The Duke's Dilemma (19 page)

She cocked her head to one side. At first all
she could hear was the faint crackle of the fire and his steady breathing, then
she heard something else: the sound of water against the window panes.

‘Good heavens! There’s been a thaw. If it’s
raining hard enough to hear then it must be heavy indeed.’
 
She scrambled to her feet. Jet had
accompanied his scratching with a faint bark, and she knew from bitter
experience if she ignored him, he would start to howl and then all would be
disaster. ‘Take care, my love, and come back safe to me.’

 
She had
said all she wished to say; he knew how she felt, that her very existence was
in his hands, but there was a job to do and she wouldn’t expedite matters by
remaining weeping at his side.

The seating area was deserted and only her dog
there to witness her disgrace. She walked over to the fire and threw some logs
on the burning embers; she had no wish to go back to bed and pretend to be
asleep. When Birdie emerged at dawn it would be to find her curled up on the
chaise-longue,
her pet beside her,
reading a novel.

Jet having completed his greeting seemed
content to flop down across her toes. She was relieved he didn’t wish to be let
out as she didn’t have the energy to struggle with the heavy bolts on the door
this morning.

She sat for ten minutes before becoming
chilled. She would have to go back to bed; it was nonsensical to remain where
she was. She ought not to be sitting here when the men got up.

‘You stay here, boy, I’m going back to bed.
Ralph can let you out when he rises.’

She crept back,
carefully arranging her robe on the end of her bed before climbing in. Her feet
were frozen and she tucked them inside her nightgown. Under the thickness of
her comforter slowly she warmed up, but she couldn’t relax. Her eyes filled as
she contemplated a

life without him at her side; her
dreams were not filled with images of delight but of death and despair.

She didn’t stir until
Miss Bird shook her gently by the shoulder.

‘Wake up, my dear.
You’ll be delighted to hear that the snow’s gone. We shall be free to leave
this place today.’

Chapter
Nineteen

‘Leave? I have no wish to leave, Birdie. Ralph and I are to be married as
soon as the bans are read - we cannot possibly leave Neddingfield until after
our nuptials.’

‘Congratulations, my dear. Although I believe it’s more customary to
congratulate the gentleman when a couple become betrothed. Do you think you
have given yourself enough time to be sure your affections are engaged? After
all, you’ve known each other for less than a
sen’night
.’

‘I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, we’re a perfect
match. We haven’t known each other long but have experienced more in the past
few days than most couples do in a lifetime.’

She turned away from her mentor under the pretext of
slipping into her chemise, she had no wish for her secret to be revealed. She
hadn’t had time to examine her face in the glass but was certain there would be
tell-tale signs that she was no longer an innocent.

‘I heard his grace go down; I should think all the
fires are lit and the range burning by now.’

The sound of footsteps passing the door made her hurry
her morning ablutions. Polly and

Meg
couldn’t be expected to do everything themselves; the fact that she was about
to become a duchess was unimportant. She would do her part until they were able
to re-staff the hall.

 
‘Go down,
Birdie, I’ll be there directly. With luck the men have found themselves
breakfast and we’ll only have ourselves to prepare for.’

She realised that her appearance no longer mattered; Ralph loved her and
even in her oldest garments she would be beautiful to him. Her mood swung from
elation, at the thought off what had passed between them, to despair as she
worried about what might happen when he confronted their nemesis.

He had told her the bad men had been discussing quite callously how they
had been paid to murder them both. They had killed no one so far; the only
killing had been done by them. Was it possible he’d misheard? What sort of
person was prepared to pay to have two people murdered in cold blood but then
hold back when it came to their employees?

Her stomach roiled as she remembered pulling the
trigger on the pistol and watching the man stagger away to die. Had the
intruders just been going to abduct them? She shivered and pulled her shawl
tighter. No; what possible use would they be as prisoners? There would have
been no one left to pay their ransom for Aunt Agatha had already left the
country. However hard it was to understand that a stranger should wish her
dead, she was forced to accept this was the only possible explanation.

This man was a ruthless murderer. His only motive was
to remove them from his path and give him access to the title and their
fortunes. What if? She shook her head. This wouldn’t do. She would run mad
thinking of what might happen.
 
Her hair
successfully arranged on top of her head she was ready to descend. Keeping
herself busy baking and attending to James should help her forget about the
danger Ralph was in.

The kitchen was redolent with the smell of baking bread and frying ham.
The kettle boiling, the plates and cutlery laid out for breakfast, but the room
was empty. For a moment she felt a lurch of fear then smiled at her nonsense.
The girls would be in the dairy milking the cows and Birdie would be … where
would she be? She heard the door to the root cellar bang shut and relaxed. ‘Do
you require any assistance with the vegetables?’

Her friend appeared, a smudge of dirt on her nose and a basket bulging
with potatoes, onions and carrots. ‘Thank you, my dear, I have everything I
need for soup. Would you like to wait until the bread is ready? The ham and
eggs are done to a turn and you could make toast to eat with it.’

Hester removed the long-handled, three pronged fork
from the hook by the range and pulling up a chair speared a piece of
yesterday’s bread on the end. ‘Shall I toast all this? Have you and the girls
eaten this morning?’

 
‘We haven’t, but
do enough only for yourself. It wouldn’t be seemly the girls to eat with you
and I’m far too busy at the moment.’

After eating her solitary breakfast Hester offered to
carry a tray up to James. His more personal needs had been dealt with by Tom so
she wouldn’t be expected to do anything other than keep him company.

The young man inordinately pleased to see her. ‘Miss
Bird insists I stay put today and I’m going daft with boredom, Miss Frobisher.
There’s much I have to tell you and we haven’t had the opportunity to talk
yet.’

‘You must eat your meal first, I’m quite content to sit and stare into
the fire until you finish.’ She wondered what news he had; she’d no wish to
know the sordid details of his incarceration and couldn’t imagine what else
there might be that he had to tell her.

The clatter of his tray being dropped on to the floor
startled her from her reverie. ‘You should have asked me to help you; you’re
not supposed to put any stress on your shoulder.’ She removed the remains of
his breakfast and placed it on the top of his chest of drawers. ‘James, I shall
bring my chair a little nearer so you can see me.’

‘I know where Miss Culley is, and the rest of them,’ he
announced baldly. He had her
 
undivided
attention now.

‘Tell me, James, I have been desperate for definite
news.’

‘I was that scared first, thinking I was trapped by
ghosts, but I overheard them talking together. I reckon they forgot I was
listening and their voices carried down that tunnel. I knew then they were
mortals, just like me.’
 
He paused,
making the most of his moment. ‘Lord Colebrook was right; they did dress up as
soldiers. They marched to Neddingfield and told Miss Culley that her sympathies
towards the French had been noted in Whitehall
and she was going to be arrested as a traitor. She was given the choice of
going into permanent exile and she took it The devils laughed about it; they
enjoyed the fact they’d tricked her into leaving.’

 
Hester could hardly credit that
someone as awake to every suit should be gulled in this way. There was only one
reason that would have prompted her intrepid aunt to leave in such a
precipitous fashion. What she and Ralph had feared must be true - or at least
partially so.

‘It seems incredible her staff agreed to accompany her.
At least one of them, Sam Roberts, was supposedly a follower of Polly’s. The
poor girl will be devastated he abandoned her so easily.’

‘I shouldn’t worry too much about her, miss, from what
Tom said I think there’s already something between the two of them. She’ll not
be lonely for long if he has his way.’

‘I hope his intentions are honourable. ‘James turned an
unbecoming shade of beetroot.

‘He wants to marry the girl, miss, you’ve my word on that.’

‘I’m relieved to hear you say so. ‘She wandered across to look out of the
window at the dripping landscape. She could hardly believe the snow had melted
overnight leaving only piles of slush where it had been deepest. A depressing
sight, the sky overcast, the trees drooping and dismal.

‘My word! There’s a closed carriage just turned into the gate. If I’m to
receive visitors I’d better go downstairs and make myself respectable. Do you
have everything you need, James?’

‘Yes, thank you, Miss Frobisher. Tom left me some pieces of wood and I
have my penknife - I thought I might carve a few animals to pass the time, but
I can’t do it one-handed. I shall rest and watch the flames until someone has
time to keep me company.’

Hester checked her hair was neat, her skirts free of cobwebs and dust and
went to wait in the makeshift drawing-room. Being careful not to dirty her
hands she threw several more logs onto the fire and gave it her rattle with the
poker. The cheery blaze made the space seem more acceptable.

She hadn’t been waiting long before Polly burst in, a trifle breathless
after her dash up

the stairs.
‘Miss Frobisher, there’s visitors from London come to see you his grace. Miss
Bird wants to know if she should send them away, or if you’ll see them on your
own?’ The girl grinned. ‘At the moment they’re standing under the back porch
trying to shelter from the rain and the door’s firmly shut. Miss Bird won’t
budge until you’ve given permission.’

The carriage had come from the direction of Little Neddingfield and if
the gentlemen had asked to speak to both her and Ralph she was sure it was
something to do with Aunt Agatha. ‘Please have them come up here. Ask Meg to
bring refreshments; I’ll require you to remain with me, Polly.’

The girl dipped. ‘It’s a good thing Miss Bird has baked this morning or
there would be nothing suitable to offer them.’

Fifteen minutes later the sound of heavy footsteps and the murmur of
well-modulated voices were audible in the stairwell. Only then did Hester began
to fear she might have made a dreadful mistake and invited the enemy into the
very heart of the Hall.

*

It was still dark when Ralph addressed his inadequate band of heroes. They
were gathered in the wavering lamplight in the warmth of the stable block.
Robin and Tom he could rely on as they had already proved their mettle, but his
driver, Fred, was too old for this kind of action and Seth and Robert had no
experience of firearms.

 
‘You already know where we’re
going and why, are there any further questions you wish to ask before we
leave?’

The men looked at Robin, who had resumed as second-in-command now the
matter of ghosts had been laid to rest. ‘It’s like this, your grace, how do we
know what that man said about the number at Bracken Manor is right? I’m not
saying he was lying, but he’s not been there and more men could have joined the
gang.’

‘It’s possible, but unlikely. Until this morning the roads were
impassable, and if reinforcements have been sent for they can’t be there before
us. I remember the manor from a previous visit; it’s more isolated than here.
Remember, we’ve the edge; they’re not expecting us.’

 
He nodded a dismissal and turned
to tighten Thunder’s girths, leaving Robin to organize the others. He swung
into the saddle unhindered by his sword; his years of practice during the war
made it look easy. Today Robin was also armed with a cavalry sword as well as
his pistols. They both knew how to use them.

The stable doors were open and he urged his mount through and the others
clattered behind. Seth and Robert were competent horseman and had cudgels
strapped to their saddles; they’d also shown him the wicked knives secreted in
their top boots. Ralph would be in a better position if he had a couple of
rifleman along, but too late now to worry. He would succeed with what he had;
he had no choice.

The wild ride across country was unpleasant. His
tricorn
hat and heavy riding coat were scarcely adequate to keep out the driving rain.
He had issued weatherproof coats to the three men and was glad that he’d had
the forethought to do so. He needed all his men alert and responsive, not
frozen to the marrow.

The first grey light of dawn greeted their arrival on the narrow track that
bordered the grounds of Bracken Manor. He wasn’t sure how well secured the
premises were, or if his opponent would have the sense to post sentries. He
would have done so, but then he was a cautious man. He raised his arm and swung
his horse round to face them and they gathered near in order to hear, the
lashing rain meant his words barely carried.

‘If my memory serves me, there’s a small path running into the park and
it’s this we’re taking. The horses must stay here and shelter under these
trees; it’s barely adequate but will have to serve. Remember, we mustn’t be
seen. Pull your hats down and cover your faces with your mufflers. Whatever you
do, don’t look up, if anyone is watching that will give us away.’

Fred was taking care of the horses; he would remain there and carry a
message to the local magistrate, Squire Norton, if they failed to return within
the hour. It was not fool proof, but the best he could do.

*

Bertram Sinclair was sure that by the end of
the day he would be the rightful Duke of Waverley and that the obstacles that
presently stood in his way would have been removed. He would be able to remove
himself to London, resume the life of wealthy man about town and wait to hear
with suitable surprise that the title was his.

His men had their instructions. It had taken
them until the night before last to master the intricate mechanism that opened
the way into Neddingfield Hall. Until that was done he’d had to bide his time,
do all he could to terrify the remaining occupants, but had been unable to
complete his masterly scheme.

This and the snow had been as much a hindrance
to him as it had been to the major. His men needed to dispose of the witnesses,
all five of them if necessary, and then they could release the man held
captive. They would transport him back to where he had been taken and leave him
to run babbling to the Hall where he would discover it deserted. This time he’d
sent two of his own men down to the cellar; this was not a job to leave to
hirelings, they’d tell him what he wanted to hear just to get his money.

A strong gust of wind sent smoke billowing out
from the chimney and he retreated, as he had done countless times before,
coughing and swearing. Whilst waiting for the room to clear he walked over to
the window, the draught whistling through easing his lungs. There were no
curtains and the shutters were in sore need of repair, which was why he kept
candles to a minimum. He wanted no one to know Bracken Manor was occupied.