The Saint and the Sinner (15 page)

She had the sudden idea that when they ceased fleeing to avoid capture, these men would not trouble to take her any further.

They would kill her and throw her into a ditch. They would have no wish to leave her alive, and as they would hang anyway for robbery, the penalty could not be increased for murder.

‘Help me, oh! – please – help me!’ she cried in her heart, and wondered if her father knew what was happening to her and if he could somehow assist the Earl to save her.

There was no-one else who could do so, for only the Earl knew what had happened and he alone would be aware of the danger she was in.

Pandora tried to calculate how long it would take the Earl to follow them. Then she heard Mr. Anstey, who was driving, shout,

“Look back, and if he’s following us, shoot him! You’ll find a pistol in my left-hand pocket.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you use it before?” Dalton asked in an angry tone.

“He took me by surprise,” Mr. Anstey admitted, and anyway the knife was handy, so what are you complaining about?”

“Nothing,” Dalton replied, “but I’d like him dead.”

“Then shoot if there’s a sight or a sign of him,” Mr. Anstey commanded.

Now Dalton turned round in his seat, looking backwards along the road on which they had come, and Pandora felt she must scream in sheer terror.

She was quite certain that it would never occur to the Earl that the thieves had a pistol, since they had not used it in Chart Hall.

He would merely come riding after them and would be shot down, and she too would die.

There was nothing she could do but pray – pray desperately with her whole heart and soul. Then, almost to her surprise, she found herself thinking,

‘If I have to die it would not matter much – but let the Earl live – I think now he has begun to like Chart and he will – keep and preserve it as it – should be.

She prayed with such intensity that she shut her eyes.

Then suddenly there was a noise like an explosion, the whole world seemed to turn a somersault, there were cries and turmoil, shouts, and the frightened neighing of the horses.

Whatever had happened had banged her head and Pandora saw stars whirling round her – for a few seconds she must have been unconscious.

It was almost surprising to find that she was still alive and somebody was lifting her out of the cart and holding her closely in his arms.

“Norvin!” she wanted to exclaim, but she was still gagged.

She felt his fingers undoing the knot while he supported her head against his shoulder.

Then she gave a deep gasp which turned into a sound of fear.

“It is all right,” he said. “You are not really hurt. I took a chance on my belief that they would put you at the back with what they had stolen.”

She found it impossible to understand what he was saying.

Then, supporting her with one hand, he started to undo the rope which held her hands together, and as she looked she saw incredible confusion on the road.

The horses were down on their knees, the cart with one wheel off was lying at a strange angle, and in the roadway where obviously they had been thrown from the high seat of the cart were two bodies.

Pandora stared, not understanding what had happened. Then the Earl explained as he finished untying her.

“It was hard on the horses, poor beasts, but a rope across the road which tripped them was safer than risking a firing match when you were in the power of those fiends.”

“A – rope across the – road?” Pandora murmured.

“The trees made it easy,” he said and she thought he smiled with satisfaction.

“How did you – reach us so – quickly?”

“The grooms knew a way across the fields,” he answered. “Another time I shall know it myself.” His arms still were round her and she was leaning against him.

“You – saved me!” she murmured. “I – prayed that you would – do so.”

“I guessed that that was what you would be doing,” the Earl remarked, “and of course the prayers of Saints are always heard!”

She tried to laugh because she knew that he wanted her to do so, but instead she felt very near to tears.

It had all been so frightening, but she might have guessed, she thought, that because he was a Chart he would find a way out of any situation, however difficult.

The grooms were tying up Mr. Anstey and Dalton, who were still unconscious.

They trussed them like chickens. Then one of the men whom Pandora remembered came up to the Earl to ask:

“What do you want done with them, M’Lord?” “Leave them at the side of the road,” the Earl answered. “We will send later and have them taken before the Magistrates. And turn the horses loose.” “Very good, M’Lord.”

“I suppose you will be able to manage the sacks between you?”

“We’ll see to them, M’Lord,” the groom answered and grinned.

He glanced at Pandora as if he asked a question, and the Earl said,

“I will take Miss Stratton back on my saddle.” Another groom brought the Earl’s horse from where it must have been concealed in the trees.

He took his arms from Pandora gently, as if he was afraid she would not be able to stand on her own. When he found that she could do so, he pulled off his evening-coat and laid it on the front of the saddle.

“I will mount first,” he said to the groom, “then hand Miss Stratton up to me.”

“Very good, M’Lord.”

The Earl swung himself up on the saddle. Then, reaching down while the groom lifted her, he pulled Pandora up in front of him so that she was sitting sideways and his left arm held her securely.

“We will take it easy,” he said, “now that there is no need to hurry.”

Because she could not help herself Pandora turned her face against his shoulder so that he could not see her tears.

“I – th-thought they would – k-kill me,” she whispered.

“It is all over,” the Earl said quietly. “And surely you must remember this is an adventure that I shall be able to relate to my grandsons, or was it my great-grandsons with whom I had to concern myself?” Pandora gave a choking little laugh.

“It was – my fault. I might have guessed when I saw the – open window that it would be Dalton who was trying to – rob you.”

“It would have been wiser to have informed me rather than try to take them on single-handedly!” the Earl said.

They were moving slowly towards home as Pandora replied,

“Actually, I was looking for the night watchmen. But they had knocked Underwood insensible.”

“I told one of the grooms before I left to see to him and to the wretched footman.”

“You thought of everything!” Pandora said admiringly.

“For an amateur at this sort of adventure, you must admit I did not do too badly!” the Earl said. “You certainly create an unprecedented amount of drama and excitement. I had always imagined the country was a quiet place with nothing to do!”

Pandora thought he was also referring to the duel, and after a moment she said in a very small voice

“Must you – fight – him?”

“It will give me intense pleasure to do so,” the Earl replied. “The man is a swine and deserves all he gets.”

“But he is – dangerous. He has fought a great many – duels.”

“So have I, in one way or, another,” the Earl replied, “and I will try not to disgrace the family name in this instance, whatever I may do in others.”

“I could not bear – ” Pandora began.

There was a pause.

“Bear what?” the Earl asked.

“For you to be – hurt on my – account. It was so – foolish of me to go into the garden – alone.”

“Extremely foolish when there is that sort of cad about,” the Earl agreed, “but how were you to know?”

“In a way it was even more – frightening than thinking I might be – killed!”

She was speaking to herself more than to the Earl. Then she felt his arm tighten round her.

“They are neither of them experiences that should ever have happened to you,” he said.

She was suddenly conscious of being close to him. He was wearing only a white lawn shirt, and she could feel the warmth of his body against her cheek and the strength of his arm that held her.

She was acutely aware of him as a man.

She had never been as close as this to any other man or indeed known such a feeling of security and safety.

They rode on in silence until, unexpectedly, the Earl remarked,

“Your hair smells of violets.”

“I wash it with a herbal lotion which Mama used to make,” Pandora replied. “There are masses of violets in the spring in the garden at the Vicarage, and she would distil a scent from them.”

As she spoke she thought of the strong, exotic perfume that Kitty used, and she wondered if that was what the Earl preferred.

He did not say any more, and now Pandora realised that they had left the road and were moving through the fields which bordered the park.

“We are nearly home,” she said, “and the gold and silver is safe. If, in the morning we had awakened to find it gone, I would have cried my eyes out.”

The Earl did not speak and after a moment she said a little hesitatingly,

“You – would have – minded?”

She saw his lips twist in a smile. Then he said,

“I know what you want me to say, and ordinarily I would be damned if I would have you bullying me! But because you have been through a harrowing experience I will spoil you and say, ‘Yes, I would have minded!’”

Pandora gave a little sigh. “I thought you – would.”

“If there is one thing I really dislike,” the Earl said, “it is women who say: ‘I told you so.’”

He was, however, not speaking aggressively.

“I am not saying anything,” Pandora replied “I just want you to – love Chart.”

As she spoke she realised that they could see the Castle in the valley below them.

It was breathtakingly beautiful in the moonlight, which seemed to turn the great building to silver. She gave a little exclamation.

“It is yours – all yours!”

She felt the Earl’s arm tighten as if it were an instinctive response which he could not help, and because it seemed to draw her closer to him even than she was already, she felt again a strange, unaccountable feeling run through her.

It was a feeling she had never known before, and yet it was so ecstatic, so lovely, that it was like the moonlight itself.

Then the Earl urged his horse forward and they were moving quickly towards Chart Hall.

*

In her bedr
oom Pandora felt as if she had lived through a long and strange dream.

It hardly seemed possible that she had been through so much in the short time since she had left her bed and gone to the window to look out at the moonlight.

The Earl had wanted her to have a drink when they arrived back, but she had refused.

“Then go to bed,” he said. “You must be tired after all you have been through.”

“You must go to bed too,” she replied quickly.

“I am used to going without sleep,” he answered. At the same time, as they stood in the hall he seemed hardly to be thinking of what he should say, but was looking at her with a strange expression in his eyes.

Old Burrows had the door open and was waiting for them. He had been aroused by the groom who had gone back to release the trussed-up footman.

“There are drinks and something to eat, M’Lord, in the Morning-Room,” Burrows said in his quiet, unobtrusive manner.

“Thank you,” the Earl said. “Is the night watchman all right?”

“They knocked him unconscious, M’Lord, but apart from a bad headache there are no bones broken.”

“Well, that is a relief,” the Earl exclaimed. Pandora had already climbed three steps of the Great Staircase when she stopped with her hand on the banister to listen to Burrows’s reply.

The Earl walked to the foot of the stairs to stand looking up at her.

“I suppose I ought to thank you,” he said. “If you had not interfered and put your life in danger, they might not only have taken the gold and silver ornaments but a great many other things as well.”

“If you start thanking me, I shall have to thank you again for rescuing me.”

“Then I will just say go to bed and forget it,” the Earl smiled, “and remember, it is not a thing that is likely to happen a second time.”

“I hope not,” Pandora replied.

Then she remembered the duel which still lay ahead.

“You will be very careful – promise me!”

She saw in his eyes that he understood to what she was referring, and he replied cynically,

“I wonder how many people would be delighted if Sir Gilbert shoots me down.”

Pandora gave a little cry.

“Do not speak – like that – it is – unlucky.”

“I have told you – I am not afraid of him.”

“You should never – underestimate the enemy.

“No, you are right! And, as you have asked me, I will take care.”

“Please – please do – that!”

Pandora’s eyes met his and for a moment it seemed as if both of them were very still.

Then, because she felt shy, because she was suddenly conscious that she was wearing only her dressing-gown and her hair was falling over her shoulders, she turned and ran up the stairs.

In bed, Pandora surprisingly fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

She expected that if she was not kept awake by the horror of what had happened she would be unable to sleep because her body was aching from the bruises she had sustained in the cart.

It must have been because she had been so battered that when she turned over she awoke with a start, and knew it was a pain in her arm which had aroused her.

“Mrs. Meadowfield will have some embrocation to put on it,” she told herself.

She moved her legs and found that they too were painful.

The ornaments in the sack had dug sharply into them and she thought perhaps the skin had been broken.

Then suddenly her thoughts startled her into an awareness that she had been asleep, that it was morning, and that the Earl was fighting a duel.

She sat up in bed and realised that there was light on either side of the curtains.

“It is dawn!” she told herself.

She got out of bed, feeling as if her body ached all over, and pulled back one of the curtains.