Her attention was caught immediately by the exotic Eastern mysteries of 'Kubla Khan', but when she began to read 'The Ancient Mariner' she was entranced. Swept away by the torrent of magnificent imagery, she rose to her feet and began to walk about the room reading aloud.
Then a small hand tugged at her skirt and she looked down to find Joe crouching by the desk, with his brother close beside him. Both boys looked terrified.
'Why, Joe? What is it? You must not be afraid. This is but a story about a sailor and a great bird...'
"T ain't that, miss. You must go away!'
'But we have only just returned. Are you not glad to see us back again?'
To her surprise he clutched her hand in a painful grip. 'Go! You must go! We seen 'im, miss. We thought 'e'd gone for good, but 'e come back.'
'I don't understand you. What are you talking about?'
Joe's lips set in a mutinous line. 'Best listen up, miss. 'E won't make no mistake next time.' There was no mistaking the panic in his voice.
India sat down and drew him to her. 'What is all this mystery, Joe? Has someone frightened you? Tell me his name and we shall send him to the rightabout.'
He shook his head and tried to pull away, but India would not release him.
'You must obey me,' she said firmly. 'His lordship would not be best pleased to find you disobedient.'
Still the boy was silent, but India found support from an unexpected source.
'Joe, you gotta tell!' His brother was holding tightly to Joe's other hand.
'Won't you trust me?' India coaxed. 'No harm can come to you within these walls...'
Joe grimaced. 'It did to you, miss.'
India was mystified. Then she remembered. 'Oh, you mean my fall? That was just an accident.'
'No, it weren't. We seen 'im, me and Tom. 'E opened the door upstairs and took the key away.'
'But who? Was it one of the workmen? In any case, he may have had a good reason.' 'It weren't a workman.' Joe refused to meet her eyes. 'Miss, we seen 'im before, the night the factory burned.'
'But who?'
Still the boy refused to speak and India shook him gently.
'You are making me cross,' she said. 'Can't you understand? If you know who he is he can be stopped.'
Mutely, he looked at her with tear-filled eyes.
'It were the toff,' his brother said suddenly. 'You knows 'im, Miss.'
'The toff? Tom, who can you mean?'
Both boys looked at her and then the flood gates opened. 'It's 'im they calls Mr Salton. We 'eard 'im givin' orders at the factory...'
India felt that her heart must stop. 'Oh, no!' she breathed. 'You must be mistaken.'
'We ain't.' Joe would not be deterred now that the truth was out. 'When you fell, miss, didn't you see 'im close to you?'
'I thought that someone came to me,' India admitted. 'But he went away again. I couldn't be sure. I was confused.'
'It wuz 'im all right. 'E went off when 'e saw me.'
India felt her throat constrict with horror. She could not doubt that the boys were telling the truth, but it seemed incredible. Had Isham not told her of Henry's previous behaviour she would have refused to believe their story.
Joe tugged at her hand insistently. 'Now will you go?' he begged. "E's bringin 'em tonight.'
Horror turned to frozen disbelief. 'What do you mean?' she whispered.
'Them strikers, miss,' Joe told her patiently. 'Yon toff told 'em that they'd 'ave rich pickin's.'
'He's bringing them here? Oh, Joe this can't be true. You should not listen to gossip.'
"T ain't gossip. We wuz there. We bin watchin 'im.'
'But how could you? You mean that you have attended one of their meetings?'
'Course we did. They takes no notice of the likes of us. Don't think they even saw us.'
'We must hope not.' India hugged the children to her. 'Now promise that you will not say a word of this to anyone? I must find his lordship.'
The boys still hesitated. 'You are not to worry,' she comforted. 'His lordship will know what to do.'
They were satisfied with that, and slipped out of the room as she rang the bell for Tibbs.
'Have you seen his lordship?' she asked quickly. 'I wish to speak to him.'
'He rode out not half-hour since, my lady.'
'Did he say where he was going?'
'No, madam, but earlier he mentioned business in Northampton.'
'Thank you, Tibbs. Will you let me know as soon as he returns?'
'Certainly, madam.' Tibbs eyed her with some concern. Her ladyship looked pale enough to faint. 'May I bring you some refreshment?'
'Not just now, I thank you.' India dismissed him and sank into a chair. Her thoughts were in turmoil, but her overriding concern was for Isham. How was she to tell him about Henry? Would he believe her? She would not blame him if he didn't. How could he imagine that his own brother would try to harm him? It would be a bitter blow, but the facts were there.
Vainly she hoped that Joe and his brother were mistaken, but in her heart she was convinced that they had told her the truth. Much that had puzzled her was now becoming clear.
From the first Henry had attempted to set her against this marriage with his subtle criticism of his brother. Had he been determined to prevent it? She shuddered. If the fall had killed her he would still be Isham's heir.
Her face grew paler still. What would have happened had Joe not hurried to her side? Henry might so easily have crushed her skull and blamed it on the fall. She buried her face in her hands. Was he indeed capable of murder?
She grew calmer after a time. If Joe was right and the attack on the house was planned for tonight, Isham would need to take some action. The Grange was built of stone and would not fire easily, but the long windows on the ground floor would give easy access to the mob.
The servants? Well, they might arm the grooms and the gardeners, but Tibbs was no longer young. As for Isham's valet, she could not regard him as a fighting man. All in all, they were too few to fend off a determined assault. Even Giles was gone away. Henry had been clever, she knew that now. He had waited until his two intended victims were alone.
Two? Oh, yes, she was convinced of it. Henry planned to remove herself and Isham from his path. How else could he gain possession of his brother's wealth?
She stopped trembling as an icy anger gripped her.
She would fight him to the death. He would find no bleating lamb awaiting execution. Nor would he be able to blame their murders on the mob. If he tried to kill her she would take him with her.
She rang the bell again.
'Tibbs, is his lordship returned?'
'No, my lady. I should have let you know.'
'Of course!' India smiled at him. 'Tell me—do you have the keys to the gun-room?'
'They are kept in his lordship's desk, my lady.'
'Will you find them, please?' She would feel safer with those keys in her own possession.
Tibbs did not question her strange request, though every instinct warned him of approaching trouble. His mistress had heard something, though from what source he could not tell. His fervent wish was that his master would return without delay.
This wish was strongly echoed in India's heart, but the day wore on and still there was no sign of Isham.
India sat through what seemed to her to be an interminable nuncheon with her mother-in-law. She was anxious not to frighten the older woman, but to her own ears the conversation sounded stilted. The Dowager did not notice, though she did remark on India's pallor.
'It is nothing,' India lied. 'Just a slight headache, ma'am. I believe I shall lie down for an hour this afternoon.' She blushed as she encountered her companion's enquiring glance.
'Forgive me if I seem impertinent, but you are not increasing?'
'No!' India almost shouted her reply. Then she remembered her manners. 'It is too soon,' she murmured.
'Not at all. You have not heard of honeymoon babies?'
&nb
sp; If anything could have added to India's misery it was this. She nodded, but she bit her lip in desperation.
'It is not that, I assure you, ma'am.'
'My dear, need we be so formal? I feel so old when you address me in that way. My name is Lucia.'
India did her best to respond to the friendly overture but the task was beyond her. In the end she excused herself and went up to her room.
To rest was out of the question, but she needed time to think. The boys had mentioned no hour for the proposed attack. In Isham's absence would she be making a fool of herself if she armed the grooms and the gardeners? The gamekeepers, she knew, already carried guns, and they knew how to use them.
She thought long and hard about issuing firearms to the others. Then she decided against it. A gun in inexperienced hands might cause more harm than good, and an accidental shot might rouse the mob to serious violence.
As the light faded and the day grew into dusk she summoned Tibbs once more. Now she could only ask for his support. Let him think her fanciful if he would. She was past caring.
'I have been warned of trouble, possibly tonight,' she told him quickly. 'The staff is at supper below at this hour?'
Tibbs nodded. 'Yes, ma'am.' His expression was imperturbable.
'This may be a false alarm, and I have no wish to frighten the maids. Will you have a quiet word with the gamekeepers? I'd like them posted along the road to keep watch for his lordship. I...I suppose it would be useless to send them to find him?'
'It would, my lady. We can't be sure of his direction.'
'Then we must do our best without him. The rest of the men must stay close tonight. They might arm themselves with cudgels, or whatever they can find. Above all, they must be alert. At the first hint of trouble you will take the entire staff into the cellars and lock the doors behind you. I cannot think that the mob will harm you. It seeks other prey, but if you are attacked, I shall expect you to defend yourselves.'
'Very good, madam.'
India looked at him and smiled. As far as Tibbs was concerned she might have been giving orders for tea to be served in the salon. Now she began to appreciate his stirling worth.
'There is another matter, my lady. What of yourself and the Dowager Lady Isham?'
'You will take her ladyship with you. I shall follow. You may open the door to me when you hear this signal.' She tapped out a short tattoo upon the desk. 'You will not forget the boys, of course?'
Tibbs drew himself to his full height. 'Her ladyship and the two young boys will be my first consideration, ma'am.'
'Good!' India smiled at him again. 'I shall rely on you. Can you think of any other precautions we might take?'
'We might leave candles burning in many of the rooms, my lady. It might give the impression that you are entertaining and that the house is filled with gentlemen.'
'A splendid idea! Now pray don't alarm the women unless you must.'
Tibbs bowed and retired to carry out his orders, leaving India to wonder if there was anything else she might have done. On an impulse she called him back and handed him the keys to the gun-room.
'You might load two pistols for me, if you please,' she murmured.
For the first time he hesitated.
'I do know how to use them,' she assured him. 'My brother is quite a shot. It was he who taught me.'
Tibbs bowed again. It was not his place to argue, but he doubted if his formidable master would agree to such a request. Nevertheless, he did as he was bidden.
'You will dine at the usual time, my lady?' he enquired when he returned. As he handed over the weapons India was seized with a strong desire to giggle.
She stopped herself at once. Tibbs might see her laughter as the first sign of hysterics, rather than her genuine amusement at his impassive demeanour in the face of what must have been the strangest request in all his long career.
'I think so,' she replied. 'My Lady Isham will think it strange if we change any of our ways.'
Her amusement did not last. Isham's lengthy absence was beginning to trouble her. Had he been waylaid? Her blood ran cold at the thought of it. Nothing could be easier than to fire at a solitary horseman from behind a hedge or a wall.
How trivial their quarrel seemed in the face of real danger. She vowed to put an end to it that night if she was spared.
In the meantime she must behave as if nothing untoward had happened. She bathed her hands and face and went down to the salon.
'Better?' Lucia asked.
'Much better, thank you.' India's expression gave her words the lie.
'My dear, you are still so pale. Won't you tell me what is troubling you?'
'I can't think what is keeping Anthony,' India blurted out. 'It is unlike him to be so long away from home.'
'Do you fear an accident?'
India nodded dumb with misery.
'We all do that, my dear. It is a natural concern for those we love, but it is foolish for all that. Anthony is well able to take care of himself. Have you forgot that he is an old campaigner, and one of Wellesley's favourites?'
This small crumb of comfort carried India through yet another meal which seemed to last for hours. She could only give silent thanks when Lucia announced her intention of retiring early.
'I believe I shall do the same,' she said. She kissed the older woman on the cheek and sought the sanctuary of her room.
There she walked over to the window and gazed across the rolling landscape. It was full dark, but as she watched, the moon began to rise, bathing the countryside in light and shadow. Would Henry bring his followers at full moon? Surely he would not be so foolish, but she could take no chances. When the house was quiet she slipped downstairs again.
The salon was ablaze with light. Tibbs had been lavish in his use of candles, and he had drawn the curtains. The room looked welcoming and cosy, but she must not be lulled into a false sense of security. India sank into a chair beside the fire, and placed the pistols within easy reach on a low table at her side.
As the hours went by her eyelids drooped, and several times she was awakened only by the chiming of the great clock in the hall. Then she heard another sound as the gravel in the driveway crunched beneath the tramp of many feet.
She slipped into the unlit anteroom next door, giving her eyes time to adjust to the darkness before she peered out through the window. Then she began to tremble. A dark tide of figures flowed towards her across the grounds about the house. She could number them in hundreds.
At a single word of command they stopped, but she heard the tinkle of glass as a volley of stones flew towards the windows. One man took no part in this. He detached himself from the front row of the mob and ran across the terrace.
The locked and shuttered windows delayed him for long enough for India to reach her seat again. She hid the pistols beneath her skirts and looked up as the curtains parted and a masked intruder walked into the room. Raw anger overwhelmed her.
'Henry, you may take off your mask,' she said in icy tones. 'I want to see your face as you fire the shot that kills me.'
Henry laughed aloud. 'Now I wonder how that idea can have entered your head, my dear. Someone must have warned you.' His eyes were alight with feverish excitement, but the hand that held his pistol was quite steady.
'It was not so difficult to discover. I have never fully trusted you.'
'Nor I you, if the truth be known. Oh, I did not doubt your courage, India, but you have one priceless asset which has defeated me till now.'
She would not stoop to question him.
'Don't you wonder what it is? Sheer luck—that touchstone by which the great Napoleon himself has always chosen his marshals!' He perched on the corner of the desk, casually swinging a leg. 'Let us see now, you survived my attempt to overturn you on the Northampton road, or was it on a country lane? I forget. And then the fall? I was convinced I had you there, but it was not to be. Alas, the fates were against me!'
'You are a fool!' she said steadily. 'Give i
t up now. Would you hang for murder?'
'I have no intention of doing so. In one respect I have had some luck myself. This sullen mob of peasants gives me perfect cover. Listen to them! They are out for blood! Who is to say who sheds it?'
India's hands closed about her pistols. She had never fired at a living creature in her life. Could she bring herself to injure her tormentor? Henry's next words stiffened her resolve.
'Where is Anthony?' he asked pleasantly.
'He's somewhere in the house,' she lied. 'He may be playing billiards with his friends.'
'Now, now, don't lie to me, my dear. The noise alone would have brought him to your side.' He walked over to her then and twined his fingers in her hair, tugging her head back until tears of pain started to her eyes. 'I ask you again. Where is he?'
'I don't know,' she cried. 'Why won't you believe me? I have not seen him for these many hours.'
'Were you looking for me?'
India looked up to see Isham standing in the doorway. To her dismay he appeared to be unarmed.
'Anthony, take care!' she cried. 'He has a gun!'
'I see it.' Isham strolled towards his brother. 'So it is true? You are the leader of these men? I would not believe it.'
'You were always a soft touch,' Henry jeered. 'Not fit to hold the title or the lands. They should be mine. I'd know what to do with them. Why should you have everything and I have naught? It was just an accident of birth. I was your heir. Had you died in the Peninsula War... Well, you did not. Now you have a wife and will possibly beget an heir. I shall be robbed of what is rightfully mine.'
'You are mistaken, Henry.' The soft voice startled everyone in the room. 'You are no kin to Anthony. Your father was killed in the Americas, before I met Lord Isham. You bear his name, but not his blood. You could not inherit.'
'Mother, you lie!' The handsome face was contorted with rage. 'All this is to be mine!'
'No, my dear. That cannot be.'
Henry backed away from them. 'Who is to say me nay?'
The Reluctant Bride Page 19