Betrayal at Cleeve Abbey

by Anita Davison

  ‘Allow me.’ Reginald wrested it from her and gave the ancient iron ring a firm twist.

  The massive oak slab that had greeted monks in grey habits centuries ago swung open with a creak as the three burst into the hall.

  The ornamental mirror at the bottom of the staircase showed that Flora’s straw hat had slipped to the back of her head, the end of the black ribbon tied round the crown had come undone, and the end lay across one shoulder. There was no sign of Scrivens as she led the way to the sitting room.

  Bunny looked up as the three of them entered, crumpled his newspaper in his lap and rose. ‘Flora, whatever is the matter? You’re quite breathless, have you been running?’

  ‘I have.’ Flora took off her hat and removed her gloves, which she tossed on a chair, together with her bag that contained the Beecham’s pills. ‘Where’s Eddy?’

  ‘We don’t know,’ Jocasta said, sighing. ‘The wretch hasn’t been here all afternoon.’ Her gaze slid over Dr Billings to Reginald. ‘Mr Meeks, what are you doing here?’

  ‘What’s going on, Flora?’ William eased forward on the sofa and set down his teacup and saucer on the table in front of him.

  ‘This is Dr Grace Billings.’ Flora conducted a brief introduction. ‘There’s no time to explain, it will take too long. We need to find Eddy.’

  ‘You’re the lady doctor?’ Jocasta asked, open-mouthed. ‘I didn’t think you would look so, well – ordinary.’

  ‘Jo,’ William warned.

  ‘I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just with all this talk about how unnatural it is for a woman to study medicine, I thought—’

  ‘Please don’t upset yourself, Lady Jocasta.’ Dr Billings inclined her head. ‘I shall accept that as a compliment. Some male members of the medical word regard me as the devil incarnate equipped with horns.’ She looked round vaguely. ‘Now, where is the patient?’

  ‘He isn’t here, apparently.’ Flora’s voice hitched in panic. ‘When did any of you last see him?’

  ‘Now I think about it, not since breakfast.’ Jocasta eyed the bulky outline in Mr Meeks’ pockets made by the medicine bottles. ‘Papa returned from Gloucester at about two o’clock, but Eddy wasn’t with him. Mama and Papa left for the matinee assuming he would be back for tea, but he hasn’t turned up, and well, to tell you the truth, I’m getting a little worried.’

  Flora groaned. She had forgotten Lord and Lady Vaughn were at the Winter Gardens that afternoon. ‘We have to find him.’

  Bunny advanced on Flora and waved the rest of them into silence. ‘Flora what’s this all about? Has something happened to Eddy?’

  Flora opened her mouth to explain, but her breathing had quickened and not knowing where to begin, she hesitated.

  ‘From what Mrs Harrington has told me,’ Dr Billings took command of the conversation, ‘They might be suffering from arsenical poisoning. He needs medical attention immediately.’

  ‘Eddy is ill?’ Jocasta’s face turned from mild enquiry to horror.

  ‘You said they,’ William rose to his feet. ‘Who else are we talking about?’

  ‘Peter Griggs has the same symptoms,’ Flora said, slightly calmer now. ‘His father thinks he has consumption, but I – we, aren’t so sure.’ She looked at Reginald, including him in her statement.

  ‘Mrs Harrington might well be right.’ Dr Billings hefted the leather bag she had placed on an empty chair. ‘Both boys could be suffering from poisoning. Now how do we find out where they are?’

  A chorus of, ‘surely nots’, and ‘are you sures’? followed.

  ‘We don’t have time to argue,’ Flora silenced them. ‘Jocasta, are Eddy and Peter particular friends?’

  ‘They played together all the time when they were small, but.’ Jocasta shrugged, and a flush crept up her neck. ‘Papa feels Eddy needs to make friends of his own sort now he’s at Marlborough, although I know they catch up in secret when Eddy comes back for holidays.’

  ‘Perhaps they’re together at The Red Kite?’ Flora asked, insistent. ‘Or is there somewhere else they usually go?’

  ‘Slow down, Flora, you’re panicking.’ Bunny placed a firm hand on her arm. ‘Firstly, tell us how you think the boys have come to be poisoned.’

  ‘I can’t slow down.’ His calm reasoning made her more agitated. ‘We have to find Eddy. Dr Billings needs to see him as soon as possible to assess how badly he’s been affected. For all we know it might be too late.’

  ‘What?’ Bunny and William said together.

  ‘Mr Harrington,’ Reginald interrupted, ‘it’s possible the boys got hold of some of the beer from the fête and have been sneaking off to drink it. If they have consumed small quantities over a long period of time, it explains why they are both still sick.’

  ‘Eddy doesn’t drink beer,’ Jocasta protested. ‘Father only lets him have the odd sherry before dinner.’

  ‘He’s fourteen, Jo.’ William snorted then walked to the bell pull. ‘Don’t tell me you did everything you were told at that age. Heavens, girl, you don’t do it now.’ He took instant command of the situation. ‘We’ll try The Red Kite first and see if Griggs knows where either boy is. What’s the quickest way to get there?’

  ‘I have my gig outside,’ Dr Billings, said calmly. ‘It will hold two of us and both boys if we find them. No more, I’m afraid.’

  ‘I’m tempted to summon the carriage but it will take too long to get that organized.’ William massaged his forehead with one hand. ‘Doctor, you and Bunny go in the gig. I’ll follow on horseback as soon as I can get a mount saddled. I’ll do it myself if necessary.’

  Scrivens arrived from wherever he had been hiding, his expression vacant to the point of boredom; William issued instructions as to what to tell Lord and Lady Vaughn when they returned.

  ‘If you’ll allow me, sir,’ Reginald interrupted him, ‘I could remain here to do that, and have somewhere made ready for when you return.’

  ‘Good idea, Mr Meeks,’ Flora announced. ‘Because I’m coming too, so Bunny, you’ll need a horse as well because I shall be in Dr Billings’ gig.’

  ‘What about me? He’s my brother,’ Jocasta protested.

  William grabbed her arm and held her back. ‘I think you should wait here with Mr Meeks.’ He raised a brow at Reginald who acquiesced with a gesture of one hand. ‘If your parents return before we find Eddy, they’ll need a familiar face to reassure them. And let’s face it, Jo, you’re not good in a crisis.’

  ‘I refute that!’ Jocasta yelled, but William had already gone.

  Flora mouthed a thank you to Reginald, pressed Jocasta’s hand in sympathy before she ran out onto the drive and climbed onto Dr Billings’ gig.

  ‘William knows where we’re going,’ Flora said to Bunny, who nodded and ran towards the stables after William. ‘I do hope we find them in time.’

  ‘You’re convinced the boys are together?’ Dr Billings turned the gig in a tight circle and set off towards the gates.

  ‘I cannot be sure, but it’s likely, if Eddy has been sneaking off on his own.’ She gripped the seat with both hands and hung on. ‘I don’t know what we’ll do if not.’

  ‘We’ll face that when we get to it.’ The doctor urged the horse faster. ‘If no one has seen them all day, time might be of the essence.’

  21

  ‘Where exactly is this public house?’ Dr Billings asked, slowing the gig a little as the road levelled out and became a winding High Street with tightly packed houses on both sides.

  ‘Just past the next corner, the pub juts into the road so you cannot miss it. There’s a horse trough opposite where the men can tether their horses.’

  Flora had only just spoken when the gig rounded the bend and the unmissable sight of The Red Kite came into view.

  ‘Over there on the right,’ Flora called as Dr Billings brought the gig to a halt.

  Flora fretted, debating whether or not to go inside or wait for William and Bunny, while the doctor secured the reins to one of the metal rings
designed for horses.

  ‘What are you waiting there for?’ Doctor Billings hauled her leather bag from the flatbed and cocked her chin in the direction of the pub. ‘We won’t find them out here.’ Without waiting for an answer, she pushed open the door to the taproom and went inside before the door flapped shut behind her.

  Recalling the hard looks Mr Griggs had levelled at her on her last visit, Flora reluctantly climbed down and followed.

  The taproom had small square windows and a low-beamed ceiling which contributed to its gloomy yet cosy appearance. Dr Billings stood at the counter, waiting to speak to the landlord, and Flora came alongside her.

  The bar had recently been opened, some chairs still turned upside down on the tables, the tiled floor shiny and wet from a recent wash evidenced by a strong odour of carbolic soap.

  Mr Griggs sauntered slowly from the back room, his eyes narrowing when he saw the upright woman in his pub, followed by a deep frown when he spotted Flora.

  ‘What are you ladies—’ he began, but Dr Billings held up a hand to silence him.

  ‘I have no patience with your male sensibilities. I’m here to ask the whereabouts of Edward Vaughn and your son.’

  ‘My son? What do yer want with ’im?’ Mr Griggs’ face darkened.

  ‘I don’t have time to explain, but if you have any information, it would be much appreciated.’ Dr Billings met his glare with one of challenge.

  ‘Haven’t seen Peter for hours.’ Griggs’ angry glare turned to puzzlement. ‘He went off somewhere this morning.’ He grabbed a wet glass off the counter in front of him and set to polishing it with a cloth. An odd thing to do in the circumstances, Flora thought, but then he wasn’t aware of the circumstances and Dr Billings seemed unwilling to tell him. So as not to worry him perhaps?

  ‘Was he alone?’ Flora asked, incensed when he answered her with a bored shrug.

  ‘You must have some idea where he’s gone?’ She brought a fist down on the counter, sending the man’s eyebrows into his hairline.

  ‘I’ve a pub to run, can’t be chasing after him all day.’ Griggs sniffed. ‘He looked a bit washed out earlier, so I told him to get some fresh air. He’s prob’ly down by the stream fishin’ fer sticklebacks. What’s the lad done anyway?’

  ‘He hasn’t done anything, Mr Griggs.’ Flora touched Dr Billings’ arm gently. ‘We’re wasting time. No point worrying him until we know for sure’. She flicked a swift look at Griggs and away again. ‘We’ll have to make a search field by field.’

  ‘I agree.’ They retreated to the door when Griggs called them back. ‘There’s a shepherd’s hut on the hill. The village nippers take picnics up there sometimes.’ He stared at the glass he held and shrugged. ‘Don’t know what yer makin’ all this fuss is about. He gets tired easily so never stays out long.’

  ‘I know where the hut is. The boys used to go there a lot.’ Flora ran back to the gig and climbed the step. ‘We can go as far as the rise, but we’ll have to work our way down the hillside on foot.’

  The doctor nodded, flung her bag into the back and took the reins, just as approaching hoof beats behind them announced the arrival of William and Bunny.

  ‘Do you know where they are?’ Bunny reined his bay mare in behind the gig. William rode the more spirited Diabolus, who crabbed sideway, mouthing the bit, but William seemed to have no trouble controlling him.

  ‘We think Eddy’s with Peter,’ Flora called. ‘It’s about a quarter of a mile further on. A stile into the field beside a signpost marks the spot.’

  William nodded, spurred Diabolus into a gallop, followed by Bunny’s mount, a chestnut with a white flash on its chest. They had disappeared round a bend by the time Dr Billings had manoeuvred the gig back onto the road. Flora squeezed her eyes closed and sent up a silent prayer, something she didn’t do very often.

  By the time Dr Billings drew the gig to a halt on the brow of the hill, the summer dusk had spread fingers of pink and grey light over the hillside. The two horses had been secured to the gate beside the stile, though there was no sign of either William or Bunny.

  ‘This way.’ Flora bunched up her skirts and clambered over the stile. She turned back to offer the doctor a hand, but the woman needed no help and set out towards a squat, stone hut that lay below then, only the roof visible from the road. The long side was set into the earth of the incline, the three exposed sides made of packed stone open to the winds that swept across the soft fields towards the Malvern Hills in the distance; a view Flora had no time to appreciate as she made her way sideways down the steep incline, watching for uneven tufts that would turn an ankle or send her to the bottom.

  A low wooden door gave entry to the hut from the narrow end that lay open, the shadowy figures of Bunny and William visible inside.

  ‘Are they there?’ Flora halted at the door. The interior was only large enough for two truckle beds set on either side, a tiny stove on the wall between them for colder nights in the field. The only light came from a tiny window, but Flora could just make out the figure of Eddy on one of the narrow beds. Peter sat on the floor, his head resting on the thin mattress at Eddy’s feet. Two earthenware jugs lay between them, the air heavy with the hoppy smell of ale and peat.

  Dr Billings shouldered past Bunny, eased William aside and crouched beside Eddy, whose collarless shirt was undone at the neck, his lips colourless and a sheen of sweat sat on his pale skin.

  Flora stood, helpless and terrified, a fist shoved against her mouth as she fought tears and watched the doctor examine his eyes, press her fingers against the side of his neck and nod slowly.

  ‘I can feel a faint but steady pulse,’ she said over one shoulder.

  ‘Drunk, do you think?’ Bunny asked, wiping a handkerchief over Eddy’s damp forehead.

  ‘More than that.’ Dr Billings bent one ear close to his mouth. ‘His breathing is shallow and he’s barely conscious. We must get them back to the Abbey immediately.’ She split a look between the two men. ‘Can you manage to carry them?’

  Nodding, William hefted his nephew into his arms with a grunt and carried him outside.

  Bunny lifted Peter, who was smaller and wirier, but still a cumbersome weight.

  ‘Bring those jugs, too,’ Dr Billings gestured to Flora. ‘Any remaining beer will need to be analyzed.’

  Made of rough clay the two earthenware jugs were painted in two tone brown, with chunky handles and cork stoppers. They looked heavy, but came up relatively light in Flora’s hands, though her climb back up the incline proved more difficult with both hands full. Her foot slipped several times on the stiff tufts of grass and she almost dropped one of the jugs.

  Bunny reached the top first with Dr Billings close behind who supervised laying Peter on a thin layer of folded blankets on the flatbed, with Eddy alongside when William reached the summit.

  ‘They’ll be all right won’t they?’ Flora’s hand trembled as she adjusted Eddy’s shirt where it gaped at the neck. They have to be.

  ‘They are both quite feverish, but I doubt their organs are breaking down yet.’ Dr Billings climbed back into the driving seat but avoided Flora’s eye as she performed her skillful about-turn in the road. ‘We’ll see you back at the Abbey,’ she called to William, as he and Bunny mounted their horses.

  ‘They’ll likely get there before us,’ Flora said, though Dr Billings didn’t comment.

  Flora crouched in the back of the gig between the boys, one hand gripping the side as they bumped and careered down the hill. ‘Eddy, can you hear me?’ She laid a tentative hand on his shoulder, but his only response was a low moan.

  ‘I doubt he’s conscious,’ Dr Billings shouted back to her, her eyes on the road and the reins held firmly in both hands.

  ‘Peter hasn’t stirred since we found him.’ Flora bit her lip, her gaze moving from one boy to the next in search of some sign they knew what was going on. Their bodies jerked and swayed with the movement of the cart but otherwise they remained motionless.

 
; ‘He’s worse, I’m afraid.’ Dr Billings shouted without turning her head. ‘Either he ingested more of the arsenic than Eddy, or he was weaker to begin with.’

  ‘Thank you for coming,’ Flora said. ‘I ought to tell you that Dr Fairbrother is Eddy’s doctor, but he said Eddy was suffering from growing pains.’

  ‘That doesn’t surprise me.’ Briefly she glanced over her shoulder. ‘Fairbrother hasn’t opened a medical book for years. His diagnostic abilities tend towards guesswork and hyperbole.’

  After a short, but frantic downhill ride, the carriage turned in at the gates to Cleeve Abbey. The stable doors stood open, indicating the men had indeed arrived first.

  Dr Billings had barely halted the horse before Jocasta burst through the front door and came hurtling across the gravel, then went straight to the rear of the gig.

  ‘Eddy! Eddy can you hear me?’ She stroked his pale face with one hand but he didn’t stir; her face twisted in anguish.

  ‘Most probably not, I’m afraid,’ Dr Billings replied, easing her away to allow Bunny and William to carry the boys into the house. Bunny took charge of Peter, his limbs swaying like a rag doll as they carried him up the front steps, his face unnaturally bloodless.

  ‘Eddy looks awful.’ Jocasta bounced on her heels beside them. ‘Will he be all right? And poor Peter,’ she added, though as an obvious afterthought.

  ‘Give the doctor a chance, Jo.’ Flora held her back with a firm grip on her shoulders as they followed Bunny and William inside. ‘Are your parents back yet?’

  ‘What? Oh yes. They returned about twenty minutes ago. Mama threw a fit of hysterics and Papa has been shouting at me as if this was all my fault.’ Her voice rose, indignant, then she calmed again. ‘Mr Meeks has been marvellous. He calmed them down and explained everything.’

  ‘We’ll go and join them while Doctor Billings examines the boys,’ Flora attempted a reassuring tone, but her own mind was whirling. ‘There isn’t much she can say yet. I’m sure Eddy will be fine now we know what the problem is.’ She wasn’t so sure about Peter, but they would think about that when the doctor had seen him.