Emerald

by Emerald (retail) (epub)

  Chapter Three

  ‘Goodbye. Be sure to take care of yourself.’ I leaned out of the carriage window and kissed my uncle’s cheek. ‘I won’t rest until you are fit enough to join me in Wales. I’m going to be so lonely.’

  Will urged the horses forward, and I leaned out of the window, waving my handkerchief, until we were well out of the gate and Winston disappeared from sight behind the trees. I sat back, pretending the sharp wind had brought tears to my eyes.

  ‘We’ll be back for visits, Miss Charlotte,’ Jess said comfortingly, not at all fooled by my pretense. Greyson didn’t even bother to comment, but sat upright and bored, his eyes on the passing countryside.

  ‘I doubt that, Jess,’ I said sharply. ‘We wouldn’t be welcome.’

  We stopped to eat at one of the many coaching inns that were spread about the countryside like mushrooms in the early morning, and Jess asked my permission to ride up front with William, once we’d finished our meal.

  ‘Yes, go ahead; I’d join you myself if I could,’ I said sulkily. Jess’s crestfallen face suddenly brought back my good humour. ‘Go on, flirt with your Will; I don’t blame you a bit. He’s better company than you’ll find on the inside of the coach.’

  ‘And so say all of us,’ murmured Greyson, opening a book and holding it up in front of his face.

  If I hadn’t been so angry I would have laughed. Instead, I sniffed my disapproval and leaned back, closing my eyes and trying my level best to fall asleep. I must have succeeded, because the next thing I knew, Greyson was shaking my arm.

  ‘You have slept for hours,’ he said smugly. ‘I think you are going to have some difficulty getting any sleep tonight.’

  Bewildered, I looked out to find that we were in the courtyard of another inn, and by now the sky was darkening to a deep purple.

  ‘It’s your scintillating conversation that does it,’ I said sharply. My head ached, and my throat and mouth felt dry. I shivered as I hurried through the door and made directly for the blazing fire.

  I couldn’t face eating much supper, though Greyson didn’t notice; he was obviously very hungry. I deliberately turned my eyes away from his plate – the thought of eating nauseated me, and my face felt as if it were on fire.

  ‘You look a bit feverish,’ Greyson remarked indifferently. ‘Don’t you think it would be a good idea for you to go to bed?’

  I rose immediately, and the room seemed to swim around me. I tried to make a dignified exit, but Greyson caught my arm and insisted on leading me to my room.

  ‘I’ll send Jess to you,’ he said. ‘Probably you’ve caught a chill. I hope it won’t prevent you from travelling.’

  Weakly I sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll he fit to travel, even if I’ve got to crawl.’

  I glared at him, and to my surprise he smiled and sat beside me, his hand suddenly cool against my forehead.

  ‘You remind me of a little goat, butting against anything that gets in your way.’ There was laughter in his voice.

  ‘I’m always happy to be a source of amusement,’ I said, strangely disturbed by his closeness.

  ‘Prickly little Charlotte. You are funny.’ He caught my face in his hands and turned me toward him. Then his lips were warm on mine, and unaccountably, my heart was racing.

  He moved away. ‘I’ll send a hot drink for you. Keep warm, that’s the main thing,’ he said, and grinned as he went to the door. ‘I think my own temperature has risen somewhat in the last few minutes.’

  I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up on the bed, my head a jumble of confused thoughts. Was it possible I’d misjudged Greyson? He was certainly very attractive in a dark, lean way.

  Jess came into the room, a steaming cup in her hand.

  ‘Are you all right, miss?’ She fussed around opening the buttons on my dress and wryly I submitted to her ministrations.

  ‘To tell the truth, Jess, I’m aching in every bone. What’s that you’ve got there?’

  She smiled mysteriously. ‘I persuaded the landlord to allow me to make up a brew of herbs for you. It will reduce your fever; and Mr Greyson says that’s what’s needed if we are to push on tomorrow.’

  I sipped the bitter liquid dutifully. ‘Oh, Mr Greyson won’t be inconvenienced; he needn’t worry about that,’ I said, angry with him all over again, and angry at myself that I’d allowed a few kind words and a kiss to blind me to the fact that he was turning me out of my home.

  I snuggled down, warming my feet gratefully against the hot water bottle Jess had managed to find.

  ‘I’ll be better in the morning,’ I said sleepily. ‘Blow out the candle Jess, there’s a good girl.’

  * * *

  To my surprise, I did feel slightly better when I awoke to find the sun streaming into my room. I even managed to eat a light breakfast and then pinched some colour into my cheeks to hide my paleness before joining Greyson outside in the courtyard.

  ‘How are you feeling, Charlotte?’

  His eyes were shrewd as they searched my face, but I bustled past him and got into the welcome shelter of the coach. The morning breeze was fresher than I’d realised.

  ‘I’ll be all right,’ I said coolly, deliberately avoiding his gaze. Drawing my cloak around me, I settled back, keeping well away from the window.

  ‘So, Jess, you are not riding with Will this morning?’ I deliberately made my voice cheerful, though my throat had begun to ache once more.

  ‘No fear, miss. The wind’s too nippy. I know when I’m well off.’

  I did my best to smile, then leaned back and closed my eyes. Greyson was still watching me, and I didn’t feel up to having an argument with him just then.

  ‘Are you sure you do not want to turn back?’ he said quite pleasantly. ‘A day or two will make little difference.’

  I shook my head without answering, and after a while I could tell by the rustle of paper that he was reading one of his books again.

  As the day wore on, I began to feel really ill. I could scarcely hold my head up, but I said nothing, determined not to be the cause of delaying the journey.

  Slowly the countryside was beginning to change, and the horses were forced to labour up steep slopes. At last we came to such a difficult pass that Greyson decided we’d better leave the coach so as to lighten the burden on the animals. The wind seemed piercingly cold at such high altitudes, and as I struggled with the unevenness of the ground, there was a sudden ringing in my ears. And then I was slipping down, with blackness all around me…

  Greyson was carrying me then. I dimly felt his arms wing me up and place me inside the coach, and Jess, her face white, swung her own thick brown cloak around my shoulders.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ I struggled to sit up, but Greyson urged me back against the seat.

  ‘Sit still, you little fool. Why on earth didn’t you say you were feeling so ill? Do you enjoy being a martyr?’

  I didn’t bother to answer him; all I wanted was a comfortable bed so that I could stretch my weary bones in comfort. I felt Jess shiver beside me and noticed, as if through a mist, that she had no cloak.

  ‘Jess, put something on or you’ll be ill, too!’ I croaked, indicating that she take something from the bag on the seat beside me. Her cloak, though rough, was thick and warm around me, and it seemed too much trouble for me to move to take it off again.

  She did as she was told and, even through my discomfort, I could see she felt like a queen in my soft green velvet. She was welcome to it. I was quite happy as I was.

  I closed my eyes, dozing intermittently, only waking when I heard Greyson call out some instruction to Will, or when Jess moved to stretch her legs beside me.

  ‘It isn’t much farther,’ Greyson said softly. ‘It looks as if she’ll be laid up for a few days, silly girl.’

  Suddenly it was as if the world were exploding. I sat up, wondering if I was delirious with fever; but again there was a volley of shots from outside the coach and a great deal of shouting.<
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  A face appeared in the window, and I heard Jess give a thin scream before the door was flung open and she was dragged out into the darkness.

  Weakly I struggled to my feet and lurched out into the road. I saw the glint of a knife as it descended in an arc and struck viciously at Jess. The wind screamed, taking away my thin voice, and then I pitched forward onto the road.

  Something was hurting my cheek. Gingerly I lifted my head and saw I’d been resting heavily against a sharp boulder. It was still dark, and the wind still screamed along the narrow ridge of the road. For an awful moment I thought I was the only one alive in the whole world. I struggled to sit up and heard a moan somewhere to my left.

  ‘Will? Greyson? Who is it?’

  Vainly I tried to pierce the intense darkness with my eyes, edging forward cautiously, not feeling the sharpness of the stones beneath my hands.

  ‘Miss, are you all right?’

  Will’s voice was close to me, and when I put out my hand I touched the warmth of his.

  ‘Oh, Will, what’s happened?’ Eagerly I grasped his arm. ‘Have we had an accident?’

  Then the awful memory flooded back of Jess pitching forward into a crumpled heap on the ground. I stifled a scream and covered my mouth with my hand.

  ‘Listen, miss, I can hear the horses; they can’t be too far off. Just sit still, and I’ll go and find them.’ In the darkness I huddled alone, tears of shock and fear wet on my cold cheeks. I was terrified to think what had happened. I didn’t know if Greyson had been killed. There was certainly no sign of him.

  ‘Miss Charlotte, where are you?’ Will’s voice came thin and flat through the sound of the wind, and with difficulty, I forced myself to stand and move toward him.

  ‘Here, Will. Here I am. Have you found anything?’

  Thankfully I heard the clip-clop of horses’ hooves and the creak of the coach as Will drew nearer, ‘Come on, miss; I’ll light the lanterns, and we’ll see what’s what.’

  He helped me into the warmth of the coach, and then suddenly everything was illuminated. There was dried blood on Will’s forehead – he’d obviously been struck a vicious blow by someone, and he was as pale as death.

  ‘I cannot see any reason for it, miss,’ he said in bewilderment. ‘I thought they were highwaymen, but see! Nothing’s been taken.’

  He was right. The baggage was still stowed away in the compartment, and I still had my jewellery in the bag at my side.

  ‘I’ll take a look outside, miss.’

  Will moved away, and I could see the lantern bobbing through the darkness. My mouth was dry as I waited for his return, hoping against all reason that Jess was all right. I didn’t even allow myself to think of Greyson. There had been such a lot of shots fired that he could be lying out in the darkness, fatally wounded.

  Will returned, and I saw at once that he was very distressed. I helped him inside the coach, and he sat for a moment, his head in his hands, his thin young shoulders heaving.

  ‘Oh, Will, what is it?’

  I sat beside him, my arms around him, trying my best to comfort him. He didn’t need to speak; I knew already the answer to my questions.

  ‘It’s Jess, miss. She’s dead. Those murderous villains have killed her!’

  My head was spinning, and there was a bitter taste of tears on my lips.

  ‘But why should anyone want to kill Jess? It doesn’t make sense.’

  ‘They thought it was you, miss.’ Will pulled himself together and looked at me, his eyes clear. ‘Jess was wearing your cloak, don’t you see?’

  My blood ran cold. I could feel the colour leave my face. In the lamplight, I looked down at myself, covered from head to toe in the thick brown cloak Jess had given me to keep me warm. And now she was out there in the darkness, dead, wearing my green velvet.

  ‘You must be right, Will. She would be mistaken for me. But I don’t know who would want me dead.’ My voice quivered, and suddenly I could bear it all no longer. ‘Get us away from here, Will, I beg of you. Someone will be sent to see to Jess and to look for Mr Greyson as soon as we get to the next inn.’

  Will shook his head. ‘There’s no sign of Mr Greyson, miss. Perhaps they’ve taken him off.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘We might never learn what they were up to.’

  The rest of the journey was a nightmare. There were times when, mercifully, I lapsed into unconsciousness; and in between, I cried bitter and helpless tears.

  * * *

  I opened my eyes in a strange room. The pale sun slanted in through the small windows, showing small notes of dust whirling in the slanting rays of light. I sat up, aware that the fever had left me. I felt tired and weak, but completely in control of my senses.

  The door opened quietly, and Greyson walked into the room, his arm bound and a long cut stretching across his brow. We stared at each other in silence for a long moment, and then he came and sat beside me on the bed.

  ‘Charlotte, that was a terrible thing to have happen. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.’

  I’d never seen him without a glint of amusement in his eyes before, and the effect on me was strangely disturbing.

  ‘We did our best, Will and I, but there were too many of them. And they were armed. I didn’t protect you very well, did I?’

  I struggled to sit up. ‘You can’t possibly blame yourself. And don’t worry about me; I wasn’t hurt at all.’ Tears misted my eyes. ‘I can’t forget Jess, so still there in the darkness.’ I shuddered. ‘It was horrible!’

  Greyson caught my hand. ‘Try not to think about it; rest assured I’ll find out what it was all about somehow.’

  A sudden thought struck me. ‘But what happened to you? Will searched for you without success.’

  Greyson shrugged. ‘I was there all right. He must have missed me in the darkness. I expect I was unconscious.’ There was a glimpse of the old derision in his eyes. ‘I didn’t expect to wake up and find myself on a mountain alone.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Greyson; I was so frightened I couldn’t think straight. Were you hurt badly?’ I looked with concern at the bandage on his arm.

  ‘No, it’s nothing to worry about; it won’t stop us from going on as soon as you feel fit enough. It’s not far now, and I know you’ll love Plas Melyn. At least I think I can guarantee you’ll be safe from attack there.’

  My hackles rose. He was still concerned only with getting rid of me and returning to Winston, in spite of all that had happened.

  ‘I’m fit now,’ I said briskly. ‘All that was wrong with me was a chill, and I’ve a strong constitution; so please make arrangements to resume the journey as soon as possible.’

  He rose abruptly. ‘Very well, Charlotte.’ He seemed relieved and quite unaware of my animosity. ‘This is one journey I’ll be happy to see truly over.’

  I struggled with my tears as I climbed out of bed.

  Soon I’d be left like an unwanted parcel in a strange home, with no one to confide in and no one to seek comfort from. I could only pray that Uncle Tom would return to his home as quickly as possible.

  * * *

  As the coach stopped before the ornate gates of Plas Melyn, even I had to admit that it was a truly beautiful place. The large house, with its attractive turrets, sprawled along the banks of the estuary, and soft green gardens stretched peacefully down to the water’s edge.

  ‘Plas Melyn,’ Greyson said, and the pride in his voice was quite clear for anyone to hear. ‘See the twin suns figured in the ironwork of the gates? From those the house takes its name: Yellow Mansion.’

  ‘It’s lovely!’ I spoke spontaneously and immediately wondered why on earth Greyson should want to leave such a home to go to live in strange surroundings.

  The interior was opulent, the carpets rich and multi-coloured, and the furniture gleamed warmly. The staff lined up to greet our arrival, and most of them smiled pleasantly enough at me, no doubt curious about the ‘poor relation’ who was being given a home.

  My own rooms were above
reproach, far more sumptuous than the ones I’d lived in at Winston, and from each window, there was a breathtaking view of the sea lapping gently against the shore.

  Greyson stood patiently waiting for me to make some comment. I turned and looked directly at him.

  ‘Why do you want to live at Winston, when there’s all this?’

  He didn’t answer; he just placed my bags on the floor and turned to go.

  ‘Make yourself comfortable, Charlotte,’ he said, and his voice was quite impersonal. ‘Remember, this is your home now.’

  Shortly after he left there was a knock on the door, and a young rosy-cheeked maid stood aside to admit William. He hesitated for a moment on the threshold.

  ‘Come inside, Will. I’m glad to see you.’ I closed the door and pulled across a thick velvet curtain that had been strategically placed to keep out any draught. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’

  He fidgeted nervously for a moment. ‘I don’t rightly know how to say this, miss.’ He hesitated before taking a deep breath and plunging into speech. ‘I think Mr Greyson had something to do with the attack on the road.’

  The words had spilled out and hung like frightened sheep in the silence of the room. I stared at him in amazement, not making sense of anything he said.

  ‘Sit down, Will. I know Jess’s death upset you.’ I rubbed my hand tiredly across my eyes, and Will continued to stand uncomfortably near the door.

  ‘His arm, miss – it’s not real bad. I was helping him unload the trunks, and he could swing them down as easy as I could.’

  I digested this in silence. If what Will said was true, it certainly seemed odd. But then maybe he’d just had a sprain and not a wound as I’d imagined.

  ‘Not only that, miss, but I overheard something funny.’ He stopped and I gestured impatiently for him to go on. ‘The night the villains attacked the coach, I heard one of them say plain as anything that Mr Greyson wasn’t to be harmed.’

  I stood up and went over to him. ‘I’m sure there’s a perfectly sound explanation; but just the same, keep it to yourself.’