‘You know very well I didn’t,’ Catherine said tersely. ‘Not after the comments in your last report.’
‘What do you mean? I had nothing but praise for you.’
‘Please don’t lie to me, Mr Stubbs.’
‘I’m not lying. I said you deserved to get your boy back.’
‘That’s not what Reverend Hailey told me,’ Catherine said. ‘He said what he read in that report changed his mind about giving Thomas back to me.’
‘Then it couldn’t have been my report he was reading,’ Stubbs said. ‘I said I’d watched you for the best part of five years and never once did I see you do anything of a questionable nature. In fact, I was downright complimentary about you.’
‘Then how did he know Lord Val—’ Catherine stopped ‘—that a gentleman had given me a ride home in his carriage?’
‘Beats me, love. Maybe Moody sent something in. I heard he was back in town. In fact, I saw him a couple of times the week before last. He was hanging around your house. I told him to take himself off. Got a mean streak, has Moody,’ Stubbs said. ‘And he’s had it in for you ever since that night you kneed him in the groin. Not that he didn’t deserve it, mind.’
Catherine flushed. ‘He told you about that?’
‘Told everybody in the pub, but for what it’s worth, very few took his side. Nasty piece of work,’ Stubbs said, reaching for his beer. ‘I hope you did him a permanent injury.’
‘It wasn’t my intention to cripple him, Mr Stubbs. Merely to incapacitate him long enough for me to get away.’
‘Aye, and you did that and all. Maybe he’ll think twice before attacking a little piece like you again.’
Catherine sat back, astonished to learn that Stubbs had put in a good word for her and that it was more likely Moody who had sent Eliza Hailey the damning report. And, in fact, that it was Eliza who had employed men to spy on her. But with the realisation came an idea.
‘Mr Stubbs, now that you’re no longer in Mrs Hailey’s employ, would you consider working for me?’
‘You?’ Stubbs’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What would someone like you be needing someone like me for?’
‘To find out where Thomas is.’ She proceeded to give Stubbs an abridged version of her conversation with Reverend Hailey.
‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Stubbs said at the end. ‘So Moody messed you up right good and now the boy’s been sent away because of it.’
‘It would seem that way. I don’t know if Eliza did it because she was afraid I might demand Thomas be handed over to me or because she was afraid her husband would. All I know is that Thomas has been sent away and they won’t tell me where.’
‘Well, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find out,’ Stubbs said. ‘Just means I’ve got to get back inside the house and bribe a maid or two.’
‘Would a maid be likely to know?’
‘If not, the housekeeper would, but she’s a hard-nosed piece if ever I’ve met one.’
‘I’m willing to pay for the information,’ Catherine said. ‘Whatever it takes.’
‘Tell you what. I’ll see what I can find out and you can pay me later.’
‘That’s a rather trusting attitude, Mr Stubbs.’
‘I’ve watched you for the last five years, Miss Jones. I think I know what kind of woman you are.’
‘Fair enough, but to prove I’m serious, take these,’ Catherine said, reaching into her reticule and pulling out some coins. ‘You may need to bribe a few people along the way.’
Stubbs grinned, his gold tooth shining as he took the coins and slipped them into his leather pouch. ‘Always a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Jones.’
* * *
It turned out Thomas had been sent to Glendale, a boarding school located about forty miles north-west of London. Stubbs discovered the name of the school, not by bribing Mrs Comstock but by flattering her; treatment Catherine doubted the woman had ever received. But it paid off and, after rewarding Stubbs for his efforts, Catherine set off for the country. She had no idea what she was going to say to the headmaster when she arrived at the school because she had no idea what he had been told by Reverend Hailey. She couldn’t claim to be Thomas’s mother because, if asked, Thomas would say she was not. But there had to be some other excuse she could use and Catherine sincerely hoped she was able to come up with it by the time they arrived.
After all, she was an actress. Pretending to be someone else was what she did.
* * *
Glendale College was a depressing red-brick building located on the outskirts of town. A wrought-iron fence surrounded a small play area for the younger boys and in a dusty field behind the school a few of the older lads tossed a ball back and forth.
Catherine had hoped to remain anonymous, but unfortunately, it seemed her name was well known even in these parts.
‘I actually went to the Gryphon the last time I was in London and saw you playing the part of Selene, goddess of the moon,’ Mr Norton told her as he escorted her into his office and closed the door. ‘I must say I enjoyed it immensely. You have an exceptional voice, Miss Jones. Quite exceptional.’
‘Thank you,’ Catherine said, feeling that, if nothing else, she and the headmaster were off to a promising start. ‘I’m glad you found the performance entertaining.’
‘Indeed. So, tell me, what brings an actress of your repute to our humble school?’
‘You are too modest, Mr Norton. The reputation of Glendale College is certainly not humble,’ Catherine said, knowing nothing about the school’s reputation, but feeling it could do no harm to flatter the man. ‘As it happens, however, I have come to see you about one of your students.’
‘Oh? Which one?’
‘Thomas Jo...Hailey. Thomas Hailey,’ she said, stumbling a little over the surname.
‘Ah, yes, Thomas,’ the headmaster said, settling back into his chair. ‘Quiet lad. Possessed of a good mind, though he does have an unfortunate tendency to daydream. But we have ways of dealing with that. A boy must be taught to pay attention.’
‘But he is such a little boy, Mr Norton,’ Catherine said, her protective instincts rising. ‘Surely a small degree of inattention can be permitted.’
‘Not at Glendale. We don’t mollycoddle our boys, Miss Jones. We mete out discipline when and where it is needed. Now, perhaps you would care to tell me what business you have with Thomas?’
Catherine stirred uneasily in her chair. The moment of truth was at hand and she still had no idea what she was going to say. She’d considered telling Mr Norton the truth, relying on his knowledge of the situation and his compassion for a mother and her child to do the right thing, but given what he’d just said, she wondered if compassion was a sentiment he understood.
‘Mr Norton, I do have a good reason for being here,’ Catherine began. ‘One I feel you will understand when I have set forth the facts and made clear the situation—’
‘Excuse me, Miss Jones,’ Mr Norton said when a knock interrupted the proceedings. ‘Yes, Mr Smith?’
The door opened and a tall man wearing spectacles and looking rather nervous poked his head in. ‘Pardon me, Mr Norton, but there is a gentleman to see you.’
‘Can you not see that I am engaged?’
‘Indeed, sir, but the gentleman said it was urgent, and I believe, given who it is, you may wish to see him.’ He walked into the room and placed a small white card on the headmaster’s desk.
Mr Norton looked down at it and flushed. ‘Yes, I think it best I do see him. Would you excuse me, Miss Jones? I have a most dignified caller.’
‘Of course.’ Catherine stood up, relieved at having been given a bit more time to rehearse what she wanted to say. ‘I shall wait in the hall.’
‘That won’t be necessary,’ a polished and all-too-familiar voice said. ‘I e
xpect we are here to the same purpose, Miss Jones.’
Catherine whirled, her eyes widening at the sight of Valbourg standing in the doorway. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘The same as you, I suspect.’ Valbourg smiled, a study in aristocratic amiability. ‘I’ve come to collect Master Thomas Hailey and to take him back to London with me.’
* * *
Valbourg knew his arrival in the headmaster’s office had caught Catherine unawares, but hoping she hadn’t been so foolish as to reveal who she was and the reason for her visit, he confidently approached the desk and addressed his next question to the headmaster. ‘Have you received a letter from Mrs Hailey, Mr Norton?’
‘Mrs Hailey?’ The headmaster frowned. ‘Not that I am aware of, no. Am I to expect one?’
‘You are. Mrs Hailey has been called to London to see her mother, who I understand is in very poor health,’ Valbourg said. ‘She asked me to collect Thomas on my way back to town and to deliver him to her there. It may well be the boy’s last chance to see his grandmother alive.’
He watched Catherine’s expression grow even more confused, and before she had time to blurt anything out, he said, ‘Would you be so good as to have Thomas’s belongings packed and brought down?’
The headmaster looked decidedly flustered at the unexpected turn of events. ‘I am sorry to hear the news, my lord, but this is somewhat irregular. The boys are given into my care, you understand, and it is usually only parents or close family members who are permitted to remove them.’
‘I understand. And you are to be commended for your attention to duty. But the situation in which we find ourselves does not allow for other family members to be here in time. Now, if you don’t mind, I would be most grateful if you would attend to the matter as quickly as possible. My horses tend to grow restless when forced to stand in one place for too long.’
‘Of course,’ Mr Norton said, sounding no less flustered despite the compliment from a gentleman of consequence. ‘If you will give me a moment, I shall...make the necessary arrangements.’
He left the room, shouting instructions to his secretary and leaving Valbourg alone with Catherine, who, despite her confusion, looked utterly beautiful. ‘Good afternoon, Miss Jones. Fancy meeting you here.’
Catherine was not amused. ‘What exactly do you think you’re doing?’
‘Is it not obvious?’
‘Not to me. I came to take Thomas away.’
‘So did I.’
‘But this is none of your business!’
‘Fortunately for you, I have decided to make it my business,’ Valbourg said. ‘Because without me, you haven’t a hope of getting Thomas out of here.’
‘Don’t be so sure. How did you know where I was?’
‘Your housekeeper informed me of your whereabouts. Lovely lady. Very protective of your welfare.’
‘But clearly not of my privacy.’
‘Don’t be too hard on her. I knew what to say in order to gain her co-operation.’
‘I hate to think what that might have been,’ Catherine said. Then she frowned. ‘I wasn’t aware Eliza’s mother lived in London.’
‘I have no idea where she lives, nor do I care,’ Valbourg said, keeping his eyes on the door. ‘It is enough that Mr Norton believes she is ill and that Thomas has been called to see her.’
‘You mean it’s not true?’
‘Not a word. If you can think of a better way of getting him out of here, now would be the time to mention it.’
‘I was going to tell Mr Norton the truth,’ Catherine said. ‘Appeal to his good nature.’
‘Trust me, it would have achieved nothing. When the boy is brought down, he will not look to you as his mother and you would have been accused of trying to kidnap him.’
‘But there has to be a time to start telling the truth!’
‘I agree, but this is most definitely not that time,’ Valbourg said. ‘Our only hope of getting Thomas out of here without raising the alarm is to give Norton a valid reason for our being here. Did you say anything to him before I arrived?’
‘No. I was about to when you knocked on the door.’
‘Excellent. Then I suggest you lend your support to my story and pretend it is the reason you are here as well.’
Mr Norton returned momentarily with the assurances that Master Thomas’s trunk was being packed and that the young lad himself was being readied for travel.
‘How fortunate you were on your way to London, Lord Valbourg,’ Mr Norton said. ‘Otherwise the timing might not have been so fortuitous.’
‘Indeed, but as it happens, there would not have been a delay. Miss Jones also came to fetch the boy,’ Valbourg said smoothly. ‘It seems neither of us was made aware that the other had been asked to bring Thomas to London.’
‘I suspect Mrs Hailey has become a little forgetful, given the seriousness of her mother’s illness,’ Catherine said, affecting a suitable degree of concern. ‘She likely forgot she had asked both of us to escort Thomas to London.’
‘Understandable,’ Mr Norton agreed. ‘My own mother suffered terribly with memory loss in her later years and it was always worse during times of stress. Couldn’t remember her own name let alone mine.’ He looked up, smiling. ‘Can I offer either of you refreshments while we wait?’
‘Thank you, no,’ Valbourg said. ‘We must be on our way as soon as Thomas is ready.’
‘Of course. And may I say what an honour it is to make your acquaintance, Lord Valbourg. It is surely an indication of the respect with which Glendale is viewed that one of our students has such illustrious connections.’
Deciding it was wiser not to attempt any kind of rejoinder, Valbourg merely smiled. Moments later, the door opened again and Thomas Hailey was brought into the room.
He was smaller than Valbourg expected, standing a good head shorter than Sebastian and likely twenty pounds lighter. His hair was pale gold and his eyes were the clear, bright blue of a summer sky. But it wasn’t his size or even the black eye he sported that caused Valbourg to bite back an oath. It was the boy’s striking resemblance to Catherine.
‘Miss Jones, why don’t you wait for me in the carriage?’ he said, abruptly pulling Catherine from her chair and ushering her towards the door. ‘I wish to speak to Mr Norton about matters of business.’
‘But—’
‘Don’t worry, I shall be along directly.’ Valbourg all but closed the door in her face and then turned to offer his most charming smile to the headmaster. ‘Now, Mr Norton, are there any financial matters that need taking care of? I don’t know precisely when Thomas will be returning to Glendale, but if any fees are due, I am more than happy to cover them on Reverend Hailey’s behalf.’
‘That won’t be necessary, my lord. Thomas’s fees were paid in advance. But I do hope we will have him back with us again soon,’ Mr Norton said, smiling down at the boy. ‘A Glendale education stands a boy in good stead his entire life.’
‘So I’ve heard,’ Valbourg said, lying through his teeth. ‘Well, we had best be on our way.’ He glanced at Thomas, who was looking understandably bewildered by the proceedings. ‘We have a long ride ahead of us.’
‘Say hello to Lord Valbourg, Thomas,’ Mr Norton said. ‘He has come to take you to London to see your grandmother.’
The boy regarded Valbourg, his expression very serious. ‘Good afternoon, Lord Valbourg.’
‘Hello, Thomas.’ Valbourg bent down so that he was eye level with the boy. ‘I’m sorry to have to take you out of school, but it is important we get you to London as quickly as possible.’
‘I didn’t know I had a grandmother in London.’
‘Well, you do now, and she is very anxious to see you.’ Valbourg stood up and extended his hand to the headmaster. ‘Thank you for your help, Mr Norton. Miss Jones
and I are most grateful.’
‘My pleasure, Lord Valbourg. I shall await Mrs Hailey’s letter, but in the meantime I shall pen a note of condolence to her,’ Mr Norton said. ‘Wishing her mother a speedy recovery.’
‘I’m sure she would be most appreciative,’ Valbourg said, beginning to wonder if he hadn’t missed his calling. He doubted even the great Edmund Kean could have played a more convincing part.
* * *
In the courtyard below, Catherine waited anxiously for Valbourg and her son to appear. What in the world was keeping them? And what business could Valbourg have had with the headmaster that had necessitated her being thrust out of the room so precipitously?
‘I’m sure it is nothing to concern yourself with, Catherine,’ Mrs Rankin said. ‘His lordship knows what he is doing.’
‘Does he?’ Catherine said, not at all convinced he did. Thankfully, the front door opened a few minutes later and Valbourg walked out, holding Thomas’s hand. He had to slow his steps in order to accommodate the boy’s shorter strides, but all that mattered to Catherine was the fact her son was walking towards her. ‘Hello, Thomas,’ she said. ‘How lovely to see you again.’
He looked surprised to see her, but thankfully, he remembered who she was. ‘Hello, Miss Jones. What are you doing here?’
‘I’ve come to take you to London. To see your grandmother,’ Catherine added, with a hasty glance at Valbourg.
‘That’s what Lord Valbourg said, too, but I didn’t know I had a grandmother in London,’ Thomas said. ‘Aunt Eliza never mentioned her.’
‘Actually, she is more a close friend of the family’s,’ Valbourg said, a nod to the servant indicating that he should put Thomas’s trunk in Catherine’s carriage. ‘But you are actually going to be riding back to London with me.’
‘With you?’ Catherine repeated. ‘Why not with me?’
‘Because there won’t be room in your carriage with Mrs Rankin and Thomas’s trunk in it.’ Valbourg lifted Thomas into his own carriage, and then turned to smile at Catherine. ‘Are you coming?’
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