A Lord In Disguise

by Fenella J Miller

  However, it would have been hard to miss the arrival of the militia and the men who were about to be evicted would have had word of this some time ago.

  He returned the way he had come and drew rein to speak to his groom. 'You will dismount and walk along the path leading your horse and see if there's anything unusual that catches your eye. I'm going to investigate the far side of the field, I'm damn sure I can see Brook Farm just behind those trees.'

  Leaving his servant to look for signs that Penny and her maid had been abducted, a foolish notion, but one he could not ignore, he cantered across the field making sure he was out of sight of the house at all times.

  When he reached the far side of the field he saw there was a gate leading into the trees behind which he had seen the roof of the farm. He dismounted and quickly pulled the reins over Bruno's head and tied them to the gate. 'Stand here, old fellow, I'll not be long.'

  Beneath the trees were tangled brambles, no sign of a path that anyone had been this way. There was little point in him continuing along this route, he was wasting his time. He untethered his horse, swung into the saddle and turned towards his groom.

  The hair on the back of his neck stood up when he saw this man was waving frantically at him and pointed to the ground. He thundered back across the field sending divots flying in all directions and Bruno came to a rearing halt beside the other horse. Edward was on the ground in seconds.

  'What have you seen? Why were you waving?'

  'Look here, master, you can see hoof prints. Two horses at least have been here, but see, they didn't continue along the path but returned across the field towards the farm.'

  Edward dropped to his knees and pushed aside the long grass in the hope of finding some definitive proof that something untoward had taken place. He saw nothing and was about to stand up when he glanced down at his glove. The palm was covered with a sticky red substance – it could be nothing else but fresh blood.

  He held it up so the groom could see. There was no need to say anything else. They both knew what it meant. This time he vaulted into the saddle and Bruno bucked in protest. He wrenched the animal's head towards home and urged him into a gallop for the second time that day.

  He had been gone barely a quarter of an hour. He prayed he would be able to catch up with the militia before they arrived at Brook Farm. If they went in with weapons drawn he feared for the life of both girls.

  *

  Penny was lost in her thoughts when Mary nudged her in the back with the basket she was carrying over her arm. 'Miss, there's horses coming this way and I don't like the look of the riders, not one bit.'

  She turned to stare and her heart plummeted to her boots. 'Run, run back to the stile, they will not follow us once we are back on our own land.'

  All might have been well if her maid had not slipped and tumbled to the grass. Although it only took moments for her to regain her feet it was long enough to make the hundred yards an impossible distance.

  'Wait, we shall stand our ground. This is still Mr Trevelyan's land and we have every right to be on this path.'

  She pushed her maid behind her and waited for the horses to arrive. Both animals were unkempt, their coat matted, and obviously underfed. The riders were in little better case. The smell that wafted across made her gag.

  There was a hedge behind her and the two obnoxious ruffians forced them to move backwards until they were pressed against it.

  'What do we 'ave 'ere, Jed? I reckon as the master would likes to meet these two fine ladies.' The speaker had lank hair so dirty it was impossible to tell the true colour. His clothes were no better and she was certain he was crawling with vermin.

  'Kindly remove yourselves. I am the daughter of Lady Bradshaw and if you waylay me for a moment longer I shall report you to the constable.' She was pleased her voice showed none of her fear.

  'Now then, missie, no need to get uppity. You'll come along of us easy like or 'ard – it makes no nevermind to me.'

  'We shall do no such thing. The punishment for kidnapping is death. You can be very sure my guardian, Mr Trevelyan, will have you prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' Her impassioned words had the opposite effect to the one she desired. Perhaps mentioning Edward's name had not been a wise choice given the circumstances.

  She wasn't going to go quietly, she would fight for her freedom and make things as difficult as she could. She was certain there was a large stone beneath her feet. If she could just bend down and snatch it up she would have a weapon that could do serious damage to her would-be abductors.

  'Mary, start screaming, make as much noise as you can to distract them,' she whispered to the side of her mouth. The girl did as she asked and the noise had the desired effect.

  'Ere you, stop that racket, or it'll be the worse for you,' he snarled and tried to grab the girl but she wriggled away.

  This gave Penny the opportunity she needed. She pretended to stumble to her knees in fear and managed to prise up a satisfactorily large stone. When she regained her feet she kept it hidden in the folds of her skirt.

  Mary was ominously silent, but she didn't dare look to see what was happening to her maid. The second evil-smelling villain leaned down in his saddle intending to grab her and haul her up in front of him.

  She struck him as hard as she could on his head. He tumbled to the grass without a sound. Without a second thought she grabbed the reins of his horse and scrambled into the saddle. This manoeuvre had taken scarcely a minute. Now she was mounted and was less vulnerable.

  'Go, miss, it's you they want,' Mary screamed at her.

  Penny had managed to mount without dropping her weapon. She was an expert horsewoman and turned the wretched beast around with ease so she was facing the other attacker.

  He was struggling to hold onto Mary and his mouth dropped open in shock when he realised what had happened to his friend. Two sharp kicks in the horse's side was all it took to bring the animal close to him. She felled him in the same way and he collapsed to his knees groaning loudly.

  'Give me your hand, Mary, I'll pull you up behind me. We must get away from here before they recover.'

  Somehow they managed to achieve this without Penny being pulled from the saddle. Just in time as the man on his knees was now staggering to his feet swearing vilely and threatening to murder her when he got his hands around her throat.

  She had a split second to come to a decision. They couldn't jump the stile on this nag without coming to grief. There was a similar one at the far end of the field that led to the village. She could hardly go in the direction from which these brigands had come. This meant she must find a way through the hedge and escape that way.

  The horse refused to do more than trot, but it was enough to take them temporarily out of danger. Another hundred yards and she saw what she wanted. She wrenched the left-hand rein and kicked it as hard as she could.

  'Hold on, we're going through this gap.'

  The thorns and branches tore her skirts. Her bonnet was long gone. Mary's arms were still gripping fiercely around her waist as the horse shouldered his way through the hedge and into the field beyond.

  'Come on, boy, one last effort and I promise you a life of luxury in future.'

  The horse flicked his ears and lurched into a surprisingly comfortable canter. She patted his neck and crooned to him. It did the trick and he lengthened his stride taking them both to safety.

  On the far side of this field was a track which led out onto a lane she recognised. 'This leads to Ravenswood Hall. We'll be safe there.'

  Gently she pulled on the reins and eased the horse to a walk. It wouldn't do to have him collapse before they got there. The track emerged behind the stables and their sudden appearance caused an unfortunate workman to drop his bucket of whitewash on his feet.

  Mary slithered to the ground and she joined her. 'Can you take care of this unfortunate animal? He needs a good feed and a groom. I promised him he would be taken care of.'

  The man had r
ecovered from his shock and yelled over his shoulder for assistance. Several men came running and amongst them was the foreman she had met before.

  When she explained what had transpired he was first concerned that they were hurt and then furious that they should have been attacked in this way.

  'You go along into the house, Miss Bradshaw, there's womenfolk will take care of you until Mr Trevelyan can come with the coach and take you home.'

  'I thank you, we'll do as you suggest.' Mary seemed remarkably resilient after her experience.

  'Now that it's over, miss, I quite enjoyed it. It's not every day you get abducted.'

  'Fortunately, it was only an attempted abduction.'

  'Only because you knocked the blighters down, miss. I've never seen the like.'

  Penny stopped listening as something more interesting was taking place amongst the labourers, carpenters and other workmen. Led by the foreman they had gathered their tools and were intending to set off to confront the tenant of Brook Farm.

  Chapter Eleven

  Bruno was not as eager to jump from the field into the darkness of the wood but did not refuse. Edward kicked the beast into a headlong gallop, not the wisest move when travelling under trees. He flattened himself against the horse's neck and narrowly avoided being unseated more than once.

  The path through the wood emerged onto the track that led around the back of the stables and from there joined up with the lane that the militia would be taking. This was an all mounted brigade but they were not travelling at speed, as he was, and he soon caught up with them.

  He steadied Bruno to a collected canter and yelled for the soldiers at the rear to move aside. They did so and he passed between them safely and arrived at the head of the column.

  'Thorogood, Lieutenant, I believe that Miss Bradshaw and her maid have been abducted and possibly taken to Brook Farm.' He quickly explained how he had come to this extraordinary conclusion. 'I beg you to be circumspect when you arrive.'

  'We shall take every precaution, Mr Trevelyan. You can leave the safety of your ward to us. I can guarantee she will come to no further harm and will be returned to you.' Thorogood had metamorphosed into a formidable young man, obviously the thought that Penny was in danger was enough to harden his resolve.

  He nodded and moved his mount to one side to allow them to ride past. He cursed inwardly that he was helpless to go to her aid himself. It should be him that rescued her, not that jackanapes.

  The groom was waiting on the verge for him to come back. 'Return to the Lodge. I'm going to the Hall.' He had no wish to be obliged to inform Lady Bradshaw that her daughter had possibly been kidnapped. He shuddered at the thought of how this lady might react.

  He was more than a hundred yards away from his destination when he quite clearly heard Penny's voice. He kicked the gelding into a gallop. His arrival sent the group of men that had gathered around her scattering to avoid being trampled underfoot.

  He was off his horse and at her side in seconds. 'Sweetheart, thank God you are safe. I thought you had been taken by those villains from Brook Farm.'

  'I am so glad you are here. Please tell these men that they must not march on the farm themselves. I am, as you can see, relatively unscathed by my unpleasant experience. The militia can deal with whoever tried to abduct me far better than these brave men who are not armed with anything other than cudgels and work implements.'

  'I thank you for your intentions, men, but Miss Bradshaw is correct. Please return to your work.' The words were polite but his voice was firm. They didn't argue and dispersed immediately.

  'Tell me at once what took place. I found blood on the grass and thought it was yours.'

  When she had finished her story he was horrified. 'You could have been murdered if they had got hold of you after your attack. I'm not sure if I am proud of your exploits or not.'

  'I have told you before, I am a resourceful young lady and well able to take care of myself. I still have a letter to deliver and if it is to catch the mail coach it must be taken directly.'

  With a sigh of resignation, he held out his hand and she reached into her habit pocket and handed him the missive. 'Thank you, sir, that is most gracious of you. Mary and I will remain here until you can send the carriage to collect us. As you might have noticed I am somewhat dishevelled.' She held out her skirt and shuddered theatrically. 'I am certain I am infested with crawlers and fleas and intend to do something about it before I am seen by my mother. She would have a fit of the vapours and I can assure you that is not something you want to see.'

  'I shall have fresh garments brought to you. The master suite is ready for occupation. Use that.'

  She smiled her thanks and walked away as if nothing untoward had occurred. He watched her closely and could see that she was limping slightly. If he ever got hold of the bastards who had harmed her they would not survive the experience.

  *

  Mary was already inside and hovering in the impressive entrance hall for Penny to arrive. 'They are ever so kind here, miss, I'm to take you upstairs so you can be attended to.'

  She didn't think she'd been into the master suite but her maid seemed to know the way so she followed her. Her ankle was rather painful where she had turned it at some point during her escapade. She couldn't wait to remove this gown and consign it to the ragbag – after it had been thoroughly laundered of course.

  Her head was itchy as if she already had lice and she intended to get it carefully washed and combed with vinegar at the earliest possible opportunity. There was that ruffian's blood on her person and her gown and she needed to remove that as well.

  'In here, miss, I've never seen the like.'

  Mary ran forward through what would be Edward's bedchamber and out of the other side into the room from which she could hear the sound of water being tipped into a bath. That was exactly what she needed and she could wash her hair at the same time. The fact that she had nothing clean to put on when she emerged from the water did not bother her one jot. She would remain draped in towels until her fresh garments arrived from the Lodge.

  She stopped in delight to see that she was to use his bathing room. The water would cover her completely; she had never been able to be totally immersed apart from the time she had swum in the lake as a child.

  'Are there sufficient towels for me to wash my hair, dry myself and then wear them until my fresh items arrive?'

  The girl giggled and pointed. 'There is no housekeeper here yet but the foreman's wife is running the kitchen. She has found you one of Mr Trevelyan's nightshirts. It's so large you will be perfectly decent wearing that.'

  Her maid seemed unaware that to put on a garment over her naked flesh that had once been over his was highly unsuitable. She looked at the gently steaming, lemon-scented water and decided that this once she would disregard her scruples as she did so wish to use this remarkable bath.

  The experience was every bit as delightful as she'd anticipated. Once she was clean and had luxuriated for half an hour she stepped out, dried herself and put on the nightshirt. Then she kneeled beside the bath and Mary scrubbed her hair and then rubbed vinegar into it.

  'I reckon I'll have to do the same when I get the time. I was even closer to them varmints than you were, miss.'

  The water was gurgling out of the plug in a satisfactory manner. Where it vanished to she had no idea, it was certainly going to make life so much easier for everyone. 'Run downstairs and see if there is any more hot water. If there is you must bath and wash your hair. There's no point in me being free of vermin if you are not also.'

  'If you don't mind, then that would be grand. It's men that bring up the water, so you had better not be in here when they come. There's refreshments been sent up for you and they are in the parlour.'

  'I hope that Mr Trevelyan thinks to send clean clothes for you as well, Mary.'

  'Cook has found me something of hers that will do just fine.'

  Penny, although decently covered, felt slightly uncomfortab
le wandering through Edward's private domain wearing one of his nightshirts and nothing else at all. The day was certainly a day of surprises.

  There were two trays on the table, both covered with clean white cloths and the aroma drifting towards her made her stomach rumble. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and realised she was hungry. She ate her fill of the delicious food and then stretched out on the comfortable daybed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but after the exertions and alarms she had undergone that day she could not keep her eyes open.

  Eventually she awoke to find the sun had begun to set. 'Mary, why didn't you wake me?'

  'Your maid is no longer here, I sent her back.'

  Penny couldn't keep back her squeal of horror to find Edward had been in the room whilst she was lounging about on his chaise longue with only his nightshirt to cover her embarrassment. Then she looked down and saw there was a soft, cotton comforter draped over her so that not an inch was on show that should not be.

  'Why are you here? Mama will be beside herself…'

  'No, sweetheart, she will not. She is cognisant of the circumstances and is designed to the fact that you will not be returning tonight but staying here.'

  She snatched up the comforter and held it under her chin. 'I cannot possibly do that. You should not be in here with me. Where are my clean clothes? Why did you send Mary away when I need her?'

  'I shall endeavour to answer. Your maid would have remained but she was anxious to return the safety of the Lodge and be able to put on her own gown. The one that she was borrowing was far too voluminous and she could not possibly have worked dressed as she was.'

  'That does not explain why you are sitting here when you are as well aware as I am that to be doing so you have compromised us both.'

  'I have done no such thing. I am your guardian, in loco parentis if you like, and it is perfectly proper for me to be in your sitting room in broad daylight.'

  'That is fustian, and you know it, sir. Kindly remove yourself – go downstairs – and allow me to get dressed.'