by Dilly Court
‘What did you say?’ Rufus was about to leave, but he turned to give her a searching look.
‘It’s just something I learned this morning. I believe that Duke has taken Constance to the château, and I won’t rest until I know whether or not she went willingly.’
‘You told me they were married. I don’t see the problem.’
‘She wanted an annulment. They weren’t properly married, if you know what I mean.’
‘Even so, if they’ve been gone for a day or two, you might be wasting your time, Nettie.’
‘It’s not just that,’ Nettie said hastily. ‘Constance chose to marry Duke, but it’s my father I’m worried about. I think Duke might have led him astray yet again. It’s just a feeling and I can’t prove it, but if Duke intends to sell the copies as original paintings, it is the same old story. Pa will be on the wrong side of the law, but Duke will be safe in France and, if I know him, he will deny everything, leaving Pa to take the consequences if the fraud is discovered.’
‘When were you planning to leave?’
‘You think it’s the right thing to do?’
‘I don’t think you’ll rest until you know the truth, but you mustn’t go alone. Give me until four o’clock, and we’ll go together.’
Nettie stared at him in amazement. ‘You’ll go to France with me? At such short notice.’
‘I still have my passport in my wallet and my bag is not yet unpacked. We’ll leave the moment I return.’
‘But I should tell the others,’ Nettie said doubtfully. ‘Byron and Percy ought to know.’
‘Leave them a note. They’re grown men, they can follow us if they want to, but as I see it there’s no time to waste. Now I have to go, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ He opened the front door and stepped outside onto the pavement, leaving Nettie staring into empty space.
‘Nettie, fetch me some lemon and honey.’ The condesa’s plaintive voice brought Nettie back to the present and she walked purposefully into the parlour. ‘Do you really want to return to France, Condesa?’
Lisette lay back against the cushions. ‘Yes, I’ve had enough of London. I was never happy here, and my sons are grown men – they don’t need me.’
‘Then pack your things. We’re leaving for France as soon as Rufus returns.’
‘But I have no money, Nettie. I’ve spent all my earnings on new clothes and shoes. I can’t even pay the rent.’
‘All the more reason to move on. I’m going upstairs to tell my father what’s happening. He’ll argue, but he’ll understand when I explain why I have to leave now.’
It had been a rough crossing, followed by a tedious train journey from Calais. The upright wooden seats in third class were not the most comfortable way to travel, and the compartment was packed with farmers’ wives on their way to market, complete with goats, and hens in rush baskets. The air was heavy with the mixed smells of hairy animals, garlic and French tobacco, and Lisette suffered a nagging cough, for which she sucked throat pastilles. They snatched food wherever they could, but Nettie was hungry and thirsty and, having listened to Lisette’s hoarse voice complaining constantly, she was beginning to wish they had left the condesa in London. However Lisette’s spirits soared when they arrived at the Gare du Nord and she hurried off to enquire about train times and the price of tickets to Beauaire.
Nettie looked up hopefully as Lisette hurried back to them. ‘Well?’ she said eagerly. ‘Is there a train soon?’
‘We’ve just missed one and there isn’t another for several hours, at least not one that stops at Beauaire.’ Lisette covered her mouth with her hand as a cough racked her body. ‘I should have realised that. Heaven knows, I grew up here.’
‘What do we do now?’ Nettie looked from one to the other. ‘It’s too far to go by cab.’
‘There is a train that goes as far as Vernon. If we can get there tonight we can perhaps hire horses or a cab to the château tomorrow morning. I think it will be too late to do so by the time we arrive this evening.’
‘Then that’s what we’ll do,’ Nettie said firmly. ‘At least we’ll be on our way and it will be cheaper than staying in Paris overnight. What do you think, Rufus?’
He nodded. ‘I agree. I don’t speak the language, so if you’ll come with me, Condesa, we’ll purchase tickets to Vernon.’
‘I’m not a condesa,’ Lisette said tiredly. ‘It was silly of me to assume the title. Please call me Lisette.’
‘Of course, if you wish, Lisette.’ Rufus raised her gloved hand to his lips. ‘We will get to the château somehow.’
‘And the first thing I will do is to call on my brother. I haven’t seen Jean for so many years that I can’t recall how many. I doubt if he would recognise me now.’
‘He hasn’t forgotten you,’ Nettie said hastily. ‘It was Jean who told Byron about you.’
Lisette chuckled. ‘Nothing good, I imagine.’ She tucked her hand into the crook of Rufus’s arm. ‘Let’s get those tickets before we freeze to death on this draughty platform.’
The train stopped at every small station on the way to Vernon, but eventually they arrived in the small town on the banks of the River Seine, although it was dark and too late to hire any form of transport to take them on to the château. Lisette made enquiries at the ticket office and they were directed to a nearby inn, where they managed to book two rooms. It was not the most comfortable place to stay, and Nettie was certain that the bed linen was damp, but she was too tired to complain. She slept surprisingly well, considering she had to share a bed with Lisette, who not only talked in her sleep, but was extremely restless.
Nettie woke up next morning to the sound of animals being driven along the cobbled street below their window. She climbed out of bed and went to open the casement. Sheep and goats were being herded toward the market square, a corner of which was just visible if she craned her neck. The farmers shouted to each other and they had to raise their voices to make themselves heard above the sound of the animals bleating, and the background noise of steam whistles from the direction of the river. Nettie was reminded of Aristide and the time they had spent on his barge, and she smiled, remembering his colourful life and loves. He had formed a special relationship with her father, and she had no doubt that Pa would have been quite content to live the life of a bargee. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Lisette had awakened, but she was still sound asleep and it seemed a pity to disturb her. Nettie had a quick wash in the ice-cold water she poured from the flower-patterned jug into the cracked washbasin. She dressed with equal haste in an attempt to combat the chill in the room. Judging by the ashes that spilled from the grate and the thick coating of dust on the furniture, it appeared that housekeeping was not the landlord’s first priority. Perhaps they could have had a fire lit for them had they been prepared to pay extra, but money was tight and Rufus held the purse strings. He was so different from her father in that respect: had Pa been in charge they would have had servants running round after them, even if it cost him his last penny.
Nettie smiled to herself as she left the room and tiptoed along the corridor to knock on Rufus’s door. There was no response, and assuming that he was still asleep Nettie went downstairs and let herself out into the street.
She had intended to walk to the station and look up the timetable, but the narrow streets had all looked the same in the darkness and she found herself heading towards the river. A pale wintry sun had forced its way through banks of clouds, burning off the morning mist that hung over the water like a shroud. It was quieter here, away from the bustling marketplace and the only sounds were the rushing waters of the Seine and the cawing of rooks high up in the bare branches of the skeletal trees. The familiar scent of the river with just a hint of smoke from the funnels of the barges moored alongside a wooden landing stage brought back a flood of memories. Lines of washing, strung from stem to stern of several of the vessels flapped in the gusty wind like colourful flags, and the heady aroma of coffee and hot bread reminded her that
she had not had breakfast. She was about to turn back when a sight that she had not thought to see again caught her eye. The bare body of a man shone pink and white in the early morning sunlight. He was balanced on the bulwark of a barge, standing with his back to her as he stared into the distance, and a plume of pipe smoke spiralled above his peaked cap. He was naked except for a red and white spotted bandana tied around his neck and a pair of neatly darned woollen socks on his feet. She cupped her hands around her mouth.
‘Aristide Durand, is that you?’
He spun round, very nearly losing his balance, but he managed to save himself from toppling into the water. ‘Nettie!’ He stepped down from the bulwark and pulled on his trousers, slipping a thick fisherman’s smock over his head without disturbing his cap or taking his pipe from his mouth. He strode across the deck, sending puffs of smoke into the air.
‘Nettie, this is a surprise. Have you come all this way to see me?’ He held out his hand and helped her to clamber aboard. ‘You’re cold. Come into the cabin and have some coffee. It should be ready now.’
‘I can’t stay long, Aristide. I left my friends at the inn.’
‘Bring them here,’ Aristide said, grinning. ‘We can have breakfast together.’ He led the way to the cabin, giving Nettie little alternative other than to follow him. The interior of the living accommodation was warm and welcoming. The brass was polished to a brilliant shine and the stove black-leaded until it gleamed. Everything was as clean and tidy as Nettie remembered, and she perched on the edge of the bunk, accepting a mug of black coffee sweetened with honey. Aristide sat opposite her, smoking his pipe and listening intently as she told him as briefly as possible of their trip to Spain, and their time spent in the Kentish hop garden. He was eager for news of her father, and he was suitably angry with Duke for the way in which he had behaved.
Nettie finished her coffee. ‘I must go now, Aristide. It’s lovely to see you again, but we have to get to the château as quickly as possible. I was on my way to the station to look up the timetable when I took the wrong road and ended up on the river bank.’
‘It’s market day, and a bad time for travelling,’ Aristide said, shaking his head. ‘The trains will be packed with farmers and their animals. Fetch your friends and I’ll take you downriver. We’ll get there by mid-afternoon if we leave soon. I have business in the town anyway, so it suits me well.’
Nettie rose to her feet. ‘Are you sure it won’t be putting you out?’
‘You know me. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it.’
Nettie reached up to kiss his whiskery cheek. ‘Thank you, Aristide.’
‘The lady, this comtesse, is she very grand?’
‘Lisette was a water gypsy, like yourself, before she took to the stage. She is very adaptable and I’m sure she’ll be very grateful.’
Aristide grinned. ‘I hope so.’
‘You are wicked,’ Nettie said, chuckling. ‘She will put you firmly in your place if you don’t behave.’
‘I can’t wait. Go and fetch the lady, Nettie. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.’
When Nettie reached the inn she was met by the sight of Byron and Percy, who were arguing volubly with Rufus while Lisette tried to calm them down.
Percy was the first to spot Nettie. ‘Where were you? Why didn’t you tell us what you were planning?’
‘Yes,’ Byron added angrily. ‘We’ve been worried sick. You should have waited for us, Nettie.’
‘Calm down, everyone,’ Rufus said sternly. ‘This is getting us nowhere. Surely we’ve all got one aim and that is to find Constance and make sure that she isn’t being forced into agreeing to do something against her will.’
‘She would never have gone off with him voluntarily,’ Percy said angrily.
‘How did you know we were here?’ Nettie looked from one to the other.
‘We didn’t.’ Byron shook his head. ‘The train only came this far and Percy asked the man in the ticket office if he remembered seeing you three. He said he’d sent you here.’
Percy shot an enquiring look in his mother’s direction. ‘Are you all right, Ma? We heard what happened to you in the theatre.’
Lisette nodded, holding her hand to her throat. ‘I’m still hoarse, but it could have been worse. I hope Violet Fabron forgets all her lines, the bitch.’
‘You’re free from them now,’ Nettie said sympathetically. ‘But we have to concentrate on getting to the château as quickly as possible.’
‘We’ve been told that it’s market day.’ Rufus glanced out of the window. ‘There’s no chance of hiring horses, but we could try the railway station.’
Byron shook his head. ‘Not a chance, at least until midday. That’s the next stopping train.’
‘I have a better solution.’ Nettie had to raise her voice in order to be heard. ‘If you’ll all stop talking at once, I’ll tell you.’
It was almost an hour before they boarded Aristide’s barge. Lisette had to make herself presentable, even though it was going to be a trip on the river where no one would recognise her. Rufus paid the bill at the inn, and as Percy and Byron had not eaten since the previous evening, they visited a bakery on the way to the barge and purchased fresh bread. Lisette bargained hard for butter and jam from a farmer’s wife in the market.
‘You took your time, and there seem to be more of you now,’ Aristide said sternly as he helped Nettie back on board, but his expression changed subtly when Nettie introduced him to Lisette. He proffered his hand. ‘Madame Horton, it is an honour to have such a famous lady on board my humble vessel.’
She accepted his assistance, landing lightly on the deck. ‘You may call me Lisette. I was born on one of these things, so I know the score, Monsieur Durand.’
‘Aristide,’ he said, raising her hand to his lips. ‘As you will know, we river people don’t stand on ceremony.’
Byron climbed on board, laden with their luggage. He dropped the bags on the deck and held out his arms. ‘Aristide, my friend. It’s good to see you again.’
‘We will have a long talk when we get underway.’ Aristide leaped nimbly ashore to release the mooring rope and was back on board before the barge moved an inch. ‘There’s coffee on the stove, and I see you’ve brought provisions. Excellent. Help yourselves.’ He moved swiftly to man the tiller and steered the barge into mid-channel.
‘How long will this take? Percy demanded. ‘It’s not the fastest form of transport.’
‘We’ve been this way before and the quay is close to the centre of the town,’ Byron said calmly. ‘At a guess I think we should reach the château by late afternoon.’
‘Come and have some food, you’ll feel much better when you’ve eaten.’ Nettie decided that someone must take charge, and she led the way to the cabin. They huddled together on the bunks and ate the bread, lavishly spread with butter and jam, and washed down with Aristide’s strong coffee.
Lisette licked her fingers one by one. ‘I haven’t enjoyed breakfast so much since I was a child. There’s something about being on the water that gives one an appetite.’
‘Aristide will be pleased to hear you say that,’ Nettie said, smiling. ‘Funnily enough I was only thinking of him this morning, and it must have been fate that led me down to the jetty.’
Byron finished his coffee with an appreciative sigh. ‘I feel better after that, and you’re right, Mama. Food does taste better eaten like this. I think my water gypsy blood must have come to the fore during our trip downriver with Aristide.’
Lisette looked longingly at the remaining bread. ‘It would be sheer greed to eat more. Anyway, that should be for our host. I think I’ll take it to him.’ She rose to her feet and left the cabin, taking the bread, butter and jam with her.
Nettie filled a bowl with hot water from the kettle and began to wash the mugs and plates. She glanced out of the open door and smiled. ‘Look at them, Byron. Lisette and Aristide are chatting away like old friends. Who would have thought that they would get on so wel
l?’
‘Who indeed?’ Byron followed her gaze. ‘My mother certainly has a way with men. It looks as if Aristide has already fallen under her spell.’
Nettie smiled. ‘Or maybe the condesa is charmed by the roguish bargee. I’ve seen how the local women fall at his feet. I don’t know how he does it, but Aristide is a real ladies’ man.’
‘I hope his intentions are honourable. My mother has been badly used by the men in her life.’
‘I think your mother can stand up for herself,’ Nettie said wryly. ‘I’d pitch her against Aristide any day, but it’s Constance I’m concerned for.’
Percy had been staring out on deck, but he turned to them, frowning. ‘I must get to her soon. If Duke is trying to force her to do anything against her will it’s up to me to stop him.’
‘I agree. The sooner we reach the château the better,’ Nettie said earnestly. ‘I just hope we’re in time to save Constance from doing something she’ll regret for the rest of her life.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
They arrived at Beauaire in the early afternoon. Lisette and Byron went directly to Jean Joubert’s shop, accompanied by Aristide, who was eager to meet Lisette’s brother. This left Nettie, Percy and Rufus to hurry on to the château. Nettie led them to the postern gate, hoping to find it unlocked, and as luck would have it, they walked into the cherry orchard unchallenged. It was surprisingly quiet and the only person they saw was an old man who was sweeping up the dead leaves.
‘Act as if you’ve every right to be here,’ Nettie said in a low voice. ‘I don’t know where the rest of the gardeners are, but it’s usually much busier than this.’
‘Where would we start looking for Constance?’ Percy asked anxiously. ‘I didn’t realise that the château was so big.’
‘It’s more like a castle than any mansion I’ve ever seen,’ Rufus added. ‘You know the place, Nettie. You’d better lead on and we’ll follow.’
‘We’ll try the room that Constance had on our previous visit.’ Nettie hesitated as she was about to open the door that led to the servants’ quarters. ‘I think you’d better wait here. I might pass unnoticed on my own, and if I should happen to be seen, the staff will probably remember me.’