Susie Darcy's Tenacious Nature

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘I assume you overheard Bairstow and me in the rose garden yesterday.’ She nodded but did not look at him. ‘I can imagine what you thought, but what you actually heard us doing was making arrangements for the fight.’

  ‘For whose benefit?’ Still not looking at him, she played with the fringe on her shawl, twisting it around her fingers, releasing it and abstractedly repeating the ritual. ‘Who was the person whose interests you were at pains to satisfy?’

  ‘Covington. He is a keen pugilist and his word on the matter is law. All I know is that I was told he had an important guest who was keen to see the champion fight. I didn’t see the need for the urgency. The challenger I had in mind was not in the area and had to be brought here in a hurry. It needed to be better organised to lessen likelihood of detection but Bairstow was insistent. That’s why we disagreed.’

  ‘Why are you involved? If Papa finds out—’

  ‘I’m aware of that.’ He threw back his head and sighed. What he had to admit to her now wouldn’t show him in a good light. ‘When I was a fugitive I did a lot of things to keep one step ahead of the law. Organising fights was one lucrative way of keeping my freedom. I heard of Covington’s interest in the sport—’

  ‘Sport?’ She gave him an arch look. ‘Two men knocking each other senseless is considered to be sporting?’

  She really had no idea. ‘I entered into an agreement with Covington,’ Tobias said, avoiding giving an answer to her question. ‘I would find the fighters and arrange the bouts in exchange for a fee, and for an opportunity to run the book. Our agreement is for a period of two years.’

  ‘But it can’t be binding, since it’s illegal.’

  ‘I tried to get out of it when I took up my duties here, but Covington—or rather Bairstow, whose loyalty to Covington runs deep—let me know in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t carry on obliging them, your father would hear of my involvement. If that happened, it would spell the end of my tenure at Pemberley and confirm your father’s opinion of me. I know he doesn’t entirely trust me, even now. With good reason, as it transpires.’ He shrugged. ‘It looks as though by helping them last night I have brought about my own dismissal anyway.’

  ‘Not necessarily.’

  ‘That fight was the last. I shall not involve myself after this. Believe it or not, I take my duties here seriously and intend to be the best steward your father has ever engaged.’

  Finally she looked at him and a faint smile touched her lips. ‘I am relieved to hear you say as much.’

  ‘You must take my word for it when I tell you that I knew nothing about art forgeries, until you mentioned the matter to me.’

  ‘Yet I heard you mention strangers in the area to Bairstow and suggest waiting to stage the fight, although I did not know you were referring to a fight at the time. Why would you do that?’

  ‘The moment you told me about Bevan being involved in the sale of forgeries, I immediately suspected Covington of being behind the scheme. Covington is a gambler, hence his involvement with prize fights. He’s sailing close to the wind and is in danger of losing his estate. He also has a love and knowledge of art, so it all makes sense. It’s the perfect way for him to recoup his losses and if Bevan hadn’t slipped up when he was in Derbyshire, no one would suspect him in a thousand years.’

  ‘If you know nothing about the forgeries, why were you were seen talking with Bevan when he was here staying with Sir Robert?’

  ‘Bairstow asked me to pass on details of the next fight to him, which had been arranged to coincide with his stay.’ Tobias rubbed his chin. ‘It didn’t occur to me to wonder why at the time. Covington often invites gents to visit when a fight is planned. I’d never met Bevan before but was told that he would be expecting me to contact him in Denton. Bairstow himself was away on Covington’s business that day and couldn’t attend to the matter himself.’

  ‘I see.’ Tobias couldn’t tell if she believed him or not. ‘I know Mr Covington met Bevan while he was in Italy but how did they find the forger?’

  Tobias shrugged. ‘Since I am unaware of his identity, I cannot say. But still, if Bevan has connections to the artistic community and lives in London, in the thick of things, I dare say it would be easy enough to arrange.’

  ‘Very likely.’

  ‘I know for a fact that Covington routinely seems to wager on the losing fighter, or did before he started arranging the fights and has a hand in the outcome.’

  She sent him a wide-eyed look of astonishment. ‘He knows the result beforehand.’

  Tobias thought her naiveté enchanting. ‘He enjoys cards too, and other games of chance,’ he said, avoiding her question. ‘I suspect he is no more successful with them than he used to be when it came to backing the right corner at a fight. But at least if he stages the fights, he can also take a percentage of the wagers placed, so he’s done something sensible to recover his position.’

  Tobias fell silent, watching her as she absorbed all he had just told her. ‘You knew nothing about the forgeries?’ she asked. ‘Is that really true?’

  ‘I swear it on my mother’s life.’

  Susie probably knew how important Tobias’s mother was to him and seemed to accept what he said.

  ‘Good,’ she said, letting out a slow breath. ‘I’m glad. But you should know that Marc, Spence and Mr Tyrell were there last night. I expect they saw you so Papa will hear about it.’

  Tobias had supposed they must have been. ‘I dare say they didn’t expect you to be there.’ She shook her head. ‘Whatever made you go?’

  She was silent for a long time and at first he thought she wouldn’t answer him. ‘I didn’t want to believe you were involved,’ she said softly. ‘I was worried that Marc and Spence would jump to erroneous conclusions and I wanted to be able to refute them if needs be. Besides, they were cutting me out of things again and I wasn’t having that.’

  Tobias took her hand and ran his fingers down the length of hers, moved by the sincerity of the simple admission. ‘You rode bareback all that way, alone at night, to prove my innocence?’

  ‘Not for your sake, but for Mama and Papa.’ She snatched her hand from his, looking angry and distracted. ‘After all the trouble your father caused here at Pemberley, I couldn’t bear it if history were to repeat itself.’

  ‘I see.’

  But Tobias couldn’t stop smiling, convinced that was not her only motivation.

  ‘Do you think that little man with Covington was the forger?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m sure of it. I have never seen him before. I intended to follow Covington when the mill ended to see where he’s hiding him. Then I intended to inform Tyrell.’

  She gasped. ‘But instead you took me home.’

  He shrugged. ‘It was a case of priorities.’

  ‘Perhaps Marc and Spence followed him. I think they are having a meeting at Mr Tyrell’s house this morning. If they have it at Pemberley Mama or Papa might get to hear about the fight and your involvement in it. They wanted to avoid telling them until they knew what you had got yourself into but now…well, I shall have to try and stop them from saying anything for the time being. The fight is definitely secondary. Our main concern is running the forger to earth.’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  She turned sideways to face him, her expression stark. ‘Will you come with me to Mr Tyrell’s later this morning?’

  ‘Won’t I be in the way?’

  ‘Oh, you read too much into what you saw,’ she said, flapping a hand. ‘I went there to warn him I had told you about his reasons for being here. Nothing more.’

  Tobias examined her faces for traces of a lie but could detect none. His relief was palpable. ‘I am so glad,’ he said softly.

  ‘Well, will you come with me?’ she asked again, refusing to meet his gaze.

  ‘If you would like me to. May I ask why?’

  ‘It seems ridiculous not to work together if we are all on the same side, which you have convinced me we are.’ She folded
her hands primly in her lap. ‘I think the time has come to pool our resources. Do you not agree?’

  Tobias nodded. ‘Very well,’ he said, standing and helping her to his feet. ‘Set a thief to catch a thief,’ he said with a self-deprecating grin. ‘I can see the sense in that.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  James also arose early on the morning following the disastrous attempt to run the forger to ground. Disgust at his own stupidity in losing sight of him at the vital moment had made it impossible to sleep. Being up with the dawn did nothing to alter the fact that he had lost his best, his only, opportunity to put matters right for his father.

  ‘Don’t take it to heart,’ Dawlish said as they broke their fast together. He had addressed three separate comments to James, none of which James bothered to respond to with anything more than a disinterested grunt. ‘It was pandemonium in that barn once the fight was over. Such a tight flow of bodies that it was impossible to keep track of anyone.’

  James kicked moodily at the leg of the table. ‘We should have anticipated that difficulty and been better prepared.’

  ‘Mannering would have recognised us if we got too close.’

  ‘Mannering.’ James scowled at an innocent dish of butter as though he bore it a grudge. ‘He is one of the students who benefitted the most from my father’s largesse.’ James screwed his features into an expression of icy disdain. ‘Makes you wonder if the academy is such a good idea.’

  ‘Cheer up. At least we know a great deal more than we did this time yesterday. We are aware of the identity of the forger and can confirm that he’s in league with Covington.’

  James refused to be placated. ‘But are no nearer to tracking Mannering down.’

  ‘We could just make Mannering’s activities public knowledge. That will warn off potential victims who think they are getting an original Tyrell on the cheap.’

  ‘And ruin the market for the pater’s genuine work, to say nothing of his reputation?’ James shook his head emphatically. ‘Besides, we have no actual evidence against Covington or Bevan and they would get away with their ill-deeds.’

  Well, since you put it like that…’

  ‘I want the lot of ’em.’

  ‘Then we’ll just have to wait for the Darcys to get here, put our heads together and decide how to track Mannering down. They are the ones with knowledge of local geography and have the connections to ask the right questions. Once we have Mannering, he’ll sing like a canary, you just mark my words. I never could take to the blighter. If memory serves, he always had a higher opinion of his own talent than it warranted and resented the success of others. We should have suspected him before this.’

  ‘I thought he was in France.’

  ‘Which is probably what he wanted us to think.’

  The sound of the door knocker interrupted their discourse.

  ‘Who can that be at this early hour? If it’s Beatrice, I’m not at home.’

  Dawlish put aside his napkin and went to answer the door himself. James was surprised to hear Marc Darcy’s voice. Presumably he and Spence hadn’t slept well either. But he was flabbergasted when he also heard Susie’s melodic tone.

  ‘What the devil?’ he muttered aloud, feeling his despondency lifting at this unexpected pleasure. He slipped through the door that connected the dining parlour to the drawing room and was standing in front of the fire when his callers were conducted into the room. Not three of them, but four. Porter was with them.

  ‘Good God!’ James exclaimed. ‘This is quite a deputation.’ Belatedly recalling his manners, he inclined his head to Susie. ‘Good morning, Miss Darcy.’

  She bobbed a curtsey. ‘Mr Tyrell.’

  ‘You can be no more surprised to see us than we were when our sister came to us at first light with the most extraordinary story,’ Spence said, fixing Susie with a ferocious glower.

  James held his curiosity in check and smiled benignly.

  ‘You are acquainted with our trainee steward, Porter,’ Marc said.

  ‘We have not been introduced,’ James replied.

  ‘Your servant, sir,’ Porter said, shaking James’s proffered hand with a firm grasp.

  ‘We’ll let Susie explain,’ Marc said. ‘I cannot trust myself to speak of the matter without losing my temper with her.’

  ‘Oh, stop being so dramatic, Marc,’ Susie replied impatiently. ‘You should be thanking me instead of wasting your breath on scolding.’

  James exchanged a glance with Dawlish, almost overwhelmed by the tension radiating from both Darcy boys. Porter, on the other hand, appeared relatively relaxed.

  ‘I am listening, Miss Darcy,’ James said.

  ‘My brothers seemed to think it would be inappropriate for me to accompany you last night,’ she said with a defiant toss of her head. ‘Which would have been all very well, but for the fact that I knew they were ready to think the worst of Mr Porter and condemn him without firm evidence. I could not permit him to lose his livelihood without first satisfying myself that he didn’t deserve to keep it. So naturally, I needed to be there myself.’

  ‘Just a minute.’ James scratched his head, convinced he must have misheard her. One glance at the glacial set to her brothers’ features and he knew he had not. ‘Let me ensure I have got this right. You went alone to a prize fight held in a barn full of drunken men. Do you have the first idea what could have happen to you if—’

  Susie waved aside his protests. ‘My brothers have already made their feelings on the subject plainly apparent, at considerable length I might add. I neither need nor deserve another lecture from you.’

  James was too shocked to deliver one and listened, open-mouthed, as she blithely described what had happened, all the time emphasising that Tobias Porter was not a-party to the forger’s trade. As he recovered from his astonishment at her casual disregard for her own safely, James was filled with a violent jealousy. She did all of that—risked her reputation, bodily harm and worse because she cared so deeply for Tobias Porter. James was tempted to throttle the cove with his bare hands if for no other reason than that he wasn’t worthy of her. She was his!

  Ye gods, where did that come from? James admired Susie Darcy, more than any other female of his acquaintance, but his thoughts didn’t run in that direction, did they? Indeed, it would be pointless.

  ‘And so, you see, Mr Porter found himself in an impossible position,’ Susie said, recalling James’s attention to her rambling explanation. ‘If he didn’t continue to arrange prize fights for Covington then that…well, I hesitate to describe him as a gentleman. Let’s just say that Covington threatened to reveal Mr Porter’s involvement with the illegal fights to my papa. Fights that Covington manipulated him into organising so that he could profit from them.’

  ‘I see,’ James said non-committedly, glancing at Marc for validity. Marc shrugged, clearly not completely convinced.

  ‘I imagined that you would.’ Susie spread her hands. ‘Mr Porter had no choice but to continue arranging those brutal bouts, although I would have advised him, if asked, to admit his involvement to my father. I do so hate blackmailers, and if Mr Porter had done that then Covington would have had no means of inducement left. However, that’s by the by. Mr Porter is as anxious as we are to find the forger since it will prove beyond doubt that he is not involved.’ She glanced at her brothers as she spoke, confirming James’s suspicion that they had yet to be convinced. He would not admit it, but James was in agreement with them. ‘I understand you recognised the forger, Mr Tyrell. He was a student of your father’s named Mannering.’

  ‘That is so.’

  ‘Well, there you are then. He must be hidden away in an establishment close by and I feel persuaded that we will soon discover his whereabouts if we put our minds to it. Then we will be able to bring everyone involved to justice.’

  James was tempted to smile at her simplistic reasoning. ‘Quite so,’ he said gravely.

  ‘If what Porter tells us is true,’ Spence said, ‘then he would
have done so last night, had not he felt obliged to escort you home.’

  ‘Porter did the only thing he possibly could,’ James mused. ‘You would not have permitted your sister to ride home alone, I feel sure, if you had been the one to happen upon her.’

  ‘After I had thrashed some sense and obedience into her, I dare say I would have lent her my escort,’ Spence said, glowering at the subject of his displeasure.

  ‘I should like to see you attempt it,’ Susie replied bridling.

  ‘Try something of that nature again and you will get your wish.’

  ‘I am very sorry to have put you to the trouble, Mr Porter,’ Susie said, having treated Spence to an aloof look. ‘I did try to persuade him that I could find my way alone,’ she added, returning her attention to James, ‘but Mr Porter wouldn’t hear of it.’

  ‘I should think not,’ James replied.

  ‘So,’ Spence said, leaning forward in his chair to rest his elbows on his thighs and focusing his attention of the rug beneath his feet. ‘How do we proceed?’

  ‘If I might make a suggestion, gentlemen?’ Porter spoke for the first time and all heads turned in his direction. Unlike the rest of the party, he had not been invited to sit and was standing against the wainscoting on one side of the room. Dawlish, the only other person not seated, stood directly beside him.

  ‘What do you have in mind?’ Marc asked, his tone formal and clipped.

  ‘Bairstow will expect me to meet with him this morning. One of my responsibilities is to collect the monies wagered on the fight from the men I had running the book. This is passed on to Bairstow, after all expenses have been discharged, naturally.’

  ‘Oh, naturally,’ Spence replied scathingly.

  ‘Behave yourself, Spence!’ Susie chided. ‘Mr Porter is trying to help.’

  ‘Bairstow will want to know why I disappeared without word last night.’ Porter rubbed his chin as he articulated his thoughts. He was a handsome brute with rough edges, James conceded. If Susie was exposed to his roguish charm on a daily basis, it would be easy for an inexperienced yet adventurous miss to fall victim to it. ‘Suppose I were to say that I noticed Mr Tyrell in the crowd, knew he was aware who I was, and didn’t want him reporting on my misdeeds to my employer?’