by Karen Abbott
‘Oh, miss!’ Nora did as she was told, protesting her reluctance all the while. ‘I’ll lose me job, miss, you just wait and see.’
‘No, you won’t. If we are discovered I shall say that I made you obey me … which is true.’ She took off her nightgown and held out her arms for Nora to slip her shabby carriage dress over her. Her head felt as though it didn’t quite belong to her, but that was probably the excitement of what she was about to do. ‘But I hope we won’t be discovered. I shall warn whoever I find up at the Hall and will come home directly. If we roll up some clothing and put it in my bed, if anyone comes, they will think it is me and will leave me to sleep until morning.’
‘At least put on your cloak as well, miss, it’ll be right cold out there.’
‘That’s a good idea … and the hood will shield my face in case any other traveller catches sight of me.’ Not that she expected to see anyone, but it would be best if she could blend into the background of trees once out of the house. A young lady out on her own at this time of day would attract attention and she didn’t want anyone to question her, or offer to convey her wherever she was going.
‘Oh, don’t say that, miss!’ Nora wailed.
‘You’re right. We won’t even think it!’ Lucy soundly affirmed. ‘Now, all I have to do is to get out of the house without being seen. Don’t forget to roll up some clothing, Nora and then make yourself comfortable in the chair.’ She hesitated and then put her arms around Nora and hugged her. ‘I have to do this, Nora,’ she assured the maid earnestly. ‘And I promise, that if anything should go wrong, I will make sure that you are not blamed. I promise you. All right?’
Nora gulped and nodded. ‘All right, miss. I’ll do as you say.’
Lucy let go of her and tiptoed to the bedroom door. All was quiet outside her room. She crept to the top of the stairs. Not a sound to be heard. It was an ideal time with her sister’s family still out visiting and the servants busy in the kitchen.
Luck was on her side. She crept quietly down the stairs and out through a side door. She had already dismissed the idea of going to the stables to ask for Maud to be harnessed to the gig. Even though the head groom was still out with the family coach, no one would suppose it acceptable for her to be going out at this time of day, almost midway through December, and it would involve yet more of the servants in her escapade. No, she would have to walk.
Through the wood was the shortest way, but a mist was curling through the shrubbery and she didn’t feel bold enough to enter the wood on her own. It would be easy to miss her way if the mist thickened. Going by the road was the better choice. She didn’t imagine there would be many vehicles and, if one should happen along, she would hear it coming and could quickly slip into the trees that bordered the lane.
Her heart was beating rapidly, but she told herself that the journey was really no different than it would be in daylight. All she had to do was keep a tight hold on her imagination and everything would be all right.
Theo had laid his plan well. He had enough contacts from his days with the military to be able to choose reliable men to make enquiries quietly and feed back the information via Boulton and Dodds. He knew his cousin had received the information that he was returning on his own to Montcliffe Hall today and he had no doubt but that he would take the bait and make a move against him. And he was pretty certain that that move would be during the journey. Piers would not wait until he was back in residence with faithful retainers around him.
He also knew which stretch of road Piers would most likely choose for his ambush. It was after a series of twists in the road, which any driver of repute would negotiate with care, just before the road straightened out and the coach would pick up speed. The area was wooded with both trees and shrubs, giving cover to anyone of a mind to take advantage. That’s where he would choose, were he in his cousin’s shoes. Though Piers hadn’t been the wiliest of soldiers, surely even he would be capable of making that decision.
It also gave cover to anyone who wished to observe such an act and catch the perpetrator red-handed! Just in case, Theo had placed a few men stationed at other positions. The route had been well covered, but Theo now eyed his companion with grim satisfaction. They had silently watched Piers take up his position nearer to the road with a number of companions, all of whom were under surveillance by Theo’s men and would be silently put out of action when the affray began, especially the thug who was Piers’s former batman. Two men had been assigned to disable him. Now was the hardest part: waiting.
Both Theo and his companion were dressed in dark brown and, leaning against the sturdy tree as they were, blended in with their surroundings. It took self-control to keep still and not to give in to the urge to swing their arms about themselves or to stamp their feet to restore the circulation and Theo hoped his companion was not suffering unduly. He was the local magistrate; an older man, but necessary to Theo’s plan. He was counting on the surprise of being thwarted in his plan would cause Piers to be indiscreet with his words.
He hated this part of any engagement. Nerves were on edge, wondering how it would go. It was always thus when campaigning. Once the battle started, training kicked in and the instinct to out-manoeuvre the enemy took over. To kill or be killed was easier then, with no time to be afraid.
It was cold. He blew into his hands silently, temporarily warming them.
A sharp sound in the distance brought all his senses together. His muscles tensed. A coach was approaching. Was it his coach? His ears listened intently, telling him four horses were in harness. He could imagine every twist in the road as the sounds came closer. This was it!
A few hundred yards or so away, Lucy increased her pace, even though the ground was now rising slightly. The coach had passed her a moment before. She had heard it coming long before it swayed round the intervening bend and she had had plenty of time to drop into the roadside ditch and crouch in its shadows. She raised her head as it passed and she recognized the Montcliffe coat of arms emblazoned on its doors.
Her head was full of questions. Should she have taken a chance and stopped it en route? She dismissed that thought; there was no way of knowing which coach it was until it drew level and it would have been too late to draw back if it were another. By the time she had scrambled back up on to the road, the rear of the coach was already lost in swirls of mist, the rumble of the wheels fading as it went around the bend at the top of the slope.
Was Theo a passenger inside it? He could be driving into danger. Was he well? Fully recovered? She hoped so. Surely he wouldn’t have planned his return unless he was. Did he know that his cousin was back in the area? What if he didn’t? She must hurry!
Her footwear was totally unsuited to running and it wasn’t an activity she had indulged in very much in recent years. Well-brought-up young ladies weren’t expected to run. Nor were they given the opportunity. Even her outings in the wood with the children hadn’t prepared her muscles for the exertion now required of them, and the carriage accident earlier in the day had affected her strength more than she had realized at the outset, but her anxiety spurred her on her way. Hurry! Hurry! ‘Please be safe, Theo!’
A pistol shot rang out through the misted air. The sound momentarily froze her steps. A stab of fear pierced her heart. She heard the panicky sound of horses missing step and rearing and the jangle of harness out of rhythm.
With a small cry, she urged her feet onwards, her breath now coming in painful gasps. As she stumbled round the next curve in the road, she was brought to an abrupt halt.
Twilight was settling upon the day but there was enough light remaining for her to make out the silhouetted shape of the large coach. It had been forced to stop. A bulky man, whom she presumed was the driver, lay sprawled face down on the ground, dangerously near the horses’ hoofs. A rough-looking individual was trying to hold the bridles of the frightened leading horses, whilst another, with a heavy cudgel in his hand, stood over the fallen man. Was either of them the rough-looking groom wh
om she had seen with Potterill on that first occasion? He would be a brutal opponent.
As she crept forward, she could see another man by the side of the coach. From his height and build, she knew it was Lieutenant Potterill. Her breath seemed to be stuck in her throat and her mind paralyzed. What was he going to do? If Theo were indeed in the coach, why hadn’t he leaped out to see what was going on? Was there a possibility that he wasn’t in it? Or had he already been injured by that pistol shot she had heard?
Before her thoughts had had time to settle, Potterill yanked open the door, but stepped back a pace when the cloaked figure of a woman appeared in the doorway of the coach. She heard Potterill stammer, ‘A … Aunt Isabelle!’ followed by, ‘Really, Piers! Whatever is happening?’ It was the countess, without any trace of fear in her voice. ‘What are you doing here? I think I heard a shot. Have we been held up?’
At the same moment another dark form emerged from the shelter of the trees to her left and a commanding voice rang out, ‘Hold it right there, Piers! You are surrounded!’
Lucy recognized the voice and turned in consternation as she realized the second dark figure was Theo, miraculously standing unaided. His right arm was outstretched, a pistol pointing straight at his cousin. She realized that Theo had challenged his cousin before he had had time to see his mother framed in the doorway of the coach. He clearly had no idea that she would be there, or he would have challenged his cousin before he had opened the door.
Yet another dark form emerged behind Theo a few yards to his left as, with a swift movement, Piers reached forward and grabbed hold of the countess, dragging down her slender form from the coach. He held her against his body, a pistol to her head.
‘Don’t move, anyone, or I shall shoot her!’
Lucy held her breath, her eyes locked on Potterill. The muzzle of his pistol was pressing against Lady Montcliffe’s temple as his glance darted between Theo and his companion. ‘Throw down your pistols where I can see them!’ he shouted.
Lucy gasped. If Theo did as he was bidden, he would be at his cousin’s mercy. In a flash of understanding, Lucy knew Piers would then kill all present to silence them and, no doubt, lay the blame on a marauding band of thieves! She knew no one dared to move just as she also knew Theo would throw down his pistol as he had been ordered, in the hope of saving his mother.
Fourteen
LUCY KNEW SHE was the only one who could do anything! But what?
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the man who had dealt with the coach driver begin to creep around the back of the coach. She didn’t dare wait until he entered the fray. She needed to distract Piers in order to give Theo a chance to save his mother without sacrificing himself.
She stooped down and groped her fingers over the ground until she felt a large stone. She swiftly scooped it up and, imagining that she were bowling over-arm to someone taller than Bertie, she flung it over everyone’s heads to land in the only direction where no one was standing. It hit against the trunk of a tree with a sharp crack!
Instantly, Potterill swung around to face that direction, sweeping the light figure of the countess off her feet with him, and fired his pistol. Immediately, another shot rang out. Potterill staggered sideways and fell against the body of the coach, dragging Lady Montcliffe with him. As they collapsed to the ground, Theo lurched forward, followed by his companion.
There were sounds of other scuffles and fights going on in the shrubbery across the road, but Lucy’s attention was solely upon the fallen figures on the ground by the coach.
She ran forward, also. ‘Is Lady Montcliffe all right?’ she gasped.
Theo didn’t respond. Instead, he stamped his foot on his cousin’s outstretched hand that still loosely held his pistol. The precaution wasn’t necessary. Potterill remained slumped where he had fallen.
‘A good shot,’ Theo’s companion murmured quietly. ‘He deserved it, the scoundrel.’
The countess, with Lucy’s help, was struggling to sit up. ‘Thank you, my dear.’ Her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Lucy! You are the last person I expected to see!’
Until Lady Montcliffe spoke her name, Theo’s attention had been solely upon his mother. He had bent awkwardly over her, the pain in his back preventing him from being able to lift her to her feet. He turned in amazement, involuntarily wincing as he straightened.
‘Lucy? Miss Templeton?’ He looked back at his mother, who was now leaning on Miss Templeton’s arm as she regained her feet. He put out a hand to steady her, holding on to the coach door with his other hand. ‘You know Miss Templeton, Mama?’
‘Yes, dear. She was a guest at the Hall just over a year or so ago.’
‘Oh, look out!’ Lucy clutched at his arm as the man with the cudgel came into view. They weren’t yet out of danger!
Theo tensed for action but immediately relaxed. ‘It’s all right, he’s one of my men.’
‘Oh! But I thought—!’
‘So did Piers,’ Theo said with a note of satisfaction in his voice. He looked at the man. ‘How’s Simkins? Not too stunned, I hope?’
‘Nah, he’ll do, ’Twas naught but a tap,’ the man replied, his swarthy face softened by a grin. ‘I managed to warn him and he dropped like a professional!’
Lucy’s eyes were drawn to the still figure on the ground. ‘He’s dead, isn’t he? Will you get into trouble for killing your cousin? Although, everyone will give witness—’
‘The shot was mine,’ the other man interrupted. He bowed briefly towards Lady Montcliffe. ‘William Grantham, ma’am. The local magistrate. I’ll take full responsibility for what has happened. Full warning was given and he chose to ignore it. Now, if everyone agrees, it’s time we moved on. The night’s drawing in and it’s getting damnably cold! Get these ladies sorted out, Rockhaven, and leave the rest of us to do what we have to here.’
His words reminded Lucy of the impropriety of her presence. ‘Oh, yes, I must return home immediately!’ she cried with dismay. Now that the danger was over, her legs seemed to want to crumple beneath her, but she was too proud to admit to such weakness. Her other predicament, that of being missed from her room, was of much more importance. ‘No one knows I am out of the house,’ she added ruefully. She turned to Lady Montcliffe, stricken by embarrassment. ‘Please don’t think badly of me for being out at this hour with no maid in attendance! I simply couldn’t think of any other way to warn Theo … that is, Lord Rockhaven … that his cousin was back in the area.’
‘Ha! If you think yourself wanton for being out without a maid in attendance,’ Theo declared, ‘look no further than at my dear mother! The coach was supposed to be empty, Mama!’
‘Touché!’ Lady Montcliffe laughed, not in the least embarrassed. ‘Yes, I’m sorry I nearly wrecked your plan. I thought my presence might defuse the situation, but I see I was wrong. Do you think he would really have killed me? Yes, I see you do.’ For a moment she seemed overtaken by shock, but she pulled herself together and resorted to admonition. ‘You should have told me in greater detail what you were planning! I just couldn’t wait tamely in London knowing that you were planning to somehow lure Piers into making a move against you, and I could hardly put any of my maids into such a dangerous position, could I? However, it is only for one night. They are following on tomorrow. In the meantime, Miss Templeton, Theo and I will escort you back to Glenbury Lodge, so that we can explain what has happened to your sister.’
Lucy would have liked nothing better than to arrive home sheltered by the countess’s presence, and that of her son, but she would prefer it if Marissa and other members of her sister’s household did not discover her evening’s deception quite so dramatically. Besides, she must protect Nora’s part in her deception.
‘Please, no!’ she implored. ‘I am in disgrace enough, as it is. My sister is out visiting and I am supposed to be resting in my room after a …’ No, she mustn’t mention the carriage accident. That would complicate the matter and delay them all departing to their homes. ‘I prete
nded to be a little unwell so that I could come to warn Lord Rockhaven that his cousin was in the area trying to recruit men to assist him. Everyone thinks I am asleep in my bed. I am hoping to be back in my room before Marissa returns. She will be shocked if she hears of my part in this, and my maid is covering for me. It will be much better if I creep back into the house unnoticed. I can be back home by the time you have turned the coach around. Oh dear, it all sounds quite dreadful of me. I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to do.’
Theo reached out to touch her arm, his face wincing in pain with the sudden movement. ‘It was very brave and resourceful of you, Miss Templeton, but you must allow me to come with you to make sure of your safety.’
Lucy backed away, shaking her head, knowing that if he touched her, she would lose her resolve. His pain was evident and Lady Montcliffe seemed as if she had borne enough for one night. ‘No! Your mother’s need is greater than mine. I’m just so glad you’re safe, m’lord!’
Their gaze met and held for a few seconds, each conveying a tumult of emotion. Lucy longed to be held in his arms, to feel his strong body against hers, except, right now, he wasn’t strong. The strained lines of his face showed that his exertions had taken their toll on him and she knew he wouldn’t want her to witness his physical weakness.
‘It isn’t far … and it’s mostly downhill,’ she said, forcing a light laugh. ‘I’ll be home before you are.’
‘Then one of my men will escort you as far as the door. I insist.’
Lucy agreed. She was sorry to have to leave. She wanted to hear all the details. Where had Theo been during the past few weeks? How did he know his cousin was going to waylay him on his return to Montcliffe Hall? But, most of all, she just wanted to feast her eyes on him and take in the fact that he was back on his feet and able to walk unaided.