Love is Triumphant (15 page)

Rosina was forced to admit that this was possible.

"Brains matter in a marriage," he added after a moment. "They matter more than you might think, almost as much as love. A couple cannot be happy if their minds are not in tune."

It was un-nerving to hear her own thoughts of last night put into words, but also exhilarating.

Was he trying to tell her something?

"Before the others came back, there's something I must say to you," he said.

"Yes?" Her heart was beating fast.

"It's about Woodward."

"Oh," she said in a flat voice.

"I'm afraid you were right about him. He's here."

"Here in Gradley? I really did see him?"

"Almost certainly. But wait until I tell you the worst, the really incredible thing. Woodward has gone over to the other side."

Her hands flew to her face.

"You mean – ?"

"He's working for the Conservatives, helping Montague Rushley win this seat away from your father."

"Oh no! How could he? He's a Liberal. He believes in our cause."

"I'm afraid a man like that believes in nothing except what will serve to advance himself. One side or the other, it's all one to him."

"And he'll really try to harm Papa? It's my fault. Oh, what have I done?"

"Rosina, this is not your fault. You must not believe that."

"But if Papa loses the seat, I shall blame myself for the rest of my days."

"Then we must make sure that he doesn't lose it. From now on we must think of nothing else but the election."

"Yes," she said with a little sigh. "Nothing else."

She would have to be patient, she told herself. Between now and the election they would have plenty of time together.

She soon realised that Sir John had been right to warn her about Woodward's activities. She did not see him, but she was always aware of him working behind the scenes. At meetings there was always one determined heckler, very well primed with hard questions. Too well primed for it to be an accident.

But she never saw Woodward himself, and slowly time moved on until it was almost the day of the election.

She was out doing some last minute canvassing on her own, accompanied only by Wilkins, the coachman who had been with the family for twenty years.

She felt satisfied with her day's work. She had done her best, and now there was nothing more she could do to help her father.

Rosina was walking towards the carriage which was waiting for her, when she suddenly realised that there was a familiar figure on the other side of the road.

It was Arthur Woodward.

He was just coming out of a small, shabby house, and it seemed to her that there was something furtive in his manner.

He turned sharply to the right and began walking down the street at a determined pace, as if it was important for him to reach somewhere quickly.

On an impulse Rosina stood up on the seat of the carriage which was open and said to Wilkins,

"Follow that man who is walking along the pavement. Keep well behind him because I wish to know where he is going."

Wilkins chuckled.

"What are you up to now, Miss Rosina?" he asked.

"He's a bad and wicked man," Rosina answered, "and I want to know what he's doing, because I am sure it's something deceitful and underhand. As he's walking on the pavement, he won't realise we're just behind him."

Wilkins chuckled again.

But because he was used to the odd things the children of his employer had done ever since he had driven them, he obeyed Rosina's command, moving slowly so that Arthur Woodward was well in front.

Then suddenly he stopped and turned towards a house on the left. Pushing open the door he went in and disappeared.

The coachman brought the carriage to a standstill.

"Now what do you want me to do, Miss Rosina?" he asked.

"I'm just wondering what that man is up to," she answered. "He's done everything in his power to prevent Papa from getting the votes he wants and I'd like to know what he's doing in that house."

There was silence for a moment. Then the coachman said,

"It may be untrue, but I was told when I was having a drink at an ale house nearby, that the other side are printing a lot of extra voting slips."

Rosina drew in her breath sharply.

"False voting slips!" she exclaimed.

"So they said. And then they fill them in to make sure Montague Rushley wins. I wondered if I should tell your father, but then I thought it'd only worry him and perhaps it were a lie."

Rosina thought, although she did not say so, that ten to one it was true and Arthur Woodward was up to making mischief again, as ruthless and dishonest in one way as he had been in another.

"Let us wait for a moment," Rosina said. "When he comes out, I'll call at the house and see what's happening inside."

"Just you be careful, miss. I'm not having you get into trouble over what I've told you. The master would skin me alive."

"I'll be careful," Rosina promised. "But I have to find out and put a stop to it, if it's what we think. It will break Papa's heart if he's thrown out after so many years of helping the people here."

Wilkins pulled the horses up beside a large tree on the opposite side of the road to the house.

Ten minutes passed.

Rosina was just beginning to think perhaps it was a waste of time when the door opened and the man she hated came out.

Without noticing them, because they were on the other side of the road and behind a large tree, Arthur Woodward turned and walked quickly away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Rosina said,

"I must find out what he's been doing. Suppose I go to the back door and see who's inside."

"It's best if I do that," Wilkins replied. "You stay here with the horses."

He took off his hat, put it on the floor of the carriage, and went off muttering,

"The things I do for this family!"

Rosina slipped into his seat and held the reins while he walked across the road and disappeared into the back of the house.

Rosina sat waiting, wondering if she were letting her imagination run away with her. Surely there was nothing in the house which could possibly endanger her father?

'Perhaps I am being stupid and wasting time,' she told herself. 'But Arthur Woodward is unpleasant and dangerous. I must protect Papa in every way I can.'

Wilkins was away for quite a long time. When he came back Rosina knew, even before he spoke, from the expression on his face, he had found something.

As he reached the carriage he looked to the right and left, as if to make sure that no one was listening or watching them.

Then he said,

"We were quite right, Miss Rosina, that man is up to no good."

"What is happening?" Rosina asked.

"Well, as far as I can make out," the coachman said, "they're forging a great number of voting slips. In fact, there's a pile of them on the table in the sitting-room. Luckily the man who was there left the room for a moment and I slipped in and grabbed a few. Here."

He showed her the papers in his hand and Rosina drew in her breath sharply at what she saw. They were indeed false voting slips, and every one had been filled in for Montague Rushley.

"Well done, Wilkins!" she exclaimed. "Let's get home quickly and show my father."

"I'll do that right enough," Wilkins said, as he climbed into his seat.

"Papa is going to be very grateful to you for this," Rosina said.

She was right.

Her father was fervent in his thanks to his faithful servant. Sir John was horrified and angry.

"Let's hurry back with the police," Sir Elroy said. "The sooner Woodward is behind bars the better." He patted Rosina's hand. "Don't worry, my dear. We'll soon be back."

"I'm coming with you Papa."

"Certainly not. It's no place for a woman."

"It was a woman who discovered this," she replied. "And I want to be 'in at the kill'."

"Let her come with us," Sir John said. "This is Rosina's triumph and she has the right to see it to a conclusion."

His eyes met hers as he spoke, and she knew he was saying that he understood why she would want to be present at the downfall of Arthur Woodward.

She smiled and held out her hand in gratitude. He squeezed it, smiling back.

"Well, if you think so," Sir Elroy said dubiously.

A footman was despatched to the local police station, and half an hour later a man arrived in plain clothes, who introduced himself as Detective Inspector Vanner. He had a uniformed constable with him.

"We've suspected this for some time," he told Sir Elroy, "but we could never be certain of the headquarters. If your information is correct, sir, you've performed a valuable service to the community."

"Let's go and catch them red-handed," Rosina said urgently.

The detective also looked askance at the idea of a lady going with them, but Sir John backed her up and Sir Elroy said nothing to the contrary. He merely looked at the two of them with curiosity and pleasure. He was a very perceptive man.

Darkness was falling as they set out and went to the end of the street where the house stood. There they halted.

"It's the third house on the left," she told the detective. "You can't see any lights from the front because they're working around the back." They all crossed the road, went quietly in through the gate and made their way around the side of the house to where a staircase led down to the basement. From here they could just see a light.

"Please wait here," the detective said, signalling to the constable to follow him.

The two policemen descended to the basement, followed by Sir Elroy and Sir John. Rosina stayed behind, listening to the silence that seemed to go on forever. Then came a mighty crash as the door was kicked in, followed by shouts.

Unable to bear the suspense any longer she crept down the stairs and saw the men fighting behind the windows. There was Arthur Woodward and another man, struggling in the arms of the law. Delighted, Rosina went in.

"We've got them, miss," the detective said. "Now then, you – " he was talking to Arthur Woodward, "you've got some explaining to do, and you'll do it at the police station."

"You can't treat me like this," Woodward bawled. "I'm an important man."

"No," Rosina said, "you
could
have been an important man, if you hadn't been eaten up by pride and greed."

He looked at her with venom.

"You!"
he said with loathing. "I owe all my misfortune to you."

She regarded him evenly. "I hope so," she said. "I really hope so."

That was too much for him. Wrenching himself free from the constable he launched himself on Rosina.

He landed hard enough to carry her down to the floor. The next moment she felt his hands at her throat, squeezing the life out of her.

For a terrible moment everything went black. Rosina fought and kicked, but the man holding her was enraged to the point of being a maniac and she could not move him.

His hands were growing tighter around her throat. She was losing consciousness.

Then, just when she thought everything was over, the weight crushing her vanished. Rough hands hauled Woodward to his feet and slammed him back against the wall, with a violent curse.

"John – " she gasped weakly. "John – "

He did not seem to hear her. Fear for her safety and fury at her attacker had transformed Sir John. She caught a glimpse of his face as her father helped her to her feet, and could hardly recognise him.

His face was savage with hatred for anyone who would dare to hurt her. For a terrible moment she dreaded that he might kill Woodward.

And she did not want that, for the harm it would do to John himself. She did not want him standing trial. She wanted him free and safe to live his life. And to marry her.

"John," she screamed. "Let him go,
please."

But all his concentration was on Woodward, whose

eyes bulged from his head and his face was distorted by fear.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," Sir John grated. "Or I'll kill you. Do you understand me?"

"Now then, sir," Detective Vanner intervened. "Let him go. I'll deal with him from now on."

But Sir John did not move. His hands seemed frozen to Woodward's neck and there was murder in his eyes.

But then Rosina laid her hand on his arm.

"Let him go," she said. "Don't you see, it's time to think only of us. Don't let him spoil that."

Her words reached him as nothing else could have done. Slowly he relaxed and allowed her to pull him away. He was breathing hard.

"That's right, sir. I don't want to have to arrest you as well, do I? What would the young lady say to that?"

Detective Vanner gave a sly look at Rosina, who suddenly blushed.

John turned his head and looked at her very intently.

"Now let's get back to business," the policeman said. "Look at these."

He was pointing at the table.

"All these false ballots slips, made out against you, Sir Elroy. Probably enough to deny you the seat, if they'd been put into the system."

"And look here, sir," said the constable, "all this money. Looks like counterfeit to me."

Detective Vanner surveyed Arthur Woodward.

"You'll be going away for a very long stretch, my lad. Right, come along with you."

He hauled him away, while the constable took away the other man.

"My, that was exciting," Sir Elroy said, brushing

himself down. "Thank heavens he's been defeated. To think of him daring to attack you, my dear. John, you have all my gratitude for what you did. I thought that fiend was going to kill Rosina."

"He would have liked to," she said.

"Thank goodness John was here to protect you. Fancy that."

"I'm extremely grateful to Sir John, Papa."

"Well, I expect you'd like to tell him so yourself. I'll be waiting for both of you in the carriage."

Sir Elroy departed quickly, leaving the other two looking at each other awkwardly.

"It was very brave of you to come to my rescue," Rosina said. "You have all my thanks."