgent. “Has she come to you?”

His dark hair was rumpled and sweat gleamed on his face.

Behind him on the landing Digby could see Jane’s slender figure. Her eyes were wide with anxiety.

“Ranulph? Steady, sir,” Digby said, taking hold of his friend’s arm. “It’s good to see you after so long. But what’s going on?”

Lord Ranulph shook his head dumbly. He seemed in great distress.

Jane came forward.

“Adella is missing!” she said, a quaver in her voice. “She is not in her room and she has not been seen since this morning. Both she and her maid have disappeared.”

On this hot summer night the attic, high under the roof tiles, was very warm. But Digby was suddenly cold with shock.

“It’s true,” Lord Ranulph was saying. “Her uncle sent for me this evening to see if she had come to me.”

“Why would she go to you?” Digby was confused and beginning to feel worried too.

Lord Ranulph told how he had spoken to Adella and released her from any obligation to be engaged to him.

“But her uncle will not accept this. He is half crazy with anger. He thought that she must have changed her mind and agreed to marry me after all.”

Digby blinked, struggling to clear his head.

“But she didn’t?’

“No! Her uncle raged at her, but she did not give way. And now – she is gone.” Lord Ranulph’s face was ashy with strain.

“Digby, have you seen her? Have you spoken to her?” Jane asked.

“No. Oh, God!” Digby put his head in his hands.

“What is it?” Jane tugged at his sleeve.

Digby groaned in despair.

“I am afraid this is all my fault. I turned my back on her yesterday. She called out to me from the Square gardens and I just walked away.”

Lord Ranulph looked aghast.

“Why the hell did you do that?”

“The Judge had told me I should leave her alone. He told me she would be very rich when she came of age and, as I have nothing, I would be called a fortune-hunter and Adella’s reputation would be ruined if she and I – ”

“You idiot!” Lord Ranulph struck out at Digby, catching his friend’s arm with his fist. “I gave her up for you! Don’t you know how much she loves you?”

“Stop this, please,” Jane caught Lord Ranulph’s fist and held him back. “Please!”

“I’ve been so stupid,” Digby groaned. “Oh, God!” He dropped his head into his hands again.

“Listen to me, both of you,” Jane stipulated. “It’s no use looking back and blaming ourselves, although I am sure that we are all responsible in some way for Adella’s disappearance. If I had only understood how afraid she is of her uncle. We must find her before she comes to harm.”

“Yes!” Digby shook himself and stood up.

“Do you have any idea where she might be?”

Digby was struggling into his trousers, which he put on over his nightshirt.

“I don’t. No idea at all. I cannot bear to think that she might still be with us if only I had spoken to her.”

“Hush!” Jane cautioned.

Lord Ranulph sat down on the bed.

“You do love her, don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes.” Digby buttoned his coat. “I love her. I only wanted what was best for her when I walked away. I know that I have no hope of ever being with her at least not until I have made a fortune for myself. But I
do
love her.”

“You gave her up, just like I did.”

“I could not do anything that might compromise her happiness or her reputation, but I think I made the wrong choice.”

“Please!” Jane said, her voice clear and sharp. “You may sit here all night and debate, but it will not help Adella one bit. We must find her!”

“I am ready.” Digby turned to her.

“Lord Ranulph, Mr. May told you that her maid was missing too?” Jane asked.

“Neither of them has been seen since the morning.”

Jane thought for a moment.

“Then we should speak to the maid’s family.”

“Jane, you are a wonder!” Digby cried.

“We will ask Mr. May’s housekeeper for the maid’s address,” Jane said. “And reassure Mr. May that we are doing everything we can to find her. If we don’t, he will call the Police, and – ”

“That would do nothing for Adella’s reputation,” Lord Ranulph finished.

Jane’s calm words seemed to have inspired a new strength in him.

“We have to find her ourselves and bring her back to safety. Miss Hartley – after you.”

He stepped back respectfully to allow Jane to leave the attic.

Digby’s tiredness had vanished. All he could think of now was that Adella might be in danger. She was so innocent, so young and inexperienced.

And worse than that she now believed that he did not care for her.

He must find her as soon as he could and then he would not let her out of his sight again, no matter what the Society gossips might say about him.

“Oh, Miss Adella. I wish we’d stayed at Ma’s,” Beth whispered, looking round at the dingy room in East London where she and Adella had hidden themselves.

“Beth, your mother’s little house is the first place they will come looking for us!” Adella cried.

She felt as if she hardly dared breathe in this place, a filthy bedroom on the first floor of
The Britannia Inn
, but at least no one would think to find them here.

A strong smell of beer and tobacco smoke seeped up through the floorboards from the taproom below and she could hear men’s voices shouting and laughing.

Beth had been so good to her, helping her to escape from Dorset Square.

They had travelled all the way to East London on a crowded omnibus that seemed to take forever as it trundled over the cobblestones pulled by two slow horses.

Beth had not left her side for a single moment and Adella could not bear the thought that Beth might suffer for what she had done.

“You could go back to your Ma’s now, Beth,” she suggested. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“Miss – I can’t! What if your uncle comes after me? He’ll guess what I’ve done, helpin’ you get away.”

“Tell him I forced you to help me and then I ran away and you don’t know where I am.”

“No, miss. I couldn’t. I won’t leave you.”

There was a burst of laughter and a crash of heavy footsteps on the landing outside their room and then there was a loud thud on the door.

“’Ello! Anyone at ’ome, ladies?” a man’s hoarse voice shouted and there was more laughter.

Adella gasped with fright and Beth put her arms around her.

“Don’t worry, miss. The door’s bolted. They can’t get in. I ain’t leavin’ you, miss. We’ll be all right.”

She could then feel Beth shivering as they clung together, even the tough little maid was afraid in this awful place.

The door bulged and creaked as it was kicked with heavy boots.

“Beth, I don’t think we should stay here,” Adella said. “It isn’t safe. I don’t think the door will hold.”

“Miss, we can’t get out. The only way is through the taproom.”

The roars and shouts from down below seemed to be growing louder.

Adella went over to the grimy little window that looked out over the narrow dark street.

A cart full of empty sacks stood under the window, abandoned for the night.

“Come on, Beth. We can get out this way.” Adella opened the window and threw her bag out.

It was not such a long drop down to the cart.

Beth went first, easing her small body out through the window and Adella followed.

No one noticed the two of them hurrying away over the dirty cobblestones and the men in the inn were having far too much fun and making far too much noise to notice anything outside the smoky taproom.

It was late, far into the night and all the warehouses around
The Britannia Inn
were silent and closed.

There was only a glimmer of light from the new moon to guide Adella and Beth as they made their way down to the River Thames.

“We’ll hide down there, miss, under these arches,” Beth whispered. “It won’t be long now until mornin’ and then we can go somewhere else. We can go to Kent to the countryside.”

“We could even take a boat, Beth, and go to France. No one would ever find us there.” Adella pushed away the feeling of panic that was surging inside her.

“Yes, miss. Wherever you like.” Beth’s warm hand caught hold of Adella’s. “Come on, we’re nearly there.”

Ahead of them a thin line of moonlight glinted on black water. They had come to the River Thames and Beth led Adella to a low brick archway that smelt of mould.

“We can rest here, miss.”

They had to clamber over a mound of broken bricks and rubbish to get inside and Adella thought that they were alone until a bundle of rags that lay against the wall stirred and groaned.

It was an old woman.

“Beth, who is that?” Adella asked.

“I don’t know, miss. There be all sorts live down here by the river.”

“Live here?”

“Yes. Perhaps she ain’t got nowhere else to go.”

Adella sat down on the damp earth and gathered her skirts around her.

The comfortable house at Dorset Square with its clean bright rooms seemed to exist in another world.

Only the memory of Digby, of the golden bliss she had felt when she believed he had loved her, seemed real.

And yet that sweet heavenly dream was just a lie.

Adella dropped her head onto her knees and let her tears flow.

*

Lord Ranulph raised his hand and knocked on the battered door of the little cottage and, although it was the middle of the night, the door opened instantly.

“Oh, thank Gawd!”

A large woman in a patched cotton dress wiped tears from her plump face as she greeted them.

“I’m goin’ out of me mind with worry!” she said. “What will become of them? Sirs, miss, thank Gawd you came.”

Jane stepped into the tiny cluttered parlour, which opened directly off the street.

Lord Ranulph and Digby followed and stood by the door as there was very little room inside the cottage.

“You must be Beth’s mother,” Jane said, taking the woman’s hand.

“Do you have any idea where Miss May and her maid might be?” Lord Ranulph asked.

She flinched at the sound of his urgent voice and began to cry again.

Jane looked at him and pressed a finger to her lips.

“Mrs. James,” she said. “We need your help.”

Beth’s mother struggled to control herself.

“What will become of them?” she wailed.

Jane frowned.

“What is it?” Digby asked her.

It was hard to stand still and do nothing, when his body and soul were longing to run out of the cottage and search everywhere, anywhere, for Adella.

“I am thinking, if I was Adella, what would I do?” Jane quizzed. “Where would I go?”

“She has no carriage,” Lord Ranulph interrupted, impatiently. “She cannot go far.”

A voice spoke from a chair by the fireplace, where an elderly man was sitting, hunched over a long clay pipe.

“Ha! There ain’t no carriages round ’ere. Not for poor folk like us,” he said and gave a cackle of laughter.

“Pa! Shhh,” the large woman looked embarrassed at his rudeness.

The old man snorted.

“I know what our Beth’d do. She’d go down to the river,” he said. “She might find a boat down there to take her away.”