Coming Home (25 page)

Colly sincerely hoped Juliana hadn't told his father everything; the old boy would have an apoplexy.

‘Very courageous gel,' Sir Ambrose warbled on. ‘Took the bull by the horns and admitted that travelling from Porto with you was all her idea. And when she told me why, I couldn't condemn her for it.' He shook his head. ‘All alone like that, with no family to turn to. Doing a little nursing to keep the wolf from the door.'

Thank goodness. Juliana must have fed his father an expurgated
version of her background. He wondered what she would think of her father's notion that she had been ‘doing a little nursing'. Fourteen-hour working days amidst filth and blood had become watered down to ‘doing a little nursing'.

Felicia was hovering at his elbow. He smiled at her. ‘Felicia, did you meet Miss Colebrook while the horses were being changed?'

‘Yes, indeed. She explained about the locket. Oh, Colly, were you very much hurt at Fuentes de Onoro?' Her gamine face was screwed up with anxiety, and he wondered again at the fey, delicate young creature she'd become.

‘It wasn't pleasant, but thanks to Dr Barreiro and Miss Colebrook, I've recovered enough to lead a normal life again.' He left it at that. He could not possibly find a way to tell these sedate English people living sedate English country lives about scars that chafed, about nightmares where he relived the agony of being dragged on to a dray with the other injured, or about dying men begging for water.

Feeling hunted, he cast his mother an anxious glance. She came to the rescue.

‘Don't tease Colly now, Felicia. You can see he's tired. Perhaps if he can persuade Miss Colebrook, they could stop here overnight on their way back?'

Colly had other plans for Juliana. They did not include spending the night under his parents' roof. He shook his head. ‘I doubt it, Mama. I must hurry back to Trewbridge because much work awaits me.'

‘Good to see you take your tasks seriously,' his father grunted. Colly was amused. How did his father think he had survived almost five years in the army if he didn't take his tasks seriously? Then, with newly acquired intuition, he realized his father was upset that he did not intend to stop at Heather Hill on his return journey. Of course, the old boy would never admit it.

‘There will be a next time,' he assured them all. ‘But I am not a man of leisure.' Then he said goodnight and hurried off to meet Tom Mersey before they could think of any more ticklish questions.

N
EXT MORNING HE avoided any unpleasantness by leaving before breakfast was served. He had no desire to sit at table with his brother. His father waved him off saying, ‘Nice to see you settling down.'

Gathering up the reins, Colly smiled ruefully. ‘Don't know if she'll have me yet.' He desperately hoped Juliana would agree to marry him, but he could only persuade her, not coerce her. She must come willingly or not at all. ‘Think positively, Hetherington,' he told himself. He knew many of Juliana's reservations about marriage stemmed not from the excuses she was making, but from her deep-seated fear of intimacy. Her only experience had been bitter as gall and he must carry her past the fear and show her the exciting reality of love-making – the giving and the receiving and the belonging. She loved him, he was sure of it. He smiled as he thought of one or two instances where she had given herself away.

He could not remember Lieutenant Davidson's precise address, but it was not difficult to track him down. An ostler at the first inn he came to waved a hand towards Whitchurch.

‘The Davidsons? A rum ol' couple they be. Over towards Whitchurch, last house before the smithy.'

More difficult to find out was where Juliana was staying. Eventually he discovered she had booked into the Old Bank Inn. According to mine host, the lady had hired a job-carriage to take her to Whitchurch early that morning.

Colly made some arrangements with the obliging proprietor, and a large amount of money changed hands. Then he strode outside and flicked a coin to the boy holding on to the horses' heads. Leaping back on to the seat he set the horses in motion. He knew that Davidson would no more hurt Juliana than he would fly to the moon, but from the hints he had dropped when he was drunk, his aunt might be a different proposition. So Colly approached the Davidson home carefully.
A one-horse hired carriage was pulled up by the roadside, its job-master waiting on the box, arms folded, his head nodding in the morning sun.

‘Good morning,' Colly said as he drew up beside it. ‘Did Miss Colebrook hire you?'

The driver glared at him suspiciously. ‘Who wants ter know?'

‘The name is Hetherington. Brigade-Major Hetherington,' Colly added for good measure. ‘I'm a friend of Miss Colebrook's. I arranged to meet her here. Shall I pay you off now? I'll be taking her back to Keynsham.'

The fellow looked truculent but Colly respected him for it. The man was right to be cautious.

‘No …' the job-master said at last. ‘I'd like to see Miss Colebrook first. We agreed on a price.'

Colly's eyebrows rose. An honest job-master! Scarcer than hen's teeth.

At that moment raised voices rang out from behind the stone wall separating the Davidson property from the road – Juliana and Lieutenant Davidson's voices.

Colly jumped down from his carriage and looped the reins over a handy iron spike that had been rammed into the ground. Over his shoulder he said to the job-master, ‘I'd be obliged if you'd keep an eye on this pair. They belong to the Marquess of Trewbridge.' That should assure the driver of Colly's bona fides, provided the man believed him, and why wouldn't he? The Trewbridge crest was emblazoned on the carriage panels.

Davidson's voice had stopped but Juliana's continued. It sounded as though she was giving Davidson a severe dressing-down. Colly strode around the curve of the driveway and came to a halt. A garden seat, placed between two beds of hydrangeas, faced the driveway. Davidson, standing beside the seat, had not noticed Colly. Neither had Juliana who was pacing back and forth in front of the erstwhile lieutenant.

‘And another thing, Lieutenant, please remember that if it were not for Brigade-Major Hetherington and myself, you would not be here.'

Colly agreed. Davidson's dogged insistence on bivouacking his company well before dusk on an exposed ridge had encouraged a small, hungry group of French soldiers to try their luck at relieving Davidson and his men of their rations and arms. Although the French had been beaten off by sheer weight of numbers, Davidson had paid dearly for his mistake. His slow reactions had ensured he would never ride or dance again. As Colly had dragged Davidson away from the fracas and into
the shelter of the surrounding trees, he, too, had had his old wound reopened by a sabre-wielding Frenchman. Worst of all, Davidson's sergeant, who had argued against the bivouacking site, was felled by a shot from a French musket. For the rest of his life, Davidson would have to live with that.

‘I would rather not have survived,' Davidson muttered, head downcast, his injured leg stuck out to one side.

‘
¿Por qué te quejas
? How
dare
you! I nursed hundreds of men who struggled desperately to survive, only to succumb to infection weeks later. And you, you great ninny, all you can do is spread rumours and feel sorry for yourself. What is wrong with you?'

Colly stepped back behind the hydrangea bushes.

‘You don't understand. I – I didn't mean to let the cat out of the bag about you and Hetherington, I promise. But my aunt screamed and raved and demanded information she could use. Sh-she makes a tidy sum out of—'

‘You mean she blackmails people, don't you?' Juliana harangued. ‘
Inferno
! What a family!'

Davidson continued miserably, ‘She was going to throw me out. We used to live in London, you see. Plenty of secrets there,' he added. ‘But when my uncle became ill, we moved here for the cleaner air. My aunt misses going to social events and listening to secrets – you know, all the
on dits
.'

‘The rich pickings, you mean,' Juliana interrupted crossly.

Behind the hydrangea bushes Colly's brow creased.

‘I … oh hell!' Davidson sounded terrified.

‘Portland? Portland Davidson! Who is that woman?' demanded a strident voice.

‘It's
her
,' Davidson whispered. ‘You must go, Miss Colebrook. Hurry!'

‘I don't think so, Lieutenant.'

Colly peered from behind the hydrangeas and saw a buxom woman bearing down upon them. She waved a parasol in Davidson's direction. ‘This is not your house, Portland. How dare you invite strangers here?'

‘Sh-she's—' Lieutenant Davidson stammered.

‘Who is she? I'm asking you, Portland, who
is
she?'

Lord, poor Davidson, Colly thought. So this was the relative who had purchased a lieutenancy for Davidson. Probably with the intention of getting rid of him.

Colly saw Juliana step forward. ‘I, madam, am Miss Colebrook. I knew your nephew on the Peninsula.'

Colly saw Davidson close his eyes. Now the fat was in the fire.

‘Colebrook? Colebrook? Why, you're that dreadful women who—You dare to come here? Portland, get rid of her!'

The aunt sounded frightened. Good. No doubt she had never before been confronted by one of her victims. Blackmail victims usually lie low. Colly grinned to himself. Juliana seemed to have things well in hand.

‘You!' she said now, pointing at Davidson's aunt. ‘I believe you are responsible for attempting to blackmail Brigade-Major Hetherington. Let me tell you' – here Juliana stalked towards the woman – ‘that Brigade-Major Hetherington is the most decent man I know,' she stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

Behind the hydrangeas, Colly felt his face reddening.

‘It was my idea to pretend to be married. I had my reasons. They need not concern the likes of you. But you will
not
' – here Juliana leaned forward to stab her finger in Mrs Davidson's chest – ‘annoy the Hetheringtons any further. Do you understand?'

Colly noted that Davidson wisely kept his distance from the women.

‘Or?' demanded the woman, her voice rising. ‘Or what will you do, you – you sloe-eyed foreigner?'

Then Juliana really let fly. Colly heard some indistinct words that sounded like Portuguese swear words. He thought he'd better rescue Davidson and his aunt before Juliana annihilated them. As he stepped forward she was saying, ‘You know, Lieutenant Davidson, I feel sorry for you. With this terrible woman for your aunt, you'll never be a real man like Mr Hetherington, if you live to be a hundred. Oh!'

She'd finally spied Colly and stopped in the middle of her tirade. Colly stepped to her side and threaded her arm through his. ‘Well met, my dear.' Then he nodded to Davidson as if he were paying a social call. ‘Davidson.' He ignored the aunt and turned back to Juliana. ‘In the event, these histrionics are unnecessary since we're to be married shortly. I've come to take you home, my dear. It was not necessary to take matters into your own hands, you know. My father and I planned to call on Lieutenant Davidson within the next few days.'

Davidson blanched. ‘See here, I'm sorry about this misunderstanding—'

‘It is no misunderstanding, Davidson. We understand perfectly well. You and your aunt are trying to extort money from either myself or my father.' Colly's impatience began to rise. He didn't have time for this. He wanted to go far, far away with Juliana and leave the world behind.

‘No, not me! I would never do that to you. I am conscious of the
debt I owe you both.' And to Colly's consternation the wretched youth hung his head and sobbed.

Juliana made a
moué
of distaste.

Colly sighed. He walked over to Davidson and clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I shall take one of your problems away, Davidson.' He smiled at Juliana. ‘Are you finished here, my love?'

‘Oh, ah, that is to say, I have a carriage waiting,' Juliana muttered.

Good, she was beginning to understand he'd not come all this way just to pass the time of day. ‘Yes, indeed you have. And when you have paid him off, he can be on his way. Let us go.' Then Colly's conscience smote him. He couldn't walk away and leave the miserable Davidson without offering him a crumb of comfort. ‘Davidson?' he said, over his shoulder.

‘Sir?' Davidson scrambled to stand up straight. Old habits died hard.

‘I shall seek out an occupation for you if you wish,' Colly murmured.

Fortunately Mrs Davidson was stumping away from them down the gravel path towards the house, the back of her neck red with fury.

‘
Sir
!' Davidson exclaimed in heartfelt tones.

‘I can make no promises and it may take some time, but I'll do what I can. Don't mention it to your aunt, or you might find yourself without a roof over your head. By the by, how is your penmanship?'

Davidson's eyes lit up. ‘Tolerable, sir.'

Colly urged Juliana towards the gates and Davidson attempted to follow them, but Colly shook his head.

‘Not now, Davidson. I have things to do. I shall send a carriage for you ah … the day after tomorrow.'

The lieutenant dropped back behind them, still proffering his thanks as they passed the curve in the driveway.

When they reached the carriages, Juliana stopped. ‘Where are we going?'

‘Back to the Old Bank Inn so we can sort out why you are running away from me.'

‘H-how did you find out?'

‘Twoomey told me that Tilly requested a couple of footmen to fetch your trunk from the attics. He was wringing his hands at the prospect of never seeing you again. You've made a great conquest there. Then the marchioness informed me that on your departure you had thanked her most prettily for her many kindnesses and presented her with a small gift. Apparently I am the only one at Trewbridge who was not informed of your plans.'

‘I am far too much under an obligation to you all. It was time to
leave.' Her voice was terse and she looked over his shoulder at something of interest on the horizon.

‘And you were not going to say goodbye to me?' Colly could not help letting the deep-seated hurt leach into his words.

Juliana's voice broke on a sob. ‘
Deus
, Colly. I could not.'

He took her in his arms. It would be all right. She hadn't
wanted
to leave him.

‘Where were you going after you'd seen Davidson?'

‘To Chippenham,' Juliana mumbled into his lapel. ‘I have rooms booked at the Hare and Hound. Mr Beck is going to – to purchase a cottage for me in the vicinity.' She sniffed inelegantly.

‘I see.'

‘Look 'ere, you two. I'm not waiting all day,' interrupted a stentorian voice. They had forgotten the job-master. ‘Miss, do you want this carriage or not?'

‘Not,' Colly answered.

‘I don't think so, thank you,' Juliana said. She flicked an anxious glance at Colly which was not lost on the job-master.

‘Are you sure, miss? If you don't want to be bothered by this major fellow 'ere, I'll dispatch him for you. Or at least I'll try to.' The driver eyed Colly.

‘I'm quite sure. Thank you.' Stifling a watery laugh, Juliana turned towards the Trewbridge carriage. Colly lifted her in, then he unhitched the horses and leaped on to the seat. They edged past the job-carriage and headed in the direction of Keynsham.