The Unconventional Maiden (22 page)

Gawain thanked him and then dismissed him before going to tell Beth what Tom had told him. After he had finished he said moodily, ‘I don’t want to go to court. I would be happier staying here with you.’

‘But you have no choice,’ she said.

‘I wish you could come with me,’ said Gawain, wrapping his arms around her.

‘I am not invited,’ she murmured forlornly. ‘I deem the king has forgotten the friendship between his father and mine since his death.’

‘No, I am sure he hasn’t.’ Gawain kissed her.

There came the sound of a drawn-in breath that caused them to separate. Beth thought she caught a whisk of skirt from the corner of her eye but they were too late to see who was there, although she suspected it was Lydia and her heart sank.

After Gawain left, the days dragged and Beth spent time in Catherine’s company discussing the preparations for the Christmas festivities. She tried to involve the girls; although Tabitha seemed willing, Lydia always dragged her sister away, saying she wanted to show her something.

It was a week after Gawain had departed that a girl arrived at the house, saying that she had information for him. Beth told her that Sir Gawain was away from home, but welcomed her into the house, offering her refreshment and a place by the fire.

‘Thank you, Mistress Llewellyn,’ she said, removing her gloves and holding her hands out to the blaze.

‘You recognise me,’ said Beth, taken aback.

She smiled. ‘I saw you at James and Mildred’s wedding, but obviously you were unaware of my presence.’

Beth gazed at her intently and was surprised that she had failed to notice her because she was really quite pretty with unusual slate-grey eyes and dimples in her cheeks. She was plainly dressed and spoke well. ‘I beg pardon, but I knew scarcely anyone at the wedding. I suppose you only recognised me because I was a stranger.’

‘You were pointed out to me by my brother, who was a protégée at one time to Father Hugh. David is a musician, you see. He composes, as well as plays the viol and harp. We are not an influential rich family and so it was greatly appreciated when the priest took an interest in him.’

‘I should imagine it would be,’ said Beth, alert to her mention of Father Hugh. ‘And your name is?’

‘Rebecca Mortimer.’

‘Was your brother one of the musicians at the wedding?’

‘Aye, my father used to work at the Tylers’ shipyard amongst others. We are not natives of Kent, but
my father travels from shipyard to shipyard wherever there is work. He is a skilled carpenter.’

‘I see,’ said Beth, remembering Gawain telling her of such craftsmen. ‘Then most likely you have heard of the Hurst family who have a shipyard at Greenwich?’

‘Aye.’ She paused. ‘But no doubt you are wondering when I will come to the point.’

Beth smiled. ‘I have found all what you have to say of interest but, aye, I would like to know what you came here to tell Sir Gawain.’

Rebecca squared her shoulders. ‘I was lodging in Smallhythe with my father not so long ago and was walking down by the river when I saw what I presumed to be a woman in a boat.’

‘Presumed?’ asked Beth swiftly.

‘Aye, because it was not a woman, but a man,’ said Rebecca, leaning towards Beth. ‘I thought I recognised him as Father Hugh, but could hardly believe my eyes.’

Beth was thrilled by this news. ‘I presume that you did not speak of this to anyone at the time?’

‘Only my brother and his face took on a thunderous expression and he said that he was not in the least bit surprised. He remembered the priest appearing suddenly one evening, clad in woman’s clothing. He told David that he had been taking part in a play, but my brother said he was a man not to be trusted and left his lodgings straight away. I am sure there is more my brother could tell Sir Gawain about him if he were to seek him out,’ said Rebecca, her brow knitting.

Beth thought of Jonathan and his passion for play-acting
and she grieved afresh for him. ‘I wonder if your brother ever met my half-brother, Jonathan Llewellyn?’

‘Aye, he was sorry to hear of his death and spoke of Jonathan having an excellent singing voice.’

Beth nodded. ‘Tell me, what did you do after you spoke to your brother about Father Hugh?’

Rebecca said seriously, ‘My father took ill and I had to return with him to our home in Oxfordshire where I nursed him. Sadly he died a short while ago and my brother suggested I keep house for him as he has been hired as one of the court musicians. It was at Greenwich that I heard that a reward had been offered for any information concerning a woman whom it was suspected was a man in disguise.’

‘And instantly you remembered seeing Father Hugh in disguise,’ said Beth.

Rebecca nodded.

‘You are prepared to swear to this to Cardinal Wolsey and perhaps even King Henry himself?’ asked Beth.

‘Of course.’

Beth heaved a sigh of relief. ‘If only Gawain had known of this earlier, he could have told this to Cardinal Wolsey and the king, but it is not too late. I would ask you to stay here the night and in the morning I will return with you to Greenwich.’

‘Certainly,’ said Rebecca.

It was at that moment that Catherine came hurrying across the hall in an agitated state. ‘Beth, the girls are missing and I cannot think where they have gone.
Perhaps that devil in skirts has returned and carried them off!’

Beth’s heart sank. ‘Let us hope not! I fear Lydia does not like me and maybe she is just hiding to be difficult.’

‘I deem you mistake the case,’ said Catherine, frowning. ‘Certainly she is jealous of the attention my nephew pays you, but you must not forget that she has had a tremendous shock and is dreadfully insecure.’

‘I understand that,’ said Beth, her voice softening. ‘But let us hope that they are simply playing a game. Is there a favourite place where the children like to hide?’

‘I could not say,’ replied Catherine. ‘Is not the point of a hiding place to keep it secret so no one can find you?’

Beth smiled wryly. ‘True. I presume you’ve had a search made of the house?’

‘Of course! Otherwise I would not have come to you.’

‘Then a search must be made outside,’ said Beth, getting to her feet. ‘I will take Cerberus and see if he can nose them out. Have you one of the children’s shoes?’

‘I will send a servant to fetch one,’ said Catherine, and bustled off.

Rebecca said, ‘Can I help?’

‘That is kind of you to offer, but unless you know the area, I fear you could get lost.’ Beth smiled. ‘You’ve had a long journey. It is probably best that you rest here and keep Mistress Ashbourne company.’

‘If that is what you prefer me to do, then certainly I will do so,’ replied Rebecca.

It was at that moment there came a knock on the
door. Instantly Beth hurried over to it and called out asking who is there. The name given reassured her and she opened the door to a young weaver from Tenderden.

‘Jed, what are you doing here?’ she asked, surprised.

‘I’ve come about what I just seen earlier on, Mistress Llewellyn,’ he said. ‘A tall figure dressed as a woman, but walking like a man and muttering to himself. I kept my distance, knowing the terrible deeds he has done.’

Apprehension seized her. ‘Where was he?’ she asked, a quiver in her voice.

‘The wood! He was coming from the wood where there is the haunted tower.’

‘Haunted tower?’

‘Aye, strange sounds come from it and we young ‘uns believed it was haunted by demons in years gone by.’

‘You must take me there,’ said Beth despite the shiver that ran down her spine.

He hesitated. ‘What if he returns and we has to face him?’

‘Don’t be such a coward, Jed! Besides, we’ll take the hound.’

She found the dog’s lead and fastened it to his collar. At that moment a servant appeared, carrying a small shoe. For good measure Beth placed it beneath Cerberus’s nose and said, ‘Seek and find!’

The hound sniffed it and then began nosing about the hall. Beth seized her cloak from a hook by the door and donned it before picking up one of the stout sticks that were there.

‘Hopefully, I will return soon with the girls, Mistress
Mortimer! Explain to Mistress Ashbourne when she returns where I have gone,’ said Beth, before turning to the lad. ‘Hurry, Jed!’

Beth was glad the day was fine as Cerberus led them away from the house, past the stables and then beyond the gardens and across a field towards the woods in the distance.

‘If that hound is taking us to the haunted tower, it’s not easy to get to these days,’ said Jed. ‘Once there was a path that led to it, but now it’s overgrown with brambles.’

‘Then it is good that I thought to bring a stick with me, so I will be able to bash them down,’ said Beth, thinking that at least if Father Hugh was to return then she had a weapon.

The hound led them to the woods and they did not have as troublesome a time going along the path as she had feared as someone had obviously beaten back the brambles and nettles recently. Did that mean that Jed had guessed aright and the children had been taken this way? She prayed that she would find Gawain’s daughters alive.

Cerberus led them straight to the tower and began to bark and scratch at the rickety door. Jed refused to go into the building, so Beth had to go alone. The thought of demons was enough to cause her to clutch the crucifix about her neck as she unlatched the door and called out the girls’ names.

There came no answer, but she caught the sound of shifting on the floor like the sinuous movement of a serpent. Setting aside her fear of the supernatural, she
entered the tower. It took several moments before her eyes grew accustomed to the dimness inside and then she saw the girls as the hound bounded forwards. Cerberus licked their faces, then he turned away and began to sniff around.

Beth hurried over to the children, who were trussed and gagged and lying on a truckle bed. Their faces were dirty and tear-stained, but their eyes lit up at the sight of her. She fell on her knees besides them and removed the gags. Instantly Lydia began to babble about rats, going to join her papa and the horrible woman-man who had caught them. Beth soothed her with comforting words as she struggled with the knots in the cord that bound them. At last the girls were free. Then she heard a shout that caused her to seize their hands, ‘Come, let us away from this horrible place before he returns,’ she whispered.

There was no sign of Jed outside, but there was a figure coming towards them through the trees that she recognised. ‘Run, girls! Hide so he cannot find you,’ she said in a low voice, pushing them away.

They scuttled into the undergrowth and were out of sight in moments. Fear seized Beth by the throat as she saw the evil intent in the face of the man who now appeared in front of her. At the same time she realised that she had left her stick inside the tower. She needed Cerberus, but where was the hound?

‘You will insist in interfering with my plans, Mistress Llewellyn,’ said the priest.

Beth eased her throat and said fiercely, ‘What harm have those girls ever done to you, Father Hugh?’

‘What a foolish question to ask?’ he sneered. ‘They can identify me and I fear you know more about me than I find acceptable. It’s only due to the fact that I used to meet their grandfather here when we were boys that I did not kill the girls earlier.’ A reminiscent smile played round his lips for a moment and then his expression changed and his eyes were cold as he drew a dagger from his skirts.

Beth thought of Gawain and their child and screamed as loud as she could, hoping that Jed would find his courage and come to her aid. The priest lunged towards her, but she managed to avoid him and darted inside the tower and slammed the door shut.

Her scream was heard a short distance away by Gawain and the group of men with him. Instantly, he began to run, leaving them behind in his fear and haste. If Beth were to die, he would not be able to bear life without her. He burst into the clearing with his sword in his hand. Instantly his gaze fell on the peculiar figure presented by Father Hugh in a woman’s gown and with his wig askew. He was trying to force open the door to the tower with his shoulder and slashing at the wood with a dagger.

With a mixture of relief and fury, Gawain yelled, ‘It’s over, Hugh Tyler, you are not worthy to be a priest. Turn and face me like a man. I will not stab you in the back as you did others or kill you by cunning as you did Mary and Jonathan Llewellyn!’

Father Hugh turned and there was a mad expression in his eyes. ‘I loved Cedric as I had once loved Jonathan,
but both rejected me in the end for each other. I pleaded with Jonathan to leave Cedric for me, but he refused and threatened to expose me in that news sheet of his. I could not allow him to do that, so regretfully I had to kill him.’

‘But why did you have to kill my father?’ demanded Beth angrily, emerging from the tower.

The priest spun round.

‘Beth, get back!’ shouted Gawain.

‘No, leave her be,’ said Father Hugh, glancing over his shoulder at him and smirking. ‘I want to tell her what a fool her father was. He suspected Cedric of killing Jonathan and asked me to help bring him to justice. Too late he realised his mistake, just the same as Cedric—he thought he could get the better of me.’

‘But why kill Monsieur Le Brun?’ whispered Beth.

‘In an attempt to put Gawain off the scent,’ replied Father Hugh.

‘And Mary?’ asked Gawain.

The priest turned to face him. ‘She really was unworthy of you, Gawain. Such a foolish woman—I couldn’t resist getting rid of her, especially as it gave me the opportunity to implicate you in her death. Now, it’s your turn to die.’ He launched himself at Gawain.

The dagger slashed his sleeve, but even as Father Hugh drew back his arm to attack again Beth, who had recovered her stick, struck him on the back with it. He cursed and turned to face her. Blood seeped through the sleeve of Gawain’s doublet, but he ignored it and shouted the priest’s name.

Father Hugh turned and Gawain ran him through
with his sword. As Father Hugh staggered and made another attempt to kill Gawain, Cerberus came at him from the side and knocked him off his feet.