The Marquis' Mistake

by Giselle Marks

  Christmas came and was enjoyed by all, there was plenty of good food and everyone had a good time. They attended church in Aylesbury together and then sat down to a fine goose for dinner. Alicia missed Sebastian, but she joined in with the children’s games playing spillikins and charades with delight. The girls were very pleased with their presents, mostly of new prettier clothes. Sebastian had enquired about their colouring. He discovered Grace had green eyes like Alicia, while Phoebe had blue eyes like her father. He had sent them beautiful velvet dressing gowns in emerald green and sapphire blue, writing to Alicia that if girls’ dormitories were anything like his school, they would appreciate the warmth. Alicia had bought Lady Maud a glamorous bonnet and a fine new shawl. Lady Maud gave the girls new muffs and gloves and Alicia a fine pearl choker with matching earrings which she insisted she never wore as her neck was too short to look good in them.

  Percival found his presents from Lady Maud were a couple of new shirts for best and a set of smarter clothes which Alicia obtained from a local tailor’s ready-made stock by carrying off one of his own coats, waistcoat and breeches to match for size. Such garments he had not packed and brought with him. He was far more impressed by Sebastian’s presents, which were a folding telescope, a compass and two books. The books he found were an atlas with maps of Britain and a guide book which enumerated the stately homes of England including a fine description and engraving of Langsdown Castle. The inscription on the frontispiece of the atlas stated next time he set off on his adventures, Percival would have no excuse for missing his direction.

  The two small cases from the Duke and Sebastian contained exquisite sets of diamonds and emeralds respectively. Sebastian’s other presents were varied and impressed Alicia more than the expensive jewels. There was a set of scientific books translated from Arabic, a charming fan, some new piano music, some of the finest silk stockings she had ever seen, a delicate silver-handled driving whip and a book of French poetry. Considering Sebastian’s desires to throw presents at her, she thought he had been very restrained.

  Chapter Thirty

  On St. Stephen’s Day Lady Maud had been invited to dinner, followed by a dance, by a family she was acquainted with in Aylesbury which news disappointed the children. But Lady Maud informed them it was an informal event where all the gentry’s children were welcome. So dressed in their best they crammed into the landau in high spirits. Alicia drove but Greenways and Percival accompanied them on horse-back. Everyone had a good time and Percival was on his best behaviour. Alicia was amused to notice that one disapproving look from Grace to Percival made him all the more determined to be charming. Several of the older boys were very taken with her sisters, but Percival stayed beside Grace’s side politely ousting his rivals.

  Sebastian wrote letters to Alicia every day which drolly described the goings on at the Castle, but could have been read by anyone. Beyond telling her how much he was missing her and expressing his undying love, he said nothing that was not totally correct. Her letters in reply were only slightly less correct. After Christmas, Lady Maud wrote to Sir Bardolph and Lady Callista informing them Percival was recovering well from his indisposition and his behaviour had been exemplary. She went so far as to describe him as a charming boy whose behaviour was a credit to his parents and she was enjoying his company.

  On the following day it drizzled bitterly, but Lady Maud wanted to visit a former retainer who lived retired in a cottage six miles from Aylesbury. She asked Alicia to accompany her in the gig. Her sisters said they would be happy to practice their music, but Percival realising they were going out, asked if he could ride along with them. Alicia suggested he should stay behind considering the inclement weather and his recent illness, but he said he would wrap up warm and follow them, enquiring the direction they were taking. So they set off with Alicia driving the gig and Greenways riding a little ahead. Alicia wore the green velvet hooded coat Sebastian had given her and settled to chat with Lady Maud as they drove.

  Greenways had quietly got to know the government watcher who had been keeping an eye on Lady Maud and noticed he was following discreetly behind them. Percival set out a little later cantering to catch up. The way was down a small wooded lane with only a few passing places. They were two miles from Lady Maud’s house when suddenly Greenways’ horse stumbled and he was thrown. His horse bolted down the lane. A few seconds later as Alicia pulled up preparing to aid her retainer, three men emerged from the trees and dragged Alicia and Lady Maud out of the gig and into an ancient closed carriage that was pulled up a little further on in one of the passing places.

  The government watcher spurred his horse and charged towards the men. As he neared them he fired his pistol and wounded one in the shoulder, but the other two men dragged him from his horse and slit his throat. The men clambered aboard the carriage and the horses were whipped up and set off down the road at speed. Percival catching up with the group saw the empty gig and the dead government man in the road. A little further on he found Greenways who was just getting to his feet, his collar bone was broken and his head was bloodied, but he managed to stand. A rope tied to one of the trees lay slack across the road.

  “Miss Lambert and Lady Maud have been abducted by Mallinder’s men. The Marquis must be informed,” he managed to tell Percival.

  “I promised him I’d look after Miss Lambert,” staunchly declared the boy, “I’m going to follow them. Can you manage to take the gig back to the house and send word, Greenways?”

  “You can’t do anything by yourself, Percival, you had best return with me.”

  “Then they’ll get away. I won’t follow too closely, I just want to see where they take them,” and with that he set off after the carriage. There were no turn-offs along the lane for some distance and the fresh carriage tracks stood out clearly in the mud, so Percival knew he was still on the right track. Percival followed until three miles further they reached a crossroads and he slowed to observe the direction the carriage had taken. There had been little traffic on the road and he soon concluded they had turned right and he continued to follow the path of the carriage.

  Percival cantered along the track, but soon realised the carriage was not far ahead. He slowed to a trot following a few hundred yards behind. The carriage turned up a small track. The track was not lined with trees so there was little cover. The twisting track was badly rutted and very narrow so the cumbersome vehicle slowed further to negotiate it. Percival dismounted and followed slowly leading Autumn Leaves. The track climbed sharply and the horses struggled to drag the vehicle further. The carriage passed through a small copse of trees and the track levelled out. Percival thought that the track could only be to some small farm or house and would soon come to an end. He tied Autumn to a tree in the small wood and followed carefully on foot.

  His supposition proved to be correct, because a mile further on he saw a dilapidated two storey farmhouse surrounded by an overgrown patch of shrubbery that might have once been a garden. The carriage had been pulled into a neglected yard and a man was leading the horses into a tumbledown outbuilding. Percival crept closer hugging the shadows close to the shrubs as the drizzle worsened and turned into icy rain. There was smoke coming from the building’s chimneys but no other obvious signs of occupation. The man who had been dealing with the horses came out of the yard and entered the farm-house by a side door. Percival followed the shrubs around the house in the opposite direction to the outbuildings. He watched all the windows for signs of where Alicia and Lady Maud had been taken. He could see no lights, but then it was not yet dusk.

  Reaching the rear of the house he could find little cover and stepped back to another small wood a couple of hundred yards from the house. He climbed a large tree up to about the level of the house’s upper storey and got out his folding telescope from the pocket of his great-coat. He trained it on the windows at the back of the house. He could see no one in the windows on the bottom floor. All the lower windows had the curtains tightly closed. Training his teles
cope on the upper windows he could see the shapes of two bodies upon a bed in the second window. One of them was dressed in emerald green. That was Alicia he was sure.

  He waited in the shadows of the trees watching the movements around the house. Two men came out and went to the outbuildings, one of them led a saddled horse out a little later and his colleague held the horse as he mounted before returning to the house. The sun began to set and Percival risked moving close to the house and casting a handful of gravel up at the window he believed the ladies were imprisoned behind. He cast a second handful up and Alicia looked down from the window. He could see she had her hands tied behind her, and her hair was a mess, but she smiled at Percival. She moved her head to indicate that he should go but Percival gestured up to Alicia. Moving his hands to form the letters of the alphabet, Alicia managed to pick out the message “How many?” In reply, she knocked with her bound hands against the window four times. She had seen four men in the house and carriage, none of whom was Mallinder.

  Percival waved up to Alicia and she nodded to him as he crept away. She hoped he would be able to bring back help.

  ***

  On capture, Lady Maud had seemed to swoon away and had had to be carried into the house. One of the men had tried to question her, but despite their attempts to revive her by burning feathers under her nose she had remained apparently unconscious. One of the men had slapped her across her face, insisting she was feigning it, but the only effect was a brief flickering of her eyes, before her body apparently contorted in convulsions. They had carried her up to the upstairs bedroom arguing amongst themselves as to whether to fetch a doctor. One of them decided to try another remedy first and tried to force a measure of gin down her throat. Most of it failed to be swallowed and she showed no sign of reviving.

  When they finally gave up trying to revive Lady Maud, they left them alone locking the door behind them.

  “We are alone now,” whispered Alicia quietly and Lady Maud’s eyes flashed open. “You should have walked the boards. I nearly thought you were ill too.”

  “Do you want me to untie you, dear?” Lady Maud had whispered.

  “Better not, it will make the men suspicious if they see you’ve released me and I can’t see a way we can escape out of the window. We certainly can’t tackle four men on our own.”

  When Percival threw gravel at the window, she was going through a list of possible ways to get away. None of which had good enough odds, for her to consider risking Lady Maud’s life on them. At least Percival might get word to someone, of where they were and a rescue might be mounted. Percival slunk away to Autumn and rode back to Lady Maud’s house.

  Greenways had managed to board and turn the gig left handed and had returned to the house. He was sorry that he couldn’t lift the government man’s body into the gig but he had dragged him to the side of the road.

  “Morehouse, could you saddle me up Yellow Star for me to ride at once,” Greenways asked Lady Maud’s head groom. Then he went into the main house entering through the kitchen door, having handed over the gig to Morehouse. There he found both Mrs Marshall and Sally, sitting together sharing a cup of tea with the cook.

  “Lady Maud and Miss Alicia have been abducted. They caught me out with the old rope across the road trick and I’ve bust my collar bone. They killed the government man who has been hanging about. The ladies were bundled into a carriage. Percival followed the carriage although I told him not to, but he said he would just find out where they were being taken and then would return. I hope he’ll be all right,” Greenways informed them. They sat shocked and silent for a minute.

  “Oh dear, poor Lady Maud, we must get her back,” the cook said tearfully crying into her apron.

  “What’s to be done Joseph?” Mrs Marshall asked.

  “I’m setting off at once for the Castle, to fetch the Marquis and his men. I’ve asked Morehouse to saddle up Yellow Star for me. When I’ve left, get Morehouse or the stable lad to go to the local magistrate and explain to him what has happened. Do you think one of you could strap my right arm tight to my chest for me?”

  The cook got up and fetched a box containing bandages and simples that they used for any routine illnesses.

  “I’m not much good with bandages, Joseph,” she said as she placed the box on the table with shaking hands.

  “I’ll do it,” Sally said as she helped ease Greenways from his coat. “I’ve bandaged my brothers up often enough when they’ve fallen out of someone else’s fruit trees.”

  “Can you bind my arm up tight to my shoulder and then help me back into my greatcoat and button it for me over my arm,” he asked.

  It was not the first time he had ridden with a broken collar bone. At least when Yellow Star galloped she had a very smooth gait and he was more than capable of riding without using reins. He got Morehouse to pack a couple of saddle bags for him and filled him in on the details of the abduction and murder. He allowed Morehouse to boost him to Yellow Star’s saddle and pointed her head in the direction of Langsdown Castle. With Yellow Star’s speed he hoped to reach the Castle before nightfall.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Sebastian was breakfasting with his father rather later than usual, following a ball at a local Baron’s house which had meant they had not reached their beds until the early hours of the morning, when Greenways was thrown from his horse. Sebastian was up calling orders for Goldie to be saddled and his two outriders to be saddled up and packed for at least an overnight stay before Greenways even hit the ground. His father sat open mouthed because no message had been brought.

  “What’s the matter Sebastian? Finish your breakfast and explain.”

  “Alicia’s been abducted, I must go and change.”

  “But how do you know Sebastian? You had a letter from her only yesterday.”

  “I know and I’m going,” was all he said as he left the room. Sebastian dressed in warm and comfortable clothes to ride in and put on a waterproofed overcoat. He packed for himself although Prescott protested as he shoved items into a pair of saddle bags. He grabbed three pistols and a box of ammunition and thrust them into the pockets of his greatcoat. Then as he passed the gallery he plucked two foils from the display and bore them off with him. In the stable yard four horses were saddled and ready. Randall had decided to add himself to the party. Sebastian attached his saddle bags and tucked the foils into a canvas sheet handing them to Randall. Sebastian checked only that his men were fully armed, before mounting his horse. He set off without a backward glance, his two ex-soldiers and Randall following at a gallop.

  As they set off from Langsdown Castle, in Aylesbury, Greenways was only just reaching Lady Maud’s house before setting off to ride the sixty seven miles to the castle. Greenways had travelled only twenty miles when Sebastian’s group reached him. Their horses were lathered as they pulled to a halt.

  “What’s the damage, Joseph?” Sebastian asked as he noticed he was riding one handed.

  “Broken collar bone, Farndon. I fell for the old rope across the road trick. They killed the government man. Percival followed the carriage, I tried to stop him, but he said he’d promised you to protect Miss Lambert and would follow at a distance to see where they had taken them.”

  “I never thought I’d be grateful for Percival’s disobedience. I hope he’s careful.”

  Greenways turned Golden Star and they rode together at a slightly slower pace to give their horses a breather. Greenways filled Sebastian in on what had happened as they cantered along.

  “Did you see Mallinder?” Sebastian asked after Greenways had finished his narration.

  “No he wasn’t one of the men, he might have been in the carriage, but I didn’t see him.”

  “No, I can’t feel him about. They might just be hired hands. He may be some distance away. We may still be in time, if Percival has discovered where they have taken them.”

  They reached the house a little after dusk. Lady Maud’s groom, Morehouse had been sent to fetch the magi
strate, but had found him from home for the Christmas period and had left a message to be sent on to him, before returning back to Lady Maud’s. Mrs Marshall had said nothing to the Clarence sisters and had tried to pretend nothing was amiss. During the afternoon, a farmer had found and returned Greenways’ horse which had been rubbed down and stabled by the young lad who worked in the stables. Sebastian requested his men tend to the horses, then to join him in the kitchen. He bore Greenways off to the house by the kitchen door.

  “What next, my lord?” Greenways asked when they had reached the warmth of the kitchen.

  “We eat and rest the horses while we wait for Percival or the moon to rise. And you take a measure of rum on doctor’s orders to ease the pain in your shoulder and then head for your bed.”

  “But my lord, I want to come. I am that worried about Miss Alicia,” he protested.

  “As I am, Joseph, but you will be more of a liability than a help at present, with your broken collar bone. You could at least explain what has happened to the magistrate if he appears. You are close to collapse,” Sebastian said.

  Percival rode up as the other men were heading for the kitchen and they advised him the Marquis was in the kitchen and to come and join him. Handing Autumn over to the groom Percival followed them in grim-faced. He smiled to see Sebastian and the others as he stripped off his hat, scarf, riding gloves and coat and warmed himself in front of the range.

  “I found where they took them, Farndon. Alicia’s alive but her hands are tied. I only saw Lady Maud lying down on the bed in the same room. I couldn’t see if she was all right. They’re being kept upstairs in a run-down farmhouse about nine miles away. It will be hard to find in the dark, I’ll have to show you. Alicia said she thought there were four men. One rode off before I left.”