Sally James (5 page)

‘See to it, Matthews, and tell them Lord Chalford will collect it. Then pray fetch Miss Amanda’s mare from the smithy, I had to leave her there when she cast a shoe.’

Not giving him time to query these orders she swept away and into the house, running swiftly up to her room where she hoped to find some peace and time to compose her tumultuous thoughts before having to face Amanda and her aunt.

Her first impulse had been to demand that Julian be somehow punished for his infamous behaviour, but she soon realized that if she revealed what had happened to her aunt and uncle she would damage utterly any chance Julian had of winning Amanda, and she was fond enough of them both not to willingly ruin their chances. But less than ever did she understand how Amanda could love him, or be prepared to entrust her happiness to such a wild and unreliable man. She had somehow, without revealing the full truth to Amanda, to discover whether her cousin knew what Julian was, and if she was prepared to accept him so, or whether she had an idealized view of him that would be shattered by the reality.

Unable to think of an unexceptional way of discovering this, she eventually abandoned the task for the time being, changed into a simple sprigged muslin gown and went to find her aunt and give a carefully expurgated version of the events of the previous day. To her annoyance she found herself continually wondering, then and during the rest of the day, where Lord Chalford was and what he had done after she had left him.

He had for the first few stunned seconds been incoherent with rage, for he permitted no one but himself to drive the greys and would have rejected scornfully any suggestion that a woman should handle the ribbons. An instinctive movement after them had been quickly checked and despite his wrath he recognized the girl was no novice. The puzzle of how a lady’s maid could have acquired such skills he found difficult to answer and soon dismissed it from his mind, beginning to hope instead that his cattle would come to no serious harm at her hand.

She had called out the name of the Black Swan, which he took to be a nearby hostelry, and grimly he set out to find it. The road between Horder Grange and West Place, his uncle’s home, was not a post road and was very little used, but he recalled that on a previous occasion he had crossed a post road where an inn had been situated at the crossroads. He set off to walk, growing more irritated as he realized it was several miles away, and his ill temper was not greatly improved when he eventually arrived there to find his horses none the worse for their adventure.

‘Who brought them in?’ he demanded.

‘Why, that new young fellow from The Hall,’ he was told and he nodded his thanks.

The wench had apparently told the truth about being connected with the place and so she was probably also truthful about her position there. For a moment he was sorely tempted to drive straight there and confront her, but a mental vision of having to explain his claim upon her to the no doubt respectable owners of the house brought a reluctant grin to his face. Somehow, some time, he swore, he would have his revenge, for he did not propose this to be the end of his dealings with the most enchanting wench he had yet encountered. For the moment, however, nothing remained but to take some refreshment and pursue his original plan of visiting his uncle.

The prospect was even less inviting than before, for he had never enjoyed Sir William’s company. He tolerated him in memory of his Aunt Maria, who had been his father’s favourite sister and who had died in childbirth, but of late his never extensive patience had been eroded by his uncle’s too obvious hints that he would be a welcome match for his cousin Augusta.

Sir William, whose own modest fortune, as well as the rather more substantial dowry of his wife, had been spent largely on his elaborate wardrobe and for the gratification of a series of rapacious mistresses, had been pinning his hopes of a recovery on the marriage of his daughter. Augusta was undeniably good looking, in a somewhat stately way, and had attracted many admirers during her first season the previous year. However, as Susannah had remarked after their only meeting, Augusta exhibited a decided air of consequence, and when they discovered she never for a moment appeared to unbend from her haughty manner, her prospective suitors turned to more receptive quarry. Realizing that his hopes of a wealthy son-in-law would be far less in Augusta’s second season, Sir William had accepted the necessity of giving Augusta to his nephew Everard.

It was not his lack of title or wealth that made him second choice. Lord Chalford’s title was an ancient one and his wealth enormous. At thirty-two he was even a suitable age for his cousin and Sir William would have had no hesitation in bestowing her hand on a septuagenarian had one offered, and been wealthy enough. He was exceedingly good looking, which Sir William thought hopefully would encourage Augusta to welcome the match. His two faults, in Sir William’s eyes, were a tendency to wild, unpredictable behaviour and a disconcerting air of superciliousness when in his uncle’s company. However, for want of any other man willing to offer for Augusta, Lord Chalford, whether he was willing or not, would have to do.

Lord Chalford was well aware of all this and considered that in observing his uncle’s machinations he might derive some amusement from this visit. He knew that while Augusta considered his behaviour deplorable she was far too anxious to make a good marriage to permit her feelings to sway her actions. The visit should also be enlivened by watching his uncle pay court to a schoolroom miss. After years of happy widowerhood, Sir William had written to inform him he had decided to marry again and provide himself with an heir. The girl apparently lived near West Place and was the only child of rich parents. Reading between the lines Lord Chalford deduced that his uncle hoped to win the girl before she had the opportunity of making a wider choice when the season began.

‘A pretty wench, fair-haired and big blue eyes,’ Sir William confided in his nephew that evening after Augusta had very correctly withdrawn from the dining room.

‘What is her name?’ Lord Chalford queried idly.

‘Amanda Grant. Her father, Mr Timothy Grant, is confoundedly rich and the family have lived at The Hall for generations.’

‘The Hall?’ His attention was now fully on his uncle.

‘Aye. You’ll have passed the lodge on the road from young Horder’s place. I’ll take you over to see it next week. I often call in when I ride in that direction. But not before Monday, perhaps. I believe that chit Susannah is going to London then and I’d as soon she was out of the way! Pesky nuisance, she is, never knows when to make herself scarce. Always there when I think I can get the little filly to myself for a few minutes.’

‘Who is Susannah?’ Lord Chalford demanded.

‘Susannah? Oh, Lord Horder’s half-sister. When his father Peter died, his mother married Sir David Rendlesham. And he is brother to Mrs Grant.’

‘Julian mentioned something about going up to London. Monday, you say?’

‘That’s what Wilson said. He’s my head groom,’ Sir William explained, rather flustered, ‘and his brother works at The Hall. He’s for ever passing on gossip, difficult to stop him.’

Lord Chalford eyed him sceptically and Sir William hastened to change the subject, an easy task since his nephew seemed to be deep in thought and merely grunted in reply when he paused.

So Miss Susannah was going to London, accompanied by Julian, was she? And doubtless she would also be accompanied by her maid. A wild plan was beginning to form in his mind and he soon excused himself and went to bed, not to sleep, but to lie in the dark weaving plans for taking his revenge on the girl who had had the temerity to drive his greys and who had also, to his annoyance, for he never permitted his amatory adventures to disturb him deeply, taken so firm a root in his mind that he could not dismiss from his thoughts the image of the lovely face framed in dusky, unruly curls.

On the following day Lord Chalford borrowed one of his uncle’s hacks and was absent all day, without disclosing where he had been. He was unusually silent at dinner and Augusta, while perfectly willing to submit to her father’s plans for her, experienced a faint touch of dismay at the thought she might be forced to marry such a curt, unresponsive man.

Late on Sunday Lord Chalford announced he would be leaving early on the following morning. He offered no excuse for cutting short his visit, beyond saying he had some business to attend to, and Sir William, perceiving his hints with regard to Augusta had gone unheeded, rather huffily said that if his nephew had no wish to confide in him or ask his help he was sure he had no wish to pry.

His nephew smiled at him blandly and was away from the house long before Augusta had emerged from her room. Sir William watched him tool the curricle down the long, winding drive, then turned his attention back to his own affairs, knowing that if he could not persuade his nephew to offer for Augusta it was even more imperative for him to fix his own interest with Amanda before she went to London in a short while.

Susannah had spent the intervening days packing her trunks and deciding what she needed to take with her on the short visit to her grandmother before rejoining her aunt for the season. She had attempted to discover whether Amanda’s regard for Julian would survive the knowledge that he could be so lost to propriety as to gamble with his sister as the stake, but as her hints were of necessity veiled Amanda had regarded her with some puzzlement and declared vehemently she did not care what Julian did, she loved him, and in any event he would abandon his wild activities once they were wed.

‘Would you mind if he took mistresses?’ Susannah demanded, but Amanda smiled confidentially.

‘He would not,’ she replied simply and Susannah had silently to admit that, while she had used it as an example of something which might repel Amanda, it was unlikely, for Julian was no womanizer. Not in the least like that detestable Lord Chalford, she told herself and then frowned because she had vowed, several times, to think no more of the wretched man, yet the image of his handsome face and compelling eyes would keep forcing itself on her. Julian, abashed, appeared at The Hall well before Susannah was ready for him and it was only after he had been persuaded to eat a second breakfast and Susannah’s trunk had been strapped behind the coach, and her Aunt Sarah had issued many instructions to them both about the journey and what to do in the event of various catastrophes, that they set off, the morning well advanced.

Susannah eyed her brother speculatively, noting he was decidedly uncomfortable. He frequently put his finger under his cravat, as if it were too tight for him, and after one hurried glance at her studiously observed the countryside.

‘Well?’ she demanded. ‘Have you forgotten everything?’

He opened his mouth and then remembered Jane, Susannah’s maid, who sat primly facing them.

‘It was a jest,’ he said feebly. ‘Don’t hold it against Everard, for he’s a good fellow, really he is, and we were all a trifle castaway!’

‘He was not on the following morning,’ she replied tartly.

‘But you’d gone,’ he said in surprise. ‘I knew it’d be over and done with, for you’d gone, and he could not find you.’

‘You underrated him. It was fortunate that I could take care of myself! No doubt you’d have bleated about debts of honour and such nonsense.’

With grim amusement she saw he was longing to ask for more details, but was prevented by Jane’s presence, and so she curtly informed him she deplored his choice of friends and wished to have no more to do with them, before changing the subject and asking whether he had found the list of jewels she had copied for him.

‘Yes, I have replaced it in the desk, though what possible good it can do us I can’t think.’

‘Could they be hidden at Horder Grange?’

‘Everywhere was searched after father died. The trustees were convinced they had not left his possession since he took them from the bank, and everyone staying there swore they knew nothing of them. Uncle Thomas says many people thought Father intended to use them to gamble with, since he refused to sell more than was absolutely necessary to redeem the mortgages, but he did not do so on this occasion, whatever he might have intended. In fact he won every night and there was a considerable sum of money found in his room.’

‘Could they have been stolen?’

‘Not by the servants. They were all well trusted. The only other possibility was one of the house guests, but that’s unthinkable. They were all friends of his, people he had known for years, all of good family!’

‘People of excellent breeding are sometimes rogues.’

‘Yes, but, while it was obviously thought of it was so unlikely no one there was ever seriously suspected. Besides, they all swore they had not known the jewels were there. He did not appear to have mentioned it to anyone.’

‘Then they must be hidden. You found the secret drawer in the desk, you might find some other hiding place. After we have visited grandmother I think you should return to the Grange and search it properly. It’s your only hope of persuading Uncle Timothy.’

Julian, knowing it was useless to argue, merely nodded and relapsed into a moody silence while Susannah, who did not know this part of the country at all well, spent her time looking out of the windows. She was admiring a particularly lovely view of a wood carpeted with bluebells when the coachman gave a shout of warning, there was a shot and the startled horses tried to bolt. After a spirited gallop of a mere twenty yards or so, however, they were brought to a halt and the coach swayed perilously. Julian put his head out of the window to demand what the devil was happening, only to find himself confronting a masked figure seated on a powerful black horse who levelled a pistol at his head. Glancing wildly round, Julian saw another two men who had apparently halted the frightened carriage horses and were pointing pistols at the coachman.

‘This is outrageous!’ Julian stuttered, for only the most daring of highwaymen, which is what he assumed the masked men were, operated during daylight.

The man on the black horse laughed and moved closer.