Georgette Heyer (24 page)

'Not yet, alas! I cannot see your face.'

  He thought she must be smiling from the sound of her voice. 'Ah, when you spoke it came into my mind that you were jesting, sir.'

  'But you wrong me! I am not. It seems to me a very damnable piece of work to put me up on this clumsy horse with my back turned upon the gladdest sight mine eyes have beheld these many weeks.'

  'Not glad till I know you are safely embarked for France, sir,' she said seriously.

  The absence of any coquetry in her amused him. 'Why, I am sorry, for you must know that I am very glad to find myself in such company.'

  Again she seemed to be unconscious of his gallantry. She said wonderingly: 'Are you never afraid, sir?'

  'Are you, Jane?'

  'Yes, for you.'

  'Not for your own danger?'

  'I do not think of that.'

  'You are a very loyal subject,' he remarked.

  'Yes, sir.'

  'Do you think that when we see each other face to face that demure tongue of yours will wag more freely?' he enquired.

  She answered simply, but with a touch of shyness: 'No, sir. I think it will be tied fast.'

  'Oddsfish! Am I so displeasing to you, or has your brother been preaching sermons to you on the defer ence due to my Majesty?'

  'He had no need, sir. I think – I think your Majesty hardly understands.'

  'Expound then, and I promise I will do my endea vour to understand.'

  She hesitated. 'My family has always served the King. Your Majesty knows that my brother fought in the late Wars. But I never thought it might come to me, who am only a woman, to serve you as now I do.'

  'Yet you wanted to serve me?' he asked, catching the note of worship in her voice.

  'Truly, sir. But though maids have all their dreams they do not look for them to be fulfilled. I think myself dreaming still, for it seems strange and awesome to me to be riding thus, behind my King.'

  'But I am no dream,' said the King.

  'I shall know it indeed when I see you face to face, sir.'

  'And that will tie your tongue fast?'

  'Yes, sir.'

  'Jane Lane,' said the King, 'you shall know me better before we come to the end of our travels.'

  'Yes, sir,' she said obediently, 'but my sister is looking round at us, if you please.'

  In another few minutes the condition of the road improved sufficiently to allow of the party's riding once more abreast. The King enjoyed no more conversation with Jane, but became presently the subject of Withy's solicitous interest. She had been looking curiously at him from time to time, until he aware of her scrutiny, began to fear that she had recognized him. She had not, however; her interest had been aroused merely by his haggard appearance. She suddenly remarked to Jane: 'Your man looks sickly. I do trust he has not a fever?'

  Jane replied quietly: 'He has been ill of a tertian ague.'

  This seemed to satisfy Mrs Petre, and beyond asking the King a few searching questions on the nature of his ague, and prescribing a number of excellent remedies, she paid no further heed to him.

  Having made an early start, and their route taking them away from the main road, they for some time met few people on the journey. As the weather was fine, and the Petres were anxious to reach Horton with all possible despatch, it had been decided to brave the fatigue and discomfort of long hours in the saddle for the sake of reaching Stratford-on-Avon at least by nightfall. All went well for the first twenty miles, but just as the straggling village of Bromsgrove came into sight, the King's horse cast a shoe, a circumstance that put Lassels momentarily out of countenance. But the glance he tried to exchange with Jane was intercepted by the King, who said blandly: 'If my mistress would be pleased to dismount at this village, and take some rest and refreshment, I will lead the horse to the stithy, sir.'

  'Yes,' said Lassels, a little uncertainly. 'Yes, we cannot go further till he is shod.'

  'Well, for my part, I shall be glad to dismount for a while,' declared Withy. 'You too, Jane, I'll be bound.'

  Jane assented, but upon the limping gelding's falling a little behind the Petres, the King felt a light touch upon his arm, and turned his head. A pair of troubled eyes peeped over his shoulder at him. Jane whispered: 'I am sore afraid. This is a very fanatical part of the country. Yet if my cousin were to go to the blacksmith in your stead it would look oddly.'

  'Of course it would,' replied the King. 'There is not the least need for you to be afraid. Your sister has stared me well-nigh out of countenance without recognizing me, and if she knows me not, why should the black smith?'

  She could not be quite so easily reassured, but since there was no alternative to his going to the stithy she said no more. The village was soon entered, and the travellers dismounted at a neat little inn not far from the blacksmith's. Mr Petre pulled out his watch, and discovered that the hour was more advanced than he had supposed. He bade the King make haste upon his errand, saying that it was the greatest piece of ill-luck imaginable that the horse should have cast a shoe, though for his part he was not surprised at it, since in such times as these, when knaves ruled England, no honest man could be surprised at anything.

  The King said respectfully that he would bid the smith make haste, and led the horse away, leaving Mr Petre to remind his wife that this visit to her father's house had been undertaken wholly against his judg ment.

  By good fortune, the smith was able to shoe the horse at once. He glanced indifferently at the King, remarking as he began to blow up his fire: 'You'm strange to these parts, bain't you?'

  'I come from Staffordshire, but I was bred in London,' replied the King.

  'Ah, I knew you weren't a countryman,' said the smith. 'London, eh? I warrant that's a rare, sinful city.'

  The thought of it seemed to absorb him; he plied the King with questions, shaking his head over the answers, but evidently wishing very much that he could see the sinful city with his own eyes. He picked up the red-hot horse-shoe with a pair of tongs, and plunged it hissing and smoking into a tub of water. While he nailed it into place, the King held the horse's foot up for him, asking: 'What news is there? I have been sick of an ague these several weeks, and have heard nothing.'

  'News?' said the smith. 'There's none that I know of, since the good news of the beating of those rogues the Scots.'

  'Oh, that!' said the King. 'Were there none of the English taken that were with the Scots?'

  The smith drove home another nail. 'I haven't heard of that rogue Charles Stewart's being taken,' he replied. 'They do say some of the others were, but not Charles Stewart.'

  'Well, if that rogue were taken he deserves hanging more than all the rest, for bringing in the Scots,' remarked the King cheerfully.

  The smith glanced approvingly up at him. 'You speak like an honest man,' he said.

  Mr Lassels, who had ridden up to the forge in time to overhear these remarks, thought it well at this point to intervene. He called the smith's attention to himself by demanding impatiently if the horse were not yet shod, and upon being told that the task was nearly accom plished, stayed by the door of the forge, engaging the smith in idle converse.

  When the King presently mounted the gelding, and the two men rode off together up the street, Charles said in a tone of mock-complaint: 'What the pox did you mean by interrupting me in the middle of my talk with that worthy fellow?'

  'Worthy!' exclaimed Lassels, his eye kindling. 'A disaffected knave, sir! And you said – I
heard
your Majesty say –'

  'I said I deserved hanging for bring in the Scots, and so I do, by God!'

  'Sir, I was afraid every instant he would look more closely at you, and discover you!'

  'Lassels, if you are going to see a wolf at every turn, we shall certainly fall out,' remarked the King.

  'Indeed, I am sorry, sir, but – but what would become of me if you were discovered?' asked Lassels. 'Your Majesty must know I could never lift up my head again.'

  'If it comes to that,' retorted the King, 'I could never lift up my head again were I discovered, for the very good reason that I should have no head to lift. But I don't mean to put myself in a sweat over it, so why should you?'

  'Yes, sir, but for you it is – it is just
your
head, and – and for me it is the King's head.'

  'I promise you I will take good care of it. I must remember to tell my lord of my new title. It will make him laugh.'

  'It made me want to knock the knave's teeth down his black throat!' said Lassels.

  'Oddsfish, if that is the humour you are in you
will
put me in a sweat!' replied the King.

  Lassels looked at him in surprise. 'Sir, did it not make you angry? Not at all?'

  The King burst out laughing, 'Angry with the poor man for saying I was a rogue? My dear Lassels, what kind of a fool do you think I am?'

  'I fear 'tis I who am the fool, sir,' replied Lassels, abashed.

When the travellers left Bromsgrove, they rode on without incident for some thirteen miles, following the main highway through Headless Cross to Alcester, and on through Great and Little Alne towards Stratford. The road being in a fair state of repair, they were able to push on at a smart trot. Mr Petre was, in fact, beginning to talk quite cheerfully of their being easily able to reach Long Marston that day, when, a few hundred yards short of the little village of Wootton, a very unpleasant thing occurred. Mr Petre was chatting to Jane, when an old woman, who was working in a field beside the road, called out in a warning voice: 'Master, master! Don't you see a troop of horse before you?'

  The mere mention of soldiers was enough to make John Petre jump in his saddle. He peered ahead, and saw to his dismay that the woman was speaking the truth. Rebel soldiers were certainly in possession of Wootton. A number of red-coats could be seen, and horses, strag gling over the road in front of a small inn, the troop having apparently halted there to water their horses, and get refreshments for themselves.

  'I daresay they will not do us any hurt,' said Withy in her comfortable way.

  'Not do us any hurt!' exclaimed her husband. 'They will have our horses as soon as they clap eyes on them! We must turn back and go into Stratford by another way! I would not for the world expose you and Jane to their rude manners! We must turn immediately! Jane, you hear me? Jackson, stop this instant!'

  The King obediently reined in, but whispered over his shoulder: 'Let him not go back! It were fatal to be seen making off !'

  'But, sir, what shall we do?'

  'Ride on as though we had nothing to fear,' he replied under his breath.

  Her good sense told her that his plan was the best, but the risk he must run of being recognized frightened her. Her voice shook as she answered John Petre. 'Do not let us turn back, I beg you! Withy and I are not afraid.'

  'You know nothing about it,' he said impatiently. 'I have already suffered at the hands of these Parliamen tarian rogues, and I'll take good care I run not upon them again!'

  She looked imploringly at Lassels, who, realizing that she must be acting under the King's orders, immediately said: 'Consider, sir, how suspicious we must make the knaves if we turn, and ride off ! Then indeed they might be moved to pursue us!'

  'You may do as you please,' replied Petre. 'For my part, nothing would induce me to go on. I shall take Withy into Stratford by the other road, and if you have a particle of sense, Jane, you will go with us!'

  'I have pride,' she said gently, but with sufficient reproof in her voice to bring a flush into his cheeks.

  'I wish you joy of it! You are an ignorant girl, and so

I tell you! Now, are you coming, for I warn you, I will not stay to dispute with you longer?'

  'I shall ride on,' she answered. 'Harry will go with me, even if I cannot prevail upon you to do so.'

  He muttered something about headstrong women, and wheeled his horse about, ignoring his wife's mild expostulation. Jane made no further attempt to persuade him to change his mind, but said: 'Please to go on, Jackson.'

  The big horse moved forward; Lassels, lingering only to watch John Petre ride off as fast as he was able, trotted up abreast of the King. He said anxiously: 'Will you take my pistols, sir? If you should be known –'

  'I shall not make bad worse by engaging in a shooting match,' replied the King. 'And do not you either!'

  A breathless voice spoke behind his shoulder. 'We must try to converse together, Harry. Say something to me. I cannot think of anything, but I will answer you.'

  They were already almost within earshot of the soldiers gathered in front of the ale-house. Lassels took his cousin at her word so instantly, and with such an air of light-hearted unconcern, that she felt some of the constriction in her throat relax, and was able to respond with a fair assumption of ease.

  Their party had naturally attracted the soldiers' attention. They were aware of being scrutinized as they drew towards the lounging group, but it was Jane's beauty that held the soldiers' eyes. The troop horses taking up the whole width of the street, the travellers were forced to halt. A fat fellow with a tankard of ale in one hand, and a hunk of bread and meat in the other, ogled Jane, and another called a somewhat ribald greeting to her. Lassels pushed forward, saying sharply: 'Make way, if you please!'