The Duke's Dilemma (7 page)

She swung her feet to the floor, removing her
lap-rug and checking her hair was still tied tidily at the back of her neck.
Her head was too sore to put it up in its usual arrangement. She reached out
and rang the bell. If the duke was coming to visit she wouldn’t make the same
mistake; this time she would be chaperoned. The knock on the door sounded as
the maid appeared from the bedchamber.

‘See who that is, please, Meg. If it is Lord
Colebrook, bid him enter.’

The girl dipped in a brief curtsy, smoothed her
apron and hurried to open the door. Hester smiled as he stepped round the girl
and walked in without a by your leave.

‘You’re looking much better today, Miss
Frobisher. As you’re fully dressed and we’re not alone, I shall assume it’s
acceptable for me to stay.’

‘Of course it is, your grace. You’re very
welcome. Tell me, is Polly safely back with you?’

‘She is. I’ve already spoken to her and she’s
fully recovered. We have your hound to thank for her deliverance.’

By the time he had told her the whole, Hester
wasn’t sure if she was pleased or horrified. ‘Good gracious! I never knew he
could be so...so ferocious. I’ve not had him all that long, you see. He was a
stray. I found him with his paw caught in a trap and nursed him well. Since
then he’s been my constant companion.’ His brow creased – for some reason this
information didn’t please him.

‘That dog is not a pet; he’s a hunting dog. I
think it better if I keep him.’

She almost choked. ‘Keep him? You certainly
shall not, sir. He’s my dog, and the fact that he killed a man today is neither
here nor there. He would never harm me, and he was only doing his duty.’ She
glared at him. How dare he march into her apartment and start issuing
ultimatums in this way? ‘Another thing, I don’t remember giving you leave to
ride my horse either.’

He leant back in the deep-seated armchair crossing
his long legs at the ankle and folding his arms across his chest before
deigning to answer. He stared at her and she pressed herself in to the seat
.
‘It might have escaped your attention,
my girl, that you are a female and I am quite definitely the head of your
household. I’m your only male relative and as such it is my prerogative to
borrow your horse and your dog whenever I see fit to do so.’

Hester was speechless. The more she saw of this
person the more she disliked him. She shook he head as if to rid herself of his
presence. The sudden movement sent a violent jolt of pain through her head and
she flinched, closing her eyes to allow it to subside.

‘You are in pain. I am a brute to bark at you
when you’re still an invalid.’

She was aware he had left his seat for she
could feel the heat from his body and smell
thedistinctive
aroma of lavender soap and leather wafting into her nostrils. She hardly dare
open her eyes, not sure what she would be faced with. He was too close. Such
proximity made her nervous and her heart race.

‘I moved my head too fast, your grace, I’m
quite well now, thank you.’ She hoped he’d take the hint that she wished him to
remove himself back to his chair on the other side of the grate.

 
He
didn’t move. Instead he slowly raised his right-hand. He was going to touch
her. She flinched away. Instantly he was on his feet, his expression polite, no
sign of that disturbing glitter in his eyes.

‘I shan’t keep you much longer, Miss Frobisher,
but I wished to tell you what I have discovered so far. Shall I return tomorrow
when you’re feeling more the thing?’

‘I told you, I’m feeling perfectly well. We
haven’t yet settled the nonsensical matter of
you
believing you are my guardian.’

He raised eyebrow and relaxed, hooking his arm
around the back of the chair in an infuriating manner. ‘That isn’t open for
discussion, my dear girl. It’s a fact. Indisputable. Whilst we’re both here I
am morally and legally responsible for you.’

She bit her lip. He was right; women, even
those who’d reached their majority, were so regarded by the law. Perhaps whilst
she was incarcerated at Neddingfield she should pretend to accept his authority
and in that way she would at least be able to participate in the solving of
this mystery.

‘Very well; you have my permission to ride
Thunder and take care of Jet.’

‘Thank you. Have I also your permission to—’

‘If we are not to be at daggers drawn, your
grace, I would much prefer it if you desisted from poking fun at me.’ She gave
him no time to answer, merely smiled brightly and ploughed on. ‘I’ve been
thinking of nothing else but what has taken place here. I believe I might have
come up with something. However, before I expound my theories I’d like to hear
the facts you have for they might contradict my deductions.’

‘I’ll tell you all I know, which I warn you is
not much. I’m certain both Aunt Agatha and the staff left here on horseback the
day before we arrived. I’m also certain they went willingly and may have been
duped by a band of men masquerading as soldiers. I can also tell you that
Polly, the girl who was almost abducted today, believed they were looking for
her particularly. She told me she’s walking out with the under groom, you would
have known him, Sam Roberts?’ Hester nodded and regretted it. ‘This is the
girl’s only connection to Neddingfield. Whoever is behind this needs Sam
Robert’s betrothed.’

Neither spoke for a moment, both mulling over
the facts. The crackling of the logs and the wind rattling the shutters was the
only sound in the room.

‘What you’ve told me, your grace, more or less
fits in with what I had surmised. You’ve found no sign of anyone within a few
miles of here, which makes me think they must have boarded a ship.’ She waited
for him to laugh at her explanation but he didn’t; he spoke on another subject
entirely

‘Do you know, I’m heartily sick of being called
Lord Colebrook
and
your grace
by all and sundry. We are
related - could you not bring yourself to call me by my given name?’

 
‘Call
you
Ralph
? I should think not; we’re
barely acquainted. Miss Bird would fly up in the boughs at such a thing.’ Her
lips twitched, unable to resist his pleading look. ‘I shall call you Cousin
Ralph; that must be acceptable.’

‘Thank you. I shall address you in future as
Cousin Hester. Now that’s settled let me think about your theory.’ He slapped
his thigh, the sudden sound startling her. ‘Good God! I think you’re right. We
haven’t found them and they were certainly heading towards the coast. However,
that doesn’t explain what persuaded Aunt Agatha to leave in the dead of night
to embark on a sea journey in November.’

‘What about the horses? Surely they wouldn’t
have taken them? I know Thunder hates to walk across a bridge, let alone board
a ship. If they left by sea, we should find their mounts hidden near the coast.
Have your men not looked for them?’

His eyes widened. ‘Looked for the horses? One
looks very like another, unless you’ve seen them before. Could you pick any of
Aunt Agatha’s livestock from a field of similar beasts?’

‘No, I suppose not. But the four grays that
pulled her coach must be easily distinguished. Send men out right away to
search. Forget about the people, find the animals and we’ll be halfway there.’

She saw his amusement fade and realized she had
offended him with her orders. Too late she understood he wasn’t a man to be
told what to do in such a peremptory fashion. Should she apologize or wait
until he’d given her a set down? She didn’t have to wait long.

He began pleasantly enough, his tone bland,
leaning forward slightly as if to emphasize his point. ‘Pray forgive me if I
have misunderstood, Miss Frobisher. You’re suggesting I send my men out now? In
the dark?’

Hester didn’t answer. She felt it might be a
rhetorical question so decided to say nothing. This was her second error.

‘I asked you a question, miss, and I expect an
answer.’

He spoke to her as though she was a child. This
was enough to give her the courage to speak. ‘Your grace, I most humbly beg
your pardon for daring to voice my opinions to someone as top- lofty as
yourself. I am, as you reminded me so kindly, a female and as such cannot be
expected to have anything worth saying.’

She stood up, swaying slightly at the effort
and waited for him to do the same. She curtsied, intending it to be a gesture of
contempt to demonstrate how little she thought of his elevation to the
aristocracy or his highhanded manners. As she lowered her head a wave of
dizziness swept over her and to her horror she tumbled forward and was unable
to do anything to prevent it.

‘Idiot girl!’

She was lifted and held as if she belonged
there, close to his heart. Instinctively she relaxed – he might be an arrogant
brute but he was more than capable of holding her safely. She could hear Meg
fluttering about in the background obviously unsure what her role was.

‘Put me back on the
chaise-longue
, if you please, your grace.’ She felt his chest
vibrate under her cheek and knew he was laughing at her. ‘Please, Cousin Ralph,
I should like you to put me down.’

This time he responded and gently lowered her
to the day-bed. He stepped away, leaving Meg to hurry forward to fuss with her
pillows and the comforter she had discarded earlier. By the time the girl had
finished he was gone.

‘Enough, Meg. Please fetch me a glass of
lemonade; then go downstairs and find out from Miss Bird when Polly will be
well enough to take up her duties.’

The girl left silently and Hester knew that yet
again she had spoken without thought. Her

desire
to be left alone had made her forget that her words could be construed as a
criticism of the service she had been receiving. Sighing, disappointed with
herself, she closed her eyes vowing to do better next time, especially in her
dealings with the duke.

Chapter Seven

Hester woke without a headache and the lump on
the side of her head had almost disappeared. She was determined today she would
go downstairs to meet the rest of the staff. Jet and Thunder must also think
she had abandoned them for this was the longest time she’d spent apart from her
two companions. She frowned; they were not, according to her cousin, her
responsibility any longer.

She sat up in bed and was immediately struck by
an eerie silence. It was still early, she could see from the mantel clock it
was just after seven, it would be quite dark outside, but it was more than
that. There was a total absence of noise.

Snow! It must have fallen overnight. Without
pausing to push her feet into her slippers or her arms into her robe she ran
across to the window. The heavy curtains rattled noisily as she pulled them
apart.

‘Oh, Miss Frobisher, that’s not your job. I was
just on my way in with your chocolate. Why don’t you get back into bed and let
me do it for you?’

Hester was gently escorted back to bed by a
girl who looked no more than sixteen, her mouse brown hair neatly pulled into a
knot and covered with a white cap. This must be Polly Makepeace.

‘Polly, I’m so pleased to see you. Are you
fully recovered from your misadventure?’

A shadow
slid across the girl’s face but then she pinned on a smile. I’m right as rain,
miss.

Sitting
up a tree for an hour or so did me no harm. I’m that sorry I caused so much
bother.’ The blankets were back across her knees and the pillows plumped behind
before Hester could protest.

‘There. You might be feeling better, miss, but
it’s not right you should draw the curtains yourself. That’s what I’m paid
for.’

‘I wanted to see if it had snowed overnight.
It’s so quiet.’

‘It has, at least three inches of the horrible
stuff. It might look pretty but I can tell you, it’s no fun for those who have
to work outside.’

Hester smiled. She was going to deal well with
this girl. She spoke her mind like she did and would make an ideal abigail
until Jane arrived. ‘Goodness! If there’s been so much snow my carriage won’t
arrive and neither will my maid.’

‘In that case, it’s a good thing I’m here to
look after you.’

‘I don’t suppose one of your many skills
includes sewing?’

‘It does, Miss Frobisher. I altered all
Mrs
Mills’s
gowns for her. She
lost a lot of weight last year after she was ill.’ She saw the girl swallow and
turn away. How sad someone so young should have endured so much.

‘In that case, Polly, come and have a look at
the garments hanging in my closet. If I showed you some fashion plates from
La Belle Assemblée
do you think you
could adapt any of them to match? If I’m not to have my new gowns then maybe
you can resurrect my old ones. The material’s good, it’s just the cut that’s a
trifle
out-dated
.’

She smoothed down the velveteen skirt of the
solitary day dress she had brought with her.

‘You’ll
notice I have no pastels or white amongst my clothes, I wear
colours
that suit me, not what convention dictates.’

The two were standing in the closet. Polly
picked out an evening gown, the waist fashionably high but the skirt plain, no
ruffles or
rouleau
and none of the fullness that
typified current modes. The girl ran the russet silk between her fingers
smiling in appreciation.

‘This one’s lovely, miss. I can use the train
to inset two pieces in the skirt and make it wider. The bodice and sleeves are
perfect.’

‘Please begin at once. I’ll keep Meg as well
then you can devote most of your time to sewing.’

The matter settled satisfactorily she turned
away pleased fate had brought Polly to her. Whatever happened she would try and
persuade the girl to stay. She loved Jane, but she lacked the sharp wits she
had detected in her new maid.

Downstairs she was happy to find things much
more as she was used to, the wide corridors were still cold and draughty, but
this was normal for Aunt Agatha never had fires lit anywhere but the main
reception rooms and bed chambers. She was delighted to discover a large fire
burning in the grand entrance hall; it appeared that two trees had been dragged
in and set ablaze. It made a pleasant change to be able to walk across the vast
space without one’s breath freezing.

 
Although
the place was tidy and the fires burning she had met none of the new staff.
Birdie had said there were over a dozen inside staff appointed and half a dozen
men out. Where was everyone?

She glanced out of the window and saw the snow
had blown into substantial drifts across the drive. It looked beautiful, like
something from a fairytale, but no coaches would be on the road today, that’s
for sure. She decided to go to the breakfast
parlour
hoping the new cook had provided hot food, she, was famished.

The room showed signs of recent occupation. the
duke had obviously already eaten and departed. Not sure if she was relieved or
disappointed, Hester tugged the bell-strap and while waiting for attention
lifted the silver lids to see what delicacies had been provided for them this
morning.

There were crisp slices of ham, coddled eggs,
fresh bread and preserves – more than enough to make a substantial breakfast.
She piled her plate and took it to the table, deciding to sit with her back to
the fire as from here she could watch the door and see across the park. She was
halfway through her repast when the door opened and her companion hurried in.

‘What are you doing up, my dear? I’m sure I
remember
Dr
Radcliff saying you must remain in your
rooms for another day at least.’

‘As you can see, Birdie, I’m fully recovered
and refuse to remain upstairs any longer. Where is Cousin Ralph, do you know?’

She waited whilst Birdie filled her own plate
brought it over to sit next to her. ‘He’s out with some of the men,. They’re
riding down to the coast; it seems they believe your aunt might have been
spirited away on a boat. I wonder what gave them that crackbrained notion?’

‘It was I. It’s the only possible explanation.
A large ship can anchor easily in the bay and rowing boats come ashore to
collect passengers. Aunt Agatha has arrived and departed that way several
times; though I’ve no idea why she should have been persuaded to do this when
she’d just invited us to visit.’

‘I hope you’re not intending to meddle in
affairs that are best left to Lord Colebrook, my dear?’

Hester knew better than to tell Birdie she was
determined to be involved, already her cousin had taken his men out into the
snow in order to follow her instructions.

‘It’s a good thing we’re snug and well provided
for here, I doubt if anyone will be able to visit or bring us extra provisions
until the snow has gone.’

‘It’s unseasonably early to be so cold. I’m
sure it will not last long, it rarely does when it comes before Christmastide.
I found Polly sitting in your bedchamber altering an evening gown for you. Are
you intending to dress for dinner?’

Hester flushed; this was exactly what she
wished to do. She wanted to show her cousin that she wasn’t a child but a young
woman of equal standing. By doing so, if she was honest, she would also appear
at her best. This was a new experience for her; she had always dressed to
please herself but for some reason she wanted Colebrook to know she was as
sophisticated and elegant as anyone he might meet as a peer of the realm.

‘I have to wear something in the evening. Good
heavens, surely you don’t intend to sit down to dine with a duke dressed any
old how?’

‘I do not intend to dine with him at all, my
dear. It’s not my place to sit with you and Lord Colebrook. I’m the housekeeper
at the moment and although I intend to eat breakfast and luncheon with you - in
the evening I’ll have a tray in my room as befits my station.’

Hester stared suspiciously. Since when had
Birdie worried about such matters? They did everything together, when she
entertained friends at either the Town house or at
Draycot
Manor, her companion always sat at table with them. ‘That’s nonsense and you
know it. You always eat with Aunt Agatha and I, why should anything be
different just because my cousin has been elevated?’

‘Things
are
different, my dear, because I am assuming the role of housekeeper and in order
to do this properly, I cannot have a foot in both camps so to speak. It’s
perfectly acceptable to dine alone with someone who’s related to you. I believe
his grace explained that you’re in his charge now. Although you’re of age and
have full control of your fortune, whilst we’re here I’m afraid you’ll have to
accept he’s standing as your guardian.’

So that was how the land lay. Hester’s first
suspicion about her summons to Neddingfield Hall was not so far out after all.
Where Aunt Agatha had left off her companion was continuing. This was patent
nonsense; she wasn’t any way under the control of her cousin but if it pleased
them both to believe she accepted this, then so be it. She knew Birdie’s
intention was to throw the two of them together and hope that they might suit.

‘Very well, it will do no good to argue, I can
see your mind’s made up on the matter. However, I’m adamant I’ll dress
appropriately when I
do
decide to
come down to dine; you can be sure his grace will not appear in his riding
boots and topcoat. Haven’t you noticed that for all he says he’s a plain man,
his clothes are made by Weston and his shirts are of the finest cotton.’

She stopped, flustered, knowing she had
revealed far too much and wasn’t surprised that her friend smiled and resumed
her breakfast with renewed relish.

*

The sun glittered on the snow making it hard to
gaze any distance without being dazzled. Ralph reined in, standing in his
stirrups in order to see over the hedge that boarded the lane.

‘Look, that farm over there, it has several
large barns – the horses could be hidden inside there. There’s smoke coming
from the chimney stack so someone’s in residence.’

‘It’s the first place we’ve come to that looks
a possibility, your grace. That last village we passed was deserted – and the
other man vanished into thin air yesterday just like all the others.’

Ralph didn’t wish to be reminded, they had
rescued the girl and that had to be enough. ‘Forget about it, Robin. Consider -
we’re within a mile of the coast. What would the sound of horses mean to these
folk?’ When his man looked puzzled, he chuckled. ‘Customs officers, that’s who
they thought we were. This is smugglers’ territory; they must go in permanent
fear of being raided by the excise men. I don’t doubt that all the men in this
village are eking out their miserable existence by being involved in illegal
trading. They’ll not have seen or heard anything; they’ve learnt to look the
other way.’

The farm showed signs of earlier activity.
There were footprints, black in the snow, leading to the privy at the rear and
also further tracks to one of the larger buildings. Ralph kicked his feet from
the stirrups, dropping to the ground, glad
his
boots were watertight.

‘Robin, take James and go and search the barns
whilst I speak to the occupants of this hovel.’

They both carried a pair of pistols, primed and
ready. He felt more comfortable knowing there were fully armed men behind him.

He waited whilst Tom tethered both horses to a
convenient rail and then strode to the door and hammered on it. There was no
response. He thumped again; this time there were sounds of shuffling feet in
the passageway. The door opened slowly and a wizened face peered round.

‘You come for them dratted ‘
orses
at last? They been ‘
ere
long enough, I ain’t going
out in this weather to feed ‘
em
again, that’s for
sure. I weren’t paid enough to do for them when it’s bitter.’ The hunched old
man nodded to emphasize his words and then slammed the door in Ralph’s face.

Nonplussed, he stared at the peeling wood, not
sure if he was outraged or amused. He heard a smothered laugh and swung round.

‘Well, Tom, at least we know we’ve come to the
right place. Whoever arranged for the horses to be stabled here obviously didn’t
intend for them to be here so long.’

‘I’m not sure, your grace; isn’t it possible
they don’t care if the horses were discovered? This is the first place anyone
would look.’

‘No, I think the bad weather has delayed them.
Whoever left them intends to return at some point. I’m certain were not
expected to find them so quickly. The old man was probably not paid for more
than a few days.’

He walked, almost knee deep in places, through
the snow and found the other two in the barn examining the missing beasts. The
horses looked cold and miserable in their unaccustomed squalor.

Robin greeted him cheerfully. ‘I recognize the
greys, your grace, these are definitely the animals Miss Culley uses to pull
her carriage. They’ve not been looked after. James is searching for some rope,
I think we can lead them back if we take three each. I reckon, Tom, you’ll have
to go back into town and find some more men to act as grooms.’