Lucasta

by Melinda Hammond

  ‘He would most assuredly know that Adam is innocent.’

  Lucasta looked at the duchess, frowning a little. ‘Is that why Lord Kennington is gone out of Town?’

  The duchess opened her eyes at her.

  ‘Has my godson left Town?’

  Lucasta waved an impatient hand.

  ‘There is no need to deny it, ma’am: he told me as much at the play the other night. Where has he gone, Your Grace? Is he hunting down this new witness? Is he gone to Hansford, perhaps?’

  ‘Hush, Lucasta. Let us not speculate any further upon this matter. Be assured that when there is some news, some real news, I shall tell you of it.’

  With this promise Lucasta had to be content, although she found it hard to settle to anything for the rest of the day, and was glad when the time came to prepare for the evening’s entertainment.

  ‘Really Lucasta, you seem very eager to go out,’ remarked Lady Symonds, as they went upstairs together. ‘All this talk of your not wishing to go abroad, I knew it was all nonsense. You are not so very different from your sister: I knew you would come to enjoy yourself if you only put in a little effort.’

  Lucasta shook her head, laughing, but she did not disagree. She wanted to attend all the balls and evening parties with her sister, eager to hear what was being said about Adam, however painful it might be. By forcing herself to go into society, she found that she had gradually overcome most of the awkwardness she felt on such occasions. In addition to this, most of the new acquaintances she met were so dazzled by Camilla that she no longer had the impression of being weighed up and assessed. If only Adam had been free of suspicion she thought she might even have enjoyed herself. As Lucasta accompanied her mother and sister into yet another ballroom, the knowledge that Adam would not be present doused her in a wave of disappointment. Camilla laughed, danced and flirted in her usual manner. If anything, she seemed even more vivacious, thought Lucasta: as if she was relieved that the viscount’s disturbing presence had been removed.

  Lucasta found the evening even more trying than usual, for all the talk was of the new witness. It seemed that the notice had been placed in every newspaper. Even Camilla was obliged to listen to comment upon it, for Lucasta heard Sir Hilary Collingham discussing the latest development as he escorted Camilla back to her party after a particularly energetic bourée.

  ‘A reliable witness is the very thing,’ he remarked, his round, boyish face glowing with the exercise of the dance. ‘Kennington will be very glad to have that. I hope they track the fellow down as soon as maybe, then we can bring this sorry business to a close.’

  ‘You believe the viscount to be innocent, Sir Hilary?’ asked Lucasta, warming to the young man.

  ‘Indeed I do, Miss Symonds. I’ve known the viscount for years, never known him do an ungentlemanly thing.’

  ‘But the evidence,’ sighed Camilla.

  ‘Damn the evidence – begging your pardon, ladies,’ exclaimed Sir Hilary. ‘Even if I saw Kennington do such a thing with my own eyes I should still think there must be some reason for it. A man don’t change, Miss Symonds, and that’s a fact.’

  Sir Hilary’s words cheered Lucasta and it was in a sunnier mood that she joined her mother and sister at the breakfast table the following morning. However, she could persuade neither of them to stir out of the house before noon to accompany her to the circulating library, so she left them yawning over their coffee cups and set off with only her maid for company. She was crossing Hanover Square when she saw Jacob Potts watching her from the corner of one of the streets. She hailed him cheerfully and stopped to wait for him to come up to her.

  ‘Good day to you, Mr Potts. How is your leg today?’

  ‘It’s healing nicely, miss, I thank you. I hardly limp at all now, you will notice.’

  ‘I do, sir, and wonder that you do not look more happy about it.’ She hesitated. ‘I am on my way to Bond Street: will you not give me your company? Hannah will drop behind.’ She smiled at the maid who gave her a speculative look.

  ‘I ain’t sure the mistress would like that, miss.’

  Lucasta’s lips twitched, knowing Hannah was calculating how much her silence was worth.

  ‘Well, we will discuss it with Lady Symonds when we get back,’ she said pleasantly, the steely look in her eye making it quite clear that there was no possibility of bribes on this occasion. She walked on, slowing her pace a little to accommodate Jacob’s dragging step.

  ‘So, Mr Potts, I thought you would have gone out of Town with Lord Kennington.’

  ‘Aye, miss, that’s what I would’ve thought, too,’ grumbled the groom. ‘But I’m to stay, to make it look as if his lordship is skulking in Filwood House.’

  ‘But surely the general’s men who are watching the house will grow suspicious if they do not see the viscount himself.’

  ‘Ah, but they do see him.’ Potts allowed himself a little smile. He glanced about to make sure there was no one within earshot. ‘The watchers do see him, miss. Every so often the duchess has one of her trusted lackeys put on Lord Kennington’s coat and parade in front of the window.’

  ‘Good heavens!’

  ‘Aye, fooled ’em proper, she has, for his lordship slipped out yesterday and is now heaven knows where and mayhap getting himself into all sorts of bother without me.’ His mouth worked as if he was gathering himself up to spit, then he thought better of his company and merely sighed.

  Lucasta’s lips twitched as his despondency and she said in a bracing tone, ‘The duchess and Lord Kennington know what they are about and I am sure they will tell us in good time. But tell me, have you visited Milk Street recently? Is the cheesemonger flourishing?’

  It was a lucky shot: Jacob straightened himself.

  ‘Aye, it happens that I have been buying a fair bit o’ cheese recently. As a matter o’ fact, I was there yesterday.’

  ‘And how is Mistress Jessop?’ Lucasta observed his suspicious look and added hastily, ‘I greatly admire her, a woman alone, running a business.’

  ‘She has a fine head on her shoulders,’ agreed Jacob.

  And a fine pair of shoulders, Lucasta added silently, remembering the ease with which the widow had moved the great cheeses. She dragged her thoughts back to more serious matters.

  ‘But are you not afraid that you will be discovered? Would it not look suspicious if you were seen so close to Miesel’s lodgings?’

  ‘Lord love you, those watching Filwood House don’t know I’m gone, and the ones keepin’ an eye on Miesel haven’t got the sense to look at anyone else! I changes me coat, puts on a hat and winds a muffler around me neck and they wouldn’t recognize me from Adam. In fact,’ he scowled suddenly, ‘I didn’t see anyone watching Miesel at all yesterday, and I was there for most o’ the day.’

  ‘All that time buying cheese?’ murmured Lucasta at her most innocent.

  ‘One of the windows in the back room was broken and I fixed it, that’s all.’

  ‘Yes, of course you did,’ she said, a laugh trembling in her voice. ‘Any gentleman would do the same. Pray do not mind me, Mr Potts. Do carry on.’

  His reproving look almost overset her gravity, but she averted her eyes, staring hard at the pavement until he continued.

  ‘Well, anyway, as I was saying I was in Milk Street most o’ the day, and saw no one hanging around outside at all. So when Miesel takes himself off to the Raven for his dinner I follows him. No one knows who I am, o’ course, but having been in the tavern on a couple of occasions no one takes any notice o’ me, now, so I takes a flagon of porter and sits meself down quietly in one corner, watching Miesel. Well, blow me if he doesn’t eat up his dinner then announces that he’s off. An appointment, he says. That made me sit up a bit, and I took meself out into the street before he had settled up, so it didn’t look like I was following him. Then I hung around on the corner until he came out.’

  ‘And where did he go?’

  ‘Whitechapel, miss. Very shady place. It wouldn’t be
too strong to say it was in the rookeries.’

  ‘And you followed him there? Oh Jacob, what if he had seen you?’

  ‘No need to look so grim, miss; there wasn’t no danger of that. It was drizzling and Miesel had his head down so he wasn’t paying attention. But since I could see no one else keeping an eye on our friend I thought it might prove useful.’

  ‘Where did he go?’

  ‘I followed him to this low tavern. There he gets into conversation with a group of pretty ugly characters. I daren’t get too close, but they looked very much as if they were up to no good, so I keeps me ears pinned and stays in the corner with a flash o’ lightning (that’d be gin to you). Then Miesel gets up to go, and I hear him say, quiet-like, “Do not forget, Finsbury Fields tomorrow – eight o’clock”.’

  ‘Heavens! And did you tell Lord Kennington about this?’

  ‘Didn’t have a chance, miss. He’s been gone for a couple of days.’

  ‘The duchess, then.’

  ‘Well, I was going to, then I thought p’raps I should tell this Mr Loughton, so when he came round to check up on us all I mentioned it to him, and gets ticked off for me pains! He objected to my giving his men the slip.’

  ‘But did he listen to you: is he going to have Miesel followed?’

  Jacob aimed a kick at a stone on the flagway.

  ‘He tells me that his men knows their business, which was to tell me to mind my own, if you ask me.’

  ‘But we know that Miesel is a villain.’

  ‘Aye,’ he retorted gloomily. ‘And he’s up to more mischief, you mark my words.’

  Lucasta fixed him with a steady, determined gaze.

  ‘Then we must find out what it is, Jacob!’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Lady Symonds regarded Lucasta in her riding habit and gave a sigh of resignation.

  ‘So you are out again.’

  ‘Yes. The duchess sends her groom and a mount for me.’ She crossed her fingers behind her back: she hoped her mother would not recognize Potts as the viscount’s groom rather than a member of the duchess’s staff.

  ‘I suppose it would be futile to tell you to keep your distance.’

  ‘Completely, Mama,’ replied Lucasta cheerfully.

  ‘Your new habit looks very fine,’ remarked her sister. ‘It shows your figure to great advantage, and the colour suits you: nut brown was an excellent choice. I hope you are not planning to flirt with Kennington.’

  A slight flush tinged Lucasta’s cheek.

  ‘I have no expectation of seeing the viscount, Camilla. You know very well that he is out of Town at present.’

  ‘Well it would do you no good if you did,’ replied Camilla waspishly. ‘He is violently in love with me.’

  ‘And if you wish to keep his love perhaps you should show him a little more attention when you next meet!’

  ‘Girls, pray stop your bickering! Lucasta, I see a groom in the street, and leading a very fine horse, too. It will be the duchess’s man: you had best be off.’

  Lucasta dropped a swift kiss upon her mother’s powdered cheek.

  ‘If her grace asks me to stay for dinner it would be impolite of me to refuse, Mama. Pray do not be alarmed if I am not back by dusk.’

  Lady Symonds sank back in her chair and put her hand over her eyes.

  ‘You will not be satisfied until you have dragged us all into disgrace, I know it.’

  ‘No, no, Mama, how can you think that? Besides, when Lord Kennington is proved innocent you will be glad we did not sever the connection.’

  ‘If he is proved innocent.’

  ‘Sir Hilary was quite confident of the outcome,’ remarked Camilla.

  Lady Symonds snorted.

  ‘Sir Hilary is a fool.’

  Camilla’s blue eyes flashed.

  ‘Mama, how can you say so? He was very attentive towards us last night. Yes, and you were most gracious – it is not seemly for you to disparage him in this way.’

  ‘Well, he is a very genial fool, and a rich one, too, I’ll grant you that. But I think you will find he is in the minority, supporting Kennington. Most people prefer to keep their counsel.’

  Lucasta picked up her gloves.

  ‘Most people are hypocrites,’ she said bitterly. ‘When Kennington is acquitted they will all declare they never for a moment doubted his innocence.’

  ‘That is the way of the world, Lucasta, and you would do well to conform.’

  ‘Not if it means going against my conscience!’

  With a swish of her skirts Lucasta whisked herself out of the room.

  ‘And who’s been setting you in a high dudgeon, if you will forgive me for asking,’ muttered Jacob as he threw her up into the saddle.

  ‘It does not matter. Oh, I beg your pardon, Jacob, I should not be uncivil to you because I am out of temper. Let us talk of other things. This is a fine mare, does the duchess ride her?’

  ‘Aye, miss, this is one of her grace’s favourite hacks. She was bred at Filwood. The old duke established an excellent stud farm there.’

  ‘And does the present duke continue the tradition?’

  Jacob did not answer until he was firmly mounted upon his own horse.

  ‘Aye, although he doesn’t keep the racing stock any longer, being of a more cautious nature.’

  ‘I’d wager that does not please her grace.’ She observed his hesitation and laughed. ‘I shall not press you to answer that, Jacob. I would not have you criticize either the duchess or her son. Tell me instead if you have spoken to Mr Loughton.’

  ‘No, miss. I called at Bow Street, as we agreed, but he was not there and they would not tell me when he was expected. But I did leave a message for him.’

  ‘Then we can do no more. Perhaps he is at Hansford with the viscount. If that is the case then we have no choice: we must go to Finsbury Fields ourselves to see what is afoot.’

  She set her horse to a trot and was soon leaving the familiar, fashionable streets behind. They rode eastwards towards the city before Jacob turned north and led the way past the old Artillery ground and on through narrow, decaying streets with rickety housing and the occasional burst of new building work.

  ‘Only a little way now, miss. Finsbury Fields are just past the almshouse here. Look, you can see the windmills.’

  She stared at the majestic towers with their huge sails.

  ‘What business could Miesel have here, I wonder?’

  ‘There’s an inn a little way on, miss: perhaps he’s going there.’

  ‘Well we cannot go in and ask. I do not wish to draw attention to ourselves.’

  They rode on and soon the road turned to a rutted lane, the houses disappeared and they found themselves riding between straggling hedges with large open fields stretching away to each side. They were buffeted by the sharp wind and the only sound was the swish from the sails of the windmills.

  ‘Heavens what a bleak place!’ Lucasta exclaimed, pulling up the collar of her riding jacket.

  ‘And it will be even bleaker, soon, for the mills will shut down at dusk, and every law-abiding person will be going home to his bed.’

  ‘Then perhaps we should make ourselves less conspicuous,’ suggested Lucasta, looking around her. ‘Look, the windmill over there is already stopped and everything closed up. If we go behind the tower we will not be visible from the road.’

  ‘Just what are we expecting to see?’ asked Potts, following her across the field.

  ‘Well, I do not know, but if Miesel is up to no good, it cannot do any harm to know of it. This is perfect; the elevated position gives us an excellent view of the fields and the lane running through the middle. Now, we have about an hour until dusk, and when the light begins to fail, no one will see us here. Let us dismount: I prefer to spend the waiting time sitting on a tree stump than in the saddle.’

  Kicking her foot from the stirrup Lucasta slipped nimbly to the ground but instead of sitting down she walked up and down, tapping her riding whip impatiently
against her skirts. Potts tethered the horses and sat down on an empty barrel. He took out a small packet and began to unwrap it. She stopped her pacing and watched him.

  ‘More cheese, Jacob?’

  ‘Aye, tasty it is, too. From Lancashire, I’m told. It goes well with a glass o’ Nants – that’s brandy, miss, and I just happens to have a flask in my saddle-bag, should we feel the cold later.’

  ‘You are becoming an expert on cheeses.’ Her lips curved into a smile. ‘Perhaps you have a yearning to go into the business?’

  ‘Aye, well, that I might, one day.’

  She laughed at him.

  ‘I wish you joy then, Jacob.’ She turned again to look out over the fields. ‘It seems very busy now.’

  A number of figures were moving along the lane.

  ‘Mayhap they are returning from market,’ suggested Jacob.

  ‘Mayhap.’ Lucasta peered into the twilight. ‘Although they seem to be moving off the path … yes, they are going into the woods.’ Suddenly, her heart was beating hard. ‘Jacob, if you were going to lie in wait for someone, where would you choose to do it?’

  He put the cheese back into his pocket and came to stand beside her.

  ‘Down there, where the road runs between the trees.’

  ‘Did you recognize any of them?’

  ‘Not from this distance. They could be footpads … perhaps we should go back …’

  ‘No, indeed. We must wait to see what happens.’ She shivered in the cold wind. ‘Although I do wish I had worn a surcoat.’

  ‘But this could get dangerous. Let us go back to the inn and fetch help.’

  She shook her head.

  ‘If we leave here now we would be seen. Besides, it is growing dark, and we might miss something.’

  ‘I wish I had never agreed to this,’ muttered Potts miserably.

  ‘There is nothing to be afraid of, Jacob.’

  He drew himself up, saying indignantly, ‘I ain’t afraid, miss, leastways not for meself, but her grace will never forgive me if you was to be in danger, and with only me to protect you.’

  She gave him a mischievous look.