by Rebecca King
Ruth listened to Elias’s brief instructions on how to rein the horse, which she then guided twice around the stable yard to show Elias that she understood what she had to do. Only then did the inn keeper open the large wooden doors so they could leave.
Once out on the street, Elias guided them back onto the road they had used to get to the village. All was still quiet within the village, which had not returned to normality even though the highwaymen had left.
“Are you all right?” Elias asked gently as he led her through a gate and into a field. They paused so he could close the gate behind them. “We are going to cut across this field and enter the woods. I know where the path is, so follow me. Stay as close as possible.”
“Are we going all the way to Mivverford?” Ruth struggled to remember where Mivverford was. In the darkness, it was difficult to see anything more than shifting shapes and the pointed fingers of trees dotting the horizon.
“We are going to the waterfall,” Elias informed her. “It is deep in the woods, but closer to us. We will meet Al there.”
Ruth had been a lifelong resident in the area but hadn’t ever heard about the waterfall. She was interested to see it.
It was the pounding of the water that alerted her that they were close to it half an hour later. The darkness around her was eerie and confining in its silence because it wrapped around them and encompassed them both in an isolation that was claustrophobic. Ruth was terrified but then equally rejuvenated by the perilous ride through the woods, and the danger that she suspected lurked nearby. It was an adventure.
The kind of adventure I thought I wanted.
“Penny for them,” Elias murmured when the path widened so they could ride abreast.
Ruth contemplated whether to tell him. Ordinarily she would have kept her inner thoughts to herself but after his heartfelt speech in the tavern earlier, trusted him.
“One of the problems with living in the village was that it was boring as you know. You were quite right about what you said in the tavern. I wanted an adventure. I admit it. The day before I learnt that they were going to kill you, Maud and I decided that life in the village was too mundane and that we should move. I was resentful because what started out as a kind gesture was used against me. The villagers all took advantage of our generosity but never cared about us. Now, I know that they have been lying and devious, and taking advantage of our good nature.”
“Mrs Howell treated you like you were subservient to her. We all saw the awful way she spoke to you. Given what you did for her, she should have been apologising to you, but the damned woman couldn’t even be bothered to ask you if you were all right despite the state of your house. She doesn’t care about anything but herself. Anybody that selfish doesn’t warrant your time much less your consideration. As for the other villagers, they are sneaky and underhand and yes, got you to do their dirty work for them. I don’t doubt that once the highwaymen heard that you were running errands for people, they too thought they could take advantage of your kind nature and get you to carry packages containing their stolen goods between them.”
“You really do understand, don’t you?” Ruth murmured with a rueful smile.
Elias grinned. “If there is one skill I have learnt while working with the Star Elite it is the ability to read people and situations. The second that I saw her marching almost militarily down the path I knew that she didn’t struggle to get about. She just couldn’t be bothered to go up that hill in the snow because she didn’t want to put herself out – not even for her friend. She wanted you to, though. So yes, I recognised what her problem was, and why you struggled to like her yet helped her anyway. What I don’t understand is why you feel the need to move rather than stand your ground against the locals.”
“Because village life in Riddlewood is boring, or I thought it was,” Ruth shook her head at him when he grinned at her. “That was before we knew about the highwaymen, though. When I heard Bob telling Mark about what they were going to do to you, I didn’t stop to contemplate the wisdom of whether to try to save you. Of course, I had doubts. Anyone would. But deep in the back of my mind, I was already making excuses to avoid fetching the magistrate or going home and forgetting all about it. I needed to get involved because I wanted the opportunity to really challenge myself and my capabilities. I didn’t want to do it, of course I didn’t, but I had to do it for me as well as you. I couldn’t walk away. But when I faced the tavern, I realised that I needed Mark to help me. It was terribly daunting to have to look at the tavern and think about breaking in knowing that it already contained at least one killer. What struck me wasn’t that I was going to die if I failed but that we were both going to die if it all went wrong. I have never been responsible for someone else’s life before. I am not at all sure if I like it.”
“You did a fine job,” Elias grinned. “Or I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Neither would I,” Morgan added.
Ruth gasped in amazement when he guided his horse out onto the path before them and effectively blocked their route. “Are you all right?” she asked around her delighted smile.
Morgan grinned at her. “I am thanks to you.”
“God, it’s good to see you,” Elias breathed. To see Morgan sitting so tall and proud atop his horse was reassuring because it proved that his injuries were healing nicely.
“It is still going to take time for me to fully recover, but I am alive, and here, and going to help you get Rointon,” Morgan announced firmly.
“Within reason,” Al amended. “You are still recuperating, so will not do anything too strenuous, eh?”
“Would you like an escort to the safe house?” Duncan’s white teeth flashed in the darkness when he smiled at them.
“Have you seen him?” Elias asked when all the riders began to move down the track, away from the waterfall.
Ruth was sorry to leave it behind but made a mental note to ask Elias to show it to her another time when the danger surrounding them had been eradicated.
“He is back at his estate,” Duncan replied. “Men are guarding him as we speak.”
“You mean watching him,” Ruth corrected.
“No, I mean guarding him. If he moves, he is going to be followed, watched, shepherded back to his estate, and made to stay there,” Al replied with a knowing wink.
“Sir Hugo’s reinforcements have arrived,” Morgan informed him with a relieved smile. “The safe house is chaotic because there are men everywhere, but it is secure. Sir Hugo wants Ruth and Maud taking to the secondary house because it is big enough to accommodate the extra men so, if you are all right to keep riding for a little while longer, we will head straight to it now.”
“You are going to love it when you see it. It isn’t what you are likely to expect but I know you are going to like it there,” Elias assured her when she looked questioningly at him.
“Maud is on her way there now. Sir Hugo is taking her,” Morgan added. “If we hurry, it should still be light when we reach it.”
“Sir Hugo is here?” Elias gaped at Morgan. “Really?”
“He insisted on helping the men bring the investigation to a satisfactory conclusion. I think he was alarmed by how Rointon planned to execute one of us,” Morgan replied. “He was also concerned by the possibility that one of the magistrate’s men might be feeding the highwaymen information about the investigation.”
“We have about forty men at our disposal now, and that doesn’t include the magistrate’s men who will be here in the next day or so,” Duncan added.
“We are almost ready to arrest him then,” Elias mused with relief.
“Let’s hope so,” Ruth whispered although lost all interest in the investigation because she was more curious about the house that she was going to call home.
Elias was right. It was not what she expected at all. Ruth had expected the men to take her to a cottage like her own. What they took her to instead was a mansion. It was a huge sprawling property of three floors in the middle
of grounds of nearly a hundred acres. At first, she didn’t realise that the road they were travelling down wasn’t another route to a village. It was only when they rounded a bend in the road, and the house appeared before them like a mirage, that she realised that they were on the house’s driveway.
“Is this it?” Ruth breathed, unsure if she should be appalled or delighted because the house was the kind of place that only wealthy people lived in. It wasn’t anywhere she could ever hope to be able to afford to live in by herself.
Elias grinned at her. “When the Star Elite choose secret locations, we try to make it impossible for anybody to find us. This house was derelict until a few months ago. Sir Hugo purchased it from a friend of his who got into some trouble with gambling debts. Sir Hugo left the property empty for a while to make sure that nobody linked to the previous owner appeared to try to claim the property in lieu of unpaid debts. Anyway, because nobody has appeared, he has recently overseen the renovations of the place and it is now ready for us to use.”
“It’s huge,” she whispered. Even in the dimness of the early evening, the candles that glowed brightly from within each of the rooms made the place look warm and welcoming.
“It is perfect for our purposes because it has plenty of bed chambers the men will need to use while they work to guard Rointon and his gang. With so many of our men in the area now it is only a matter of days before Sir Hugo orders their arrest. Things will become chaotic for a while then,” Morgan warned.
“Men will be on guard here. They will patrol the grounds while others go out and hunt for the highwaymen. There will be a constant stream of men coming and going from the house at all hours of the day and night, both inside and outside of the property. While they will try to keep the noise down there will be a certain element of disturbance, I am afraid,” Elias warned. “And don’t worry if you see people moving about in the gardens at night. Unless you hear gunfire, the moving shadows will be the guards patrolling the grounds.”
Morgan nodded and said: “But you will be safe here.”
“Don’t you think that Lucy should stay here too?”
“I wanted her to come and live here but she refuses to leave the house she has lived in all her life. I am reluctant to try to force her to leave it seeing as it is her only link to her parents that she has left,” Morgan replied. “I am sure she will want to move on in time, but we have to take Martha, Lucy’s sister, into consideration too. She is far more emotionally fragile and wouldn’t agree to moving either, I am afraid. She has enough to deal with. Now that Lucy and I are engaged, though, I can stay there and protect her. When I am not there, men from another local team guard the property for me.”
“Martha has a crush on Al,” Elias whispered to Ruth. His grin turned into a chuckle when Al cursed and rolled his eyes. Elias pursed his lips and added: “But it is unrequited.”
“It is not funny, you know. I am started to feel hunted. She is far too young for me,” Al growled.
Morgan shook his head but wasn’t offended by his friend’s lack of interest in his future sister-in-law. Both men knew that Martha was far too young, and far too delicate to survive life with a Star Elite investigator.
The men began a conversation about the guns they were going to take with them when they took their turn on watch, and whether Morgan was well enough to be able to join them.
Ruth was left to her thoughts – about Elias.
“What do you think?” Elias asked her quietly when they reached a bustling stable yard at the back of the property.
Ruth studied the chaos before her. Men and horses were everywhere. There were several stable hands rushing this way and that as they saw to the needs of the horses. Men carried guns and various items of equipment in and out of storerooms while others saddled or unsaddled horses, led some of the animals to the field beside the house while other horses were led from the stables into the barn. It was busy, noisy, and a little overwhelming.
“Come and see the house,” Elias urged. He didn’t stop to think about how instinctive it was to hold her hand once he had helped her dismount.
“It’s amazing,” Ruth gushed, eager to see inside the large mansion.
When they reached the hallway, Maud was descending the stairs.
“Maud!” Ruth rushed to her aunt, and immediately enveloped her in a hug. When she stepped back, she looked around in panic when she realised that Maud was alone. “Where is Mark?”
“He is outside with the men. They have put him to work already,” Maud replied ruefully.
“What is it?” Ruth breathed when she saw worry in Maud’s eyes.
“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” Maud began hesitantly.
“Well, yes. Don’t you like it?” Ruth replied, suddenly nervous.
“Good evening.”
Ruth whirled to face a rather resplendently dressed gentleman standing just inside an unfurnished study. Before she could speak, he stepped toward them and bowed politely. “Please let me introduce myself. My name is Sir Hugo. I am the boss of the Star Elite. The men you have seen in the stable yard just now all work under my command.”
Ruth dipped into a curtsey. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I understand that I have you to thank for keeping both Morgan and Elias alive.”
“It was nothing, really,” Ruth protested looking nervously at Elias.
“It was everything,” Sir Hugo countered. “Please accept the Star Elite and indeed the War Office’s most heartfelt thanks. What you did was a very brave and noble act of selflessness.”
“I wanted to have a word with you,” Elias interrupted.
“Well, before we have a private meeting, Elias, I would like to assure both of you ladies that you are welcome to remain in the house for as long as you need to. I have men already on their way to your cottage to fetch the remainder of your personal possessions. They will then make sure that the property is secured. They should be here later.” The handsome man positively beamed at Ruth. “Please feel free to make yourselves at home. The housekeeper is a lady called Mrs Appledore. She has two maids working with her and will cook all our meals. The maids will see to the fires and serve the food as well as do all the general housework for the time being. Mrs Appledore lives in a cottage on the estate and used to working for the previous owners, so knows what she is doing. If you need her or the maids, pull on the bell pulls. Otherwise, she will ordinarily be found in the kitchen. Please feel free to avail yourselves of any room in the property. I have more men bringing furniture, so we have chairs to sit on.”
“Are we allowed to walk around the gardens, or do we have to stay inside?” Maud asked before the men left them in the hallway.
“You are free to walk around the gardens if you wish as long as you tell someone on guard what you are doing and where you are going. Don’t be surprised if they follow you. While I don’t think that Rointon poses much of a threat to you out here, we don’t take anything for granted. It might be best if you both work on the assumption that danger surrounds you constantly. That way, you won’t walk into any unnecessary traps or lures,” Sir Hugo warned. “I am sorry to frighten you. This arrangement will only be temporary. When the investigation is over, you will be free to choose where you wish to live if you don’t want to remain here.”
“I couldn’t possibly live here,” Maud protested.
“Why?” Ruth asked before Sir Hugo could. She saw the sly look he slid at Elias but couldn’t read Sir Hugo well enough to be able to understand what the look meant. It felt as if they were making plans that they weren’t telling her about, but she couldn’t hesitate a guess as to what they were, and she daren’t ask them.
“Well, it is going to cost a fortune to live here, dear. Besides, what would we do with ourselves rattling around this place all day by ourselves?”
“Live and enjoy yourselves,” Elias replied with a shrug. His smile had fallen now that he had hit the first obstruction barring his way to future happiness.
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��There are other houses on the estate at your disposal if you really do find that you cannot make this place your home,” Sir Hugo offered.
“But we cannot stay here forever, can we? It is unwise to get used to living somewhere like this when we can’t stay, isn’t it? What do we do when the investigation is over, and you have to leave?” Maud looked at Elias because it seemed rude to ask such things of Sir Hugo, a veritable stranger.
“I think that what Sir Hugo is saying is that you are free to stay here if you wish once the investigation is over,” Elias murmured.
When Sir Hugo didn’t correct him, Elias understood why Sir Hugo had put himself out to make them feel so welcome. He really did intend for the women to stay in the house when the investigation was over but was seemingly leaving it to them to make their minds up whether they wanted to stay or not. Elias was a little stunned by Sir Hugo’s generosity. Even now, though, he suspected that Ruth was going to stay. He hoped so in any case because he liked the house and could see them using it as their home once they were married.
“We couldn’t possibly. It’s far too much,” Maud whispered, but looked as intrigued by the possibility as she was shocked by it. “I mean, we haven’t done anything to deserve it.”
“The Star Elite owe you, my dear,” Sir Hugo said to Ruth. “Call this repayment of sorts.” Before Ruth could protest, Sir Hugo rubbed his hands together and sighed. “Look, I have to get back to the investigation. There is a lot of paperwork to get through, and an operation to organise. It is going to take time before the investigation is complete and even then, there will be many weeks of tidying up to get through before we are able to move the Star Elite on, and our extra men can return to their homes. Why don’t you get settled and just enjoy this brief sojourn, eh? When we have concluded our investigation, we can all sit down and decide where you are going to live.”
“I think that is a splendid idea,” Maud beamed. “Thank you for your kind generosity.”
