Jack nodded.
“I personally have three scrolls,” Micah began, “and Trevan has the others. I shall send a message to him as well. I will tell Harry it would be good to have Lady Glaston as chaperone for Lady Elizabeth once we reach Horethorne Hall. If Owen is still at Roseland Abbey, it would take him a full day or more to get to Templecombe, longer to reach Salisbury.” Micah guessed that Owen already left Roseland Abbey days ago to search for his sister.
“I only saw one fellow outside who appeared to be watching the inn,” Jack offered.
“Was he wearing a brown coat and hat?”
“Yes. But if there’s just one in front, we could perhaps go out the back and try to make it to Templecombe today. Sitting here longer and allowing more Brown Coats to arrive-” Jack stopped as he saw Lady Elizabeth’s eyes grow wide. “Well, we need to find out how many are here, I suppose.”
“Yes, we must find out how many are watching the Rose and Crown.” Micah glanced at Libby and offered her an encouraging smile before continuing. “I’ll have Harry send for some of the others. If these men are still following us even after their attempt to kidnap Lady Elizabeth failed, there is something more they want, though I’m uncertain what it could be.” Micah gave Jack a meaningful look as he queried, “You did get my message at the White Hart?”
Jack nodded. “Yes I got your message from the innkeeper. He told me you were attacked by the same two men who brought Lady Elizabeth into the White Hart plus four more.”
Jack conversed with Libby while Micah wrote four short letters; one to Owen, Libby’s brother and one to Harry Bellingham, the head of the Avalon Society and their friend in Glastonbury. The next was to Micah’s Butler, Simmonds and his housekeeper Mrs. Clarke, at his home, Horethorne Hall, to warn them there may be intruders and to have the house readied for his wife to be and his visitors. The last was to Trevan Chynoweth whom Micah believed possessed the scroll the men who kidnapped Libby were truly after.
When Mr. Banfield knocked and identified himself, Micah picked up the letters and answered the door.
“My Lord, I must warn you the gentleman asking after you earlier is standing outside at the edge of the yard. He is with another man. I believe if you have a look out the window, you shall see them. They are wearing brown coats and hats, sir. I noticed two others dressed the very same near the back of the inn, sir.”
Micah and Jack both moved to the window. Micah pulled one of the drapery panels wide so he could see the entire yard below them.
“They are neither of the ones that brought Libby into the White Hart, but the taller man is for certain one that chased us when she and I left Andover. I recognize him. In fact, I’ll wager my boot print is still on his face,” Micah nodded. He let the drapery fall back.
“They’re wearing brown coats and hats, just like the ones we became so familiar with in Glastonbury,” Jack sighed deeply.
Micah nodded grimly. “I fear the brown coats and hats are no coincidence.”
Micah turned to the innkeeper. “I do not think we will be taking the phaeton today. Lord Elveston and I need to talk about this before we decide what we’re doing, since there are four men outside. Hold these letters for a bit, Mr. Banfield; I may have to change a few of them. One of us will come down to you when we decide what we will do. Give us a half hour.”
“Absolutely, sir. If you’ve need, I shall arrange everything. I’ll await your instructions.” Mr. Banfield bowed and took the letters Micah held out for him.
Micah walked to the window again. He observed the men in brown coats and hats. “Jack, there were always more brown coats hanging about in Glastonbury than what we could see. I recall seeing six brown coats when Libby and I were accosted leaving the White Hart. Now we know there are at least four here in Salisbury.”
“You’re right, there’s always more than the eyes can see.” Jack rose and joined him at the window. “My guess is that if the front and back are being watched, there are more about.”
”Yes. So we must assume there are at least six here, the same as in Andover, and possibly more.” Micah nodded. “I’m thinking it is just too dangerous for the three of us to leave the Rose and Crown for Templecombe. Charlie was at Roseland with Owen when Libby was taken. Sinclair is not far from there. Perhaps the three of them can come for us. It will be safer for Rowena if Harry just takes her as far as Horethorne Hall.”
“I’m feeling much better today, Micah. Please, I’m certain I will be fine. Don’t let my being with you hold you back.” Libby moved to stand next to Micah. Her hand rested upon his arm.
Her sapphire eyes were filled with concern. Without thinking, for he was so familiar with his Lady, Micah slipped his arm about her waist and pulled her against him. He realized by the questioning look Jack gave him, that he noticed the obvious familiarity. Libby did not notice anything amiss, thank goodness. He would never want her to be embarrassed or shamed because of his actions.
Micah did not realize until that moment just how familiar his actions with Libby were. Everything about his relationship with her just came so naturally. He removed his arm from her waist. “You are not holding us back, Libby. It’s far too dangerous there only being three of us and six, possibly more, of them. I’ll go get Harry’s and Owen’s letters from the Innkeeper. We need to let them know what kind of situation we have here. Trevan’s and Simmonds’ can go on as they are. I may even send one to Shevington Chase, for Lyon is the closest to us. Although, I fear he remains in London.”
“No, Micah. Allow me to speak with Mr. Banfield. I’ll get the letters. You stay with Lady Elizabeth. Write your new letters to Owen and Harry. We must remain here today. I’ll need to take one of the rooms next to yours and Lady Elizabeth’s.”
“I’ll just step outside the door with you, Jack. Excuse me, Libby. Sit down, sweetheart. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Jack and Micah stepped out into the hall.
“I have already proposed to Libby,” Micah informed his friend immediately.
Jack nodded. “I expected as much from you, Micah.”
“She was very ill. I am more familiar with her than I should be, I know. Her virtue is intact. I swear it.”
“I believe you, Micah. Do not worry about what I think. You must remember I did see her condition at the White Hart. She could not stand on her own. Besides, I know you well enough, Micah, to know that you always behave as a gentleman. You have proposed to her and will make your offer for her to Owen. Until Owen arrives, you may continue as you are.”
“Thank you, Jack.”
Jack winked. “I’m happy for you, Micah. She’s a sweet young woman, and very lovely.”
Micah grinned. “She is both; and much more to me.”
Libby seemed quite worried upon his return. “If I was not here, would the two of you go on?” she asked.
Her chin raised in a defiant gesture. He wanted to kiss that chin. He also wished to banish the frown upon her rosy lips. “No. There are at least six of them, Libby. We’ve dealt with their kind before in Glastonbury. These men are dangerous. I was shot, Lyon was shot and Harry’s sister, Lady Caroline, was shot. Most of them are hired thugs from London. Jack and I would stay here in Salisbury until reinforcements arrived, just as we three are now going to do. Come here. We’ve a few minutes before Jack gets back.” He opened his arms to her.
Libby happily stepped into his embrace. “You were shot? Where?” She gazed up at him with curiosity.
“In the thigh. I’ll tell you about it later. We did not get to finish what we started at breakfast, sweetheart. We won’t have too many more opportunities to be private for awhile, until we are married. If anyone arrives this evening, we shall not be able to sleep together until after we are wed. I very much enjoyed our kiss earlier at breakfast.” His voice deepened. ”Now let’s see, where were we?”
His mouth covered hers. He kissed her deeply. He drank form her honeyed mouth like a starving man. It might be the last bit of privacy they would share befor
e they were married. The wedding ceremony might not be as soon as Micah would like. Everything now depended on how Owen viewed their situation.
His hands moved gently down her lovely back, smoothed over the indentation of her waist and stopped to rest upon her hips. He pulled her tighter against him. He held her there while he continued to kiss her. He wanted to thread his fingers through her thick braid and loosen her magnificent hair, but there wasn’t time. He pulled her closer still. He realized he might go mad not having Libby in his arms while he slept. It amazed him that in two days time he grew so accustomed to having Libby near. His lips left her mouth to trail down her neck. He nipped lightly at the sensitive skin where her slender neck dipped to her collarbone.
He shivered with delight as Libby placed soft little kisses along his neck. When his cock began to harden, Micah knew he had best stop. He could not allow the desire he felt for Libby to overrule his common sense. Jack would be back shortly and he might walk in to find them in a situation that would embarrass his lady. Micah would not do that to Libby.
He pulled away from their kiss reluctantly. He drew his head up and looked his fill of her. Her sapphire eyes were dark with passion and her lovely lips were red, slightly swollen and still parted. “Jack will return any minute, sweetheart. And I’ve letters to write.” He noted the deep and husky tone in his voice.
Libby gazed into Micah’s silvery gray eyes. She saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile. Her hand rested on his chest. She could feel the pounding of his heart beneath her hand. The rhythm seemed to match the wild beating of hers. “Oh, Micah, when you kiss me I tingle all over,” she whispered. She felt her cheeks grow hot. Perhaps she should not have mentioned it.
His smile turned into a grin. “Why the blush, Libby?”
“I –I probably shouldn’t have mentioned such a thing.”
“I told you yesterday, I love your honesty. Say whatever you desire to me as long as it’s what you truly feel.” His hands moved to her nape. “I am so happy you feel that way when we are kissing, Libby. And just so you know, when you touch me and kiss me, sweetheart, I burn. I burn for you.” He kissed her deeply once more. This kiss was demanding, not gentle. He sighed with frustrated longing when he pulled away.
“Come sit with me, sweetheart, while I write these letters.” Micah was very keen to write his letters. He knew Newton Lambrick, Lord Alloway, to be presently in London. He would ask him to procure a special license from the Archbishop of Canterbury for him to marry Libby and bid him to meet them at Templecombe. He also would request he fetch Lyon if he were still in Town. That would add two more to their party at Horethorne Hall. If this turned out to be like Glastonbury, they needed every able man.
Yes, he hoped Newt could obtain a special license. He decided he did not wish to wait long to marry Libby. The sooner he married her, the better. His self-control where Libby was concerned was diminishing.
The new letters were sent to Harry and Owen. Elveston took the room beside Micah and Libby’s. Jack also paid Mr. Banfield to send someone to procure a map. He and Micah studied the map upon its arrival. They talked of the best route for them to take to Templecombe and the best means of transportation for them when they did leave. Of course, it all depended on how many of their fellows showed up in Salisbury to help them.
The only means of entertainment available to them was conversation.
“What happened in Glastonbury? And does Glastonbury have something to do with the scrolls those men Cobley and Rawson talked about? And how did you get shot, Micah?” Libby asked when the two men were speaking about something that happened in Glastonbury involving the men with brown coats and hats. “Or can you not talk about that? Charlie told me he could not speak of it.”
“Jack, since Libby was kidnapped and these men are after her, I feel she has a right to know some of what happened.” Micah regarded his colleague.
“I would agree with you Micah. However, we must eliminate any mention of the details of the scrolls for the safety of Lady Elizabeth,” Jack smiled thoughtfully.
“Absolutely. Fair enough, Libby?”
She nodded, an eager smile lighting her face.
Micah smiled at her. He moved to sit next to her on the large oak settle.
Jack lounged nearby in one of the wooden chairs with his booted feet crossed and resting on another chair. “Do you know any of the legends of Glastonbury, Lady Elizabeth?”
“Well, I know the Abbey is very old, and the Tor ancient. They were both pilgrimage sites for centuries. I remember reading that St. Joseph of Arimathea lived there after Christ was crucified. There are many ties to Arthurian legends there as well. And I know the last Abbot was hung upon the Tor.”
Micah would summarize, as best he could, what happened in Glastonbury. Just as the true history of the place was encompassed in many volumes, what transpired while they were there in April would take hours to explain.
He began, “Lady Rowena Locke, now Lady Glaston, discovered a letter written by a man who served as the last Abbot’s servant when a boy. The letter explained that he and the Abbot did hide some of the very ancient and valuable treasure of Glastonbury Abbey in secret tunnels beneath the Abbey and near Stonedown Manor before the dissolution of Glastonbury Abbey in 1539. Some of the treasure was hidden inside a Holy well at St. Bridget’s Chapel which is removed from the Abbey grounds. The boy’s name was William Dulac and he is an ancestor of Lady Glaston and her aunt. He hid letters written by Abbot Whiting in a secret chamber inside the Manor. The day I arrived in Glastonbury with Charlie, a man in a brown coat and hat broke into the library at Stonedown Manor and stole books about the manor and the Dulac family.”
Micah continued, “The first letter we found hidden in a secret compartment inside a large court cupboard original to the manor. That letter led us to discover the legendary Glastonbury Sapphire, presented to the Abbey by St. David of Menevia around A. D. 530. We found the sapphire in St. Bridget’s well chamber in nearby Beckery. We also found the cruets containing the blood and sweat of Jesus Christ from the Crucifixion brought to Glastonbury by Joseph of Arimathea and hidden by the last Abbot and William Dulac inside the chamber. On our way back to Stonedown we were accosted by two armed Brown Coats. We made it back to the Manor safely and hid our treasures in a safe at Stonedown. The next day, Harry, Lyon and I found six Brown Coats digging into one of the lost tunnels on the Abbey grounds. They got away. The following day, Lady Glaston and I found a map in a book written by Abbot Whiting showing the location of the hidden tunnels where the rest of the treasure was hidden.”
Elveston added, “While Micah and Lady Glaston were in the cellar searching for a tunnel opening, and Harry, Wyldhurst, Charlie and Newt were seeing to the tunnel on the Abbey grounds, Lyon was shot by trespassing Brown Coats while guarding the safe in the gallery. The next morning Trevan and twenty of his relatives arrived. That evening we found the scrolls, along with many other valuable manuscripts and treasures in a tunnel leading from Stonedown Manor to the Tor.”
Micah continued, “By this time, Jack arrived and let us know Lord Dalworth, a very unsavory person, was also involved. His intent was stealing Lady Rowena from her home so he could marry her. So Harry and Lady Rowena, now Lady Glaston, were married. I, and Harry’s sister, Lady Caroline, stood up with them at Stonedown Chapel. When we exited the carriage upon arriving back at Stonedown Manor, we were both shot. I was shot in the thigh and Lady Caroline was hit in the arm.”
Jack took a turn again. “We knew a man by the name of Percy Davitt to be involved, and from one of the Brown Coats we interrogated; we learned another local man by name of George Whitely was in partnership with Davitt. Trevan and Wyldhurst persuaded Whitely to be our informant and promised him he would be cleared of the charges against him. To make a long story short, Dalworth lost his life when he took the bait for a trap we set to catch him. Percy Davitt was shot by Newt, Lyon and Wyldhurst and took a knife from Micah. But, he got away. We found out later, George Whitely’
s wife went missing too. We later confirmed that Mrs. Whitely did take Davitt from Glastonbury in her carriage and they headed north. That was the only reason Davitt survived, for his wounds should have killed him. Micah and I picked up their trail and followed as far as Newcastle, which is why we were fortunately in Andover the day we found you. We spent three weeks on the Northern road prior to that following Davitt’s trail, only to come up empty handed.”
Micah ended the tale. “So, now we are left to wonder if this Mr. Crow is in charge, for even if Davitt still lives, he could not have orchestrated everything that has happened these last three days. Lyon’s wound was serious; he still walks with the aid of a cane. Davitt could not be traveling about England without enduring severe discomfort. His wounds were much more severe than Lyon’s.”
“My goodness,” Libby said, “You must be correct. I do not see how this Percy Davitt can be the one behind what happened to me. He must have been near death when he got away. And he suffered more wounds than Lord Amesbury. And you say he is still walking with a cane and experiencing much pain. It has only been some five or six weeks, has it not? It seems more likely this Mr. Crow is behind everything going on now.”
“I too have started to think that Percy works for someone else and just went a trifle unhinged at the last. I keep going back to the fact that most of the Brown Coats we captured in Glastonbury were hired from London. I’m wondering if this Mr. Crow, or even another in London, are orchestrating all of this,” Micah thought aloud.
“My concern is that there is a leak within the Avalon Society. No one, no one but us should have known about the scrolls,” Jack emphasized.
“But remember Percy wanted only the one scroll when he came to Stonedown. None could have known save us that scrolls were found in the Tor tunnel.” Micah purposely didn’t mention the name of the scroll for Libby’s safety. Davitt wanted the Jesus the Younger Scroll, believed to have been written by the son of Jesus. He explained to Libby, “We believe Percy Davitt gleaned information from a letter written by William Dulac found hidden in the books stolen from Stonedown.”
Lords of Honor Page 7
