Beneath the Dover Sky (23 page)

Harrison tucked a cricket bat under his arm and led the way down the slope in the last of the evening light. “Every summer we lose one or two, Lord Tanner. We find the feathers where they pluck ’em and that’s it, except a boot print now and then.”

Buchanan strode beside him, silver-topped walking stick in one hand. “If you’ve been trying to catch them at night and been unsuccessful why not hide out during the day?”

“Nowhere to hide. Unless I used a drinking straw and crawled under the water. Never fear, we’ll catch ’em one day. Eventually they’ll slip up.” Harrison cleared his throat. “You’re welcome to the manor and no mistake, Lord Buchanan. You can stay the weekend, if you like. But it’ll
have to be the first and last for you. If ever Lord Edward dropped in and found you here, I expect there’d be a brawl.”

“We’re both gentlemen, Mr. Harrison. Gentlemen don’t brawl.”

“They have disagreements.”

“Something like that.”

“Well, whatever you wish to call it, I think you’ll agree with me your presence here is a bit of a sticky wicket for the Danforth family.”

“I most certainly agree with that, yes. I despise your employers, so I can understand how my visit to their Dover Sky estate could be viewed as an impertinence.”

Harrison stopped walking. “They were your employers once. They treated you well enough.”

Buchanan’s eyes hardened into a cold gray color. “Until I was accused of taking advantage of Lady Caroline. Did anyone stop to ask if she might have been the one who approached me?”

“What d’ya mean?”

“Did anyone ever wonder who had seduced who?”

“Is that what you’re saying? That
she
led you astray? A strapping big bloke like you?”

Buchanan grimaced as if he’d swallowed hot tea too quickly. “Strapping or not, her Medusa charms laid me low. And no one asked for my point of view, did they?”

“Medusa charms? Is that how you see her? A woman with a hundred snakes writhing on her head who turned men to stone?”

“I do see her that way, Harrison. Didn’t she seduce your Lord Kipp as well?”

“What nonsense is this!”

“Didn’t Caroline entice him into an…um…shall I say an indiscretion while his wife was dying? That’s the word going the rounds.”

“It’s a lie!” Harrison’s face was bloodred. “Not another word on those lines or lord or no lord, I’ll lay you flat.”

“Will you?” Buchanan smiled slowly. “I’d like to see you try.”

Harrison stopped, laid down his cricket bat, and turned to face Lord Buchanan. “Why do you talk this way about Lady Caroline when
I’ve heard you have every intention of marrying her? And isn’t that why you’ve come to Dover Sky? To call on her?”

“Why, it’s a marriage of convenience, Harrison. I’m hoping my wicked little Medusa will destroy Lord Kipp for his great insult against her. And she allows me closer access to the Danforths.”

“That’s despicable.”

“I despise Kipp Danforth for striking me during a dispute in France. I despise the Danforths for sacking me without permitting me to speak a word in my defense. I despise Edward simply for being a Danforth and being in the wrong political party. So Lady Caroline and I shall get back at you all. I will destroy both father and son in the House of Commons and make them look the proper fools they are. And my wicked little Medusa shall destroy Lord Kipp. She’ll turn him to stone.”

“You are a madman. He doesn’t care for her anymore.”

“Ah, but he does, he does. She’s convinced of it. And equally convinced the day will dawn when he gets over his grief at his wife’s death—such a pity, so beautiful a woman—and his guilt at betraying her by seeking solace in Caroline’s arms and kisses—”

“Lord Buchanan! I swear by all that’s holy you’d better quit now!”

Buchanan grinned but his eyes remained hard and flat. “He’ll come to her again. He’ll plead with her to hold him, to love him. She’ll toy with him a while, get him well into her lair. Then she’ll have at him and make sure all of England knows it—the newspapers, the aristocracy, the king, the church, members of Parliament, everyone. The scandal will break the Danforth clan, absolutely break it.”

Tanner laughed harshly as he imagined it. “The Conservative Party will be done with them, the Church of England will be done with them, Buckingham Palace and the nobles will be done with them. There will be photographs of the seduction, as many as anyone could like. And to top it all off, Lady Caroline will claim rape. Why, it will ruin Lord Preston’s business contracts as well…and I hope bankrupt the airline. The Danforths will become paupers, swilling gin by the Liverpool docks and begging for bread in East London. How I’ll gloat!”

Buchanan expected the punch Harrison threw and easily blocked it
with his hand. The second one he stopped with his arm. Then he struck Harrison in the stomach and hit him with his walking stick. Tanner lifted Harrison’s chin off the grass with the toe of his boot and tapped Harrison’s head none too softly with the silver top of his cane. “You’re lucky I’m not going to report your impertinence to your employers, Harrison. Next time I won’t go so easy on you, old man.

“I don’t mind telling you all of it. Who are you going to go to? How are you going to stop me? I’ll make my speeches in the House and tear Lord Preston and Lord Edward to pieces. Caroline will marry me and wait in her room for Kipp to come back from his war in the Rif and look for her.
Be a mother to my son
, he’ll plead.
Be a wife for my manor
. She’ll laugh and turn her Medusa head on him and that, old man, will be that.
Finis
, as the late Christelle Danforth might have said, God rest her soul.”

Harrison grit his teeth. “You’re mad.”

“Not at all. It’s merely politics, Mr. Harrison. Politics and pleasure.” He turned and walked back toward the manor as the sun disappeared.

“Cathy? Are you up?”

“I’m just brushing out my hair. What is it?”

Holly stepped inside Catherine’s bedroom and closed the door, leaning her back against it. She was in a maroon dressing gown. “My husband came up from the pond this morning with a huge bruise on his stomach, a cut on his face, and a lump on his head. His knuckles are bruised too. He said it was poachers, but they got away. I don’t believe him.”

Catherine put down her brush. “That’s terrible! Is he going to be all right?”

“Physically he’ll be sore a few days and probably just shake it off. But behind his eyes I see something more. I don’t know what’s going on, but I am certain Lord Buchanan is part of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know Buchanan went down to the pond last night with Harrison. I think they had words that led to blows exchanged. Harrison won’t budge on his story, so I thought I’d engage Tanner Buchanan in conversation to see if I can discern the truth. He’s a brute, but I’m a sly wildcat who might just get the better of him.”

“Holly—”

“Don’t worry. I won’t bring a scandal down on Dover Sky. But my intuition tells me he might try.”

“How can you be so sure it wasn’t poachers?”

“Because I went down there this morning. There were no boot prints in the muck at the edge of the pond or in the bushes. There were no signs of the fight Harrison claimed took place on the shore. No tracks leading away, no feathers, no dead swans. And no missing birds either. I counted to make sure. But a ways up from the pond there was some blood on the grass. And a handkerchief Harrison always carries in the pocket of his corduroy jacket was on the ground, also bloodstained. He used it to wipe the cut above his right eye, he says. And the welt on his face is narrow—just about the width of a walking stick.”

Catherine put a hand to her face. “This is dreadful.”

“I want to speak with Caroline about this first. Do you want to come? After all, don’t you think it’s strange she should want to walk the aisle with the man who dishonored her so many years ago?”

“I asked her that when she told me about him. She said, ‘He’s my son’s father, and he’s never been unkind to me.’ ”

“What!”

“That’s what she said…and that’s all she said.” Catherine got up from her vanity. “I feel very bad about this. Buchanan being here is just asking for trouble. I asked Harrison to speak with Lord Buchanan about his visit here. I asked him to reinforce that it could be this once, but only this once. Can you imagine what Edward will say when he discovers Buchanan slept under our roof? Can you imagine what Mum or Dad will say? Or what Kipp might do when he finds out? Perhaps talking to Caroline and then approaching Lord Buchanan is the best thing to do.”

“Harrison can give a good account of himself in a fight, but he
doesn’t carry heavy walking sticks he can knock people about the head with.” Holly opened the bedroom door. “The household’s barely stirring. Skitt, the cooks, and the maids are just starting their duties. Will you come to Caroline’s room with me?”

Catherine threw on a white housecoat. “She might be still sleeping, Holly.”

“Then we’ll have to wake her, won’t we?”

Caroline was up and dressed in a light-yellow gown the same color as her hair. Her bedroom door was already open, and she was standing by her window, one hand on the white curtain as she drew it aside to peer outside.

“Good morning!” she said, turning very slightly—just enough to glance at the two women before looking back out the window again. “Do you know there was a heavy dew last night? The grass is simply blazing with the reflected sunlight from the dawn.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Catherine said. “We’re sorry to disturb you so early, but we need to talk with you.”

“Not at all. Is this about Tanner?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m sure it’s uncomfortable for you to have him here. I hope he hasn’t caused any trouble. You must understand the demands that are being made on him by the Labor Party and his constituents in Ayrshire South. He’s not had a moment’s peace since the new year. Even with the House in summer recess, his phone keeps ringing. He thought a short holiday and visit with me here in Kent would relieve some of the strain. And naturally I wanted to see him as well.”

Holly closed the door. “Why should there be trouble?”

Caroline continued to stare out the window. “Oh, you know. Edward hates him. Kipp hates him. The Danforths in general hate him. And here I am at the Danforth estate in Kent, so he has to come here if he wants to visit me. He’s bound to be a bit wound up about the situation. Wouldn’t that be understandable?” She paused, still not turning towards them. “Has something happened?”

Holly clasped her hands in front of her. “I believe my husband and your fiancé—”

“Not yet. We’re not engaged yet,” interrupted Caroline turning her head just enough to see them before staring out the window again.

“Whatever the case might be, I believe Lord Buchanan and my husband had an altercation by the pond last night. Harrison was quite bruised up this morning, and his face was cut. It looks like he was hit with a walking stick.”

“Did he accuse Tanner?”

“No. He said it was poachers. But down by the pond there are no signs of poachers or a scuffle. And I know Lord Buchanan and Harrison went to the pond together last night.”

“And did you talk to Tanner?”

“No. I haven’t gone to see him yet.”

“So what would you like from me?”

“I did find blood and grass on the toe of one of Lord Buchanan’s boots. He took them off and left them in the front hall by the door.”

“Not much proof, Holly. Sherlock Holmes could have done better.”

Holly raised her eyebrows. “Could he?”

“Yes. There are clues you missed. Have you examined Tanner’s walking stick for marks or blood? The cane is resting against the wall on your right, just inside my door.”

Catherine and Holly looked, and then Holly walked over, picked it up, and examined it.

“There are no blood or marks on it,” Holly said.

“But it is quite polished, is it not?”

“Yes.”

“Especially the silver top—almost like a mirror.”

“Yes.”

“I wonder why?”

Holly stared at Caroline’s back as understanding dawned. She closed the bedroom door before turning back to Caroline. “Did he ask you to clean it for him?”