Rivals of Fortune / The Impetuous Heiress (22 page)

As it had promised, the rain continued for several days. Mr. Rowntree chafed, but there was no possibility of working in the ruins. Pools of water lay everywhere, and the drizzle was annoyingly steady. This lamentable situation had one good result as far as Joanna was concerned: Mr. Rowntree concluded that Frederick's education had been shamefully neglected in the course of his explorations, and he kept his younger son beside him in his study for much of each day. Thus, Joanna was certain that he had not had the time to slip out to the Abbey and open up his secret passageway.

At the week's end, the Willistons announced a dinner in honor of Constance's engagement to Gerald. And the following Wednesday evening, the four older Rowntrees climbed into the carriage and set off for the vicarage. Gerald's manifest happiness did much to reconcile his father to a social evening among his neighbors.

They arrived first, as arranged beforehand. Gerald went directly to sit beside Constance, and Mr. Rowntree sat down beside the vicar, launching a scholarly discussion almost before their greeting was over. The ladies, thus, were left to Mrs. Williston, and they chatted pleasantly until the other guests began to arrive. The Grants, the Townsends, the Finley party, and Mr. Erland made up the rest of their numbers. All the closest neighbors had been asked, and all came, with the exception of Sir Rollin Denby, whose excuses were rather stiffly given by his sister. Joanna, watching Adrienne as she spoke, thought she showed signs of strain. Peter was clearly not his usual easy-going self; there were new lines around his mouth.

At dinner, Joanna was placed between Mr. Erland and Jack Townsend, a very satisfactory arrangement from her point of view. She discussed Jack's new hunter during the first part of the meal; or rather, she listened to Jack discuss it, which was all he required in a dinner partner. Then, when the lady on his other side claimed his attention, she turned to Erland. He was looking warmly at her and smiling.

Joanna had pondered the question of whether she ought to tell Erland of Frederick's discovery for nearly a week now. More than once, she had nearly sent him a note. But the fact that Frederick was kept close to home, allowed her the time to waver back and forth on the question. Now, however, she had made up her mind. “I have been wanting to talk to you,” she told Erland.

His smile did not waver, but his eyebrows went up at the intensity in her voice. “What is it?”

“Frederick. I don't know what to do.”

“What has he been at this time?”

Joanna looked around, but no one seemed to be listening to them. She bent a little toward him. “You remember that I told you he had found a place in your cellars that seemed disturbed?”

“Yes. I asked him about it. He said there was nothing there.”

“Well, I'm afraid that he…he was not telling the whole truth.”

Erland smiled. “The whole truth?”

Joanna lowered her voice even further. “He now says that the place concealed a secret passageway in the wall. He thinks he has found your uncle's hiding place, the hidden chamber.”

“The money is there?”

“He hasn't cleared out the place yet. I'm sure he hasn't; I have been watching him, and he has not had time.”

“But where is it? Why didn't he tell me?”

“I don't know,” wailed Joanna, a little too loudly. She started and looked around again. No one had noticed. “He wouldn't tell me where. And he insists upon finding the treasure first, by himself.”

The man looked grave. “I don't know that that is wise.”

“Of course it isn't wise! He might be hurt. The passage might fall down on him. Or, if there is indeed someone else searching around the Abbey…” Joanna stopped.

“Yes. If there is. I wonder.”

Shrugging, Joanna dismissed this unanswerable question. “We must stop him. I cannot always see when he leaves the house; he slips past all of us. He might be at the Abbey now!”

Erland frowned, looked around the table, then met Joanna's eyes again. “I agree that we must do something,” he said.

“You must catch him at the Abbey and make him tell you where it is.”

Erland smiled again. “A difficult task, or rather two. Finding him, and then persuading him to confide in me.”

“You can do
that
.”

“Your faith in me is flattering, but hardly justified. Frederick strikes me as a young man who very much knows his own mind.”

“Yes, but he would tell you, if you showed him that you knew he had done it all on his own. That is what chafes him, you see. He hates to be treated like a child.”

“I will make the effort, certainly. I have been watching for Frederick, as I promised you, but I fear he always eludes me.”

Joanna nodded, smiling. “He is really the cleverest boy, much cleverer than Gerald as I remember him. Perhaps he will be a great scholar, too.”

Her companion laughed. “Why do I doubt you? Perhaps because Frederick has never shown any interest in books in my presence.”

“No, it is the oddest thing. He hasn't any.” She considered. “I wonder what he will do?”

“That is easy: he will be a great explorer, spending his days investigating lands never trodden by civilized man.”

Joanna laughed delightedly. “And getting horridly dirty. Yes.” Her smile faded. “That is all very well, but he is only a boy still. I am very worried about him.”

“I know. I will speak to him tomorrow.”

“Will you? Oh, that would be splendid.”

“We must keep him out of mischief.”

“And find the treasure!” added Joanna emphatically, rather to her own surprise.

Erland raised his eyebrows. “Certainly. If there is one and we can. But you are very positive.”

Joanna looked up into his level gray eyes, then looked down and swallowed. She couldn't think what had come over her.

He watched the top of her head for a moment, started to speak, and then turned back to his dinner. After a moment, he said, “This rain is annoying, is it not? And we were so close to getting through that pavement.”

Gratefully, Joanna discussed their work in the ruins and the weather until Jack Townsend turned back to her once again, and Erland's attention was politely given to the lady on his other side.

After dinner, there was music and more conversation. Mr. Williston opened several bottles of champagne, a rare treat, and the engaged couple was toasted by the party. Joanna found her first taste of champagne a bit disappointing—she had somehow expected that it would taste like lemonade and instead it was quite astringent—but she sipped bravely at the pledges, Selina was even more amenable; she drank two full glasses, waiting until her mother looked elsewhere and then hurriedly asking for more.

She came over to Joanna after the toasts were over. “Isn't this splendid?” she said brightly. “I love champagne!” Her pale complexion was flushed, and her eyes glowed.

Joanna smiled at her.

Selina looked about the room, wide-eyed. “There she is,” she added. “Let us go and talk to
her
.”

“Who?”

“Her.” Selina tucked Joanna's hand under her arm and started off across the room. “Must find out.”

Before Joanna could protest or stop her, Selina had walked directly up to Adrienne Finley, who was crossing the room opposite them.

“Good evening,” said Selina truculently.

Adrienne looked faintly surprised, and far from pleased, but she returned the greeting. Joanna, embarrassed, murmured something incoherent.

“How is your hermit?” asked Selina, in what Joanna felt to be an overloud voice.

Adrienne stiffened a bit, and the color in her cheeks deepened. All at once, Joanna felt sorry for her. Something in her eyes suggested that her arrogance and affectation had been shaken. “Oh, had you heard?” she replied lightly. “Yes, he has gone; he didn't care for the job after all.”

“Really?” exclaimed Selina. But it was clear that she had heard this news before. “How unfortunate. Have you found another?”

Adrienne blinked. “No, I am not sure we shall…that is…” She stopped, at a loss for the first time since Joanna had met her.

“Shall what?” pressed Selina unmercifully.

Adrienne looked at the floor.

Joanna could bear it no longer; she said the first thing that came into her head. “I suppose it was the rain.”

The other two women turned to look at her.

“Perhaps he didn't care to be outside in it. I do wish it would stop so that we might go on with our work. Has your brother told you about our digging at the Abbey, Mrs. Finley?”

Adrienne nodded warily.

“Of course, he thinks we are all a little mad on the subject, I believe, but he must find it interesting also, he comes so often. Where is he tonight?” As soon as she said this, Joanna wished she hadn't. She did not care a fig where Sir Rollin was, and as an attempt to shift the conversation onto less uncomfortable topics, the remark was a mistake. Adrienne's chin came up, and her jaw hardened.

“He is occupied with his own affairs this evening,” she answered coldly.

“Ah,” said Joanna helplessly.

“Really?” added Selina. She did not quite dare ask what these affairs might be, but her tone was clearly inquisitive.

“Yes,” answered Adrienne, losing her previous unease. “He may be leaving us soon, and there are things he must do first.”

“Leaving?” Selina, undeterred by the setdown in Adrienne's tone, pressed on. “For Brighton, I suppose?”

Recovering some of her old manner, the older woman glared at her. “I really haven't the faintest notion. My brother does not confide in me. He merely said he was leaving. And now if you will excuse me, I think my husband is signaling.” And she swept away before Selina could speak again.

Oblivious, Selina watched her go. “So the hermit did leave,” she murmured, “I knew it.”

Joanna turned on her. “Selina you were abominably rude to Mrs. Finley. And I think you have had too much champagne.”

Astonished, the other girl stared at her. “Rude? To her? But she is nothing…”

“She is our neighbor, and Peter's wife. Your conduct was despicable!”

Selina's face crumpled. “Oh, Joanna.”

Realizing uneasily that Selina was quite capable of breaking into sobs before everyone, Joanna began to apologize, but she had hardly said two words when she was cut off by a commotion outside the drawing-room door. And in the next minute, Frederick, more dirty and disheveled than she had ever seen him, hurtled through the archway and stood blinking in the light.

“Frederick!” she exclaimed. She saw her mother start toward him, and she too stepped forward.

But Frederick was scanning the crowd. In a moment, he found what he sought. “Mr. Erland,” he said “He shot Valiant. I saw him. He had a pistol under his cloak and he shot him through the head. I chased him, but he got away from me.”

Jonathan Erland came forward and put a hand around Frederick's shoulders. “What is this? You are soaking wet.”

The boy brushed him off impatiently. “I know that, it's raining. But we must go after him. He
shot
Valiant.”

“Yes, yes. But first you must take off these wet things.”

“He certainly must,” agreed Mrs. Rowntree, coming up to them. “Come Frederick, Mrs. Williston will have something you can change into.”

Frederick clenched his fists. “Will no one
listen
to me! We must go after him. He may be back at the Abbey even now.”

“Surely not, if you chased him away,” soothed Erland. “Go and change, and then we will talk.”

Protesting, Frederick was led away by his mother. Joanna came up to Erland anxiously. “Can it be true?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “Apparently. Things grow more serious.”

“But why should someone shoot the dog? To break into the house? If the treasure…”

Erland threw up his hands. “Deuce take the treasure. How could this stranger know where it is? My uncle was a senile old fool to leave his money so.”

There was a short silence, then Erland took a breath. “Pardon me. I should not have spoken so, but it puts me in a flame to see Frederick endangered over my uncle's ridiculous
treasure
.”

Joanna nodded and put a hand on his arm. He looked down at her, and they stood so for a long moment. Then Frederick came back, in dry clothes and a filthy temper, and they turned their attention to him.

“I have half a mind not to tell you anything at all,” snapped Frederick when Erland and Joanna came up to him. “That blackguard has probably broken through by now and gone off with everything. Serve you right, too.”

Smiling a little, Erland said, “Softly.” He turned to the group of guests who had come up at Frederick's arrival. “Would you excuse us? This appears to concern the Abbey alone.” After this, the others were forced to move off, though Jack Townsend looked very disappointed. Joanna stayed where she was. Let them try to fob her off!

But they made no such attempt. Erland led Frederick to a sofa by the wall, and the three of them sat down.

“Now,” said the man, “let us hear it all in order, and slowly.”

Frederick looked down. “Well, after everyone went off tonight, without me, I decided to go to the Abbey to work on…that is to check on things.” He looked at them defiantly, but Erland only smiled. “So, well, I was…” He paused.

“Perhaps you had gone in to check the cellars?” offered Erland blandly.

Frederick glared at him, then at Joanna, but he finally agreed. “Yes, well, I did. And I had come up for a moment to, ah, to get something, when I heard a shot, as plain as could be.”

Erland nodded. “And then?”

“Well, I ran out to see what was happening, of course. And…and it was then I found Valiant.” He swallowed again.

“You are a brave lad, Frederick,” said Erland, “but not perhaps an overly wise one.”