A Perilous Marriage (18 page)

She hesitated. She had never liked confined spaces or deep cupboards as a child, and the thought of crawling into what seemed to be a hole in the ground filled her with terror. What was in there? Spiders, or heaven forbid, rats? Or could there be wild animals?

“Lucie, what are you waiting for? Hurry up! It's all right, I assure you.”

She shuddered but knew she had no choice but to do as he wanted. So, bending down and half crawling, she edged her way through the opening and, with deep relief, found she could stand up straight on the other side. Staring around in the dim lamplight, she saw she was in a vaulted cavern which was much larger than she had supposed.

To one side of the cave, a stone ledge held what looked like a bundle of rags or what could be blankets long rotted away by insects, and on the other side, a stone surround held remnants of ash and charcoal. A tin circular hood fastened to the wall behind lay over it to give a semblance of a proper fireplace. An old kettle and a few dishes sat off to one side.  The cave seemed to stretch a long way back, and it was hard to see where it ended in the dimness of the lamp.

“Was this your place of refuge?” she said, feeling dazed, almost shocked, at the bareness of the cave where he had been forced to seek a place of safety.

“Yes. When things got too bad, I would spend a night or more up here, even once a week. I’d get whipped for my absence, but the peace was more precious than the pain.”

“You had a very hard and unloved childhood…it is a wonder you are not very bitter.”

He shrugged. “It toughened me up, I guess. The world overseas is not a secure or reliable place to roam if one is soft. Yet one gets used to it, and instincts play a big part. Strangely, I was reluctant to come back to England and even more reluctant to accept the earldom. Yet I have discovered a treasure that fills me with joy. Aunt Eleanor handed me you, my dear, and if I had stayed in America, I would never have been so gifted.”

She shivered. “And I might have had to accept a stranger or even Tasker.”

“You are chilled. Come out into the sunlight and get warm. No more talk of the past. We are here now and will face the future with courage.” He doused the lamp and left it on a ledge with the tinder box. “I might come back at some time. There are still things to explore in the cave. It goes a long way back, and I remember the beginning of a tunnel...”

“What about that fireplace and the hood? Did it fill the cave with smoke?” she asked as she crawled through the opening.

“Amazingly, there is a hole at the back that leads to the surface. The smoke gets drawn up but disperses in the current of air above so no one would guess there is a fire below. I took great pains to keep the place secret, and even my brothers never knew of it.” He laughed. “I had many a fight with them as they sought to make me to tell where I disappeared to. I got crafty at evading them when they tried to follow. Sadly, they are gone now, and I wish I could will them back. They were good fellows.” He gazed at his watch and at the angle of the sun.

“We will sit for a short while before we head back to the village by dusk. We shall take a roundabout route and hopefully won’t see those villains again, though it is possible they will guess by now we are not returning the same way. Still, can’t help that. At least we shall return to a crowded part of the village and should be safe.”

* * * *

He watched while she packed away the remaining contents of the basket. “Still some wine left. We will drink to a lovely day out and many more to follow.”

They clinked glasses and drank. After taking the glass from her, he pushed her back on the blanket and said softly, “Are your courses over?”

She blushed and said, “I finished yesterday.”

“Tut, madam! You did not tell me.” He pretended to frown. “I demand a forfeit!”

“What—here and now?” She smiled. “I rather like paying them.”

With the sun waning, it was too chill to divest themselves of all their clothes, but it did not take Richard long to make sure they were both satisfied with the last hours of their picnic.

Back on the horses, he lost no time in guiding them a different way down to the village. As they were walking slowly down the high street, Walter Ellis spotted them and came over at a run. “I tried the inn, milord, but I was told you were out for the day,” he said, looking up at Richard who had stopped Jamal and was holding him steady on the rein.

“Thing is, a chap asked if we could offer him work at the house. I didn’t like the look of him so I said no, we had enough labourers. He wasn’t happy with that reply and grunted he could do a better job than some of them layabouts, and took himself off. I had a funny feeling about him, and I’ve commandeered more watchmen for the nights. It will mean more wages, milord. Did I do right?”

“You did, Walter. I commend your action. What did he look like?”

“Scruffy individual—fiftyish, I thought. Balding, broken nose, hard looking, probably no worse than any vagrant looking for work, but in view of your warning...”

“Yes, quite,” Richard interrupted, giving a sideways glance at his wife.

Walter got the message and looked somewhat sheepish. “Sorry, milord...”

“Don’t be concerned, we both know what the situation is. I’ll see you tomorrow as usual. Keep a good lookout, and if you see that man again, let me know. Send a man over to the inn to collect the horses and see they are well cared for. We’ve had a long ride today.” He nodded and urged Jamal forward, followed by a silent Lucie.

She was glad to get up to her rooms and order a bath to warm up. She felt chilled with the thought they were still being followed, even though she knew Richard was taking care. The thought of the morning’s episode came back with a vengeance. A shot that could have killed either of them was terrifying. And add to it a possible threat to the house that she was already getting to care for… Her life had been peaceful and regulated for so long during her growing years, but now, she felt cast adrift in a never-ending stormy sea of danger.

She dressed simply for dinner and made Mary brush her hair out and gather it in a ribbon behind her head, leaving it free to fall down her back. When Mary protested, saying she could make a better job of it, she said, “No.” It was a short and emphatic no, and Mary didn’t say another word.

When Richard emerged from the other room, dinner was already being set out on the table. He glanced at Lucie’s face and paused a moment but did not speak. He merely held out his arm ready to escort her to the table. As she sat down, he bent and passed his lips lightly over her forehead. “It has been a long day, my love. We shall eat and sleep soon. Tomorrow will be better.”

After dinner, Richard was busy reading a number of despatches from Arnold Rigby so Lucie retired to bed and was asleep by the time he joined her. Sliding in beside her warm body, he cuddled her close but did not wake her. On their return journey, he’d silently debated the wisdom of taking her back to Ashbury Mead and maybe having far greater protection from people who knew her, or undertaking to guard her thoroughly at Clun.

Deciding she was safer with him, as well as being reluctant to lose the benefit of their personal relationship which was gaining strength day by day, he thought he would leave things as they were. He had plenty of men to call on, and with the added advantage of many of the villagers keeping watch, he felt the best plan was to stay in Clun and hunt for the man he felt sure was Tasker. He had known at once it wasn’t a poacher’s stray bullet which had nearly winged him and was relieved that whoever it was had unwittingly disclosed where they were encamped. Whether they would remain until his men searched was debateable, but hopefully, they could be tracked to their next camp site. Certainly, they would not risk coming into the village again, and the one who seemingly had ventured close would be noticed at once as Walter would soon be passing his description around.

At least all was well at Ashbury Mead, according to the news from Rigby, who had also enclosed a letter from Rowten which Richard left until last to read. That, too, indicated life had resumed its familiar routine. Gossip in the village had died down, and Tasker’s house was empty of people. Rowten had sent one of his trusted gamekeepers to quietly inspect the area but with firm instructions not to break in or show any sign of the visit. He had come back with the news the house was indeed shuttered and empty and the stables bare, and apart from a farmer who rented some of the outlying fields, the estate was deserted. Rowten promised to keep a watch and would let Richard know if there was any change.

He also mentioned that the harvest was proceeding as usual and asked if Milady Lucie was intending to return for the annual festival, it being a notable event in the late duchess’ calendar and looked forward to by all the local people.

He lay awake for some time, thinking about this, and found it difficult to make a decision on whether he should let Lucie see Rowten’s letter. He knew she would want to return, and he could hardly blame her. Her life, until now, had been entirely taken up with all the events of the estate and the village, and like the duchess, she would have been counted as an essential part of any festival or occasions. Should he change his mind and take her back?

He was torn with proceeding with the hunt for his nemesis or accompanying his wife back to Ashbury Mead. There was no way he would allow her to travel on her own. He could barely let her out of his sight as it was. Perhaps, he wondered, could he enrol people to find Tasker far more quickly rather than just waiting for him to emerge?

Chapter Fourteen

It was disappointing that only minor indications of movement were found at the scene of the shooting by local hunters, but no camp or traces of a long stay. It looked as though it had only been picked as a place which overlooked the meadow and the back of the manor house, perhaps for a preliminary survey. The men agreed with Richard that the gun had been fired impulsively, and his prompt reaction to put distance between them and another bullet had warned the shooter it was useless to try again.

The possibility of it being a poacher was at once discounted. They knew the poachers in the district and the type of game they went after, and that scenario simply did not fit. Despite the fact the hunters covered a great deal of ground in the search, they found only a slight trail of perhaps two people—which petered out a short distance from the edge of the woodland—and no trace of any other camp site.

“Where the hell are they?” Richard growled impatiently as he stood by the stables the next day, talking to Walter and the three villagers who had volunteered to search.

“I don’t think they are still in the woods. With more than a few farms in the area, they are likely holed up in someone’s barn. The farmer may not know or maybe is being held a prisoner.” Aaron Buckler, who had led the hunt in the woods, put in a word. “I know three likely farmers, but they all have wives and children. We dursent go marching in to investigate in case we put them at risk. If your opponent seeks your death, then he won’t be shy of taking someone else’s life.”

“Heaven forbid! I don’t want anyone to suffer on my account. And all of you must take the greatest of care. If I am being stalked, then it is by a man who is a villain who wouldn’t worry about hurting anyone if they got in his way. If you are right about the farms, Aaron, then we must investigate each one by night and by stealth. I am competent in woodcraft. I learned from an Indian in Canada. I just need a companion to point the way who is equally competent in secrecy. We do not want this news to get out in the town and alarm people. Apart from scaring the womenfolk, it might alert the men we are after. It should only need two of us to investigate any likely places.”

“It's my idea, my stealth.” Aaron chuckled. “I’ll go with you, milord, and be pleased to do it. I have a hatred of anyone upsetting our town and our families. You want the best for us, so I’ve heard, and that suits me. I’ll come for you at ten tonight. We’ll ride, then leave the horses and walk. You’ll know about dark clothing and boots that don’t squeak, I presume?”

He chuckled again as Richard’s face dimpled in a smile. “’Course you do, milord, and it’s right thankful I am to have you with me. Yes, I believe we shall suit well. Meanwhile”—he looked at the other two men—“can you drift round the town and see if any farmers or wives who normally shop or visit haven’t come in? It will give a clue where to go first.”

The meeting broke up after that, and Richard went on a tour round the house with Walter. The rebuilding was taking a long time, but there was a lot to do. At least, most tasks were on schedule, and the weather was holding up. He decided to go back to the inn to have his breakfast and see how Lucie was faring.

He had finally left her asleep after waking early and taking her again. She had not demurred at being woken but joined him in lovemaking without a murmur of displeasure, then, sated, had fallen asleep again. He stayed awake, still relishing his satisfaction and thinking how lucky he was to have her. Then, rising silently, he’d left the room to don his clothes. It was early, and Edgar and Mary were not yet arrived, but he needed no one to help him dress. He was out of the inn before dawn had barely lightened the sky, and reaching the house, had been pleased to greet Walter and be introduced to the hunters. His appreciation of that meeting was still with him as he climbed the inn stairs to their rooms.

He found her still abed, drinking a cup of chocolate.

She greeted him with a smile. “You are about early, milord. You couldn’t sleep?”

“Not as well as you, it seems. Yesterday’s ride must have tired you.”

“I believe quite a few things unaccountably tired me.” Her face lit with a rosy blush. “Perhaps my dreams are too energetic.” She watched his eyes turn sensuous. “However, in spite of the late morning, I shall be quick to dress and join you for breakfast which I am told you have not yet had.”

“Indeed I haven’t, and I’m as hungry as a bear waking up from his winter hibernation.”

She laughed as she went to slide out of bed then realised that, apart from the bed jacket that Mary had placed round her shoulders while she took her morning drink, she was naked.

She stopped and raised her eyebrows. “Milord, I beg you leave me to dress in peace.”

“In case I growl at you, my love?” His lips curved in a knowing smile, for he knew exactly how he had left her.”

“Richard! Don’t be perverse! Go, please. I will join you shortly.”

“In that case, I shall leave you to your adornment, but you’d better be quick, for I shall not leave much on the table.” He bowed and walked into the other room.

Once he had gone, she scrambled out of bed and rang for Mary who was ready to attend her. A swift wash sufficed, and fully clad in a simple day dress and with her hair coiled in a chignon, she joined Richard at the breakfast table.

“My, that was prompt, and you are in luck, for I haven’t eaten it all.”

She surveyed his piled plate with a smirk. “I notice you leave the toast and preserves to me, for which I am truly grateful. We seem to suit each other, after all.”

She spent a few moments pouring her tea and buttering her toast, and before she took a bite, she said, “You’ve had news from Ashbury. Is all well with them?”

He was silent for a long moment as he gathered his thoughts, almost tempted to ask how she knew. Then, accepting that the household grapevine—Mary and Edgar—would have informed her, decided to let it go. In any case it was her right to ask after her people and her estate, so although the mail had been addressed to him, if he was to carry out his promise to her that they would be partners as well as man and wife, keeping things from her would be not only disloyal but would conflict with that agreement.

“All is occurring as usual, Rigby reports. He has sent copies of his accounting which you can read later. There is also a letter from Rowten, and he, too, relates all is quiet and the household carries on as usual. The village has settled with no looming disasters, and the Tasker house is standing empty of people. Well, we know where they are at present. He also sends his best wishes to you and would like to know if you will be returning for the Harvest Festival—”

“Of course I will,” she burst out, her eyes alight with joy. “Grandmama always devoted her time to that event, and the village made much of it too. So much has been happening here that it almost slipped my mind. Oh, Richard, I know how busy you are, but please let me go. After the awful thing that happened with Grandmama, the estate and everyone in the village will think I have abandoned them too. I won’t tease you to come if you don’t want to. I can slip quietly away with a guard or two—”

“I think not, Lucie.” His lips tightened and his face turned austere. “You won’t be slipping anywhere without me. Certainly not as far away as Ashbury.”

“Does that mean I can’t go?” Her chin began to rise in a manner that both the duchess and Rowten would have remembered from when she was young. Her jade eyes flashed along with the glower she had perfected when she was extremely riled.

Richard almost smiled as he watched the virago emerge and tried to harness his own powers of deception to head her off. “Did I say that?” He wasn’t about to let her off lightly.

“You implied it.” She was in a huff and was not going to back down.

“I don’t imply things. I come straight out and say it plainly.”

She paused, thinking over that remark. It was true, he never prevaricated. “You are not plain now, nor were you. Do I go or are we going to fight?”

“You can fight if you like. I shall enjoy taming the virago I see before me. However, before the inn enjoys that spectacle too, may I suggest you calm down? Eat your breakfast, and we can discuss the matter in a reasonable fashion.”

The loud humph that emerged turned into an equally loud crunch of toast. Having finished the slice and sipped half a cup of tea, impatience goaded her. “Well?”

He lifted his eyes from the morning gazette he was reading and said, “Well what?”

She sighed with annoyance. “Richard, are you determined to provoke me?”

“On the contrary, my dear, I was merely allowing you to finish your breakfast.” He glanced at her plate. “Your appetite seems frail this morning…was the toast not to your liking?” Then, eyeing the storm signals, he laid down his paper. “We shall return to Ashbury in time for the festival. Before that, I need to find the whereabouts of Tasker. Having spoken with some of the men who surveyed the woodland where the shot came from and discovered little, I have arranged with one of the men that we will scout further.”

“Why is there only two of you?” Her eyes were intent as she took in his words.

“We need caution and quiet. Too many people can make a noise. I can stalk with ease and Aaron is a hunter. We need to discover if Tasker has holed up in any farm hereabouts. It means a quiet reconnoitre at night as well as information that may reach me shortly. I plan to be away tonight to search. Does that answer your question?”

“What about me? Have I any role to play in this?”

“I have considered what is best and at this moment in time, no. You go on as before, keeping our plans to ourselves. Even from Mary.  She is a chatterbox...”

She opened her mouth to deny his allegation then shut it as he raised his hand.

“My dear, we don’t need to quarrel over her. All I am trying to say is that I will tell you what I plan, but it is for your ears only. As far as Ashbury is concerned, that too must remain a secret. If I don’t find Tasker, then our journey back will be fraught with worry. I am trying to put in place everything for our security.”

She was quiet for a long moment as she digested his words then said, “You will be careful?”

“I always am. Fortunately, I know who I am up against and will take the strictest of precautions. As, indeed, you must be careful wherever you go. I would suggest you spend the day at the house, making sure you have someone with you at all times but taking pleasure in the planning to make it a beautiful home. Then, this evening, we will dine early, and you will retire to bed, hopefully tired from your endeavours. You will scarcely miss me, for I will be back with you before long. Early tomorrow morning, if all goes well. Are you happy with those arrangements?”

“And if things don’t go well?"

“Lucie, don’t you trust what I say? I am more than seven years old. I have explored the world, seen amazing places, and learned to take care of myself in strange places. I am familiar with the area around here. All I intend is to get a sniff of where this rogue is. No more, no less."

His evenly voiced statement had her blinking, had her incipient panic subsiding like a melting snow in sunlight. She must follow his plan or be counted a coward. She swallowed, nodded, and felt calmer. “I suppose I’ll have to be. At least you are trying to do something about that hateful man. We shall never be free of worry until he is gone.”

* * * *

It was dinner time before they met again, and Richard had bathed and changed his clothing. This time, it was into dark brown homespun tweed. Even his shirt was a sombre flannel that had seen better days.

“A good thing I never got rid of the scouting clothes I used in America,” he said with a grin. “They will do nicely tonight, especially as it is the dark of the moon. Swift and silent I shall be, and back here before you know it.”

“Hmm. you certainly don’t look elegant.” Lucie put her hand to her mouth to contain her giggles. “Your suit has a strange and rather comic cut to it…where did you get it?”

“At a small town in Carolina. The local store had a great line in suits for prosperous farmers. Not my activity, of course. I was simply there for the hunting and had to be dressed accordingly. It was autumn, and the backwoods were a riot of colour as the leaves changed. I probably looked like a tree. Anyway, I was with three companions, one of them an Iroquois Indian we had hired as a tracker to teach us how to stalk our prey.”

“You killed animals?” The laughter disappeared.

“We had to eat, my dear. Grocery shops do not abound in the wilderness, and after a day’s march through inhospitable country, hunger makes a bad bedfellow.”

“Please don’t think I disapprove. I love to hear your tales. Did you get trained?”

“Oh, to be sure, very well trained in a lot of disciplines.”

“Yes, so I noticed,” she replied tartly, a glint in her eyes. “You know exactly what I mean—training to track humans as well as animals. I gather that is what you do tonight.”

He forbore to tease and answered candidly. “Aaron Buckler thought it advisable to find out if any one of three local families were being forced to hide our villains. I heard today that two families are in the clear. One lot was a bit delayed in coming to town as the farmer was attending to a birthing of a calf, and it was confirmed by the doctor that he had to visit another family due to the sickness of one of the children. He verified that no one else was on the farm other than the family. That leaves only one farm, and we shall simply scout about the property but do nothing to put the family in danger.”