There was a break in the bushes a few yards ahead of Vernon and the two men paused at that point, still hunched over. Thea could just make out they both held weapons—one short and thick, like a club, the other longer and very slim—and Thea prayed it was not a blade of some sort.
Vernon rode on at an easy walk.
It happened very fast. The two men erupted from the bushes. One grabbed at Warrior’s reins as the other, thick club upraised, went for the rider.
Thea dug her heels into Star but, even as she yelled a warning, she saw Vernon’s leg jerk sideways. His boot collided with his assailant’s head and a scream of pain rent the air as the man staggered back, clutching his face, his club discarded. Vernon shot a swift glance behind him, in Thea’s direction, before launching himself from the saddle at the second man, who had come alongside Warrior, still clutching his reins. Vernon cursed viciously as the man jabbed his stick at him. Thea hauled Star to a halt, leapt from the saddle, and ran towards the struggling men, pistol in hand. She stopped a few yards away, pistol still pointing into the air.
Vernon threw a punch, catching his attacker on the jaw with satisfying crack. As the man staggered back, Vernon shot another glance at Thea.
‘Don’t stand gawping, lad. Guard the other one.’
Thea gulped and pointed the pistol with a shaky hand in the general direction of the first assailant, still moaning on the ground, blood pouring from his nose. Vernon stalked after the second attacker, who was stumbling backwards, his eyes riveted to the menacing figure that followed. He gripped his stick—which Thea could now see had been sharpened at one end—with both hands, pointing it at Vernon. A movement from the man on the ground then secured Thea’s attention and she saw no more, but the cries and the curses coming from two men behind her suggested they now grappled and finally, unable to bear the suspense, she glanced round. Vernon, his hand clutched to his side, was bent over, but there was no sign of his assailant.
Vernon’s head lifted and she felt the force of his gaze upon her. ‘Look out!’
Desperation leant an edge to his shout, but his warning was too late. A solid mass thumped into Thea from behind, knocking her aside. She stumbled, desperately trying to stay on her feet and to keep hold of the pistol, her stomach clenching tight as bile rose to choke her throat.
By the time she steadied herself, the two assailants were disappearing amongst the bushes by the side of the road, one man’s arm draped across the other’s shoulders as he was dragged along. She aimed her pistol at the bushes, following the rustling sounds, using her left hand to steady her shaking right one.
‘Leave it!’ That voice brooked no disobedience.
Thea lowered her arm, gulping with relief that she would not have to use the firearm, although she would have fired had she been forced to. What if those ruffians had not run away? What if Vernon had been incapacitated? The enormity of her decision to follow him in this way suddenly hit her. And now...she realised how likely it was Vernon would see through her disguise and her relief seeped away to be replaced by fear at the thought of facing him. He would not be happy. She sucked in a breath.
‘Thank you.’ Vernon’s attention was still on the spot where the two men had disappeared into the bushes. ‘I am in your debt.’
In the spot where they stood, where trees overhung the road, the light had all but gone. Thea kept her face averted from Vernon and muttered, ‘Glad to help.’
Vernon crossed slowly to Warrior and reached into his saddlebag, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding bushes. All sounds of the men’s retreat had faded away, but Thea still breathed a thankful sigh when Vernon withdrew his own pistol. At least they were both now armed and ready for anything.
‘How far is Birmingham? I need a bed for the night.’
Thea pointed ahead. ‘Two or three miles.’
He grunted. ‘I’ll stop at the next inn. There must be another between here and the town.
* * *
Vernon rubbed his hand across his jaw, the rasp of whiskers against his palm reminding him of the long, weary day behind him. He shoved his foot into the stirrup and hauled himself up to the saddle. He was knackered even before those two had jumped him, but now... He pressed his hand to his side and winced. That bastard had caught him with his stake, but he was sure it hadn’t punctured anything vital. When he had first become aware of the two figures lurking in the undergrowth, energy had flooded him, banishing his weariness and helping him to fight them off. But now that unnatural surge had dissipated and all he wished for was a hot meal and a comfortable bed. He hoped the next inn would be a decent place. Some of the places he had stopped at since leaving Stourbridge had left much to be desired.
Vernon glanced round at the lad, riding a little behind, out of Vernon’s direct line of sight. He was not the talkative type and that suited Vernon very well, but he was aware how fortunate it was that the lad had seen what was happening and come to Vernon’s aid. He wondered idly if the boy was local...that was a very fine mare he was riding. Vernon frowned, staring at the road ahead as suspicions stirred. Such a quality, fine-boned animal was an unusual choice for a country lad. He glanced back again. The combination of the dim light and the lad’s cap pulled low over his eyes rendered his face all but invisible.
They had ridden into a village and around a curve in the road. There before them was a small inn, the Bell, set between a churchyard and a row of neat cottages. Vernon could just make out the church itself, set back from the other buildings, its square tower silhouetted against the night sky.
‘Do you know anything about this place?’
The lad shook his head.
‘No matter,’ Vernon said. ‘Go in and see if it looks respectable, will you, lad? I’ll hold the horses. Oh, and enquire for the local constable, while you’re there, will you?’ Once he left the saddle he feared it would be more than he could manage to remount. ‘I must report that attack—I was informed earlier there has been a spate of such incidences in the area. I make no doubt the constable will be interested in the information, especially as one of those men looks unlikely to go far.’
The boy merely grunted by way of reply and did as he was bid as Vernon clenched his teeth against the pain in his side and battled the urge to slump in the saddle.
The boy soon emerged, with a couple of men. He nodded at Vernon, who took that to mean the inn was acceptable. He slid to the ground, relieved he need ride no further.
‘I’m Joseph Deadly, constable here,’ the taller of the two men said. ‘What’s been a-happening?’
Vernon told Deadly how the two men had jumped him.
‘I’ll wager it’s them gipsies that set up camp by the woods. They often come through this time of year, picking up odd jobs, and we allus seem to get a spate of thievery and such like when they’re around.’
Vernon recalled Thea’s earlier remark, that Daniel had suspected former soldiers of local attacks rather than the gipsies commonly blamed. His immediate impression of his two attackers meant he was inclined to agree with Daniel.
‘I am not sure you are correct, Deadly,’ he said. ‘Whilst gipsies are not unknown for petty thieving, the ones I’ve met in the past have not struck me as violent men, unless they perceive themselves under threat. The men who attacked me appeared more like vagrants.’
Deadly shrugged. ‘One and the same thing, as far as I can see. You say one of them’s injured, sir?’
‘He is. I suspect my boot in his face will leave a visible clue to identify the culprit.’
Several men had by now joined them outside the inn, tankards in hand.
‘Any volunteers to come with me and pay them gipsies a visit?’ Deadly said.
A chorus of enthusiasm met his words and Vernon’s heart sank. He hoped he hadn’t been the instigator of a lynch mob. Still, that was for the constable to control.
‘Never fear, sir,’ Deadly added, clapping Vernon on the shoulder and making him wince, ‘we’ll go to the scene first and scout out from there. But, you mark my words, it’ll be them gipsies.’
‘Before you go...’ Vernon tossed his horse’s reins to the lad—who had shrunk back into the shadows—and then took the constable to one side to tell him about Daniel Markham’s disappearance. ‘Will you make a few enquiries, but discreetly, please? Mr Markham’s family do not wish his disappearance to become common knowledge. He was riding a light grey horse. I also need to know if you have any knowledge of Willingdale or of a man called Henry Mannington. You may attend me here in the morning, if you will, to let me know if you have any news for me and to tell me if you’ve had any luck in tracking down my attackers.’
Deadly touched the brim of his hat. ‘Very good, sir.’
Vernon was relieved to call a halt to his enquiries, even though his original intention had been to reach Birmingham and the Royal Hotel that night. He felt in his gut that the Royal Hotel would hold the clue he needed to unravel what had happened to Daniel Markham.
He turned back to Warrior. The lad who had been holding him had gone, leaving the horse’s reins weighted with a large stone. Vernon frowned. He had wanted to thank him properly. He looked along the street and there, in the distance, he could just make out the lad riding away on his black mare. His body screamed at him to let the lad go, but his suspicions about the quality of the horse, coupled with the lad’s reluctance to look Vernon in the eye and his lack of conversation, set warning bells jangling in Vernon’s head. Then he recalled the lad’s pistol. How many country lads like him would own a duelling pistol?
Is he a runaway?
And those few words decided him. His nephew, Alex—Leo’s youngest son—had run away only a few months previously, and Vernon remembered the worry and the grief of the entire family as they had imagined the worst. And then there was Thea—her anxiety over her brother’s disappearance had touched Vernon as he saw how bravely she tried to shield her parents from the knowledge. The thought of another family going through the same horror of not knowing what had become of their loved one made the decision for him: he could not allow the lad to ride off into the night without at least trying to discover his story.
Vernon clenched his teeth and, sweating with the effort, hauled himself into Warrior’s saddle. He put his hand to his side again, reaching inside his borrowed moleskin waistcoat, feeling the sticky warmth of blood. He inhaled—he should get it seen to, but then the boy would be long gone and, if he was a runaway, Vernon would have lost his only chance to help.
He set Warrior into a trot, biting back a gasp as the gait jolted him and pain scorched across his ribs.
‘Damn,’ he muttered, beneath his breath. ‘Let’s get this done,’ and he dug his heels in.
Warrior broke into a canter—a smoother pace but still agony to Vernon. He hooked his left hand under the pommel and forced his thoughts away from the pain and on to the lad. As they neared the black mare, the lad glanced back and, for a moment, it seemed as though he would take flight. He did not, however, but reined to a halt and waited, staring fixedly at his horse’s mane.
‘Why did you leave?’ Vernon said as he pulled his horse round in front of the mare.
‘Need to get home.’
There was something about that gruff voice...but it hovered just out of Vernon’s reach. He watched the boy as he studiously avoided meeting his gaze.
‘And where is that?’
A cough took Vernon unaware. Pain forked through him and he sucked an involuntary breath in through his teeth. The boy’s head jerked upright and he stared through the darkness at Vernon.
‘Are you hurt?’
‘Merely a scratch,’ he gritted out. ‘You left before I could thank you properly.’ He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a half-sovereign. ‘Here. I am—’
Vernon bit off his words. The boy had reached out for the coin, muttering Thanks, and something about that disgruntled, near-sarcastic tone of voice jogged a memory. He did not stop to think about it...about how unlikely it was...he nudged his horse closer to the dainty black mare and took hold of her reins. The fresh scent of roses assailed his senses.
It cannot—
In one swift movement he snatched the cap from the boy’s head. Even though it was too dark to see the colour, there was no mistaking the spring of the curls that tumbled about her forehead, nor the delicate oval of her face, nor the plump softness of the lips that formed a silent Oh! of horror. Vernon lifted his gaze to meet a pair of large, startled eyes that he just knew were hazel in colour.
‘What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?’
Chapter Six
Thea shrank from the utter fury in Vernon’s voice, the blood stuttering through her veins. She said nothing. There was nothing she could say. The only sound was of the early stirrings of nocturnal wildlife rustling in the still evening air. She suppressed a shiver. She was unafraid of the dark, but she could not begin to guess how Lord Vernon Beauchamp might now react. She had not trusted him to concentrate on finding Daniel, but had never stopped to wonder about her own safety if...when...he discovered her presence.
A growl sounded, muted at first, as though contained deep within him, but it grew and grew until, with a hasty gesture that made Thea flinch, Vernon snatched his hat from his head, thrust his other hand through his hair and then, swinging his right leg over Warrior’s neck, he jumped to the ground and strode away. After a dozen paces, he stopped and then hunkered down, his head hanging.
Thea chewed her lip. It was too late to ride away. He knew it was she and therefore she had no choice but to face him. She dismounted and approached the still figure. His breath came in hoarse rasps and, with a flurry of concern, she recalled that fight and his earlier hissed intake of breath.
‘Are you injured?’ She dropped a timid hand on his shoulder.
‘I said it is but a scratch.’
He stood and Thea staggered back several paces as he towered over her. He held up his hands, palms facing her, in a gesture of peace.
‘It is all right.’ There was still a hard edge to his voice, but that raw anger had softened. ‘I might be furious, but I have never in my life offered violence to a woman and I am not about to start now, no matter how tempted I am to put you over my knee and spank you.’
Thea gasped, but shock soon gave way to her own anger. ‘You cannot dictate my movements, Lord Vernon. You are neither my father nor my brother—’
‘Thank God for that small mercy.’
‘And I do not answer to you.’
‘Again, thank God. I can think of nothing worse than being responsible for a little firebrand such as you.’ He heaved a sigh. ‘Except, of course, I am now responsible for you.’
‘You are most certainly not responsible for me. I am a woman grown. An adult. And a perfectly capable one at that.’ Thea moved closer to him, stretching to her full height and thrusting her face as close to his as she could manage. ‘I am responsible for myself. It is nothing to do with you.’
He huffed a laugh of disbelief. ‘Then...’ he put his hat back on and started back towards the horses ‘...I shall leave you to it, Miss Markham.’ She heard him chuckle as he walked away. ‘Dorothea! Dotty is more like it. Yes, that is it.’ He spun to face her, continuing to move away, walking backwards. ‘Dotty by name, dotty by nature.’
Thea swallowed down an urge to cry. She would not give that brute the satisfaction. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, staring fixedly back down the road. She would not turn back until she heard him ride off. That would show him how little she cared.
I do not need him. I have money, so I can stay in inns. I have my pistols and I have my wits about me.
Silence reigned. All she could hear, once more, was the sound of night-time
creatures moving through the undergrowth. No creak of a saddle as he mounted. No horse’s hoofbeats fading into the distance. But she would not look.
‘You...’ the voice came from directly behind her, making her jump ‘...are the most wilful woman it has ever been my misfortune to meet.’
Her pulse settled and a warm glow settled deep inside her. For all her bravado, she had dreaded being left alone on a strange road now darkness had fallen.
‘What is your plan? Where did you think to spend the night?’
She faced him. She hadn’t really planned...at least, not in such detail. She had trusted in her own ingenuity to work out those minor inconveniences when the time came.
‘I planned...’ she stuck her nose in the air ‘...to stay at inns overnight. That is what they are for, after all.’
‘An unaccompanied female, staying in such places?’
‘There is no need to sound so very...scandalised. I told you before that I am not one of your delicate society misses, fit for nothing other than being dressed in fancy clothes and doing as they are told.’
The man standing in front of her snorted with laughter.
‘What is so funny?’
‘You should meet the females in my family, if that is what you believe. My sister, my new sister-in-law, my niece: they are not women to meekly do as they are bid without question.’
‘Then you should be more than comfortable with the notion that I am capable of making my own decisions. Besides, it may have escaped your notice, but I would not be staying in inns as an unaccompanied woman, but as a youth. See? Scandal avoided. Not even you recognised me, until now. Tell me, what gave me away? I shall need to know if I am to escape detection as we continue searching for Daniel.’
‘Continue...? Oh, no. You are not coming with me. You are to go home. Right now. You have seen how dangerous it is on the roads. I cannot allow—’
Scandal and Miss Markham Page 6
