Miss Winbolt and the Fortune Hunter

by Sylvia Andrew

  ‘You did. As I remember, Maria, you told me that after a touch of prompting. But not before.’

  ‘Yes, yes. I know. That was…was b-because I…I didn’t think it was important. I thought Edric was just muttering nonsense. B-but when I really thought about it afterwards, it…it became c-clear to me that it might have been fountain. Silly of me, wasn’t it? And then just…just recently it came back to me that it hadn’t been just the fountain. He had said picture as well. Picture of the fountain. S-so I went to look for…for a p-picture of the fountain.’ She tried to give him a flattering smile. ‘You always thought the jewels were inside the house, didn’t you? I think you must have been right—as usual.’

  Kidman listened in silence, but it was clear that he was not taken in by this tale. She added, ‘I was hoping to surprise you, Kidman, I swear!’

  ‘Do you know, Maria, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were lying to me. That you were looking for those jewels—my jewels—for yourself. But you wouldn’t do that, would you? I think you know me better than that.’ He came closer still and caught her wrist. ‘I don’t like liars, Maria. Especially when they’re trying to cheat me.’

  ‘I wasn’t! You’re hurting me, Kidman, and I don’t deserve it,’ cried Maria with a sob in her voice. He threw her away from him so that she stumbled and fell.

  ‘Find the picture,’ he said. ‘If that is the key, I want it. Find it.’

  Still on the floor, she cried, ‘But I can’t! I’ve searched the house for the damned picture, but I couldn’t find it. And then Ashenden said it had probably been thrown on the rubbish heap.’

  ‘Then get in to the rubbish heap and turn it over until you find it, Maria. Otherwise…’ He paused. ‘Otherwise I might think you’re playing with me. I might even suspect you know where my jewels are already, and have a…dangerous ambition to keep them yourself.’ She scram bled to get up, and he made no attempt to help her. He waited for her to stand, then pulled her to him and caressed her throat with long fingers. ‘Don’t, Maria. The jewels wouldn’t look pretty on a corpse.’

  ‘I don’t know where they are! I swear I don’t. Walter, why don’t you tell him?’ But Walter was silent.

  Kidman went to the door. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow or the next day,’ he said. ‘Find the picture.’

  He had gone again, taking Walter with him. She didn’t know where. Kidman had always come and gone like a ghost. And she had been left alone and afraid. She had even considered flight, but where would she go? He or one of the others was sure to hunt her down, and the end would be the same. Now, after a sleep less night, she was here at the Dower House. Maria looked round her. What was she doing here now, looking for a button that might or might not incriminate Walter, when Kidman might appear again at any moment? She was lost!

  ‘Mrs Fenton! Ma’am!’ It was William’s man. ‘We haven’t found no button, ma’am, but one of the men says he thinks he knows where your picture might be.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Your picture, ma’am. One of the men heard young Master James talking about it when he was here after the fire. He’s got it.’

  ‘Master James? You mean Sir William’s nephew?’

  ‘That’s the one. He’s got it at Mr Winbolt’s house. He calls it his treasure trove, or some such nonsense.’

  The relief was so enormous that Maria felt a moment’s dizziness. This was such a totally unexpected reprieve. At first she was quite unable to speak, then, as the man stared, she recovered enough to thank him before hurrying back home to consider how she could get hold of this all-important picture…

  Maria’s luck seemed to have turned. The next day, after a little judicious questioning in the village, two facts emerged that would make her plan much easier to carry out than she had feared. One was that Sir William Ashenden was in London on business and would not be back till the following day, and the other was that the Winbolts were to visit Lady Langley that very afternoon. Armed with this information, she set out for Shearings, fully in tending to arrive after the Winbolts had left.

  Nevertheless, she said at the door how disappointed she was to have missed dear Mrs Winbolt, especially as she had brought some little sweets for the darling children. She was afraid for a moment that the stupid man at the door was not going to react as she had hoped. She said charmingly, ‘Perhaps I could just see Master James and his sister?’ To her relief he said after a pause,

  ‘Well, ma’am, the children are out in the park for a walk with Miss Anstey. You could meet them there, if you wish.’

  Better and better! Maria walked grace fully along the path towards the park, and when she saw Miss Anstey and the children she greeted them warmly and asked if she might join them on their walk. Charity Anstey had not met Mrs Fenton, but she knew of her, and was impressed by her air of fashion. The children seemed to know the lady too, and had responded naturally to her greeting, so Charity was quite ready to agree. So they all set off again along the avenue of trees, and soon Maria had them talking about Charlwood. James might have been told not to mention his picture outside the house, but the boy was no match for one of the most skilled manipulators in London. Mrs Fenton had the right credentials in his eyes to be an exception. She had visited Shearings more than once, and obviously knew Charlwood very well. What was more, she was interested in treasure trove, too. In no time at all James was telling Mrs Fenton all about his bits of treasure trove, including his prize possession.

  At the end of the walk Charity Anstey was impressed by Mrs Fenton’s kindness and patience with the children, and grateful to her for keeping them, James especially, so amused. Maria herself was more than grateful. Before she left for home that afternoon, she knew all she needed, about the picture, about where Uncle William had put it for safety, and about how to get in to the East Wing without bothering the servants.

  That night, as soon as she thought the children would be in bed and asleep and the servants in their own quarters, she put her plan into practice. It was some time since she had last visited premises without their owner’s knowledge, but it all came back to her. And in fact, because it was not often in use, she found the East Wing at Shearings ridiculously easy to get into. In a surprisingly short time she was on her way back home with the all-important picture in her possession.

  It was just as well. Kidman arrived the noon the next day with Walter at his side and in no mood for prevarication. He was as tense as she had ever seen him. ‘Where is it?’ were his first words. With a touch of triumph in her smile, Maria handed the picture to him. But, far from looking pleased, he said grimly, ‘Why was I so sure that you would “manage” to find it, Maria? Where was it? Hidden in your room? I warn you, one of these days you will play your tricks once too often.’ He looked at the picture. ‘What the devil is this? Are you trying to gull me again?’

  ‘No, Kidman. I am quite sure that this is the key, and if you’ll come with me to Charlwood I’ll show you where you can use it.’

  ‘There’s no need for you to come. You can tell me where!’

  Maria was prepared for this. ‘I really can’t. It’s too difficult to explain, I need to show you in person.’

  He looked at her suspiciously, but then nodded his head. ‘Walter will keep an eye on you.’

  They left for Charlwood.

  Meanwhile, Laura had been telling Emily about Maria Fenton’s visit the previous afternoon. ‘She was really very kind, Aunt Emily. She gave James and me sweets and came on a walk with us, too. But I think she likes boys better than girls. She talked a lot to James—all about his silly treasure trove.’

  ‘James? What’s this? I thought your uncle told you not to say anything about treasure.’

  ‘But this was different! Mrs Fenton is a friend of Uncle William’s. I had to tell her, Aunt Emily! She was really interested. She knows all about Charlwood, you see.’

  ‘She certainly does,’ said Emily with a look at Rosa. ‘Did you show her your…any of your treasure?’

  ‘Oh, n
o, I told her I couldn’t, because Uncle William had put it away.’

  ‘Good! It’s better to be safe than sorry. You didn’t say where he had put it, did you?’

  James hesitated. ‘I…I don’t think so…’

  ‘Yes, you did, James!’ Laura said decisively. ‘You said he had put it in his secit…sectri…secataire!’

  Emily exchanged another look with Rosa. ‘James,’ she said calmly, ‘I think I’d like another look at that picture. Would you like to show us where it is?’

  James gave a cry of outrage when the secretaire desk was opened and he discovered that the picture was missing, but Emily was not really surprised. It was all too coincidental—Maria’s visit when they were out, her desire to spend time with children she had up to then ignored, and her clever questioning. She really was a ruthless, devious and dangerous woman. James was a bright little boy, and fiercely protective of his treasures, but he had noticed nothing odd about her questions. Perhaps Miss Anstey might have, but she had been left to look after Laura, and had not heard all of Maria’s conversation.

  James was inconsolable, and Emily had a hard job persuading him to wait until his uncle came home before setting out to look for the picture himself.

  ‘I thought Mrs Fenton was nice,’ he sobbed. ‘I didn’t know she just wanted to steal my picture. I know Uncle William told me not to tell anyone, but I thought she was his friend.’

  ‘It was very wicked of Mrs Fenton to take your picture, James, but I think it will be quite safe,’ Emily said, wiping his face with her handkerchief. ‘There’s really no need to get so upset. I’m almost certain it has only been borrowed. When Uncle William comes back, we shall go and get it. He will know what to do.’

  ‘I don’t want to wait! She had no right to take it, and I shall tell her so. I want to go straight away. Now!’

  Emily pointed out that it would not be long before William returned and worked hard to persuade James that he would have a better chance of recovering his picture if he waited till then. He wasn’t entirely convinced, but eventually calmed down enough to go to his morning lessons. Meanwhile, Emily and Rosa had a lot to talk about. They were both amazed at Maria Fenton’s audacity. They had known for some time that Edric Fenton had lived on the wrong side of the law, but, though Emily had never liked or trusted Maria Fenton, it had never occurred to her that his wife was just as bad. She said as much to Rosa and wondered, too, how Kidman and the others had found out so quickly where the picture was.

  ‘I suppose we should be relieved that Maria, not Kidman, came to collect it,’ Rosa said. ‘Things could have been a lot worse.’

  Emily nodded. ‘I agree. And though I don’t know how they found out, I would be willing to wager that if that picture isn’t already back at Charlwood it soon will be. I only hope it will be left there.’

  James had just finished his lessons and was on his way to talk to Emily again about the picture. Unfortunately his sharp ears over heard this last bit. He was angry and very disappointed with his Aunt Emily. Had she no idea of how much the picture meant to him? ‘Hope it will be left there’! If she knew where it was now, why wasn’t she taking him to get it back, instead of making him wait for Uncle William? He had a jolly good mind to go himself…

  And it didn’t take long for James to decide that that was just what he would do. He knew the way to Charlwood. It was a bit too far to walk, but the pony he had been given would take him. One of the stable boys was his friend—Jem would help him to saddle the pony and mount it. No need to tell him he was going for more than a ride round the park. Spurred on by righteous anger, James set off for Charlwood.

  Emily was uneasy when James failed to appear for the afternoon walk—he was usually prompt. Laura said she had not seen him since the end of their morning lessons. The feeling of unease grew when she sent several of the servants to look for him, and was told that he was nowhere in the house. Philip had been out on business all morning and was still not back, so James could not be with him. If he was down at the stables, he was due for a scolding! She went herself to see, but James was not there. And neither was his pony.

  Seriously worried, she questioned the stable boys and one of the younger ones, a boy called Jem, told her that Master James had taken his pony for a ride in the park.

  Emily knew instantly where James had gone, and it wasn’t for a ride in the park! She wasted no time on further questions, but had a quick word with Rosa, changed, and, almost before her horse had been led out and saddled, she was back, ready to set off in pursuit.

  William had finished the business of delivering the Valleron collection to the strong room at the bank the day before, but the hour had been too late to set out for Shearings. He had been invited to spend the night in Arlington Street, where he brought Lord Winbolt up to date on developments in Berkshire.

  ‘My congratulations! You and Emily have done an excellent piece of work between you. And now all that remains is for you to finish the job and marry her! Don’t stand any nonsense, Ashenden. You’re the man for her and she knows it.’

  ‘I still have to set my house free of Kidman, before I do.’

  ‘Ah, yes, ah, yes! Tell me, how do you suppose he would take it if he opened that panel and found the bag with nothing of value in it and the Valleron treasure gone?’

  William paused for thought. ‘I should imagine,’ he said slowly, ‘that he might well go insane. He has expended so much time and effort hunting those jewels, his mind is so fixed on owning them, that it might well turn his brain to discover they had gone.’ He nodded his head, then said reassuringly, ‘But for the moment Kidman has no way of finding that out. The picture, the key to it all, is safely stored at Shearings, and without it they can’t open the panel. Maria Fenton believes it is lost, and will tell Kidman so. They’ll take time to work out what to do, and in the meantime I shall find some way of trapping them. It’s no use just frightening them off. They have to be caught.’

  Lord Winbolt frowned. ‘I’m not happy, Ashenden. We both know that Kidman is dangerous. I don’t like the idea of Emily—or her brother and Rosa—being anywhere near him when he discovers he has been cheated of his prize.’

  ‘They won’t be! I promise you, sir, that I will make very sure that Emily and the rest of your family are well clear of Charlwood when that happens.’

  ‘And when Kidman has gone, we can look for wedding bells?’

  William said calmly, ‘I think that is up to the lady, sir.’

  ‘I tell you what, Ashenden. I like you, but if I have a fault to find in you it’s that you’re a bit over-cool in your attitude, a bit too well balanced. My girl doesn’t show her feelings to everyone, but they run deep. I think she would be safe in your hands, but she could be badly hurt by someone who doesn’t care enough for her.’

  William had been twisting his glass of wine between his fingers and examining its colour in the candlelight. Now he looked up and saw the anxiety in the faded eyes looking at him so intently. He met them frankly. ‘You may set your mind at rest, Lord Winbolt. I care more than I want to admit, even to you.’ He took a sip of wine, and leaning back in his chair he went on, ‘If you had asked me six months ago if I would ever marry for love, I would have laughed at you. And, yes, my decision to ask Emily to be my wife was eminently well balanced and, if you like, cool. I needed someone to create a home for the children, and I thought she would agree because, in return, I was offering her a home of her own. We had enough interests in common to make for a pleasant relationship. And…’ He hesitated, then went on, ‘You’re right. Emily has a depth of feeling, a passion that surprised and de lighted me.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant.’

  ‘I know. I know what you want of me, and I swear that now, whether Emily marries me or not, I care for her more than I ever thought I could care for any other being on this earth.’ William said this calmly, but with such deep sincerity that Lord Winbolt was reassured, even when William went on with a smile, ‘But I would prefer her not to k
now that. It doesn’t do wives any good at all to know how much we are at their mercy.’

  ‘Naturally not. You have my blessing, my boy.’

  The next morning William finished the few bits of remaining business, went back to Arlington Street to bid Lord Winbolt goodbye, then set off for Shearings. He was glad to be going. Since his talk with Emily’s grandfather the night before, he had felt impatient to see her again, had even felt anxious about her—for no good reason, as far as he knew. As the morning went on this irrational feeling grew, and he wasted as little time as possible on the road, arriving at Shearings earlier than he had said, at about half past two in the afternoon.

  ‘William! William, thank God you’re here!’ Rosa met him at the door, her arms out stretched, her face white with worry.

  ‘What is it? Tell me!’

  ‘It’s Emily! And James. And the picture. Oh, I don’t know where to begin.’ She burst into tears.

  After signalling to the manservant that he should bring Mrs Winbolt something to restore her, William led her through to the small sitting room she generally used and sat her down. ‘Now tell me,’ he said. ‘First, where is Emily?’

  ‘She’s gone to Charlwood after James.’

  ‘I don’t quite under stand. Why should James take it into his head to go to Charlwood? There isn’t anyone there!’

  ‘Oh, William, I do so hope not!’ Rosa burst into a fresh bout of weeping.