"That's enough!" the highwayman shouted at the female passenger who had now become erratic and the slaps she delivered to the guard were now more frequent and powerful.
However, the woman continued assaulting the guard and she started screaming as if she had lost her mind or become feral.
The hooded man shouted repeatedly for the woman to stop, but she ignored him. I watched the armed highwayman's face and body and I saw that he was quickly losing control of the situation. His unwillingness to do anything to stop the woman who now disobeyed his orders was confirmation to me that he was not a killer or a savage like the men I had known in Shaka Zulu's kingdom. Once I realised that, my fear of the highwayman and the pistol he was holding evaporated. He was as much as a barbarian as I was.
With everyone's attention now fixed on the driver and the female passenger, I decided to make my move. It was a plan that quickly came to my head and one that I had not thought entirely through, but still, I knew that if an action was going to be taken to disrupt this mugging then it would have to come from me. I took a deep breath and then reached for Farewell's pistol that was on the road, hiding underneath one of my newly bought suits. I kept my eyes on the highwayman and made sure that his attention remained on the woman and not on me.
With my hand, I felt for the weapon. Once it was in my grasp, I felt around the weapon making sure I knew where the handle of the weapon was and where the barrel was, that way when I put it into use I would not lose time or misaim the pistol. The weapon was not loaded which made it useless unless I used it as a projectile to throw at the hooded man, but hopefully, he would not suspect it of being unloaded.
"Drop your weapon! If you as much as move, I will kill you," I shouted as I sprung the pistol up from its concealed position and aimed it directly at the hooded man.
My action finished the argument between the driver and the female passenger and now it was their turn to watch on at the unfolding events in bewilderment. The pistol in my hand was held still by my unwavering arm, unlike the highwayman whose weapon now began to tremble as his arms did.
The clogs in the highwayman's head must have been working hard as he remained motionless for a full minute after I barked my order to him. His pistol was still aimed at the driver and my two fellow passengers, but I was certain that he would not shoot them out of fear that it would immediately forfeit his own life. Eventually, the highwayman did drop his pistol onto the floor and after that it seemed like the atmosphere on the road completely changed.
With the highwayman unarmed and now at my mercy, I wanted to put an end to this exchange. I felt sorry for the hooded bandit after he told the story of his daughter and sick mother. Surprisingly, I felt compassion for the man.
"Leave your pistol on the road and leave here fast. Go back to your family and think of a better profession to follow to care for them and honour them," I said to the hooded man. I was a little surprised at my own choice of words and the power I had behind them.
The highwayman nodded at me and quickly made his way towards the foliage where he and the driver had first arrived from. He was leaving without the woman's jewellery and his weapon. It was a bad raid for him and a lucky escape for us. However, just before the highwayman disappeared into the shrubbery and out of our sight there was a large bang and red liquid sprayed out of the hooded man's back.
I followed the source of the bang and saw the guard of the stagecoach holding the musket that he had previously been ordered to throw down on the ground at the beginning of the exchange, smoke rose out of the recently fired musket and up into the air. I thought my movement at drawing Farewell's pistol at the highwayman had been quick, but the guard reacted so fast to the unfolding events that I had not even seen him pick up his weapon, aim it and shoot it until I heard the loud bang and saw the hooded man fall face-down on the ground.
The loud bang was replaced by silence and then the silence was replaced by normality. The driver said that the bandit got what he deserved. The guard said that he was doing his duty and the two passengers said that the roads were too dangerous and they quickly wanted to reach Bath where they knew they would be safe. No further issues were made between the incident involving the woman and the guard, and once the travelling trunks were closed and fitted back on top of the carriage we were told to get into the carriage so that we would complete our travel to Bath city.
"Wait just a moment," the driver of the stagecoach said as he disappeared into the foliage near the body of the dead highwayman.
The driver quickly returned with the hooded man's horse and tied it to the back of the carriage. The driver said that it was inhumane to leave such a beautiful animal tied to a tree and that the horse would be better sold in Bath to a new and faithful owner. The driver did not comment as to who would be the beneficiary of the money attained from selling the horse but his eyes seemed to light up with imagined riches.
We then continued our travel on the long road for two more hours before we reached Bath city. When the stagecoach arrived at the coach station, the driver and guard said that they would report the highwayman to the authorities and get them to retrieve his body and give it the proper burial rites.
Chapter 8 - Bath
It did not take long until the news of what had transpired with the highwayman was widespread around the city of Bath. It seemed that the driver and guard, both wanting to make their heroism well-known to the public told everyone they met in passing about the attack of the highwayman. It also seemed as if they had altered how the incident with the highwayman unfolded as well as our efforts to ensure survival. Much of my heroism, which was the main source of our fortune, was not mentioned in the story, and instead, my heroics were watered down and in areas replaced entirely by the two employees of the stagecoach. The driver, however, did mention that while I sat in the carriage, while he fought off the highwayman, I had the delicious wicker basket that his wife had prepared for me. He told everyone that before and after the crazed attack from the highwayman, the three passengers in the carriage ate and enjoyed his beautiful wife's baking. The driver was a shameless promoter, but I had learned that very early on after meeting him.
Every restaurant and cafe that I stepped into in the preceding days asked me if I had heard the story of the brave coachman and the guard with an eagle eye. I told them that I had been told the story many times and that the story was truly unbelievable. The two employees of the stagecoach gave too much attention to detail to their heroics and not enough in describing the passengers they carried, so I was not identified by any one of the hundreds, if not thousands of people, who had heard the story.
"So it was not a ghost that was haunting the road but a highwayman. Well, regardless that highwayman is neither a man nor a ghost now. I imagine he is at this very minute standing before Satan in hell and waiting for his well deserved eternal punishment to begin," I heard one man say to his wife.
"The man was such a dull brute for going into such a dangerous and disreputable occupation. Not to think about the countless people he has robbed from and the lives he has taken. It is unchristian, to say the least, but I think you are right. Let the devil do what he wants to that wretched fellow," the man’s wife said in response.
For those of you who have been to Bath, you will know that it is a fancy place that many people with a privileged background or considerable wealth go for summer vacation. It is convenient and pleasant, with greenery and luscious parks and not much pollution compared to London and other cities. I had been there before on three occasions throughout my life. Twice when I was a child and once when I had completed my studies from University. During all three times, I had stayed with my aunt, Ms. Emma Tilney. With this being my fourth time in the pleasant city and without any prior commitments or anyone's knowledge of my arrival to the place, I found short-term lodgings in a tenant house and I negotiated with the landlord that I would pay for three days and then longer-term rent could be arranged on the third day if it was required.
For two fu
ll days, since the moment I arrived in Bath, I skulked around the fine restaurants and taverns that I had known before. I walked through neighbourhoods with well-kept gardens and luscious houses in the hope that I would find someone I would recognise or overhear a piece of information that would serve me well in my endeavour for revenge. However, I was unsuccessful.
It was at that moment I knew that if I was to exact my revenge, I would need to be more resourceful, tactful and direct in my approach. I knew that I needed to be all these three things. Fortunately, I also knew how that could be achieved.
"I will return to my life as William Underhill once amends have been made for the treachery of the three and the suffering they have inflicted upon me," I said to myself. “But for now, I shall take on the role of the French foreigner, Olivier Levasseur.”
On the evening of my second full day in Bath, I stood patiently outside the house of Aunt Emma. It was dark and I kept my distance so that I would not be spotted by anyone inside the property. I waited with a purpose as I knew that very soon my aunt's carriage would pull up to her house and she would be escorted to a restaurant in town. For more than thirty years, after her husband had died, she had dined each night at a restaurant and always at half-past seven. Her routine never changed and what restaurant she would dine at was dependant on which day of the week it was. This had been her schedule for the thirty years before my disappearance and I had no reason to suspect that it had changed in my absence. I watched the house in anticipation and waited for her carriage to arrive. When the carriage finally did arrive, being pulled by two horses, I saw a glimpse of my aunt and my heart was full of love upon seeing her.
She got in the carriage and then the driver hit the horses with a whip and they set off to their next destination. The carriage itself moved slowly so as it passed me by on the road, I began following it. I walked at a leisurely pace and although the carriage moved away faster than me, I was certain in the knowledge that I would not lose sight of it. Aunt Tilney's house was close to the town's centre so it was not a long journey to make on foot. Within five minutes I saw her carriage stop outside a restaurant and the driver opened the door of the carriage and she stepped out and entered into the restaurant.
During my absence, the many stalls, shops and businesses that lined the old streets of Bath had stayed the same. The most notable differences I found were the construction of a large hospital in Beau Street that was nearing its completion and the creation of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. The restaurant where my aunt had entered was one of the other changes in Bath that I recognised. Although a restaurant had been in the same place before, the name of the restaurant and decorations that were displayed outside the building were unmistakably different than they had been on my last visit to Bath.
I walked into the restaurant closely behind my aunt. The light that emanated from the oil lamps in the restaurant allowed me to better inspect my aunt, I could see that time had changed her significantly. From the colour of her hair and the pace of her walk, it was evident that the passing of time had had its effects on Emma Tilney. Being sure to keep my distance from her, initially, I made sure that I remained at least five footsteps away from her at all times. But even from my safe distance away I could smell the perfume she had on her, it was the same strong perfume that I had known her to wear whenever I visited her in my younger years.
Upon her arrival at the concierge desk, the waiter there greeted her with a big smile and a warm welcome. The waiter was a man similar to my age and from the way he greeted her, it was evident that they had met each other before.
"I wasn't sure if the rain would keep you away from us this evening. I'm glad that it hasn't," the waiter said to Emma Tilney.
"Keep me away? You should know me better than that, young Thomas. Please tell me, have the others arrived yet?"
"Yes, you are the last of the party to arrive."
"So, I am late? It is always good to be fashionably late."
"Now that you are here, I'm sure that the festivities of the group will begin," the waiter said in a complimentary tone that was well received by my aunt.
"Word has reached my ear that your sister, Jane, has grown incredibly talented on the piano. We shall have to hear her perform for us soon," my aunt Emma then said to the waiter.
"Yes, she has a very good teacher so I must thank you for your recommendation. I did not think Jane was able to produce such beautiful music but I suspect that the real talent in her playing is a result of a good instructor," the waiter replied.
After a few more exchanges the roles of waiter and customer were resumed.
"Will you escort me to the table where I am being waited for, Thomas?"
"Of course, Ms. Tilney, May I take your coat first?"
The waiter, Thomas, then helped my aunt unbutton her long blue coat and he then took her hat and put them gently on the fancy coat-rack that was positioned next to the concierge desk. He then did a small bow to her and asked her to follow him to the table where her party was and where she would be sitting.
There was a long silk drape that separated the entrance, where the concierge desk was positioned from the rest of the restaurant, to allow the customers to dine in peace without passersby or onlookers disturbing them. Once the waiter and my aunt passed through the drape into the restaurant I lost sight of them. After a few minutes, the waiter returned and asked how he could be of assistance to me. I told him that I had no reservation and I had planned to eat alone. I asked him if he could find any tables where I could sit peacefully and enjoy a delicious meal.
Despite the pleasantness the waiter, Thomas, had shown to my aunt before, he treated me significantly different. He seemed almost agitated by my presence as if I was a burden. He told me he would look to see if there was a space in the common area of the restaurant where I could sit and eat, but that the private restaurant was strictly for those in groups and with reservations. I smiled politely and told him that I appreciated his efforts to accommodate me.
The waiter soon returned and said that he had found a table for me where I could dine. He then escorted me through the restaurant to a small table that sat alone in the corner of the room. The room that I was put into was certainly less elegant than I had expected it to be and it was no doubt the room that was dedicated to the commoners. The decorations in the room, the clientele and the arrangement of the room were all mediocre and dreary. I knew that wherever the waiter had taken my aunt, it would be more luxurious and finely arranged as my aunt's tastes were expensive and good. The table that I was allocated to had only one chair which was unbalanced and rickety. The corner was dim with not much light reaching it. If there had been another person to dine with me then I would have struggled to make out the features of their face in the current dimness of the corner I was placed into.
I had worn one of my suits for the evening and arranged my shoulder-length hair nicely and combed my moustache. My attire and appearance were equal to that of a duke or prince, so the fact that I was put in such a lifeless place angered me slightly.
"You are not here to eat," I thought to myself trying to lessen my agitation.
No, food was not the purpose of the night. Seeing my Aunt Tilney and getting information was my motive for coming to the restaurant. The table I was put at was only inconvenient in as far as I could no longer see my aunt. We had been separated by the waiter and put into two different areas of the restaurant. I now had to try and locate her. I looked around and saw that there was only one way into and out of the room I was placed in, meaning that the room where my aunt was dining with her party was somewhere in that direction.
"Hello, sir. What can I get for you?" a waitress approached me and asked while I was formulating a plan on what I would say to my aunt.
I told the waitress that I was unsure of the menu in the restaurant and then she told me all of the dishes that were served in the establishment. I asked her what her opinion on the food was and she recommended the duck.
&n
bsp; "Perfect, then duck and red wine please."
"Yes, sir, I shall come straight back with your wine."
Immediately after the waitress left the room to get me my wine I stood up and walked out of the room in search of the better area where I would find my aunt. The restaurant used drapes at doorways instead of doors so I had to pull back the different drapes that lined that long corridor of the restaurant to find which direction I should go. I pulled back the drapes for the washroom, the drapes that led to a quaint courtyard at the back of the premises and even the drapes that led to the kitchen of the establishment. Skulking around like an undomesticated animal that was scavenging for food, I peeped through each drape gently so as not to draw too much attention to myself. The fourth drape that covered a doorway was the one that I had been searching for. When I moved the drape aside and peered in through the doorway I saw a much larger and fancier room than the one I had been allocated to.
"This is certainly more like it," I thought to myself.
White linens were on top of all the tables in this part of the restaurant with large white candlesticks all lit and held vertical by long and thin silver holders. The glasses on the tables shone brightly, reflecting the lit emitted from the candles as too did the cutlery on the table. Everything was cleaned and polished to a high standard.
Four grand chandeliers hung down from the ceiling in the room and each had twenty lights glowing from them. On the walls, there was fine wallpaper and artwork displayed, and against the far wall there was a giant fireplace that was currently lit. Above the fireplace, there was a mantelpiece that was lined with ornaments made of glass and porcelain. The room was twice the size of the room I had been allocated to and there were sixteen tables in the room. The tables were all occupied and there were parties of different numbers and sizes at all of the tables. Some of the tables had only two people enjoying their intimate time together, some had four or five and I even saw a table that had nine people sitting around it.
Revenge of an Englishman Page 7