Helen shook her head, a minimal gesture that said she was incapable of either action or speech.
Ursula drew up another chair. ‘Did you really not know about Belle’s condition?’
Helen closed her eyes. ‘No. I had no idea. You have to believe me.’
‘But you knew she was infatuated with Mr Warburton?’
‘She’s a child; I thought it a passing fancy. As soon as she was in London, making her debut, attending the balls and going racing and everything, she would forget him. I still think so.’
‘And you, are you infatuated with him?’ Ursula asked bluntly.
‘I … I … he has … he has given me support.’ A flush coloured her pale cheeks.
‘How long has Mr Warburton been at Mountstanton?’ Ursula was aware that she should have ascertained this information before.
‘He arrived just before Christmas.’ Helen looked down at her hands, tightly interlaced in her lap. ‘He … he was such fun.’
Ursula could imagine how the secretary would have brightened the place. He was the sort of young man who could not resist flirting with any halfway attractive woman – and Helen was far more than that. If he had received any encouragement from her, and no warning from his employer, well, no wonder their friendship had become so intimate.
‘What was the “noblesse oblige” business?’
Helen looked sightlessly around the room. ‘Richard said there was some … some misdemeanour William had been caught up in. Nothing much, he said, only he could do with some help with his correspondence and, well, William was to stay with us for a couple of months or so.’
‘A couple of months? But surely he has now been here for much longer.’
‘Richard said he was useful.’
‘He does not seem to do very much.’
Helen shrugged again. ‘Apparently he has given satisfaction.’
Ursula stopped herself from suggesting the satisfaction might lie with the Countess rather than the Earl. She went to the window, tweaked the curtains and looked out at the dark. Rain lashed at the windowpanes. The thought of Belle out there was horrific.
‘And you really have no idea where Belle might have gone? Could she have made friends with one or another of your neighbours?’
‘She was so bored with everywhere I took her. It was so embarrassing for me.’ Helen seemed to sense Ursula’s condemnation. ‘I am, of course, worried about where she is. Charles said he would send that investigator of his to Hinton Parva as soon as he returned; he thought she might have gone there. But now there’s this interrogation of William going on.’ Helen covered her eyes with the back of a hand. ‘It is so ridiculous. William cannot have killed anyone.’
‘Belle was not on her way to the village when she galloped past us.’
Ursula imagined the girl, wet through, at last slowing her helter-skelter ride. Would she start to wonder what she was doing? Regret her impetuous decision? Would she know where she was? Be able to find her way back to Mountstanton? She had not returned. Was she lying helpless somewhere out there? Surely a search had to be instigated now? But how successful could it be in the dark?
A knock came on the door of the boudoir and the Colonel entered.
Helen looked at him hopefully. ‘Belle, has she returned?’
‘I’m sorry, Helen, she hasn’t. We have to go and look for her.’
‘Will you be able to see anything?’ Ursula asked. He looked tired and dispirited.
‘Very little,’ he acknowledged. ‘The walking party, though, will take lamps and the territory is well known. The grooms and I will ride; she’s likely to have gone beyond walking distance. We will cover as many of the tenant farms as we can, together with the village. If we can’t find her, in the morning we can start on the neighbours.’ He looked out of the window. ‘If the rain eases and the clouds lift, the moon will provide illumination, it’s almost full.’ It seemed a lot to ask for.
For a moment Ursula remembered discovering the Earl’s dead body; the belvedere and all around had been flooded with silver light. Then it had seemed cruel; now it would be helpful. ‘In what way can I assist?’
The Colonel gave her an absent-minded smile. ‘Thank you, the best thing you can do is keep Helen company.’
‘What about Mr Warburton?’ Helen asked urgently. ‘Have you cleared him of this ridiculous charge of murder?’
‘We have hardly started,’ he said grimly. ‘He will remain in his room until tomorrow. Food will be taken to him.’
‘You haven’t locked him in?’
‘He has given me his word that he will remain there.’
‘He is of course innocent of whatever foul deed your investigator is accusing him of,’ said Helen. ‘Richard would never have employed him unless he was certain of that. If William has given his word not to leave, I cannot understand why he may not have the run of the house.’
The Colonel looked at her incredulously. ‘After admitting to seducing Belle and getting her with child, and being accused of murder, I should have thought, Helen, you would want him thrown in a dungeon. I hope you will not think of going to speak with him.’
‘Of course not, Charles,’ she said sharply.
His expression softened slightly. ‘I have told Benson to have food brought to you and Miss Grandison here.’
‘He may bring me a tray. I am sure Ursula would prefer to be elsewhere. My mother-in-law might welcome her company.’
Ursula tried to remind herself that Helen was under enormous strain and it was no wonder she wanted to be on her own.
With a sigh of exasperation the Colonel held the door open for Ursula. Once outside he said, almost if trying to believe it, ‘She is not responsible for her words.’
‘I know.’ They started down the corridor towards the hall.
‘You are limping badly, Miss Grandison. Did that accident damage your ankle again?’
‘No, it’s fine,’ she lied, ‘I’m just tired. A night’s rest will be all that’s needed.’
‘Good. There’s too much going on for the reliable Miss Grandison to be handicapped.’ Without a pause he added, ‘Jackman has reported the result of your visit to Gray. I gather that he has admitted authorship of the letter, and denied paternity of Polly’s child or knowledge of who did seduce her. Is that about it?’
She nodded. ‘Succinctly put, Colonel. One more detail, though. It was Miss Ranner who told him who Polly’s father was. Tomorrow morning Mr Jackman and I will try and see if she can contribute any further information.’
‘Excellent.’ He sounded, though, as if his mind was elsewhere.
‘What about Mr Warburton? Is he really the man who caused Mr Jackman’s resignation from the police force?’
The Colonel stopped in surprise. ‘So, he told you about that?’
‘In the context of something else. It seems an extraordinary coincidence.’
They continued walking, Ursula trying not to limp.
‘As to that, I do not think it is such a coincidence. It was an old friend of mine who put me in touch with the Chief Constable. He suggested I contact Thomas Jackman. I am sure that before we met, he researched my background and he could well have known that William Warburton had been given what might be called sanctuary by my brother. The Chief Constable may have looked on it as “unfinished business”.’
Ursula looked at the Colonel, appalled. ‘That suggests he thought Mr Warburton could be guilty. Were you told why Mr Jackman had resigned?’
‘Only the briefest of details. I gained the impression it was not a free choice on his part.’
‘And I understand Mr Warburton arrived at Mountstanton just before Christmas?’
‘I was not here then. If you remember, I only returned the day you discovered Polly’s body.’ He gave her a slight smile.
‘But, Colonel, if you’ll forgive me, you must have been at least in the neighbourhood early in the year to order your motor vehicle.’
He stopped and looked at her incredulously. ‘Was
that why you were suddenly so cold with me? You suspected I could have been involved with Polly?’
Ursula flushed. ‘It seemed so strange you going off to London so suddenly and not returning for such a long time. Then when your vehicle arrived, I talked to Roberts. He told me when you had ordered it and that you had personally specified the body work. Salisbury is not so far from here.’
The Colonel gave her a grim smile. ‘You should have faced me with this before now. Yes, I did order my motor vehicle personally but I never came near Mountstanton. I had very little time or inclination to do so. My recent stay in London lengthened because I had to sort out some left-over regimental matter that was more complicated than it should have been.’
Ursula felt ashamed. ‘I never really doubted you, Colonel, but you are right, I should have mentioned the business with the car.’
As they continued towards the hall, she felt she had let him down. ‘Did Mr Warburton not want to help search for Belle?’
‘He said he was sure I would not allow it. Since he showed so little concern for her, I thought it best he kept to his room.’
Ursula stopped him short of the hall, out of hearing distance of any footman. ‘I agree with the Dowager’s assessment of him. And I do wonder if he could be the father of Polly’s child.’
The Colonel nodded. ‘I have come to the same conclusion. I should have suspected earlier. I cannot understand why it did not occur to either Richard or Helen.’
They continued into the hall. There was Thomas Jackman, freshly dressed in dry clothes.
‘Forgive me,’ the Colonel said, ‘I must change. I’ll not be more than a few minutes, Jackman. Are you sure you will not ride with me?’
‘I am no horseman, sir. I shall accompany the foot party that goes to the village.’
The Colonel took the staircase in a series of running leaps.
‘Would you like a sandwich to take with you?’ Ursula asked Jackman. ‘I am sure one can be produced very quickly.’
He shook his head. ‘Thank you, miss, but I am used to working on an empty stomach. We need to find the little lass.’
He made his apologies, saying he was meeting his group of searchers in the stables.
Ursula stood alone in the hall. There wasn’t even a footman there waiting for orders. She felt useless and abandoned. With an inward jolt, she realised that investigating Polly’s death had become part of her life at Mountstanton. And a vital feature of that investigation had been Colonel Charles Stanhope, Helen’s brother-in-law.
Ursula gave a deep sigh and faced her demons. The man had been as involving as the investigation. That was the reason she had so neglected Belle. She should never have allowed herself to be caught up in either Polly’s or the Earl’s death. Never mind that it should have been Helen ensuring her sister’s happiness; part of the mission Chauncey Seldon had given her was to be companion to his younger daughter – who could now be lying somewhere unconscious, her clothing soaked, bones broken. Her mount could have run off and be anywhere. What Helen would say if her prized mare had to be put down, Ursula could not bear to think.
Helen, though, was the other reason Ursula had been sent to Mountstanton. Her father had sensed something was very wrong with the household and wanted an insider’s viewpoint. Surely the Earl’s death would bring him over, and Ursula would be interrogated over her failure to find out what, if anything, Helen had been doing with her extremely generous marriage settlement. It certainly had not been put to work bringing Mountstanton back to its glorious heyday.
Ursula felt frustrated. She desperately wanted to do something to help find Belle; but what? The Colonel would ensure she did not join any of the search parties. With her ankle once again causing problems, she would only slow them down. She toyed with the idea of going out on her own and rejected it; her knowledge of the terrain was slight; she was more likely to fall and cause an additional problem than to find Belle.
She made her way through to back areas and the kitchen. Three trays suggested food was being prepared for the Dowager, Helen and herself.
One of the cooks looked at her questioningly. Ursula said, ‘I know as many people as possible are going out to look for Miss Seldon, I thought I would save you some trouble. If you have something you could put on one of those trays, I’ll take it someplace out of the way.’
‘Tell me where you care to dine, Miss Grandison, and I’ll get your tray sent there.’
Ursula opted for the Morning Room. ‘Only something simple, cook, please.’
Entering the room where breakfast was normally served, she found the lamps had not been lit. Light from the corridor allowed her to discover matches and a candelabra. Placed on the centre of the round table, it threw unsettling shadows and the flames’ reflection flickered in the dark windowpanes. Ursula hurriedly drew the curtains with a hand she found was shaking. Perhaps that was why the ancient brocade came apart. It seemed as if the very fabric of Mountstanton was disintegrating.
Ursula sat at the empty table, and thought about all that had happened since her arrival all those weeks ago.
It had been plain from the outset that this was an unhappy household. Helen, who had once been her friend, could not have been less welcoming and Ursula was certain that this was not solely because of their past history. The passionate girl she remembered had metamorphosed into a cool, controlled woman who had no conscience about seducing a young man under her husband’s eyes. For Ursula was sure Helen had made the first move in her relationship with William Warburton. Without that, he would surely have behaved himself. Why, though, had her husband not acted?
Then, almost it seemed on arrival, Belle had become infatuated with the young man her sister had marked out for her own amusement. Why had Ursula not seen what was going on?
She had, after all, with the help of Mr Russell, her dinner partner, been instrumental in rescuing Belle from compromising herself in the shrubbery with the secretary. For a moment, Ursula allowed her mind to be sidelined by enjoying the memory of the amusing Mr Russell. She wished she had been able to stay longer keeping him company while he fished. How soon was he planning to leave his home? He’d made it sound as though it could be almost immediate, talking about sorting out possessions. She had wanted to give him Mr Seldon’s address as a contact in New York. But no doubt Helen would have supplied him with an introduction.
A knock on the door announced the arrival of her meal, brought in by Sarah, the maid who attended to her needs.
‘Oh, Miss Grandison, nobody has lit the lamps!’ She laid the tray on the table and proceeded to amend the oversight.
‘Since no one expected the room to be occupied, I am not surprised,’ Ursula said. ‘Thank you for bringing me my supper.’
Sarah placed one brightly burning lamp on the sideboard and another on the mantelpiece. ‘We all hopes Miss Belle will be found very soon, Miss Grandison.’
‘Thank you, Sarah.’
‘She’s, well, she never puts on airs, she’s always spoken to us like we were friends, if you’ll pardon me saying so.’
Ursula smiled at the worried-looking maid. ‘She’s a delightful girl and I know that everything is being done to find her. She is probably with a neighbour that we didn’t realise she knew well enough to visit with at this hour.’
Sarah’s face cleared. ‘That would make sense, miss. I hope you enjoys your meal.’
The tray contained a delicious-looking breast of chicken confection together with a selection of vegetables. There was a roll and butter, and trifle in a cut-glass dish. A small carafe of wine stood beside a glass.
Without a fire, the room was chilly. Ursula ate quickly and drank some of the wine. She started to take the tray back to the kitchen but was met on the way by Sarah.
‘Oh, miss, you should have rung the bell.’
‘I thought you all had enough to do with so many of the servants searching for Belle. Tell me, Sarah, is the fire in the library still burning? I don’t want to cause extra work but it is
so chilly this evening.’
‘I’ll go and see, miss.’ But Ursula said she would attend to it.
Logs were needed on the library fire. Ursula built it up then warmed herself in front of its flames. She could not dispel the image of Belle, soaked through, chilled to the bone, searching desperately for shelter. Ursula herself had suffered from exposure to cold, rain and snow. In winter, the mining camps of the Sierra Nevada could be inhospitable. Jack had had no compunction in warming himself each evening in one of the many bars, downing the raw spirits that were all he could afford, while Ursula herself shivered in their shack, longing for him to return and offer the warmth of his body. ‘Why not come with me,’ he said each time he set off. ‘I’ll protect you from trouble.’
Ursula had known all too well that as soon as he had downed the first drink, Jack would forget all about her. It would be up to her to beat off the advances of miners starved of female companionship. A chilly demeanour and a glass of some vile-tasting, non-alcoholic drink would succeed for a short while. Then drunken leers would turn to aggression and she would have to leave before fighting broke out, stumbling from the small mining centre with a lamp to guide her through the dark, back to their freezing hut. Firewood had to be carefully husbanded for cooking their one hot meal of the day. Ursula had learned over time to cope with the cold, with Jack’s uncertain temper, with the lack of mining success – the small amounts of silver they found did little more than buy essential supplies. Belle, though, had always been sheltered from all of life’s storms – she had no experience of such wretched conditions.
As time went on and no news came back from the search parties, Ursula grew more and more worried. She could not help wondering whether she should go and see if Helen would, after all, welcome her company.
Then Sarah appeared. The girl looked full of suppressed excitement. ‘I have a message from John, miss.’
‘John?’
‘You know, John the footman. He’s found Miss Belle and wants to take you to her.’
‘Is she injured?’
Sarah looked worried. ‘I don’t know, miss. He’s waiting in the stables, says you better be ready to ride. He’s on the old Earl’s hunter.’
Deadly Inheritance Page 36