The Duke's Dilemma (6 page)

Her friend crossed the room, her footsteps
silent on the carpet. She could tell from Birdie’s rigid stance that she
disapproved of any reference to investigations. She was talking to someone in
the dressing room.

 
Hester
felt perfectly well and was intending to ask this new maid, Polly, to help her
get dressed as soon as Birdie went off again to organize matters downstairs.

She couldn’t see the dressing room from the bed
and her head was still too sore to risk turning, so she would have to contain
her impatience until the girl appeared.

‘My dear, that wasn’t Polly, it was Meg
bringing you up some hot water. There’s concern downstairs that something
untoward might have happened to the other girl. It would seem that when the
rest of the new staff walked up the drive earlier they saw no sign of her.’

‘But didn’t you say Tom passed her on the
road?’

‘He did. He’s going out with his grace and his
man to scour the grounds. There’s a short cut through the wood and they think
that’s the way she must have come. Don’t look so worried, my dear, I expect the
girl’s twisted her ankle and is sitting at the side of the path as we speak
waiting for someone to rescue her.’

‘Where’s Jet? He should go with them. If
Polly’s lost or hurt he’ll find her. Will you please go down and tell Tom to
take him?’ Hester knew she shouldn’t order her dear friend in such a way but for
some reason she believed the girl’s life might depend on her hound being
included in the search.

Chapter Six

Ralph waited outside in the turning circle for
his makeshift army to ready itself. He was astride Thunder and Clark and James
were mounted. bin and the foot soldiers were not ready to leave. He had
selected the four fittest of the roughly dressed men who had come from town and
issued them with stout cudgels.

He spotted the arrival of Miss Bird in the melee
and guided his mount towards her, leaning down from his saddle in order to
speak to her.

‘Miss Bird, is something wrong? Can I be
assistance?’

‘Your grace, Miss Frobisher suggests you take
her hound, Jet, with you. If this young girl is injured or lost in the woods
he’s the one to find her.’

‘Excellent notion, ma’am. I made the
acquaintance of the animal yesterday but didn’t realize he belonged to Miss
Frobisher.’ He straightened, turning to shout across to Robin who had just
emerged from the stable block leading his horse. ‘Robin, find that dog. Miss
Bird suggests we take him with us, he was around here earlier.’

Tom overheard and shouted Jet’s name; the
massive animal appeared at his side, tongue lolling, head to one side, waiting
for instructions. Ralph was beginning to warm to the animal. He glanced round
his group and nodded; they weren’t many, but were sufficient to scare off any
intruders in the wood. He raised his arm and led the group towards the rear of
the house, to the path that led directly to the gates. When he’d questioned the
other new arrivals it had confirmed his fears.

This girl should have arrived at the Hall over
an hour ago. He hoped she had merely suffered a mishap and was sitting crying
on the pathway waiting to be found. If she had hurt herself, surely those who
had walked past on the drive would have heard her shouting?

‘Tom, you lead with the dog. I’ll follow
directly behind with Robin; we’re both armed and can protect your back if needs
be.’

‘Very well, your grace. Jet will hear anything
long before we do. If the lass is in the wood, this fellow will lead us to
her.’

Ralph knew he really meant, if the girl was
still living. For God’s sake! Why should they all be imagining the worst? It
was damn unsettling to be in the middle of something dangerous and not know who
his enemy was.

They cantered into the wood with the men on
foot jogging behind. Soon they were forced to slow and progress in single file;
he listened, but could hear no sound of crying. The wood was quiet, too quiet,
the birds had fallen silent too.

 
‘Tom,
send the dog off. We’ll dismount and lead the horses.’ He watched the massive
animal lope off nose to the ground. The path widened slightly and he stooped to
examine a slight disturbance.

‘I’ve found footprints here, at least two sets;
they stopped then returned at speed. I don’t like the look of this, Robin,
these are fresh and made by boots, well repaired ones at that.’

He reached into his belt and withdrew his
pistol then holding the reins in one hand, his pistol in the other, he walked
forward. They moved quietly, only the occasional clink of a bit or the snort of
a horse audible in the gloom. He raised his pistol indicating that the men
behind him halt. He tethered his horse, intending to continue without the hindrance
of their mounts.

He heard the others do the same. Half crouching
in the shadows cast by the overhanging branches, he led them on. Ralph was
certain they weren’t alone in the woods, somewhere just ahead evil stalked.

They all heard the screams. Ralph broke into a
run. The girl must be in fear for her life. Tom, who was in front of him,
veered off the path, crashing through the undergrowth, taking the direct route,
using the shrieks to guide him.

Tom shouted back. ‘The dog’s ahead, like a
bullet he was, he’ll be there before us and if he doesn’t stop the bastards,
nothing will.’

Ralph didn’t answer, using his breath to fuel
his feet. The others were close behind; he prayed they would not be too late.
Suddenly the air was torn by a bloodcurdling roar, followed by a second scream
this time of agony, not fear. From that moment it was impossible to distinguish
the growls and snarls of the dog from the screams of the man he was savaging.

After cocking his pistol, he pushed his sleeves
back leaving his hands free. With a final surge he burst into a scene
resembling a gladiatorial arena. There was a one man lying under a holly tree,
the dog crouched over him, jaws dripping, throat rumbling in a steady snarl.
There was no sign of the girl; she was no longer screaming and he feared she
had been taken by the missing man.

 
A faint
cry in the branches above his head alerted him. Balanced precariously at the
top of the tree was a gray shape; he could just distinguish a pale face staring
down at him.

 
‘Polly?
You’re safe now, sweetheart. I’ll be up to fetch you soon; hold on a while
longer.

There
are things to be sorted out down here’

He looked at the gruesome mess that had once
been the face of a man. He didn’t want the girl to see this, not after
everything else she had endured. He spoke sharply to Jet. ‘Enough, Jet, leave.’

To the amazement of those standing rigid round
the body, the dog relaxed, wagging his tail, backing away from the cadaver as
his long pink tongue cleaned his bloodstained jowls. The animal padded over to
push his head against Ralph’s leg seeking approval. He reached down and pulled
one of the silky ears.

 
‘Good
dog, you’ve done well. Perhaps a little too well.’

He’d seen too many bodies during his life as a
soldier to find this one particularly upsetting. His only regret was the man
had kicked the bucket before he could be asked why he was trying to kidnap a
servant girl.

‘Robin, get this object out of sight, empty the
pockets then get one of the men to bury it somewhere in the woods.’

‘Yes, your grace. What about the other one? Do
you want us to go after him?’

‘Yes; take two men with you and the dog. He
can’t have got far. Jet will soon find him.’

He tossed his pistol to James and then removed
his riding cape and shrugged out of his topcoat. The cold of the wind bit
through his cotton shirt sleeves. The girl must be freezing up there. ‘I’m
going to fetch her down. One of you bring the horses, she’ll be unable to walk
back. She’s been cowering up there for over an hour.’

‘Shall I go up for you, your grace? I’m used to
climbing trees.’

‘Thank you, James, I’ll finish the job myself.’
His long arms had no difficulty finding a grip and within moments he was beside
the shivering girl. ‘Don’t try and talk, you can tell me
 
what happened later.’ The girl, scarcely more
than a child really, nodded, and attempted a
 
smile.

He braced himself, then nodded reassuringly.
‘Place your arms round my neck, sweetheart, I’ll take you down as easy as
winking.’ He saw her doubt and knew she was too scared to move of her own
volition.

‘Look at the size of me, I could carry three of
you dangling from my neck and still climb up and down this tree with no
difficulty. I don’t know about you, but I’m in need of some refreshment after
all this activity.’ As he was speaking he gently
prised
the girl’s fingers away from the tree and pulled her close until her legs were
dangling around his waist and her arms securely locked about his neck.

‘Make the most of this, Polly, you’ll not get
carried in the arms of an aristocrat many times more in your life.’ He felt her
relax into him, and slipped his left arm about her waist. ‘Right, here we go.’

It wasn’t quite as easy as he’d pretended and
he was obliged to take the full weight of himself and his burden on one
outstretched arm on two occasions before he eventually reached the lower
branches. Then willing hands reached up to remove the girl and he jumped the
last six feet. His boots squelched unpleasantly in the reddened dirt under the
tree.

James appeared with the horses. ‘Here, hand me
my things, once I’m dressed we can get back.’

The girl cradled in Tom’s arms spoke for the
first time. ‘Excuse me, sir, it was my bag falling from the tree that alerted
the men and it has all my possessions inside. Is it still here or has the other
one taken it away with him?’

‘I’ll get the men to look for it; don’t worry
about it now. If it’s lost, then I’ll see that everything is replaced for you.
It’s more important to get you out of the cold.’

He didn’t offer to take the girl up in front of
him, leaving it to Tom who seemed quite content to keep the plucky girl in his
care. He left the mundane tasks to others. Without waiting for Robin’s return
with the second man he mounted and set off. When Polly recovered would be soon enough
to ask her questions. He shivered. It was damn cold, cold enough for snow.

*

The man in the doorway clutching his cap was
shaking. Bertram had no time for such weakness. ‘So, not only did you fail to bring
that girl back as instructed, your partner has been mauled to death by a wolf?
I’m waiting for an answer, damn you. Am I surrounded by incompetents? I set you
both a simple task, to bring back a maidservant called Polly Makepeace and you
can’t even do that.’

He turned his back on his minion and heard the
man shuffle into the icy hall and return to the warmth of the kitchen. Bertram
unclenched his fists and breathed in deeply trying to control his rage. One of
his retainers told him he had overheard the under groom saying he had a
sweetheart living in Little Neddingfield and he’d been desperate to get hold of
the girl ever since.

He’d done his planning so meticulously; knew
Miss Culley went abroad frequently and took her staff with her. The only two
who remained behind were the elderly housekeeper and cook who were dispatched
to reside in a small house in Bath
that Miss Culley owned.

His lips curved in the
pretence
of a smile. The old ladies had been dispatched all right but not to the place
they expected. They were both so old; it had been more than time for them to
stop cluttering up the world with their presence.

But the girl had now slipped through his
fingers and he needed to be sure she wouldn’t blab to the major about Miss
Culley’s
connection to France. He wanted this man to
believe that the
rumours
were true and that the
supernatural had spirited away his relatives and all her retainers.

He stared out of the window watching the trees
moving restlessly in the icy wind. The idiot who is acting as cook had said it
was likely to snow; so much the better as the major would be trapped and unable
to send out for reinforcements. Bertram had spent his remaining funds on
renting this old house and employing a dozen and a half ex-soldiers, those not
too fussy how they earned their pay.

A slight prickle of unease flickered through
him; when he’d decided there would be ghosts at Neddingfield Hall and had
initiated the talk about strange sightings and disappearances he had known it
to be false. His men were able to vanish at will into the underground cellar
his father had described to him, leaving no evidence of their passage behind
them. But the man who had just returned after his failed attempt to capture the
one weak link in his scheme had been terrified, convinced that the very hound
of hell had emerged from nowhere to kill his partner in the most frightful way.

He shrugged; no matter, if his men were
frightened so much the better: scared men fought harder in his experience.
 
It would add credence to his story that the
Hall was haunted and the locals villages wouldn’t dare venture in to the woods
to see what was happening. The Major was going to lose all his new staff very
soon as well.

Demonic laughter echoed around the shabby room
and the rough man outside the door flinched away and scurried back to his snug
billet in the bowels of the house; the message he carried was never delivered.

*

Hester insisted on getting dressed after
washing. The physician had advised she stay in bed for three days but hadn’t
said it essential. ‘The Hall sounds more like it should now there are people
moving around and the fires are lit and there are candles everywhere. ‘

‘Well, my dear, I didn’t come here expecting to
take on the role of housekeeper, but there’s no one else to do the job so I
hope you’ll excuse me if I cannot be with you all the time.’

‘Birdie, you must do whatever’s necessary to
ensure the smooth running of the household. I’m thankful Tom managed to find a
cook for what was served this morning was all but inedible.’

Her friend chuckled. ‘I’ve been assured there
will be fresh vegetable soup, newly baked bread and apple pie and cheese ready
soon. Now, my dear, if you’re comfortably settled in front of the fire I shall
take my leave. Meg’s in your chamber, ring that
handbell
beside you and she’ll come to assist you. ‘

Hester smiled; as long as she got her lunch
when it was ready there was nothing else she required. Her head ached, her eyes
were a trifle blurred so she would stretch out in front of the log fire and try
and think of a reason for what was happening. She was dozing comfortably when
heavy footsteps approached her
parlour
.