Eloisa's Adventure

by King, Rebecca

  Eloisa didn’t wait for him to reach her again, and ran for the door. She screamed when she felt a faint tug on her dress and practically threw herself out of the room. She slammed the door closed behind her, desperate to flee while she had the chance, and raced down the corridor without a backward look.

  “Simeon!” She screamed as she went from one corridor into another in the general direction of the front of the house. “Simeon! Where are you?”

  Without any way of knowing where she was going, all she could do was hope and pray that she didn’t run into a dead end. If she did, she would truly be at the mercy of the man who was now chasing her. She could hear heavy boots running somewhere, but couldn’t tell which direction they came from.

  “Simeon!” She cried, hoping and praying that the footsteps she could hear belonged to him. She gasped and looked around her frantically when the intruder’s dark voice broke the silence. It was far too close for comfort. Where could she go? Where could she hide? What should she do? She didn’t have the poker anymore. She didn’t have anything with which to defend herself. She was at his mercy, and was undoubtedly going to die.

  “You can’t get away from me, little lady,” the man called.

  Determined to evade him, she tried to block out the sound of his taunting voice as she turned down yet another corridor. To her horror, he suddenly materialised just a few feet ahead of her. She realised then that he was using the hidden corridors to chase her, and would head her off whenever he wanted to. The feeling of being hunted suddenly weighed heavily on her because she knew she was hopelessly outmatched by his knowledge of the corridors she couldn’t even see.

  “Simeon!” she screamed, as loudly as her voice would go.

  “He can’t hear you. He is on the other side of the house.” The man patted the solid wall beside him. “It’s the pleasure of living in a stone castle. The walls block noise.”

  “You don’t live here though,” Eloisa challenged.

  “You know nothing about me,” the man countered. “So I suggest you shut up.”

  Eloisa backed away but continued to stare at him while her mind raced to think of a way to thwart him.

  “I know who you are,” she declared thoughtfully. “I know where I have seen you before.” Her cold declaration was enough to make the man hesitate.

  “You know nothing,” he challenged.

  “You are Renwick Calversham,” she accused. “George Calversham’s son.”

  The snarl of vile hatred that swept over what was left of the man’s face confirmed that she was right. Inwardly, a thrill of delight at her success swept through her, but it was quickly replaced with outright fear when the man started to saunter arrogantly toward her.

  “I am right, aren’t I?”

  “Shut up.”

  “I am not wrong though, am I?” she persisted.

  “I said, shut up. I am no relation of that curmudgeonly old man. George Calversham is not my father.”

  “You are supposed to be dead,” Eloisa countered. “George was told you had been killed in battle.” Not for the first time since her arrival at the castle, Eloisa wondered just what on earth she had stumbled into, and wished she hadn’t sought refuge here at all. The only highlight in her ordeal was Simeon, only where he had gone, heaven only knew.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  Sudden movement behind Renwick caught her attention, but she daren’t look at it. She couldn’t bring herself to tear her gaze away from the man who had caused both herself and Simeon so much trouble. When the familiar whiteness of Simeon’s shirt teased the periphery of her vision, she heaved a sigh of relief. Simeon had found them. She knew then that everything was going to be all right after all.

  “You are Renwick Calversham.” She stared clearly, just in case Simeon hadn’t heard her the first time. She was aware that Simeon was staring at her, but she couldn’t give his presence away to the invader by sparing him a glance.

  Simeon studied the man before him and considered Eloisa’s declaration. He knew she was right. He had seen the evidence with his own eyes. When the man lunged toward Eloisa, Simeon knew that he would get no finer opportunity to bring his intruder to justice. He hefted the poker and, with all the frustration and fury he had endured over the last several weeks, bashed his cousin on the head.

  Eloisa watched the man’s eyes roll back in his head seconds before he hit the floor with a resounding thud. Once she was sure that he wasn’t going to move again, she flew into the safety of Simeon’s arms.

  “Are you alright, darling?” Simeon demanded. He stepped over the unconscious man and barely threw him a glance as he wrapped Eloisa in a warm hug.

  “Are you all right?” she demanded and pushed at his shoulders so he would release her enough for her to look at him.

  “I am fine. What about you? Did he hurt you?” Simeon growled as he peppered her face with tiny kisses.

  “I am fine,” she whispered, then promptly burst into tears.

  “It’s all right. It is over now,” he murmured gently as she wept against him.

  “I am sorry; I don’t know what’s come over me,” she replied after several moments of self-indulgence.

  Simeon leaned back and looked down into her watery eyes. He opened his mouth to speak only to curse when the man beside them started to groan.

  “If you are going to be all right for a minute, let me see to him. We need to tie him up. Then we can get to the bottom of what has happened.”

  When she nodded, he reluctantly released her and rolled the man over so they could both study his face.

  “This is Renwick Calversham,” he confirmed with a sigh.

  “How can that be? He is supposed to be dead.”

  Simeon shook his head. “I don’t know, but he isn’t going anywhere until we find out what’s been going on.”

  He stood up and hefted the man into a sitting position. Minutes later, he dropped Renwick into an unceremonious heap on a chair in the side room, and tied him up with several strips torn off one of the curtains.

  “Should you be doing that?” Eloisa gasped as she watched him.

  He grinned at her. “It’s my house,” he replied, completely unperturbed at the waste of the fine fabric.

  There was nothing she could say to that and remained quiet while she watched Simeon finish tying Renwick to the chair.

  “Come on, Renwick. It’s time to wake up,” Simeon growled as he shook the man roughly by the shoulder. The answering groan assured them both that there was no lasting damage done, and that it was just a matter of time before their intruder was able to talk.

  “Should we leave him for a while?” Eloisa asked with a frown.

  “I am not leaving him,” Simeon countered flatly. “Given his penchant for stalking these halls, I am not taking my eyes off him until I have some answers.”

  Several sudden raps in the far recesses of the house made them both jump.

  “Who is that?” Eloisa gasped, only then realising just how daft her question was. “Are you expecting any guests?” She mentally winced at the audacity of her question. His business was nothing to do with her, and she really had no place asking him, but Simeon didn’t seem to mind. He was busy staring at the doorway thoughtfully.

  She stared in horror at the poker he handed her and turned to watch him leave the room.

  “Where are you going?” she gasped and threw a horrified glare at the still unconscious man beside her.

  “To see who it is,” he replied. “Stay here and keep an eye on him. If he speaks, don’t answer. Stay by the door if it makes you feel any better. He is secured tightly, so won’t be any threat to you. I will be back as soon as I can.”

  She opened her mouth to argue with him only to stare at the empty doorway. By the time she got to the corridor, he was gone. Scared, and feeling more out of her depth than ever, she tentatively made her way back into the room to keep guard.

  Simeon yanked the front door open with a frown and stare
d at the small man on the doorstep. It was still pelting down with rain but that didn’t appear to have even registered on his new, uninvited visitor. The man blithely stared back at him, clearly waiting to be invited inside.

  Determined not to have any more uninvited intruders in his house, Simeon stared back.

  “Yes?” he growled in his most unwelcoming voice when the man didn’t speak.

  “Lord Pendlebury?” The man stepped forward as though he expected Simeon to step back to let him through the door.

  Simeon pulled the door closer toward him in an unwelcoming gesture and folded his arms defensively. “I don’t have any appointments lined up for today. What do you want?”

  “Oh, no, I don’t have an appointment, sir. I was just passing by and happened to see the turrets over the trees. It’s a beautiful castle, isn’t it? Has it been in the family for long?”

  “It’s not for sale,” Simeon growled. “If you wish to know anything else, contact my solicitors: Kembleton and Brewick in London.” He didn’t wait to hear anything else the man had to say. He was no innocent and knew a scoundrel when he saw one. Although he had no idea where the man had come from, or what he truly wanted, Simeon had no intention of wasting time on him now.

  “Please, if I could have a word with you?” the man called when Simeon started to close the door.

  “Go away,” Simeon growled darkly.

  “I will make you a good offer for the castle and its contents,” the man called before the door closed completely.

  Simeon scowled when the door suddenly rebounded back at him. He turned around to ram it closed, only to stare down at the booted foot that blocked its closure. The urge to stomp on it was so tempting that for a few seconds he actually lifted his foot up to do just that. At the last moment, he yanked the door back open and glared at the intruder instead.

  “I told you it isn’t for sale,” he growled. “Now get off my property before I send for the magistrate.”

  “I know you don’t have any staff here at the moment,” the man declared somewhat calculatingly. “I hear from the villagers that nobody has lived here since the old master passed on.”

  Simeon studied the deviousness in the man’s eyes and wondered if he was connected to Renwick in some way. Not sure whether that theory made any sense, he snorted disparagingly.

  “Been around this house much then have you?” He challenged thoughtfully.

  Being the focus of Simeon’s full attention seemed to unnerve the man a little because he suddenly looked awkward and uncomfortable.

  “It’s highly unusual for the master of the house to answer the door himself, isn’t it?” the man countered.

  “I will do as I damned well please in my own house and don’t have to explain myself to you. Now it is not for sale, so I suggest you go about your business and stay off my land. If you don’t, I shall see to it that you are arrested for trespassing.”

  “I am prepared to offer you a good price for the castle and contents,” the man called, as though realising that Simeon was about to slam the door in his face.

  He named a sum that Simeon knew was far below the market value. He snorted and threw the man a disparaging glare.

  “I don’t know who you are working for but I think you had better go and see if you can fleece someone else. You and I both know that this house is worth considerably more than that, even in the state it is currently in. Go back to whoever sent you here and tell them to think again. This house isn’t for sale.”

  When the man still didn’t move his boot, Simeon kicked the man’s shin hard. The boot was suddenly snatched away and gave Simeon the opportunity to slam the door in the small man’s face. The heavy thud of the bolt being slid across sounded loud, and was somewhat satisfying to hear, but he didn’t stop to savour the moment. He was painfully aware that he had left Eloisa with Renwick and hurried back to the garden room. He could only pray that nothing had gone wrong while he had been away.

  “Are you not going to talk to me now?” the man drawled.

  Eloisa remained in the doorway and continued to stare down the corridor after Simeon. She didn’t want to speak to Renwick, or even acknowledge that he was there. The way his eyes swept insolently over her gave her the chills. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the opportunity to make her even more uncomfortable.

  “Thank heavens above,” she whispered when Simeon appeared in the doorway. She knew from the deep scowl on his face that the news wasn’t good but daren’t ask him for details with Renwick listening. Instead, she threw him a warning look as he approached, and nodded into the room beside her.

  “He is awake?” he asked ask he skirted around her and stalked into the room.

  “Yes he is,” she replied.

  “Renwick Calversham, as I live and breathe,” Simeon drawled as he stopped in front of the bound man.

  “Simeon Calversham, the golden boy of the Calversham family,” Renwick snorted.

  “You know that deserting the army is a crime, don’t you?” Simeon challenged and knew from the way that Renwick’s face changed that he had just hit on the truth.

  “You know nothing,” Renwick spat.

  Simeon took far longer than necessary to select two chairs from the pile of furniture behind Renwick. He placed them all too carefully a few feet away from the man and motioned to Eloisa to take a seat. With almost clinical precision he placed them a foot apart, close to the hallway door, yet far enough from Renwick that he wouldn’t pose a threat to either of them if he happened to break free.

  “Take a seat,” he drawled, and held the chair while Eloisa dutifully sat.

  She looked across at him and bit back a smile which immediately vanished when she looked at Renwick. He appeared to be taking pleasure in unnerving her by looking at her so insolently. Determined not to allow him to worry her, she tipped her chin up defiantly and met his gaze for a moment before she pointedly looked away.

  Simeon’s lips twitched as he watched the interplay. He mentally applauded Eloisa for her cool determination to put the intruder in his place and watched the flash of anger on Renwick’s battered face with a smirk of satisfaction.

  When his stomach rumbled alarmingly, he decided to push matters along a bit so they could get Renwick dealt with and have something to eat.

  “Now, given that we are not here for a social chat, I suggest that you tell me why you are in my house,” Simeon said quietly.

  “It’s not your house,” Renwick challenged. “I am George’s son. By rights, this house belongs to me.”

  Simeon was already shaking his head by the time Renwick paused. “I have seen George’s will, written in his own hand, shown to me by his solicitor. It clearly states that I am the sole heir to everything that he owned, apart from a few minor ornaments and the like.”

  “I am his son,” Renwick snarled. “Do you seriously think that you can steal my inheritance from me?”

  “You and I both know that you despised your father, Renwick,” Simeon snapped. “George was embarrassed about you. All you did was take money from him, right up until the time you were sent off to war. Even then, you couldn’t be bothered to write to him, and disappeared from his life for years. The last time he heard about you, he received a letter from the army informing him that you were dead.”

  Renwick snorted and looked at the floor. “You know nothing.”

  “I know that George was pleased you were gone. He was relieved that you had died a relatively noble death fighting in a war rather than in some whore’s arms. For someone who spent his life in whoredom to his gambling, and who cast the family name into disrepute on several occasions, it was a bloody miracle to all of us that you had died fighting a worthwhile cause. Now it is obvious that you have even buggered that up,” Simeon snapped in disgust.

  “You know nothing,” Renwick growled.

  “So, what did you do? How did you convince the British Army to lie to George about being killed in battle?” He leaned back in his seat and casually crossed
his ankles.

  Unsurprisingly Renwick remained mute on the subject. Simeon studied the deep and jagged scar that ran down his cousin’s face and considered the possibilities.

  “Good Lord,” he whispered, when one possibility stood out against all of the others. “You are a thief.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “You are a thief of identities,” he added when Renwick appeared to ignore him.

  When Renwick continued to stare at his boots, and didn’t even appear to have heard him, Simeon thought about his suspicions a bit more carefully. He knew from the look on Renwick’s face that he was guilty of something, but was probably trying to find a way to weasel out of telling the truth. Simeon just didn’t know how he had managed to escape the army but suspected he had changed his identity somehow.

  “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me, Renwick,” he added after several minutes of tense silence.

  “You can’t help me anyway,” Renwick snorted quietly. “Nobody can now.”

  Simeon leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. “How? How do you know that I can’t help?”

  Renwick glared at him. Simeon stared hard at his cousin. There was something cold and dangerous in his eyes that warned Simeon that he was touching on the truth and unearthing something that Renwick would be as nasty as possible to protect.

  “You poisoned George,” Simeon declared quietly. It wasn’t a question.

  “What of it?”

  “It is murder,” Eloisa declared flatly.

  “It’s nothing to do with you,” Renwick countered.

  Simeon glared at him. “She is right though. You murdered your own father. Let me think now. I can only assume you were aware that because you officially died in the army you wouldn’t stand to inherit anything from your father. However, if you got George out of the way, you could plunder the house of its contents while it was empty. People would just assume that thieves had helped themselves to the contents once the death notices had been posted in the broadsheets.”