Sally James (16 page)

Richard, annoyed, was about to turn his curricle when Amanda put a restraining hand on his arm.

‘What people?’ she demanded of the ostler. ‘And how long since?’

He scratched his head and pondered.

‘Can’t rightly say, Miss. ‘Twas no more than ten minutes gone, I think, when the gentleman came, and took the only riding horse we had. Afore that, it were a young female, mebee an hour before the gentleman, in a post chaise, and wanting to know if we had outriders. Seemingly she was uncommon nervous, but we don’t have such ‘ere!’

‘Thank you,’ Amanda smiled at him and urged Richard to hurry. ‘They cannot be so very far ahead,’ she tried to comfort herself. ‘But Susannah left more than two hours before Lord Chalford, so she must have been delayed to be but an hour in advance of him. We may be in time.’

‘Is it worth stopping at this inn, the Bull?’ Richard asked. ‘Or would it be better to push on with this pair? Is it a great deal further?’

‘We may need them to go on to The Hall, possibly,’ Amanda said reluctantly. ‘I think we must take the time to change to a fresh pair if one is available. It is another eight miles or so.’

They were fortunate to find fresh horses and Amanda said no more, sitting tensely as they drew nearer to West Place, merely giving Richard the briefest of directions when he requested them. At last they came within sight of the house, set well away from the road beyond a park, across which a drive meandered lazily.

The house appeared deserted. Although the lodge gates were open, Richard observed some tendrils of a climbing ivy clinging to one of them and drew the conclusion they were probably rarely closed, so the fact was of little significance. No smoke arose from the chimneys and there was no sign of life near the house. He drove along the twisting drive and followed it round to the back of the house towards the stable block, wondering whether, after all, they had come to the wrong destination.

When Susannah left Richmond she had high hopes of completing her journey in good time, for the horses she had hired were well matched, strong animals. This good fortune did not last, however, for the next pair were sluggards and despite her pleas the postillion totally refused to urge them to greater efforts. She was glad to see the last of them and eyed the restless bays that were next harnessed to the chaise with approbation. The speed was certainly better for the next four miles or so, but then the chaise slowed to a halt and, when she put her head out of the window to demand the cause of the delay, it was to be told that one of the pair was dead lame.

Susannah fumed inwardly, but there was nothing to be done and she had to muster what patience she could as they proceeded at a slow walk to the next posting house. After that, however, she had better horses, although she had not at any of the changes been able to engage the outriders she wanted. Shrugging, she determined to do without them and directed the postillion to West Place, descending before the massive front door and commanding him to wait until she had ascertained that the person she wanted to see was at home before taking the horses back to the village with instructions to call for her in a couple of hours and to raise the alarm if she were not there.

Her ring was answered after a considerable while by a somewhat flustered maidservant, who nodded dumbly in response to Susannah’s crisp query as to whether Sir William was at home.

‘Good,’ Susannah commented and walked past the maid into the rather dim, black panelled hall. ‘Pray inform him Miss Rendlesham wishes to have a word with him. Wait. At what time did he arrive, and was he alone?’

Too bewildered to resent these questions, the maid bobbed a curtsey.

‘It were in the middle of the night, Miss,’ she said, awed. ‘Sir William had another gentleman with him, I’m told, but he were either ill or tipsy, for he had to be carried up to bed. I’ll go and tell Sir William you’re here.’

Susannah walked restlessly about as she waited and was staring out of the window when Sir William entered the room. She swung round to face him, a stiff smile on her face. He was looking slightly apprehensive as well as puzzled, she noted with satisfaction.

‘Miss Rendlesham! To what do I owe this pleasure?’ he said formally.

‘Oh, Sir William, I do beg your pardon, but I am so relieved to find you at home. My horse, you see, or one of them, that is, has become lame and as I was almost outside your gates I ventured to beg your hospitality while the postillion finds another pair.’

‘Are you on your way to The Hall?’

‘Yes, but only for a message to be left. I mean to go on to join Julian at Horder Grange.’

He looked at her keenly.

‘Has your man gone yet? I could lend you horses for the short distance to The Hall and then surely your uncle would have some to take you on the rest of your journey.’

‘Oh, dear, why did I not think of that?’ Susannah said innocently, mentally congratulating herself on having had the forethought to send her own carriage away. ‘Unfortunately I sent the man back to the village, hoping he would find a suitable pair there. I presumed on our friendship and told him to call back for me in an hour, or when he had fresh horses. I trust I did not do wrong. I was certain you would permit me to rest here and, indeed, I do not wish to distract you from any business you might be engaged on.’

Sir William could scarcely refuse such a request, much as he appeared to wish to do so.

‘Of course you may stay, my dear,’ he replied. ‘But where is your maid? It would look bad if it became known you were travelling alone and had called on me,’ he explained with what he intended to be a hearty laugh, but which sounded to Susannah more like a bark.

‘Why, people could not be so silly,’ Susannah declared, looking at him out of wide, innocent eyes. ‘It would be ridiculous, when you seem more like an uncle to me, the same as Uncle Timothy, to infer anything scandalous.’

She noted his angry flush with satisfaction, but hurried on before he could reply.

‘Jane begged my leave to visit an aunt and I set her down at the crossroads a mile or so back, for the cottage her uncle lives in is but a few hundred yards away. I propose to call for her on my way back and, really, I do not need such a chaperone when I go merely to visit my brother.’

‘Is your brother at Horder Grange?’ Sir William queried, looking hard at her. ‘I thought I saw him only last night at the Bancroft affair.’

‘He left town - suddenly,’ Susannah explained. ‘I beg of you, Sir William, pray do not put yourself out over me. I will be perfectly content here by myself if you have business to attend to.’

He protested, but then apparently thought better of it and excused himself, saying he would have some refreshments sent in to her. Impatiently she waited until a tray had been brought, by the same maid who had opened the front door to her, and then, ignoring the food, Susannah stole to the door and cautiously opened it.

The hall was empty and the wide, shallow stairs only a few yards away. Susannah gathered up the skirts of her habit, ran to the stairs and fled up them as fast as she could. She had no plan apart from searching as much of the house as she could before she was discovered, but she trusted, even when that inevitably happened, Sir William would not dare harm both her and her brother and would in any event be hampered by the knowledge Susannah’s postillion would be calling for her shortly.

At the top of the stairs corridors went to both right and left and Susannah began in the right hand one, swiftly opening each door in turn and looking into the empty rooms. She had reached the end of the corridor, having searched all the rooms which looked out over the front of the house, and was beginning to work her way back on the other side when the second door she tried resisted her. It was locked and she rapped smartly on the panel. There was no reply, but she bent down and tried to see through the keyhole. A circular glimmer of light met her gaze, but she could see nothing within the room. Then what sounded like a faint groan was heard and she straightened up, looking round. Suddenly she realized the room she had looked into next to this one had revealed a connecting door and had obviously been a dressing room. She whisked into it and saw with relief there was a key on the inside of the door. She turned it before approaching the connecting door. This was also locked, but she could risk more noise within the room than outside in the corridor, where a maid might come upon her at any moment.

Susannah knocked firmly on the door, but there was no reply.

‘Julian,’ she called, putting her mouth to the keyhole.

Listening, she was sure she heard a faint rustling and then a muffled voice reached her, but the words were indistinct.

‘Julian,’ she repeated. ‘It’s Susannah. Can you speak?’

There was a shuffling sound and then the muffled voice came again, somewhat louder and clearer.

`What ... devil ... you here? ... got ... to?’ she distinguished.

‘I’m free as yet. Are you drugged?’

‘Gag,’ Julian managed to say. ‘Hands tied ... feet ... move.’

‘Is there any other way into the room apart from the corridor?’

‘No. No - doors. Try ... key.’

Susannah exclaimed in annoyance that she had not thought of this and ran to pull the heavy key from the outer door of the room. She fitted it into the connecting door and to her joy felt it turn beneath her fingers. In seconds she was through the door and dragging the gag from Julian’s face. Then she began to struggle with the knots of the cords that bound his hands behind his back.

‘Knife. In my coat pocket. Quicker!’ Julian said and without wasting time wondering why Julian should carry such a thing in the pockets of his evening coat, which was by now sadly bedraggled, she found the knife and cut through the cords. Julian rubbed his wrists ruefully while he demanded to know how she had contrived to follow him to West Place. Briefly she told him, then in turn asked what had happened to him.

‘I found some of the jewels,’ he explained. ‘I got up to Sir William’s bedroom in Green Street, as I planned, and found about half a dozen pieces that I recognized. Then he came home, apparently for some gold, because I gathered - he was in a foul temper about it too - that the fellows he was playing cards with at the ball had politely declined to accept any more vowels from him. He must be badly dipped! Anyhow, before I knew he was in the house he had come up to the bedroom and found me there. I had to challenge him, there was nothing else to do, but he grabbed a pistol and forced me into his carriage and brought me here. He knocked me out with his pistol when we were almost here and I’ve only the haziest recollection of being carried up to this room. My head still aches like the devil!’

Susannah shivered.

‘What did he plan to do with you?’ she asked.

‘He did not specify what, but he practically admitted shooting my father and said he would have to arrange another accident to explain my disappearance. I’ve a notion, from what I heard him say to one of the grooms, he planned to hand me over to some of the smugglers to dispose of me in what would appear to be a boating disaster, for he sent a message telling Adams to come here.’

‘Adams?’

‘Fellow who lives at Chichester. There was some trouble a year or so back and he broke away from the regular lot and formed his own gang. From all I hear he’s not averse to killing if it boosts his takings!’

‘How do you know all this?’ Susannah asked and then recalled the well-trodden paths she had come across at Horder Grange and her conclusion the house was used by smugglers. Julian’s discomfort at her question confirmed her suspicion that he, along with most other people within miles of the coast, knew more of the doings of the smugglers than they admitted.

‘Oh, everyone knows!’ Julian replied with attempted airiness.

‘I would have thought West Place was too far inland to be used by smugglers,’ she mused.

‘No, they have their pack trains for many miles, and their safe places for hiding or storing the contraband. But enough of that. How we are going to escape from here?’

‘He dare not stop us just walking out,’ she declared bravely. ‘He might have had servants that could be duped, or made to help keep you imprisoned, but he cannot force all of them to aid him in killing us, or even forcing us to remain here when we wish to leave. But we ought to search here for the jewels while we have the opportunity!’

Julian shook his head.

‘It would be foolhardy to remain longer than we need. No, and if we were found in his room they would help him, thinking we were thieves. In fact, he might easily pretend that now. I must somehow get you safely out of here, Susannah. We must try to leave secretly, before he discovers you are not where he left you.’

Since he would not change his mind and asserted that what he had learned the previous night and what had been told him by Sir William, overconfident he had the upper hand, would be enough to bring charges, and he was content to permit the law to take over, Susannah reluctantly ceased her persuasions. Assuring herself Julian was suffering no serious ill effects from his prolonged restraint, she unlocked the door of the dressing room and peered out.

There was no one in sight and they emerged and crept stealthily down the corridor. The stairs were also deserted and they began to make their way cautiously down them. Susannah was a step or two ahead and had started to cross the hall towards the front door when a sound from the side caused her to swing round in alarm. Sir William stood in the entrance to one of the rooms, a pistol in his hand, pointing at Julian.

‘Not clever enough, Miss Rendlesham!’ he said viciously. ‘This way, both of you!’

Susannah laughed, as convincingly as she could, and took another step towards the front door.

‘Why, Sir William, what game is this?’

‘Stand still, or I’ll put a bullet through your brother’s heart!’

‘You dare not!’ she replied, but remained where she was.

‘You think so? What difference does it make to me now? The bodies will not be found, so no one would ever know.’

‘You are plain speaking, sir! Our bodies, I take it? How can you, without suspicion falling on yourself, murder us?’ Julian demanded furiously.