The Captain's Mysterious Lady (25 page)

She smiled wearily. ‘Thank you, dear James, but that is not the worst of it. Duncan also confessed to me as he lay there wounded that one night, the four of them decided to hold up a coach on Hampstead Heath. What they did not know was that the coach had an escort. There was a fight and shots were fired. One of the guards was killed. Duncan and his friends fled in different directions, and because Duncan was the only one without a criminal past, he took charge of their loot, which was the bag I found. They waited until the hue and cry had died down, then came for their share. Duncan said he had hidden it for safety. They did not believe him and turned the house upside down searching for it. He taunted them, told them that that paltry bag of gewgaws was worth nothing, that he knew where there was a cache of gold bigger than they could ever imagine and it was all his for the taking. They demanded to know where it was and when he refused to tell them, there was a fight. Duncan picked up the knife to defend himself, but he was no match for them and they turned it on him. Afterwards they let me tend to his wounds while they played cards and drank them selves insensible.

‘It was then he told me to come to Highbeck, that he would give them the slip and follow me. If I had not been so angry with him, I do not think I could have left him but, God forgive me, I did. I slipped from the house and ran as hard as I could, intending to find help, but Billings had been listening to us and caught up with me. He said he did not want to hurt me, that if I helped him find the
gold, he would make sure I was never troubled by the other two. He would not believe me when I said I knew nothing about it and forced me on to the coach to Highbeck.' She gave a huge sigh. It had taken a great deal of courage to tell it all, reliving it as she did, and she was exhausted. ‘Now you know it all.'

‘My poor brave darling,' he murmured. ‘You have been through the fire, haven't you? But it is all over now. No one will ever frighten you again, not while I have breath in my body.'

‘Oh, James.' She reached her arm out of the blanket to put her hand to his face. He took it in his own and kissed the palm. It had the same devastating effect as it had before. She made herself think of something other than her undeniable desire for this man, this wonderful man who had said he loved her and had not condemned her. ‘But Gotobed is still free.'

‘Not for long. By now Sam will have the village men combing the whole village looking for him. They might even have found him.'

She sighed and leaned against his chest and shut her eyes. He put his arm about her and held her, remembering with a slight smile when he had held her like that on a horse, walking it daintily over the rutted road so as not to jolt her. He had had no idea at the time where that ride would take him and where it would end. He leaned over and gently put his lips to hers. ‘Go to sleep, my valiant one. Tomorrow we will talk of the future, not the past.'

‘Tomorrow,' she murmured, half-asleep. ‘It is already tomorrow.'

He smiled, but did not answer. He might have dozed a little himself, but not for many minutes at a time; his ear was attuned to sounds from outside. But there was nothing except the rain beating on the windows.

 

When he heard the servants stirring, he woke her with a light kiss. ‘Wake up, sweet heart.'

She stirred and turned a sleepy smile on him. ‘James. Have you been here all night?'

He gently eased her into a sitting position and withdrew his cramped arm. ‘Yes, but now you must go upstairs and make yourself respectable before everyone swoons with shock at the sight of you.'

She turned to kiss him. ‘Did I dream it or did you say…?' She stopped, overcome with shyness, which was not at all like her.

‘That I loved you? Yes, I did.' He gave her a wry smile. ‘But I do not remember you reciprocating.'

‘Oh, but I do, dear James, I do.'

‘Does that mean you will marry me?'

‘I would, but…' She paused. ‘Caroline…'

He thought carefully before answering. ‘Caroline I loved and shall not forget, but she is no more, and you were right, she would wish me to be happy. I have accepted that what happened was God's will, just as I am sure it was His will I should meet you when I thought there could not be two such lovely and loving women in the world. I make no comparisons. Carrie is part of my past, part of my memory, while you, my sweet, are here and now and I will be the happiest man on earth if you will consent to become my wife.'

‘Oh, James, you know I will.' She kissed him on the end of his nose and then scram bled to her feet. ‘I shall go and dress at once, then we can tell everyone the good news.'

He watched her go, rubbing his nose, then got up and stretched his cramped limbs, before leaving the house to go to the Lodge to change and to see if Sam had any news for him. The rain had stopped, but the trees in the copse
dripped water down his neck and he was glad enough to find Sam there, ready with hot water and a change of clothes. ‘Well,' he said, as he stripped off. ‘What have you to report?'

‘All ship shape and Bristol fashion, Captain. The muckworm has been caught and is tied up in the tower with Merryweather on guard on the door. He can't get out of there less'n he can fly.'

‘Good. Where did you find him?' He poured hot water from a jug into a bowl to wash.

‘He tried to steal the ferryman's boat, but what he didn't know was that the ferryman had taken the bung out of the bottom as a precaution. It sank twenty feet from the shore. He was just scrambling out, covered in weed, when we came upon him. He didn't put up much resistance.' He watched James finish drying himself and climb into a fresh pair of breeches. ‘What happened at the Manor?'

James told him about Gotobed attacking Amy. ‘Susan was prepared to have a go at him with a poker, but he pushed past her to escape.'

‘She never did!'

‘In defence of her mistress, I believe she would face the devil himself.'

‘That's my girl!' James looked sideways at Sam, and he hurried to change the subject. ‘Gotobed talked.'

‘I hope you did not hurt him too much.'

Sam grinned, handing him a clean shirt. ‘Not too much, Captain. He's a coward.'

‘So what did he tell you?'

‘He said while they were in prison, Macdonald told him about his wife and her connections with the Hardwick family and the fine house they had, which would be his one day through his wife. He also boasted he knew the whereabouts of some of the Arkaig treasure and if he
helped him escape, he would share it with him. Macdonald died afore any plan for escape could be put into action, if'n Gotobed ever meant to help him, which I doubt. He might have helped him on his way to eternity for all we know. He bribed the witnesses at his trial and was found not guilty and on his release set out with the intention of wooing Mrs Macdonald and laying his hands on her inheritance and the treasure, too.'

‘So he had no connection with Smith and Randle?'

‘No. They were just rivals, both after the same thing.'

James laughed, running a hair brush over his hair and handing a ribbon to Sam to tie it back for him. ‘Greed makes men do strange things, Sam. I'll wager Macdonald did not tell any of them where to look for the gold.'

‘Hinted it was in the house, but nothing exact.'

‘Mr Portman seems to think it is there, too, but he is working for the government.'

‘Is he?' queried the astonished servant. ‘Well, I'll be damned!'

‘It is clear the crooks believe the gold exists, but supposing it was a lie invented by Duncan to get them off his back?'

‘What a turn up for them if it was!'

He smiled as Sam helped him into his coat, a dark green silk with silver braid edging the front, the flaps of the pocket and the deep cuffs. ‘I am going back to the Manor. We shall have to institute a search.'

‘Is all well there now?'

‘Yes. And you may congratulate me. I am to marry Mrs Macdonald.'

Sam did not even pretend to be surprised. ‘That I do, sir, that I do.'

O
rder had been restored to the Manor by the time he returned and everyone was at break fast. He was invited to sit down and share it with them. He did so, but he had eyes only for Amy. She was wearing the blue gown he liked so much and Susan had done her hair, but she was looking strained, which was no wonder, poor thing. What she had been through was enough to crush the strongest constitution. But it was over now and he meant to make sure she never suffered another moment's anxiety. He smiled at her and she smiled back, her lovely eyes lighting up with pleasure at seeing him.

The conversation was all about what had happened the night before. James told them all he had learned from Sam, that Gotobed had been caught, and that Randle and Smith had been staying with Sir Gerald. It was they who encouraged him to revive his claim to the Manor.

‘Cousin Gerald was involved!' Harriet exclaimed.

‘Yes. He thought if he could drive you out, he could search the house at his leisure. When that failed, he told them the best way to get in.'

‘I knew he was a muckworm,' Harriet said. ‘Now all their plans have been thwarted.'

‘Was Gotobed one of the conspirators?' Amy asked. ‘I never saw him before he came to Highbeck.'

‘No, they were rivals.' It was difficult to remain composed and tell his tale when all he wanted to do was whirl Amy off some where and kiss her and go on kissing her until she cried for breath. ‘Your husband set one against the other. I imagine if he could see us now, he would be laughing fit to burst.'

‘Is there any gold?' she queried.

‘I doubt it very much.'

‘I intend to search for it,' Harry said, then turning to Harriet, added, ‘With your permission of course, Miss Hardwick.'

‘Search all you like,' she said. ‘I doubt you will find anything.'

‘You must search the Lodge, too,' Sophie said. ‘John was there.'

‘Tell me about it, Mama,' Amy begged. ‘I remember seeing my father here when Duncan and I came to visit…'

‘I knew you remembered more than you told us.' Her mother's voice was triumphant. ‘You could have saved us all this upset if you had said so at once.'

‘Madam,' James said, covering Amy's hand with his own on the table, a gesture not lost on his listeners, who gave a little gasp. He ignored it. ‘Amy's loss of memory was genuine and if you knew what she had been through before that, you would not question it.'

Sophie turned to her daughter. ‘It seems you have a champion in Captain Drymore, Amy,' she said. ‘I wonder if it is a little more than that.'

Amy looked from one to the other and thrust her chin
out. She would not be cowed by this woman who had been less of a mother to her than her aunts. She turned to James. ‘Shall we tell them?'

‘Why not?' He smiled at her and then faced the company. ‘You may congratulate me. Amy has been so good as to agree to become my wife.'

‘Oh, good,' Matilda cried, clapping her hands. ‘I knew it! I never saw such a perfect match of two individuals in my whole life.'

‘Aunt,' Amy admonished, blushing furiously.

Harriet reached across the table and put her hand over James's and Amy's clasped hands. ‘Bless you both.'

‘My felicitations to you,' Harry Portman said.

Sophie got up and went round the table to kiss her daughter. ‘I am pleased for you, Amy. Once we have found that gold, you can put the whole unpleasant episode behind you.'

‘You are sure it is there for the finding?' James asked her. The woman seemed as obsessed by the thought of riches as Smith, Randle and Gotobed.

‘Yes. Sir John was on the run after the '45 rebellion failed. The government forces were closing in on him and he came here in the summer of '46.'

‘I sent him away.' This from Harriet.

‘He only went as far as the Lodge,' Sophie went on. ‘But Duncan, who was here on a visit with Amy, found him and helped him aboard a ship in Lynn to take him to the Netherlands. John told Duncan he knew where some of Prince Charlie's gold was hidden but would not tell him where, saying he intended to return for it when the search for the Prince had died down. But he never did, so it follows it is still here some where.'

‘Then we must settle it once and for all,' James said. ‘Amy and I cannot make plans for our future with that
hanging over us. Then I shall take our prisoners to London and hand them over to the proper authorities. With the gold, if we find it. Personally I doubt we shall. How could Sir John have conveyed it to Highbeck when he was fleeing for his life? Gold is heavy and not easily carried or concealed.'

‘Quite right,' said a voice.

They all turned in astonishment to see a strange figure in the doorway. His once fine clothes were dirty and torn. His beard was tangled and he had lost his wig. A battered low-crowned hat with a large brim covered his wispy hair.

‘My God!' Sophie exclaimed. ‘What are you doing here?'

‘A fine greeting,' he said, advancing into the room and removing his hat to bow to the company. ‘Are you not pleased to see me, wife?'

‘No,' she said. ‘You are an embarrassment. You went to France to share your idol's exile, you said you would not return. So why are you here?'

‘I will tell you later, but I am tired and hungry…'

‘Papa!' Amy jumped up to fling her arms about him. ‘I remember you, yes, I do. You taught me to fish and to ride and draw. I am so pleased to see you.'

He smiled. ‘At least my daughter gives me a welcome.'

‘You had better sit down and eat,' Harriet said. ‘And then be off. We do not give succour to traitors here.'

‘Who is the traitor, madam?' he said, sitting down and helping himself to the break fast dishes. Most of it had gone cold, but he heaped a plate with it and attacked it with relish. ‘Those who toady to the Hanoverian or those who support the true king?'

James looked at Harry. Sir John had condemned himself
out of his own mouth. He ought to be arrested and taken with the others, but, seeing Amy's delight, he knew he could not do it. ‘Never mind that,' he said. ‘Tell us why you are here. I assume you are Sir John Charron.'

‘Yes. And who are you?'

‘My name is Captain James Drymore. I have the honour to be betrothed to your daughter.'

‘What happened to Duncan Macdonald?'

‘He died, Papa,' Amy said. She found it difficult to equate this vagabond with the father she had known. That man had been exquisitely dressed, beautifully mannered, affection ate; this man looked more like a tramp.

‘Pity. He was a great help to me.'

‘He was a thief, a liar and a gambler.' This from Sophie.

‘That, too,' he said evenly. ‘You might also add greedy. The promise of a few
louis d'or
and he would sell his own grand mother for it.'

‘Speaking of
louis d'or,
' Harry put in, ‘where is it, this cache of gold?'

Sir John shrugged and laughed. ‘Still in Scotland, Mr Portman, for all I know.'

‘You know my name?' Harry queried.

‘Yes, you were pointed out to me as one to watch particularly.'

‘Do you say you never had the gold?' James asked.

‘Oh, I had some of it, as much as I could conveniently carry. How do you think I managed to evade my enemies for so long? It came in very handy. What was left I took with me…'

‘So why are you back?' Sophie demanded.

‘There has been an amnesty. I came to see my wife and my daughter. Is there anything wrong with that?'

‘An amnesty for prisoners,' Harry said. ‘I doubt it
applies to those who chose exile and have suddenly decided to return, especially with the Young Pretender back in London.'

‘Is his Highness back in London? Well, I am surprised.' Every one knew by the way he spoke he was lying.

‘But you will not be surprised when I arrest you,' Harry said.

‘Very surprised.' He finished eating and pushed his plate away. ‘You are too fond of my wife to risk injuring her or her career.' He turned to James. ‘And you would never compromise my daughter.'

‘Then take yourself off,' Harriet said. ‘There is nothing for you here. Go and do not come back.'

‘That I intend to do, sister, as soon as I have had some sleep. I have been on the road this last twenty-four hours and am exhausted.' He stood up and walked nonchalantly out of the room. James rose to go after him, but Amy stayed him with a hand on his arm. ‘Let him go, James.'

He sat down again. Damn it! The man was right. He could not let Amy's reputation be ruined by a public arrest and trial of her father and the inevitable execution that would follow. Mud had a habit of sticking. On the other hand, he had always maintained that no one should be above the law… It was a dilemma he did not want to face.

‘He is a traitor,' Harry said. ‘It is my duty to arrest him.'

‘After he has slept,' Amy said. ‘I shall go and make sure he has been found a bed.' And with that she left the room. As soon as she had gone, a babble of excited conversation broke out. James left them to it and followed Amy.

He found her coming out of one of the unused bedrooms along the corridor towards the turret. She ran into his arms. ‘Oh, James, will it never end? I thought once we were sure
I had nothing to do with Duncan's death, we would be free of scandal, but this is just as bad.'

He held her close, stroking back her hair and tipping her face up to kiss it. ‘It is going to end here and now. We have a future to look forward to, my darling…'

‘Not if I am tainted by this wickedness. There will be a dreadful scandal. I cannot subject you to that. I cannot. And I do not want my father to die in disgrace…'

One of the footmen came along the corridor. ‘I have been ordered by Mr Portman to stand outside the prisoner's door,' he said.

‘Then you must do so,' James said, drawing Amy away. They wandered, arms round each other, towards the turret and climbed the stairs to the top. She was crying silently, the tears rolling down her cheeks. He mopped them up with his handkerchief. ‘Do not cry, my dearest one. We will find a way.'

‘Why did we come up here?' she asked, bemused.

He grinned at her. ‘So that I could be alone with you.'

‘Oh, James, I love you so, but I am afraid…'

‘No need to be,' he said more lightly than he felt. Come what may, he had to bring this affair to a resolution without Amy's name being dragged through the courts and made the subject of tattle, though how to do it without compromising his own integrity, he did not know.

They stood there a long time, with their arms about each other, looking out at the grounds of the Manor, the trees, the dykes and lanes of Highbeck, her child hood home. What idiocy had made her leave it for London and a smooth-tongued flatterer? Now there was nothing for it but to settle down here once more and, once James had taken his prisoners away, she would not, could not, see him again. Ever. To wish for it to be otherwise would be to wish dishonour on someone who had dedicated his life to
upholding law and order, who must do his duty, as he saw it, no matter what the personal cost, but who was dearer to her than life itself. Slowly she turned from him and made her way down stairs. He followed, not speaking.

 

In spite of Sir John's assertion the gold had never been brought to Highbeck, everyone, except Amy, her aunts and James, busied them selves making a search of the house. James went back to the Lodge to confer with Sam. Harriet and Matilda insisted the searchers were wasting their time and continued with their usual daily tasks; Amy spent her time in the parlour, drawing swift sketches of James by which she hoped to remember him: the thoughtful man, the gentle man, the laughing man who played with children, the angry man, the horseman and the fenman in plain coat and felt hat, James dressed in all his finery at Drymore Hall. She sketched until her fingers ached and all the time wondering how she could help her father to escape.

The searchers found nothing. Harry gave up and arranged secure trans port to take the prisoners back to London the following day: an enclosed cart pulled by four sturdy horses. It would be escorted by riders recruited from the villagers, who were more than willing to do it, believing they had saved Amy and her aunts from harm. James, who had returned to the Manor for dinner, approved these arrangements.

It was a strained party, where everyone tried to pretend it was a normal evening. They played music and sang, recited poetry, played cards for buttons and talked of everything and anything so long as it had nothing to do with Jacobites, gold or fugitives. Amy was glad when it came to an end. It had been purgatory trying to behave coolly towards James and keep her distance. A kind word, a gentle touch and she would have been undone.

James noted her distraction and knew the reason for it. When he left he hurried back to the Lodge, changed from his evening clothes into a dark fustian coat and brown leather breeches, then ran back and stationed himself in the shadow of the draw bridge and waited. It seemed an agonisingly long time before a figure appeared at the opening from which Gotobed had escaped. The man climbed out and made his way down the chain, awkwardly, hand under hand. ‘All well?' James queried as Sir John landed breathlessly beside him. ‘Did anyone see you?'

‘No. The sentry was fast asleep at his post.' It was Sam who had suggested Susan should be the one to administer the drug. The footman would not be suspicious if she pre tended to feel sorry for him having to stand guard all night, and brought him a drink. It was done, she had told Sam, for Miss Amy's sake and to get rid of Sir John, once and for all.

‘Come on, then.' James led the way through the copse towards the Lodge. It was not the shortest way out of the grounds, but it gave the most cover. At the Lodge they were joined by Sam, who took them to the dyke that ran beside the moat and from which the water of the moat had been diverted. There was a rowing boat moored under a rickety bridge.