Surrender (49 page)

at the uneasy woman.
 
It was very kind of

you to arrange to be here on such short

notice."

 
Not at all, not at all," the woman

sputtered, and nearly spilled her tea.
 
We

are ever so grateful for your interest in

local matters."

The vicar made a valiant effort to meet

his host's eyes in a man-to-man look.

 
Hope you don't mind my saying so,

sir, but your family's lands have been

neglected entirely too long. I am delighted

to say that I have already heard talk in

the village of the improvements you have

begun.
 
Tis a great relief."

 
I am glad you are pleased, Reverend

Worth. I couldn't agree with you more

about the status of the estate and the

surrounding countryside." Lucas put down

his cup with a distinct snap that made

Victoria hide a quick grin. Her husband

was concealing his impatience well, but

she knew for a fact that he would have

much preferred to have been allowed to

escape this particular social function.

He was, he had told her in no uncertain

terms that morning, a busy man and he

did not have time to waste taking tea with

the vicar. Victoria had informed him that

he was not going to be let off the hook

and in the end she had won, much to

the interested surprise of one or two of

the new servants who had happened to

overhear the discussion in the hall. It was

not going unnoticed that the new Earl

of stone vale had a decided tendency to

indulge his bride.

 
There is a great deal to be done,"

Worth noted.
 
The situation around here

was getting desperate."

 
Your ladyship has made a wonderful

impression on the local people," misses

Worth said shyly.
 
When I went to visit

Betsy Hawkins this morning to take her

a petticoat for her daughter, she told me

quite proudly she wouldn't be needing any

more charity. Her daughter had a job up

here in the kitchens, she said, and her

husband was going to start work in the

stables. She was so happy, madam. You

cannot imagine. That poor lady has had

a hard time of it, as have many others."

 
We are grateful to have so many willing

workers. We shall need a great many

people to get this place in shape," Victoria

said, meaning every word. It had been

a harrowing chore getting the drawing

room in even halfway decent condition

for today's visit. She'd started the new

staff cleaning it at dawn that morning.

 
Well, I don't mind telling you that

thanks to a poacher's ghost story, you

are off to a fine start as far as folks

around here are concerned." The vicar

chuckled and then caught himself as his

wife threw him a horrified look. He hastily

picked up his teacup and cleared his throat.

 
Beg pardon."

But Lucas was not to be sidetracked.

 
What ghost story and what poacher,

Reverend?"

The vicar's initial uneasiness became

visibly more noticeable. It was clear he

felt he had already said too much. He

coughed slightly.
 
I fear, sir, that a few

of the local men are not above poaching

in the woods, especially when times are

hard, as they have been lately. Lord knows

it's sometimes worth life and limb to do

it, what with the mantraps the previous

earl set."

 
You needn't worry, vicar. Having served

in the army and thus been obliged to live off

the land occasionally myself, I assure you I

am inclined to ignore a little poaching. I

have already made arrangements to destroy

what mantraps the hunters have not already

discovered."

The vicar's smile broke like sunshine on

a cloudy day.
 
I am extremely happy to

hear that. Your uncle, as you must know,

had an entirely different attitude."

 
Now about this particular poacher's

ghost story," Lucas prodded quietly.

The vicar exchanged a quick glance

with his wife and then sighed heavily.

 
Yes, well, it was just an amusing tale I

happened to overhear this morning. You

know how country folk talk. It seems

a certain intrepid hunter was taking a

shortcut home last night when he caught a

glimpse of the Amber Knight and his lady.

You have heard the legend, of course?"

 
I am aware of it."

Victoria leaned forward intently.
 
The

Amber Knight and his lady were seen in

the district?"

The vicar's wife laughed nervously.

 
Right here on the grounds of the

estate, if you please. At least, according

to the way the tale was being told this

morning. It seems the knight and his lady

were spotted walking home through the

gardens sometime after midnight. Is that

not a delightful notion?"

 
Fascinating," Victoria said as the truth

began to crystallize in her head. She

pictured how she and Lucas might have

appeared to a startled poacher in the dead

of night, her amber cloak swirling around

her.
 
Walking home through the gardens,

you say?" She felt Lucas's quelling glance

but chose to ignore him. This was far

too amusing.
 
What would they have been

doing running around at that time of night,

do you suppose?"

Lucas cleared his throat.
 
Would you

pour me another cup of tea, my dear? I

seem to find myself rather thirsty."

Yes, of course.
  
Victoria laughed at him

with her eyes as she dutifully poured the

tea. He gave her a severe glare in return,

which only inspired her to fresh mischief.

 
You were saying, misses Worth?"

 
Was I? About what they might have

been doing running around at midnight?

Oh, dear." The good woman's smile was

tentative.
 
Well, they are ghosts, you know.

I suppose that is the only time they are

allowed to run around. And according to

legend, the pair was very much prone to

midnight trysts. It seems the two had a

habit of riding the lands at night and

returning to the house shortly before

dawn."

The vicar cleared his throat.
 
That's

quite enough speculation about ghosts,

my dear. You'll have Lord stone vale and

his lady thinking we deal in nothing but

village gossip."

 
Never," declared Victoria,
 
I find it all

most interesting, don't you, stone vale?"

 
I find it all a lot of nonsense," Lucas

said repressively.

 
You must understand," the vicar's wife

said hurriedly,
 
the villagers were thrilled

to hear the story. They want to believe it

because they want to believe that things

really have begun to change for the better

around here. According to the legend,

stone vale will prosper again only when

the Amber Knight and his lady return. I

pray you won't begrudge the people their

small tale of hope, my lord."

 
Yes." Victoria smiled sweetly at her

husband. pray, don't be a killjoy. stone vale."

The vicar and his wife stared in shock

at Victoria. Lucas merely gave his wife

another quelling glance and drank his

tea.

The vicar, apparently sensing that he

and his wife had accidentally stumbled

into a mild bit of marital teasing, turned

a bit ruddier and plowed forth gamely with

a change of topic.
 
Far rather see a couple

of harmless ghosts than that highwayman

who's been plaguing the district for the

past couple of months."

 
Highwayman?" Victoria's attention was

instantly riveted in a new direction.
 
What

is this about a highwayman? Have you

been robbed, Reverend?"

 
Not I. And not any of the villagers

that I know of. Daresay, none of them

would be worth the fellow's time. But there

have been reports of a couple of coaches

stopped. The villain's a bit inept, I fear.

On one occasion the driver of the coach

pulled a pistol and sent the highwayman

fleeing for the bushes. The second time

the passengers fobbed him off with a few

coins and a worthless ring."

Highwaymen usually have a lair in

the locality where they conduct business,"

Lucas observed thoughtfully.
 
Do you think

this man might be a local resident?"

The vicar shook his head a bit too

quickly, looking more uneasy than ever.
 
I

daresay not. Probably just someone riding

through. I wouldn't be surprised if the

fellow has quit the district by now. In

his profession
 
tis probably wise to keep

shifting business locations." Satisfied that

he had salvaged the social situation, the

vicar fell back on a safe subject.
 
I say,

stone vale. Don't mean to be impertinent,

but have you given much thought to the

sort of crops you'll want to plant? I've

lived around here for a number of years

now and I have some notion of what does

well in this soil."

misses Worth was instantly alarmed.

 
Really, dear, I am certain his lordship

will ask for advice if he requires it."

 
Of course, of course." The vicar flushed

a dark red.
 
Sorry about that. Horticulture

is a hobby of mine. I fancy myself

something of a student of the subject."

Lucas's head came up alertly.
 
Do you

indeed, sir?"

The vicar coughed slightly again, but

this time he looked a little more sure of

himself.
 
Pleased to say I've had one or two

papers published in the Botanical Progress.

Working on a book on flower gardening

at the moment."

 
What do you know about buckwheat?"