Calico Road (44 page)

As he was passing an alley he stopped. Had he heard something? He listened, but all was quiet. No, he must have been mistaken. But just as he was about to move on, he heard it again. A muffled groan.

This could be a trick to get him into the alley, so he walked past it, found a couple of men lounging outside an alehouse and offered them sixpence each to come with him and make sure no one attacked him while he checked the alley.

In the light streaming from the alehouse he could see them straighten up and nod happily at the prospect of earning money so easily. ‘Follow me, then. And keep your eyes open. You’ll not get paid if you let anyone attack me.’

In Tappersley a group of men began assembling as dusk started to fall. They were carrying cudgels and other weapons. Most of them had been brought in from Halifax by Jad that afternoon.

In the mill house Andrew paced up and down impatiently, glancing at the sky and then at the clock. He’d told his daughters to stay in the schoolroom with their governess. If they knew their step-mother was missing they hadn’t said anything about it and he knew Miss Swainton wouldn’t let them. She knew her place, always did what he wanted.

When the siren went at the mill for the end of the working day, he looked out and saw the operatives going home as quickly as they could. Jad had been absent from the mill most of the day, but his deputy had been chosen for the same personal qualities and would, Andrew was sure, have spent the day enjoying the exercise of full power.

One moment the streets were full of people and the noise of clog irons clattering on the hard ground, the next the streets were empty and everything was quiet. Too quiet. There was really only one main street and Andrew could see down it from his vantage point. No one was walking towards the alehouse or standing on the doorstep having a word with a neighbour.

He smiled. Everyone knew something unpleasant was going to happen – it always did when Jad was absent from his post and strangers came into the village – and no one wanted to get in their way or attract attention to themselves. Which was just as he wanted it.

He took a pull of brandy, put his silver flask into his pocket and went to find his overlooker. ‘Time to go. Is everything ready?’

22

T
ettie clung to Peter for a minute after he cut her bonds, shaking and muttering, ‘Thank goodness you found me. Oh, thank goodness!’ Then she took a few deep breaths and pulled away. ‘We have to tell the master.’

‘I’ll take you to him as soon as you’re able to walk.’

‘I can walk well enough now.’

At the end of the alley, she gasped and drew back as she saw the two men waiting there.

‘It’s all right. They’re with me.’ Peter felt in his pocket and tossed them the promised payment. ‘Thanks, lads.’

Except for the engine room, the mill was mostly in darkness by the time they arrived, but the gatekeeper recognised his master’s groom and let them through at once.

Jethro was helping the engineer to put the machinery together again and the two men were exchanging low-voiced comments.

Peter had to call, ‘Sir!’ twice before his master turned round. ‘Sir, there’s trouble. It’s Mrs Greenhalgh . . .’

Jethro was instantly alert. ‘I’ll leave you to it, Don.’ Wiping his hands on a piece of cotton waste he came forward, shooting a worried glance at Tettie. ‘Well?’

When they had explained what had happened, he threw the cotton waste on to the ground. ‘Why the hell did you let her go off on her own, Peter?’

‘She said you’d follow straight away, seemed very sure of herself.’

‘Damnation!’ He set off at a cracking pace, so that poor Tettie was left behind and could only pant along painfully and pray she wouldn’t be attacked again. By the time she got to the house, the two men had already left and she could only stagger into the kitchen where for once she gave in to weakness and let the other servants bathe her wounds and fuss over her.

Jethro and Peter didn’t bother with lanterns because there was enough moonlight to see by. Fretting, but not letting that make him do anything foolish, Jethro said curtly that it’d be best to let the animals set their own pace.

Halfway up the hill, however, his horse suddenly stumbled in a pot hole, and when it started moving again, it was limping.

‘You take mine, sir,’ Peter said. ‘I’ll find somewhere to tie Beauty up and follow on foot. Keep your pistol handy. You never know who you’ll meet on such lonely roads.’

Once it was fully dark Ross told his wife he’d go and warn the neighbours to be ready to act, but would come back and take Mrs Beardsworth to the inn as soon as her sister arrived. An hour passed and he didn’t return, just sent a lad to say he’d been delayed.

‘Delayed by what?’ Essie asked the boy sharply.

The lad wriggled uncomfortably. ‘He an’ Dad went for a pot of beer, said they were thirsty.’

Harriet turned to Essie. ‘I think I’ll go across to the inn now and wait for my sister there.’

‘Ross said to keep you here till he came back.’

‘He hasn’t come back, though, has he? And if he’s at the inn, I shall be all right. I do want to be there when Sophia arrives, to explain and –’ her voice faltered ‘– I need to see her so badly.’

‘I’ll send our Tony across to ask his dad if it’s all right for you to go there.’

‘I’ll go with him. No, I insist.’

Essie stared at her, read determination on her face and hesitated. She couldn’t very well tie their visitor down. ‘What about the little girl?’

‘She can come with me.’

‘She needs to rest.’

Jane came down the stairs, proving she’d been listening. ‘I want to come with you, missus. I’m all right now.’

The child wasn’t all right, Harriet knew, but it was only a short walk to the inn. The important thing was for them to be ready to leave as soon as Sophia showed up, which they could do if they were already there. She had to get as far away from her husband as possible before he came searching for her again. ‘I’m going,’ she repeated.

Essie gave in. ‘Show the lady the way, son.’

When there was a knock on the side door Meg went to fetch Toby. She wasn’t opening any doors at night when she couldn’t see outside.

Ross’s son was standing there with a woman, or rather a lady from her clothes. Her face was haggard and she had her arm round the shoulders of a thin little girl with a bruised face. Both Meg and Toby guessed immediately who she was.

‘You’d have been better staying where you were, Mrs Beardsworth, till we came for you,’ he said bluntly.

‘I was going mad sitting doing nothing. I just couldn’t bear it a minute longer. Besides, I want to leave as soon as Sophia arrives.’

‘You seem very sure she will.’

‘I know my sister.’

Toby gestured to the lad. ‘You get off home then and I’ll look after the lady.’ And he’d tell Ross what he thought of him, too, for leaving her alone like that.

Meg drew Harriet and Jane across to warm themselves by the fire. ‘You sit down and I’ll get you something hot to drink.’

Toby interrupted. ‘They can’t stay in here, love. Someone only has to poke his head round the curtain to see them. Take them up to one of the bedrooms, but don’t light any candles or fires up there.’

A voice from the public room calling for more beer had him turning away, muttering under his breath.

When he’d gone Meg looked at the stairs. The two fugitives would be trapped up there with no way to escape except by coming back down them. ‘I think it’d be better if I took you to the back part of the inn.’

Phoebe looked at her in dismay. ‘You’ll not put them in the storeroom. There’s things there.’

‘I’ll just leave them in the big room,’ Meg said soothingly, knowing Phoebe meant the secret chamber. ‘I’ll fetch them some blankets, though. It’s a cold night.’

She nipped upstairs and was back almost immediately with the blankets from her bed. She handed one to each fugitive and led the way through the dark inn, holding a candle up to show where they were going.

‘I’m sorry to be so much trouble,’ Harriet said. ‘I’m sure my sister will soon be here, though, then we can leave.’

‘I’m happy to help you, Mrs Beardsworth.’ Meg’s eyes went to the child, who had a gaunt famine face and skinny limbs. This was another one who reminded her of Nelly, though it had been ill health that painted such a look on her daughter’s face, not brutal treatment.

She settled them on the bench with blankets wrapped round them. ‘It’s nice and peaceful in here. I daren’t leave the candle, though, because it’d show that someone was inside.’

As she went back she had a sudden urge to put the two fugitives in the hidden room. But that place was Toby’s and contained secrets. She didn’t like to betray its existence when there was no need for it.

Sophia arrived at the inn and tumbled out of the carriage without waiting for anyone to open the door. She hurried inside but stopped dead on the threshold at the sight of a room full of working men, who had all stopped speaking and were staring at her.

Flushing, she looked round for the landlord, or better still, the landlady, but could see no one who appeared to be in authority.

Then the man who looked like her husband walked through a doorway at the back of the room.

She hurried across to him. ‘I believe you know where my sister is, Mr Fletcher?’

Even as she was speaking four rough-looking men pushed into the public room from outside, followed by her brother-in-law. She gasped in dismay and clutched Toby’s arm.

Meg, who’d been watching from behind the curtain, snatched up a candlestick. She had to get to the back place before anyone else did. She should have trusted her instincts and hidden those two in the secret room from the start.

When she set off through the corridors, Pippa pattered along behind her. The girl was sharp enough not to need telling what to do.

In the back place Harriet jumped to her feet when Meg ran in. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Your husband has turned up with some men.’

‘I’ll kill myself before I go back to him!’ She fumbled for the knife in her pocket.

Meg pulled her across the room and thrust the candlestick at her. ‘Better to hide than die. There’s a secret room here. He won’t find you. It’s well hidden.’ She fumbled for the key, muttering in agitation as she had to feel around in the dark for it. She could hear voices yelling, footsteps coming nearer.

Pippa had disappeared through the outer door and Meg could only hope the men wouldn’t catch the girl.

Opening the secret door, she pushed the woman and girl inside and followed them because there was no time to get away and it’d look strange, her walking out of an empty cupboard. She didn’t want to be thumped – or worse! – by Beardsworth or his men. As she was pulling the door closed, the key slipped out of her hand again and she couldn’t see where it was in the dark. When she heard the sound of someone in the corridor just outside the back place, she closed the heavy door as quietly as she could and fumbled for the key kept inside the room, locking the top lock, relieved to hear it snick into place.

Hearing voices close by now on the other side of the door, she hesitated to put the key in the second lock, afraid that the noise it made would be heard by whoever it was on the other side. Surely the top lock would hold it fast? She slipped the slender piece of metal into her pocket instead.

Only as she tried to move did she realise that her skirt had caught in the door. She pulled, but couldn’t release it except by tugging until it tore. She looked at the other woman then down at her skirt.

‘They may not notice,’ Harriet said.

‘If they’re searching carefully, they’ll see it and guess that this place is here! I’m angry at mysen for being so careless! Shhh!’

They all fell silent and listened.

In the public room Beardsworth pointed his pistol at the group of men, as did Jad. ‘Stand still or we’ll shoot!’ he yelled. ‘I’ve another loaded pistol in my belt as have the others. We’ll account for quite a few of you before we’re through if you try to resist.’

The men from Calico froze, anger on their faces as their eyes went from one man to the other, assessing the risk.

Andrew looked across the room at Toby, smiling at the thought that he had the fellow in his power now. Then he realised who was standing next to the innkeeper and fury coursed through him. His men had been told to make sure Jethro’s wife didn’t get up here because he didn’t want to hurt her and her unborn child. This was one wife who was doing her duty by her husband, providing him with heirs.

Somehow he’d have to keep her in ignorance of what he intended to do to her sister – and to Fletcher. Killing him and maybe a few other ‘rioters’ from the village would stop it from being a hotbed of rebellion against him and other millowners, stop his operatives from having anywhere to flee to, give him absolute power over them, as was only right.

‘You shouldn’t have come here in your condition, Sophia,’ he said gently. ‘These men are dangerous.’ He turned to Jad. ‘Take her upstairs and lock her in one of the bedrooms where she’ll be safe. We definitely don’t want Jethro’s wife getting hurt by accident, do we?’

Jad put his pistol in his belt and grabbed Sophia’s arm.

‘I’m here to see my sister,’ she said, shaking his hand off her arm, ‘and I’m going nowhere until I do.’

‘Take her forcibly but don’t hurt her!’ Andrew ordered.

As Jad pulled her out of the room, Sophia struggled in vain against him, almost weeping in frustration at being so close to her sister and yet unable to help her.

Another man pulled a pistol from his belt and brandished it.

Toby saw no opportunity to intervene and indeed would be glad to have a woman in her condition out of the way of harm, so let Jad drag her into the house place. He listened carefully, because if Meg were still there and that villain tried to hurt her, he’d not hold back any longer. He kept a careful eye on the millowner, seeing the relish with which Beardsworth held the pistol and the bulge at his waist where the other one was tucked away. If it was at all possible, Toby hoped to prevent those pistols going off in his inn, because he didn’t want men from the village being killed or maimed, let alone the woman to whom he’d given shelter.