by Tamara Gill
The duke and Victoria bade farewell to the horse, and even from where Alice stood, she could see Victoria didn’t wish to leave the magnificent stallion. She smiled, admiring her sister a little more.
“Are we ready then?” the duke asked, turning back to Lord Arndel and shaking his hand.
“I believe so.” She smiled at Benny’s quiet whine of disappointment. “I will see you again soon, Benny. Don’t forget I’m to call on your mama in a few days.”
Lord Arndel threw her a curious look, and Alice knew what he was thinking. What was a sister of a duke doing visiting a kitchen maid? She didn’t explain herself. After all the secrets he’d been keeping from her, he could muddle on that for a few days longer.
Benny smiled, but didn’t reply, merely held Josh’s horse as her brother mounted.
Alice led Juno to the mounting block, and with the assistance of Benny she climbed up and settled herself into the stirrups.
“Beg ye pardon, my lady, but you’re not riding astride? Won’t ye get in trouble riding that way?”
Alice grinned, deciding it was probably best she didn’t tell Benny that she always rode like this and wore breeches under her dress to make the journey more comfortable. She’d never liked side-saddle, nor its restrictions. And out here in the country, no one paid any heed to what they did, so long as they didn’t do it in Town.
“It’s perfectly fine, I assure you.” Alice turned to Lord Arndel who came to stand beside her.
“You haven’t received the ingredient list to make the cake you wanted.”
Alice waved his concerns aside. “It’s not urgent, but if you could have your cook write up the recipe and have it sent over to Dunsleigh, I would be most appreciative.”
His brow rose and he grinned. “Until we meet again then, my lady.”
She studied him a moment. A man once married and in love, by all accounts. What had he been like as a husband? Passionate, caring, sweet and cajoling… Victoria trotted past, bidding his lordship good-bye. Arndel stepped back, bowing. “Safe travels,” he said.
“Good day, my lord.” Alice followed Josh from the yard, before trotting away from the estate.
…
Callum stood at his library’s window and watched as Lady Alice cantered across an open field, but halted before the forest that surrounded his lands, and gave Kester House one last inspection.
What was she thinking? After seeing Bandit, did she suspect him at all? He ground his teeth, not at all pleased, knowing what an intelligent mind that pretty face hid.
Footsteps sounded deep in the house, before a light knock sounded on his library door.
“Enter,” he barked out, watching as his head stableman, Bill, shuffled in.
“When Lady Alice visited the other stable block, do you know of what Benny and her ladyship spoke about?”
His stableman’s eyes widened at the question and he stood still, clenching and unclenching his cap in his hands. “Inconsequential things, my lord. Lady Alice did enquire about Whiskers and Benny explained that it was Miss Amelia’s mount, but other than Benny explaining his daily duties, not a lot was said.”
Callum swore. So now Alice knew of his family, and he’d not been the one to tell her.
He sighed, running a hand over his jaw. Not that he was angry at Benny, but himself. He should’ve told Alice a long time ago that he’d been married. The moment they met in Town last Season he should have explained that he’d loved and lost his wife. Damn it.
“Did she say anything about Bandit to Benny, do you know? Anything at all?” Callum listened with trepidation that Lady Alice had recognized the mount that he’d been scurrying about the county on, as the Surrey Bandit. The day he’d stolen from the duchess, Alice had seen his horse, but being some months ago now, his only hope was that she’d forgotten Bandit’s markings.
“Nothing, my lord. Only that the horse was a beauty and she wished Benny well, told the lad to keep up his good work.” His stableman paused. “I apologize if anything the young lad has said or done has caused you pain, my lord. But I’m sure Lady Alice will not go about the district telling people of your horse or its value. The Surrey Bandit could never get away with stealing a gentleman’s mount without giving up his identity.”
Callum waved the man’s concerns aside, hating that his staff, if they knew the truth about him, wouldn’t care a fig of his feelings and would merely quit and never come back.
He took a calming breath, the first since Alice had arrived. She had a certain knack to discombobulate him at every turn. Even last Season when she’d followed him about, teasing, and taunting him to dance with her, he’d always been on guard as to what she’d say or do next. Not that he’d not enjoyed their interactions. He had, very much so. For the first time since losing his wife, Maria, he’d seen in Alice someone who would make him laugh, while also warming his bed, pleasantly so.
It was probably why he’d kept his widowhood and daughter a secret, not wanting anyone to like and care for him out of pity, but because of who he was inside.
Why he’d had to go and ruin it was something he’d never forgive himself for, and sometimes he wondered if Alice would, either. Even now, she guarded herself about him, protected her heart from falling for his.
He sighed. “Place Bandit back in his stable and keep him from view from any guests who may arrive. He’s too valuable to lose to some highwayman.”
“With all due respect, I’m sure if there are any thieving bastards, beg ye pardon, my lord, around, we would’ve heard about it by now.”
Guilt pricked his soul, knowing he was the bloody thieving bastard who roamed the lands, and no one else. “Yes, of course.” He walked back to his desk and sat. “No doubt the Surrey Bandit is long gone with all his jewels.”
His stableman agreed, frowning. “There was just one more thing, my lord.”
“Yes,” he said, looking up at the man.
“Bandit was in a right mood when Lady Alice’s mare, Juno left. It seems your stallion has taken a liking to her mare.”
Callum scoffed. He could sympathize with his horse at least on that score, for he had a penchant for its rider. “And…this is relevant why?”
“Ye horse is kicking at the stable walls and trying to bite anyone who tries to pass too close to his stall. Did ye want me to let him out into the back paddock for a day or so? No one ever passes that side of the river and it’s secluded enough with the surrounding woods. I think if we’re to stable him again, he may do damage to himself or his stall.”
“You may release him, or, as we know all too well, he’ll be in a terrible temper.” Callum pursed his lips. With the upcoming ball, the Worthingham’s constant calling-in and his horse being known about, it was probably time he left for Town and rid himself of the brooch. The last item he’d acquired had sat long enough in his safe, and should Lady Alice realize who his horse actually was and where she’d seen him before, there would be no stopping her from going to the local magistrate and having him locked up in Newgate. Or worse, hanged.
Even though the damn moneylenders hadn’t sent for the jewel, he needed to be rid of them—the jewel and the moneylenders once and for all. He would no longer wait for the say-so to arrive in Town. If Lady Alice happened to remember where she’d seen Bandit before, at least no evidence would be found on the property. And there was no proving that his horse was the very same the Surrey Bandit used. It would be her word against his.
“Two days hence, ready the carriage for London.”
“Right ye are, my lord.”
Arndel watched as his stableman turned about and left. He looked out the window to where he’d seen Lady Alice last, riding astride, wild and untamed, as usual. Would she be the same when warming her husband’s bed?
Reaching over, he clasped some parchment and scribbled a note to the moneylenders that he’d be there in three days to make the transaction. He blotted the note closed without his family’s stamp, relieved, to some extent, that all this would be over
in only a few days. Three days and the estate would be debt free, no IOUs clamping down hard on his shoulders, threatening his daughter and his life. Threatening to go public with the debt.
Freedom beckoned, a fresh start with a future to plan. One that hopefully, included the delectable Lady Alice Worthingham and her natural charms.
Chapter Seven
Alice sat against her headboard, idly staring into the darkened space. The images of Lord Arndel’s horse Bandit clear in her mind’s eye. A niggling thought that wouldn’t fade, no matter how hard she tried to disbelieve what her memory had revealed to her. The horse was magnificent, there was no doubt, a memorable horse.
And that was the terrible thought… Had she seen Bandit before?
She reached over and clasped her glass of water, downing it quickly. More deliberation would be needed before she could make any sort of claim against his lordship. Or tell him that she believed his horse had been used by the Surrey Bandit in his nefarious thieving scheme.
Throwing off her blankets, she clasped the candle beside her bed, walked to where she kept the flint, and lit the candle again. Alice walked about the room, lighting all the candles she could find, needing to be able to see, to rid herself of the dark that haunted her dreams.
Lord Arndel had named his horse Bandit. What gumption to name his horse after the very trade in which he partook. He must think them all simpletons, and it would certainly explain as to why no one ever saw his lordship on the black beast, for if they did, some would surely suspect. Just as she did now.
Ass!
Her door opened and she started, before recognizing her sister Victoria who peeped around the threshold. “I heard you walking about. Are you well?”
Alice nodded. “Shut the door,” she whispered, “and come in. We need to talk.”
Her sister seemed eager, and, going back to her bed, she gestured for her to sit beside her. “I had a terrible thought. One that I can scarcely believe myself.”
“Oh no. Do you want to talk about it?”
“What I’m about to disclose to you mustn’t go beyond us. You must promise me this. Swear it even on your life.”
Victoria’s eyes went wide. “Of course.” She crossed her chest with her hand. “I swear.”
Alice studied her a moment and sure she was being genuine, took a deep calming breath and stated, “I think I know who the Surrey Bandit is.”
Victoria stared at her a moment before her sister’s question squeaked out of her. “You do?”
Alice shushed her. “Quiet, or you’ll wake Mama and she’ll want to know why we’re having a tête-à-tête in the middle of the night.”
“Tell me quickly, then. I must know all that you suspect.”
“I don’t know if I ever told you, but on the day that Mama and I were robbed by the Surrey Bandit, I saw his horse. A beautiful, fine thoroughbred, and at the time, I thought it odd that a man of such ill-repute would own such horseflesh. Admittedly, I forgot about it and put the horse down to being stolen. But now, I’m certain that the horse is, in fact, owned by someone very near to us.”
Victoria frowned, leaning forward. “Tell me more, quickly. Who do you suspect?”
Alice understood the moment she said the words she couldn’t take them back. But she wasn’t wrong in this. His lordship was, in fact, the highwayman who had been terrorizing this part of England. He had to be. “Lord Arndel.”
“Don’t be absurd.” Victoria sat back, looking at her as if she’d lost her mind, which Alice may very well have, for such a thing as what she was thinking was surely mad.
“No I’m not. After seeing his lordship ride back to Kester House the other day, and then seeing the horse up close, I knew there was something about the animal that I recognized but couldn’t place. But tonight, somehow it all became clear. I know where I’ve seen that horse before, and as absurd as the declaration is, it is true.”
“So you have not confronted his lordship about this? What do you think he’ll have to say for himself?” Victoria huffed out a breath, clearly shocked. Alice clasped her sister’s hands when she kept wringing them in her lap.
“I haven’t confronted him, no. When we were at his estate, the horse never triggered a memory, not until now at least. Like you, I only noticed its breeding and wondered, like you, of its fine lines. As to what his lordship will say, well, that is anyone’s guess. He could deny it, of course, say his horse was stolen, but…”
“But what? Tell me what you’re thinking. I can see you’ve thought of something.”
Alice wasn’t sure how she was going to say what she must; however, it had to be done. “I’ve never told anyone this before, and please do not think less of me after I tell you my most disgraceful secret.”
It was Victoria’s turn to take her hands. Alice welcomed the support. “I would never think badly of you. Ever.”
Alice hoped that were so. “The day Mama and I were robbed by the bandit, he pulled me a little away from the carriage, stood too close to be deemed appropriate, and asked for a kiss. I offered a trade for a kiss and he seemed in agreement.”
“You kissed the bandit!”
“Victoria, quiet, you’ll wake up the household.” Alice listened for any ensuing footsteps, but hearing none, carried on. “I never kissed him and had no intention of doing so. I only allowed him to believe I would, but that’s not the shameful part. The shameful part was that I wanted him to kiss me. I fell into his dark blue orbs and knew that, should he kiss me, everything would fall away. Or fall into place. My stomach was all a flutter behind that carriage, Victoria. I wanted to touch that bandit, clasp his shirt, and have him hard up against me, and now I know why.”
“Why do you know this?”
“Because I have the same reaction to Lord Arndel. Always have. And never with anyone else. So if his lordship denies the claim, I will know he’s lying. I trust my senses on this. That bandit was his lordship, and I know he wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him.”
“Oh my word. This is scandalous! Lord Arndel, our neighbor and friend, is the Surrey Bandit?” Victoria shook her head. “It cannot be true.”
Alice nodded. “It is true, my dear.” But now what were they to do about it? That was the biggest question of all. Alice slid off the bed and paced beside it, thinking back to that day and how his whispered words, his pleading eyes, had tried to seduce her at the back of the carriage. She glared at the landscape portrait above her mantel. What a wicked game he was playing.
“What will you do with this information?”
“I do not know.” Alice sighed, hating the fact he’d put her in such a position, even if unaware of it. Damn him and his thieving tricks. “He’s stolen from so many families, so many people that we call friends. Such actions are not acceptable. What do you think we should do?”
Victoria pursed her lips in thought. “We must go to the local magistrate and tell them what we know and suspect. They can do the appropriate investigation, and if it’s proven that he is, in fact, the thief, well, he’ll be dealt with as expected.”
Alice cringed. Lord Arndel in prison, possibly hanged for his crime? The thought didn’t bear thinking of. She did not agree with such punishment, no matter the social standing of a person. Oftentimes, people were desperate. It was quite possible Arndel had been more desperate than they thought.
“He has a child, Victoria. I don’t think we should involve the magistrate just yet.”
“This is too much.” Victoria walked over to her and pulled her to sit before the fire. Her sister picked up two logs of wood and placed them on the smoldering coals. “How do you know this? He’s never spoken a word about a babe.”
“His lordship was married and fathered a little girl, her name is Amelia.”
“Oh how sweet. I do like Amelia for a name.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “Victoria, please concentrate on the problem at hand, but I agree, Amelia is a lovely name. His wife died after a carriage accident that involved them all. H
is little girl broke her leg! Having a child complicates this situation slightly, well, in my case it does. We know his family does not approve of him, would have liked someone else to inherit the estate and title, so imagine poor little Amelia being foisted onto them. I doubt very much they would be kind to her.”
“True.” Victoria nibbled her lip, a trait she had when trying to solve a problem. “Maybe we should confront him. Give him the option to explain his actions.”
“I agree. I think this is how we should proceed, at present. Maybe the day after tomorrow? I’m meeting Josh in Ashford in the morning to go through the cottages and look through the plans before building starts.”
Victoria stood, pulling her shawl about her shoulders. “We shall speak more on the subject tomorrow when you return, but I think we should both get some rest. There is nothing to be done about this now, and it seems the Surrey Bandit has halted his thievery of late, anyway, so maybe he’s stopped altogether.”
Alice could only hope, or was the reason behind the fiend’s disappearance because they were more involved with his life and he couldn’t so easily sneak away and steal… “I will see you tomorrow. Thank you for tonight. I needed someone to talk to and get all this off my chest. I’ll sleep better for it, I’m sure.”
Her sister bent and kissed her forehead. “I’m certain of it, too. Good night, dearest.”
Alice bade her good night and watched her leave. She slumped into her chair and watched the lively fire flicker and lick the new wood on its top. What a predicament Lord Arndel has found himself in, and even if he could come up with a meaningful excuse as to why he had partaken in such underhanded means, it did not mean Alice would allow him to get off so easily. He may not face the hangman’s noose, but he would certainly face her punishment, and after stealing her mama’s precious emerald brooch, her penalty would undoubtedly be worse than anything the authorities could mete out.
…
Ashford was bustling, each and every person busy with their business and trade. Alice rode through the main thoroughfare where houses and shops intertwined, a few of the locals looked her way and nodded in welcome. Alice smiled back and spoke to those who shouted out a greeting or remark. How she loved this town and wished only the best for the people who lived here.