The Duke's Challenge (16 page)

‘Do that.
You’re looking for a corpse or failing that, evidence someone has come back to
remove it.’

‘Light a
lantern, Jethro, I wish to examine the lane more closely.’

Jethro, an
expert in any weather conditions with his tinderbox, soon had a lantern
illuminated and handed it to him. The pool of light showed clearly what the
unaided eye had been unable to discern. ‘Another carriage has been down here,
the tracks are clear in the mud. Look, those are from the gig, these are from a
far heavier vehicle.’ He stood up and lifting his beaver, brushed his dripping
hair from his eyes. ‘Someone has collected the bodies or at least this one.’

There was the
sound of crashing on the far side of the lane. ‘Are they there, lads?’

‘No, your grace.
But there have others here before us, and
there’s gore all over the place,’ a disembodied voice called back. The two men
were moving about having a closer look.

‘I’ve found
some material and a couple of buttons snagged on a branch, I’ll bring them back
to you, your grace.’

‘Good man,’
Jack answered. He was deeply concerned. If the second body had also been
removed this was no casual passer-by. Someone must have been following the gig
and when the ambush failed, they had stopped to take away the evidence.

But who?
It made no sense; who was prepared to employ paid
assassins, would risk so much in order to kill Charlotte and
himself
?
It had to be connected to Thurston, to his title. There must be another heir, a
man who had expected to inherit and was determined to do so even if it took
murder to achieve his ends.

He tossed
Lucifer’s reins back over the animal’s head and remounted. He’d find nothing
here. Perhaps he could follow the carriage tracks and they would lead him to
the perpetrators? The two grooms returned and handed him the scrap of cloth and
buttons they’d found. The material and insignia had come from the jacket of an
ex-soldier, a former member of the green-coats, the Rifle Brigade. He should
have realized the shots came from rifles, not pistols.

‘We need the
other lantern. Hold them close to the ground; I want to see if we can follow
the carriage tracks.’

Jethro shook
his head. ‘In this rain, your grace, it’ll not be long before the tracks are
gone. I doubt we’ll have a trail to follow after a mile or so.’

‘I know, but we
have to try. Find the carriage and we find the paymasters.’ He called across to
the grooms from Upton Manor. ‘I want one of you to ride to Ipswich and raise
the militia.’

‘I’ll go, your
grace, my mare, Bess, isn’t built for speed but she’s got plenty of stamina.
She can do the journey both ways, no trouble.’ Jim volunteered.

‘Excellent. Ask
Captain Forsythe to meet me at Thurston Hall first thing tomorrow morning.’

The carriage
tracks led them past Upton Magna and on towards Hadleigh but there they, as
Jethro had predicted, became impossible to distinguish in the quagmire the lane
had become.

‘Here, lads,
hold the lantern out so I can see the time.’ Jack pulled out his watch and
flicked open the silver front. It was five o’clock, not late. He decided to
return to the lane and see if he could pick up the trail of the two men who’d
escaped. One was certainly wounded, and if the mysterious carriage hadn’t found
them they were probably still abroad somewhere.

The rain eased
making his task less onerous. He found an entrance into the wood that boarded
the lane and led to where the men must have waited for them.

‘Dismount here;
tie your mounts to a branch.’ He left his own horse’s reins dangling as he had
done before. Jethro and Billy, the remaining groom, held the lantern in front
of them.

Jack stood in
the darkness, head tilted, as he considered which direction to go. ‘They must
have had horses here so I want you to look for where they tethered them. You’ll
not find the place close to the lane, they would not have wanted to risk one of
their own mounts greeting our horses and alerting us to their presence.’

‘How many do
you think there were, your grace? You killed two, but there were others, I’m
certain sure I heard them escaping,’ Jethro said.

‘There had to
have been three men at least on this side of the lane, the first shot was fired
by a decoy.’

The group
separated. Jethro and Billy searched together, whilst Jack took a lantern and
set off on his own. The positioning of the men on either side of the road had
been a clever ploy, the kind of thing a seasoned rifleman would do. It was a
strategy he had used himself many times. Dealing with ex-soldiers made his task
more difficult.

Many soldiers
had returned from their years of war to find the countryside in turmoil, no
jobs to be had. It would have been easy to recruit such men; they would see it
as easy money, not much different to killing for King and country. The thought
saddened him that heroes should be reduced to such a pass.

The only sound
in the wood was a distant dripping of water from the leaves and the occasional
rustle of animals and birds in the trees and undergrowth. ‘Jethro, Billy, over
here. The horses were tied to this tree,’ he called. He hung his lantern on a
convenient branch and crouched down to investigate more thoroughly.

In the soft
leaf mould there were clear imprints of hoofs, but how many it was difficult to
tell. He ran his finger round one, this horse had a lose shoe and its print was
quite distinctive. Jethro and Billy arrived at his side. ‘How many horses were
tied up here, can you tell?’

Jethro seemed
to barely glance at the churned up area before straightening. ‘Four, your
grace, there are four different sets of prints here.’

Jack slapped
him on the back. ‘Well done. That confirms what I thought. Now, can you tell me
how many were ridden away and how many led?’

This was more
difficult but not beyond the two grooms. ‘See over here, sir, they left by a
different route.’

Jack strode to
where the path divided. ‘Yes, I see, Jethro, and from the way the prints run, I
would speculate that two were ridden, and two led. Am I correct?’

‘You are, sir.
I can tell you something you might not have spotted. There’s blood on some of
the lower branches, boot height I’d say, if the man was mounted.’

‘I hit one of
them in the leg; that was what I hoped to discover. Now I know what we’re
looking for. Two riflemen, one wounded and leading horses would not be a common
sight in these parts. Riflemen are not renowned for their horsemanship, in fact
only the officers ride.’

‘In that case,
your grace, they’ll not want to be out in the dark. Even a skilled rider thinks
twice about travelling at night.’

‘Then we’ll
have no difficulty discovering their whereabouts for they’ll have been remarked
upon if they were seen.’

‘That’s true,
your grace, but folks will be abed by now,
it’s
past
eight o’clock; they won’t answer our knock, not at this time of night.’

‘Damnation!
Then can we track these men, follow the trail?’

‘Once they
clear the trees and regain the lane their prints will be lost in the general
mud, so I don’t reckon so. I’m game to have a go, how about you, Billy?’

The young man
nodded. ‘They might have holed-up at the inn. They must overnight somewhere I
reckon, your grace. If one of them buggers is wounded he’ll not want to be out
all night in this weather, that’s for sure.’

‘You’re
correct, Billy. And, as you’re willing, we must give it a try; if we lose the
trail we can visit the hostelry. Then if there’s no luck to be had there, I’ll
stop the search for tonight and wait for Captain Forsythe and his troop to
arrive tomorrow.’

Jethro elected
to walk, he could see better that way, and the other groom led his mount for
him. The four horses had left the wood and their prints were easy to track for
a mile or so but then they vanished, as if someone had spirited them away.

Jack dismounted
to search. ‘This is damned odd! Where the devil have they gone?’ The road was
much wider here, enough for two carriages to pass without incident. The hedges
were lower and there were several gates that opened on to farm tracks. ‘Billy,
stand in your stirrups. What can you see across this field, any lights or sign
of movement?’

‘Nothing, your
grace, but I reckon
there’s
some buildings, an old
farm cottage and a barn, but no lights.’

‘The tracks
have vanished because they cut across this field. I would state my title on the
bastards being down there in that cottage.’

‘What’re you
going to do, your grace, are you going down there?’ Jethro asked.

‘No, but I
would like you two to stand watch. I’ll pay you handsomely for your trouble.’

‘Happy to,
sir,’ Billy told him cheerfully.

‘Keep out of
sight. These are dangerous
men; they could kill you
with a one shot. If you see them trying to leave, one of you come to Thurston
at a gallop, is that clear?’

‘Yes, your
grace.’

‘Excellent! I’m
afraid you’ll be on short commons tonight, but I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.
I intend to return to Thurston Hall, I need to be there when the militia come.’

*

Jack gave his
valet little assistance in the removal of his boots and wet clothes. He fell
back on to his bed revelling in the warmth. Tomorrow he would have the answer
to the puzzle, discover who was behind these attacks, but tonight he was too
damn tired to worry

He was sadly
out of condition, had spent too much time drinking and not enough taking
exercise. In the old days, with Nosey, he could have ridden all night, fought a
battle and then spent an hour or two in the local whore-house. Thank God he
would soon be a married man and would never have the need for such an
establishment again. He fell asleep with a smile of contentment on his face at
the thought of his approaching nuptials.

Chapter Sixteen

‘Open the
windows,
Annie,
this room’s far too hot.’

Annie didn’t
protest at the strange request. Papa had taught her this method of reducing
fever,
he’d brought it back with him from his experiences in
Spain and Portugal. ‘We must remove the heavy comforter and start sponging Beth
down with tepid water.’

‘Yes, miss. I
have the bowl and cloths waiting ready by the bed.’

Charlotte
touched her sister’s forehead; she was hot, but no worse than on previous
occasions. ‘Beth, darling, it’s Lottie. Annie and I are going to cool you down
the way we always do. We shall soon have you feeling well again.’

It didn’t occur
to her to call Dr Andrews from his bed because, unlike Harry, Beth was
frequently stricken with fevers and head-colds and she always responded to the
treatment Charlotte intended to administer now.

Dawn had broken
before Beth’s fever broke. ‘Thank God, at last!’ Charlotte exclaimed. ‘Sit up a
little, darling, and drink some nice cool lemonade for me.’

Dutifully the child did so then with a feeble smile, fell into a deep
restorative sleep.

Annie yawned. ‘It
don’t
seem worth going to bed
now, miss, it’s almost time to get up again. Shall I go and sit with Master
Harry? I reckon he’ll be awake and raring to go just after dawn.’

‘He was sound
asleep when I checked twenty minutes ago,’ Charlotte replied. She rubbed her
eyes. ‘It’s almost five o’clock. I didn’t hear Lord Thurston return during the
night, and I’m sure I should have done, because these windows overlook the
stables. I hope he has come to no harm.’

‘Not his grace,
Miss Carstairs, he’ll be fine. But he will be cold and tired after being out
all night. Shall I go down and make sure there’s food on the range for when he
returns?’

‘I don’t think
so, Annie, thank you. I believe we had better wait and speak to Mrs Baker when
she comes down.’

‘Very well.
If we’re staying on here for another day
we ‘ll
need fresh clothes for the children. Do you
think
 
we
could use
some of the purchases we made in Ipswich yesterday?’

‘I should think
most of those are in as bad as state as our own clothes after the drenching
they got. No, we’ll send to Thurston Hall. Did you have a moment to wash out
Master Harry’s things last night, Annie?’

‘Yes, I did but
Miss Beth has no clean under garments to put on as she used her
chemise
to sleep in.’

‘Beth isn’t
well enough to travel today but you could return with Harry if Dr Andrews will
loan his carriage. And you could take the kittens and Buttons with you. Mary
can come back with what we need. Unfortunately Jethro took one of our horses so
we cannot use our own vehicle.’

‘I’ll go down
as soon as Master Harry is up. I expect he’ll be desperate to see his puppy,
and I can speak to Mrs Baker then.’

Thank you, I
think I am going to stretch out for a while beside Beth and have a nap.

It’s
a good thing you were able to sleep for a while last night, Annie, even if I
could not.’

‘It is, miss.
After a quick wash and tidy I’ll be wide awake, don’t you worry.’ The maid
paused at the door. ‘Will I tell the doctor what’s going on or will you come
later and speak to him?’

‘I shall come
down. I’m sure he won’t rise as early as this. I doubt he’ll be down before
eight o’clock, so I have a while to rest. I should like Rose to attend me at
half past seven.’

‘I’ll see that
she does, miss.’

Charlotte stretched
out beside her sister but she couldn’t sleep. Her head was filled with wild
imaginings about Jack. Why hadn’t he returned? He could not have continued to
search in the dark, so where was he? It was unlikely both grooms and Jethro had
been so incapacitated that it had left them unable to return and raise the
alarm.

What would she
do if he was dead? How would she be able to carry on living without him? She
brushed the tears away and bit her fists to hold back her sobs. It did not seem
credible she could love him so completely when she had known him for such a
short time. Perhaps she was like her own mother who had fallen in love with
Papa at first sight. One glance was all it had taken; one brief meeting and
they were destined to spend the rest of their lives together.

She sniffed
quietly. Mama had disobeyed grandfather and run away to marry even though it
meant living without the luxury she had grown up with. She sighed. Jack
couldn’t be dead, she would know if he was. But he could be grievously injured
or have been taken prisoner.

There was
little point in attempting to rest. Beth was sleeping, still a trifle warm, but
nothing to fret over. Maybe the housekeeper had news for her downstairs.

Perhaps a
message
had
arrived and she had been
too busy with Beth to hear. Her hand was on the door when she remembered she
was only partially dressed. She had her nightgown on under the hideous
bombazine gown Mrs Baker had lent her.

Charlotte crept
in to fetch her maid to join her in the dressing-room.

‘Look at this,
miss, your own gown back, pressed and ready to wear.’

‘What a relief!
The housekeeper was kind to supply this dress but it is most uncomfortable. Why
any woman would wish to wear such a slippery material I cannot imagine.’

‘It’s one
of her own,
I reckon. That’s why it’s plain and serviceable
so it won’t show every mark like muslin or cambric.’

Charlotte
smiled. ‘No, I’m being ungrateful. I have seen many matrons sailing down
Romford high-street with gowns made from this.’ She stepped out of the dress,
glad to be rid of it. ‘I’ll go down the back stairs as I wish to visit the
stables. I there is more likelihood of finding someone up to let me out in the
kitchen than anywhere else in the house.’

‘Should I keep
an eye on Miss Beth as well as Master Harry?’

‘I was about to
ask if you could do that. As soon as Rose is up she can take over.’

‘I’ll go along
right now and sit with her for a bit. No doubt Master Harry will call out loud
enough when he wakes.’

‘Thank you.
You’re a godsend, Annie - I don’t know what I should do if you decided to leave
us.’

‘No chance of
that. I’m well past my
prime,
I’ll finish my years
with you, as long as you’ll have me, and glad to do so.’ The middle aged woman
smiled. ‘And I’m hoping that I’ll have your babes to care for later on.’

Charlotte
blushed. ‘Annie, Lord Thurston I
are
not even
married.’

Unabashed, her
maid chuckled. ‘But it’s less than three weeks today. You could be presenting
the duke with an heir this time next year.’

‘Annie, pray
don’t speak of such matters.’

‘I apologise
miss, I know it’s not my place to comment.’ Her chuckles followed Charlotte out
of the door.

The stairs were
dark and a single candlestick didn’t give sufficient light to make it possible
to hurry. By the time she arrived at the bottom her journey had served to
reinforce her conclusion. She was glad she wasn’t a chambermaid and obliged to
carry buckets of hot water up and brimming chamber-pots down, such a narrow
winding staircase.

‘Good morning,
Miss Carstairs. Is there something I can do for you?’

Charlotte
nearly dropped her candlestick in fright. ‘Good heavens, Renshaw, you startled
me. I didn’t expect to find anyone about at five o’clock in the morning.’

The butler
bowed. ‘I apologize for causing alarm, miss, and if you’ll forgive me for mentioning
it, I was equally surprised by your sudden appearance from that particular
door.’

She grinned.
‘Of course you were. Did you think I was a ghost?’

His features
relaxed. ‘No, miss, I thought it was your Annie. I hope Miss Beth is not
worse.’

‘No, she’s much
better, thank you. Actually my intention is to go out to the stables and see if
there has been any word from Lord Thurston in my absence.’

‘I can answer
that for you. I can assure you I would know if there had been. I can tell you
neither of the two grooms that accompanied his grace
have
returned either.’

Her
smiled faded.
‘Oh dear!
I had
so hoped news might have arrived during the night.’

‘Bad news, in
my experience, always travels fast, Miss Carstairs. I am certain they will
return safely and that you are worrying needlessly.’

‘I’m sure
you’re correct. Is Mrs Baker up? I should like a word if she is.’

‘Yes, Miss
Carstairs, she is in the kitchen talking to Cook.’

‘Does everyone
here get up so early?’

‘Upper servants
are expected to rise before the lower staff at Upton Manor. We use the quiet
time to plan the day.’

Renshaw
escorted Charlotte to the kitchen and ushered her in. She looked around in
admiration. The room was so different from Thurston Hall. A brand-new, shiny
black cooking range stood in pride of place, almost filling one wall. The
atmosphere was clean, no smoke or cinders from an open fire.

Mrs Baker
hurried forward. ‘Good morning, Miss Carstairs, how can I be of assistance?’

‘Good morning,
Mrs Baker. I should like to thank you for loaning
Rose,
she is an excellent substitute for my own abigail.’

‘She’s a good
hard-working girl, nothing’s too much trouble for her,’ Mrs Baker pointed to
the well-scrubbed central table. ‘Would you like to join me in a cup of tea -
or I’m sure Cook could make you chocolate if you prefer it?’

‘Tea will be
wonderful, thank you. I wish to ask if Rose could be spared to act as my
personal maid until my own can be sent for?’

‘She can, Miss
Carstairs. She will be down soon; would you like her to go straight up to you?’

The cook placed
two steaming cups of tea in front of them and a plate of crisp almond biscuits.

Charlotte
sipped her drink, appreciating the delicate aroma and refreshing taste. She
nibbled at the biscuits and exclaimed in delight. ‘This is quite delicious,
Cook. Perhaps you could let me have the recipe?’

The lady
beamed. ‘I can do that, Miss Carstairs. I’ll fetch it right away.’

She smiled at
the housekeeper. ‘Could you tell me what time you expect Dr Andrews to come
down? I wish to ask him if it would be possible for us to borrow his carriage
to return Annie and Master Harry and the animals, to Thurston Hall after
breakfast.’

‘The master’s
always down by seven. He likes to break his fast early winter or summer, seven
days a week.’

‘Good. I shall come
down to speak to him at seven o’clock.’

Mrs Baker leant
forward, her expression concerned. ‘Forgive me, miss, but it would better if I
conveyed your message. I don’t think his grace would like you to be alone
downstairs with the master so early in the morning.’

Charlotte set
down her cup with a rattle. She was tired of being told how to go on by
servants. ‘I think you forget yourself, Mrs Baker.’ Her voice was icy, her
displeasure unmistakable. She rose and with a curt nod, left the kitchen, her
pleasure in the moment spoilt.

She considered
taking the backstairs but instead marched through the servants’ hall and up the
stairs to the door that divided the staff from their masters. The spotless
black-and-white tiled entrance hall was deserted, the front door still bolted.
The handsome tall-case clock showed the time to be half past five. She had an
hour and a half to compose herself before venturing downstairs.

She scowled,
was the housekeeper correct? Would Jack object to her being alone with her
host? She remembered his anger when Dr Andrews had come to remove her sutures.
She thought things had improved between them since
then, that
they understood each other better now. She smiled. He had no need to be
jealous. She was sure he man was a good physician but she thought him as
nothing else. There was no room in her life for anyone apart from her beloved
Jack.

She paused
outside Harry’s door, but all was quiet. Re-entering Beth’s room she was
delighted to find Rose sitting quietly by the bed. ‘Good morning, Miss
Carstairs. Miss Beth woke and I’ve just given her a drink. She’s dozing now.’

Annie departed
with Harry at eight o’clock leaving Charlotte to pace the empty chamber,
becoming more and more concerned about Jack’s prolonged absence. Dr Andrews had
ridden out to visit a patient in the next village and she was relieved to see
him go. He had been most conciliatory and helpful when they’d spoken, but she
no longer wished to spend time alone with him.

Mrs Baker might
have been presumptuous but she had probably been correct. It might have been
better for her not to have gone down and spoken to him herself. Mary should be
back with fresh clothes and the necessities for her enforced stay by ten
o’clock. She prayed there would be good news returning with the carriage.

‘Beth, would
you like some bread-and-butter?’

Her sister
shook her head. ‘No, I’m not hungry, Lottie. I think I’ll sleep again.’

Charlotte
smoothed the coverlet and drew the bed hangings, shutting out the morning sun.
She wandered over to the window to stare out on the empty drive. She had eaten
nothing at breakfast; she had tried but had found it impossible to swallow.

‘Rose,
it’s
Lord Thurston. He is coming down the drive with Jethro
and two grooms. Thank God! Thank God! I have been so worried about him.’

‘You go down,
Miss Carstairs. Miss Beth’s resting and I can attend her should she need
anything in your absence.’

She didn’t
pause to check her appearance; she was desperate to discover what awful
circumstances had kept him from her side for so long. Renshaw was in the hall
when she descended.