The Six Month Marriage (26 page)

Madeline’s luggage was loaded up; she took her place in
the carriage; and she left the Manor.

And as she did so she felt that she left a part of her,
the most vibrant, real and important part, behind.

Philip
approached
The King’s Head
with caution. Jack’s message had necessarily
been obscure and he did not know what he might find when he arrived. He did not
know what kind of danger Jack found himself in, or what help his friend might
need, but he had come prepared. Beneath the folds of his greatcoat he carried
two pistols, both loaded and ready for use.

He thought it unlikely that Jack would have gone to the
inn itself as it was too conspicuous. But there was a derelict cottage just
beyond it that would make an ideal meeting place and it was towards this
cottage that he turned his horse’s head.

He went forward with every sense alert. The cottage
appeared to be deserted but he was taking no chances. He dismounted a little
way off, looping Nero’s reins over a tree before proceeding on foot, moving
stealthily towards the back of the building where there were no windows to give
warning of his approach. Then, rounding the cottage, he came to the door. With
pistols at the ready he kicked it open and went in.

He felt a gun pressed to his temples and a voice said, ‘That’s
far enough.’

Recognising the voice he said with amusement, ‘Is that
any way to treat a friend?’

‘Philip!’ Jack lowered his gun with a grin and shut the
door. ‘It’s good to see you.’

‘Not as good as it is to see you, alive and in one
piece,’ said Philip, clasping Jack’s hand. ‘When I got your message I feared
the worst.’

‘You thought you’d find me bleeding to death?’ joked
Jack. But despite his devil-may-care attitude there was an underlying tension
about him that spoke of a real threat.

‘After the incident at Stonecrop, I didn’t know what to
expect,’ said Philip.

Jack nodded. ‘It’s a pity I couldn’t stay and talk to
you in person that day, but the pursuit was too hot. Did you get the names to
Callaghan?’

‘I did.’

‘I’m not sure how much Callaghan told you.’ Jack looked
at Philip questioningly.

‘He told me nothing. Callaghan is the proverbial clam.’

Jack grinned. ‘In the world of the spy it pays to keep
your mouth shut. But if you’re to help me you’ll need to know everything I’ve
been up to. I’ve been working under cover for the last six months, trying to
discover the identity of a number of double agents who’ve been passing
information to the French.’

‘Ah. So that’s it. I suspected it must be something of
the kind. They were the names of double agents, then? The names you gave to
Madeline?’

Jack’s face broke into a sudden grin. ‘She’s a beauty,
Philip. You’re a lucky dog.’

Philip’s face lit up. ‘I know it.’ Then he became
serious again. ‘Tythering and Peters were double agents?’

‘Yes. I tried to pass the information on, once I knew
for sure, but they found out I was on to them and made it impossible for me to
report. They followed me relentlessly. I finally managed to give them the slip
and broke into your house in
London
—’

‘So it
was
you.’

Jack nodded. ‘I knew if I could let you know what I’d
discovered, that Tythering and Peters were double agents, then you could get
the information to Callaghan whilst I led them on a wild goose chase.’ His eyes
suddenly gleamed. ‘You really should have better catches on your windows!’ he
laughed. ‘It was child’s play to break in!’

‘But something went wrong?’ said Philip.

‘Unfortunately, yes. They caught up with me just as I
put a leg over the window sill. It gave me a shock, I can tell you, when I saw their
dark shapes skulking through your garden. It’s a good thing the moon was up, or
I might have missed them.’

‘And so you left in a hurry?’

‘I jerked my leg back out of the window post haste,’
agreed Jack. He grinned. ‘If I remember correctly, I owe you a vase.’

‘It was an ugly thing. I’m glad to be rid of it,’ said
Philip wryly, remembering the vase that had been smashed on the night of the
break-in. If Jack had had to leave in a hurry it was no wonder something had
been knocked over. Then he turned his attention back to the present. ‘Tythering
and Peters followed you away from the house?’

‘They did. I gave them the slip a dozen times, but they
always caught up with me again.’

‘As they caught up with you at Stonecrop?’

‘Yes. But by good fortune I was able to get their names
to Madeline. It’s lucky you were able to get the message to Callaghan.’

‘I went one better than that. I got Peters to him as
well.’

Jack wanted to hear all about it, and briefly Philip
told him how Peters had been caught.

‘Then my work is almost done,’ said Jack. ‘I’ve trailed
the other suspects and found one further double agent.’ He drew a crumpled
piece of paper out of his coat pocket and handed it to Philip. ‘See that this
gets to Callaghan as well, will you?’

‘Why not take it to him yourself? Or is Tythering still
on your tail?’

‘Not Tythering. Something worse. He tired of the chase shortly
after I broke into your house and he hired a band of cut-throats to track me
down.’

Philip’s eyes narrowed. ‘I wonder . . . ’

Jack looked at him questioningly.

‘When Madeline and I were travelling to
Yorkshire
we were stopped by a group of six
armed ruffians. They wore scarves over their faces, but they weren’t common
highwaymen. I wonder if they were the same men.’

‘If not the same, then at least men like them.’

‘Why did they hold us up?’ asked Philip. ‘Do you know?’

‘Not for certain. But I should imagine they thought your
journey to
Yorkshire
was a
cover for smuggling me out of the capital.’

Philip nodded. ‘That makes sense. They searched the coach,
presumably thinking you were inside. And then slashed the squabs in order to
make sure the seats were not false, and hiding you. But how does the situation
stand with you now?’ he asked.

‘I’ve shaken them off for the moment, and I’ll be
returning to
London
as soon as
I get the chance. But I need you to be my insurance. I want to be certain the
final name gets to Callaghan, even if I don’t make it.’

‘You can count on me for that. If you need help with the
men following you . . . ’

Jack laughed and clapped him on the back. ‘I can look
after myself.’

‘A pity,’ said Philip. ‘I was hoping I might get a
chance to repay my debt.’

‘You’re out of luck. No life saving needed today. Maybe
—
’ Jack broke off, his body suddenly tense. Outside, a twig had cracked.

Philip had heard it, too, and was instantly alert.
Raising one of his pistols he went over to the window. Jack approached it from
the other side. The two men looked out.

Nothing.

No horses. No people. No sign of movement.

But they had both heard the twig cracking.

Someone was out there.

And then everything happened at once. The door was
kicked open, a shot was fired and Jack, discharging his pistol and killing his
opponent in return, gave a cry and slumped to the ground. At the same moment
Philip fired through the window where a second man had appeared, pistol raised
and ready to fire. The man gasped and then collapsed.

With the two cut-throats neutralised, Philip lost no
time in going over to his prone friend. ‘How bad is it?’ he asked, bending over
Jack to examine the hole in his side.

‘Not . . . not . . . bad,’ said Jack from between
gritted teeth. ‘Don’t . . . think it . . . got anything . . . vital.’

But for all his brave words, both men knew if Jack did
not get help, and get it soon, he would bleed to death.

‘Here.’ Philip tore off his cravat and formed it into a
pad, holding it against Jack’s wound. ‘Press down hard. Once the bleeding’s
stopped I’m taking you to the inn.’

Jack’s hand clutched at Philip’s arm. ‘No. There . . .
there were . . . ’

There was a slight sound behind him. Philip whirled on
instinct and discharged his second pistol. Not a moment too soon. Another
cut-throat had entered the cottage. The man’s eyes widened as Philip’s bullet
found its mark. His gun fell to the floor. Then his knees buckled and he
toppled over, falling across his dead comrade.

‘ . . . three . . . of them,’ Jack finished with a weak
smile.

‘Don’t talk,’ said Philip. ‘Save your strength.’

Jack only shook his head. ‘Looks like . . . good day . .
. for repaying debt . . . after all,’ he said.

A
good day for repaying my debt, thought Philip some hours later, as he left
The
King’s Head
. Yes, it was.

Having taken Jack to the inn and seen him attended to by
the best doctor in the area, and having given the innkeeper a bag of gold to
look after him - with the promise of a second bag as long as Jack made a good
recovery - Philip set out to find Callaghan.

As he rode out of the inn yard he was glad he did not
have to ride all the way to
London
. It was fortunate that Callaghan had given him his itinerary when
he had travelled to
London
earlier in the year, and even more fortunate that Callaghan was at present in
the north. Which meant that Philip should be able to give him the information
about the final double agent, and give him news of Jack, and then still manage
to return to Stonecrop Manor in time for Christmas.

It
was two days later when Philip reined in his horse, his mission to Callaghan
completed. He sat still, drinking in the view of the Manor from his vantage
point high on the
Yorkshire
moors. Somewhere inside it was Madeline, longing for him as he was longing for
her. He had been away longer than he’d expected when he’d set out - two days in
all - but it was still only December 24
^th
. As he’d hoped, he was
home in time for Christmas.

He set off again, towards the Manor.

‘Welcome back, my lord,’ said Crump as Philip strode
through the door.

‘Thank you, Crump,’ said Philip, pleased to be home
ahead of the snow that threatened to fall from the heavy sky overhead. ‘Where
is the Countess?’ he asked, as he divested himself of his many-caped greatcoat
and his riding gloves.

‘She has gone to York, my lord.’

‘Good,’ said Philip, thinking she must have gone
shopping and pleased that she was enjoying a little relaxation after all her hard
work organising the fête. ‘Did she say when she’ll be back?’

‘I believe, my lord, that she does not intend to come
back. Mr Greer was here,’ explained Crump, ‘and I believe he handed over the
keys to the house in
York
. Her
ladyship left a few hours later, my lord.’

‘When was this?’ demanded Philip. This was far from the
happy homecoming he had expected.

‘Two days ago, my lord. Shortly after you left.’

‘‘Thank you, Crump,’ said Philip. He was unwilling to
display any emotion in front of his trusted butler and retired to the library
where he knew he would not be disturbed.

Why had she gone to
York
? he asked himself. Had she objected to him helping Jack? No. He
didn’t believe it. Had he frightened her by taking her to bed? No. He
remembered her response too clearly for that. She had not been frightened but
had rejoiced in their union, as he had.

But why, then, had she sent for the keys to the
York
house? And why had she left the Manor
without any explanation?

He refused to give way to the sense of loss that threatened
to engulf him. There must be a reason for her leaving. Was she still afraid of
marriage? Was that why she had left? he wondered. Had she guessed he meant to
ask her to make the marriage real? And had she been frightened by the idea? He
did not know. But he was determined to find out, because he was too deeply in
love with Madeline to draw back now. He must go to
York
; find her; speak to her. Whatever her fears, he would help her to
overcome them.

Without stopping to rest he called for a fresh horse and
as the sky darkened overhead he set out for
York
.

To
begin with, Madeline had hoped that Philip might follow her to
York
, but as the days passed the
unrealistic dream faded. Finally realising that she must try and let go of the
past she turned her energies into making the
York
house as home-like as she could, whilst Jenny set about buying
provisions, and then she devoted her thoughts to the festive season. She had
hoped to be spending Christmas at the Manor but as it was not to be, she must
make the
York
house as festive
as possible. It would cheer both her and Jenny if the house was decorated. With
this end in mind she decided to go out and gather some greenery. She intended
to come home with a large basketful to surprise Jenny. It would lift their spirits
to tuck holly behind the mirrors and trail ivy round the candlesticks.