‘Thou did’st not do so, Roger. ’Twas the scent-bottle I flung catching him on the temple that killed him.’
‘Nay, ’twas my blow upon his heart. Had I not been half crazed myself from seeing him strike you I should have remembered the type of life he led, and had the sense to pull my punch.’
‘You seek to take the blame upon yourself. ’Tis like your chivalry; but, whatever the rights of it, I’ll not allow you to say that the blow upon his head was also yours. I’d sooner be driven to Tyburn in a cart.’
‘My brave Georgina,’ he squeezed her hand as they stood up. ‘Maintain that spirit for an hour or two and we will cheat the gallows yet. But all will depend on the first account given as to how he met his death. No jury could fail to be prejudiced against you from the outset if ’tis known that your husband came upon you in flagrante delicto. Therefore I must leave the revealing of his death to you. ’Twill be your worst ordeal. But once ’tis over I shall be by your side again; and, should things go ill, nothing you can say will stop me from coming forward to reveal that ’twas my blow that caused him to be seized with an apoplexy. Now, thinkest thou that their courage is equal to telling convincingly the story we will invent?’
‘Aye!’ she agreed, passing her tongue over her dry lips. ‘I’ll not fail thee in a gamble that may mean the saving of both our lives. And thou art right that I must play this first scene of it out alone. Any other course would spell disaster. But what story shall I tell? How account for his unheralded arrival here at such a godless hour; his sudden attack, and the cut upon his head?’
‘The last is simple, you can say that as he fell he struck his head on the corner post of the bed. As for his stroke, that might have been brought on from his riding twenty-five miles at topmost speed. Such an arduous feat demands considerable fitness. ’Twould prove a far greater strain than riding in a single race or the hunting to which he is accustomed, for in a day out there are always frequent checks and pauses.
‘He raved about having ridden twenty-five miles, but how can you be certain that he did so at topmost speed? If he left Goodwood after dinner, or even after midnight, ’twould have been mere hacking to reach here by dawn.’
‘Damme! Do you not realise whom we have to thank for bringing us to this evil pass?’
‘Humphrey spoke of a note from some Frenchman, with whom he did not appear to be acquainted. But what Frenchman has the ill-will to denounce me, or could possibly know….’
‘ ’Twas not a Frenchman, but a man who habitually uses French. Vorontzoff, and no other, ’Tis thus he has avenged himself on us for our treatment of him last night.’
‘Oh, the dastard!’ Georgina breathed. ‘How could any man bring himself to play so mean a trick?’
‘You told me that you judged him to be a man of few scruples; and his provocation was considerable. I’ve not a doubt now but that he listened at the door to our laughing together over his discomfiture. He must then have gambled on my remaining with you till morning, and despatched one of his outriders post haste to Goodwood.’
She nodded. ‘My mind has been so mazed since Humphrey’s discovery of us that I have lacked the wits to put two and two together; but it must be so. The Russian understands more English than he pretends. He heard Charles Fox both speak with me yesterday of Humphrey’s morbid spying upon me, and say that after the point-to-point at Goodwood he would be lying there tonight.’
‘I know it. I was standing but a yard behind you at the time. Vorontzoff then remarked that he had once been at Goodwood. He knew where it lay and would have had no difficulty in giving his messenger directions how to find it.’
‘But how could the man have done the journey and Humphrey returned here in so short a time?’
‘You make my very point. ’Twas near a quarter to one before I joined you. The Russian would then have had to scribble his note, get old Barney to rout out one of his servants, and give the fellow his instructions. The courier could not have left much before half-past one; thus leaving no more than five hours for the double journey, including the rousing of Sir Humphrey from his bed and his dressing to set out. Nine-tenths of the way lies along the Portsmouth Road, where remounts are readily obtainable. Even so, he must have ridden hell for leather the whole distance to get here by dawn; and in his condition placing so great a tax upon himself might well have proved too much for him.’
‘I will say then that the strain resulted in a fit soon after he arrived. But what reason can I give for his coming to me through the night at such a breakneck pace?’
‘Aye, there lies our worst conundrum. To give the real one will lead people to suppose that you were not alone, and any such suggestion would vastly increase our danger.’
‘We dare not count on evading that. The Russian’s courier may talk of the midnight mission on which he was despatched.’
‘He would know nothing of the contents of the note.’
‘Humphrey may have left it in his room, and if ’tis found there we would be undone.’
‘ ’Tis more likely that he has it on him,’ Roger muttered, and stooping down, he began to hunt swiftly through the dead man’s pockets.
After a moment he pulled out a paper and held it to the light that was now coming strongly between the still drawn curtains. Then he gave a cry of relief. ‘God be thanked! I have it here! ’Tis anonymous, and brief but to the point. Sir Humphrey quoted it practically verbatim. Well, we are safe on that score.’
Georgina shook her head. ‘Nay! On reaching Goodwood Vorontzoff’s man would have had to rouse some of the household in order to gain access to Humphrey. ’Tis no everyday occurrence for a guest to call for his horse at three in the morning and gallop off in a flaming temper. In his state of mind he was quite capable of blurting out the fact that he meant to surprise me with a lover. I tell you we dare not count on the reason for his coming remaining secret.’
Roger now found himself faced by a most appalling dilemma. He could not deny that there were grounds for her fear. There could be no concealing that fact that Vorontzoff’s messenger had caused Sir Humphrey to leave Goodwood for Stillwaters in the middle of the night. If he had disclosed the contents of the note before setting out, any explanation that Georgina might offer to account for his arrival, which did not tally with it, would be proved a lie. Her story as to the way in which he had died would then inevitably become suspect. And everything hung on its acceptance without question.
For these few moments Roger had it in his power to destroy the note.
If he did, and its contents were already known to someone at Goodwood, the very fact of its disappearance would jeopardise Georgina’s position still further. It would be believed that she, or whoever had been with her, had searched her husband’s body after his death and made away with the incriminating paper in an attempt to conceal their guilt.
On the other hand if he returned the note to the dead man’s pocket it was certain to be found there; then suspicion would immediately be aroused that her husband had actually caught her in flagrante delicto, and had been killed in a brawl either by her hand or that of her lover. In that case, if her fears were groundless, it would be by his own act that he would have robbed them of their best chance of escaping the gallows.
A clock ticked on, seeming unnaturally loud. Barely five minutes had yet elapsed since Sir Humphrey had breathed his last, but every moment that Georgina now delayed in rousing the house made it more improbable that her story would be believed. Her husband’s last effort in mounting the stairs at a run might have caused him to collapse within a few moments of entering her room, but given an interval for recovery such an attack was far less likely; and she could not say that he had been lying there for any length of time without her calling for help. Terribly conscious of the dreadful urgency of reaching some decision Roger stood staring at the floor; but it seemed that whichever course he chose the risk was equally appalling.
‘Vorontzoff has revenged himself upon us far more terribly than he can ever ha
ve thought to do,’ Georgina said with sudden bitterness. ‘His denunciation of me to Humphrey was vicious enough in all conscience but inspired, I’ve not a doubt by a grim humour. He meant to return our compliment of last night with interest, and make of us both this morning his April Fools.’
Instantly Roger’s glance lifted, and he exclaimed: ‘Damme! I believe we can yet turn that vicious jest too our own advantage.’
‘How so?’
‘To divert suspicion from you of having had a lover here. How could one better make an April Fool of a man than to cause him to ride twenty-five miles in the middle of the night for no reason. Just think on it! The jealous husband roused from his bed by false intelligence and galloping up the Portsmouth road as though all the furies were after him, only to find his wife sleeping, the sleep of innocence. But for its tragic ending ’twould have been the joke of the century.’
Georgina’s eyes lit up. ‘And if Humphrey had found himself so fooled, his choler might have been the final straw that led to his apoplexy.’
‘If rage can kill that might have done it.’
‘But wait! Why should Vorontzoff have played so bitter a jest on Humphrey, with whom he was not even acquainted?’
‘ ’Tis common knowledge that there was no love lost between you and your husband. You can say that he had been plaguing you recently with his jealousy; and that to teach him a lesson you put the Russian up to it.’
‘He may deny that.’
‘Nay! Why should he? I am convinced that you have hit upon the truth in thinking that Vorontzoff meant to make us April Fools. So ’tis but a modification of the truth to suggest that Sir Humphrey was his intended victim. What better explanation could he offer for the sending of his note?’
‘The true one.’
‘He dare not. As a diplomat he must regard his standing with society as a matter of importance; and he would be despised by everyone if he admitted to having taken so base a revenge upon a woman merely because she preferred another to himself.’
‘Aye, we have him in a cleft stick there.’
Roger knelt down and slipped the note back into Sir Humphrey’s pocket. Then, as he stood up he said: ‘Put a bold face on things, sweet, and all will be well. From the moment the Russian learns what has occurred he will be puzzling his wits for a way out of his own dilemma. ’Twill be no small relief to him when he hears of your having given out that ’twas an ill-starred jest, plotted between him and you, which was responsible for Sir Humphrey’s sudden appearance. He will back your story to the limit; I am prepared to stake my life on that.’
‘We shall both be doing so,’ said Georgina grimly.
‘Be not despondent, dear one, I beg.’ Roger seized her hand and pressed it. ‘Strive to believe that it happened as you mean to say and others will believe you.’
‘Others may, but not Vorontzoff.’
‘Why so? He cannot have known that I was still with you when Sir Humphrey burst into the room. He gambled on that being so, but I might have left you earlier.’
‘He is bound to wonder how I learned that he sent the message.’
‘He will assume that Sir Humphrey must have told you of it; as was in fact the case.’
‘He knows for a certainty though, that I did not enter into any plot with him to send it, and that ’twas not inspired by me.’
‘He will assume that your motive for saying so was to protect yourself from the scandal which would result from the truth. That it should save him at the same time from the mortification of having to confess the meanness of his intentions is incidental, but he will count it monstrous fortunate.’
‘I pray you may be right; but I fear that if he knows me to have lied in one thing he may suspect me with regard to others.’
‘Oh, come! Even if his interests did not march with yours, in the suppression of the true reason for sending the note, I can scarce believe that his rancour against you is so strong that he would wish to see you sent to the gallows.’
‘Nay. I trust not. Yet I count it a doubly dire misfortune that he, of all people, should know any part of my story to be false.’
‘In the worst event ’twould be only his word against yours! He has no proof; not an iota! Courage, Georgina, courage! I tell you there is nought to fear, if you can but tell your story convincingly.’
She drew in a sharp breath. ‘So be it then. I’ll say that Humphrey burst in upon me at dawn owing to a message sent him by the Russian at my instigation. ’Twas a joke, albeit a malicious one, intended as a lesson to him on account of his recent persecution of me. He took it monstrous ill and the dénouement coming on top of his gruelling ride, caused him to have a seizure. Is there aught else that I should add?’
‘Yes, one thing more,’ said Roger swiftly. ‘That weal upon your neck, my poor sweet; where the brute lashed you. ’Tis showing red now, and ’twill be difficult to conceal. You must tell of that blow and, yes—’twill help account for the time we have spent in talking—say that you fainted upon receiving it. When you came to he had already fallen at the foot of the bed, there. You ran to him, unloosed his cravat, and called for help.’
‘And you? How soon will you reappear to give me the support of your presence?’
‘ ’Twould ruin all if I returned too soon and was the first to reach you; for Vorontzoff would then regard it as a certainty that I had been here all the time. I’ll not delay a second longer than prudence dictates, but must wait until I hear other feet running along the corridor.’
‘Roger!’ she said suddenly, staring at him with wide eyes. ‘Make me a vow, I beg.’
‘Willingly, if it be within my power to fulfil.’
‘It is. Swear to me that if things go ill you will not make yourself a party to the crime. If the fates are adamant one of our lives should still be enough to appease them for such a life as his. ’Twas I who killed him, and the debt is mine.’
‘Nay. ’Twas from my blow upon the heart he died; so you ask a thing beyond my power to grant. I’d liefer die from hanging than from shame, and by confessing I might save you at a pinch.’
‘Then give me strength to fight for both of us. Take me for one moment in your arms before you go.’
Stepping up to her, he jerked her to him with unaccustomed violence. They did not kiss, but stood crushed together, straining their muscles to the utmost; so that her arms held his neck as in a vice, and his her body so tightly that it seemed as if her ribs must crack.
With a sudden gasp, as though by mutual consent, they relaxed. He smiled deep into her eyes, took her hand and kissed it, then turned away.
As the door of the boudoir closed behind him she forced, herself to kneel again beside her husband’s body. She no longer felt afraid but terribly excited; yet her brain was clear and she knew exactly what she had to do. She could feel her heart beating but had no sense of breathlessness. She deliberately counted fifty of its beats in order to give Roger ample time to get back to his room. Then she opened her mouth wide and began to scream.
Her piercing cries echoed through the lofty room. For what seemed to her an age they were the only sound that broke the stillness. Fear surged up in her once more. What had happened? Was the house empty or everybody dead, that they did not come? The dead man’s face stared up at hers, bloated and unhealthy.
Suddenly, to her stark horror, she thought she saw his eyelids move. Seizing him by the lapels of his coat, she began to shake him violently, screaming in a hoarse voice: ‘Humphrey! Humphrey! Humphrey!’
It was at that moment that Vorontzoff entered the room. She did not hear his approach until he was right upon her. Placing a hand upon her shoulder, he pulled her back as he exclaimed: ‘Madame! Madame! What in God’s name has happened?’
For a second she stared at him without replying. Then she took in the fact that his being the first person to reach her could mean only one thing. He must have been up and waiting in his room, in the hope of witnessing the dénouement of his plot to revenge himself upon her.
Vorontzoff’s dark face flushed. His grip upon her shoulder tightened and he gave her a quick shake. ‘Say nothing of that; for your sake as well as mine. ’Twould embroil us all in a most unsavoury scandal.’
‘I have no wish to tell anything but the truth,’ she flared, now on her mettle. ‘He entered my room dead-beat from his ride, and finding me alone thought that I had played a trick upon him. His rage was such that he lashed me with his whip and then was taken with an apoplexy. ’Tis you who are responsible.’
‘He thought you sent the note, eh?’ Vorontzoff’s dark eyes held hers and she could almost see the thoughts racing behind them as he muttered. ‘I meant but to repay you and Mr. Brook adequately for the slight you put upon me last night. But if your husband thought ’twas you who had made of him an April Fool I see a way that may save us all from grave embarrassment.’
Both of them caught the sound of running footsteps outside as he went on hurriedly. ‘You have an English proverb, Madame. Where there is smoke there is also fire. If I tell the truth you must realise what everyone will infer from it. Yet if I say that I sent that note at your behest, intenting only to make an April Fool of your husband, ’twill save your name as well as mine!’
Georgina felt hysteria surging up in her. The Russian’s attitude was so exactly what Roger had predicted it would be; and his arrival on the scene before anyone else now seemed the dispensation of a Merciful Providence. Fighting down her hystria she dumbly nodded an acceptance of his suggestion, and next moment found herself the centre of a little crowd. Her father, Roger, Selwyn and old Barney had all come running into the room in various states of attire, and the rest of the household was arriving hard upon their heels.
The Shadow of Tyburn Tree Page 10