A Battle of Brains (15 page)

Then she thought that she should leave the beautiful stallion for Lord Milborne.

It did not take the stable boy very long to saddle up Chestnut and he opened the gate into the paddock for her.

She took Chestnut over only two of the jumps and then she galloped him speedily on the piece of flat land.

There was an isolated wood in the near distance – she sometimes went there when she wanted to think about a problem and did not wish to be disturbed.

Now she wanted to think of what her stepfather was going to do in America and also how she could best thank Lord Milborne.

He had been so astute in making it so easy for her stepfather to agree to undertake what he wanted, and it had all happened without him in any way being involved in one of his more doubtful transactions.

The whole scenario was passing through her mind as she entered the wood.

As usual she felt thrilled by the beauty of the trees, the songs of the birds and the soft shuffle of the rabbits in the undergrowth.

A mossy path led right through the wood and in its centre there was an ancient woodcutter's hut in a clearing.

It was made from the trunks of trees and Yolanda speculated that it must have been there for a hundred years.

She had never heard of her stepfather's woodcutters using it to sleep in, but they were likely to eat their midday meal there in bad weather.

Now, as she approached the woodcutter's house, she saw the door was open and wondered if there was anyone inside.

Chestnut moved into the clearing in front of the hut.

As he did so, to Yolanda's surprise, two men came from behind the trees on either side of her.

They were both rough common-looking men with hard faces and she thought that they were very unlike any of the countrymen her stepfather employed on his estate.

The two men stared at her and then two more men came out of the wooden hut.

They were even more unpleasant-looking than the two she had already seen.

It suddenly struck her that maybe this was the gang that Emily had told her about who were causing so much trouble in the vicinity.

She thought it would be a mistake to talk to them or to linger any longer in the wood, so she pulled up the reins to thrust Chestnut forward.

Then another man appeared directly on the path in front of her.

“You be the lady,” he called out in a coarse voice, “who be the daughter of the rich man at the big 'ouse.”

He was standing directly in front of Chestnut, who was forced to come to a standstill.

Yolanda tried to turn him round so that she could ride back the way she had come.

“I am in a hurry – so please excuse me if I ride back to the house.”

The two men who had been behind her took hold of Chestnut's saddle.

“Bring 'im along,” ordered the man in front of her.

“Just what are you doing?  Leave my horse alone,” cried Yolanda.  “I have to return home immediately!”

“Us weren't expectin' you this early.  Now you're 'ere you're savin' us a lot o' time.”

“I don't know what you mean,” Yolanda screamed, “and let go of my horse!  This is my stepfather's land and you are trespassing on it!”

“Us knows that,” one of the men jeered roughly.  “'ow much do you think 'e'll pay us if us goes?”

There was coarse laughter from the gang.

Yolanda was beginning to feel afraid.

Then the two men holding Chestnut's bridle began to follow the ruffian who had spoken to her.

He was leading the way through the wood.

“I insist,” shouted Yolanda, “that you allow me to go home.  If you want some food or money, I will arrange for you to have some.”

The men walking ahead of her laughed again.

“Us'll 'ave
your
money.  Your Papa 'as plenty o' it and 'e'll want 'is little gal back.”

There was a sneering note in his voice, which made the other men snigger.

Now Yolanda was feeling really frightened.

She realised that they were intending to kidnap her.

It was obviously something they had been planning for some time and she had walked straight into their trap.

How could she have guessed that the gang who had caused so much trouble would be lurking in the woods?

She realised that it would be no use arguing with them.

There was really no necessity for her to hold the reins as the two men were firmly leading Chestnut.

She therefore sat stoutly on her saddle wondering desperately how she could make any communication with her stepfather.

This part of the estate was not being cultivated at the moment so there would be little likelihood of anyone seeing her or the men who were with her.

They moved on in silence.

The ruffian who was obviously the leader walked in front, followed by the two men holding Chestnut's bridle and then three behind her, making six villains in all.

Yolanda thought she had little chance of escaping from them and the only sensible thing to do now was to go quietly with them with as much dignity as possible.

She was, however, well aware that it was not going to be easy for her.

She reckoned by now, although she did not have a watch, that it must be after eight o'clock.

Her stepfather would now have been woken by his valet, as would Lord Milborne.

When they went down to breakfast and she was not there, they would be told she had gone riding earlier.

It would not occur to them then that anything was wrong – not until very much later when she did not return.

‘
What can I do?  
What can I do?' she asked herself desperately.

She glanced again at the two men behind her.  They were most unpleasant and definitely not countrymen.

She was not certain as to where they came from, but judging by their accents they must have come from the worst slums.

They progressed further down the mossy path until the wood came to an end.

Just inside the wood Yolanda could see the remains of what she knew had once been a slate mine.

In the past most large estates had mined their own slates to repair the roofs of cottages and barns and to employ local people.

Nowadays most of the old country slate mines had been closed down as it was so much cheaper to buy slates and tiles that were manufactured in their thousands in large factories in the North of England.

She had often seen what remained of the slate mine when she had been riding and she thought it looked rough and unsafe and should be filled in.

Now the men walking ahead were coming to a halt in front of the mine.

Yolanda knew instinctively that that was where she was going to be taken a prisoner.

“Get down!” the chief ruffian demanded.

It was an abrupt order, but for the moment Yolanda hesitated.

“What do you – want me to do?” she asked.

“You're be goin' to write a letter to your rich Papa.  Come on and don't waste too much time about it.”

Yolanda dismounted and felt thankful that neither of the men holding Chestnut made any attempt to help her.

Then, when the leader started to walk down into the mine, she hesitated.

“What about my horse?” she asked him nervously.

He turned back.

“He be a-goin' to be our messenger – 'e'll take the letter to your Papa and then 'e'll come to no 'arm.”

She patted Chestnut as if to reassure him and then with a sinking heart she followed the leader down into the mine.

There were broken stones, fallen foliage and pieces of wood scattered about, as she passed into the mine itself.

Because there were so many holes in the roof it was not difficult to find the way.

There was a clearing where the ruffian stopped and he was now standing in front of a broken wooden chest.

On top of it was a bottle of cheap ink, a pen and a sheet of paper.

“Yer write what I tells yer,” he commanded, “and no tricks or yer'll be sorry.”

Yolanda did not answer him – she merely picked up the pen.

“Tell yer rich Papa yer be our prisoner and us wants ten thousand pounds for yer.”

Yolanda gave a gasp.

“He cannot pay all that money.  Anyway he will not have it with him.”

The chief ruffian gave a smirk.

“I knows that, but 'e's plenty o' time to go to the bank afore it gets dark and that be what 'e's a-goin' to pay us.”

“Supposing he refuses?” asserted Yolanda.

“Then yer can tell 'im us will kill yer or per'aps yer'll die o' starvation.”

“I am sure he will come to find me.”

The man laughed and it was not a pleasant sound.

“Who'd think o' lookin' for a pretty lady like yer in this old mine?  They says in the village it ain't been used fer years and some thinks it be 'aunted so they won't come anywhere near it.”

Yolanda thought that this was very likely true.

Anyway why should anyone look for her in a slate mine that had lain empty for years and years?

There was not a thing she could do, she considered, but write down what the ruffian demanded.

Slowly she dipped the quill pen into the ink.

“Now no tricks!” he wheezed menacingly.  “I can read, so yer write just what I've told yer to say or yer'll be sorry.”

He waved the stick he was holding in his hand.

Yolanda thought for a moment that he was about to hit her.

She gave a little cry and moved backwards.

“Just yer do now as what I says or it'll be the worse fer yer.”

Because it was easier, Yolanda knelt down to write the letter.

She wrote,

“
Dearest Step-papa
,

I have been captured and held prisoner by a gang
that has been operating in the neighbourhood.

They are now demanding ten thousand pounds for
my safe release
.”

Whilst she was writing the ruffian had been looking over her shoulder.

“Tell 'im to put it under the gate at the end o' that there field where yer 'as the jumps.”

“Oh, the paddock you mean?”

“Yes.  Us wants the money there as soon as it be dark and if anyone touches the man as collects it, yer'll die, yer tell 'im that!”

Obediently, as there was nothing else she could do, Yolanda wrote down what he had just said.

“Now yer sign it with love and kisses,” he crowed jeeringly.

“
I am sorry that this should have happened
,” wrote Yolanda.  “
Please save me, Step-papa, I am so terrified
.”

She signed her name and then she paused.  She thought that the ruffian was about to take the paper from her, so she added quickly,

“
Please feed Pizarra at six o'clock
.”

Then she put down the pen and lent back.

The ruffian behind her picked up the paper.

“What be this 'ere that yer've written?” he enquired suspiciously.

“It's about my dog.  I always feed him every day at six o'clock and he will be hungry.”

He grunted, but did not say anything, just walked away with the paper in his hands.

Yolanda looked around.

She realised there was nothing to sit on except the ground or the broken wooden chest, so she sat on the edge of it.

Then she heard the gang talking up above.

To her surprise the chief ruffian came back.

“Have yer got a pin?” he asked.  “Us 'as to pin yer note on the 'orse's saddle and if it ain't stuck firm yer rich Papa won't be a-gettin' it.”

Yolanda had fastened her blouse at the neck with a small brooch, so she unfastened it and held it out to him.

He took it and looked closely at it to see if it was worth anything and then he disappeared again.

She thought that they must be taking Chestnut back to the paddock and turning him loose.

When he was seen alone, someone was sure to think that there had been an accident.

They would undoubtedly think she had been thrown and they would catch Chestnut and then see the note.

She was wondering desperately what her stepfather and Lord Milborne would then do.

If they immediately sent for the Police, she thought there was every likelihood that the men would either kill or injure her to stop her from giving evidence against them.

It seemed impossible that her stepfather would give such a large sum of money to these desperadoes.

But what was the alternative
?

The whole situation was desperately depressing.

‘What on earth can I do?' thought Yolanda again.

Then, because she was really extremely frightened, she started to pray.

As she fervently prayed to God, she felt somehow that if her stepfather could not save her, Lord Milborne would think of a way of doing so.

How, she had no idea.

She only thought that there was indeed something about him that would resent giving in to blackmail, so by some miracle somehow he would save her.

Up above the gang were talking amongst themselves.

Yolanda was aware that one of them was about to mount Chestnut.

It became obvious that the talking had degenerated into an argument and their voices became louder and louder as they quarrelled with each other.

Listening carefully, she could make out that they were arguing about who should take the horse back.

Finally someone was chosen and she heard him ride off, whilst hoping and praying that he would not be cruel to Chestnut.

She was certain that by now her stepfather and Lord Milborne would have finished their breakfast.

They would be about to mount their horses whilst wondering where she was.

They might come to look for her and if they saw Chestnut being ridden by a stranger, they might force the villain to tell them where she was.

This idea, however, was soon shattered.

Some time later the chief ruffian came down below.