Mandy (20 page)

Chapter Fourteen

MANDY ARRANGED THE straw in her living quarters, as the duke had taken both their horses to the abbey barn.

She looked up as he entered the chamber they had been using as their dining area and bedroom alike and stood a moment as they looked into one another’s eyes. Was it possible to feel this much without exploding, she wondered.

She knew what he was thinking, because she was thinking it as well. He wanted to take her into his arms and she wanted that as well. All at once he strode over to her and took her into his arms and kissed her.

A commotion coming down the hall made them jump guiltily away and just in time as Ned ducked his head and entered the chamber to tell them, “By Jove, we’ve had a rare kick-up!”

Apparently, Mandy thought ruefully, they had decided not to stay overnight in York.

Ned threw his hat across the room where it landed on the pile of straw and blankets he had been using as his bed. “
Hallo,
duke…saw your horse in the barn. What has happened to bring you out this late?”

“First, my young man, what sort of rare kick-up?” countered the duke.

“You sound as though you have just been having fun, when you were supposed to be out finding information about Elly Bonner and Hawkins!” his sister accused as she glared him down.

“Oh, well, as to Elly…think it was all a hum. No one we spoke to knew anything about her, but sis, wait till you hear what a capital time we’ve had.”

“Capital time?” Mandy seethed. “Here I am forever stuck in the wilds, while you go about gallivanting and having a capital time?” She stamped her foot at him. “Off I went to Witch’s Elbow…all alone, while you…”

“Witch’s Elbow?” her brother interjected with horror. “Blister it, sis, why would you do that?”

“I needed to get out, you horrid boy!” she snapped.

“Indeed, Mandy,” the duke interrupted, “It seems both Ned and Chauncey have something to say. Shall we allow them a word?”

Mandy directed what she hoped was her worst evil eye at both her brother and Chauncey, “Go ahead then.”

Ned beamed like a young boy and announced, “Won a bundle tonight.”

“Won a bundle?
Gambling.
You were gambling?” Mandy was beyond enraged as she found her brother’s hat and began to beat him with it.

The duke put out a hand and caught Mandy’s arm, firmly but gently steering her away and calling an end to her savagery. “Heigh-ho, gamine. Let the lad explain.”

“He has been gambling—
gambling,
Brock, and you want him to explain?” Mandy returned in outraged accents.

The duke chuckled and said, “I rather think he should—don’t you?”

Ned agreed with this logic and eyed his sister warily as he took a step out of her range. Chauncey grinned and waited.

“Right then, explain,” Mandy demanded.

“Would have if I had but been given a chance,” Ned grumbled. However, he recalled the fat wad of ready in his pocket and immediately grinned like an idiot and offered “Mandy, Lordy, never saw one before, you know. Heard of ‘em, but not been to any of ‘em. Grandpapa always insisted that they were for cits and laborers though I half suspect he attended a few in his day.” He shook his head with a great show of pleasure and continued, “At any rate, it was famous good sport, and so I would have told Grandpapa if he were here…” his voice trailed off for a moment and he added, “Miss him.”

Mandy softened at once and went and put a hand to his arm and rubbed, “Yes, as do I.”

“Right, it was called The Rat Pit. Course you wouldn’t know about it, being a female and all and don’t think you would have liked it either—not that I’m saying that you are missish, for you are not, anyone could see that, but still…you wouldn’t have liked it. I daresay you would have felt sorry for the horrid little beasts. Didn’t think I’d like it either, but, there you are.”

“Rat Pit?” Mandy repeated this in astounded accents.

“Your brother is referring to a rather questionable sport, wherein they set a dog loose in a pit some six feet in diameter with an assortment of rats. He is expected to kill any number of these within a given space of time. It is on this particular point that bets are placed and money exchanged,” the duke explained helpfully.

Mandy’s jaw dropped and once again with the hat she still held, she went after him. However, this time Ned ducked and dodged until the duke again took hold of her. She looked up at the duke and said, “How could he? ‘Tis awful.”

“He is cutting his eye teeth,” the duke said softly.

“Yes, but he enjoyed it!”

“I think he enjoyed winning and the excitement of it all. No need to worry…”

“No, Mandy, don’t mean to attend that sort of thing again. It was bang up good fun, but truth be told, don’t like the dog being used quite like that…”

“And the poor rats,” Mandy said.

“Poor rats? Well, that is doing it a bit strong,” returned her brother with a snort.

The men exchanged glances before they burst out laughing and she cast them all a challenging look and brought them back to the subject of hand. “Well, this has been entertaining for you, but brings us no closer to Elly Bonner or Hawkins, does it?”

* * *

Elly Bonner was a tall thin girl, with a neat figure. Her light brown curls were pulled back into a bun. Her face was bright, with a well scrubbed look.

The man sitting across the small table from her was a huge creature, well above the average height and stocky. His brown hair curled around his heavy face. His eyes were dark and hard with the experiences of his life. He wore a peasant’s shirt and loose trousers.

As he stared at the woman he had taken to his heart and considered his attachment, he sighed and reached for her hand. “It won’t always be like this darlin’.” She was a good woman, was his Elly. Lord knew he didn’t deserve her, but he had every intention of keeping her, no matter what the guv’ said. He would have a job of it though, and they’d have to move on soon.

At first, he had tried to get the diary from her, but lately, he had thought better of it. Mayhap, it was the only thing keeping the guv’ from killing them both. He hadn’t allowed the guard he had paid to live. Said the man would be found and questioned. Well, well, best to keep something the covey was afraid of. He sighed as he looked at Elly. She was a good woman, and he was lucky to have her.

She hadn’t answered him, instead, she looked away and said, “Jack…this can’t go on. An innocent man is being accused. We both know who killed Miss Celia and we need to put him away.”

“Lookee ‘ere, lovey—jest forget that. We’ll make certain the young lord gets the diary before we disappear. How is that? We’ll leave with m’share and go anywhere ye want, and we’ll have a clear conscience.”

“I won’t leave till I know Lord Sherborne has the diary in his hands. I just can’t. Before we leave, I must do this.”

“But Elly, we must give it to him without no one the wiser. We’ll pick our time, we will.”

“He killed Miss Celia. He must be brought to justice. If I hand in the diary…and we set sail for America like I have always wanted…there won’t be time for him to find and hurt us. He’ll be busy answering for his crimes.”

Jack Hawkins drew a long breath of air. Was she in the right of it? Could they do the decent thing and escape? “Right then, I’ll do whatever ye want.”

She jumped up and went to him, flung her arms around him and sobbed, “Oh Jack, ye won’t regret it. I know ye don’t hold with what that awful man has done. I know ye have killed a man in yer time, but never an honest one, and never have ye hurt a woman.”

“I have fought m’way through this life, I have…but ye be in the right of it again, I don’t hold with what this cull has done. But he paid me to get the diary, ye know. He’ll want his ounce of blood.”

“We’ll do, I know we will,” she said staunchly.

He hugged her tightly and took her into his lap. “Hush now. Ye’ll be blasting me with tears in a moment and I won’t ‘ave it. Don’t want m’Elly crying. We’ll have to leave soon, we will.”

“Yes, we’ll make a fresh start in the New World. ‘Tis a grand land—there where people like us can start a new life fresh and clean. We could leave for Bristol in the morning. We have enough of the ready. We don’t need more…”

“Not yet, I needs m’fair share…if we be sailing for a new land, well then, I need the blunt to do it right.”

“Jack, ye have to stop thinking like a thief…give it up.”

“Lordy, Elly, I been trying…for ye…I been trying, I swear I have. But you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s lug—ye jest can’t.”

She sighed and touched his grizzly bearded chin. “I love ye, Jack.”

Chapter Fifteen

MANDY WAS AWAKENED the next morning by her brother who shook her roughly and shouted loudly, “Mandy, Mandy…dash it girl,
wake up
!”

“What?” she tried to focus on his face.

Ned was frantic. “We are done up I tell you and out of time. Come on we have to get out of here. Chauncey is saddling our horses right this very minute.”

Mandy rubbed her eyes. She had a fitful sleep during the night and as a net result had overslept. “What?” she repeated as she got to her feet and stretched.

“Don’t you understand, sis? We have to leave,” her brother told her as he threw her buckskin riding vest into her arms.

She was already wearing his shirt, and breeches. Feeling grimy, she pulled on her riding vest and reached for her hair brush.

He pulled the brush from her hands and flung it. “No time…come on.”

“What has happened?” she asked now thoroughly concerned as she piled up her hair and fitted the cap over its thick masses.

He had already started off and she hurried to catch up with him, “Neddy…what is going on?”

“Chaunce and I went to the stream to get some fish for breakfast and on the way back we saw Cook. We were at that peak of the glen, you know it…well never mind. She was coming down the road on our old cob. Chaunce hailed her and we made our way to her hoping to wheedle one of the loaves of bread she was taking to her sister’s, and of all the bad luck—we look up and find Uncle Bevis with what looked like a search party, at his back. They came at us like wild brutes, but we managed to give them the slip, but not for long before they have it all figured out.”

“Good gracious no!”

“Just so, Mandy. He was heading right for us…he on horseback…we on foot and we lost him by diving into the woods, but he’ll figure it out he will and come to the Abbey.”

They had reached the barn, where Chauncey already had their horses in tow. Ned and Mandy took up their reins and started to mount.

“Nothing for it but to move,” Chauncey declared hurriedly. “Now, no more talk, up and out…”

They didn’t speak for the next few minutes as Chauncey led the way, until Ned looked around and asked, “Chauncey…where are we headed?”

“For now, we need to just ride off and out of sight, head for the Old Track…I am guessing would be our best bet.”

“I can hear them coming…oh Chauncey they are right at our backs!” Mandy declared distressfully.

“Nothing for it, missy…time to spring ‘em,” Chauncey returned.

Mandy galloped along with her brother as they followed Chauncey’s heady pace. They came across a fallen tree blocking the old bridle path. Its branches reached high and prevented them from jumping it so they came to a slamming halt.

Chauncey announced they would have to pick through the trees.

However, it was already too late. They turned even as the group of armed riders, three with their uncle, began to circle them.

Mandy saw her uncle in the middle of all, sitting on his horse and looking as smug as she had ever seen him.

“Don’t make any sudden moves, missy…they are armed,” Chaunce said as he saw that Mandy was ready to bolt and ride for it.

“We can outride them…we can…” Mandy said hopefully.

“I can’t have either you or the young lord winged, now can I?” Chauncey answered.

Ned sighed but held his head high. “He is quite right, Mandy. I can’t allow m’sister to be put in such danger. We shall stand buff.”

“No!” Mandy screeched. “We must charge right through them, please Neddy…you can’t be taken.”

“Sis, I am a Sherborne. I shall not try and outrun these scoundrels and have m’sister shot.”

She had no patience with doing the honorable. She wanted him to survive. She wanted him free. A gentleman’s code only worked for gentlemen and she did not consider her uncle one. He was a blackguard.

Squire Speenham, his breath coming in short spurts and making Mandy wish he would keel over and die. It was a horrid wish, but at that moment she wasn’t up to feeling anything but justified.

However, he did not fall over, but walked his horse forward. His hat was askew over his bald head and had she not been so angry she might have laughed at the vision he presented.

She looked around and saw that two of the three men had their guns leveled at Ned and Chauncey. The third man showed no signs of having a gun, but sat his horse quietly, studying them.

She tried reason, “Uncle Bevis—tell these men to put down their arms at once!”

“How dare you address me as Uncle, young lady! Dressed as you are…in the company of outlaws, for that is exactly what young Sherborne has become.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Ned began to declare exasperatedly, “Stop your prattling, and do whatever it is you have to do.”

“And so I shall,” the squire returned sharply. “It does however, grieve me deeply, much as you suspect otherwise. My name is forever besmirched by your actions.” He turned to the yeoman without a gun and said, “Take these gentlemen into Harrowgate with as little commotion as you can. See to it that their cell is well guarded, and they are to have no visitors.” He turned to Mandy who was trying to think of a way out of this. “You young woman, shall come with me.”

“No, I won’t. I prefer the same fate as my brother,” Mandy returned defiantly.

“It perhaps will not surprise you to learn that I believe you may well deserve it. However, you are a gently bred female whose reputation I mean to save, by arranging for you to marry my son.”

“Never. I will never marry your son,” she was seething with fury.

“Nevertheless, you will return with me to my home and remain under constant supervision until your brother is brought to trial. Now come along.”

Ned reached out to comfort his sister and the younger yeoman, apparently nervous from the sudden importance of his job, became over-zealous. He brought down the gun hard on Ned’s forearm, nearly dislocating him from his saddle.

Ned cried out as much from surprise as pain and turned a wrathful glance upon the yeoman.

Mandy screeched, “You awful person! What have you done? I’ll have your neck for that!”

“You’ll not have anyone’s neck. What sort of speech is that for a woman? It is not a moment too soon that I am taking you under hand,” the squire said with an impatient gesture. He turned to the yeoman and said warningly, “Lord Sherborne is a peer of the Realm. He will be treated with respect. He must stand trial for the crime he has been accused of, but he has not yet been found guilty and you will keep that in mind.”

“Afraid of what people might say?” Mandy sneered at her uncle. “Afraid they might think you are too anxious to bring Ned in—that maybe you have an ulterior motive? It is what people are already saying…
is it not
?” As she spoke she watched as the armed men took the reins of both Chauncey and Ned and a heavy depression settled in over her. She needed the duke.
Faith, oh faith, Brock…I need you—right now!

She said nothing to her uncle on the ride to his Tudor home. Once inside the house, he bade her sharply to go upstairs and ready herself in the guestroom, as he would have a hot bath drawn for her while her clothes were fetched from Sherborne.

She put up her chin and marched upstairs, where she finally found the room she believed he was speaking of, and plumped down on a large upholstered winged chair and burst into tears.

* * *

At just about the moment the squire and Mandy arrived at his home, Chauncey and Ned had reached a long stretch of woods on either side of the road and Chauncey managed to cast Ned a ‘get ready’ wink without being seen by the yeoman.

He coughed, choked, coughed again and as he raised a hand to his heart, groaned, “Aye then, young lord…but all the excitement…I’m not feeling quite the…thing…”

“Whot’s this?” said the youngest and the only one of the men that was unarmed. “No need to fratch yerself Chauncey. The court will be lenient on ye. After all, ye were only taking orders from his lordship…just stay calm now.”

“Och…och…” replied Chauncey.

“I don’t like this,” said the other man waving his gun about. “Don’t ye be trying to bamboozle us. We ain’t green now, are we?”

“Och…m’heart… ‘tis m’ole heart going at last…” Chauncey cried with a loud moan.

“Eh Jed, maybe we should stop and let the old man rest a bit…” said the youngest yeoman, looking concerned.

“There lads, just look at me. Too old for all of this. I need some rest…” Chauncey encouraged them hopefully.

The yeoman slowed their gait and just in time, for at that moment, it appeared as though old Chauncey’s poor heart, did in fact, give out.

With his hand to his chest, he let out a startling wail and fell off his horse, face down onto the dusty road.

“Oh! Bless the saints!” cried one man as he jumped out of his saddle, nearly fell in his hurry to get to the older groom. He righted himself, as his two comrades raced past him to Chauncey’s side.

One cried out, “We’re in for it now we are. Chauncey is well known, well liked and we’ll be blamed for misusing the old codger…aye…that we will.”

Ned slipped off his horse and came up behind the youngest and unarmed man. They had taken Ned’s gun, but neglected to search him for anything else, and he pulled out the long knife from his tall boot and grinned as he took the man in his hold. “There now lads, drop your weapons. I don’t want to hurt him…or any of you, but I am not only an innocent man, but a desperate one.”

Chauncey made a speedy recovery and jumped one of the yeomen that had been startled into turning to Ned and his hostage.

He had both the man’s gun and a grip around his neck from behind as he said, “Ye lads be working the wrong side. Can’t ye see that? Lord Sherborne is innocent and ye would do well to remember that.”

“Chauncey…all their weapons…” Ned said.

“Aye,” Chauncey answered on a grin, as he shoved his man away, held his gun on him and took up the gun he had ordered the other yeoman to drop.

“Go on…take a rest by that nice oak. When you are feeling up to it, you can look for your horses. We’ll let them go once we have gotten far enough away.”

“If ye be innocent, why are ye running?” asked the youngest of the three men.

“Because I’ve been being framed by the real killer and I need to find out just who that is. No one else is interested in looking past me.”

A moment later, both Ned and Chauncey were riding their horses with the three other horses in tow. They had gone a good mile before they set the horses free and turned in the opposite direction.

Ned set up high spirited howls and Chauncey laughed before shaking his head, “Well now lad, we’ll make for the river. We’re bound to find a niche that will have to do. Won’t be as cozy as we have been, but never mind that, missy ain’t with us, so it don’t much matter what kind of a hidey hole we make for ourselves.”

Ned frowned over this. “What of Mandy? What will Uncle do to her, Chaunce?”

“Lord love ye, Nuthin a-tall. Don’t ye know? Haven’t ye seen? Yer uncle wants to marry her to his son. Needs to clear her name and keep her out of this business. No doubt he will say he has had her safe at Speenham all along.”

Ned snorted, “More fool he if he thinks she’ll even look at Alfred! Marry him, indeed.”

“Aye, I think she will try and escape as I don’t see her putting up with much…” Chauncey agreed with a sigh.

“At any rate, the duke will settle this right and tight, won’t he?”

“Bless ye, lad, I think he will.”

“That’s right,” Ned declared brightening once more. “We have the duke!”

* * *

Time, a hot bath and serious thinking had done wonders for Mandy’s spirits. She brushed her long blonde hair with determination, and worked out some of her angst. The results of her efforts had made the gold of its color glitter back at her in the mirror.

Dark eyes stared back at her and she saw her brother’s face and said softly, “It’s not over Ned. We still have the duke…and I know he shall see us out of this.”

She had donned a pretty day gown of pale blue muslin. It was a simply designed gown that showed off her lines to advantage and she was pleased with the results when she stared at herself in the mirror. She had a plan and it would start with her lulling everyone into believing she had accepted her fate.
Ha!

A knock sounded at her door and she called out sardonically, “As the key is on the hall side of the door, you are free to enter as you wish, are you not?”

A maid of middle age and sour disposition put in her face and grimaced at her, “Sorry, miss. But Mr. Speenham wants ye in the parlor for tea.”

“Does he?” Mandy said sweetly, though anyone who knew her would have heard the defiance edging each word. “Tell Mr. Speenham that I have no wish for tea…or his company.”

The maid cast her a shocked expression. “He said ye might take his invitation out of temper, but told me I was not to return downstairs without ye. I do so dislike having to disoblige…but Mr. Speenham will be that angry with me, he will…if ye don’t come down.”

Mandy sighed resigned to her fate. She couldn’t allow the maid to suffer Alfred’s annoyance because of her. “Very well,” Mandy said, walking through the open door and heading for the stairs.
Calm yourself
, her mind ordered.
You must take a fine line with the Speenhams. They must think you are pleased to have some comforts once again…how else will they loosen their hold?