Rivals of Fortune / The Impetuous Heiress

by Jane Ashford

  “You have made progress,” said Sir Rollin Denby when they arrived. “I congratulate you. I only just heard that you were back at work.”

  If this were meant as a reproach, no one heeded it. Sir Rollin looked them over, amusement in the back of his eyes. And Joanna was suddenly much more conscious of her dirty gown and disheveled curls. “You are well prepared, I see,” he added. “Do you mean to raise the stone today?”

  “We do,” answered Mr. Rowntree. And he bustled around to examine the paving.

  Sir Rollin eyed the younger men. “It will be a great work,” he said. “I should think you might wish to leave it until tomorrow.” He smiled very slightly. “You look done up.”

  Carstairs shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, but Jonathan Erland said cheerfully, “Oh no, we cannot give up now. We are so close.” And he walked over to lay a coil of rope beside Mr. Rowntree.

  The latter looked up. “We must pry a little first, I think, to get some space for the rope. After that, it won’t be difficult at all.” Erland smiled.

  “We’ll need something narrow but strong to get in under the stone,” agreed Gerald, coming up to them.

  “There’s an iron pike here that should be just the thing,” replied Erland. “I’ll get it.”

  In a moment, he returned with a metal bar nearly six feet long. “Here we are.”

  “Just the thing,” said Mr. Rowntree. “Put it here.” He indicated the widest crack between the stones.

  Erland inserted the bar, pushing down as far as he could. Then he and Gerald leaned on it with all their strength. The stone did not move.

  Carstairs joined them, and Mr. Rowntree grasped the top of the bar. “Once again,” he cried. They all pushed: nothing.

  Frederick chose this moment to return from wherever he had been. When he saw what they were doing, he pushed forward. “Let me help, too.” He inserted himself into the middle of the group and curled both hands around the lower part of the bar. “Come on.”

  But even the full efforts of all five of them did not move the great paving block an inch.

  Mr. Rowntree stood back. “Hmmm,” he said.

  “You want a pair of oxen,” said Sir Rollin with amusement. He stood to the side, looking as fashionably immaculate as ever, smiling slightly.

  “Perhaps you’d care to take a hand?” retorted Gerald sharply.

  “Yes,” agreed Joanna. “Why don’t you help instead of standing about being odiously sarcastic.”

  Everyone looked surprised at this. Erland glanced at her sharply.

  Raising one eyebrow, and seeming amused still, Denby replied, “Alas, my young friends, I fear I am only an observer at life.”

  There seemed to be nothing to answer to this.

  “How about you, Templeton?” said Erland.

  “Of course, of course.” Templeton came over to them and raised his hands. “How should I hold it? I was watching you all, trying to get some notion of how it is done.” He gestured ineffectually at the bar.

  “Just grasp it and pull,” answered Erland.

  “Yes, to be sure. But, ah, I don’t quite know…” Templeton took a gingerly grip on the pike, moved his hands up, then down, and finally pulled weakly. “Oh, I say, it really is lodged, isn’t it?” He stood back, panting.

  “We need more leverage,” said Mr. Rowntree decisively. “I suggest roping up the pike and all of us pulling on the rope.”

  After some discussion, this idea was adopted, and they moved to secure the pike in place and tie a stout rope to its top end, in a way so that it could not slip down. This took some time. It was well past tea time before the rope was rigged to Mr. Rowntree’s satisfaction, and Joanna was wishing more than ever for a hot cup of tea.

  But at last, all was ready. Erland, Gerald, Carstairs, Mr. Rowntree, and Frederick picked up the rope and moved away until it was taut. Then, on Mr. Rowntree’s signal, they all heaved mightily. With a grinding sound, the paving block moved slightly.

  “There we are,” cried Mr. Rowntree. “It moved at least an inch. Try again.”

  They did so and once again the stone moved an inch, then sank back.

  “Come along Templeton,” said Joanna’s father. “You will have to help us.”

  Reluctantly, Templeton came. They all heaved again, and with excruciating slowness, the rock lifted, first one inch, then two, then all at once a foot or more.

  “A brace,” yelled Frederick. “Joanna, a brace! Put in a brace.”

  Horribly afraid of doing something wrong, or of being crushed by the precariously balanced rock, Joanna nonetheless ran forward, snatched up one of the pieces of wood they had readied, and tried to thrust it between the rock and the rest of the pavement. “It’s too long,” she cried despairingly.

  “Put it in sideways, idiot,” replied her brother, “and hurry!”

  Convulsively, Joanna pushed the timber sideways into the crack. With a collective sigh, the men let go of the rope, and the stone sank down on it. The wood creaked and flattened a bit under the weight, but it held, leaving a crack about five inches wide.

  “Bravo,” said Sir Rollin from behind them. Frederick looked at him in disgust.

  Mr. Rowntree came forward rubbing his hands together. “Splendid. The rest will be much easier. We can get a rope around it and rig a system of pulleys. Nothing could be simpler.”

  “Yes, indeed,” agreed Jonathan Erland. But he looked around at the now lowering sun and added, “But perhaps we should wait until tomorrow for that. We are all tired out.”

  “And I must get back to Oxford,” put in Carstairs. “I have an engagement.”

  “Nonsense, nonsense,” answered Mr. Rowntree.

  “Of course we can’t stop now,” agreed Frederick, full of contempt for the faint hearts. “We are nearly done.”

  “Nonetheless,” said Erland, “I say that we put off finishing until tomorrow.”

  As he spoke, everyone was suddenly reminded that this was, after all, his property. Something in his tone and bearing informed them, very politely, that they were being asked to leave.

  Sir Rollin Denby smiled. “A guinea on the lord of the manor,” he murmured to himself.

  Mr. Rowntree was frowning at their host. “But see here, Erland, what can it matter to you? You needn’t do anything.”

  The other man smiled gently. “If you’ll pardon me, sir, I think that unlikely. I shall have to find the necessary materials for rigging a pulley, and Gerald and I have done most of the heavy work so far.” Joanna’s father started to speak, but he held up a hand. “And I am very ready to go on. Tomorrow.”

  “A flush hit,” murmured Sir Rollin.

  “No!” cried Frederick. “I won’t give up now. We cannot leave it all open this way for any…”

  “Frederick,” interrupted Erland, “I should like to speak to you.” He beckoned commandingly. Frederick frowned, looked at him, then went.

  Joanna joined her father but couldn’t decide if she would have preferred to go on with the work tonight. She was dirty, tired, and hungry, but now that the stone was really being raised, the excitement about what might lie beneath it offset these things. However, clearly, they could not argue with Erland on his own land, so she said, “Mother will be wondering where we have got to today.”

  Mr. Rowntree appeared to struggle with himself for a moment, then, reluctantly, gave in. Joanna looked, without much hope, to Frederick and found him transfigured. Whatever Mr. Erland had said to him had dissolved all his objections in a moment.

  They all walked back to the house together, Templeton and Carstairs taking their leave, Sir Rollin following them. While the Rowntrees were waiting for their carriage to be brought around, Joanna went to speak to their host.

  “What did you say to Frederick?” she asked. “I was sure he would make a great fuss over leaving.”

 
Erland smiled down at her. “We have an agreement, he and I.”

  “But what is it?”

  “Oh no, I may not tell.”

  “Just as you may not tell me what he was doing all day in your house?”

  “But how would I know that?”

  “You know. Frederick told me you did. I must say I think it is horrid of you, both of you, to plot without me. I was in this from the beginning, and now you won’t tell me what is happening. Frederick was clearing out his secret passageway today, wasn’t he? Did he find anything?”

  Erland shrugged and smiled.

  Joanna’s eyes flashed. “It’s too bad of you to treat me this way!”

  Seeing that she was really angry, the man said, “Miss Joanna, this could be a dangerous hunt, you know, now that we seem close to whatever my uncle left. I don’t think you should be involved.”

  Joanna tossed her head. “But my young brother should? A mere boy?”

  Erland smiled again, then suppressed it. “I will watch over Frederick. Believe me, I shall take care.”

  She glared at him. “If it is safe for Frederick, it is for me as well.”

  Erland looked uncomfortable. “Well, we also thought it best to keep our progress as close as possible. All through this affair, too many people have known…”

  “You think I will tell tales then?” exploded Joanna, now thoroughly enraged. “You think I can’t keep a secret?” She nearly walked away from him then, but somehow she could not. She wanted to show him just how mistaken he was.

  The man reddened. “I did not mean…”

  “Have I done so before?” she continued quickly. “Am I branded as a tattlebox then?”

  Erland’s brows came together. “I never said that. But…”

  “But what?”

  “Well, I believe you have mentioned several things to Sir Rollin Denby that we would have preferred…” He trailed off in embarrassment.

  Joanna opened her mouth to confound him, and realized that he was right. In her foolish infatuation, she had told Sir Rollin nearly everything. She crimsoned. It could not matter what Denby knew, but it mattered very much indeed that Mr. Erland knew she had told him and what he thought about that fact. “I…I didn’t,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean…”

  “Of course, you meant no harm,” said Erland quickly.

  “No, and I…” Joanna struggled with pride and her intense desire to have this man respect her. “I didn’t understand,” she managed. “I was mistaken in him.”

  “Mistaken? In Sir Rollin, you mean?”

  She nodded. “I thought he was so splendid, but he is not!”

  “Not?” Erland looked down at her, some emotion growing in his eyes, and in that moment, Joanna realized that she wanted more than respect from this unusual man. She wanted love. He was nothing like the figure she had set up as her ideal short months ago, but she saw now that he was everything one could desire in a partner—intelligent, brave, kind, and principled. How stupid she had been not to see this before, how silly and young and stupid. “Oh, I wish I could do something to help you,” she cried.

  Erland held her eyes for a moment, then took her hand. “You help me simply by existing,” he answered, and he brought her hand up and kissed it.

  “Oh, how can you say so, when I have been so foolish?”

  “Never foolish, sweet Joanna, perhaps only a bit inexperienced.”

  She gazed at him, too affected to reply.

  “Come, Joanna,” called her father from the carriage. “If we are going, let us not dawdle.”

  She started and turned. “Oh, yes, Papa.”

  Erland released her hand and walked with her to the vehicle. “I shall see you tomorrow,” he said. Everyone agreed and said good night, but somehow Joanna felt that this remark had been addressed chiefly to her.

  Twenty-three

  When she went to bed that night, Joanna had trouble sleeping. She could think of nothing but Jonathan Erland and the way he had smiled at her as they drove away from the Abbey. Tomorrow seemed full of promise, but also terribly far off. At eleven thirty, she arose, put on her dressing gown, and went to sit by the window. The clouds were breaking up at last, and a half moon showed through the gaps from time to time. Joanna wondered what they would find under the great paving stone tomorrow and what would happen if Mr. Erland did indeed gain a fortune. This last brought a slight smile to her lips, and she was looking out over the garden and smiling when she heard a sound in the hallway outside her bedroom. Cocking her head, she frowned and listened. The noise did not come again, but she was certain there was someone in the corridor.

  She walked over to the door and opened it. At the far end of the hall was her brother Frederick, fully dressed but carrying his shoes. He was tiptoeing toward the stairs with exaggerated caution. “Frederick!” exclaimed Joanna, and he jumped a foot in the air, dropping his shoes.

  “What are you doing?” she continued, coming into the corridor. “Are you sneaking out of the house again? After Mother expressly forbade you?”

  “Shhh,” responded her brother in an agonized whisper. “You will wake everyone.”

  “I most certainly shall wake Mama if you do not go back to bed immediately,” said Joanna.

  “Joanna, I can’t. I am going to the Abbey. Mr. Erland asked me to come.”

  She stared at him, astonished. “Asked you? Frederick, you…”

  “He did. He is sure the thief will come back tonight, to try to pry up the stone. That’s why he hurried everyone away today. He means to trap him. And I am going to help!”

  This seemed to Joanna a very queer way of taking care of Frederick, as Erland had promised to do. “That will be dangerous.”

  “Mr. Erland says thieves are cowards.”

  “But he shot the dog and…”

  “Yes, but Mr. Erland says that is not like facing another man. He does not think there will be any great danger.”

  Joanna was getting a little tired of what “Mr. Erland says.” She put her hands on her hips and looked down at her brother. “Well, that is beside the point. I forbid you to go. Go back to your bed this instant.”

  Frederick looked stubborn. “I shan’t, and there’s no way you can make me, Joanna. I am going now.” He turned and started toward the stairs again.

  “I can call Mama,” replied Joanna, raising her voice.

  Frederick stopped. “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you want to find out who has been hanging about the ruins? And who killed Valiant? We mean to catch him and turn him over to the constable.” He eyed her. “I’ll come to your room as soon as I get back and tell you all about it,” he added, with the air of one offering an irresistible inducement.

  Joanna considered. She did indeed want to find out these things, and about the treasure as well. But in spite of everything, she still resented being shut out of Frederick’s and Erland’s plans. Why, Frederick was nothing but a child. She came to a decision. “All right,” she said, “but I shall go with you.”

  Frederick was appalled. “Come with me? You can’t do that!”

  “Why not?”

  “But, well, you just can’t. You weren’t invited,” he finished triumphantly.

  This only made Joanna more determined to go. “I’m going to get dressed,” she said, turning away. “You will wait for me here, or I shall wake Mother and send someone after you.”

  “You will spoil the whole…”

  “Not if you wait for me,” snapped Joanna, and she went into her bedroom and began to pull clothes from her wardrobe.

  It took her only a few minutes to dress. She put on an old gown and drew a cloak over it. It was not cold, but the grass was still damp, and besides, the cloak was dark gray and would be effective concealment. Joanna’s heart beat faster as she thought this. Here was an adventure indeed.

  Frederick
was at the head of the stairs when she came out. She had been a little afraid he would be gone—she did not really want to wake their parents and betray him. But he was there, and in a moment they were hurrying down to the ground floor.

  “I go out through the library window,” said Frederick sulkily at the foot of the staircase. “That way I needn’t leave a door unbolted. I don’t see how you can climb out with those skirts.”

  “I shall manage.”

  She did, though her skirts were definitely a hindrance. Frederick caught her when she tripped on them and steadied her for a moment, then they set off on a footpath across the fields. In two minutes the hems of Joanna’s cloak and gown were wet and dragging. She started to complain, then held her tongue when she thought what Frederick’s reply was likely to be.

  The walk to the Abbey was not short, but going through the fields, it took only about half an hour. And the occasional emergence of the moon helped them see their way. They reached the ruins at about twelve thirty, and Frederick grasped her wrist.

  “Come along,” he whispered. “I shall lead you to the place.”

  He guided her around rocks and behind a section of wall to a place where two walls still stood to form a corner. In one of them, a window gave a clear view of the spot where they had been working earlier in the day. Joanna saw the paving block still propped up on the piece of wood she had thrust in. “This is where we wait,” whispered Frederick. He crouched down on a fragment of stone, oblivious to the wet, and adjusted himself so that he could look through the window comfortably. After a moment’s hesitation, Joanna did likewise.

  “Where is Mr. Erland?” she whispered.

  “He is over on the other side. He told me to keep watch here. You must be quiet, Joanna.”

  A bit offended, she turned away from him. She pressed her lips together and began to watch.

  In half an hour, she was heartily bored. No one came to the site, and there was nothing to observe. “When do you think he will come?” she whispered to Frederick.

  “Do be quiet!” he hissed back, ignoring her question. “Girls! Why did you come?”

  Angry, she sat back. But in a few moments, they heard a movement behind them and whirled to find Jonathan Erland there. “Joanna!” he exclaimed when they turned. “What are you doing here?” Realizing he had spoken aloud, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Frederick, what are you about, bringing your sister?”