A Seven Year Hitch

by Mary Beeken

  “All the better, there’s little chance he’ll be late then,” he sneered. “Start writing. I’ll tell you what to put. Dear Robert. Meet me. . .”

  “Wait! I wouldn’t write that,” she interrupted. “Let me compose it.”

  “No tricks, mind”

  “Do I have your word you will let me go? Unharmed?” she whined in a manner she hoped would convince him she was shallow and concerned only with her own safety.

  “My word!” he mockingly agreed.

  “Then no tricks.” Erica wrote a few lines, blotted the paper and handed it to Harrison to read.

  “What’s this about haunting?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Some servants once saw our lamps when we were meeting and have reported seeing ghosts,” she told him. “It has worked to our advantage because we are unlikely to be disturbed when people believe it is haunted. We always make reference to it in our notes to each other and he would think it odd if I did not do so this time.”

  He stared at her for a moment and when he could detect no artifice, he nodded and handed the note back.

  “Seal it!” he ordered.

  Erica could not prevent her hands from trembling as she complied with his order and seeing it he laughed; a malevolent, cruel and abrasive sound that scraped along her spine and whipped up a torrent of fear. Suppressing the rising terror, Erica took a deep breath and mentally gave herself a bracing lecture on remaining calm; reminding herself of the necessity of keeping her wits about her. Intelligent and rational thinking was the only way for Robert and her to escape unharmed and to bring about the complete and utter downfall of Harrison. Straightening her spine and determinedly raising her chin a notch, Erica stood and faced the enemy.

  “What now? I assume you have a plan for evading all my relatives and staff?”

  “I got in undetected, didn’t I? And for their sake, you had better hope we don’t meet any of them for I’d sooner kill them than have them raising the alarm.” A grotesque smile swept across his face as though the very thought of murdering someone gave him pleasure. Erica closed her eyes in the hope of shutting out his grinning visage but it seemed to have been burned onto her eyelids, giving her no respite.

  In the entrance hall Boodle sounded the gong, alerting everyone that the time had arrived for everyone to assemble in the drawing room. there was a flurry of activity in the corridor and much chatting as Erica’s relatives vacated their rooms and made their way downstairs. Harrison held Erica in a vice like grip and kept the knife pressed against her neck, where a trail of trickling blood ran down to spread and stain the bodice of her blue gown. When all became quiet again, Harrison still remained intent; listening for any stragglers before releasing her arm and cautiously opening the door.

  “We’ve got about ten minutes before the servants start heading down for their dinner,” he muttered almost to himself as though reading from a mental list of instructions. Grabbing her arm again he shoved her into the corridor.

  “Remember, no funny business or I’ll slit your throat!” he whispered harshly and yanked her away from the main staircase and towards another wing. Erica realized that at this time of day, the servants stairs would be in more use than the others and was therefore not surprised when he by-passed them, heading instead to a secondary flight of stairs leading from the gallery down to the part of the house where her private sitting room and office were situated. It was unlikely that anyone would be around to witness her kidnapping and Erica wondered for the first time from where he had acquired such a detailed knowledge of the layout of the house.

  His grip on her arm tightened when they reached the ground floor, making Erica wince but he ignored it. Furtively they traversed the hallways and upon reaching the side door, he flung it open and wrenched her outside. Obviously, the plan to abduct her had been meticulously thought out for within moments Harrison’s henchman appeared leading two horses; muffling the sound of their hooves by keeping to the grass. Erica was unceremoniously hoisted into the saddle and Harrison climbed up after her and then they were off, making for the cover of the woodland.

  The deserted cottage on the Dorchester Road was their destination and was soon reached. Including the man with the horses who had met Harrison at the house, Erica counted three accomplices as she was taken inside and brusquely hustled into an upstairs room, bare of all furniture except a chair.

  “Stay quiet or I shall send Bill to cut out your tongue out and tie you to the chair!” threatened Harrison, before slamming the door. She heard a bolt being shot into place and then his footsteps fading as he made his way back down the stairs. Creeping to the door she pressed her ear to it and after a minute or two was confident that no one had been left to stand guard in the corridor.

  Tiptoeing across the floor, stopping every time a board creaked, she made her way to the tiny window and peered out. Her prison, she discovered, was a room at the back of the house where there was no way of alerting any chance passer-by to her predicament, and although she was confident she could climb out the window and jump down without serious injury, she discovered it had been nailed securely shut. To smash it with the chair would cause too much noise and alert her captors before she had a chance to escape.

  Erica leaned her forehead against one of the tiny panes of glass and resisted the urge to cry. Although she was in grave danger, she knew that no harm would befall her whilst she was needed as bait to lure Robert into their clutches. But she had no illusions about Harrison’s plans for her future: to be used by him and his ruffians and then murdered, or as a prostitute in one of his brothels. God alone knew what he would do to her if he ever discovered her involvement in the investigations into his dealings. She had no doubt Ross; along with Gerry, Robert and her cousins would devise some scheme to rescue her, but she was terrified one of them would be hurt or killed by Harrison and his band of thugs.

  “Mrs. Prentiss, Mr. Robert Prentiss and Miss Leticia Prentiss” announced Boodle. The drawing room was already full of family members but there was still no sign of Erica. Trevellyn, in his turn, greeted the newcomers and managed to convey to Robert that he needed to speak privately with him.

  “Harrison is in the area, staying with the Hardy’s at Reddle Lodge. He has the nephew, Algernon Hardy in his clutches, probably through gaming debts.”

  “I have men tracking him, and was informed this morning of his arrival. I hear he paid a visit here this afternoon. What did he want?” Prentiss asked.

  “An invitation to the ball but whether he sees himself as Cinderella or an ugly sister I am not sure,” Trevellyn replied.

  “More likely the scheming step-mother,” laughed Prentiss. “But more to the point, who is to be the prince?”

  “Joking aside, this new development is very worrying. The fact that he has ventured here himself is an indication of how close to being exposed he is, and he imagines that by being here, he can still prevent it happening. We must assume he is aware of Erica’s involvement and you two are his biggest threat. In his position, what could he possibly be planning, do you think?”

  “Evidence against him has already been gathered so he might want to stop it reaching the authorities, but even then it will only delay the inevitable. And besides if that is his objective, he is too late for it was sent to London this morning.”

  “But will it arrive safely?” the Marquis queried.

  “Don’t worry, it did not take the normal channels but was strapped to the rather large girth of a friar and accompanied by several other members from the religious order. All I might add, have excellent right hooks and are first-rate marksmen.”

  “A man of his ilk, must be aware that the net is closing, so if he is unaware that the evidence has already been dispatched, then as you suggest he may want to delay exposure long enough to make his escape. Or he may be here seeking revenge!” Trevellyn said.

  “What topic of conversation could you two be having to justify such sombre expressions?” Coming up to them, Gerald shook hands with Prentiss.
“Glad you could make it, Robert. Dinner is about to be served so we’d best make our way through to the dining room before cook becomes agitated at our tardiness.”

  Scanning the room quickly, Trevellyn could see no sign of his wife.

  “Have you seen Erica, Gerry?”

  “Boodle just brought a message from her maid, saying she was afflicted by a sudden headache and would not be joining us this evening. Said she didn’t want to be disturbed until morning,” he informed his brother-in-law before adding. “She rarely suffers from them so I assume you and her have exchanged angry words again?”

  “No, quite the opposite in fact,” Trevellyn replied a frown appearing.

  “Well, then a headache it must be,” Gerald shrugged before wandering off to hurry others into the dining room.

  “I am going to check on her. Make my excuses will you?” and so saying Ross swiftly left the room and taking the stairs two at a time, headed for his wife’s room. He crept stealthily along the corridor and pressed his ear to the wooden panel. No sound emitted from the room so very quietly he turned the handle and edged the door open a fraction. There was still no noise or sign that there was anyone within and upon entering he discovered this to be the case.

  Yanking on the bell pull, Ross examined the room for any clues while he waited for Erica’s maid to answer the summons. Grimly he surveyed the overturned stool and state of the dressing table, where bottles of perfume had been knocked over and objects scattered, a sure sign of a struggle.

  “Why sir, you should not be here!” said Ellie when, upon entering the room, she saw him standing there.

  “What’s your name?” Trevellyn asked her.

  “Ellie, My Lord,” she replied, “Where’s Miss Erica?”

  “You need to stay calm, Ellie, and tell me when you last saw your mistress.”

  “About half an hour ago, My Lord. She always rings when she wants me to help her dress for dinner, but when I came up, she was at the door and told me to inform Boodle that she would not be down. She said she had a headache, and with you and her being at outs, Sir, I thought that perhaps you had had another row. Where is she, Sir?”

  “I don’t know but by the looks of this room, there was a struggle; she did not go without a fight. When I get hold of whoever is responsible I shall tear him limb from limb!”

  “Oh Sir who could have taken her?” Ellie sobbed.

  “I believe I know who is behind it but we need to act quickly,” Trevellyn told her. “Tell Boodle to fetch Mr. Prentiss and Viscount Wilmshurst from the dining room. Tell him to try and do so without creating too much of a stir. I will meet them in the study.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Oh and Ellie,” he called after her, “Don’t say anything to the other servants yet. Not until we have formulated a plan.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Trevellyn did not have long to wait before Robert and Gerald joined him in the study.

  “What’s this all about, Ross?” asked Robert. “Boodle said something about an intruder in the grounds.”

  “Erica has been snatched from her room. We have to work out where he has taken her and rescue her before she comes to any harm.”

  “Are you sure?” Prentiss asked.

  “Yes, there are signs of a struggle in her room and her maid was kept in the corridor and not allowed to enter when Erica gave her the message to relay to Boodle.”

  “You had better fill me in,” Gerald told them.

  Prentiss quickly gave him a précised version of events and then looked to Trevellyn.

  “We need to set people searching both in the house and grounds, but in groups of about three and they need to be armed. Both you and I, Robert, have people watching him so with any luck we should soon be getting a report of his whereabouts. One of them is bound to have some idea as to where he has taken her.”

  “I’ll start organizing the search parties,” Gerry said but before he could do anything, Boodle rushed in holding a note for Prentiss.

  “It has just this minute arrived, Sir,” he told him. “I thought it might be connected to Miss Erica and so brought it straight away.”

  Prentiss hastily took the letter and quickly examined it. As the seal was plain and gave no clues as to who had sent it, he broke it open and scanned the lines. Both Gerry and Trevellyn waited for him to speak.

  Darling Robert,

  Make some excuse to leave the dinner early. Meet me in the Abbey ruins at 10:00pm as normal. If you fail me it will haunt me forever!

  Erica. xxx

  “It’s Erica’s hand,” he told them. “He cannot know of her involvement but must believe her to be my lover.”

  “She has made it very easy for us to rescue her. I would wager she has convinced him that you regularly meet in the Abbey and has persuaded him to use it tonight,” Ross said.

  “We will be able to use the secret tunnel to reach them and launch a surprise attack of our own,” Gerry was already beginning to scheme. How many men will he have, do you think, and how many are afraid of ghosts?”

  “It would be better surely to try and locate her now, before he harms her in any way?” Said Robert, clearly concerned. “Harrison is an evil man and will stop at nothing.”

  Trevellyn visibly blanched but remained calm. “No, a man like him will take delight in making you suffer and what better than way than to make you witness his cruelty to Erica. Also there is the time factor. If as we suspect, Erica has made him change the meeting place, he will have to make alterations to his plans. It would not surprise me if he were already there in readiness, finding out the lay of the land and such like.”

  Gerry left the room for a few moments and returned carrying a set of plans.

  “Here’s the map to the ruins,” he told them, spreading them out on the desk and using paperweights and ink jotters to hold it open. “This is the entrance to the secret tunnel in the chapel. There is also one here in the refectory,” Gerald pointed to the areas on the map.

  Whilst they stood studying the map, Boodle again entered this time accompanied by Barney.

  “What news, Barney?” Robert asked as soon as he saw his trusted servant.

  “He’s taken Miss Wilmshurst to a cottage not far from here on the Dorchester Road, Sir. She’s locked in a back bedroom and has suffered no hurt. I’ve left Brent keeping an eye on her while I came to report to you,” he said, and then added with a nod at Ross “and Lord Trevellyn’s man, Tom Harry. They will ensure no harm comes to her. ”

  “How many men does he have?” Gerald asked.

  “Three in the house, including himself and two outside. We’ve scouted around and have found no signs of any others,” Barney assured them.

  “In that case,” Gerald beckoned them around the desk. “My bet is he will use this area here to meet, and place his men, here, here and here. He will expect to see you arrive from this direction and will have someone posted here to make sure you are alone and that no one else is coming from the house. Hopefully, he will still believe his plan is working and that you do not suspect anything.”

  “Barney, can you return to the cottage and keep up the surveillance on all of the men and follow them when they leave for the ruins which I hazard will not be long now. I will meet you here for a report of their locations.” Trevellyn showed him on the map and briefly told him of the plan of attack. Then ascertaining that they were all adequately armed, he sent him off.

  “Although we outnumber them, I feel we need to increase the odds in our favour. Stephen and Richard are both crack shots and remain calm in a crisis; Charlie too for all his frippery ways is able to shoot well,” Gerald informed them.

  Boodle was instantly dispatched to fetch the cousins who were soon informed of the situation and their roles in the rescue operation. They were about to quit the room when in marched Aunt Clara.

  “What on earth is going on?” she demanded, “And none of your flummery about intruders in the grounds.”

  The young men all stood l
ooking at her, each debating what to say and how much to reveal.

  “Well one of you had better tell me!” she announced and then her eye caught that of Trevellyn.

  “Erica has been kidnapped by an unscrupulous villain who is using her to get to Prentiss whom he believes is her lover. We don’t have time to explain all now but would appreciate your help in keeping the rest of the family calm. You might have a word with Boodle to ensure all the doors are locked and guarded and that windows are secure. We are not expecting any of Harrison’s men to reach the house but we cannot be too careful.”

  “Very well,” Aunt Clara said. “Be careful all of you and bring Erica back safe.”

  Although no longer a full moon, there was still plenty of light to cast eerie shadows and create a ghostly atmosphere. Erica, this time with hands securely tied in front of her, was again being held in Harrison’s pinching grasp. All was quiet except for the sound of nocturnal creatures going about their business, hunting for food. Harrison was alert; his eyes flitting around the ruins checking the position of his men and for any suspicious movement or signs, but all remained calm.

  “I do hope your lover is not going to let us down. He has not tired of your luscious attractions has he?” Harrison mumbled in her ear, his fleshy fingers digging painfully into her already bruised arm, whilst his other hand clamped itself over her breast and squeezed. Erica gagged, so repulsive did she find his touch. She shook her head, not knowing whether he expected an answer but giving one anyway in the hope he would stop touching her so intimately.

  “I shall enjoy your charms myself before long and then I have several clients who like a buxom wrench,” he taunted her. He continued to squeeze a moment longer and then slid his hand down her front but before it had reached it’s intended destination, a horse being ridden at a trot could be heard. Harrison took a pistol from his coat pocket.

  Erica was dizzy with relief and worry. Very soon, she would be rescued and back safe with her beloved family but also terrified that one of them might receive horrendous or even fatal injuries. She prayed Robert had understood her note and that with Ross and Gerald’s military experience a full-proof plan was in place to beat Harrison and his bullies.