The Golden Gypsy (17 page)

'What is it?' Yasmin asked, alarmed, and he gestured to her to be silent as he moved across to peer out of the window.

'It is Pedro,' he whispered. 'I saw him just inside the trees at the far side of the clearing. He seemed to be following Richard.'

'Would he have seen us?' Yasmin asked, alarmed.

'No, I do not think so, for he was too intent on watching Richard. I cannot say how long he might have been there, but I think we were sheltered by the doorway from where he was. What is he doing back here? I do not like this.'

'They met at the grotto,' Yasmin reminded him. 'They may have arranged some further meeting.'

'Yes, I was remembering that.'

'I wonder if Richard has told him we are here?' Yasmin said worriedly.

Suddenly Leon made up his mind. 'I am going to follow them.'

'No!' she cried in alarm, but he would not pay any heed to her protests.

'There is something I do not like. Do not be afraid, Yasmin, I am strong again now, and I will have the advantage they will not know I am there. But you must not follow me. Stay here until I return.'

He picked up his knife and went swiftly out of the cottage. Yasmin stood watching for a moment. She had no intention of remaining where she was, for she was afraid for Leon. She did not trust either Richard or Pedro, knowing they would not spare Leon if he stumbled on some secret of theirs and they discovered him. When he was out of sight she followed, keeping cautiously to the trees while she hurried to come a little closer.

* * * *

Yasmin was not really surprised when she found they were heading for the grotto. Had Richard and Pedro another rendezvous there? But if so, why had Pedro been following Richard? Did he mistrust him in some way? Had Richard known, and was that the explanation of his odd behaviour? She could not resolve these questions, but once she was certain which way they were going, she concentrated on moving more quickly, going directly to the high spot from where, once before, she had overheard Richard and Pedro. There was no sign of Leon, but that did not surprise her, for she knew how expert he was at concealing himself in all sorts of countryside, and there was ample cover here with trees and bushes and rocks.

Yasmin risked looking over the edge to see whether Richard and Pedro were below, and saw Richard in the act of handing a long slim packet to Pedro.

'These are the copies of the instructions that are being sent to the Admirals,' he said tersely. 'Nelson is heading for the Channel. There was word yesterday Napoleon had reached Boulogne, so it seems he means to move at last. This should help him, after the last information I provided helped to save Villeneuve's fleet.'

'Good. I will get it across to him as soon as horse and boat will carry me. The last ones were only just in time, however, we can afford no delays. You will be amply rewarded for this, my friend.'

'I cause no delay!' Richard responded angrily. 'Is that why you spy on me, and follow me?'

'You say it is no delay to make an unnecessary visit to a keeper's cottage?'

'I knew you were following me, and did it to test you. I suspected when you did not bring the powder as you had promised, you were not dealing honestly with me! Have you brought it now?'

Pedro smiled evilly, and Yasmin shuddered.

'Be calm, my friend. You are certain that it is what you wish?' he asked slowly.

'It will be a more certain way than awaiting the fickle favour of a parvenu Emperor, who has still to achieve his invasion.' Richard responded.

Pedro drew a small screw of paper out of his pocket and handed it over. Richard almost snatched it.

'You are sure it will leave no trace?'

'Chicken hearted now? You do not have to be concerned, for this will give rise to no suspicions. Death is lingering, but appears to have been caused by some stomach disorder. Not the sort of death people have suspicions about. But even if they are distrustful, there is no trace left so you are perfectly safe in using it.'

Richard sighed and smiled. 'If you are positive?'

'How many more times do you wish me to repeat it?'

'Good, and then the Hall and all the land that goes with it will be mine!'

Yasmin had been aghast at the revelation that Richard was the traitor, handing naval secrets over to Pedro, who was obviously working for the French, but as the meaning of these last words penetrated her understanding, she forgot everything else and cried out in horror, at the same time plunging recklessly down the steep slope towards them. They looked round, startled at the noise she made, and with an oath Pedro moved towards her. She contrived to dodge past him and attempted to snatch the little packet of poison from Richard, but he held it out of her reach, and Pedro grasped her from behind and twisted her arms back, holding them in a cruel grip. She struggled furiously and they were all so intent they did not hear the approach of the other men. It was only when Sir Edward's voice rang out with an order to Pedro to release Yasmin that any of them knew they were not alone.

Pedro swung round still holding Yasmin before him so that she could see Sir Edward, levelling a pistol at them, and behind him half a dozen men she recognised as grooms and keepers from the estate.

Richard gave an uncomfortably forced laugh.

'Ned, how fortunate you came! This rascal has some papers I believe are important. I saw him receive them from a fellow I know at the Admiralty, and I followed him to try and retrieve them.'

'Don't believe him!' Yasmin exclaimed, wincing at the pain caused when Pedro twisted her arms more tightly. 'He handed them over to Pedro himself!'

Richard began to protest she was mistaken, but she shouted above him, ignoring the pain in her arms.

'Ned, he has a powder, a poison, intended for you!'

'Release the girl!' Sir Edward ordered in a steely voice, but Pedro laughed and backed away, holding her before him still.

'Come and get her if you want her so much! She is a tempting morsel, I'll admit.'

'I can prove he is a traitor, Ned!' Richard was almost pleading with his cousin, but Sir Edward ignored him, advancing slowly on Pedro.

'That will never do,' Yasmin heard Pedro say softly, and felt him alter the grip on her arms. Suddenly his hand swung past her head, and she saw the glint of sunlight on steel as the knife flashed through the air.

* * * *

Pedro's aim was excellent. Richard stood with a startled expression on his face for a moment, the knife protruding grotesquely from his chest, and then he crumpled to the ground without a murmur. Sir Edward hardly took his eyes from Pedro. He continued to advance slowly while Pedro retreated, but while Pedro held Yasmin captive, protecting his own body, Sir Edward dared not shoot for fear of harming her. She was held as in a vice, and could not struggle to escape in order to give Sir Edward an opportunity of shooting.

'I should not come nearer, if you want her back alive and unscarred,' Pedro said softly, and Sir Edward suddenly halted. Pedro laughed, and the distance between them grew. Then Yasmin realised why. Pedro had another knife and was holding it to the side of her throat.

'What do you want?' Sir Edward asked levelly.

'To be allowed to go free.'

'You will be permitted that, providing you release the girl unharmed and give me the papers my cousin handed to you,' Sir Edward promised.

'Oh, no, my dear Sir Edward. You do not win as easily as that. I will take the papers, and I will take the girl as well to ensure my safety until I am at sea. I do not trust
gaujos
! See how that paltry cousin of yours was ready to betray me to save himself.'

'Let Yasmin go! If you harm her in any way you will be dead! That I swear!'

It was Leon. Yasmin could not tell where his voice came from, but Pedro swung round, and she perforce was swung round with him. Then he released her and pushed her stumbling to the ground while he faced Leon, who had come up behind him. Yasmin was now separated from Sir Edward and his men by the two gypsies who faced each other, crouching, their wickedly sharp knives ready for attack.

* * * *

In the end it was over very quickly, for Pedro knew that if he delayed he risked Sir Edward's being able to shoot him without fear of hitting Leon or Yasmin. He threw his knife straight at Leon, and Yasmin cried out in alarm, but Leon had been prepared. He dodged to one side and at the same moment threw his own knife. Yasmin had time to see Pedro's knife had caught Leon in the arm while he himself was injured in the leg. But it was not enough to cripple him, and he stepped towards Yasmin, grasping her arm and pulling her to her feet. As she resisted him, suddenly there was a shot and he let her go, collapsing to the ground beside her.

She scarcely glanced at him, for she knew he was dead. Her sole concern was for Leon, and she ran to where he was sitting on the ground nursing his arm and knelt beside him. He smiled at her.

'Do not fear, this is but a scratch. Is he dead?'

'Yes, and so is Richard,' Sir Edward answered, coming up beside them. 'We can be thankful your hurt is so slight, but it needs attention. Let me see it,' he ordered.

Sir Edward knelt at Leon's other side and swiftly tore the sleeve of his coat away to show a long cut which was bleeding profusely. One of the men appeared with a shirt torn into strips, and Sir Edward bandaged the arm tightly.

'I am sending you straight to the Hall, and the doctor will be fetched there. See to it,' he ordered the men, and they had helped Leon to his feet and were assisting him away before Yasmin fully understood what they were about.

Sir Edward walked over to look down at Pedro, and then crossed to where Richard lay.

'Perhaps it is as well,' he said gently, as if to himself. 'It saves scandal, and his uncle would never have survived the shame of having a traitor in the family.' He looked up at the other men who were standing respectfully awaiting orders.

'It seems my cousin disturbed a poacher and was killed by him. Fortunately I was nearby and shot the poacher. See the others know what happened,' he said quietly.

'Yes, Sir Edward.'

'Of course, Sir,' they agreed, nodding amongst themselves.

Sir Edward walked over and removed the packet from Pedro's pocket, and then took the small one Richard had stuffed into his pocket when Yasmin had intervened.

'Take them down to the stables, and I will inform the authorities,' he ordered quietly, and the two bodies were swiftly borne away to leave him and Yasmin alone on the hillside which had been the scene of sudden and violent death.

'Leon will not be incommoded much this time, fortunately,' Sir Edward said, turning to Yasmin and looking down at her gravely.

'I am sorry about Richard,' she said softly.

'He was a traitor,' he replied slowly. 'You knew we suspected someone was getting important information to the French? I did not even think of Richard until a few days ago, but then it all fitted in. He has friends in the Admiralty who might talk too freely with him. His uncle and Lord Barham are friends, and his uncle could well have had papers at home. Richard himself could have gone into the Admiralty without any suspicions being roused, and could have obtained information that way. Richard has always been a gambler, and short of money, willing to do almost anything for it.

'I suspected that in some way the Romanies were involved, for they have their own ways of avoiding the authorities, and would find it easy to cross to France. I learned Pedro often went on lonely journeys, and had him watched, but he is cunning, we could not catch him.'

'I should have known it,' Yasmin said, and told him about her earlier visit to the grotto. 'When I first joined the tribe Pedro was away, in France, and on his return he boasted of having met Napoleon.' She then explained how she had seen Pedro meet a gentleman in the town in Devon, and it might have been Richard. 'He was asking us, not long since, and in some detail, where he might find the tribe. It all fits, even to the attempts on your life. The man I saw was dark, as Richard was, and he could have tried to shoot you then and could have made all the other attempts, hoping to inherit your wealth.'

'And between you, you and Leon have foiled him three times! I am most grateful. And relieved I was having him followed today, and we were able to reach the grotto in time.'

'When did you first think it could be Richard?' she asked, curious as to what had aroused his suspicions.

'That is something for which I must apologise to you.'

'How do you mean?' she asked, puzzled.

'On Monday, when you were at the Hall. Earlier that morning I happened to see Richard looking at a rope of pearls which he then put into his pocket. He did not know I had seen him, and I simply imagined he had been fortunate in some game of cards. Then when Charlotte said her pearls had been lost, I suddenly realised what had happened. He had stolen them, and must have left your kerchief in her room to throw suspicion on you. It had to be that. He had not, to my knowledge, stooped to anything so blatantly dishonest before, but he was always short of the ready, and some of his dealings were of a rather dubious nature. If he would steal from our guest, he might betray his country. I am sorry, Yasmin, that I had to allow you to be accused, and could not clear you at once, but I did not dare have Richard guess he was under any sort of suspicion. Will you forgive me? It was only Charlotte who thought you were guilty, but it must have been excessively painful to you. That is something else I must try to make up to you.'

The mention of Charlotte had brought back to Yasmin's mind the scene she had witnessed that morning, when they had stood so close together and kissed. She turned away.

'I should like to go to Leon now. Perhaps we ought to go down,' she said as steadily as she could contrive.

'You love him very much, do you not?' Sir Edward said abruptly, and Yasmin was so surprised she swung round and stared at him, halting in front of him on the path.

'Are you going to marry him? Will you go back to the tribe now Pedro cannot prevent it, or would you prefer to remain at the cottage?'

'The tribe will still not accept me, even though Pedro's dead, or if I married Leon,' she said slowly. 'He would be for ever barred from them, and he would bitterly regret it one day, even though he says he would not. I cannot separate him from his family.'