by Paula Paul
Zack stirred, twitching his feet a little, then raised his head. He looked at Rob a few seconds before he maneuvered himself into a standing position. He looked around, sniffing the air for the scent of the two women who cared for him.
Rob felt fairly confident that Dr. Gladstone would be well cared for. Lord Dunsford would see to that. He seemed like a decent bloke, and it was clear he fancied the doc. Nance was another matter. He was worried about her something awful. She’d never stay away this long unless something bad had happened. Like being kidnapped or dead. Rob pushed those thoughts from his mind and tried to think of what he should do.
The simple answer was to go find her, but where to start looking? Artie said she must have left the house to search for the doc. She knew where the doc was supposed to be, so she would have covered the same ground he and Lord Dunsford had covered looking for both of them. They’d searched a lot of territory, and there’d been no sign of Nance. If there was no body, mayhap she’d been kidnapped after all. That made no sense, though, because there was no reason to kidnap her. The only thing that made sense was to go search for her again. If Zack was well enough, he could take him along. That nose of his was worth the dog’s weight in gold when it came to finding things.
Besides not knowing where to start looking, there was another problem: Artie. Rob saw that he was still asleep, his hair tousled, his arm still flung out where Zack had been. Sleep made his face appear even younger than his years. It was hard to believe he was already eight years old. It seemed to Rob it was only yesterday when he found him shivering in the rain and trying to stay dry in an old broken-down shipping crate that had washed ashore.
“What ye doin’ here?” Rob had asked him.
“Nuffin,” the boy had answered.
“Git on home. Yer mum’ll be worried.”
Rob had already started to walk away when Artie said, “Got no mum.”
Rob paused for a second. He hadn’t wanted to care what happened to the boy, even if he didn’t have a mother. He had problems enough of his own. In spite of himself, he’d turned around and pulled the boy out of the crate and got him to the empty shed at the end of a row of docks where there were other boys who lived on the streets, trying to stay warm and dry.
Artie had eventually told Rob as much of his short life story as he could remember. His mother, he said, worked in a factory at night, but he didn’t know what kind of factory. She was with him during the day, although she was sick with a bloody cough. Rob concluded that she had consumption. He’d picked up a few bits of information from the doc. Artie’s mother had told him he was five years old, and she was the one who told someone to go to his father when she died. Artie had never known he had a father. That didn’t surprise Rob, since he’d never met or heard anything about his own father.
Someone Artie didn’t know brought him from London to Newton-upon-Sea, where his father was supposed to live. When he couldn’t find the man, he’d simply abandoned Artie at the docks where his father was said to work.
Rob’s own story was different in that he remembered his mother all too well—how she’d beat him and broke his arm once. That arm was still crooked. Too bad the doc couldn’t have set it for him back then. He remembered his mother mostly drunk, mostly with men he didn’t know. He’d finally run away and ended up in Newton-upon-Sea. He’d learned to survive by theft, mostly. He was just teaching Artie some of those skills when the doc came along and got both of them out of some trouble. It was Nance that took in him and Artie. Hired them as stable boys without even asking the doc. Not that the doc ever protested. She was a good ’un, she was. Now they had plenty of food, a dry, warm place to sleep, and no one ever beat them. They did have to learn reading and writing, which was dreadful at first, but now Rob looked forward to school, although he still pretended he didn’t.
Sometimes he also pretended he didn’t like taking care of Artie. Truth was, he’d grown so fond of the boy, he couldn’t imagine not having him around to care for. That didn’t mean the chap didn’t cause him problems, though. Like now. He couldn’t just leave him alone while he searched for Nancy. Even if Artie didn’t end up hurting himself somehow, he couldn’t trust him to stay at home. He’d do something boneheaded. Like last time when he’d slipped away from Nance and caused even more trouble than they had already.
“What ye doin’, Rob?” Artie had just opened his eyes and seen Rob staring at him. He was sitting up, rubbing his eyes, and his little-boy voice sounded even younger now that it was hoarse with sleep. It embarrassed Rob that the boy had seen him like that—staring at him like a bloody granny.
“None o’ yer business wot I’m doin’.”
Artie looked around the little room. “Where’s Zack?”
“In the corner behind that old saddle, chewin’ on a bone.”
“Well enough to eat, is ’e? That’s good, ain’t it?”
Rob didn’t respond at first. He was busy slicing the sausage he’d warmed up on the small stove they had in their room. “Here’s some breakfast if ye wants it,” he said, sliding a plate filled with the sausage and some of the stew onto a table. He watched Artie eat for a while before he spoke again. “Don’t know what to do wif ye while I’m out.”
“Out? Where ye goin’?”
“Got to look fer Nance, ye dumb bloke.”
Artie turned the plate up to lick it. “Don’t have to do nothin’ wif me. I’m goin’, too.”
“No, you ain’t. You’ll slow me down.”
“Won’t slow ye down, ye dumb bloke. We’ll ride Lucy.”
Of course they could ride Lucy, Rob thought. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Lucy was small, but she was strong enough to carry the weight of the two of them, and she’d had plenty of time to rest after her last jaunt. The little bugger was smarter than he thought.
Rob found a few provisions to take along and saddled Lucy. In less than an hour, they were both astride the mare and on their way. Zack moved along beside them, more sluggish than usual, but he refused to leave their side. It troubled Rob that he still had no solid plan for the search, but he knew he couldn’t simply wait at home.
There was no reason to cover the same ground they’d covered before. They’d searched around the Malcolm and Wolcott cottages and into the wooded area where they found the doc. This time they crossed the road leading to Foulness, an hour’s ride away along the coastline. It was scary to think about Nancy wandering along the coast. Could she have fallen from a rock into the sea and drowned? And what about the doc? Sure, she was being watched over by the earl, but what if things were out of the earl’s hands? Rob knew most people survived a broken leg, but he’d also heard of people who’d died after such an injury. Something could go wrong inside a body and you’d never know it until it was too late. He chided himself. Bad thoughts, he believed, could lead to a bad outcome. He urged Lucy on toward the rocky coastline.
It was not easy for the little mare to walk through the rocks, but they kept going, asking fishermen along the route if they’d seen any sign of the small blond woman dressed in a plain blue dress over the last few days. No one had seen her, and no one had heard of anyone drowning or a body washing ashore.
Rob kept a watch on the sun as it moved down the western sky. When it dropped far enough, he turned Lucy around.
“We got to get home ’fore it gits dark,” he told Artie. “I ain’t fer bein’ out in the night again.”
Artie didn’t protest, but clung tight to Rob’s waist as they made the unsteady ride across the uneven ground. Zack followed along with no protest. It seemed he was back to his old self again. Just as they reached the road to Foulness, the dog stopped.
“Come on, Zack. Keep movin’,” Rob called.
The dog sniffed the air, barked once, and started up the road, moving away from Newton-upon-Sea and the Gladstone house.
“Ol’ Zack knows somethin’,” Artie said. “They’s somethin’ on that road.”
Without replying, Rob turned Lucy around to follow Zac
k.
“Wot ye think ’e’s after?” Artie asked.
“Don’t know.” Rob was a bit apprehensive, and at the same time excited. Could it possibly be Nance? Or was it more trouble?
Within a few minutes, Rob and Artie saw what Zack had sensed. A carriage was approaching. It was hard to make out at first because of the fading light, but before long they both knew it was Lord Dunsford’s carriage. Zack knew as well and was now racing toward it. Rob urged Lucy forward.
Before long, Artie was waving his arms and shouting over Rob’s shoulder. “Is that you, me lord? Is that you?”
Lord Dunsford waved back to them, and someone in the carriage waved as well. Was it Nance? No, it was the doc. And why was she riding in a carriage so soon after her accident? Rob could imagine that she’d give a patient of hers a piece of her mind for doing that.
“Did you find Nance?” Artie asked as the carriage drew closer.
“No, I’m afraid not,” Lord Dunsford said as he pulled the carriage beside them.
“Nicholas, please, we must find her!” The doc’s voice sounded funny, like she was in pain. No wonder at that, Rob knew.
“You’ll be going to Montmarsh, my dear.” Lord Dunsford’s voice was firm. “The constable is searching for Nancy, and as soon as possible, I’ll join him.”
“But she—”
“You’re going to Montmarsh, where Mrs. Pickwick can see after you, and I’ll hear no more protests,” Lord Dunsford said. It startled Rob a little. He’d never heard anyone talk to the doc that way before. He could tell the doc didn’t like it, but she wouldn’t make a fuss in front of him and Artie. Instead, she turned her attention to Zack, who was standing with his front paws on the carriage, licking the doc’s hand and wagging his tail in a frenzied motion.
“He seems better,” Dr. Gladstone said. Rob saw her wince as she made a movement to rub Zack’s head. “You’ve taken good care of him,” she added. There was no joy in her voice or in her eyes. She was clearly worried about Nance, as they all were.
“I’ve got to get the doctor to Montmarsh, boys,” Lord Dunsford said. “She escaped from the doctor’s surgery in Foulness like a thief sneaking out of gaol. Couldn’t stop her. Getting free of Pickwick’s grasp will be a different matter, though. If I were one to make a wager, I’d put my money on Pickwick.” He already had the carriage and horses moving forward. “You boys ride ahead and tell Pickwick to get ready for us.”
Rob was glad to have a job to do. It would help him keep his mind off Nancy. He managed well until they reached Montmarsh and gave the cook the news that Lord Dunsford and Dr. Gladstone would be arriving soon, and that she was charged with taking care of the wounded doctor.
“I’ll take care of her,” Mrs. Pickwick said. “Have experience with that sort of thing, I have. My own son fell from the top of a hayloft and broke a leg. I know all the things to do. I’m good as Nancy at that sort of thing, I dare say. And speaking of Nancy, I take it you’ve not found her, have you? Otherwise, ’twould be her taking care of the doctor.”
“We ain’t found ’er,” Artie blurted. “We looked ever’where. I fear she drowned.”
Mrs. Pickwick shook her head, and her eyes clouded. “Poor Nancy’s gone for good, that’s for sure.”
Chapter 18
The chamber pot wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Nancy fumbled around searching for it, and she knew she had to find it soon, because she was going to throw up. She held it as long as she could and rushed out the door, running as far away from the house as she could before she bent over and retched, spitting out the contents of her stomach.
She straightened and looked around, feeling disoriented. There was a breeze blowing in from the sea, cool but not cold, and smelling of fish and salt. It cleared her head some, and she recognized the stables, the tree where she and Miss Alex used to play, the back of the house with the rickety staircase leading down to the basement, and behind her, the door to the kitchen.
She was home! But where had she been? She started a slow walk toward the surgery door. She was weak, and the walk seemed to take forever. When at last she reached the entrance, she realized she was hungry. The kitchen seemed too far away, however, so she sat down to rest. She was in the waiting area, and just beyond was the room with the examination table, vials of medicine, and all of Miss Alex’s instruments and files. Where was Miss Alex? Of course! The doctor had to be making her morning rounds. How could she have forgotten that after all the years they’d worked together?
It took a moment for Nancy to realize that she had spent the night on the examination table, and that was why she couldn’t find the chamber pot she kept under her bed. How strange it was to sleep on the examination table, and fully dressed as well! She stood up again, feeling even more confused.
If she was hungry, then everyone else must be as well. She would go to the kitchen and cook…cook what? Breakfast? Lunch? Something for tea? She hurried to the parlor to look at the clock that always sat on the mantel. It had stopped, the pendulum as still as death. She could wind the clock, but she had no way of knowing the correct time. Was it morning, as she had at first thought? Perhaps if she ate something, she could regain her senses.
The familiar look of the kitchen gave her a sense of relief. There was the heavy metal range, the fender, the fire irons, the washtubs, the table. She frowned when she saw the loaf of bread that had been left on the table, along with crumbs scattered around. An army of ants marched in straight lines to and from the crumbs. Someone had been in her kitchen! Most likely Rob and Artie. She’d give them a proper scolding.
Forgetting her hunger, she went to the kitchen door and stepped out to walk to the stables, where she’d most likely find the boys. She saw them immediately, only they weren’t in the stables. They were just riding up on Lucy, with Zack following along.
“What are the two of you about? Riding Lucy, are you? Without permission, I dare say. You’re due a thrashing if you ask me, and where is—”
“Nance! Oh, Nance!” Artie jumped from the mare and ran toward her, throwing his arms around her.
“You’re home!” Rob said at the same time. “For the love o’ God, you’re home!” He looked as if he might want to throw his arms around her as well, but he held back.
“Of course I’m home. Why wouldn’t I be?” Nancy pried Artie’s arms from around her. “If you think that will get you leniency for what you’ve done to my kitchen…” She couldn’t continue because Rob had both her hands and was twirling her around in a crazy dance while he laughed.
“I knowed you’d show up,” he said. “Yer too full o’ pluck to let ’em git the best of ye.” Zack danced around her as well, barking with maniacal joy.
“Zack!” Nancy finally pulled herself away from Rob. “ ’Tis good to see you’re no longer sick. I thought…” She stopped midsentence, remembering how she and Miss Alex had given him a purge because they thought he’d eaten poison. She’d left him in Artie’s care while she went to search for Miss Alex. But why had she been searching for her? And where was the doctor now?
She glanced at both of the boys, feeling confused all over again. “I think I need to talk to you,” she said slowly, because she wasn’t sure how to explain the blank spots in her mind.
“We needs to talk to ye also, Nance,” Rob said. “To my way of thinkin’, ye got a lot to answer for.”
Nancy opened her mouth, prepared to scold him again for such impertinence. Instead, she took a breath and said, “Let’s go to the kitchen. There must be something there we can eat.”
“Ain’t much o’ nothin’,” Artie said. “We et most of it.”
“The word is ate, Artie, not et, and how many times do I have to tell you not to use the word ain’t? Oh, never mind,” she said, before he had a chance to reply. “Let’s go to the kitchen. Perhaps I can find at least a little something.”
The boys were more than eager to follow her and endured another scolding for leaving the bread out, but they urged her to tell the
m where she’d been while she prepared porridge for them.
“Where I’ve been? Why, I’ve been here, of course, where else…” Her voice trailed off. She couldn’t have been at the house all along. Too much had happened that she didn’t remember.
“Ye went to look fer the doc,” Artie prompted. “Ye left me here wif ol’ Zack, only I didn’t stay, I…well, n’er mind that. Remember? Ye went to look fer the doc.”
Nancy stirred the porridge silently, her mind racing as she tried to remember. “I went to look for Miss Alex,” she said slowly. “Yes, I think I did. She didn’t come home, and…” She stopped stirring and turned around quickly to face the boys. “She didn’t come home. Where is she? Is she…”
“She’s goin’ to be all right,” Rob said. “She’s at Montmarsh now.”
Nancy frowned. “Why is she at Montmarsh?”
Rob breathed a frustrated sigh. “All right,” he said. “I sees ye ain’t rememberin’ much, so I’ll tell ye what I knows.”
He related the story of the search for Alexandra, how Zack found her first with a broken leg, and how he and Lord Dunsford had finally found her.
“Lord Dunsford had to take her to Foulness to a doc there, and now she’s at Montmarsh ’cause ye wasn’t around to help. The constable’s out lookin’ fer ye now.”
“A broken leg? Dear God in heaven, how she must have suffered,” Nancy said, forgetting the porridge for a moment.
“She fixed it ’erself,” Artie said. “Wif a stick. She’s a smart ’un, the doc is. Didn’t have to depend on that quacky duck in Foulness.”
Nancy fretted. “Oh, I should have been here.”
“Don’t fergit the porridge,” Artie said.
Nancy turned back to the pot on the stove and stirred it again. “You said she mentioned someone with a knife,” she said. “I…I think I saw a knife.”
Rob sat up straighter. “Where?”
“In someone’s hand.”
“Who?” Rob persisted.