by Wendy Bayne
He choked as he swallowed and spent the next minute or so coughing to clear his windpipe. He waved Irene off as she rose to offer her assistance. Instead she turned towards me hiding her bright smile from Samuel, “I admit, dearest, that your uncle uses that term without thought and far too often in front of family. However, I assure you it is not an acceptable form of address in company.” With that she smacked Samuel on the back of his head and resumed her seat, taking a bite of toast, almost choking as she tried not to laugh.
When Samuel stopped gaping at me, he joined her in laughing. “By god, Irene, she is your daughter!” Mother gave him a quick disapproving glance and he responded, “Don’t look at me like you don’t know what I am talking about. You never once let Colin, or I, get away with anything when you were her age! I just hope that her tongue doesn’t become as acidic as Aunt Mary’s or as cutting as yours.”
Irene beamed. “Lissa, my sweet, I think in the future I shall have to instruct you on how to cut an impudent gentleman.”
Samuel raised his hands in surrender, “I give up since I am hopelessly outnumbered. Are you done, braah—Lissa? We need to leave now if we’re to get our ride in during the fashionable hour.” He rose heading for the door, so I drank my tea down, scalding my mouth. I grabbed another piece of toast which my mother took out of my hand as I passed her. We reached the door just as Aunt Mary entered so I stopped only long enough to enquire after her health before Samuel took my hand, practically dragging me out to the mews at a run.
I was out of breath racing after him in full skirts but thankfully the stable boys had our horses saddled and two grooms were standing by with their own horses waiting for us to mount. “Up you go, brat!” I laughed as Samuel threw me up onto Jewel. He mounted Baron and waited until I had arranged my skirts then signalled for the two grooms to follow us.
I looked back over my shoulder at our escort the one named Michael tipped his hat at me and when I turned back, I caught Samuel watching me, so I asked him, “Is it customary to always have grooms with us when we ride in town?”
He nodded. “It will be customary for you and your mother when you ride regardless of who else is with you.”
I turned to look at the men, both rode like they had been born and bred in a saddle and I noticed that they were armed just as they had been on the road. As we came out onto the roadway the grooms moved ahead of us looking up and down the street before we crossed over to the park. “Samuel, I mean, Uncle?”
“Yes, Lissa?”
“Why are they armed?”
“It’s your father’s orders.” I scowled at him because he should have known that his answer wouldn’t satisfy me. He caught my look and huffed, adding, “It has not been so many years since footpads haunted these environs, attacking citizens by day or night. Besides, Colin is being especially cautious with his family, it’s a wise precaution given our work.”
I was shocked. I knew that my father and uncle worked for the Crown, but how could their work possibly put Mother and I at risk? “Are there people that would want to harm me or Mother because of what you do?” He didn’t look at me but gave a short nod, it was all the answer I would receive.
We paused at the edge of the park, so I could look over its beauty with its expanse of green and the Serpentine just visible beyond. With the welcoming scent of grass and flowering trees, Jewel’s head perked up along with Baron’s as we trotted off to join the fashionable ladies and gentlemen on Rotten Row. Samuel seemed to know several people, yet he didn’t stop to converse with them or to introduce me. I thought this was rather rude until I realised that I was only a child to him and my new status as his niece was not yet known to society. So, I relaxed and kept pace with him as we cantered, then walked, then trotted, then cantered again. Baron was well behaved while Jewel was a touch restive and shy of being close to so many other unfamiliar horses. I knew then I would have to seriously consider what my mother had said about sending her to Somerset. As we reached the end of the row and were about to turn around I caught sight of a man in a dark green coat partially hidden behind one of the trees on the right, just then he stepped out, raised his arm and pointed toward us. Jewel tossed her head nudging Baron and causing me to lose control of her for a second. Baron sidestepped when she bumped him just as a shot rang out. One of our grooms whirled around taking off at a gallop into the surrounding wooded area where I had seen the man. I looked behind me to find Samuel prostrate on the ground, bleeding heavily from his shoulder. The other groom Michael was tending to him, he yelled at me, “Miss! Get down now! Keep your horse between you and those trees.” I jumped down quickly as a crowd gathered around my uncle. A lady screamed when she saw the blood and her horse shied, she was in danger of slipping out of the saddle, so several men raced to her assistance. The scene around me was one of chaos, yelling and screaming. I ducked under Jewel’s neck to see if I could locate our other groom Jacob among the trees. Michael yelled for someone to send for the parish constable and the Bow Street Runners. No one paid me any attention standing there until Michael finally looked up and winked, he looked around before addressing me, “Miss, do you think you could ride home and roust the house?” I looked in the direction we had come and then back at him nodding. “Good, get them to bring the carriage here so we can get Mr Hughes home. He’ll not be riding anymore today.”
I was so terrified that I could only nod. I looked about to see what I could use as a mounting block since I would never be able to get onto Baron or Jewel without help. Just as I had spied a rock I thought I could climb Jacob returned shaking his head at Michael. He jumped down automatically, turning to assist me onto Jewel. We ignored the bridle paths and rode at a gallop across the park, heedless of the people around us. When we reached the mews, he pulled me down off Jewel, threw the reins to the stable boy while he yelled for the carriage to be made ready.
Turning to me he said in tone that was respectful but would brook no argument, “Miss, I need you to do exactly what I ask and without question.” I nodded. “Go in by the garden entrance and find Mr Allan, tell him what’s happened then have him take you, your mother and aunt to the library and lock the door. By no means let anyone in but Mr Allan, Michael or me. Do you understand, miss?” I nodded again. I could feel tears threatening but I held them back. He squeezed my arm in reassurance. “Mr Hughes will be alright, don’t you worry none. I’ve seen him with worse and come up fighting. What’s keeping him down now was getting the wind knocked out of him when he fell, and he hit his noggin hard. Now go on, do as I say.” He turned then yelling at one of the stable boys, “Fetch Dr Jefferson, tell him that Mr Hughes has been shot.”
Lifting my skirts, I raced for the garden door that led into the breakfast room just as Jacob was climbing up with the coachman directing him where to go. I found Mr Allan in the front hallway sorting the mail and asked him to take me to my mother and aunt. I wanted to run but I followed him at a sedate pace so as not to alarm the other staff as we passed. He opened the door to a small drawing room and I asked him to step in with me. Without hesitation, he followed closing the door behind him. I hardly knew where to begin so I started from the point where I had noticed that our grooms were armed. It didn’t take me long to race through my story.
Irene seemed to hold her breath the whole time that I was talking, finally she let it out getting quickly to her feet and heading for the door, but Mr Allan stood in her way. “Ma’am, I must insist that you follow Jacob’s orders. He has been with Mr Turner for some time and he knows what he’s doing. I can assure you that Mr Hughes is in good hands. Please, let me escort you to the library then I will have Lettie bring you some tea after I alert Dalton to ready Mr Hughes’s room.”
Mother frowned but nodded. “Thank you, Allan.”
He walked us to the library where he told my mother to lock the door from the inside. I was amazed that my aunt had not said one word since I had arrived. She sat down heavily on the settee by the fire while Irene locked the door and closed the curtain
s facing the street.
I looked about me in awe. This library could very well be my sanctuary. Every inch of wall space was covered with bookcases from floor to ceiling full of books from top to bottom. There were four windows in the room, two facing the street and two facing the side garden all with window seats; such a haven was the stuff of my dreams. My mother and aunt were so quiet I swear I could hear my aunt breathing. But it wasn’t her breathing, she was crying. Irene sat beside her with an arm around her shoulders, so I went to kneel by them on the floor. Between her sobs she managed to say, “I promised you’re your mother that I would take care of you and your brother and I’ve failed. Samuel is dead, and I was awful to him, arguing with him all the way here. I am despicable!”
I touched her knee. “Auntie, he isn’t dead! He’s just wounded. He had his breath knocked out when he fell off Baron. He’ll be fine, you’ll see. Michael and Jacob are bringing him home. They’ve sent for a Dr Jefferson, so he’ll be here shortly too. Samuel will be alright, I promise.” I sincerely hoped that I was right, after all Jacob seemed to believe it.
Aunt Mary smoothed my hair back behind my ears and smiled. “When Alice died, she had asked for only one thing from my brother that he take particular care of your mother and Samuel. That was all she had asked of him, all that she wanted. But he was always so wrapped up in his own selfishness…and she knew it, so I agreed to watch over you both when she asked.”
She shook her head. “Richard didn’t like my interfering and when he met Charlotte at Lord Gromley’s hunt six months later, he married her in part to be rid of me and because when he looked at her, he saw Alice. She wasn’t anything like Alice except in looks. After they married he quickly lost interest in her and when she lost the baby he left her to care for his house and his children. He used the excuse that his country needed him because Napoleon was raging war on the continent. He just left her to wilt and die without a second thought. That bastard answered the call to war and abandoned his family.” She turned and clasped my mother’s hands. “Irene, if I had only been a better guardian, I should have been there to help Charlotte. She was a young woman without experience in child raising.”
Irene pulled her close. “Please, don’t torture yourself over the past, Aunt Mary! You were a widow; you had your own son to raise and an estate to run. Charlotte did her best with us but after she lost the baby she was so sick, and Father was no help. He was so angry that she had failed to provide him with another son, so he left us. Samuel and I understood that she tried to do all she could for us. But I must admit that neither Samuel nor I were easy to guide. Nanny was a wonder, but we tried her something terrible too and once she passed away from pneumonia we were impossible. Besides you came to us for all the school holidays and the summer.” She smirked and tapped our aunt’s hand, saying, “Even though you brought our cousin Dyson with you.” Irene chuckled, and Aunt Mary smiled.
Aunt Mary sighed. “Yes…except for that one holiday when Dyson was being so difficult. If I had been there, you might not have…” Aunt Mary sobbed and Irene blushed.
Watching them both I felt a knot was forming in my stomach. I was twisting my gloves into a ruined mass of leather with my anxiety. Her unfinished sentence was killing me, so I said rather moodily, “If you had been there, I might not have been conceived.”
Aunt Mary and Irene were horrified, both saying at the same time “Oh no, my darling!”
Aunt Mary pulled me to her. “Oh, my darling child, never! That’s not what I meant at all. It was a promise that I made to your grandmother. She wanted Irene to marry in the church where she and generations of her family had been married. She wanted it more than anything, she begged me before she died that I’d see to it. But that damn vicar refused Charlotte’s request, he wouldn’t conduct the ceremony without my brother’s permission. He also promised her that he wouldn’t tell Richard, but he lied and he’s the reason that Colin was forbidden the house. Once the General came home the little toad broke his promise and went right to my brother the first day he was home, telling him how he had thwarted the marriage. If I had been there with Charlotte, I could have done something perhaps to persuade the vicar or at least bought his silence, I’m sure of it.”
Suddenly there was a lot of noise and yelling coming from the hallway, then someone was pounding on the door. We huddled together saying nothing. The door handle was tried then the pounding resumed as my father’s voice called out. “Irene! Clarissa! Lady Alford!”
Irene ran to the door, turned the key then flung it open. “Colin, oh thank god! Samuel, he’s been—”
My father stepped in, looked around then reached for my mother. “I know, my love.”
Colin wrapped her in his arms, kissing her soundly. He stepped back looking at the rest of us saying, “Samuel is upstairs in his room; the doctor is with him now.”
Aunt Mary made to get up, but my father motioned for her to sit. “He’s awake but the language coming out of his mouth isn’t fit for sailors to hear, let alone ladies. Let the doctor and Dalton deal with him first.”
Lettie arrived with a tea tray that he took from her, placing it on the table in front of my Aunt. Then he smiled at Lettie as he walked her to the door. “Thank you, Lettie, would you please ask Mr Allan to bring Dr Jefferson to us when he’s done?”
She smiled back saying, “Yes, sir,” as she left.
Father closed the door then waited to hear her footsteps retreat before he coming to sit by my mother who was pouring out the tea. “Lissa, Michael told me that you were very brave today. I’m so proud of you, darling. But are you okay?! You know that it’s alright to be afraid.”
It was strange that until he had mentioned it I hadn’t been afraid. I was worried and concerned but not afraid. “I’m fine, Mr Turner—” I stopped myself and stumbled on with “I mean, Father. I’m just worried about Samuel.” He smiled, leaning forward to clasp my hand, but I pulled out of his reach. The look on his face was pained as if I had physically hurt him. But I had questions and I wanted answers from this man that I barely knew. “When did you get to London? And how did you know what happened?” I crossed my arms waiting for him to answer me.
Mother looked stunned. “Lissa, you shouldn’t be questioning your father like this!”
Colin sighed, and Aunt Mary smiled at him patting his hand. “She is your child, Colin, there is no doubt about that. She has an inquisitive mind and notices everything. So, don’t say that I never warned you.”
He still looked sad when he responded, “Those are all good questions, Lissa. It’s true that I have only just arrived, but I met the carriage just as it was about to cross into the park and Jacob called out as I passed that Samuel had been shot. I followed to help bring him home. Also, I spoke briefly with an Inspector from the Bow Street Runners. When I arrived, I was coming from the opposite direction of the park that can be confirmed by Jacob and Mr Cripps who saw me arrive. Also, I did not shoot Samuel.”
Mother gasped. “Lissa! Samuel and your father are like brothers.”
I pursed my lips together looking hard at Colin, my father, thinking of all the things that Samuel had said about him. Suddenly I couldn’t believe that he would hurt Samuel. “It was only that I saw a man in a green coat much like yours just long enough to register that it was indeed a man.”
My father leaned forward saying in a quiet voice that trembled with emotion, “Lissa, I’m so sorry that you had to witness that, but the Inspector will want to question you. Can you do that? We’ll need every detail that you can recall for us to find out who did this to Samuel.”
I could feel a blush rising up my neck and tried to smile all the while feeling ashamed that I might have thought him capable of hurting Samuel. Thankful that he wasn’t treating me like a child nor was he trying to shelter me from reality. “Yes, I can do that, Father. But Mother and you will stay with me when I’m questioned…won’t you?”
He stood up opened his arms to me with a hopeful look in his eyes. I went to him sl
iding my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me cautiously. “Of course, my love, we’ll both be there.” As we broke apart he smiled down at me, then rubbing his hands together said, “Now how about that cup of tea and some of those cakes. I missed my breakfast on the road and I’m starving!”
Mother finished pouring the tea as I passed out the cakes. We all ate in companionable silence, waiting for the doctor to come to us. My father came to sit beside me in order to steal my almond cakes when I wasn’t looking. We both chuckled at the silly game it was as if he were trying to make up for the missed years of my childhood. It was then I realised that I was starting to think of him as my father and not Colin. Mother and even Aunt Mary laughed along with us until Mr Allan finally announced a Dr Matthew Jefferson. I anxiously jumped to my feet and stood beside Father, facing the door.
Dr Jefferson was younger than I had expected and very handsome, he was tall with black hair, deeply tanned skin and deep brown eyes that seemed to twinkle. Darkly handsome, I envisioned him to be more of a pirate than doctor. Introductions were made, and I waited to hear his voice which to my disappointment was very English and very cultured, sadly he was obviously a gentleman.
Irene asked him to be seated, offering him some tea. “No thank you, Mrs Turner, I really must go. I left Mrs Clarence with the midwife and she was not too pleased with me. However, I wanted you to know that Mr Hughes will be fine. The bullet passed clean through, but it did nick a blood vessel and he’s lost a great deal of blood. He should be fine with rest and the proper care. And as to his care I have spoken to his valet, he must rest and by that I mean he must stay in bed for several days.” He paused to emphasize his meaning and appeared to be waiting for questions. When none were forthcoming, he continued, “I will be back tomorrow to change the dressing and check on him. However, if he bleeds through the one I just applied or becomes feverish, send for me. I have left Dalton with instructions as to what he can eat and drink.” He paused and bit his lip as if making a difficult decision. “He may also have a few drops of laudanum if his pain is severe.”