Belle (The Daughters of Allamont Hall Book 2) (10 page)

“He is not there, nor can I find that he was ever there again after we last saw him. There were four small children waiting, but no teacher and no fires lit. I cannot imagine what has become of him.”

“This rain has kept everyone indoors,” Amy said. “I am sure that he will appear as soon as the roads are fit enough for travel.”

“But that is not the worst of it,” Grace said. “There were drawers left open in the kitchen and all the spoons and knives are missing. I have the most horrid suspicion that Mr Oak has gone, never to return, taking the spoons with him.”

Belle was too shocked to say a word. It was Amy who voiced the dreadful thought.

“And fifty pounds, sister. He has stolen our fifty pounds.”

10: Hiding Places

“I have been very foolish,” Belle confessed to Miss Endercott and Mr Burford, when they called the following morning. Only the two eldest sisters were at home, sitting beside the fire in the morning room, Grace having taken the others to make a full inventory of the cottage, to see what else was missing.

“Do not berate yourself, Miss Belle, for I was completely taken in by him myself,” Miss Endercott. “So well spoken, so obviously an educated man and his clothing of good quality. Even his references were convincing, and I assure you, I am not a gullible person as a rule.”

“Even so, I should not have given him money,” Belle said, her hands twisting. “I should have insisted that his suppliers send the bills to me. It is entirely my fault. I should have known…”

“Miss Belle,” Burford said gently, “no censure can be applied to one who acted in good faith with great generosity of spirit. It is better to be too trusting and occasionally be duped, than to be suspicious of the whole world. You have lost fifty pounds which you can well afford, while
he
has put his immortal soul at risk.”

“That is true,” she said, much struck. “You are quite right, sir. I thank you for your wisdom.”

He broke into a wide smile. “I am not often called wise, Miss Belle. This is a moment to cherish.”

That made her laugh. “I am very glad you called, both of you, for I am much cheered by your words. It is a pity that most of our sisters are out at present, for I am certain you did not come only to see Amy and me. But perhaps you came by the lane and so missed the others as you walked here?”

“No, we met them in the woods,” Burford said. “However, you are mistaken in your supposition, for we did indeed come to see the two of you, and particularly
you
, Miss Belle.”

She was astonished, and said so.

He smiled and went on, “You cannot have forgotten our arrangement to examine the floorboards in your father’s study, to look for more strong boxes?”

“Oh, of course! You are all kindness, Mr Burford. Please, let us go through, for the fire is already lit.”

It took some little time for Burford to add more coals to the fire, and to arrange the two Miss Allamonts to his satisfaction in chairs close to it, while Miss Endercott sat in the desk chair.

“You have been working on your father’s account books, I see,” she said, for the desk was heaped with them.

“I am attempting to determine the precise number of money boxes to be found, Miss Endercott,” Belle said. “I have seen records of two made by old Mr Turner so far.”

“So we have at least two more to find,” Burford said. “There, are you both warm enough? Then I shall begin my search.”

For an hour Burford crawled about on his hands and knees, lifting rugs, moving small items of furniture, and tapping at the floorboards. Twice he gave a triumphant cry, and produced a strongbox from a hidden cavity below loose boards.

“There, Miss Belle! Now let us try the keys.”

“Oh yes! Surely we must be able to open these boxes now.”

But none of the keys opened the two new boxes.

“That is very disappointing,” Burford said. “We shall have to send for Harry Turner again. But it does suggest that there are still more boxes to be found.”

“I believe you are right in your theory, Mr Burford,” Belle said. “Each box contains the key for the next box in the sequence. It is very ingenious, although quite frustrating. ”

“Once we have all the boxes, we shall be able to open them all,” he said. “When should you like me to continue my investigations?”

His enthusiasm made Belle smile. “There is now no urgency to the matter. There will be enough money in these boxes to pay all the outstanding accounts and the servants’ salaries, with plenty left over. We shall be very much in funds.”

“I should be happy to deliver the surplus to the bank for safekeeping, if you wish it. Ah, I believe your sisters are here.”

It was a very downcast party who returned from the village. While Mr Burford hid the boxes away again, Belle and Amy listened to the sad tale.

“I do not believe he had the least intention of taking the post,” Grace said. “He has taken everything small that could be fitted into pockets, even the bottles of ink, and he has fifty pounds in addition. He may live very well on the proceeds of his thieving.”

“Is there no possibility of finding this man, and bringing him before the magistrate?” Miss Endercott said. “It is not right that he should escape justice.”

“Did he give an address when he wrote to you, Miss Grace?” said Mr Burford.

“Only Brinchester, which is a very large town. It would be next to impossible to find Mr Oak there.”

“We should also consider the possibility that he gave a false name,” Miss Endercott said. “His falsehood extended to everything else he said, why not his name, too?”

“Then it is hopeless,” Belle said, and no one had a single argument against that view.

~~~~~

Despite the opinion of both Miss Endercott and Mr Burford that no blame attached to Belle for her part in the loss of money to the thief, she herself felt it very keenly. Although she was not the eldest of the sisters, Amy was such a timid creature that Belle had long taken the role of adviser to the others, and prided herself on her good sense and practical nature. Never did she think she could be so easily taken in! It was a blow to her confidence, and forced her to reconsider her behaviour more critically than heretofore.

She had left too much in Grace’s hands, she decided. Grace was sensible enough in ordinary matters, but she had undertaken the establishment of the school with too little supervision, and her impulsive nature had led her into error. Belle should have insisted that they follow the original plan of allowing Mr Ambleside to secure a schoolmaster for them, even if it were to take a little longer. Belle felt her fault greatly, and resolved to do better in future.

With the end of their year of mourning drawing closer, Belle considered it time to bring her cousin James to the point, so that they might be married as soon after Amy’s wedding as could be contrived. She saw no point in waiting. With their release into society, her younger sisters would be attending balls and evening engagements of many descriptions, and looking around for husbands of their own. Belle had no wish to make them wait any longer than was necessary by delaying her own marriage. In consequence, she needed James to make the offer. There was only one small difficulty with this plan, which was that James had not visited Allamont Hall for some time.

“Do you think he has abandoned me?” Belle asked Amy, as they prepared for bed one night.

“No, of course not! I daresay he has other calls on his time. All gentlemen do.”

“He seemed to have nothing else to do until quite recently. Now we do not see him at all. Mary says he is busy at the farm with the harvest going on, but that sounds far too much like hard work to attract James.”

Amy giggled. “Yes, it does. I have never known him exert himself when he might be at leisure.”

“Apart from riding, of course. He is always galloping here and there. Well, not here, obviously. Not any more. No matter. I shall see him at this dinner we are holding, and I shall tell him that I expect to receive an offer from him very soon.”

“Dearest, are you sure you wish to marry James? Everyone agrees that he is quite unsteady, whatever that means, and I know you do not like him much. I would not have you made unhappy in your choice of husband. I have been so fortunate in gaining Mr Ambleside’s affections, for it is very comfortable to be able to look up to one’s husband and be cherished by him. I would not wish any less for you, sister.”

“Ah, Amy, it was not good fortune but your own sweet nature that secured Mr Ambleside, to say nothing of your pretty face. Since I have neither, I cannot expect to be so fortunate.”

“But you will find
someone
, in time,” Amy said. “Why such haste? Why not look about for a suitable husband at your leisure?”

“I am four and twenty, sister, and have been looking for a suitable husband for years. I do not imagine that a few more months will make a difference.”

“But you have twenty thousand pounds now.”

“So I would be surrounded by men who would smile and flatter me and profess their love, yet only want my dowry. At least James is honest about his motives. No, I am tired of pretending I enjoy being paraded about like a horse, and tired of waiting. I want to be mistress of my own establishment, and watch my children grow, and not have to ask Mama every time I wish to go out. And I do
not
want to dither about and keep the others waiting. Look at Hope and poor Mr Burford,  in love these two years past, and with Hope’s money they could marry at once, if they wished. Yet they must wait until Connie and Dulcie and Grace are settled. I would not have them wait a day longer than necessary on my account.”

Amy shook her head. “Oh, Belle! You are too selfless.”

“Not really,” Belle said, and laughed softly. “I shall be getting what
I
want, too, you may be sure of that. Besides, at Willowbye, I shall have Mary’s company, and Cousin Henry’s, too, which will be very comfortable for me, and help me to bear your loss to Staynlaw House.”

“And the library,” Amy said with a smile. “Willowbye has a fine library. That is an attraction, I daresay.”

“And by no means the least of them, I assure you. Do not worry about me, sister. James and I will deal together perfectly well, and as soon as I am safely married and out of the way, it will be Connie’s turn.”

11: Mr Burford's Discovery

The day of the dinner was fast approaching, and the Miss Allamonts were much occupied with plans for it. The dishes to be served were discussed with Miller, the housekeeper, and Mrs Cooper, the cook, and the meat and fish ordered. The list of guests was reduced after much argument to the highest number the dining room could hold, and the invitations written and sent. The lower servants were kept busy from morning to night, cleaning, beating carpets, dusting and polishing. The upper servants looked out the best china and polished the silverware. The gardeners and stable hands were organised to manage the guests’ carriages. The whole house was in turmoil.

Then there was the important matter of gowns to be decided, and there were visits to the warehouses, and consultations with the seamstress, and shoes and ribbons to be purchased. Belle was heartily sick of it all.

“When I am married, I shall not entertain at all,” she declared. “It is far too much trouble.”

“You do not really mean that,” Amy said, giggling, her hand over her mouth.

“Probably not, but this was so much easier when Mama took care of it.”

“It is a beneficial experience for us,” Amy said. “I am very glad to learn how to plan such an occasion. This is more useful to us than Latin verbs, sister.”

Since she rather enjoyed the intricacies of Latin verbs, Belle could not quite agree with this, but she chose not to argue the point. “I just wish I could escape from the Hall for a change.”

“Why, we were in Brinchester only two days ago.”

“At the warehouses, and buying lace for your new caps. If only I could have gone to the circulating library! I depend entirely on Mr Burford to fetch me books.”

~~~~~

Burford was more than willing to convey Belle’s books to and from the library. He spent many hours discussing everything she had read, so that he might choose new books that he felt would most interest her. He had also not forgotten the school project. Now that  Ambleside had returned, Burford had talked of his friend who was now in need of employment, and given such a favourable report that Ambleside had written to the young man, a Mr Drummond, to enquire if the post of village schoolmaster would be of interest to him.

“He has not yet had a response, but the postal service in Scotland is not quite so efficient as it is here,” Burford said, when he came to call one day, joining the young ladies at the work table where they were writing invitations.

“Oh, your friend is Scotch?” Grace said. “Will we understand what he says? For they speak quite another language in Scotland, I believe.”

Burford laughed. “Some do, it is true, and I daresay we should not understand anything the labourers say. But Alex was educated in England, at Winchester and Oxford, just as I was, and I assure you, he speaks exactly as I do.”

“That is reassuring,” Grace said. “And will he take the position, do you think?”

“He may do,” Burford said. “He very much wishes to be independent of his brother. I believe he has a little money of his own from his mother, and the salary in addition would be enough for him to live in tolerable comfort, especially if he is able to take on boarders. Mr and Miss Endercott have offered to provide accommodation for boarders, since the parsonage is over-large for their needs, so I believe it can all be arranged most satisfactorily.”

“This is excellent,” Grace said. “We shall have the school open very soon, I am sure.”

“I wonder, Miss Grace, if you would like me to replace the supplies which…  well, the ink, and so forth,” Burford said. “I could perhaps look for maps, too. I shall be in Brinchester tomorrow, and I shall have the whole day. You may give me a list of all you need.”

“Oh, Mr Burford, what should we do without you?” Grace said.

“You may have the bills sent direct to me,” Belle said, her eyes twinkling.

Burford laughed, delighted that she could now see some humour in the situation. “I have also been considering the matter of books for the school,” he said. “I have inherited a great many books from my uncles, and there may be a few volumes amongst them which are suitable, if you would care to sort through them.”

Grace pulled a face. “That sounds like something that Belle would enjoy. She is always buried in a book.”

Belle’s face was alight with pleasure. “Oh yes! I should enjoy that very much. You may tell me what you need, Grace, and I can look through Mr Burford’s collection.”

Burford smiled at her, thinking how greatly her countenance improved when she smiled so warmly. Belle would never be as pretty as her sisters, but there was an intelligence in her eyes and a softness about her lips which struck him forcibly. He wished with all his heart that she might find a man worthy of her.

“That is quite enough talk about the school,” Hope said. “The arrangements for our evening entertainment are much more interesting. We are to have both mutton and beef, and perhaps a turkey or a goose, and whatever fish can be had. What do you think of that?”

“It sounds quite splendid, M-M-Miss Hope.”

~~~~~

Sir Matthew and Lady Graham’s carriage deposited Burford in the centre of Brinchester. He went first to Miss Featherstone’s library to deposit his own and Miss Belle’s books. He planned to carry out all his other errands, and then he would return to the library to spend an hour or two contentedly choosing books.

His first call was the map shop, where he quickly determined that the price of a globe was prohibitive. And yet, they were so beautiful! The urge to touch one was irresistible. He ran his hands over the surface, and then the wood frame, carved and decorated with gold. How he longed to have one for himself. But his income would never permit it. He thought briefly of the money boxes at Allamont Hall — three of them, and each one containing more money than he had ever seen in his life. Yet that was the way of the world, that some people were wealthy and some were not, and it was of no use repining over it.

He hastily made his purchases, arranged delivery and moved on. His next stop was a small, dark shop selling all types of writing equipment, and here he hoped to buy ink. Miss Grace had told him the type and quantity, and the shopkeeper immediately produced them.

“You are most fortunate, sir,” he said. “It so happens that I have the exact number of bottles you require.”

“Is that unusual?” Burford said. “I had not thought there to be any difficulty in obtaining ink.”

“Not in the ordinary way, sir, no, but this is a special mix. We do not often have more than a bottle or two in stock. However, by great good fortune, a young man came in just a few days ago wishing to sell several bottles.”

“Is that so? A young man, indeed. I wonder if it was my friend, Mr Oak?”

“Oak? No, I do not believe so. I can check my ledger, if you wish, sir.”

“I should be obliged to you.”

The shopkeeper pulled the book from beneath the counter. “Now, let me see, which day was it… no… no… Ah, here we are, sir. Oh, you were almost right — it was a Mr Ash.”

“Mr Ash. I see,” Burford said. “I do not suppose this Mr Ash gave a direction — his lodgings, or residence?”

“No, sir. I am very sorry, sir.”

Burford completed his purchase. He had a few more small commissions to execute for Miss Grace and Miss Endercott, but when he had finished, he walked twice around Queen Anne Square, pondering his discovery. It had not previously occurred to him that he might hear further news of Mr Oak, or Ash, or whatever his real name was. He had assumed that an unremarkable young man, having availed himself of the innocent generosity of the Miss Allamonts, would hide away out of sight, or perhaps take the first mail coach to a new town. But to find that he was walking about in a perfectly open manner, masquerading under a very similar name and generally behaving as if he had done nothing wrong at all, incensed Burford greatly.

But how to find the thief? He could not ask at every hotel and lodging house in Brinchester if they had a person staying there who bore the name of a tree. He could probably find the shop which had bought the spoons, in time, but that would not avail him, for he would undoubtedly find they were sold by a Mr Birch or Willow, who left no address. But if he could not find out where Mr Oak lived, he might perhaps see him about the town, entering or leaving shops, or simply walking along the street.

For some time, Burford ambled up one street and down another, examining the faces of every man he passed, just in case one of them might look familiar. At length coming to the conclusion that Brinchester possessed far too many young men altogether, and the case was hopeless, he gave it up and made his way to the circulating library.

“Good day again, Mr Burford,” Miss Featherstone said, from behind her high desk. She was a tall, rather severe, lady of middle years, but she always had a smile for her best customers.

“Good day to you, Miss Featherstone. You are busy this morning.”

“As we are almost every morning now. Business is very brisk. Why, we have had five new subscribers just today.”

“Indeed so? How interesting. I wonder, Miss Featherstone, if you should happen to have a subscriber by the name of — oh, it might be Oak or Ash or something of that nature?”

She chuckled. “Your friend would be mortified to know that you had forgotten his name. But I do not believe we have anyone going by either of those names.”

“Well, it might be a different tree altogether,” he confessed. “Birch or—”

“Alder!” she said triumphantly. “I have a Mr Alder who comes in very regularly. Should I tell him you wish to speak with him?”

“Oh, no, no!” he said in alarm. “No, that would never do. And he is not at all a friend, Miss Featherstone. I am trying to find him because…” He hesitated. Should he reveal what he knew? Yet it would surely be wrong to keep such information from one who had entrusted the thief with her books. “He has something that belongs to a lady of my acquaintance.”

“Oh! A pickpocket? Or… something worse?”

“I do not quite know how to describe him. He is a man who preys on the gullible and innocent, and persuades them to give him money, and he is not above stealing the spoons, either.”

“Oh! That is very bad. And he has a number of my books in his possession, Mr Burford, which I might never see again. Yet he looks such a respectable gentleman.”

“That is true, but I imagine that to be a necessary prerequisite for his career. If he were to look like a villain, no one would trust him with their money or property.”

“What should I do, Mr Burford? I do not want him on my lists if he might steal my books, for they are my livelihood.”

“He is an educated man, so I suspect that he respects books more than spoons. Did he give his address?”

“Yes, now let me see…” She ran her finger down the page of her subscription book. “Oh, yes, I recall now, he is staying with friends. Here it is.
‘Allamont Hall, Lower Brinford.’
”

Burford laughed and shook his head. “The man is a shameless scoundrel! That is the home of the lady whose money he stole. He is certainly not there. But if he comes in here regularly, we may yet find out where he lives. Say nothing to him, Miss Featherstone, but if you see him, let me know.”

Burford did not account himself a particularly lucky man, in general, for whenever he had laid a sovereign or two on the outcome of a race or a prize fight, the money was invariably lost. Today, however, he was very lucky, for the very person he sought arrived not half an hour later. Burford was engrossed in a book, with several more under his arm, when he felt a little tug on his sleeve. It was Miss Featherstone, winking and raising her eyebrows alternately. At first he was flummoxed, but gradually it dawned on him that she was trying to convey a message without making a sound.

At once he looked around the room, and there, not ten paces away, was the very man. Mr Alder, he supposed, for the moment.

Burford nodded an acknowledgement to Miss Featherstone, who crept away. Quickly Burford concealed himself as best he could behind a pillar further away, from which position he could watch the thief without, he hoped, attracting too much attention to himself.

For some time, the man wandered about, examining books and occasionally selecting one that caught his eye. Then, so abruptly that he took Burford by surprise, he strode off to the desk, chatting amiably to Miss Featherstone while her assistant wrote down the details of his books. And then he whisked out of the door and away up the street.

Burford trotted across to the desk, dropped his own books there with a hurried, “I shall be back directly,” and rushed out to the street. Mr Alder’s blue coat was still visible, just turning into the square. Burford ran, although the crowded pavement made this difficult and he attracted some black looks. He bumped into at least two elderly gentlemen who were not agile enough to leap aside to avoid him. “So sorry!” he cried, as he raced past. But his efforts were rewarded, for when he reached the corner himself, the blue coat was not twenty paces ahead of him.

Puffing a little, for it was some years since he had had occasion to run so far, Burford sidled along in his quarry’s wake. At first, they progressed along Brinchester’s finest streets, lined with banks, the Assembly Rooms, the town house and court house, the wool exchange, and all the most stylish shops. Then the blue coat turned into a quieter street and another even quieter, with no pavements and rows of small houses, some in need of fresh paint on doors and window frames. Many had notices in the windows advertising rooms to let.