Castle of Secrets (24 page)

‘His lordship
has been delayed,’ she said. ‘You are to take me to Miss Debbet’s cottage,
where I am to deliver a message. You will then proceed to the stage post alone
and await his lordship’s instructions.’

‘That’s not
what ’e said to me,’ said Eldridge, his dour face glowering suspiciously. ‘’e
said I was to go to the stage, but ’e didn’t say nothing about no cottage.’

‘He has
changed his mind. If you don’t believe me, then you must go and ask him
yourself. He is in his study. But make haste! He has commanded me to deliver
his message without delay.’

She climbed
into the carriage. Eldridge looked towards the door, then at
Helena
’s impassive face, and
gave a brief nod before folding the step and shutting her in. He mounted his
box, and then they were away. She breathed a sigh of relief to think that one
problem, at least, had been overcome.

The carriage
seemed to crawl away from the castle, and she sat forward on her seat, willing
it to go faster. At any minute she expected Lord Torkrow to emerge from the
castle, shouting: ‘Stop!’

She was so
fearful that she could not help looking back, but everything was quiet. The
carriage rolled slowly on, through the arch, and then it began to pick up speed
as it emerged on to the road.

She looked
forward again, but her eyes did not see the moor as it rolled past. Instead
they turned inwards, and she was consumed by her thoughts. What had really
happened at the castle? Had Lord Torkrow tried to murder his nephew, and had
Aunt Hester hidden the boy in an effort to protect him? If so, where had she
gone? Had she taken the child with her? And was she alive, or were they both .
. . She did not want to finish the thought.

The carriage
turned off the main road and she recalled her thoughts from their dark paths.
Ahead of her, she could see Mary’s cottage. Never had a sight been more
welcome. She opened the door as the carriage rolled to a halt and jumped out.
Eldridge looked surprised at her behaviour, but said nothing, merely closing
the door behind her.

‘Go on to the
stage post and await his lordship’s further instructions,’ she said.

At least, if
Sir Hugh had to force his way into the castle, he would find one less man
blocking his way.

Eldridge
looked dubious, but he nodded his head, and the carriage rolled away. As soon
as he had gone,
Helena
went up the path and knocked at the door. It was early, but she hoped Mary
would be awake.

She need not
have worried. The door was opened by the maid, and she was shown in, to find
Mary sitting in the parlour.

‘Mrs
Reynolds,’ said Mary, standing up in surprise.

‘I am sorry to
disturb you at such an hour, but I am in dire need of help,’ said
Helena
without preamble, afraid
that at any moment there could be a knock on the door and that Lord Torkrow
could walk in.

‘Whatever has
happened?’ asked Mary in concern. ‘Has there been an accident? Is someone hurt?
Are you ill?’

‘Please, have
the trap readied. I will explain everything when it is brought round.’

Mary looked
surprised but she hesitated for only a moment, and then she gave the maid
instructions to see that the trap was brought round to the front door.

‘And tell
Hobbs
to make haste,’ she said,
as the maid left the room.

‘Thank you,’
said
Helena
gratefully.

‘I do not know
where you need to go in such a hurry, but won’t you have something to eat
whilst we wait?’ said Mary. ‘I was just having breakfast, and you cannot set
off until the horse has been harnessed. Some food will help sustain you on the
journey ahead, wherever you are going.’

Helena
accepted gratefully. She
had already breakfasted, but it seemed a long time ago. Mary poured her a cup
of chocolate and handed it to her with a piece of seed cake.
Helena
ate gratefully, then
accepted a second cup of chocolate, but she left it half finished as she heard
the trap outside. She leapt up.

‘I must go at
once.’

Mary rose
calmly and followed her into the hall, putting on her cloak.

‘I do not know
what has happened, but I think you need a friend,’ said Mary. ‘I cannot let you
go off by yourself. I am coming with you.’

Helena
felt a rush of relief.
With the groom and Mary beside her, she would feel much safer if Lord Torkrow
should happen to ride after the carriage and come across her on the way.

‘I would be
glad of your company,’ said
Helena
.

‘Then come,
let us be off.’

Together they
went outside.

‘Now, where
to?’ asked Mary, as she followed
Helena
into the trap.

‘Sir Hugh
Greer’s house,’ said
Helena
. ‘I need to see a justice of the peace.’

‘But isn’t
Lord Torkrow the nearest justice?’ asked Mary with a frown.

‘Yes, he is,
but I cannot speak to him. It is about him I have to lay a complaint.’

Mary looked
surprised, and she seemed about to protest, but then she simply instructed the
groom to drive to Sir Hugh’s house.

‘Now, don’t
you think you had better tell me what this is all about?’ she asked, once they
were safely on their way.

Helena
gave a deep sigh.

‘There is so
much I have to tell you.’ She could maintain the deception no longer, and she
was relieved to be able to tell Mary the truth. ‘First of all, you must know
that I am not Mrs Reynolds,’ she said, and then her story came pouring out in a
rush.

Mary listened
silently, and when the recital was over, she said: ‘So you think Lord Torkrow
has hidden his brother’s son, or done something worse, so that he can rob the
boy of his inheritance, and keep the title and the castle for himself?’

Helena
could hardly believe it,
when it was stated so baldly, but nevertheless, it was what she feared.

‘I am afraid
it is possible, yes,’ she said.

‘It seems
incredible,’ said Mary musingly. ‘And yet you found a hidden room, with your
aunt’s plaited lavender and the child’s toy, and your aunt is definitely
missing.’

‘Yes,’
Helena
agreed. ‘You were
concerned as well, weren’t you?’ she asked. ‘You were worried about my aunt?
Your story about needing to return a book to her was a ruse, so that you could
find out her forwarding address?’

Mary nodded.
‘It was. I thought, if you had an address for her, then I could find her. How
did you guess?’

‘I knew the
book could not belong to my aunt. She had never had much time for reading, and
as far as I know she has never owned a book. Besides, she does not like
poetry.’

‘Ah. I see. It
was a poor story, but it was the best I could think of at the time. You do not
blame me for the ruse?’

‘Not at all. I
am grateful to you for it, and for trying to find her. I hope she is all right,
but with every passing day and still no word . . . ’ said
Helena
anxiously.

‘Perhaps word
has reached your lodgings?’

‘No, I asked
for any news to be sent on to me here.’

‘Even so,
things might not be as bad as you fear. Perhaps your aunt managed to escape
with the child. If she needed to retreat to a place of safety, where would she
go?’

‘I cannot
think of anywhere,’ said
Helena
, as she turned her mind to this new possibility.

‘Does she have
any relatives she could turn to?’

‘No, only me,
and she did not come to me.’

‘But she must
have taken him somewhere,’ said Mary thoughtfully.  ‘Can you not think of
anywhere?’

‘No. Unless .
. . Mrs Beal mentioned that the old butler, Vance, went to live in
Hull
, when he and his wife
retired. My aunt had worked with Vance before, and it was he who had
recommended her for the position at the castle —’

‘Of course,’
said Mary. ‘Then that’s where she must have gone. Never fear, you will find her
yet. Do you know exactly whereabouts in
Hull
the butler lives?’

‘No. I never
thought to ask.’

‘Why should
you? But it is of no importance. We will go there and seek them out. They
cannot be hard to find. Someone will know of them by name, or of a woman and a
child who are newly arrived in the town. You do not object to my plan? If you
wish, we can continue on our way and consult Sir Hugh, but it is not certain
that he will be at home, or that he will believe us. And even if he does, he
might not like to move against a neighbour, particularly not one of Lord
Torkrow’s standing. It seems to me that we would be better finding your aunt
and the boy ourselves.’

Helena
agreed. For the first
time in many weeks she had hope. If only Mary was right, then she might be
seeing Aunt Hester before the day was out.

They had
travelled some miles across the moor, and were approaching
The Dog and Cart
.
Mary suggested they should change the horse before going on.

‘We will ask
for a hamper to take with us, too. We might be delayed on the journey, and it
could take us hours to find the right address. It will be quicker if we eat on
the road, rather than wasting time looking for an inn once we reach
Hull
.’

Helena
agreed, and when they
pulled up in the yard, Mary suggested that
Helena
go inside to order the food, whilst
she made sure the horse was changed for a satisfactory animal.

Helena
climbed down and went
into the inn. It was a small but respectable establishment, and as she entered,
the innkeeper came forward to greet her. She told him what she wanted, and he
showed her into a private parlour until the provisions should be ready.

The parlour
had a table and two settles, but
Helena
was too restless to sit down. She paced the room, anxious to
be on her way again.

The innkeeper
seemed to be taking a long time with the provisions. She went out into the
corridor to find him, but as she did so, she was horrified to see Lord Torkrow
walking in at the door.

She shrank
back, wondering what he was doing there. Had he followed her, or was his
presence there a coincidence? Perhaps he had decided to ride to the stage post
when he had discovered the carriage was missing, and perhaps he had stopped at
the inn to find if the carriage had passed. Once he had learnt what he wanted
to know, she hoped he would be on his way again, but until then she would have
to stay out of sight.

She ran back
along the corridor and slipped into the parlour. She listened intently, every
nerve straining, but she heard nothing and began to relax. And then she heard
footsteps coming down the corridor. They made an ominous clicking noise as they
crossed the flagged floor, and stopped outside the door.  But was it the
innkeeper, or was it Lord Torkrow?

She saw the
door knob turning, and, suddenly panicking, she leant against the door, but it
heaved, and in a moment it was flung open. She was thrown back against the
wall, but by good fortune she was hidden by the door. She saw Lord Torkrow
stride into the room like a dark creature of the night, intent on finding his
prey.
Helena
shrank back.

He looked
round, and for a moment she thought he would not see her, but then his eyes
alighted on her and he closed the door, revealing her.

‘So,’ he said
menacingly. ‘This is where you are. Then it is as I had suspected. You took a
post in the castle under false pretences. Well, your master will be
disappointed. You will not be able to tell him anything.’

‘My master?’
she asked in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.

‘Or did you
not see him? Has he remained in the shadows? Is it only Maria you have dealt
with? Then you are fortunate. And I suppose it is possible, for she could pay
you as well as he.’

Helena
was perplexed.

‘I don’t know
what you’re talking about,’ she said.

‘No?’

He took her
arm and pulled her over to the window. She saw the trap, complete with a fresh
horse. Mary’s coachman was climbing up on to the box, and Mary herself was
already in the trap. They were ready to leave. She must go to them!

Pulling free
of him, she ran for the door and wrenched it open. But then a sound from the
yard gave her pause, a clattering on the cobbles, and turning her head she saw
that the trap had set off without her. She ran to the window and in a lightning
quick move, threw it open, and shouted: ‘Mary!’

Mary turned
her head and saw her, but then she turned away and the trap continued across
the yard.