"Follow that man who is walking along the pavement. Keep well behind him because I wish to know where he is going."
Wilkins chuckled.
"What are you up to now, Miss Rosina?" he asked.
"He's a bad and wicked man," Rosina answered, "and I want to know what he's doing, because I am sure it's something deceitful and underhand. As he's walking on the pavement, he won't realise we're just behind him."
Wilkins chuckled again.
But because he was used to the odd things the children of his employer had done ever since he had driven them, he obeyed Rosina's command, moving slowly so that Arthur Woodward was well in front.
Then suddenly he stopped and turned towards a house on the left. Pushing open the door he went in and disappeared.
The coachman brought the carriage to a standstill.
"Now what do you want me to do, Miss Rosina?" he asked.
"I'm just wondering what that man is up to," she answered. "He's done everything in his power to prevent Papa from getting the votes he wants and I'd like to know what he's doing in that house."
There was silence for a moment. Then the coachman said,
"It may be untrue, but I was told when I was having a drink at an ale house nearby, that the other side are printing a lot of extra voting slips."
Rosina drew in her breath sharply.
"False voting slips!" she exclaimed.
"So they said. And then they fill them in to make sure Montague Rushley wins. I wondered if I should tell your father, but then I thought it'd only worry him and perhaps it were a lie."
Rosina thought, although she did not say so, that ten to one it was true and Arthur Woodward was up to making mischief again, as ruthless and dishonest in one way as he had been in another.
"Let us wait for a moment," Rosina said. "When he comes out, I'll call at the house and see what's happening inside."
"Just you be careful, miss. I'm not having you get into trouble over what I've told you. The master would skin me alive."
"I'll be careful," Rosina promised. "But I have to find out and put a stop to it, if it's what we think. It will break Papa's heart if he's thrown out after so many years of helping the people here."
Wilkins pulled the horses up beside a large tree on the opposite side of the road to the house.
Ten minutes passed.
Rosina was just beginning to think perhaps it was a waste of time when the door opened and the man she hated came out.
Without noticing them, because they were on the other side of the road and behind a large tree, Arthur Woodward turned and walked quickly away.
As soon as he was out of sight, Rosina said,
"I must find out what he's been doing. Suppose I go to the back door and see who's inside."
"It's best if I do that," Wilkins replied. "You stay here with the horses."
He took off his hat, put it on the floor of the carriage, and went off muttering,
"The things I do for this family!"
Rosina slipped into his seat and held the reins while he walked across the road and disappeared into the back of the house.
Rosina sat waiting, wondering if she were letting her imagination run away with her. Surely there was nothing in the house which could possibly endanger her father?
'Perhaps I am being stupid and wasting time,' she told herself. 'But Arthur Woodward is unpleasant and dangerous. I must protect Papa in every way I can.'
Wilkins was away for quite a long time. When he came back Rosina knew, even before he spoke, from the expression on his face, he had found something.
As he reached the carriage he looked to the right and left, as if to make sure that no one was listening or watching them.
Then he said,
"We were quite right, Miss Rosina, that man is up to no good."
"What is happening?" Rosina asked.
"Well, as far as I can make out," the coachman said, "they're forging a great number of voting slips. In fact, there's a pile of them on the table in the sitting-room. Luckily the man who was there left the room for a moment and I slipped in and grabbed a few. Here."
He showed her the papers in his hand and Rosina drew in her breath sharply at what she saw. They were indeed false voting slips, and every one had been filled in for Montague Rushley.
"Well done, Wilkins!" she exclaimed. "Let's get home quickly and show my father."
"I'll do that right enough," Wilkins said, as he climbed into his seat.
"Papa is going to be very grateful to you for this," Rosina said.
She was right.
Her father was fervent in his thanks to his faithful servant. Sir John was horrified and angry.
"Let's hurry back with the police," Sir Elroy said. "The sooner Woodward is behind bars the better." He patted Rosina's hand. "Don't worry, my dear. We'll soon be back."
"I'm coming with you Papa."
"Certainly not. It's no place for a woman."
"It was a woman who discovered this," she replied. "And I want to be 'in at the kill'."
"Let her come with us," Sir John said. "This is Rosina's triumph and she has the right to see it to a conclusion."
His eyes met hers as he spoke, and she knew he was saying that he understood why she would want to be present at the downfall of Arthur Woodward.
She smiled and held out her hand in gratitude. He squeezed it, smiling back.
"Well, if you think so," Sir Elroy said dubiously.
A footman was despatched to the local police station, and half an hour later a man arrived in plain clothes, who introduced himself as Detective Inspector Vanner. He had a uniformed constable with him.
"We've suspected this for some time," he told Sir Elroy, "but we could never be certain of the headquarters. If your information is correct, sir, you've performed a valuable service to the community."
"Let's go and catch them red-handed," Rosina said urgently.
The detective also looked askance at the idea of a lady going with them, but Sir John backed her up and Sir Elroy said nothing to the contrary. He merely looked at the two of them with curiosity and pleasure. He was a very perceptive man.
Darkness was falling as they set out and went to the end of the street where the house stood. There they halted.
"It's the third house on the left," she told the detective. "You can't see any lights from the front because they're working around the back." They all crossed the road, went quietly in through the gate and made their way around the side of the house to where a staircase led down to the basement. From here they could just see a light.
"Please wait here," the detective said, signalling to the constable to follow him.
The two policemen descended to the basement, followed by Sir Elroy and Sir John. Rosina stayed behind, listening to the silence that seemed to go on forever. Then came a mighty crash as the door was kicked in, followed by shouts.
Unable to bear the suspense any longer she crept down the stairs and saw the men fighting behind the windows. There was Arthur Woodward and another man, struggling in the arms of the law. Delighted, Rosina went in.
"We've got them, miss," the detective said. "Now then, you – " he was talking to Arthur Woodward, "you've got some explaining to do, and you'll do it at the police station."
"You can't treat me like this," Woodward bawled. "I'm an important man."
"No," Rosina said, "you could have been an important man, if you hadn't been eaten up by pride and greed."
He looked at her with venom.
"You!" he said with loathing. "I owe all my misfortune to you."
She regarded him evenly. "I hope so," she said. "I really hope so."
That was too much for him. Wrenching himself free from the constable he launched himself on Rosina.
He landed hard enough to carry her down to the floor. The next moment she felt his hands at her throat, squeezing the life out of her.
CHAPTER TEN
For a terrible moment everything went black. Rosina fought
and kicked, but the man holding her was enraged to the point of being a maniac and she could not move him.
His hands were growing tighter around her throat. She was losing consciousness.
Then, just when she thought everything was over, the weight crushing her vanished. Rough hands hauled Woodward to his feet and slammed him back against the wall, with a violent curse.
"John – " she gasped weakly. "John – "
He did not seem to hear her. Fear for her safety and fury at her attacker had transformed Sir John. She caught a glimpse of his face as her father helped her to her feet, and could hardly recognise him.
His face was savage with hatred for anyone who would dare to hurt her. For a terrible moment she dreaded that he might kill Woodward.
And she did not want that, for the harm it would do to John himself. She did not want him standing trial. She wanted him free and safe to live his life. And to marry her.
"John," she screamed. "Let him go, please."
But all his concentration was on Woodward, whose
eyes bulged from his head and his face was distorted by fear.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," Sir John grated. "Or I'll kill you. Do you understand me?"
"Now then, sir," Detective Vanner intervened. "Let him go. I'll deal with him from now on."
But Sir John did not move. His hands seemed frozen to Woodward's neck and there was murder in his eyes.
But then Rosina laid her hand on his arm.
"Let him go," she said. "Don't you see, it's time to think only of us. Don't let him spoil that."
Her words reached him as nothing else could have done. Slowly he relaxed and allowed her to pull him away. He was breathing hard.
"That's right, sir. I don't want to have to arrest you as well, do I? What would the young lady say to that?"
Detective Vanner gave a sly look at Rosina, who suddenly blushed.
John turned his head and looked at her very intently.
"Now let's get back to business," the policeman said. "Look at these."
He was pointing at the table.
"All these false ballots slips, made out against you, Sir Elroy. Probably enough to deny you the seat, if they'd been put into the system."
"And look here, sir," said the constable, "all this money. Looks like counterfeit to me."
Detective Vanner surveyed Arthur Woodward.
"You'll be going away for a very long stretch, my lad. Right, come along with you."
He hauled him away, while the constable took away the other man.
"My, that was exciting," Sir Elroy said, brushing
himself down. "Thank heavens he's been defeated. To think of him daring to attack you, my dear. John, you have all my gratitude for what you did. I thought that fiend was going to kill Rosina."
"He would have liked to," she said.
"Thank goodness John was here to protect you. Fancy that."
"I'm extremely grateful to Sir John, Papa."
"Well, I expect you'd like to tell him so yourself. I'll be waiting for both of you in the carriage."
Sir Elroy departed quickly, leaving the other two looking at each other awkwardly.
"It was very brave of you to come to my rescue," Rosina said. "You have all my thanks."
She fell silent, wondering what was happening. Sir John was looking at her with a heart rending expression on his face, and she no longer knew what to say to him. Her own heart was suddenly beating fast.
"It wasn't brave at all," he said. "I could not bear you to be hurt. I would give my life for you."
She looked at him, and his face still bore the same look that pierced her heart. It seemed to promise so much, and yet she might be mistaken. He might not really care for her at all.
And she knew that if John did not love her, then nothing else in the world mattered.
"John," she whispered, "Oh John – "
He was beside her in an instant.
"Rosina – Rosina, my darling. Oh my dearest love. Do you think you could love me?"
"Yes," she said ecstatically. "Oh indeed, yes, I could. I do. I've always loved you, but then I became angry with you and I told myself I didn't love you, but that wasn't really true. In my heart, you were always there. But then I thought you were courting Miss Holden."
"And I thought you were trying to ensnare George Blakemore. I was wildly jealous, but what could I say?"
Then came the moment she had dreamed of, the magic moment when his arms closed around her body and he drew her close and kissed her.
The feel of his lips on hers made her feel that she was in heaven. All the troubles and problems seemed to fall away simply because she was in the arms of the man she loved.
"My love, my love," he murmured against her lips. "I've loved you for months but I couldn't tell you so before. You were so young and I knew I must wait until you had a chance to look around you, and make a better match."
"There is no better match than you," she said passionately.
"I don't have a great title like some of your suitors, or a great fortune."
"Do you love me?"
"With all my heart and soul, for ever and ever."
"Then you are a splendid match," she cried. "I will have no-one but you."
"My darling!"
He embraced her again, fiercely this time, and she could sense all the passion that he had striven so long to hide.
"Let us leave this place," he said at last. "It's dark and full of hate and evil. For us there will be only light from now on."
She placed her hand in his and together they danced up the steps to where the coach was waiting.
"But where is Papa?" Rosina asked.
Wilkins leaned down from his box and winked at her.
"Sir Elroy took a cab home. He said he thought you'd enjoy having the coach to yourself."
"Wicked Papa!" Rosina exclaimed. "He was always determined to bring us together."
They climbed in and shut the door behind them. It was dark inside, and there was no-one to see the fervour of their embrace, or listen to their whispered words of love.
"I must confess," John said, "that I contrived it so that I should stay at your house. Otherwise I would hardly have seen you, and I wanted to be there all the time, seeing you every day. I thought it would give me a chance to win your love."
"You didn't need to win it," she said. "I have loved you for a long time, but I thought you only saw me as a little girl."
"I had to fight not to tell you of my feelings. It would have been wrong to speak of them sooner, but now I'm free to say that I love you, and I shall love you forever."
He kissed her fiercely, and she responded with ardour, rejoicing that they had finally found each other.
"My darling," he said to her at last, "is Miss Draycott laid to rest now?"
"Yes," she said. "I should never have let her come between us, but I was so angry with you when you seemed hard and unsympathetic to her plight."
"I never meant to sound like that. But her hopes and dreams seemed to me so unrealistic, when seen against the cruel world I knew, the world of men set on advancement at any cost to others. I meant only to utter a warning. I didn't intend to imply that I approved of creatures like Woodward."
"I just wouldn't listen to reason, would I?" she said. "I
blamed you, wrongly."
"You spoke out of your generous heart and I love you more for it. I'm so sorry that she couldn't be saved."
"But we did her justice in the end," she said. "And for that we must be grateful. I suppose it was unwise of me to speak to that man as I did."
"Most unwise," he said lovingly. "But it was all part of your loyalty to your friend. I would not have you any different."
"But from now on I will be discreet for the sake of poor Miss Draycott. Sometimes I even hope that she is happy and content in heaven."
"I'm sure she is. You have done all you could for her, and now you must let her rest."
"Yes," Rosina agreed.
"I shall never forget her, or cease to be grateful to her for showing me the truth about him, so that I was able to help Lady Doreen. But now – "
"But now," he said, taking her into his arms, "now we may think about ourselves, and the life that we shall make together."
He kissed her fervently, and for the rest of the journey home, she rested her head contentedly on his shoulder.
When the coach drew up at their front door, they realised that someone was drawing back the curtains to watch them. Quickly the curtains were dropped back into place.
"I think that was Papa," she said. "I know he has always wanted this, but whatever will Mama say?"
"Let's go and find out," John said.
As they mounted the steps the door was pulled open by the butler, and inside stood Sir Elroy and his lady, both beaming with expectation.
"Well?" Papa said. "Well?"
"Oh, Papa!" Rosina cried. "I'm so happy."
She ran into his arms and hugged him exuberantly. He in turn hugged her until she was breathless, delighted by the fulfilment of his dearest hope. When she emerged from his embrace, she saw that her mother was also hugging John, and saying,
"My dear boy, I was afraid it would never happen."
"Mama?" she cried. "But you didn't want me to marry John."
"Nonsense, child, of course I did. But you've always been such a contrary creature, that I knew if you thought I approved of him you'd go the other way, just to be difficult. So I ordered you not to think of him. I knew it would work."
"Mama!" Rosina cried, outraged. "How could you be so conniving and duplicitous?"
"It was easy, my dear," her mother chuckled. "I simply wanted to see you happy, and I knew the way to make it happen. Of course John is the man for you."
"Hush ma'am," John begged, his eyes twinkling. "If you say any more she'll throw me over."
"I wouldn't let her," Lady Clarendon declared, advancing on him with her arms wide.
Rosina watched, smiling, as they embraced. Then her father shook his hand.
Now, she felt, he was really part of the family.
Then Charles arrived home, having spent the day with the Blakemores. At first he was angry that he had 'missed all the fun' as he put it. But when he heard what his sister had to tell him he was overjoyed, and pumped John's hand eagerly.
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