Harry knew that the governor was paid good money to work reasonable hours at the poor house. The fact that he frequently failed to turn up for work indicated that he either wasn’t interested in what went on there, and had no authority over anything that happened anymore. His job was more a token position rather than one which actually carried responsibilities, and that was seriously worrying. If Cragdale had effectively been squeezed out of his position, Harry couldn’t understand why he would be willing to still ‘officially’ be in charge of how the place was run.
Where was the Board of Trustees in all of this? Surely they had regular meetings and toured the place?
With more questions than answers, Harry pushed it all to one side for now and turned his attention to what was going on in front of him.
“I have Cragdale’s direction, and details of the Board of Trustees,” Joseph announced, and nodded to a pile of books and parchment beside the front door. “The registers are there, along with everything else we need.”
“Good,” Harry growled. “I am looking forward to taking a look through them.”
Tilly glanced up at him, and shivered at the ruthlessness evident in that husky growl. To her astonishment, he then glanced down at her with a smile that was completely contradictory to the anger that had been visible to everyone moments earlier.
“We won’t be long. Then we will get you out of here, and take you back to the Rectory where you will be nice and warm,” he assured her in a voice that was as gentle as a warm summer’s breeze.
It was all she could do to nod without bursting into tears, and couldn’t help but wonder what had happened over the course of the last week to bring about such a change in him.
After all, she had appeared at his house looking for a job. There was no job. He had given her money to reimburse her for her wasted ticket, and sent her on her way again. He had been considerably more generous than many people would have been. Most people wouldn’t have given her money, or their time, and would have simply sent her on her way again without an explanation.
Harry was different though. His generosity had gone far beyond giving her some money. He had also followed her to the poor house to get her out, and was so caring toward her that she was slightly flummoxed to know why he was being so generous.
She studied the tall, commanding men who had informed everyone that they worked for His Majesty’s government, and wondered just what they were up to.
Was her fake letter the reason they were there?
“What’s going on?” she whispered, and nodded to the wardens on the floor.
In spite of her questions, it was a relief to see them thus. Now that she was free from their threat, she felt her old self start to resurface and, for the first time since she had taken her seat on a carriage that had left Cambley Hamden a week and a half ago, she started to relax.
“I will explain later,” he whispered.
She shivered again as the warmth of his breath brushed the delicate curve of her ear, but she found that her head tipped toward his intimately before she even realised she had done it.
Was it her imagination, or had he just brushed a gentle kiss across her temple. A fierce blush immediately coloured her cheeks, but she daren’t look at him.
If he had just kissed her, what was she supposed to say? Thank you?
When words failed her, she nodded and kept her gaze on the handful of men who appeared to be in complete control of the fifteen or so wardens.
While she gazed around the hall in stunned disbelief, Harry took the opportunity to study her a little more closely. She was frozen; that much was obvious. In addition to that though, there were dark shadows beneath her eyes that warned him she hadn’t slept at all well while she had been here. Obviously the conditions were so harsh that she had struggled to rest properly in spite of the exhaustion the enforced hard work brought with it, and that made him incredibly angry.
However, in spite of the hardships she had endured, she was just as stunningly beautiful as he remembered.
When he did finally turn his attention back to what Marcus and Joseph were doing, he found it impossible to ignore just how wonderful it was to have her beside him. The shocking effect this young woman had on him in such a short space of time would have unnerved him, if it had been anyone other than Tilly. Something about her called to a hidden yearning deep within him that he had never previously realised existed. Had it lain dormant; waiting for the day that she entered his life? It certainly felt like he had been waiting his entire life for her.
He had foolishly let her go once. Now that he had her back, he was damned well going to keep her right by his side where he could make sure she was alright; now and forevermore. All he had to do was convince her to stay; not at Tooting Mallow; the place was really nothing more than the arse end of Hell; but somewhere else. Like his newly acquired home in Cumbria.
Tilly heaved a sigh of relief when Harry turned his attention away from her. She was painfully aware that his gaze had searched every inch of her, and she wondered what he was looking at. She knew that she must look a fright but, given her circumstances, what had he expected?
She struggled desperately not to poke at her hair and check that her face was clean. She felt frozen, yet hot and bothered at the same time. What had he been looking for? What did he see?
I wish I had a mirror, she thought, and glanced around the cold stone walls of the huge fortress that were no help whatsoever.
She had yet to understand who Harry and his friends were, but it was evident from the way that the men had gathered lists, collected keys from the wardens, and were currently directing the residents to look after certain parts of the main building, that they were all used to working with stern authority, and having people do exactly as they wanted.
With nothing else to do, she turned her attention to Harry. He was tall, strong, and had an air of command about him that immediately made her want to agree to whatever he suggested. He was logical, thoughtful, and cared about people. Her heart began to beat just a little faster as she studied the fine layer of stubble on his jaw, and she felt a yearning for him that she had never felt for anyone before, settle deep inside her.
Whoever he was; wherever he had come from; whatever he was doing there, she was incredibly grateful for it; and him, for his help in getting her out of there. Without him, she knew that she would have been doomed to a life of desolate servitude with no hope of escape.
She slowly became aware that someone was staring at her. Her gaze scanned the people in the hallway until she met the rather baleful glare of Mrs Taylor. It was vaguely satisfying to be able to give the draconian warden one, brief, dismissive look before she turned her attention somewhere else. She didn’t bother to look at the woman again. If she never saw her again, Tilly would be a happy person.
While Marcus turned his attention to selecting residents to look after specific areas of the main building, Harry turned his attention to Tilly, Suzanna and Zack.
“Right, let’s get you out of here,” Harry murmured gently.
Her stomach flipped as she lifted her gaze to his. For a moment, time hung suspended between them. The hall they stood in, and the people in it, seemed to fade into the background as a wealth of unspoken emotion swept between them. She saw lingering anger but, contrastingly, also calm reassurance in his steady gaze, and almost wept at the gentleness of his hold when he swept her high into his arms again. It was something she had never thought to feel in her entire life, and something that she wanted to experience time and again.
Harry stared down into the small glint of hope that lingered within the depths of her beautiful green eyes and made himself a promise that he would do whatever it took to make sure that she was looked after, the way someone as beautiful, gentle, and innocent as Tilly should be.
The wave of protectiveness that swept through shook him a little with its ferocity. However, given how much she had haunted his every waking moment, he began to suspect that it wasn’t the harshness
of her recent ordeal that brought about his determination to look after her. It was the woman herself who seemed to call out to him. His desperate need to answer that call was something he knew would change him, and his entire life, forever but, if he was completely honest, he wasn’t altogether sure that he minded all that much.
“Suzanna, Zack, you two come with us,” Harry called and turned around to watch Joseph slide the bolts back on the front door.
“I will stay and help out here,” Barnaby declared as he walked Suzanna and Zack to the door. He smiled at the young boy. “Go get yourself some good food, and try not to worry. The worst is over now, young man.”
Tilly glanced at Suzanna, who had yet to stop crying. Her heart went out to her. She fully sympathised with Suzanna’s emotions, and battled to keep her own tears at bay as Harry ushered everyone out of the building and into fresh air and freedom.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, when her stomach growled hungrily.
Harry grinned at her but remained silent.
Once again, her stomach churned noisily. She tried to hide it behind an uncomfortable cough, but knew she hadn’t succeeded when Zack giggled.
“Come on, I need some food too,” Harry declared firmly. “This carriage here is ours.”
Tilly stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, and tipped her head back to absorb the warmth of the wonderful new day. In spite of her best efforts, a single stray tear still escaped, but she didn’t let it bother her. Nothing could mar the precious moment of realisation that she was free from that awful prison – at last.
She slowly became aware that Harry’s gaze was on her again. He looked a little worried, so she gave him a watery smile of assurance that made him smile in return.
Harry felt his throat close at the sight of the sheer joy on her face. It warmed his heart to know that she as free, and was never going to have to go back and, for a moment, he had to focus a little too intently on helping everyone climb aboard before he made a complete fool of himself.
“Do you still have the coins I gave you?” Harry asked and watched as Tilly removed them from her pocket and held them out to him. “You don’t need them now, but keep them. I am not asking because I want them back, I just didn’t know if they had taken them off you for some reason.”
“They didn’t know I had them,” Tilly replied wryly. “As soon as I arrived I was swept straight through the main hall and into a room. I didn’t get the chance to stop and talk to anyone. So I kept them on me. The only thing that Mrs Taylor didn’t do was search me personally, although I rather suspect that my belongings were rifled through.” She gasped and turned to stare at him in horror. “My things,” she whispered in dismay.
“Do you really need them? Are they valuable?”
Tilly stared at him and nodded. “I have left a couple of my mother’s things in my room. They are all I have left of her,” she whispered in a voice that was so distraught that Harry felt his heart flip, and he knew that he couldn’t ignore her silent plea.
“Wait here a minute. I will ask Barnaby to make sure they are collected for you,” Harry said, then turned to Zack and Suzanna. “Do you two have things from your family still in there too?”
Unsurprisingly, they nodded.
Harry accompanied his thumps on the poor house door with a loud whistle. Unbeknown to everyone, it was the Star Elite’s usual method of gaining entry to somewhere that was heavily guarded. Barnaby appeared in the doorway moments later and nodded when Harry whispered his request into his ear.
“He will bring them with him later,” he assured Tilly, Zack and Suzanna, when he resumed his seat on the carriage.
To everyone’s utter relief, he then clicked the horse into a walk that took them all away from the building that had haunted everyone aboard.
CHAPTER TEN
“Thank you,” Tilly said softly once the carriage had turned out of the long driveway.
It felt like a lifetime ago that she had walked through those tall, stone pillars, which marked the last vestige of hope for many, and the long, downward spiral of hopelessness for all of the residents. If only she had known then what she knew now she would have turned away and lived under a bush. Anything was better than what she had been through.
The busy street was a little more familiar than it had been a week ago, but she still didn’t feel as though she belonged there. As Harry guided the coach through the other carriages, Tilly found herself leaning toward him, as though silently seeking his protection from the cacophony and threat of other people.
Harry’s heart went out to her, and he instinctively swept one comforting arm around her as he turned the carriage down the main street.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” he assured her.
“I know, I just don’t like it,” she sighed with a frown.
“The chaos will soon be behind us,” he said, although didn’t know which chaos he meant; the chaos in the main street, or that within the walls of the poor house.
It was all Tilly could do to nod, but she wasn’t sure whether Harry had seen her because he was staring rigidly at someone who stood beside the front door of one of the taverns.
The man he was looking at had one burly shoulder propped nonchalantly against the wall. His rather intent gaze studied everyone who passed him a little too carefully for comfort.
“’Ere!” A coal merchant cried when Harry’s carriage suddenly cut across his path.
Harry ignored him though, and kept his gaze locked on his wastrel butler. As he drew alongside, Dandridge noticed him and stood upright warily. He glanced furtively at the inn door, as though contemplating whether to dive through it. But, in the end, was left with little choice but to look back at his angry employer and wait to hear what he had to say.
“I don’t believe that it is your day off today, Dandridge,” Harry drawled in a voice that was cold and ruthless.
“I came for some vegetables,” Dandridge replied carefully, trying to ignore the tell-tale mug of ale he held in one beefy hand.
“Doesn’t look like a cabbage to me,” Harry challenged.
Dandridge didn’t reply.
“I don’t pay you to drink in taverns,” Harry snapped. He stared at the butler and lifted a querulous brow. “Well?”
“Well what?” Dandridge asked with a frown.
“Where are my vegetables?”
Dandridge glanced about his feet blankly; as though they were about to miraculously turn into potatoes.
Harry took out his fob watch and looked down at it. “Tea is due within the hour. Why are you not at home, getting ready to serve it?” He eyed the man’s work-shirt and casual trousers pointedly because they were a far cry from the neatly pressed butler’s uniform he was required to wear.
Dandridge finally had the good grace to look a little sheepish. “I don’t think Mrs Dandridge is expecting you for tea, sir.”
“Well, you had better damned well put your ale down and get back to the house to tell her to expect me, hadn’t you? While you are at it, make sure she does a proper job of tea this time, and serves something that is palatable, or I will make sure that neither of you work again.”
Although he didn’t say as much, Harry rather suspected that the Dandridges’ were able to forge the references they would need to secure them another job, and wouldn’t be bothered at all if he tossed them out.
He made a mental note to mention to Sir Hugo about double-checking the letters of recommendation his aunt had received, and turned his attention back to Dandridge, who was busy looking around for somewhere to put his ale.
“Back to work man, and hurry.”
Harry turned to Tilly, Suzanna and Zack. They all stared at him a little worriedly, as though they had no idea who he was, or what had just happened. Rather than barrage him with questions though, they remained silent while he guided the carriage out into the main street again.
They all looked at Dandridge as they passed, but nobody spoke until Harry pulled the carriage to a stop at the top of t
he hill. From their vantage point they could see Dandridge strolling toward them, and Harry took advantage of the opportunity to speak without being overheard by anyone.
“I am undertaking an investigation for His Majesty’s government,” Harry announced quietly.
He turned sideways in his seat so that he could include Zack and Suzanna in his explanation, but was aware of the exact point where his knee touched Tilly’s. Even that small contact, through several layers of her skirts and his breeches, felt like a shaft of lightning striking through him, but he couldn’t bring himself to move way.
“Are you here because of what is going on at poor house?” Suzanna asked with eyes that were wide with a mixture of wonder and horror.
“No, I am here because they have been stealing from their employers,” he nodded toward Dandridge. “We think him and his wife have been stealing money and valuable items from around the houses they work in.” He sighed and hoped he wasn’t scaring them. “I have no choice but to take you to the house my colleagues and I are working from. While I do not believe that either of the Dandridges’ are a direct threat to you, please don’t go anywhere with either of them. Don’t tell them where you have been, where you are going, or what you are doing there either. Tell them that you are relatives of mine who have come for a visit. Tell them anything. I don’t care. Just don’t tell them the truth, and don’t leave anything you wish to keep lying around.”
“They know I am not your relative though,” Tilly reminded him. Had that fateful meeting between them taken place only a week ago?
“I know. Dandridge won’t dare ask me for information because I have caught him in my study a time or two when he shouldn’t be there. However, he will have no qualms about asking you. Tell him that he needs to ask me if he wants any information. That should shut him up,” Harry grumbled. “Stay in your rooms at night, and don’t come out to investigate if you hear someone moving around the house at night.”
He didn’t say as much, but the last thing he needed was to bump into Tilly in her night-gown in the middle of the night.
Shattered Dreams Page 12
