Tucker's Inn

by Tucker's Inn (retail) (epub)

  If we are both spared… A chill ran over my skin.

  ‘Where do you have to go?’ I asked. ‘Is it a hotbed of Revolutionaries?’

  ‘All France is uncertain territory,’ he replied. ‘Don’t ask me where I am going, Flora, for I cannot tell you. Oh,’ his fingers tightened on mine, ‘it’s not that I don’t trust you, but it’s safer for you that you know nothing. As far as you are concerned, I have gone on business. Try to believe that, so that your anxiety does not give you away. For as we have already said, no one can be trusted but the members of the Brotherhood.’

  ‘And I do not know their identities.’

  ‘Exactly. That is how it must be. I don’t want you placed in any more danger than you already are.’

  That he should be concerned for my safety when I was on English soil and he was in a hotbed of revolution seemed ludicrous. And yet… I saw again my dear father lying dead in a pool of his own blood. He had never left English soil, yet he had died for the cause, and even Louis, the Lynx himself, could not explain the reason why.

  ‘There’s one other thing I want to ask you, Flora,’ Louis said.

  ‘Anything.’

  ‘I want you to promise me that you will look after Antoinette.’

  ‘You know I will! Why, we spent some very pleasant times together when last you were away…’

  ‘Flora.’ Louis’ face was very serious. ‘It is not the short term I speak of. Of course I know you will do your best to keep her out of mischief during my absence. But if I should not return… It is a great deal to ask, I know, but she likes and respects you more than any other woman. And you… I know you would instil in her the values that I would wish. She could not have a better pattern than you, Flora. I know you would guide her along the right paths and you are strong enough to stand up to those who might lead her astray.’ He paused, then went on: ‘I would like you to remain here at Belvedere and become her guardian.’

  ‘But surely Gavin…’ I broke off, frowning. This was not a subject I wanted even to consider, but now that Louis had raised it, there was no avoiding the truth. ‘Should something happen to you – God forbid that it will – then wouldn’t Gavin be master of Belvedere, and guardian to Antoinette?’

  Louis’ lips tightened. ‘Master of Belvedere, certainly. But I don’t think he would want the responsibility of Antoinette for very long. He would be happy enough to hand that over to you, I feel sure. And she needs the guidance of a woman in her life. You’ve seen for yourself how wildly she can behave – if I was no longer around I dread to think what would become of her. Please, Flora, set my mind at rest in this particular at least. Promise me you will not abandon Antoinette.’

  What could I say? What could I do but agree? Louis’ concern for Antoinette was clearly playing on his mind, an added burden he could well do without in the onerous times that lay ahead of him, and I could see how torn he must be regarding his responsibilities and the choice he had been forced to make – attempting to save the life of one of his children whilst risking the well-being and future care of the other.

  ‘I promise,’ I whispered. ‘But you will come back safe, Louis. You will – I know it.’

  ‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘Take care, chérie.’

  He brushed my hair aside and kissed me on the forehead. All the love, all the despair that I was feeling welled up in me, and I raised my face to his.

  ‘We have a few hours yet.’

  ‘We have indeed. And we will not waste them,’ Louis replied.

  * * *

  He took me to bed, the great master bed with a curved wooden roof supported by pillars and sheets of finest lawn. I had never seen his room before and I scarcely saw it now, shadowed as it was beyond the light circles cast by the lamps, and me with eyes for nothing but the man I loved.

  He took me to bed and made wonderful love to me, tenderness shot through with bolts of pure unbridled passion, and I pretended to myself that this was how it would always be, nights of lying curled round his long hard body, my head against his shoulder, my lips tasting the faint salt of his skin, my body replete with his loving. I pretended, because to face the truth would be to sully the occasion, and the truth was more than I could bear. He loved me, again and again, and I fell asleep in his arms. But my dreams were troubled. My unconscious mind was busy with all the things my conscious mind chose to ignore. And when I woke, with the tears mingling with the morning sun on my cheeks, I was alone in that great bed, all alone. He was gone, and I had not even kissed him goodbye. The ache was a physical one, sharp as a knife in me, the sadness a weight on my chest, the fear for him a clamouring army of demons.

  I sat up in that great empty bed that had so recently been my pleasure dome, closed my eyes and pressed my hands to my mouth.

  It was over. One way or another, it was over. And though I knew that never again would he be mine, I prayed with every fibre of my being for Louis’ safe return.

  Twelve

  I thought of him constantly in the days that followed, worrying, and wondering where he was, how he was faring. And remembering too the glory of those stolen hours we had shared.

  Bevan returned to work, and I spent some time with him, learning more of the business and doing a few simple secretarial tasks. But concentration was difficult, and in any case my heart was not in it, for I knew that if Louis returned safely and installed his wife at Belvedere House, I could not bear to remain under the same roof. And if he did not…

  I pushed the terrible thought from my mind, but knew all the same that if the worst happened and he did not return there would be no business to work at, for I could not see that Gavin would be capable of running it.

  He came to the house often, as he seemed to when Louis was not there, almost, it seemed to me, as if he took some sly pleasure in taking advantage of his brother’s absence. And it seemed to me too that he was paying a little more attention to me than of late.

  Could it be that he had been aware of what there was between Louis and me that last day? Had it showed in our faces at dinner as I had thought it must? And did he now think that in Louis’ absence I might turn my attentions to him?

  Very conscious of his renewed interest, I did my utmost to avoid being alone with him whenever possible. But still he managed to lay a hand on my shoulder when I was working at the books on the pretext of overseeing what I was doing, or brush my hand with his as he passed me a glass of wine at a meal, and I felt his eyes on me too often, though when I did I was careful not to look up and meet his gaze.

  I did not, of course, make any mention to him of Louis’ mission. For one thing I did not want the extra intimacy such a conversation would imply; for another I had forgotten, in all that had happened in those last emotional hours, to ask Louis how much his brother knew of the real reason for his latest trip to France.

  It worried me a little that I had not, for whilst I found it hard to believe that he could be unaware of Louis’ double life as the Lynx, yet I could not forget the furtiveness of his manner the day I had found him poring over the secrets of the locked bureau. It seemed to me too that, given his low opinion of his brother, Louis was unlikely to trust him with the details of the organization. And I found myself wondering just why the bureau was kept locked. Only Gavin, Bevan and myself used the study; Bevan clearly knew all about the contents and though it was possible it had been secured to keep me from seeing the records stored there I could not help feeling it had been locked up long before I had come to Belvedere. That left only Gavin.

  I told myself I was being fanciful and foolish, that such sensitive material would not be considered safe unless it was under lock and key, no matter that only the trusted few had access to the study. But I wished all the same that I had mentioned to Louis that I had seen Gavin with the papers spread out on the desk, and the omission pricked and worried at me like a piece of rose thorn buried deep in a finger.

  Rather strangely, I thought, Antoinette never made mention of the things Louis had talked to her about be
fore leaving, and I did not feel it was my place to raise the subject. It was as if, I thought, she was in denial. All that seemed to be on her mind was the foal her heart was set upon, and each time Gavin came to the house she asked when he would take her to see it.

  Gavin, however, seemed in no hurry to make the trip; it was almost as if he were playing with her, enjoying his power in making her wait. Then, on the evening of the fourth day after Louis’ departure, he suddenly announced that he had been to Monksmoor to look at it that afternoon.

  ‘Uncle Gavin!’ Antoinette cried. ‘Why did you not take me with you?’

  He shrugged. ‘I thought I’d have a look at it myself first. It could have had three bandy legs and be blind in one eye for all I knew.’

  ‘Oh – as if!’ She widened her eyes at him, then hung on his arm. ‘So now you know it isn’t like that at all, when are we going back to buy it?’

  ‘It’s coming up at the market at Twyford St Mary next week,’ Gavin told her.

  ‘Market?’ Antoinette was horrified. ‘Why did you not make a deal with the man who owns her there and then?’

  ‘I tried, but he was insistent she went on the open market. He wants to be sure of getting a fair price for her,’ Gavin explained.

  ‘So why did you not offer him more than a fair price and have done with it?’ Antoinette demanded. Her eyes were flashing emerald fire. ‘Papa wouldn’t mind – he can well afford it. Oh, Uncle Gavin, if I lose that foal now I shall never forgive you!’

  ‘I’m sure we can still secure her for you. We’ll go to the market early and make a day of it. You’ll come with us, won’t you, Flora? You might run into some of your old friends there. And perhaps we could make a detour to Tucker’s Grave…’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I said stiffly, not liking the way he was looking at me.

  ‘Oh you must come, Flora!’ Antoinette cried. ‘If you don’t, Uncle Gavin will waste time drinking and yarning and I’ll never get my foal! I don’t know why Papa didn’t ask you to make the purchase. You would never have allowed the owners to send her to market!’

  ‘I don’t know that I’d have had any more influence than your uncle,’ I said. ‘And in any case, ladies don’t involve themselves in commerce.’

  ‘But if she’s sold before we get there…!’ Antoinette was beside herself.

  ‘If she’s sold before we get there, then there will always be another one,’ Gavin said, beginning to lose his patience.

  Antoinette leaped to her feet. ‘I don’t want another one!’ she cried. ‘You know that! And I believe you’re doing this on purpose! You don’t intend for me to have her at all!’

  ‘I’m sure that’s not true,’ I said, but Gavin looked merely amused, and I could not help wondering if there was some truth in what Antoinette said. Hadn’t I already thought that Gavin was enjoying having the power to realize or dash her hopes?

  ‘You are very mean!’ she shot at him. ‘Mean not to take me with you today, and mean not to buy the foal for me whilst you were there. I hate you!’

  With that, she turned and ran from the room.

  ‘Well,’ Gavin said mildly. ‘What a madam Antoinette can be.’

  ‘You know her heart is set on that foal,’ I said, flying to her defence.

  ‘Well, she will just have to learn she cannot have everything she wants, won’t she?’ Gavin said carelessly. ‘Some of us have lived with that indisputable fact for a very long time.’

  I saw it then; saw clearly the jealousy Gavin felt because Louis had inherited everything he thought of as his.

  ‘I know you and Louis have your differences,’ I said, ‘and I understand it is not easy for you, being the second son and entitled to nothing whilst everything passed directly to Louis. But please don’t punish Antoinette for it. That is no more than petty spite, and beneath contempt.’

  A slow smile crept across Gavin’s handsome face. ‘Gad, but you can be a spirited little thing, Flora! A rare treat for any man.’

  ‘I shall certainly stand up for what I believe to be right,’ I returned tartly. ‘Antoinette has been promised that foal, and promises should be kept. You must do everything in your power to ensure she gets it.’

  ‘So.’ Gavin’s eyes challenged me. ‘Perhaps you would like to try to persuade me. I am sure, Flora, that you can be very persuasive indeed.’

  I could scarcely believe what he was suggesting.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean!’ I said sharply.

  ‘Oh, I think you do!’ His hand crept towards mine. ‘A beautiful young lady cannot but be aware of all the weapons in her armoury, which can be powerful indeed.’

  I snatched my hand away. ‘How dare you!’

  He laughed softly. ‘Ah, the thrill of the chase! You know almost as well as Lisette how to lead a man on. Come now, we’re quite alone. Let us make the most of it and I will show you I am a far better lover than my staid, would-be-respectable brother.’

  I pushed my chair back and rose. This had gone quite far enough.

  ‘I think, Gavin, that you have drunk too much wine and too much cognac,’ I said coldly. ‘Tomorrow you will regret this conversation – at least, I hope you will. Now I am going to my room.’

  I turned for the door but he was there before me, blocking my way. There was a curious light in his eyes.

  ‘A spirited little thing, as I said!’ He caught me by the arms. ‘But a knowing one, too, I think! Don’t run away from me, Flora. Let me show you how I can pleasure you.’

  He was close, too close, and pulling me closer yet. I could smell the brandy on his breath, and something else, the faintly feral taint of lust. I felt a moment’s panic; Gavin, like Louis, was a big man, and far stronger than I. If he should force himself upon me I would be totally at his mercy.

  Even as the thought crossed my mind his mouth came down on mine and his arm went about my waist, holding me against him. The taste of him, like the smell of his breath, revolted me, and as his tongue forced my lips apart I wrenched my head away so violently that I felt a cord in my neck twist painfully.

  ‘Stop it!’ I cried.

  Startled, he released his hold on me a little, and I took advantage of the moment to bring my hand up and strike him full in the face. He took another step backward, his hand flying to his burning cheek, and again I felt a moment’s fear that I had only inflamed his passion. Flight was impossible, physical resistance would be useless. I had only one weapon with which to fight him – and I used it.

  ‘You forget yourself!’ I spat at him with all the hauteur I could muster. ‘How dare you treat me as if I were no better than a common strumpet!’

  His lip curled. ‘You do not say that to Louis, I’ll wager.’

  ‘What is between Louis and me is no concern of yours,’ I declared. ‘But he will not be pleased when he returns from France to learn of your indefensible behaviour.’

  I had struck a raw nerve; I knew it at once from the look on his face. Then he turned away.

  ‘If he comes back.’

  The voicing of my own darkest fears sent a chill to the very core of me.

  ‘Don’t say such things!’ I cried passionately. ‘You are tempting the fates!’

  Gavin laughed. ‘Exactly.’ He spun back to face me again. The marks of my fingers stood out on his cheek, startlingly clear. ‘And if he does not come back, things will be very different, Flora. Belvedere will be mine, Tucker’s Grave Inn will be mine – and you will be mine, too. You’d do well to remember that, and treat me with a little more respect.’

  ‘Respect has to be earned, Gavin,’ I told him. ‘You might own all of Devon, for all I care. You will never own me.’

  He took a step towards me. I feared for a moment that he was about to attempt to show me, in the only way he knew, who was master here. Then his hands fell to his sides and his mouth twisted into an unpleasant smile.

  ‘We’ll see, Flora. We’ll see. When you have no roof over your head, no food in your belly, and not a single possession in th
e world, you’ll sing a different tune, I’ll wager. Until now, I have been the brother with nothing to offer. When it is I who hold your fate in my hands, you’ll forget Louis soon enough – and a good thing for you, too. He couldn’t satisfy his wife. What makes you think he’d keep you satisfied for long? But I somehow doubt you will have the chance to find out.’ The smile left his mouth; he looked now like nothing so much as a sullen, pouting boy who has had a favourite toy snatched from him.

  ‘You’ll wish, Flora, that you had been more agreeable to me, just wait and see if you don’t. For I will be master here, make no mistake of it, and I shall not forget tonight.’

  ‘And neither, Gavin, shall I.’

  I risked moving toward him, for his large frame still blocked my escape. ‘Kindly move aside and let me pass.’

  To my relief he did so. As I swept out of the room I heard the clink of decanter on glass, and felt a moment’s satisfaction that Gavin was having to resort to liquor to find some relief for his pent-up feelings.

  * * *

  I went directly to Antoinette’s rooms. Though more than anything I wanted to be alone until the trembling in my limbs eased, I was very afraid that she might have overheard something of what had passed, and even if she had not, I knew she was dreadfully upset at the prospect of losing the foal she so wanted. I tapped on her door, and when there was no reply, I pushed it open and went in.

  ‘Antoinette!’ I called. ‘Antoinette – it’s me, Flora.’

  Still there was no reply. She would not yet be in bed, I felt sure, so I went through her drawing room to the bedroom, expecting to find her sitting at her dressing table, perhaps, brushing her hair, or looking at one of her books. The bedroom was empty.