The Earl Next Door (22 page)

‘I know that,’ she flashed.

‘Oh, do you?’ His face was grim.

She refused to answer him angrily. If she did that, the argument would escalate, and she didn’t want that to happen. Not with Captain Gringe and Henri and Figgs, to say nothing of the crew, only a few floorboards away.

‘I haven’t done this lightly,’ she said with forced calm, ‘but I had to do it. There was no other way you would have let me come on board.’

‘With good reason. You were told to –’

‘Told?’ she demanded, her good resolutions in danger of flying out of the door. ‘Told? My brother needs me. Do you seriously suppose that, in these circumstances, I am going to do as I am
told
?’

‘Damn it, Marianne –’

‘I love Kit,’ she declared. ‘I am not going to sit idly at home whilst he may be dying for need of medical care. If I could have sent a doctor on the expedition I would have done, but I don’t know any doctor who would have been prepared to come. I may not be a doctor, but I have a lot of experience of dealing with accidents and illnesses. I know how to clean Kit’s wounds if they have not already been properly cleaned, how to deal with fever, and how to build him up if he has lost a lot of  blood. Can you really expect me to do as I’m
told
?’

He looked at her for long seconds, then the vehemence left his eyes and there was only tenderness there instead.

Somehow, she was afraid of his tenderness, and had a premonition of what he was going to say. She felt an inward shudder.

‘Has it ever occurred to you,’ he said softly, ‘that Kit may already be dead?’

She closed her eyes, and her shoulders slumped. It had occurred to her, but she had refused to think about it. She could not afford to.

She felt his hand reaching out to her; strong and supportive. It gave her the courage to speak. ‘Yes. It has occurred to me.’

His strong fingers stroked her cheek, trailing across her chin. ‘I didn’t want you to come with us because of the danger, but also because I wanted to spare you the possible sight of Kit’s body.’

She swallowed. And then resolutely lifted her chin. ‘If Kit is dead, then it will not be any harder for me to see his body here than it would be to see it at Seaton Hall. In fact, in a way it will be easier. Because I will at least know that I did everything I possibly could to help him – even if, in the end, I couldn’t do anything.’

He nodded.

‘I’ve seen one of my brothers buried,’ she said, grateful to him for his understanding, ‘I couldn’t bear to bury another - not unless I know I’ve done everything in my power to prevent his death.’

She felt him push back one of her ringlets, which had come loose of its pins. She turned her head instinctively, rubbing her cheek against his hand.

‘I’ll bring him back, Marianne,’ he said. ‘If there’s any way of doing it, I’ll bring him safely home.’

As he looked deep into her eyes she felt a sense of oneness she had never known before. It was as if there was something joining them together; invisible and intangible; but none the less real for all that.

‘We had better be going back on deck. That is, unless you would rather stay in the cabin?’

‘No. I prefer to be out in the fresh air.’

He stood aside to let her pass. Then suddenly, as if on instinct, he caught hold of her as she passed him and pulled her roughly towards him. His eyes, full of an emotion she could not begin to fathom, looked down into her own, and then he kissed her.

The kiss was like nothing Marianne had experienced before. It was deeper, slower and far more sensuous than the kiss he had given her before. That had been driven by physical desire; this was driven by something far more profound.

Her arms went round his neck and her fingers tangled themselves in his dark hair. So lightheaded did his kiss make her that it was only his strong arms around her, crushing her to him, that held her up.

At last he drew his mouth away from hers and reluctantly she took her arms from around his neck. Her hand trailed down his sleeve and when it reached his wrist they clasped hands for a moment. Then she turned and went up onto the deck.

The crew were going about their business when Marianne emerged from below. They were now well into their journey. It should not be too long before they reached
France
.

Lord Ravensford joined Captain Gringe at the bottom of the main mast, and the two men were soon deep in conversation. Marianne walked towards the prow and stood looking out over the dark waters. Somewhere on the other side of the Channel was Kit, possibly hurt, possibly . . .

And what about Adèle?

Up until now she had scarcely thought of her friend. She had been too busy thinking of her brother to have any thought to spare for anyone else. But now that she had accomplished her goal of sailing to
France
she felt a mounting concern for Adèle.

She felt a presence behind her and, without turning, knew who it was.

‘I’ve brought you a cloak from below.’ Lord Ravensford put it round her shoulders. ‘It isn’t how I like to see you dressed,’ he said, referring to its tattered state, ‘but at least it will keep you warm. You are not dressed for a winter night.’

Marianne accepted the cloak gratefully, for it was indeed a cold night.

‘I thought of a cloak, but there was a limit to what I could bring. It would have looked odd if I had ridden out from the Hall in a riding habit
and
a cloak.’

‘Odd? Then you mean you didn’t tell your father where you were going?’

‘No. It would only have worried him.’

‘And he might have forbidden the scheme. Mind you, I’m surprised Trudie didn’t object. From what Henri has told me, I can't believe she let you embark on such a mission at all. I’d have thought she’d have thrown every obstacle in your way.’

‘She doesn’t know.’ Marianne felt a twinge of guilt as she admitted it. ‘I didn’t want to deceive her, but there was no choice,’ she explained. ‘If I’d told her where I was going she’d have done everything in her power to make me stay. And when I’d overridden her, she’d have fretted until she saw me safely home again.’

‘So you told her nothing?’ he asked incredulously.

‘No, of course not. I told her I was spending a few days with the Cosgroves.’

She felt him tense. ‘Marianne, have you thought about what will happen if we don’t return?’

‘I’ve taken precautions.’ She turned to face him, and explained that she had left her mare stabled with Jim Smith, and that Jim had promised to take her letter to the Hall if, by Friday, she had not returned. ‘The letter explains everything,’ she finished.

She turned back again to the ocean, and they stood silently for a few moments, each one of them unwillingly thinking of the possible consequences of the expedition.

Then Marianne said, ‘I didn’t hear everything when I overheard you, Henri and Figgs talking last night. I heard that it was Adèle who got a message out of
France
, but I didn’t hear anything more about her. Is she all right? Or is she, too, hurt?’

’As far as we know, she’s all right. But the message was brief and not very clear.’

‘And her family? Her mother and father, Marie-Anne and the Comte? Do you know anything about them?’

‘No. They may be with Adèle and Kit. We’ve no way of knowing.’

‘I hope they are.’ Marianne shivered, and Lord Ravensford, standing behind her, wrapped his arms round her. She leaned back against him, finding the warmth of his body comforting. ‘Some terrible things have happened in
France
.’

He kissed her softly on the top of her head. ‘We’ll get them out of there. At least, we will if there’s any chance.’

They stood together for some time, before Figgs coughed discreetly behind them. Lord Ravensford turned, his arms dropping to his sides. ‘All right, Figgs.’ To Marianne he said, ‘We have to study the map and choose the best place to land. It will be impossible to take the ship too close to the shore because we don’t want to run into any French patrols, so we’ll be going the final part of the way in the rowing boat.’

‘Do you know how long you’ll be?’

‘If all goes well, and depending on where we are finally able to put into shore, we should be able to reach the farmhouse within an hour of setting foot on dry land. After that, it will take at least another hour back again, perhaps two, if Kit is badly hurt.’

She nodded. Then, as Lord Ravensford was about to go down to the cabin with Figgs she caught his arm. ‘Don’t leave him. Even if he’s dead.’

He put his hand reassuringly over her own. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t.’

And then she was alone.

Wrapping the cloak more closely about her she stared out over the ocean swell. What did Lord Ravensford’s tenderness mean? she wondered, remembering the comforting feel of his arms around her. Was it proof that his feelings ran deep, as his kiss had led her to suppose? Or was it simply that, going into a dangerous situation, he had become unusually warm? She did not know; and until she was certain it would be better for her to keep her own feelings under control.

But she knew in her heart of hearts that it was too late for that. Too late by far.

It was still dark when the ship finally dropped anchor about a mile off the French coast. The winter night served them well. It would not be light for hours. With a minimum of fuss Lord Ravensford threw his leg over the side of the ship and, giving Marianne a last, wolfish smile, he climbed down to the rowing boat; the same craft which had carried him out to the ship and which had then been lashed to its side. Figgs and two members of the crew followed, but no one else. Henri was still walking with a limp and would not go with them for fear of slowing them down, and besides, the hope of the expedition lay in discretion, for which a small group was best.

Knowing the best way to pass the time without falling prey to endless worries was to keep busy, Marianne sought out Captain Gringe.

‘When my brother comes on board it is likely he will be badly hurt. May I fit up your cabin as a sick room?’

Captain Gringe looked at her with respect. ‘You may.’ His face softened. ‘I’m pleased to see you take after your mama, Miss Marianne. She was a great lady.’

Marianne nodded. ‘Yes. She was.’

‘She would be proud of you.’

His words touched her. She had had to endure a lot of prejudice concerning her medical skills over the years. There were many people who felt it was unladylike for a young woman to tend the sick, and it heartened her to know that not everyone was so blind.

Having secured Captain Gringe’s permission to use his cabin she took a lantern and went below deck once more, looking round with a practical eye. The beds - two bunks which had originally been used by Captain Gringe and his wife - were bolted to the floor. Marianne nodded in approval. They would not move, no matter how much the ship may roll. The scant furniture – a table and two chairs – was also bolted down and would be safe whatever the weather. Two trunks were stashed against the wall, secured with strong ropes. A small porthole gave onto the inky ocean and the dark night sky.