Runaway Miss (25 page)

They cheered him as he set off on Salamanca for the bank and his appointment with Lord Bentwater.

Maddox met him outside the door. ‘Heard you might need me,’ he said.

‘I might. I am going to buy those vouchers off Bentwater. I want you to see fair play.’

‘If anything about that man can be called fair. What’s the deal?’

‘Thirty-five thousand for the vouchers and he drops all claim to Emma.’

Jeremy whistled. ‘He will be getting more than a fair profit.’

‘She is worth it. But you do not need to tell her. I have a feeling she might not like it.’

‘The devil she won’t.’ Maddox laughed, as Bentwater turned up, flanked by the two Runners. Of James there was no sign. ‘You are simply transferring her mortification from Lord B. to your good self.’

‘I shall have to pretend Sir George relented and succumbed to my persuasive powers and her mother’s entreaties.’

They went into the bank; in spite of the banker’s advice to Alex to think carefully before parting with his money, he was determined to go ahead and the transaction was completed and the papers signed. Having handed over a money draft for the requisite amount, Alex picked up the vouchers and put them safely in the pocket of his coat. Then he bowed to everyone and rode back to Highhead Hall, poorer by thirty-five thousand pounds, but he still thought he had a bargain.

Sir George was enjoying a very late and very hearty breakfast. His wife was sitting over a cup of tea and a piece of toast, which she was making no pretence of eating.

‘There you are, Malvers, I hope you have had time since we last spoke to come to your senses.’

‘I was never without them.’ He flung the vouchers on the table, scattering them everywhere. ‘These are yours, I believe.’

Lady Tasker gasped. Sir George put down his knife and fork and gathered them up. ‘Where did you get them?’

‘I think you know where. Please confirm they are signed by you.’

Sir George examined one or two and then laughed. ‘Forgeries. Not my signature.’

Alex stared at him, unsure whether to believe him or not.
‘Look at them properly. Are you saying these are not gambling vouchers issued by you?’

‘They are not. Whoever sold them to you has gulled you into parting with your money. How much did they cost you?’

Alex declined to answer. He picked one up and showed it to Lady Tasker. ‘Is this your husband’s hand, my lady?’

‘It looks very like it,’ she murmured. ‘But I am not sure…’

‘Of course you are sure, woman. You know I never write my name in that florid style. You have been duped, my lord.’ He began to laugh; he laughed so much he could not speak. His wife began to cry and Alex swore. He swore long and hard. Then he gathered up the vouchers and rode hell for leather back to Ambleside. But the bird had flown.

Emma was on the look out for Alex returning. She had been so glad of Annie’s company and the two women had talked long into the night, but she had fallen asleep at last, secure in the knowledge that Joe Bland was keeping watch. It was typical of Alex to make sure her night was undisturbed, but now it was day again and she was dressed and sitting at the window, eagerly anticipating her lover’s return. Had he met her stepfather? What had they said to each other? Had he seen Mama? Oh, if only he would come. She could not sit still and paced the room.

‘My lady, do calm yourself,’ Annie said. ‘He will come. Whatever he had to do must have taken longer than he anticipated.’

‘Oh, I hope you are right. I should die if any ill has befallen him. I do not trust Lord Bentwater, or my stepfather.’

‘Shall I go and fetch you a drink? It might make you feel calmer?’

‘Yes, please.’

Annie left the room and went downstairs where she encountered Joe, sitting in the parlour enjoying a quart of ale.
She ordered the hot chocolate for Emma and chatted to Joe while she waited for it to be prepared. They heard a coach drawing up outside, but, knowing they had the carriage, they knew it could not be Viscount Malvers who would arrive on horseback. They hardly looked up as a man hurried in and spoke to the innkeeper.

‘Fresh horses, mine host,’ he ordered. ‘As fast as you like. I am in a devilish hurry. And a quart of your best ale while it is being done.’ He turned idly to survey the people in the parlour: a man puffing on a pipe in the corner, two men arguing about the cost of wool in another, and a man and a woman sitting by the window. He had seen them before. Unless his eyes deceived him, they had come from Highhead Hall. He grinned and watched them and when a cup of cocoa was handed to the woman and she went upstairs with it, he followed.

‘Here you are, my lady, you drink that while it’s nice and hot.’

Emma stopped her pacing and took the cup from Annie and then looked towards the door as it was opened again, expecting it to be Alex. But the man who walked into the room was Lord Bentwater. She gave a little cry and started back in such an agitated state, she spilled the drink all down her gown.

‘What a pity,’ he said. ‘You have ruined your dress. But never mind, I shall buy you dresses, as many as you like. We shall deal well together, you and I. Just so long as you give me an heir.’

‘How did you get here?’ she croaked. ‘And where is Alex?’

‘Viscount Malvers, my dear, is counting his losses.’ He laughed, filling her with dread. ‘He should know better than to try to best me. He thinks he has bought you, bought you with good money, but he does not have the experience in the world of commerce that I have. He is too trusting.’

‘Bought me?’ she echoed.

‘Oh, yes. He drove a hard bargain too. I wanted fifty thousand but he did not value you as high as that. Beat me down to thirty-five, but I had the last laugh. And what a stroke of luck to find you here, that was something I did not expect. I am doubly fortunate; I have the money and my bride.’ He turned to Annie, who was edging towards the door. ‘Stand still, you. Make one more move and you will regret it. I have a pistol in my pocket.’ And to prove it, he produced the weapon. ‘It is unlawful to come between a man and his betrothed. Viscount Malvers has discovered that to his cost. Now my coach is ready, so we will depart. Walk ahead of me.’ He waved the gun at Emma.

She stood her ground. ‘I will not. I am not your betrothed, I never agreed to any such thing and never would, though I die for it.’

‘Foolish, foolish child. I shall simply have to carry you.’ He walked forward. She backed away until the wall behind her stopped her. He went to grab hold of her and she flinched. It was enough of a distraction for Annie to dart forward and seize his arm. He wrestled with her. The gun went off. Annie crumpled to the floor and Emma screamed.

And then there was pandemonium as the door burst open and Alex and Joe rushed in to be confronted by a man with a gun. For a moment no one moved, as they eyed each other. Emma was afraid Alex would do something foolish. She wrenched herself out of Lord Bentwater’s grasp and knocked his arm just at the moment he fired. The shot went wide and then Alex and Joe were on to him. They wrestled him to the floor and Joe sat astride him while Alex took off his cravat and tied the man’s hands behind his back. He accepted Joe’s neckcloth to tie his feet together. When this was done, he turned to Emma. ‘Sweetheart, are you hurt?’

She shook her head. ‘Mrs Yates…’

‘Winged,’ said Joe, who was bending over her. He turned
to the innkeeper, who had come into the room when he heard the commotion. ‘Fetch a doctor, quick as you like. And tell your wife to bring some bandages.’ To Mrs Yates, he said. ‘We shall soon have you looked after.’

Emma had not moved; it was as if she had been turned to stone. It had all happened so quickly and her head was in a muddle. The room began to spin and grow dark. Her legs started to buckle. ‘She’s swooning,’ Alex said. It was the last thing she heard.

When she regained her senses, she was on the floor and Alex was beside her, cradling her in his arms. ‘My poor, brave darling,’ he murmured, stroking her hair away from her brow. ‘You know you could have been killed tackling that madman like that.’

‘I had to do something after Mrs Yates was so brave.’

‘And so are you,’ he said fervently. ‘And for that I give thanks. You are quite safe now. He won’t bother you again.’

‘Are you sure?’ She turned her head slowly to look at the man who had so terrified her. Even now, when he was trussed like a chicken ready for the oven, she could not repress a shiver.

The doctor arrived and went straight to Mrs Yates. He was followed by the two Bow Street Runners, who took in the scene at a glance. Bentwater grunted, straining against his bonds. ‘There you are, Salter. Untie me for God’s sake and take these men into custody. They set about me…’

‘Only because you were threatening Lady Emma and fired your pistol at her maid and at me,’ Alex said. ‘If anyone needs taking into custody, it is you.’ He turned to the Runners. ‘I am accusing this man of common assault, of fraud and forgery. That will do for a start.’

‘For a start, yes, my lord,’ Salter said with a grin, taking charge of the pistol. ‘But there is another, even more serious crime he will have to answer for.’ He turned to Bentwater.
‘You made a grave error calling in Runners to find you a kidnapper, my lord. It gave us an opportunity to stay close to you. I am here on behalf of another person altogether, someone who has been seeking justice for two years.’

‘Another crime?’ Emma queried.

‘Yes, the murder of Lord Bentwater’s third wife. The lady’s brother always suspected him, but he was clever that one and we could prove nothing. We heard by this morning’s mail that a witness has been found and so we came post haste after him. You had a lucky escape, my lady.’

She shuddered, then looked up at Alex. ‘He said…he said you bought me. He said you beat him down.’

Alex gave her a wry grin. ‘I didn’t buy you, my love—how could I when you are above price? There isn’t enough money in the world to buy you. What I did was try to buy Sir George’s vouchers, hoping that if I gave them to him he would be free of the hold Lord Bentwater had over him and consent to let you marry me. I had to beat the rakeshame down because I did not have any more free cash available.’ ‘Oh.’

‘The trouble is that the vouchers he gave me were forgeries. I have no doubt the real ones are somewhere safe. Probably at his home in London.’

‘If they are, we will find them, my lord,’ Salter said, turning Bentwater’s coat pockets out. ‘In any case, they ain’t worth the paper they’re written on now. You ain’t under any obligation to pay for them.’ He winked at Alex and handed him a piece of paper. ‘But if I was you, I’d take charge of this.’

Alex took the draft and stuffed it in his pocket without looking at it. He stooped to help Emma to her feet. ‘Do you feel strong enough to go home now?’ he asked, with his arm about her. What he wanted most was to have some time alone with her, to reaffirm his love for her and satisfy himself all over again that it was returned, but it would have to wait. ‘I am sure
your mother and my aunt will be overjoyed to have you safely back with them. And we have a great deal to talk about.’

‘Yes, I am perfectly well now, but what about Mrs Yates?’

The lady herself was sitting up. Her upper arm was heavily bandaged and she was looking pale, but she pronounced herself ready to leave. Alex paid the doctor and the innkeeper and sent Joe out to fetch the carriage round to the front. Salamanca was hitched on behind and in that way they travelled back to Highhead Hall.

The first person they saw as the carriage rolled into the yard was young Sam, who tore out to throw himself at his mother as she stepped down. ‘Hey, young feller,’ Joe said. ‘You will have your ma over.’ Emma and Alex left them in the kitchen with Lizzie, all talking at once, and made their way towards the drawing room, where Lady Tasker and Mrs Summers were waiting anxiously. They were no sooner in the hall with the door to the kitchen shut than Alex pulled Emma to a halt and turned her to face him. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked.

‘Nothing. Nothing at all. But I don’t think I can wait another moment.’ And he put his arms about her, drew him to her and kissed her. He kissed her long and hard, then he drew his head back so that he could look into her eyes. They were wide and shining with her own love. ‘Oh, Alex. Do you think everything will be all right now?’

‘Oh, no doubt of it.’ He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, lightly this time, then smiled. ‘That is, if you have not changed your mind about marrying me.’

‘Of course I have not. Whatever gave you the idea I would?’

‘That business with the vouchers…’

‘You thought I would be angry? No, Alex, how could I be angry when you were prepared to impoverish yourself for me?’

‘That’s all I wanted to hear.’ He chuckled. ‘For the moment. Now let us go and show ourselves.’ He led her by the hand into the drawing room, where Mrs Summers, Sir George and Lady Tasker were in desultory conversation. It stopped immediately they entered.

‘Emma!’ cried Lady Tasker, running forward to embrace her daughter. ‘I have been so worried about you. Are you all right?’

‘I am well, Mama, and so pleased to see you. I am sorry for worrying you. I had to run away, you see. There was no other way to avoid Lord Bentwater.’ She heard her stepfather grunt, which confirmed her belief that it was better to maintain the fiction that her mother had not known where she was. He would never forgive her if he thought his wife had had a hand in her flight. ‘Am I forgiven?’

‘Of course you are. Now, tell me everything that has happened to you. How did you travel? How did you meet Viscount Malvers? What have you been doing with yourself? Oh, I have been so worried about you.’ There was a great deal more in like vein before she was satisfied she had learned all there was to know about Emma’s adventures.

‘I could never have managed without Lord Malvers,’ she told her mother, looking at Alex with an expression that clearly told anyone with eyes to see that she loved him dearly. ‘He has been my knight in shining armour, never more so than today.’

‘What happened today?’