Calico Road (45 page)

‘There’s no one else back here,’ Jad called. ‘But there’s a maid and an old woman somewhere. They aren’t in the public room, sir.’

‘Be careful how you go, then. If you see them, lock them up too.’

In the house place Jad shook Sophia’s arm and said in a low voice, ‘You’ll hurt yourself if you keep struggling, Mrs Greenhalgh. And your baby might get hurt too. Your choice.’ He clenched one fist and tapped her lightly on the belly with it.

Furious and terrified, but not daring to risk his carrying out his unspoken threat to punch her belly, she let him grab a candle and light it at the fire, then went with him up the stairs. He peered into every room, keeping tight hold of her arm.

In one of them they found a candle burning and the covers rumpled. Jad flung Sophia down on the bed and yelled, ‘Stay there!’ He bent to peer under it and laughed. ‘Come out, you!’

Phoebe crawled from under the bed, staying as far away from him as she could.

He smiled as he recognised her. ‘Not got a husband to protect you now, you old hag, have you? Should have left here while you could.’

He backed towards the door, taking the key and locking it from the outside, then pocketing it.

Inside the room Phoebe sat down abruptly on the bed, pressing one hand to her chest and moaning slightly.

‘Are you all right?’

‘It’s just – a dizzy turn.’

Sophia went across to the window and saw that it looked down on the front of the inn. If she could open it, she’d perhaps be able to shout down to Jethro when he arrived. It was a struggle, but she managed, leaning out and looking down the road. There was no sign of any men riding up from the Backenshaw direction.

When she turned round she saw that the old woman was still looking unwell and went across to her. ‘I think you’d better lie down for a while. Yes, that’s right. Let me pull the covers up. He’s locked us in so there’s nothing to do but wait.’ She prayed that Jethro would come soon and rescue her, but most of all, that he’d be able to stop Andrew from hurting Harriet. He was the only one who could do that, she was sure, because although Jethro’s half-brother was also a big man, he had no weapons. ‘Who are you?’

‘Phoebe. I help in the inn. Who are you? Why have they locked you in here?’

‘I’m Sophia Greenhalgh and—’ She was astounded to see terror in the old woman’s eyes. ‘Why do you look at me like that?’

‘You’re a Greenhalgh.’ She began to sob. ‘Please don’t let your husband kill my Toby! There’s been enough killing.’

‘I’m quite sure my husband doesn’t intend to kill anyone.’

‘He’s a Greenhalgh, isn’t he?’

There it was again, this expectation that Jethro would behave cruelly. ‘He’s not like his father, I promise you.’ But Sophia could see that the old woman didn’t believe her.

There was silence for a few moments, then Phoebe said, ‘This is the best place to be if they’re on the rampage again. I used to hide under the bed in the old days.’

‘What do you mean by “on the rampage again”? What old days are you talking about and who used to be on the rampage?’

Phoebe stared blindly at the ceiling as she murmured, ‘Thirty year ago John Greenhalgh and Andrew Beardsworth were the leaders of a gang of men who’d do anything, kill anyone, for money. That fellow who brought you up here was one of them, and heaven help him, so was my husband. Hal didn’t hold with so much killing, but he didn’t dare leave the gang because he knew they’d kill him if he tried. When they turned respectable and used their money to set themselves up in business, they put him here to run the inn. It was here they used to hide things, in the big room at the back. And from here you can see all the comings and goings across the tops.’

Wanting to hear anything the old woman had to tell her, Sophia made encouraging noises and then listened in horror to her tale of murder and thieving and mayhem. And to what was going on in Andrew Beardsworth’s mill. Surely Jethro wasn’t like that? Surely he hadn’t been involved in his father’s crimes, wasn’t treating his operatives in Backenshaw so cruelly? She couldn’t bear it if he was.

Then she remembered his tenderness towards her and their son, and knew deep within her that he wasn’t involved, couldn’t commit murder.

Pippa crept quietly up the clough, knowing her little world well enough to be sure she wasn’t being followed and that no one was keeping watch here. But when she got to the outskirts of the village it was a different matter. There was a burly man stationed there, constantly looking from side to side.

She backed away carefully and chose another route, but there was a second man further along the road and it took her a while to get to the rear of the first house where she knew she’d find help for her father.

She hoped Meg was all right. She’d seen her making for the cupboard, which was a strange place to hide and wouldn’t keep them safe for long. Pippa had wondered whether to suggest they come outside with her, but they’d have slowed her down and she knew she had to get help quickly because her dad was in danger. She could have sobbed in frustration at having to be so careful and slow as she checked that no one was watching her and then tapped on the window.

‘Where is my wife?’ Andrew asked Toby. ‘I know you’ve got her hidden here.’

The two men measured one another up and Toby knew it was no use to pretend he hadn’t seen her. ‘She
was
here. She’s moved on.’

‘We’ve had the place watched day and night. We know she hasn’t left.’ He raised the pistol and stepped forward to hold it at the nearest villager’s head. ‘Tell us the truth or your friend here will die.’

There was no question of letting a man die, Toby thought bitterly. At worst Beardsworth would beat his wife, but she’d be alive and they could try to help her escape later. Seeing the wild, almost lustful look in Beardsworth’s eyes told him more than anything else that the man wouldn’t hesitate to kill. ‘She was in the room next to this. I can only guess that she’s hiding somewhere else in the inn.’ He looked directly at the other man. ‘I promise you that’s the truth. I
don’t
know where she is now.’

‘Then you and I will take a walk round the place once Jad comes back and if we don’t find her, I
will
carry out my threat, believe me.’

Jad came back, grinning. ‘I found the old woman and locked her in a bedroom with Mrs Greenhalgh. Silly old bitch was hiding under the bed. There’s still the young ’un to find, though.’

‘She doesn’t matter. You keep an eye on this lot and I’ll take one of the men with me to guard Fletcher while we search the rest of the inn. We’ll no doubt find the cook-maid hiding somewhere and we’d better find my wife or there’ll be trouble.’

Jethro reined his horse back as he approached the inn. He could see that something was happening there from the lights inside, but his carriage was standing outside so his wife must be there. When a man stepped out from the shadows just before the inn and suggested he ride on to the next inn as there was ‘a bit of trouble’ at the Packhorse, Jethro glared at him and dismounted.

The man moved forward, saw his face by the light of the lantern hanging outside the inn door, and gasped in shock. ‘How the hell did you get away from my master?’ He bunched up his fists as if about to attack.

Jethro took a quick step backwards. The fellow must be referring to Fletcher, but what did he mean by ‘get away’?

‘Who is your master?’ Jethro asked.

‘Mr Beardsworth, and he’ll pay me well for stopping you from getting away.’

‘You’re mistaking me for my half-brother. I’m Jethro Greenhalgh, not the innkeeper, and that’s
my
carriage so my wife must be waiting for me inside. Go and tell your master that I’ve arrived.’

At that moment, Sophia poked her head out of the bedroom where she and Phoebe were locked up and yelled to attract her husband’s attention.

He looked up briefly, which was enough for the man he was confronting to rush at him and knock him over. Suddenly, out of the shadows, other men appeared and hauled the guard off, knocking him unconscious then helping Jethro to his feet.

The minute he thanked them, one of them said, ‘Hell, it’s not Toby. It’s bloody Greenhalgh!’

‘What’s going on here?’ Jethro demanded. He looked up. ‘Sophia, come down and let me take you away from this madhouse.’

‘I can’t. They’ve locked me in this bedroom. Oh, Jethro, go and see if you can find Andrew and stop him! I’m safe enough here but I’m sure he means to hurt Harriet. She’s run away from him because he’s been beating her black and blue. If he goes on like this, he’ll kill her.’

He hesitated, looking sideways at the roughly dressed men who had saved him thinking he was his brother. They were now keeping watch on him as if they didn’t trust him. ‘Do you know what’s happening here?’ he asked them.

‘Ross sent his little lass to fetch us, said there was trouble,’ one said. ‘When we looked through the window we saw that devil of an overlooker from Tappersley and another fellow pointing pistols at folk. Beardsworth isn’t there that we could see, nor is Toby.’

Another said, ‘We didn’t like to rush in while they’ve got pistols.’

Jethro looked at them. Moor men by the look of it, probably Toby’s neighbours. ‘I can go in and disarm Jad Mortley,’ he said. ‘I don’t want anyone threatening people with pistols while my wife’s in there. Will you trust me?’

They looked at him, then at each other. Jethro waited. He’d learned since he took over the mill to respect men like these, yes, and their womenfolk too – something his father never had done.

‘Aw reet,’ one said. ‘But don’t try to trick us. There’ll be more fellows coming in from the village to help. We’re not having
them
shooting honest folk here in Calico, whatever they do down the hill.’

Jethro looked up to the bedroom. ‘You heard, love?’

Sophia nodded, ‘Yes. Find my sister before you release me,
please
, Jethro.’

So he went inside.

As Sophia watched him, she realised he’d called her ‘love’ openly and joy ran through her.

Jad swung round as the door opened behind him, but relaxed when he saw his master’s friend, Mr Greenhalgh. ‘Thank goodness you’ve got here, sir. There’s been rioting and mayhem.’

Jethro nodded as if he agreed and walked forward. ‘Have you seen my wife?’

Before the man could answer, he wrenched the pistol from him, and the men who’d been drinking took this as a signal to knock the other man’s weapon out of his hand and attack the bullies. The men behind Jethro rushed in enthusiastically to help tackle the intruders.

Ross managed to avoid being caught up in the fighting and edged his way round the room to join Jethro. ‘We need to find Beardsworth. He’s taken Toby away at gun point to search for his wife.’

‘Damn the man!’

‘Beg pardon, but damn who, sir?’

‘Damn Beardsworth, of course. My wife says he’s been beating her sister – and badly. She’s terrified he’ll kill Harriet.’

‘He’s killed a few in his time. What difference will one or two more make?’

‘
Killed a few?
What do you mean by that?’

‘Ask Phoebe. Her husband was involved in it, so she knows more than anyone about what happened in the past. I don’t know how Hal Dixon managed to stay alive so long, given the threat he offered to Beardsworth if he’d told what he knew.’

A man rolled across the floor, grappling with another, and they both had to jump backwards to avoid being knocked over.

‘Best if we go round the outside, I think,’ Ross said. ‘This way. We’ll leave the lads to enjoy themselves. They’ll give these buggers a lesson they won’t forget.’

23

T
oby was only too aware of the pistol Beardsworth was carrying and of the other brute of a man breathing down his neck. As they passed through the house place he wondered where Meg and Mrs Beardsworth had got to and hoped they’d left the inn and were hiding somewhere in the village.

‘Get a candle and light it,’ Beardsworth snarled, emphasising his point by poking Toby in the side with his pistol.

Thankful for his years of training at not reacting to insults, Toby did as he was told, keeping his face expressionless as he chose the heaviest of the spare candle holders which they kept sitting on the mantelshelf for convenience. Given half a chance he’d smash this down on Beardsworth’s head.

‘You can carry a candle too,’ Beardsworth told the man with him, watching as he lit one. ‘Now, we’ll search the rest of the inn and we’d better find my wife, Fletcher, or you’ll be in trouble. Oh, and from here onwards, you speak only when spoken to. All right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Yes,
sir!
’

Toby repeated the words in a mild tone of voice but it was an effort because he had never felt such strong hatred for anyone in his whole life before. He led his two captors to the middle part of the inn, where the rooms were mostly unfurnished, and then stood where he was ordered as each room was searched again, as Beardsworth had searched the day before.

It didn’t take very long but the way the doors were banged open would, he hoped, give Meg warning to get away.

As they drew closer to the narrow corridor that led to the rear part he found himself listening carefully, hardly daring to draw a deep breath in case he missed something that would give him a clue to Meg’s whereabouts. But he heard nothing ahead of them, no sounds at all apart from the wind and their own footsteps.

When they entered the rear part, Beardsworth ordered curtly, ‘Hold the candles higher! Let me look round.’

The taciturn man carrying the other candle shivered suddenly and exclaimed, ‘Eeh, it’s cold in here, sir.’ Then he pointed. ‘Look, there’s an open door.’

Even as he pointed the door swung wider, its hinge creaking, and then slammed shut. But the catch was faulty and it opened and closed a few times before blowing open and shut again.