My Lady Ghost

by June Calvin

  Newcomb shifted his position, pointing his gun at the comer of the stables nearest him. He shouted loudly enough for Allison to hear. “Thorne, step forward and surrender, or I’ll shoot.” When there was no immediate response, he added, “First your cousin, then you.’’ His gun hand swung back to point the pistol at James. At that, Thorne emerged from behind the ancient stable wall, his hands raised over his head.

  It is like a nightmare, Allison thought as she watched helplessly. Paddy stirred even as James finally succeeded in throwing him off. They renewed their struggle, and Newcomb’s burly henchman quickly gained the victory. Soon both James and Thorne were within Newcomb’s gun sights. He pressed them both into service unloading the coach of some of its burden of treasure under Newcomb’s watchful eye, while Paddy nursed his injured hand. Then they replaced the wheel.

  I must do something—but what? Allison put her fist in her mouth to restrain the scream that wanted to break out. As soon as they get that wheel on and the treasure reloaded, Newcomb will shoot them.

  She must summon help. If she could reach the paddock by the gatehouse, she could ride Firefly to the hay meadow, the closest place where she was sure to find estate workers. The only way to get to the paddock from here will expose me to Newcomb's sight for part of the distance. What she needed was a distraction.

  The geese! A sudden picture of white wings and strong beaks came into her mind, and almost without thought she crouched and ran along the balustrade toward the south.

  When she emerged cautiously from the south tower, the geese stood up and began murmuring among themselves. They crowded toward the opening, complaining about having been penned up for so much of the day. She knew from experience that they would go first to the center of the courtyard, where Bean usually fed them.

  She opened the pen and watched them stream out of it, wings lifted and necks stretched forward. When she heard the first loud, indignant squawk at finding strangers in their kingdom, she ran as fast as she could toward the edge of the buttery, from which she must cross open ground. There she stopped for a minute to see if Newcomb’s attention was focused elsewhere. It was! She moved as fast as she could across the open space to the next building. To her chagrin she found that her legs almost wouldn’t support her. As she caught her breath, she peeped out to see what was happening.

  The geese mobbed all four men, calling raucously as they attacked. James took advantage of the distraction to swing the heavy sack that had been fashioned from her petticoat right at Paddy's head. At the same time Thorne dove straight for Newcomb, who fired his pistol without hesitation. Heart in her mouth, she watched Thorne connect with Newcomb so hard the force knocked him to the ground. Thorne seized his gun hand at the same time he landed a hard blow to the man’s jaw, and then another and another.

  Having subdued Newcomb, he turned to James, who was valiantly struggling with the huge servant. He shouted as he aimed the gun he had wrestled from his opponent. James jumped aside and Thorne called out a warning, which Paddy answered by charging directly toward him with a bellow of fury. Thorne fired, his bullet hitting the man in the chest. Paddy sat down abruptly, his hand clutching at the wound.

  The first shot had sent the geese half running, half flying in all directions. Newcomb’s team had begun to rear and plunge at the rush of frightened geese beneath their feet. At the second shot they bolted, racing around the courtyard and out of sight, the coach bouncing along behind them. Gold and silver showered from the carriage as they rounded the stables and disappeared from view.

  “Go after them, James!” Thorne shouted. “They’re heading for the north wall. If they go over, the treasure will be—”

  “Never mind about that.” James turned his attention to Paddy, who was struggling to his feet in spite of his wound. James gave one mighty swing of the petticoat full of treasure, and at last the massive man was defeated. He fell forward, unconscious.

  James bounded toward Thorne. “You’re hit,” he shouted, seeing that his cousin grasped his left shoulder, grimacing in pain.

  Allison left her sanctuary to go to Thorne on trembling legs. Please God. don't let it be a serious wound, she prayed as she hurried across the courtyard.

  Thorne shook his head, his eyes crinkling in rueful amusement. “No, just a bad bruise. Fortunately, Newcomb is an abominable shot.” The two men embraced, hammering each other on the back so hard Allison feared they would both be injured. She studied Newcomb and Paddy carefully as she passed them. Both men were breathing, but unconscious. She joined the cousins, and Thorne put his uninjured arm around her.

  “Let me guess. You are the goose girl?”

  She nodded. Wary of his reaction, she buried her head in his chest. Once again I failed to obey him, she thought.

  “Clever creature, you saved our lives.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “Allie, is that you?” James plucked her from Thorne’s grasp and stared down at her.

  “What a sight I must be,” Allison cried. “Is my face as dirty as my hands and legs?” James did not answer, but only looked, open- mouthed, at her tom, dirty, and still somewhat damp petticoat.

  “I must look like Haymarket ware,” she moaned, wishing there were a place to hide.

  “Never!” James drew her into his arms. “I can’t tell you how worried I have been! When Newcomb told me where you were, I feared your sanity might not survive. I know how much you fear dark, enclosed places.”

  James rocked her back and forth while she hugged him and at last gave way to tears. Blinking back tears himself, he looked over her head at Thorne, who found himself Fighting back intense jealousy. I should be the one to comfort her! But he could think of no seemly way to reclaim her from his cousin’s possessive grip. James’s words sunk in, and he asked for an explanation.

  “She was once locked in a closet by a governess,” James said.

  “She was left there for several hours and since then has always had nightmares about close, dark places.”

  “I didn’t know. Allison, you should have told me.”

  Allison scrubbed impatiently at her tearstained cheeks. She hated above all things to turn into a watering pot. “I didn’t want to put my fears into words; they might have overwhelmed me.”

  “You were even braver than I guessed, to go through all that you did. You’d never know it to see her now, James, but she was a regular Trojan!” He traced the tear tracks on her cheek with his forefinger tenderly.

  Allison pulled away from James and smiled tremulously at Thorne. “Thank you. I sadly fear I don’t deserve that praise, though.”

  “Brave and modest, too! Come here!” He pulled Allison into his arms for a hug and a kiss that didn’t in the least resemble the embrace James had given her.

  At last she pushed free, breathing heavily and knees buckling. Out of the comers of her eyes she saw James staring at them. She smoothed her hair reflexively and stepped away. “I need to find something to cover me before the estate workers begin to converge on us. They surely heard those shots.”

  Thorne drew in a deep breath. “That would be best. Bean likely has an overcoat of some sort in the gatehouse that you can put on for the nonce. James, I will tie these two varlets up if you will check on those unfortunate horses. I hope the poor creatures haven’t gone over the cliff.”

  Thorne entered Allison’s bedroom tentatively. Her mother was there, sitting on the bed stroking Allison’s hair, which foamed around her head, damp and curling wildly from its recent shampoo. James and Aunt Agatha stood just behind Delphinia. Allison sat propped against a stack of pillows. Several bruises and small cuts on her face did not in any way diminish her beauty, he thought. He yearned to send her other three visitors out of the room and make love to her.

  “And then Thorne fell in and disappeared from sight,” she was saying. “I was never so terrified. That is when I got so wet. Mama, trying to help him.”

  “She waded into the water after me even though she can’t swim. Do you think that mean
s she cares for me?” Thorne sat on Allison’s other side and took her hands in his. “I certainly hope so, for I mean to make her my wife as soon as it can be arranged.” He felt a sense of peace in making this announcement. Once again his hand was forced by concern for her reputation, freeing him from a decision he otherwise might still have avoided.

  “I should think so,” Aunt Agatha snarled. “What you can have been thinking of, to pul her through such an ordeal in the first place, I cannot fathom, but it is unavoidable now. You must wed her right away.” She turned a pitying face to Allison. ”I am sorry, dear, but there it is. Soon the world and all will know you were shut up alone with him in the dark for hours. Your good name will be lost forever if you do not marry this ... this ... seducer!”

  Allison straightened on her pillow. “I am very sorry. Aunt Agatha, but I must ask that you never criticize Thorne in my presence again. If it were not for him, I should have perished several times over—”

  “If it was not for Thorne, you never would have been there in the first place.”

  “It was my insistence that landed us in the situation,” Allison snapped.

  “Either he hoped you would perish as his brother did, leaving one fewer to share the treasure with, or it was one more example of the bad judgment that is in the D’Aumont blood!” Agatha’s eyes gleamed as she attacked Thorne with almost fanatic fury. “You are as weak as your father was. He gave in to Lydia on every little thing! In the end, his lack of resolution led to the death of himself, his son, and my sister.” Agatha’s chins quivered with indignation.

  “Agatha, do be quiet.” Delphinia rose from the bed to confront her friend. “Both Allison and Thorne have been through a terrible ordeal, and they behaved heroically, both of them. We should all be grateful they are both alive and unhurt. That is ... are you badly injured?” She motioned toward Thorne’s left arm, which his physician had put into a sling.

  Thorne could not reply. Aunt Agatha’s words shook him to the core. She is right, he lamented, shame washing over him. If I had not allowed Allison to talk me into searching for the treasure... All of his old fears reasserted themselves. He realized that Delphinia had repeated her question, and answered hastily, “Just a dislocated shoulder. That and a few bruises. Everything will heal soon enough.” Everything but my susceptibility to petticoat governance.

  James had been listening silently all this time. Thorne’s eyes met his and saw something there he had not seen since they were boys. Could it be .. . admiration? Thorne recollected James’s gallantry and felt an answering emotion stir in his own breast.

  “Speaking of heroes, you showed sheer raw courage in fighting with that bruiser Paddy,” he said.

  “Wish I hadn't been too busy to see you hammer Newcomb into a pulp,” James replied. “Must have been quite a mill.”

  Thorne waved his hand dismissively. “Not really. In addition to being a very bad shot, the man must have a glass jaw.” Modesty propelled Thorne to change the topic. “At least that wheel fell off and his team of horses stopped short of the breach, so not only are we all three decidedly the richer today, but we shan’t have to undertake a tricky recovery mission to claim our wealth.”

  Agatha erupted again. “How dare you gloat ? There were others who should have shared in that treasure. This ghost Allison praises so much led them to their deaths. There is blood on every gold cup and every silver tray.” Bitter tears slid down her cheeks.

  “She did not!” Allison quickly came to the Silver Lady’s defense. “She tried to stop them. She tried to stop Marie and Newcomb yesterday, and she did the same for any and all who attempted to search for the treasure when they were not entitled to it. It is not her fault that people were too stupid or too greedy to pay attention to her.”

  “Not entitled ...” Agatha bristled.

  “Not entitled,” Thorne echoed. “New information has surfaced that explains why the ghost has been so elusive through the years. The descendants of the second baron had no claim to the treasure until my father married my mother. The same is true for James. It is only through our mothers that we have a right to it.”

  Agatha’s eyes bulged. For a few moments she was uncharacteristically speechless, and Thorne turned his attention back to Allison. Before he could speak three words, Agatha's booming voice interrupted him.

  “Do you tell me that my nephew died searching for a treasure to which he had no claim? Why didn't Silverthorne just say so, and put an end to Lydia and Percy’s dangerous aspirations?”

  “I don’t know,” Thorne responded, suddenly sorry for the woman’s pain. “He may not have known. My grandfather arranged his marriage to my mother, you know. Perhaps my grandfather suspected the truth but did not confide in my father.”

  “I don’t understand any of this,” James said.

  “Last night Allison and I found a document that traced our mothers’ lineage included with important papers relevant to the treasure. I’ll explain it in detail later.”

  “Be sure that he did know!” Agatha interrupted again. “He feared to tell Lydia the truth. I see it now. He was a spineless man, and you are just like him. Oh, Allison, how deeply I regret that you must many this man. With a fortune at your command, you would be much happier alone.”

  “Agatha! You mustn’t—” Delphinia roughly shook her friend by the shoulders. “Why would you seek to wound Thorne so, when he has been so kind to you?”

  Agatha continued remorselessly. “You speak of his wounded feelings. How do you think I felt, knowing that Lydia caused my darling Percy’s death by her greedy manipulations. Then she pined away—”

  “Drank herself to death,” James inserted.

  “Pined away, I say, with regret for what she had done, leaving me alone and friendless. And that was your fault, too, Thorne.”

  “Aunt Agatha, that is totally unreasonable. I must insist that you stop attacking Thorne in this way.”

  “It isn’t unreasonable. Lydia knew what she had done. She couldn’t stand for you to be so good to us. She shriveled up a little more inside each time you tried to comfort her.” Agatha turned away from Thorne’s furious glare. “And I? I had to accept your kindness day after day, knowing how undeserved it was. It is the fate of a poor relation.” She laughed, a dry, painful chuckle. “Be glad that you are free of such a fate, Allison. She stalked from the room, leaving four shaken people behind.

  Allison dropped her head back on the pillow wearily. “Such a day,” she sighed.

  Delphinia touched Thorne gently on the arm. “Do not take her words to heart, Thorne. Your father was a brave and honorable man. If he did not tell Lydia that Percy might not be entitled to a share of the treasure, it was because he didn’t know it himself. And if you will but recollect, he always regarded the treasure as legend. He told it to others as an interesting story, not as a truth.”

  Thorne felt a sudden, intense need to be by himself to think. “I have much to attend to. We ... we will discuss our nuptials later, Allison. Get some rest.” He bowed formally and left the room.

  “Well, that was hardly a loverlike leave-taking,” Delphinia huffed. “But we must excuse him, my dear. Poor man, I expect he is worn to a frazzle.”

  Allison looked thoughtful. “It wasn’t in the least loverlike, was it?” Thorne’s manner had changed completely after Agatha’s attack. For the first time Allison took seriously Thorne’s fear of a love match.

  James stepped to her side in Thorne’s place. “If he doesn’t marry you, he is a great fool. I would marry you in an instant if you would have me.”

  Allison searched James’s face for signs of newly kindled affection. All she saw was the determination of a dear friend to keep her from suffering society’s strictures. She held up her hand and grasped his, carrying it to her lips for a kiss. “Dear Jamie. I am so happy for you. Now at last you can be independent of Thorne.”

  “It would have been a bitter, bitter pill to swallow if you two had been killed while seeking that wretched treasure.” />
  “I know what you mean. When I thought I had led Thorne to his death, I was overcome with guilt. I think he is feeling something of the same thing now. I do wish Agatha had not been so savage about it. He is severe enough with himself, without her to lash his guilty conscience into terrible proportions.”

  Silence reigned for several moments as the three pondered the day’s events. Finally, Allison turned wondering eyes on Delphinia. “What do you think. Mama? I am an heiress.”

  Her mother patted her cheek. “I agree with Jamie. The price was almost too high. But all has turned out well. A fortune and a title. I shall preen myself no end on having a marchioness for a daughter.”

  “As to that. Mama, you must surrender that particular point of pride, at least for the present. I have no intention of allowing

  Thorne and myself to be forced into marriage. We will marry for love, or not at all.”

  Allison grimaced as she massaged her calf muscles, which still hurt a full week after her adventure in the tunnel. It had been a week of self-recrimination; she bitterly regretted insisting that they search for the treasure. True, she was a rich woman, but at what cost? Thorne had looked so stricken when Agatha railed at him for his lack of manly resolution. He had left the room, looking quite crushed. The dream in which she had been forced to choose between Thorne and the treasure seemed to have come true, and she had chosen the treasure.