The Devil on Horseback

by Виктория Холт

  She thinks that will be safe. Why don’t you say something? ? You just sit there looking disapproving. I think it’s a wonderful plan. “

  “I only hope you don’t do anything foolish.”

  “Why do you always think I am going to do something foolish?” she demanded.

  “Because you often do,” I retaliated.

  But I could see that she was really set on the plan and there was no withholding her.

  Perhaps, I thought, it is not such a bad idea, for if she-saw for herself that her child was well cared for she might cease to fret about him. But how could we hope to find him?

  She had decided that we should make our way to Petit Montlys but we should not of course call on Madame Gremond. Even she realized what folly that would be.

  “What we must do,” she said, ‘is to find the inn where we stayed when Chariot was taken from us and make enquiries in that area. “

  I said: “It’s a wild goose chase.”

  “Wild geese are sometimes caught,” she retorted.

  “And I’m going to find Chariot.”

  We set out on our journey and in three days we covered a good few miles and spent the nights at inns, which Bessell had a gift for finding.

  Madame Ie Brun, her cousin and her man and maidservant dearly had enough money to pay for what they wanted and for that reason they were very welcome.

  It was unfortunate that one of our horses should cast a shoe and we must go to the nearest blacksmith and that this should happen to be not much more than a mile away from the town of Petit Montlys.

  We left the carriage at the blacksmith’s and went into the village which I remembered from my stay in Petit Montlys. While we waited we decided to take some refreshment at an inn we discovered and this we did.

  The landlord was rather garrulous. News travels fast in such places and he had already heard that we had come in a carriage and the reason for our delay.

  “It gives me a chance to serve you some of my wife’s bread straight from the oven with good cheese and our own butter -and would you like some hot coffee with it? I can serve Ie Punch here. Mercier … as good English a drink as sold in Paris.”

  Margot, Mimi and I took the coffee and hot rolls. Bessell tried the mercier and found it good.

  “How is life in Paris?” asked the landlord.

  “Very gay, very lively,” Bessell told him.

  “Ah, it is long since I have been. Mademoiselle, I fancy I have seen you before.” He was looking straight at me.

  “You are English, are you not?”

  “Yes.”

  “Staying with Madame Gremond with your cousin who had suffered a great bereavement, were you?”

  I looked at Margot who burst out: “Yes, that’s so. I had suffered a bereavement. I lost my poor husband.”

  “Madame, I trust you are happier now.”

  “One grows away from sorrow,” said Margot.

  I could see that Bessell and Mimi were a little bewildered and I said:

  “We should not stay too long. We have to get on and the blacksmith should have done his job by now.”

  We came out into the sunshine. Margot was laughing as though what had happened was something of a joke. I felt less happy.

  As we walked towards the blacksmith’s shop, a young woman came running towards us.

  “It is!” she cried.

  “Why, it is. It’s Madame Ie Brun and Mademoiselle Maddox.”

  There was no denying who we were for the woman who faced us was Jeanne.

  “It is good to see you Madame, Mademoiselle,” she said.

  “We often talk of you. How is the little one?”

  He is well,” said Margot quietly.

  “Such a bonny baby! Madame Legere said she had never seen a bonnier.”

  How stupid we were to have come! I might have known that we should run into danger. But what would have been the use of pointing that out to Margot

  “With his nurse, I’ll warrant,” went on Jeanne.

  “I heard there was a fine carriage at the blacksmith’s. Ladies from Paris, they thought. I never dreamed who it would be.”

  I laid a hand on Margot’s arm.

  “We must be on our way,” I said.

  “You are coming to see Madame Gremond?”

  No, I’m afraid not,” I replied quickly.

  “Do give her our best wishes and tell her that this time we are in too much of a hurry. We lost our way and that is why we have arrived here. Then unfortunately the horse cast a shoe.”

  “Where are you making for?” asked Jeanne.

  “For Parrefours,” I said, inventing a name.

  Ive never heard of that. What is the nearest big town? “

  “That is what we have to find out,” I replied.

  “We really must get to the carriage. Good day.”

  “It was a pleasure seeing you,” said Jeanne, her little monkey’s eyes taking in everything, the livery of Bessell, the near lady’s maid cloak of Mimi. I was glad that the times made it necessary for us to dress simply so that Margot’s garments did not proclaim her rank too clearly.

  We were subdued as we got into the carriage which was ready for us. I noticed the speculation in Mimi’s eyes, but like the good lady’s maid that she was, she made no mentionj of what had passed. I expected that she and Bessell would! discuss it later.

  Margot refused to be depressed by the encounter. She would concoct some tale for Mimi later, though whether Mimi believed it would be another matter. What had happened appeared to have been very revealing. It lingered very unpleasantly in my mind.

  We found our way to the inn where we had been with Chariot. The landlord remembered us. We must have been conspicuous partly I supposed because of the foreigner, myself; and of course the fact that Margot had arrived with a baby and left without him did mate the conclusion a little obvious.

  Margot said she would ask a few discreet questions, but Margot and discretion did not really go together. It was soon clear that she was trying to trace the couple who had taken the baby, which clearly she had had to bear in secrecy and the reason for that would leave little doubt. But she did glean the information that the couple had taken the road south, towards the little town of Bordereaux.

  There were three inns at Bordereaux and we tried them all without success. We studied the signposts and found there were three routes which the couple could have taken.

  “We must try them all,” said Margot firmly.

  How weary we were! What a hopeless chase it was i How could we hope to find the baby? But Margot was determined to.

  “We cannot stay away much longer,” I pointed out.

  “Already we have behaved in a very strange way. What do you think Mimi and Bessell think?”

  They are servants,” retorted Margot haughtily. They are not paid to think.”

  “Only when it is in your interests for them to do so, I suppose! They have some inkling of what all this is about. Do you think it wise, Margot?”

  “I don’t care if it is wise or not. I’m going to find my baby.”

  So we went on with our enquiries which brought us nowhere.

  At length I said to Margot: “You said that this was to be a visit to your old nurse Yvette. Don’t you think it would be wise to call on her since that is supposed to be the object of the journey?”

  She said she did not want to waste time but finally I persuaded her that it would be wise to go. Again I seem to hear the Comte’s voice warning me that if one is going t weave a web of deceit it is better to work in a few strand of truth. I Yvette lived in a pretty little house with a walled garde surrounding it. The gates were wide enough for the carriage to pass through and Yvette herself came to the door.

  She was a gentle-faced woman whom I liked immediate but I was very much aware of her evident dismay when sh saw who her visitors were.

  Margot ran to her and threw herself into her arms.

  My little one,” said Yvette fondly.

  “But thi
s is a surprise ( ” We were in the neighbourhood and could not fail to come and see you,” said Margot. oh… who were you visiting?” asked Yvette. ‘ “Oh … well, we really came to see you. It seemed such a long time since I had. This is Mademoiselle Maddox my friend… and cousin.”

  “Cousin?” said Yvette.

  “I did not know you had this cousin Welcome, Mademoiselle. Please do come in. Oh, do I see Mimi? Welcome, Mimi.”

  But her uneasiness seemed to have increased.

  “Jose will take care of Mimi and your coachman,” she said, Jose was her maid a woman as old as herself. Mimi and Bessell went off with her and Margot and I followed Yvette into the house. It was neat, clean and very comfortably furnished.

  “You are happy here, Yvette?” asked Margot.

  “Monsieur Ie Comte has always been good to those who worked well for him,” she said.

  “When you no longer needed me and I left the chateau he provided this house for me and an income so that I could afford Jose to look after me. We live very happily here.”

  She took us into a pleasant room.

  “And Mademoiselle Maddox is from England?”

  I wondered how she knew for I had not mentioned it and my accent should not have betrayed me as so far I had said very little. My name?

  Pronounced as Margot pronounced it, it did not sound really English.

  “Sit down, my dear child, and you. Mademoiselle. You will have some refreshment, and you must stay to dine with me. We have a good chicken and Josee is a wonderful cook.”

  She picked up a piece of needlework which was lying on a chair.

  “Do you still do the same wonderful embroidery, Yvette?” Margot turned to me.

  “She used to put it on most of my dresses, didn’t you, Yvette?”

  “I was always fond of my needle. And I hear you are betrothed?”

  “Oh, did you hear that, then? Who told you?”

  Yvette hesitated. Then she said: “The Comte always wants to know how I am faring and he has called on me now and then.”

  This was an aspect of his character I had not hitherto suspected. I was delighted to learn of it and the knowledge filled me with elation.

  Margot said: We shall be happy to share in the chicken, shall we not, Minelle? “

  Still thinking of the Comte’s concern for those whom he considered to be in his care, I nodded happily.

  “I must show you Yvette’s wonderful work,” went on Margot. She was out of her armchair and had taken the piece of needlework on which Yvette had been working and brought it over to me.

  “See! This light feathery stitch. What is this, Yvette?” She held it up. It was a baby’s coat.

  Yvette blushed and said: “I am working it for a friend,” Margot’s face puckered as it always did when she was reminded of babies. I thought then: She will never get over this until she has another child.

  She folded the little coat and laid it on a chair.

  “It’s very pretty,” she said.

  “How is everything at the chateau?" asked Yvette.

  “Much as ever. Oh no … We have had stones through the windows, haven’t we, Minelle?”

  Yvette shook her head sadly.

  “Sometimes I think the people are going mad. We hear little of it here but there are tales from Paris.” Then she talked of the old days and told little anecdotes about Margot’s adventures as a child. It was clear that she had a great fondness for her.

  “I heard of your mother’s death,” she said. That was a great sadness.

  Poor lady! Nou-Nou must be quite demented.

  For her there was none but the Comtesse. She had had her a baby. I can understand that. We do not have babies of our own and our charges take that place in our hearts which v could give to our own. The bond is a strong one. Ah, I a a foolish old woman but I have always loved little babies Strange tricks of fate often give them to those who do noft want them and withhold them from those who do. Poor, poor. Nou-Nou.

  I can imagine her grief. ” ?

  “She is taking it very badly,” said Margot.

  “What was that?”

  We listened. T thought I heard a child, crying. “

  “No, no,” said Yvette.

  “If you will excuse me I will go to the kitchen to see how Jose is faring with the chicken. Jose and I do the cooking between us.”

  As she opened the door we heard the unmistakable cry of a child.

  Margot was beside her.

  You have a baby here,” she said.

  Yvette flushed scarlet and stammered.

  “Well… for a while. I am looking after …”

  Margot was up the stairs. In a few seconds she was standing at the top of them holding a baby in her arms. There was a smile of triumph on her face. I thought: God works in a mysterious way, for I knew before Yvette admitted it that we had found Chariot.

  She brought him into the room, her face radiant. She sat down and held him in her lap. He was clucking and kicking and seemed clearly pleased with life in spite of the fact that a few moments before he had been crying.

  “Oh, he is beautiful … beautiful,” breathed Margot; and indeed he was. Plump, well-fed, happy, he was all that a baby should be.

  Yvette looked at Margot and shook her head slowly.

  “You should not have come here, my dear,” she said.

  “Not to see my beautiful Chariot!” cried Margot.

  “Oh, I have missed my little pet. And to find him here! Yvette, you deceiver but you have cared for him well.”

  “Of course I have cared for him well. Do you think I wouldn’t care well for any baby? And yours is especially dear to me. That is what the Comte said: ” I know you will give him that special care,” he said, ” because he is Marguerite’s. ” But oh, my dear, you should never have come here now that you are betrothed.

  You see it was all for the best that he should come here. I don’t know what the Comte will say. “

  “This is my affair,” said Margot.

  “Margot,” I reminded her, ‘you must see that the best thing that could happen is for Chariot to remain here. “

  She would not speak. She could not think of anything but that she had Chariot in her arms. She would not let him go and when he slept and Yvette said he must go into his cot, Margot took him upstairs. I guessed that she wanted to be alone with him and I remained with Yvette.

  Yvette said to me: “Mademoiselle, I know that you have looked after Marguerite. The Comte has told me everything. He has spoken very warmly of you. I don’t know what he will say when he hears you have been here.”

  “Margot’s feelings are very natural. He must understand that.”

  She nodded.

  “There is something else that worries me. Enquiries are being made … have been made.”

  “Enquiries? What sort of enquiries?”

  “About the child. Jose hears a good deal that doesn’t reach me. She goes into the town on market days. I chided her in the past for being such a gossip, but sometimes it can be useful. The fact that we have a child here cannot be kept a secret naturally and it is realized that I am looking after it for someone in a high place. The Comte’s orders were that the child should have the best of everything, and although I was not poor before, I have become more affluent since the baby has been with me. These things are noticed. Jose tells me that a gentleman, who tried to disguise himself as a travelling salesman and failed because he was clearly an aristocrat, has been asking questions. He is obviously interested in the child and is trying to find out who he is.”

  T wonder,” I began and paused. Yvette was a woman whom I instinctively trusted. Moreover, she would have been in the Comte’s employ for so many years and had been selected by him to look after the child. I went on: ” Could it have been Robert de Grasseville . Margot’s fiance?”

  “That was what occurred to me. It would not be difficult for someone who was ready to ferret to discover that I had been employed at the chateau. The Comte is a man of
distinction. He has visited me twice since the child was brought here. He is anxious for little Charles’s welfare and he likes! to assure himself that the boy is well. He comes simply dressed! for him. Mademoiselle, but as you know, it is impossible fotlfl such men to hide hundreds of years of breeding. Sometimes this tremble when I think what the future holds.”

  “I understand well. Thank you for telling me.”

  There is something else. Mademoiselle. Jose hears these things. She came in one day and said that she had heard it said that the Comte was the father of the child. “

  “Oh no! Surely …”

  She looked at me searchingly.

  “You were with Margot when the child was born. You have been at the chateau. You see …”

  I was flushing, hot and indignant.

  “You cannot mean that I…”

  “These rumours get around. I don’t know how this one started … But you see how it could be possible.”

  “Yes,” I said, ‘it could be possible, I suppose. Would the Comte have sent his daughter to be with a woman who was to bear his illegitimate child? “

  Yvette lifted her shoulders.

  “It is so much nonsense. But the baby is here. I was a nurse at the chateau and the Comte has called to ascertain all is well with the child. People add up these things and get the wrong answer.”

  My head was whirling. There seemed no end to the maze of intrigue which was closing around me.

  “I think you should be warned. Mademoiselle. Take care of Margot. She is so impulsive and has always acted without thought. I should so much like to see her happily settled and it seems that here is a chance.

  The Grassevilles are a very good family . I mean their reputation is high. They treat their people well and are generous to them. The match would be the making of Margot. But there is this matter of the child.

  How I wish little Charles had been Robert de Grasseville’s son and born in wedlock. “

  “That would have been ideal and we should not be here now if it were so.”

  “Mademoiselle, I see that you are a sensible young woman. The Comte has great faith in you. Take care of her. It may be that these enquiries did come from the Grassevilles and that if they know that the child is Margot’s they will not want to go on with the marriage. I think you should be prepared for that.”