Secret Heiress

by Anne Herries

  She must meet Daniel in the woods and tell him what had happened. He would surely believe her? Her disgrace meant that she would not be a fit wife for him, but perhaps they could live together for a while? She would be happy enough to be his mistress, since she could no longer expect him to marry her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Daniel waited for three-quarters of an hour in the woods. He glanced at his watch several times, frowning over Eliza’s lateness. Surely he had not mistaken the place for their meeting? Did she think that he would come to the house so that they could tell her mother together? He decided that he would walk up to the house. There must be a reason why Eliza had not come, as she promised. After the previous night he had no doubts concerning her feelings for him. She could not possibly have changed her mind.

  Catching sight of a piece of pale blue material caught on a bramble, Daniel frowned and bent to pluck it from the thorns. There was some damage to the grass and bushes, as if several feet had trampled them. A cold trickle of fear slithered down his spine. Had something happened to Eliza? No, it was not possible. Who would wish her harm? For a moment a picture of Cheadle flashed into his mind, but he dismissed it. The marquis had made his peace with Eliza, accepting that she was his daughter. He would not do something underhand.

  Then who might have arranged an accident or an abduction? Was he making a mountain from a molehill?

  Daniel hurried on towards the house, his heart thumping. The scrap of material might not have come from Eliza’s gown—and yet he was sure she had one something very like it.

  The door was opened to him by a subdued-looking maid, who seemed not to know her business, for she stared as if she did not know what to say.

  ‘May I speak to Miss Eliza Bancroft, please?’

  ‘She’s gone, sir. Left in disgrace more than an hour ago.’

  ‘Eliza left an hour ago? Are you sure, miss?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I saw her leave. She left an address in Norfolk for her things to be sent on.’

  ‘Why was she in disgrace? I do not understand?’

  There was some mystery here for Lady Sarah had been so very fond of her companion, even before she knew the truth.

  ‘I’m not sure as I should say, sir. There has been an uproar and Mrs Bristow would turn me off if I breathed a word—but it might be because of them rubies that went missing…’ The girl gasped and looked over her shoulder in fear. ‘I didn’t tell you that, sir.’

  ‘I think I should see Lady Sarah, if you will please ask her to receive me.’

  ‘I’ll ask Maisie, sir. If you will step into the parlour.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Daniel paced about the small but exquisitely furnished parlour. What could have happened since the previous evening? Eliza had been so happy when she left him, content to leave the future in his hands. He was staring out of the window when he heard steps behind him and turned to find himself looking at another maid.

  ‘My mistress asks if you will step up to her boudoir, sir. She is not feeling well enough to come down—but she does wish to speak with you.’

  ‘Thank you, I shall,’ Daniel said and followed her up the stairs and along the hall. She knocked at a door, opened it and intimated that he should enter. ‘Thank you…’ He inclined his head and went inside.

  Lady Sarah was lying on a chaise-longue with her feet up. She had a lace kerchief in her hand, smelling salts and lavender water to hand.

  ‘Forgive me if I do not get up, sir. I understand you enquired for Eliza?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am. We had arranged to meet this morning at ten o’clock and then we were to come to see you. I waited almost an hour and then I wondered if I was supposed to come here instead.’

  ‘Eliza did not meet you? I had hoped she might. She had spoken of you recently. You are hoping that I know where she is, but unfortunately I have no idea. My son must have sent her away. I know she took only a small bag and left a message that her things are to be sent to Norfolk.’ Lady Sarah gave a cry of distress. ‘The foolish child. She ought to have waited and spoken to me. Whatever my son said to her could have been sorted. I fear she thinks that I believe she took those wretched rubies.’

  ‘I am not sure—there is a question of some missing rubies?’

  ‘The wretched things were found in her room, hidden under the bed. Of course someone else put them there.

  Eliza would not have stolen from me—would she?’ There was a look of unconscious appeal in her eyes, as though she needed reassurance.

  ‘Eliza loves you dearly. When I asked her to be my wife, her first thought was of you. She was angry with me for telling you that she was your daughter. Cheadle had confirmed it, but still she would not tell you because she feared that it might upset you. All that concerned her was that you should not lose your home.’

  ‘I would live anywhere if I could see my dearest child often,’ Lady Sarah told him, tears standing in her eyes. ‘Where has she gone to, sir? Will she have returned to Norfolk? Why did she not meet you if you had arranged it?’

  Daniel reached into his pocket and took out the scrap of cloth, handing it to her. ‘Do you think this might have come from one of Eliza’s gowns, ma’am? I found it on a bramble bush not far from the house.’

  Lady Sarah gave a cry of fear. ‘This is from one of her favourite gowns. We chose it together. Something must have happened to her! Oh, this is all my fault. I was overcome and shocked, and I allowed her to think that I believed she had taken those ridiculous rubies. I am sure my son planned the whole thing. He knew where I kept my key and he could quite easily have entered my room and taken them. Nothing else was missing. Eliza did not even like jewels of this kind—why would she take them?’

  ‘She would not,’ Daniel said stoutly. ‘Do not even consider it, ma’am. If the rubies were there, someone put them there.’

  ‘Yes, I think you are right. What can we do, Lord Seaton? How can we discover where she has gone?’

  ‘I shall go down to—’ Daniel broke off as the maid returned, looking distinctly odd.

  ‘Yes, Maisie, what do you want? I am talking privately with Lord Seaton about my dearest Eliza’s disappearance.’

  ‘It is the Marquis of Cheadle, ma’am. He said he had come to see Miss Eliza Bancroft, but when I told him she had gone he asked to see you.’

  ‘Let him come up,’ Lady Sarah said. ‘Please do not leave, Lord Seaton. Three heads are better than one and he may know something of Eliza.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps,’ Daniel said. He walked over to the window and was staring out of it when the marquis entered. Waiting a moment until the greetings were over, he turned to see the marquis still holding Lady Sarah’s hand and a fond look in his eyes. ‘Cheadle. We have a mystery here. Eliza was falsely accused of stealing a valuable heirloom and has since disappeared. Lady Sarah was told that Eliza planned to return to Norfolk where she has friends, but I am not convinced that that is where she is headed. I found a scrap of cloth in the woods near here and I fear that something may have happened to her. You know nothing of this?’

  ‘I had no hand in her disappearance,’ the marquis assured him. ‘I came to return this to her.’ He handed a ring to Lady Sarah. ‘Eliza showed it to me when she began to suspect the truth. I took it from her, for at the start I thought her an impostor, but I soon discovered the truth. She is our daughter, Sarah. I intended to give the ring to her and tell her that I have set up an account for her with my bank in Bath. She will have an independence in the future—and there is no need for you to leave her part of your fortune. Your family need never know the truth and you will not lose your home.’

  ‘My son already knows, which is why he set up this false theft and made sure that Eliza took the blame. I did not see it instantly for I was upset, but I know that my daughter would never hurt me. What Howard said to her I do not know, but I intend to find out.’

  ‘You will allow me to speak to him for you,’ Cheadle said. He took her hand and kissed it. ‘If he is so unkind as to
turn you from your home, I shall purchase a house in the country for you and Eliza—you shall not suffer one day more of his unkindness, my love. Lady Cheadle and I have parted on terms agreeable to her now that Marianne’s future is assured. She will not divorce me, but agrees to a separation and will live in London. I intend to travel in France and Italy and perhaps settle somewhere of the sort—but we shall speak more of this when Eliza is safe.’ He turned to Daniel. ‘Will you go down to Norfolk, sir? See if you can discover the whereabouts of my daughter and keep us informed. I want Eliza found—and if I discover that Manners has harmed her he will come to regret the day.’

  ‘You will need to be there before me,’ Daniel said, his mouth hard. ‘I love Eliza and she has promised to marry me. I have explained that I shall have little to offer, but she is happy to follow the drum as a soldier’s wife.’

  ‘Be damned to that,’ Cheadle said. ‘I have been trying to tell you that I wish to return the money your father lost to me at the tables, for I think I was in the wrong. I should like to make amends for any harm I have caused—especially if you are to marry my daughter.’

  ‘It is a debt of honour,’ Daniel said stiffly. ‘Perhaps something for Eliza.’

  ‘Stiff-necked young fool,’ Cheadle said. ‘ We shall talk again. Now get off and see if you can find my daughter—and then bring her here to us. I shall be staying here until Sarah’s future is decided. If Manners does not care for it, he may do the other thing.’

  Daniel could not stop the laugh that escaped him. ‘I think I should not like to be in Howard Manners’s shoes when you pay him that visit,’ he said. ‘Lady Sarah, you will excuse me. I shall go immediately to Norfolk and discover if Eliza is there. Cheadle, you will discover if you can if Lord Manners was behind her disappearance?’

  ‘Naturally,’ the marquis said. ‘I do not think he will deny me. I happen to hold enough of his notes to make him think twice. I have taken the precaution of purchasing them from his creditors in the event that they might come in useful. One word from me, and the lawyers will move in.’ He shook his head at Lady Sarah. ‘Do not fret, my dear one. Your son needs a fright, but if he is obliging he will come to no harm.’

  Daniel inclined his head, feeling almost amused. He might have found the situation funny had he been sure that Eliza was safe. She would not simply have gone off on her own, would she?

  Eliza was aware of the jolting of the carriage. Her head was aching and she could not focus when she first opened her eyes. Some moments passed before she realised that her hands had been bound. Gradually, she began to piece the sequence of events together. She had been accused of theft, told that if she did not leave immediately she would find herself imprisoned, and then she had packed a small bag and set out for her meeting with Daniel.

  Suddenly, three rogues had pounced on her from behind the trees. She had struggled and cried out but they had placed something over her face and she had fainted. Perhaps they had given her some evil drug, for she had known nothing for hours. It was night now and so far as she knew no one had even come to see if she was still alive.

  Eliza’s thoughts were clear even though her head still ached and felt fuzzy. She had been abducted. Why? Was it because someone mistakenly thought her an heiress? She was sure she had been followed in Bath, but had thought herself safe in the country. Was Lord Manners her abductor? He had threatened her with dire consequences if she ignored him, but she had been leaving. His ruse had succeeded—Lady Sarah believed that Eliza had stolen the rubies. She might even believe the rest of his accusations.

  Tears stung Eliza’s eyes. She struggled to control them. Now was not the time to give way to grief. She had to think about what was happening to her. What did her abductors plan to do with her? Was she to be murdered, her body left in some lonely spot until it decayed and she was for ever lost, just a tainted memory in the minds of those who had known her?

  It would seem as if she had run away, as if she were guilty. If Lord Manners had planned this, he had been fiendishly clever. The only flaw in his plan was her meeting with Daniel. He would wait and then…surely he would go to the house looking for her.

  Daniel would not believe that she was a thief. She felt confident that he would try to find her—but would she still be alive?

  Eliza had no idea how long they had been travelling or in which direction she was being taken. However, she was certain of one thing. When her chance came, she must escape. She could rely on no one else to save her from these rogues—she must make a bid for freedom herself as soon as the occasion arose.

  ‘Daniel,’ she whispered as she began to move her hands, trying to ease the ropes that bound her. They had cut into her flesh and were painful, but she focused her mind on the night she had spent with her lover and did not notice the cramping in her legs and arms. ‘Daniel, I love you so much.’

  If she could only get away from her abductors, she would somehow find her way to the man she loved. Even if he no longer felt able to marry her, he would help her.

  ‘Oh, no, sir,’ Betty said when she had invited the gentleman to step into her kitchen because of it being such a cold wet day. ‘Miss Bancroft is with Lady Sarah Manners. She went to Bath to be her companion some weeks back. My Ted took her himself.’

  ‘Miss Bancroft left Lady Sarah’s house over two days ago,’ Daniel replied. ‘There was a misunderstanding and Lady Sarah is most upset. She wishes Eliza to return.’

  ‘And who would you be, sir?’ Betty looked at him a mite suspiciously.

  ‘I am Lord Seaton, the Earl of Standish’s nephew,’ Daniel said. ‘I came to enquire for her—because we think something may have happened to her.’

  ‘Lawks-a-muss!’ Betty cried, turning pale. ‘You never mean it, sir—something happened to my Eliza? She isn’t the sort of girl to get into trouble. She’s always been an angel, looking after her mama all that time with never a murmur of complaint. Who would want to hurt my lamb, sir? That is what I should like to know.’

  ‘So should I, Mrs Wright,’ Daniel assured her. ‘If I find the man who abducted her, he will regret it. I give you my word.’

  ‘Lord above.’ Moved to violent emotion, Betty blew her nose on her spotless apron. ‘She wouldn’t be the first girl to go missing from these parts, for there was that tavern wench and the miller’s daughter, besides others… If anything has happened to my Eliza, I swear I’d beat him with my rolling pin, sir. The wicked fellow what’s took her deserves to hang.’

  ‘It is a hanging offence,’ Daniel said. ‘Yet I fear the rogues that have taken her are but fools who work for money. I pray that she comes to no harm at their hands. You can think of no one who might wish to harm her—or anywhere she would go if in distress?’

  ‘Where else should she go but here, sir?’ Betty said. ‘She has no one but us. My Ted told her she was to consider this her home for as long as she wished. If she could, I am sure she would come here.’

  ‘Then I fear we must conclude she is being held against her will,’ Daniel said and frowned. ‘I shall call on my uncle, but then I must go back to Lady Sarah’s home and discover if the marquis has had more luck. You will write to this address if you should hear from her?’ Daniel wrote down Lady Sarah’s home address. ‘I shall go here after I leave. Let me know if you remember anything or hear a rumour, however slight.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Betty clutched his arm as he turned to leave. ‘You will find her, sir?’

  ‘Yes. If it takes me the rest of my life I will find her,’ he promised.

  But would she still be alive? Was Lord Manners behind Eliza’s abduction, or was it someone else?

  Daniel could only hope that Lady Sarah would have received a ransom note when he returned. He had hoped Eliza would be here, but now he knew that she might be anywhere.

  Eliza had slept some of the time since they had stopped the coach and given her a crust of bread and something to drink. The masked men had untied her hands to allow her to eat and drink, but when they retied them they had
not been as thorough as the first time. She had been unable to loosen the knots then, but now she could feel a definite change. The rope was not cutting in as deeply as it had and she thought she would soon be able to work free. At the next change of horses she would try to escape.

  She closed her eyes and thought of Daniel. He loved her. He would be searching for her. If she could only evade her captors, she would find him somehow. She prayed that he had not already joined the regiment he had spoken of when he talked about the future. It did not matter, she would find him wherever he was.

  The hours passed so slowly and they must have been travelling for some days, at least two, she thought. Where were they heading? If her hands were free she could have pulled back the blinds and looked out, but the knots were so stubborn. Surely soon they would be loose enough to…

  Eliza gave a little cry of triumph as one hand came free. The other was soon relieved of the chafing rope. She rubbed at her wrists, feeling the life come back little by little. It was dark in the carriage, but when she risked a peep out of her window she saw that there was a bright moon. The countryside was touched with silver, looking strange and eerie. However, as they passed a gallows, she shivered, but then thought that she recognised the scenery. Surely she had come this way before? She had seen the gallows soon after leaving Norwich on her outward journey.

  Eliza let the blind fall and sat up, feeling excited. If she was truly not far from Norwich, it would be easy enough to find her way to Betty and Ted’s. Why had she been brought here? Somehow she did not think that Lord Manners would have gone to the trouble of delivering her to her home. No, there was quite another reason. Someone must have a special reason for bringing her here—but what could it be?

  Eliza smiled grimly in the darkness. She had no intention of waiting around to find out. As soon as the coach slowed down the next time, she would make her bid for freedom.