Chapter 29
Rufus was not surprised when he received word from Violet the very next day. He had hardly slept that night for thinking of Ella’s plight, and he could not help hoping and praying that she was unharmed in all of this.
And, on top of it all, he wondered how and why it was that his old attorney had betrayed him. He racked his brains to think of what he had done to hurt the man so badly that he would turn against him so. After all, Henry Mercer had never shown any signs of discontent in all the years that Rufus had known him.
It hurt Rufus badly, and he felt almost as if he had been deceived by a blood relative, a kindly uncle of some sort. But he knew, of course, that he had never truly treated Henry as such.
How strange it was that he had only lately been thinking about how little he knew of the man who had been a fixture of his entire life. How he had never wondered how it was Henry spent his time and the stab of guilt he had suffered when he realized it. Was it something that Henry had seen all along? Was it something he had felt?
There was so much to think about, and he hoped that Henry would keep away from the hall for a few days, just until he had made Ella safe. He needed to concentrate, and he needed to be ready.
And when Violet’s message came, Rufus could not have been readier.
Her brief note said that she had not yet made her way to the door of the attic where she believed Ella was being kept because she had seen the Countess head in that direction more than once and feared she would be discovered.
But she had made some other exploration and had discovered a room just below the attics that appeared to be unused and had a window so close to a small window in the eaves of the attic room. And, if the Duke thought he might manage it, Violet was certain that he could reach to climb into the room above. There was a wide ledge under that window, and if the Duke were to stand on it, he could easily peer into the little attic window in the eaves.
Violet would be waiting at the side entrance of Dandridge Hall at two o’clock in the morning, in the dead of night. She would sneak him through the hall in silence and take him to that unused little room. And she would help him to free Miss Winfield, for she was sure that her mistress would have the courage to be helped from one window into the other. She could see no other way and vehemently hoped that His Grace would meet her at the appointed time and be ready to rescue the prisoner.
Rufus had left his own home quietly and in the dead of night. He had taken a simple cart that the servants used since it was easier to hook one horse to it than try to make ready the carriage in secret.
When he turned onto the driveway of Dandridge Hall, he knew that he could not risk going much closer to the house itself. He jumped down from the cart and led the horse into the trees, tethering it there, then continued making the rest of his way on foot.
There was a very pale light from the half-moon, and he was glad of it. It was just enough light to be able to make his way safely without being so bright as to make him stand out.
When he crept to the side entrance, he could see Violet standing there, fully dressed and holding something in her arms.
“What is this?” he whispered the moment he was at her side.
“I have some men’s breeches and boots here for Miss Winfield to put on. She cannot climb out of that window in her gown, it will be too difficult, and so she must put these clothes on. It will also help to disguise her if anybody sees you on the road out of here.”
“You think of everything, Violet,” he whispered. “You really are very clever.”
“We had better get started, Your Grace,” she said, and he could see by the pale moonlight that she was white-faced with apprehension.
Violet led him through the darkness of the corridors in the servants’ area before they reached the back staircase that she and the rest of the household staff probably used day in and day out.
The further they went into the house, the more his adrenaline began to race through his body. His hearing seemed to have become most acute, and he could swear that he would have heard a pin drop anywhere in Dandridge Hall.
And his eyes quickly became accustomed to the darkness, easily picking out moonlight here and there as it came in through various windows.
When they reached the upper floor, and Violet led him first along a wide corridor, he realized that he was on the very landing on which his unwitting enemy likely slept. If Dandridge came out of his chamber now for whatever reason, Rufus would be unable to explain his presence. But he was determined that he would not leave Dandridge Hall that night without Ella, even if he had to tell the truth and fight the master of the house to get to her.
As they turned into the east wing, Rufus calmed down considerably. The place had an air of solitude, solitude which gave away its lack of use. No doubt the family kept to the centre and west wing of that tremendous hall. He knew that he closed down much of Hillington when he did not have guests.
When Violet stopped abruptly, Rufus almost collided with her. But he halted just in time and followed her when she opened a door and disappeared through it.
“We are here, Your Grace. I have left a candle and some matches on the window ledge. I shall light it now, for we will not be seen here.”
“Does none of the family sleep in this wing?” he said, still whispering.
“No, the east wing is quite deserted. My only concern is if my mistress screams. If she is startled by you, she might not be able to help herself. As soon as she sees you, Your Grace, you must do your best to reassure her immediately.”
“I promise, Violet,” he said and, when Violet struck the match and brightened the room, he looked over to the window that he was to climb out of. “Does it open quietly?”
“Without a squeak, Your Grace.”
“After I have managed to get her attention, do you think you could reach high enough to hand me the clothing for your mistress?”
“Yes, I will manage that.”
“Wish me luck, Violet.”
“Good luck, Your Grace. Godspeed.”
Rufus pushed the sash window up as high as it would go and first sat on the ledge, looking up to see exactly where the attic window was. Violet had been right in that the two were close, and he was certainly tall enough if he stood on the wide ledge to reach. He only hoped that Ella would have the necessary courage to step out of her own window and onto the ledge with him.
As he peered up, Rufus could see that there was the faintest glow coming from that window and realized immediately that Ella must at least have a candle. How he hoped he would not startle her into screaming.
Finally, tentatively, he held onto the window frame and stood on the ledge, rising up to his full height. He reached out to take hold of the narrow ledge under Ella’s window and shuffled along until he was level with it. As he stood, he was head and shoulders above that little edge and easily able to see in.
Ella did indeed have a candle, and he could see that she was there on the floor, curled up on what looked like a pile of old clothes. The poor woman did not even have a mattress to lay on. He could see that she stirred, and he felt certain that she was not asleep. Realizing that the moment had come, Rufus tapped lightly on the window.
He saw Ella immediately sit up, turning on her pile of clothes to look all around. He made the tapping a little irregular as if he were beating out a tune for her. When she looked towards the window, he was glad she did not scream. He laid his hand on the window and smiled, hoping that she would recognize him instantly.
She scampered across the room to where he was, and he realized that she was still kneeling. As he peered into the room, he could see that it was a genuine attic room, and the window was set so low as to be floor level. The roof pitched down at that point, and it was clear that Ella could not have stood up for there was no headroom.
She held her candle to the window and surveyed him, and he marvelled at her bravery. He saw her sudden recognition and the smile of wonder on her face as it became clear who the face at the window was.
Surely, any other young lady on earth would have screamed to have heard tapping and seen the outline of a man on the other side of the window. Ella Winfield really was made of sterner stuff.
She immediately began to make a little shooing motion with her hand, and he thought for a moment that she was trying to get him to leave. He then could see that she was pointing at the window, and he stared at it blankly for a minute before realizing that she was trying to get him to move aside a little, for the window clearly opened outward and not inward. It was not a sash like the one he had just climbed out of, just a single pane and very much smaller.
Being very careful where he put his feet, he shuffled back towards his own window just enough so that she might push hers open.
“Your Grace? Is it really you?”
“It is me. And Violet,” he said with a smile, “I have come to release you, but I am afraid that you are going to have to be terribly brave about it.”
“Really?” she said in a whisper.
“Yes, really. But you are going to have to climb out of this window so that I can get you in through the other one.” He looked down towards the other window she peered out to follow his gaze.
“I had thought to climb out of this window before, Your Grace, but I did not know if I could get the other one open. But I have no fears of climbing out; you need not worry.”
“Just wait a moment because Violet is going to hand me some clothes for you to put on. They are men’s close, and I apologize, but I am afraid that you are going to have to suffer that one little indignity.” He smiled at her broadly.
“Well, it would not be the first time,” she said smiling back, clearly thrilled that she was about to be released and feeling not one shred of nerves that she would not make it.
Violet poked her head out of the window below to see what was happening and, without a word, began to hand up the clothing bit by bit. One boot followed by another boot, an old shirt and a waistcoat, and a pair of men’s breeches.
Ella took the clothing and immediately disappeared. She returned in no time, and he was amazed at how quickly she had got herself dressed. Without a word, Ella began to climb out of the window. She had extinguished her candle in the attic room, and no sooner had the window turned to darkness than both of her legs appeared, and she shuffled out, turning with ease and placing her feet on that high ledge without any assistance whatsoever.
“Miss Winfield, do be careful.”
“Just keep moving, Your Grace. The sooner you get into that window, the sooner I can get into it.”
He wanted to protest; he wanted to help her, to hold her somehow, but he could see that she was managing very well indeed. He hurriedly dropped into the window, and no sooner had he turned to help her than she swung in through the window by herself almost as an eight-year-old boy might have done.
The minute she was in, Violet quickly pulled down the sash, and the two women threw their arms around each other. They were silent for a moment, and Rufus was certain that each of them was crying. He felt a little awkward as if he ought not to have been there at all, but there was no way for him to give them their privacy without leaving the room.
“Violet, I knew you would help me. These last days I knew all along that you would work it out, my clever girl,” Ella said in an emotional whisper. “And you,” she said and turned from Violet for a moment, and quite without warning, threw her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. “I do not know where to begin. I do not know how to thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“I would not have managed it at all if it had not been for Violet. She really is very clever, and very, very brave.”
“I am so pleased to see you, Miss Winfield, but you really do have to go now. Leave this place and never return, it is the only way.” Violet swiped the tears which rolled down her cheeks.
“As soon as I am settled someplace, I will send word to you. We will not be parted forever, you and me.” The two women embraced again before Violet extricated herself and blew out the candle. She gave them a moment or two for their eyes to adjust to the darkness before she opened the door and silently led them out through Dandridge Hall the way that she and the Duke had come just minutes before.
When they parted at the side entrance, it was out without a word. The two women held hands for a moment before Violet turned and made her way back in, silently closing the door behind her.
Rufus took Ella by the hand and led her at a brisk pace towards the woodland. By the time they reached it, they were running, and Rufus was surprised to find that Ella easily kept pace with him. Once in amongst the trees, they slowed a little, although he was keen to keep moving, keen for them to both be in the cart and away from the Dandridge estate.
Ella spied the cart and quickened her pace, scampering up into it unaided the moment she reached it. Rufus realized then how keen she was to be away from Dandridge Hall and just what it must have taken from her to have been a prisoner there.
They turned out of the driveway of Dandridge just minutes later and away into the night. Neither one of them spoke for several minutes, and then suddenly he thought he heard her laugh. He kept the horse going but turned to look at her and realized that she was, indeed, laughing quietly.
Something about it moved and amused him, and Rufus found that he soon began to laugh himself.
Ella turned to look at him, and the more he laughed, the more she laughed. When they were but a mile from Dandridge Hall, the two of them were laughing loudly and unguardedly, like drunken sailors, and they continued to laugh for several minutes more as they drove off into the night.