Whispers in the Wind

by Janet Woods

  Ryder thought about that and didn’t like it. ‘So, you intend to pay court to the pert Miss Sarah Pelham. Has she consented?’

  ‘She has not been informed of my interest yet but it’s my intention to bring her round to the idea gradually, to learn her likes and dislikes. After all she has only just turned sixteen. I was going to ask your permission.’

  Laughter huffed from him. ‘Good grief! Are you always so cold-blooded? Besides, Miss Pelham is not my ward but is employed for clerical duties.’

  ‘A word from you on my behalf might help her see me in a good light.’

  ‘I would prefer a clean break, and for that reason alone I would not encourage a union of marriage between you.’ Ryder’s laughter had an ironic undertone. ‘She is an intelligent young woman who will see right through that. If you wish to impress her you’d be better off stating your case for yourself, since Miss Pelham has a mind of her own. Besides, I don’t seem to be doing too well in matters of the heart. The object of my desire is proving to be a little recalcitrant, but I intend to bring her to heel when the right opportunity presents itself.’

  ‘You still intend to wed Mrs Pelham, then?’

  Ryder gave a faint frown. ‘Can you think of any reason why I shouldn’t?’

  ‘No, my lord. She’s a lively, good-natured young lady, and will make a fine countess deserving of respect.’

  Ashburn had sounded doubtful nevertheless.

  ‘Make sure you remember that, and offer your assistance should she ever need it, that’s all I ask. Think about the other matter, Mr Ashburn. If you decide to go ahead with the sale let me know the numbers as soon as possible. Do not mention the transaction to anyone, else the offer will be withdrawn and the matter will be put before the court. Out of curiosity, where do you intend to go from here if you sell?’

  Ashburn shrugged. ‘I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking I might move abroad eventually. America perhaps, since Miss Pelham talks about the country with great enthusiasm and tells me it has much to offer settlers.’

  Rising, Ryder ambled to the window and gazed down the long driveway, at the tender green colours washing across the land. This place was his home, his life and his future. Just across the distant woodlands, where the stream wound gently through the countryside, his love resided. Now he’d learned that love forgave everything, he wanted nothing more.

  ‘I’ve heard that America is a young man’s country and there is wealth for those who are not afraid to earn it. I don’t envy your freedom to do as you please and be your own man. My days of adventuring are over. Army life cured me of any urge in that direction.’ Though he’d had to admit India had possessed a colourful elegance and an exotic energy all of its own.

  ‘The snake … was that a tall tale?’

  ‘It was a python and it bit me on the ankle. We were bathing in a river and it was in the grass on the bank, minding its own business until I trod on it. At least it bit me on a respectable part of the body, since I was bare-arsed. For that I’m thankful.’

  They chuckled at the funny side of what it might have been, or was it with relief that it hadn’t been the disaster it could have been.

  ‘Bear in mind I’m not in any hurry to lose you, or Miss Pelham come to that. In the meantime I’d be grateful if you kept the matters we’ve discussed in confidence.’

  ‘If you will accept my hand on that assurance, my lord.’

  Exchanging a handshake the two men parted company. Ashburn took with him an aura of tension, and his laughter had been strained. For every plus Ryder seemed to unearth a minus. Something was bothering the man and Ryder wondered if his story was true.

  After Ashburn had gone Ryder drew on his coat and set out. He intended to talk to the reverend next. After that he must go to the Antelope and confront James Pelham, who had contacted Adele and threatened her.

  He found Oliver Bryson in the church and the man gave him a hard stare. Although Ryder had taken to Ashburn a little bit more, he liked the reverend less. But the man represented the church in the area and for that reason alone Ryder could not dismiss him out of hand. It had been obvious to Ryder that even if Ashburn was the reverend’s son, Luke Ashburn owed no allegiance to the father, for he’d never been offered any kinship to him in his younger years, just spent his youth in the company of Anglican priests.

  ‘My lord, to what do I owe this … pleasure.’

  There was nothing humble about this man and Ryder wished he hadn’t bothered to come. It was hard to offer an apology to an adversary who’d become little more than a thorn in his side … worse to allow his temper to suggest that the man give up his living.

  ‘Can we please stop this sparring. I’m here to straighten matters out between us.’

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘I was hasty when I suggested you should give up your living. My temper got the better of me.’

  ‘Yes it did … but I’ve been thinking on it, my lord. Perhaps I should depart, since it will have no effect on the eventual outcome of the Madigan inheritance.’

  He was not going to get an admission of any responsibility from the reverend.

  ‘May I remind you that will change when I marry and produce children.’

  The reverend ignored that notion. ‘There’s a living becoming vacant in Hampshire and I was just about to write to the bishop about it. It’s a larger parish and it pays more than this one.’

  Ryder knew when he was being manipulated, and he wasn’t going to let his relative get away with it. He cancelled any apology he’d been about to make. ‘As you wish then, Reverend. I came here in all good intention to retract my earlier comments regarding the position you currently fill and to take the matter of your income into my own hands. I intend to increase it.

  ‘My one regret is that you are regarding me with hostility, and at every turn you seek to undermine me in the community. I understand the reason why,’ and he threw a barb into the ring. ‘The difference in our ages and the remaining length of our lives will decide for us. You might die tomorrow, and so might I.’

  ‘Perhaps there’s something you need to be made aware of, my lord.’

  ‘You’d be a fool to imagine any past indiscretion of yours has remained a secret, if that’s what you’re referring to. One thing, Reverend, I understand you were called to missionary work in the past, I find it odd that you didn’t tell me.’

  ‘You were a child, and one doesn’t discuss such matters with a child. Besides, there was no need for you to be informed of that which was my sole business.’

  ‘When that business concerns the lineage of the Madigan estate, it does.’

  An atmosphere of wariness suddenly surrounded them. ‘My lord?’

  ‘You know very well what I’m alluding to. If I’m wrong I owe you an apology. However, I intend to have any claim to the title and the Madigan estate lands investigated thoroughly, and will engage my former companion in arms, Hal Stover, for the task. It seems that a lie passed on by the tattletales is accepted as the truth in the district these days. Good day to you, Reverend. Do let me know your intentions, and in good time for the Church hierarchy to suggest a new man to me to take up the position, should I require it. We don’t want the congregation to suffer from a lack of spiritual guidance, do we?’

  Bryson looked as though he’d like to floor him, but he didn’t have the courage. Mary Bryson edged through the door. A flush stained her cheeks and there was a fidgety look to her. She moved from one foot to the other.

  She was a handsome-looking woman, except she was thin. Discontent had scored taut lines into her features and they looked permanent. Her skirts half-concealed a pistol as she went to stand by Oliver Bryson, the weapon ready to discharge. She couldn’t miss at this range. He remembered she’d won the women’s purse for shooting at the recent fair. Goosebumps raced down his spine. She wouldn’t miss at any range!

  The reverend turned and shifted into her line of vision. ‘That pistol is not needed, Mary, give it to me,’ he said gently.
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  ‘Then will you give me my medicine? The devils are inside me.’

  When he gave a defeated sigh and nodded Mary did as she was told.

  Ryder noticed that her eyes were light brown and the pupils were staring and enlarged, despite the dim light inside the church. He’d seen eyes like those before and he gave a swift intake of breath. ‘I’m sorry … I didn’t realize. How long has she been …?’

  ‘On medication?’ The reverend slid an arm around his wife’s waist. ‘Since the doctor prescribed it after she fell and banged her head. That was two years ago. Mary gets odd notions in her head, and the … medicine … helps to calm her.’

  ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

  ‘We don’t need your pity, my lord.’

  ‘I’m not offering it. I was thinking of something practical … someone to look after her on a permanent basis, perhaps.’

  ‘We can manage.’ He was stiff-necked with pride.

  Striding away from the pair with the woman’s disconcerting glare boring into his back, Ryder thought: Ashburn had been right. Mary Bryson did show signs of instability, but she also displayed signs of laudanum addiction.

  He stopped at the door and turned. ‘I’m sorry, and I won’t insist that you lose your living.’

  ‘It matters not, if I can get the Hampshire position. It has a hospice run by the Anglican sisters of mercy.’

  So it hadn’t been bravado when he’d mentioned it before. ‘I’ll send a note of recommendation to the bishop if you decide that way.’

  ‘Thank you, my lord, I know I can rely on your discretion.’

  Mary said, ‘Discretion? There’s precious little of that in these parts. The Lord will bring fire and rain and only those without sin will survive. There’s no place in heaven for sinners.’

  ‘Hush, Mary,’ the reverend said tiredly.

  Mounting Henry, Ryder rode off towards Poole without a backward glance.

  Ryder’s anger at himself had abated by the time he reached the harbour town, due no doubt to the hustle and bustle of the crowds, the sea air and the piquant smell of the mud, for the tide was out.

  He entered the Antelope Hotel and enquired if James Pelham had left town. The place was bustling. In the yard, luggage and parcels were being loaded onto a coach and the horses, muscular beasts, fretted to be off.

  He didn’t intend to stay here long, and left Henry in the charge of a lad, along with the promise of a ha’penny piece for his trouble.

  ‘Not yet, my lord. Mr Pelham had some business to conduct about town, I believe. If you’d care to wait in the parlour I’ll furnish you with a mutton pie and a tankard of my best ale to wash it down with.’

  James Pelham walked with a long-legged stride. Under his arm he carried a satchel.

  When the innkeeper spoke to him, he turned towards Ryder and nodded.

  Ryder stood and the pair shook hands.

  ‘I have only a few moments to spare before the coach departs, my lord. How can I help you?’

  ‘Mrs Pelham received the remains of a pair of travelling trunks that had been stolen or mislaid. I’m representing her in the matter you raised.’

  His smile faded. ‘Forgive me for being frank, but I’m given to understand that you and the lady concerned are … involved.’

  ‘From whom?’

  ‘Someone who claims to be related to you.’

  He didn’t have to strain his mind to realize who that was. ‘I have the utmost respect for Mrs Pelham. As for us being involved, that, sir, is a slanderous falsehood, along with the suggestion that she may have stolen from you.’

  The man bristled. ‘Nevertheless, items were missing that belonged to my family.’

  ‘Stolen by Edgar Pelham in the first place, I imagine.’

  ‘But taken from his estate after his death.’

  ‘Surely his goods should go to his next of kin.’

  ‘That woman is not his next of kin. They were not even wed. The Church advised me that a shipboard marriage is invalid in its eyes. I had already disowned him.’

  ‘And the child … what about her?’

  ‘Child?’

  ‘Your granddaughter … Sarah Pelham.’

  ‘Sarah?’ He looked suddenly bewildered. ‘Sarah is dead. We received a letter from Edgar a few months after he absconded with her. She died of a fever in Boston.’

  ‘And what of Sarah’s mother?’

  ‘Gwen fell down a flight of stairs just before Edgar left … and she died from her injuries. She and Edgar never got on.’

  ‘Is that why you disowned him?’

  His voice became a whisper. ‘No … yes … I couldn’t be sure. Jeffery … it’s hard when you suspect your own son of criminal behaviour. My younger son suspected Edgar of harming Gwen too. He accused him and they fought.’

  Ryder began to stitch it all together. ‘Allow me fill the rest of it in for you, Mr Pelham, because I want to get this straight. You suspected that your elder son, Edgar Pelham, killed his sister-in-law. Your younger son, Jeffery, who was her husband at the time, accused Edgar of the crime and threatened to have him arrested. Edgar fled, taking Sarah with him. She was only a child at the time.’

  James Pelham nodded. ‘That’s about it.

  Ryder sighed. ‘Here’s some information you need to be made aware of. Edgar Pelham came to Dorset, recommended as an architect for some restoration work by the reverend’s wife, who is apparently a relation.’

  ‘A very distant one. I can’t say I ever met her but we have corresponded on ocassion.’

  ‘I dismissed Edgar Pelham because his work was well below standard.’

  ‘He failed his master’s examination and obtained forged certification.’

  ‘Later, and out of spite, I imagine, he tricked a decent young woman into leaving her bridegroom on the eve of their wedding and he used force to remove her from the care those who loved her.’

  ‘Am I to take it that bridegroom was you?’

  ‘It was. Your son shamed her, making it impossible for her to return home. That is the woman you now accuse of stealing from you. Believe me, she arrived back home with nothing to her name except the clothing she wore.’

  ‘She should have left him?’

  ‘She would have, except she feared for the life of the child he had with him … a little girl called Sarah.’

  Pelham’s eyes reflected his confusion.

  ‘The coach is leaving in five minutes, sir,’ the innkeeper called out.

  ‘Tell it to wait!’ Ryder ordered.

  Looking anguished, James Pelham whispered, ‘What mockery is this? Sarah was my younger son’s child. Edgar stole her away and then wrote to say she’d died. My lord … you talk as if … does Sarah still live?’

  ‘She does.’

  ‘Oh … thank God!’ and tears sprang to his eyes. ‘Jeffery won’t believe it until he sees her himself. He is married again and has a son. I don’t know how his wife will take it. She’s not much older than Sarah would be now.’

  ‘The coach, sir?’

  ‘Give me a minute.’

  They rose together. ‘May I see Sarah?’

  ‘Not until she’s properly prepared. Rest assured, she has been well looked after and loved all these years. Not by Edgar, I’m given to understand, though she thought he was her father. Can you return in a week with your son? It will give me time to prepare Sarah, and also the people who love her. By then I hope I can assemble enough evidence to convince you not to take this before a magistrate, because you will just be persecuting the innocent.’

  ‘What’s a week after all this time? There’s one thing you should know, my lord. Mary Bryson contacted me recently. She made claims that need investigation, because if they are true the woman concerned must be brought to account for such a deed.’

  ‘What deed is that?’

  ‘That you can assess for yourself, my lord.’ Fishing in his pocket he brought out a piece of folded paper and held it out. ‘It relates to my son’s death.�
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  Ryder was reluctant to take it. ‘Mary Bryson is ill. Without her medicine she is liable to lose control of her emotions, and imagine things. Anything she says should be ignored.’

  ‘A suspicious death cannot be ignored.’

  ‘Suspicious death? I would advise you not to repeat such a scandalous proposition to anyone. In fact, the matter of your son’s death has already been dealt with by a maritime board. Statements written by Mrs Pelham and two eyewitness accounts are on file in Bridport. Your son’s death was an accident.’ Ryder handed the man his card. ‘I will see you in a week so we can get this matter cleared up.’

  The innkeeper rushed in. ‘Sir … you must come at once, the coachman said he is about leave, with or without you.’

  ‘I’m coming.’ The man nodded and Ryder took the letter.

  James Pelham strode to the coach and the fretting horses.

  A crack of the whip and the coach and its passengers clattered away.

  Ryder gazed at the letter in his hand with a strong sense of foreboding. He was not in the mood to read it. He folded it into its creases and slid it into his pocket. Then he strolled over to St James’ Church to speak to the rector there, and was pleasantly surprised to find the bishop visiting.

  ‘My lord, You are just the person I wanted to see,’ Ryder said with an expansive smile.

  Fourteen

  My dearest Ryder. Please accept my sincere apology for my rudeness. Nothing you did or said warranted such a remark, which came from anger. Because I know you to be honest and sincere, I must believe you when you say you still love me, and on that premise you must forgive me. In return you must also believe me when I say there’s a reason why I cannot allow myself to love you in return. Something so terrible happened it still haunts my dreams. Should it become common knowledge it would ruin every kind or romantic notion you have ever had of me. Ryder, friend of my heart, we must not see each other again. I’ll always keep you close to my heart.