CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning Sarah tried once more to convince Adam, as he insisted she continue calling him, Anthony being inadvisable, that he should let her go to see Caroline alone, but he was adamant that he intended to accompany her.
“I’ve felt guilty about abandoning her and Edwin ever since I ran away that night,” he said. “And I didna ken then what they did for Beth, and for you, for that matter. But I’m glad Caroline didna shoot Richard when she could have. If she had I would never have known Beth was alive.”
Unable to sleep the night before, the two of them had sat and talked into the early hours, during which Sarah had told him about Richard’s attack on her and Caroline’s dramatic rescue.
“He wouldn’t have been alive to torture her though,” Sarah pointed out.
“True. But I’m thinking Newcastle would have found someone else to do the job. Richard was just convenient.”
“I hated him,” Sarah said.
“Aye, well, he’s dead now.”
“No, I mean Newcastle. He treated me as though he thought I should be honoured that he was threatening me. He had a list on his desk when he interviewed me and kept looking at it as though it had some terrible secret about me on it. He didn’t expect me to be able to read, being a commoner and a woman. It said ‘roast beef, potatoes’ at the top. I’ll never forget that. It’s what told me that he didn’t know anything, so I could say whatever I wanted as long as I was careful.”
Alex burst out laughing, and after a minute her anger dissolved and she started laughing too.
“I called him ‘my lord’ at least fifty times because I could see it was annoying him,” she said, giggling. “In the end he told me that there was a reward of a thousand pounds for any information that would lead to your capture, and asked me to really think. So I sat there for as long as I dared, while he got more and more impatient, and then I said that there was one thing.”
“What was it?” Alex asked.
“I told him that when you couldn’t get violet perfume, you’d sometimes wear lavender. I thought he was going to hit me then; he went scarlet. I was terrified at the time but also really angry, but now it seems comical.”
Alex took her hands in his.
“It is comical. And you should be proud of yourself, because you made a fool of one of the cleverest men in the kingdom. That’s no’ an easy thing to do. But never underestimate him. He underestimated you, which made him weak and you strong. If he ever interviews you again you must take it very seriously, because he rarely makes the same mistake twice.”
She nodded.
“I will. But everyone seems to think Sir Anthony’s either dead or in France with the Young Pretender, so I don’t think he’ll interview me again.”
“That depends on what happens when I see Caroline and Edwin,” Alex said. “I really think I should go alone. No one need ever know I was here, if it comes to it.”
“Well, I’m coming anyway,” Sarah said. “I don’t think for one minute Caroline will betray you. And if she has heard something about Beth I want to know.”
“Aye, but—”
And I want to see the house, because I’ve only been there once, when they’d just started building it,” she continued. “So if you don’t want my company on the way, then I’ll follow behind.”
“Christ, woman!” he said, exasperated. “Did you learn your stubbornness from Beth?”
She grinned.
“I’ll get my cloak,” she said.
Summer Hill was thirty miles away, a distance Alex could have covered in one day by riding or even walking. But travelling in a coach and with a small child was a different matter, and in the end they had to stop and find an inn for the night, which had just one room available. Any initial embarrassment at having to share it was short-lived due to the complete exhaustion they both felt from travelling along bumpy roads all day after having not slept the previous night. Alex slept on the floor, while Sarah and Màiri had the bed.
The following morning, much refreshed after eight hours of unbroken sleep followed by a hearty breakfast, they set off to walk the last few miles to Summer Hill. It was another glorious sunny day, and the adults tried not to focus on the unpleasant reception they might get when they reached their destination, and instead just enjoy the walk, which was made easier, if slower, by Màiri’s fascination with everything she saw.
“I must take her out into the countryside more,” Sarah said, watching her daughter’s delight in the hedgerow flowers they were passing as they walked down a lane. “I spend too much time working, trying to save all the money I can in case anything bad happens. I think it’s because…well, you know where I came from,” she said. “I don’t want her ever to have to do what I did to survive. But I also need to spend more time with her. She’s growing so fast.”
Alex, walking by her side, smiled.
“You should,” he agreed. He stopped and knelt down in the lane. “A Mhàiri,” he said softly, “shall we pick some flowers for the lady we’re going to visit?” He picked her up and demonstrated what he meant, collecting a buttercup and some meadowsweet from the hedgerow, and soon the tall man and the tiny child had an accord; she pointed to the flowers, he picked them and told her the name as he did so.
“Why do you call her a-vaari?” Sarah asked after a few minutes of watching this, misty-eyed.
Alex passed the collected flowers to her, freeing his hands to pick more.
“Màiri is her name,” he said, “but in the Gaelic, if you address her by name, or say hello, then the first letter sound changes and it sounds like a v instead of an m. I dinna ken why, it’s just how it is.”
“It sounds lovely,” Sarah said.
“Aye, but ye must no’ use it yourself,” he warned her. “Anyone with the Gaelic would ken instantly, and you’d bring suspicion on yourself.”
There was so much to remember to forget.
“How did you do it?” she asked. “How did you become Sir Anthony and never make a mistake?”
“I made mistakes, plenty of them, but as long as you stay calm, you can cover them,” he said. “You treat it as a game, that helps. It’s a wee bit like being an actor on a stage – while you’re playing the part you have to believe it completely, become that person. Just as I’m about to become your cousin Adam again, for a short time, at least,” he said, switching smoothly from a soft Scottish accent to a broad Manchester one. “Is that Summer Hill?”
Sarah followed the direction of his gaze and gasped. In the distance, where last time she had seen a building site, was a large white three storey Palladian villa, set in acres of lush green countryside. To one side of it was a huge hole, with an equally huge pile of excavated earth near it. Tiny figures could be seen moving to and fro across the grass.
“It’s beautiful!” she said, awestricken.
“It is,” Alex agreed. “They’re moving up in the world. And very well deserved.”
“Maybe it would be better if you stayed here,” Sarah said doubtfully. “There are a lot of people around. I’ll go with Màiri and see what I can find out.”
By way of answer he linked his arm through hers.
“Are you ashamed of your country cousin Adam, then?” he asked. “Maybe I can ask if there’s a job for me here.”
She looked up at him, horror-struck, and then he winked and she realised he was joking. You treat it as a game. She sighed, and they continued their slow progress towards the distant house.
They had to ask three workers before they finally located Caroline in one corner of the garden, supervising the planting of some shrubs. When she saw the flower-bedecked threesome coming toward her she waved to them.
“Sarah? Good grief! What are you doing here? Is everything all right?” she asked. She smiled at Màiri, and then looked at the man accompanying them, who instantly removed his hat and executed a somewhat amateur bow.
“Yes!” Sarah replied energetically, noting that several people were in earshot. “This is my cousin, Adam, who was working in Newcastle but came to see me when he found out I’d adopted Mary. I thought it would be nice to take him and Mary out for a few days in the country, so we came to see you. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, of course I don’t!” Caroline said. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Adam.” She showed no reaction whatsoever to the left side of his face, which was still a mass of scabs.
Adam bowed again.
“Your obedient servant, my lady,” he said humbly.
“Mary picked these flowers for you,” Sarah continued, taking the large bunch of assorted wildflowers from Adam, combining them with her own and handing them across to Caroline, who accepted them as though they were the most expensive hothouse flowers in the world. She knelt down on the grass, heedless of her white cotton gown.
“Mary, are these for me?” she asked.
The little girl nodded, beaming.
“They are beautiful! Like you,” Caroline said, kissing the child. “Come, we must put these in water. They will look lovely in the library. And Freddie will be delighted to see you. He’s in the nursery right now.” She stood again. “The library, nursery and master bedroom are the only rooms completely finished at the moment,” she continued as they started to walk across the grass in the direction of the house. “The salon is nearly complete though, and I’ve ordered some Bohemian crystal chandeliers that Wilhelmina recommended. They’ll look wonderful when they’re installed. Are you ready for some refreshments?”
“That would be very kind, my lady. Thank you,” said Adam, gazing all around in obvious wonder. “You have a lovely house. Is all this land yours too?”
“My name is Caroline. There are no ‘my lady’s’ here, especially where Sarah’s family is concerned. Yes, all this is mine, up to the other side of that small hill. You must stay for the night, and then tomorrow I’ll show you the grounds. The guest rooms are not finished yet, but we can make you comfortable, at least.”
Sarah looked distinctly uncomfortable at being asked to stay the night, in view of the circumstances.
“I wouldn’t feel right sleeping in a big house,” Adam said. “Where I worked, I used to sleep in the stables of a night.”
“Nonsense! I wouldn’t hear of a guest sleeping in the stables. Sarah is a good friend to me, and if you’ve come all the way from Newcastle to see her I expect that you think highly of each other.”
“That we do, my la…Caroline,” he said. “She’s done a lot for me. Trust her with my life, I would.”
Sarah flushed.
“What do you do for your living, Adam?” Caroline asked.
“I don’t have no special trade, but I can turn my hand to lots of things,” he said. “I’m very adep…adapt…er…”
“Adaptable?” Caroline ventured.
“That’s it!” Adam smiled shyly. “That’s what Mr Allbrow – he was the man what I was working for in Newcastle – said to me.”
“And when do you have to return to Newcastle, Adam?”
“Oh no, er…Caroline, I’m not working for him no more. I haven’t got no work right now. I’m here to see Sarah, and hoping to find news of an old friend, too.”
“Caroline, can we have a talk in private?” Sarah asked somewhat desperately, unable to bear this pretence for much longer. It was one thing to lie to the Duke of Newcastle; quite another to do it to a friend, particularly when the lie was going to be exposed in a few minutes.
“Of course!” Caroline replied. “We can talk in the library. I’m expecting Edwin home at any time, so hopefully you’ll be able to meet him too, Adam. The session ended yesterday, and we’re both going to spend the summer here. Ah, Toby!” she continued, addressing an extremely elderly and frail-looking man in livery, who was standing at the entrance to the house, and who bowed deeply on seeing his mistress approaching.
“Miss Browne has brought her cousin Adam to visit!” Caroline bellowed, to the obvious alarm of that cousin. “Can you arrange for refreshments in the library? And take Mary up to the nursery?”
“Indeed, Lady Caroline,” Toby said. Very reverently he took the little girl’s hand, and together they began to make their way at a snail’s pace up the beautiful curved mahogany staircase. Caroline led her visitors through a door on the left of the marble-floored entrance hall, and into the library. Adam and Sarah looked around the room with obvious pleasure.
Two of the four walls were lined with bookshelves, on which at the moment stood only a handful of books. There was a white marble fireplace in the centre of one wall, with alcoves on either side also lined with currently empty bookshelves. The visible walls and the ceiling were painted a warm peach colour, with white cornice and mouldings. Under the large sash window stood a writing desk, and on either side of the fireplace was a sofa, striped in peach and white brocade, with a tea table in between. Caroline sat down on one sofa and beckoned her guests to sit on the other. Sarah sat down opposite her friend. On Caroline’s invitation Adam took off his coat, placing it across the arm of the sofa, his hat on top.
“Toby’s deaf as a post,” Caroline continued. “I’m sorry Adam, I should have warned you. But he’s an old retainer and I can’t bring myself to pension him off. I think he’d die if he didn’t feel useful any more. But that means we can talk in private without any danger of him hearing when he eventually arrives with the refreshments. What is it you want to talk about, Sarah?”
Sarah flushed scarlet.
“Er…” she began, then looked at Adam, who was still standing, ostensibly admiring the décor.
Caroline smiled.
“Adam,” she began, “if you are hoping to find work here, I always have need of good—”
“Caroline,” he interrupted in a completely different voice from that of cousin Adam, more cultured, but still English, “do you not know me?”
She looked up at him, clearly puzzled.
“How should I know you?” she said. “I have never met you before.”
He sighed, and then, still standing, shifted position slightly, and in that shifting he seemed to shrink a few inches, and his limbs lost their ungainly awkwardness, becoming loose, languid and effeminate. He bowed, this time expertly and elaborately.
“Oh, my dear Caroline!” he trilled. “I simply could not bear it if I were to discover you have forgotten me, even after such a prolonged absence!”
Caroline froze, her face a picture of shock. Sarah closed her eyes, dreading what was to come. Sir Anthony straightened and waited, with no sign of the tension he must be feeling. When the reaction came, after an endless moment, it was not what either Sarah or Alex had been expecting.
Caroline blinked once, and then standing, she crossed the few feet of room between them and took him in a fierce embrace.
“You’re alive!” she cried. “Oh thank God, thank God!”
Still holding him, she leaned back, looking up into his startled blue eyes. Tears brimmed in her own hazel eyes, and she gave him a watery smile. Then she released him and stepped back, as if ashamed of her sudden display of affection.
“You bastard, Anthony,” she said, anger in her voice now. “Where the hell have you been? We thought you were dead. Beth thought you were dead. Wait,” she said commandingly when he made to speak. She turned to Sarah. “Have you told him what she went through for him?”
“Yes. I—” Sarah began.
“Well then,” Caroline interrupted, turning back to him, “why didn’t you let her know you were alive? You could have found a way, surely? She wanted to die, to join you! I could kill you myself! What the hell—”
“I didn’t know!” he said loudly, cutting her off. “I thought she was dead. No, I knew she was dead. If I hadn’t been sure, I would have found a way to get to her. I didn’t know, Caroline, I swear to you!”
There came a light knock on the door, which then opened.
“Sit down,” Caroline commanded, and the young man, instantly Adam again in the presence of Toby, obeyed. The three of them sat in silence while the elderly man tottered across the room with the rattling tea tray, placing it on the table between them. There was tea and a plate of tiny currant cakes. The minute Toby had left the room, Caroline spoke.
“You’d better tell me what happened, now,” she said. “Because happy as I am that you’re not dead, Anthony, I can’t say I think well of you. Anthony isn’t even your name, is it?”
“No, but it’s as good as any, in private at least. I’m sorry, Caroline, truly I am,” Alex said. “I didn’t want to leave you in the way I did that night at the Winters’ without any explanation, but I—”
“I’m not angry about that, you fool,” she cut in. “I know why you left so quickly that night. I understand that. I even understand that you were upset about lying to us for over two years, although I can tell you now that Edwin doesn’t. He feels used by you and betrayed. What I want to know is why you let Beth rot in prison for over a year. How could you know she was dead, when she wasn’t?”
“There are things I can’t tell you, Caroline, can’t tell anyone,” he said. “But someone I trust completely saw the redcoat shoot her in the head, and told me she was dead. That person believed she was telling the truth and I had no reason to think otherwise, until two weeks ago.”
“Two weeks ago? What happened two weeks ago?”
“Are you going to give me up to the authorities, Caroline?” he asked bluntly.
“Of course I’m not, you bloody idiot!” she said. “Although I probably should. No, I’m going to listen to what you have to say, and then, depending on what it is, I’m going to see if I can help you. Without putting Edwin at any risk whatsoever,” she added.
“I don’t want any help,” Alex said. “I didn’t want Sarah to come here with me, but she’s as stubborn as Beth ever was. The last thing I want is to put those I love in any more danger than I already have.”
Caroline’s eyes softened.
“Go on then,” she said. “Tell me what happened two weeks ago, and why you’re here. And have a cake. It’s a miracle Toby got them here without dropping them. They won’t survive the return trip to the kitchen if you don’t eat them.”
Caroline poured the tea, and Alex ate a cake while he considered what to say.
“Two weeks ago,” he said finally, “I met Richard, by chance. We had a…chat.”
“A chat,” Caroline said drily. “And what was the result of this chat?”
“He told me that Beth was alive. He told me that she was with child, and what he did to her,” Alex said. He swallowed, hard, then continued. “He said that she was in Newgate Prison, or was a few months ago. So I came to London, to the only person I knew I could trust.” He glanced at Sarah, who blushed and smiled. “I intended just to find out if she knew where Beth was and then leave, but things didn’t quite go as planned.”
“Lydia Fortesque came in and caught us together.” Sarah spoke for the first time, relaxing a little now it was clear Caroline was more surprised than angry.
“Lydia?” Caroline said. “Oh God. It’ll be all over London by now.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Sarah said. “I told her he was my cousin, and then he showed her his face and she lost interest. But if she does talk, she’ll just say that my cousin Adam is horribly scarred. No one in her circle will care.”
“What have you done to your face?” Caroline asked. “Is that why you wore so much paint?”
“No,” Alex said. “This is a disguise. It’ll heal in a few days. I rubbed my face in a briar.”
Caroline whistled through her teeth in admiration.
“And what about Richard?” she asked. “Does he think you’re Sarah’s cousin Adam?”
“Richard doesn’t think anything,” Alex said coldly. “He’s dead.”
Caroline’s eyes widened.
“You killed him?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Well done,” Caroline said, smiling. “Someone should have done it long ago. Does Anne know?”
“Not yet, but she will, in the normal way a wife gets to hear of a soldier’s death,” Alex replied. “Caroline, I need to tell you something. You may not believe me, but I need to say it anyway.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“When I became Sir Anthony and friended you both, I did it hoping to find out information that might be useful for the Stuart cause. I hated the Elector so much that I didn’t think it possible to like anyone who supported him at all. I thought Hanoverians were all arrogant and pompous.”
“Like Edward and Bartholomew,” Caroline said, grinning.
“Yes. I was very naïve. I realise that now, because I came to like and admire quite a few of them. But I came to love you and Edwin. Until I met Beth, you were the only people in London I thought of as friends.” He leaned forward earnestly. “I swear to you I never passed anything Edwin told me in confidence on to the Stuarts, once we became friends. I continued to deceive you because I had to, but I tried not to do anything that would compromise you if I was discovered.”
“You compromised all of us, from the king down, and in doing so compromised none of us,” Caroline murmured. “Highbury told me that. He was right, wasn’t he?”
Alex smiled.
“Yes, he was right. As I said, when I visited Sarah I intended only to ask where Beth was and then leave. But then I had to become her cousin, temporarily. Sarah wanted to come here alone today, to find out if you’d heard anything about Beth. She told me that you’re trying to discover where she is. But I insisted on coming with her because I wanted to tell you myself that I’m sorry. And thank you for everything you’ve done for Beth.”
“And now you have,” she said. “I believe you. And I forgive you.”
“Have you heard anything about Beth?” Sarah finally put the question they’d come here to ask. To their surprise, Caroline blushed scarlet. She looked down at her hands resting in her lap for a long moment, considering.
Sarah, sitting next to Alex, could sense the almost unbearable tension in him as he waited for Caroline to answer. But he made no move to force her to speak. The silence stretched out, palpable in the stillness of the room. Just as Sarah thought that she, for one, could wait no longer, Caroline looked up, straight into Alex’s eyes.
“This is very difficult,” she said. “The last time we saw Beth she told us she wanted to see Newcastle, to do the right thing. We took that to mean she was going to denounce you. After that we heard no more of her, and when Edwin tried to find out what had happened it soon became very clear that someone in authority wanted her whereabouts to remain a secret.”
“You mean Newcastle,” Alex said.
Caroline nodded. She took a deep breath, let it out on a sigh and then came to a decision.
“Beth didn’t denounce you,” she said. “She told Newcastle that Richard knew you were a spy, that you paid for his commission to buy his silence, and that when Daniel found out about you, Richard warned you so that you could escape arrest. Then she told Newcastle those were the last words she’d speak to him.”
Alex closed his eyes, his mouth a thin line. In his lap, his hands curled into fists.
“What did he do to her?” he asked. The desire to do violence radiated from him and both women felt it, and shivered.
“I will tell you. I have to, I think,” Caroline said. “But you must be careful how you act on it, Anthony. Edwin found out by unconventional means, and if that comes to light his career will be over.”
“I will do nothing to jeopardise Edwin, or you,” Alex said tightly, “but I will know what became of her, and that now.” It was a command, and for the first time since he had leapt the counter in her shop Sarah was afraid of him, of what he might do.
“Beth was transported in April, to Antigua, as an indentured servant. For life,” Caroline said.
Sarah gasped, but Alex, strangely, showed no reaction at all.
“You are sure of this?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” she replied. “Edwin found out two weeks ago. I couldn’t write to you Sarah, I’m sorry, because he asked me not to tell anyone at all. She must be there by now. We’re trying to find out who bought the indenture, to see if we can buy it back and pay for her to go to France or Italy, where she’d be safe.”
“Thank you,” Alex said quietly. He took his gaze away from Caroline and looked down at his hands, still fisted in his lap. Slowly he uncurled them.
“Yes,” he said quietly, as if to himself, “I can do that.”
“Do what?” Caroline asked.
He stood, suddenly.
“Thank you for telling me, for trusting me. I won’t betray your trust, I promise you that. Sarah, I think you should stay here tonight, but I’ll leave now. I’ll put you in no more danger than I already have. There is no way I can repay what you’ve both done for me.”
He reached for his coat and Caroline smashed her hand down onto it, flattening his hat in the process. Both women stood up.
“Wait a minute,” Caroline said. “I want to know what you intend to do. You owe me that at the very least.”
“Maybe it’s better you don’t know,” he began. “Then, if anyone asks—”
“To hell with that,” Caroline interrupted, her colour rising. “I love Beth and, God help me, I love you too, Anthony. You are not just walking out of here without telling me what you’re going to do, and letting me help if I can.”
“Caroline—”
“She’s right,” Sarah said. “I feel the same way. Beth is our friend, and so are you. We have a right to know what you’re going to do.”
He looked from one to the other, then came to a decision.
“The last time I saw Beth,” he said, “I promised her that when it was over, I’d come for her. Now I know she’s alive, I’m going to keep my promise.”
“You’re going to Antigua?” Caroline asked.
Alex nodded.
“I need to plan, but yes. I’ll go to Antigua, find who has her, and then I’ll do whatever I have to do to bring her back. She has suffered so much because of me. I never wanted that for her. I told her to denounce me if it came to it. She should have done,” he said, looking at the two women. His eyes filled with tears. “I can never make this right,” he whispered, “but I have to try.”
“Oh, Anthony,” Caroline said. She walked across to him, and took him in her arms. “She loves you. She told me that, and that you made her happy. She never regretted marrying you, not for a moment.”
He wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight.
“Thank you for telling me that,” he said into her hair.
The door opened, and Edwin walked in.
He stopped on the threshold, taking in the scene; his wife embracing another man, a tall and very handsome stranger, and Sarah, whose face drained of all colour as she saw him. And then Caroline looked over the man’s shoulder and saw him, and also paled. She wrenched herself from Alex’s embrace and looked at her husband, read the expression on his face.
“Don’t be silly, Edwin, it’s not what you’re thinking,” she said, and sighed. “It’s far worse than that. Come in and shut the door.”
Ignoring her, Edwin stayed in the doorway staring at Alex, who had now turned to face him.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked.
Caroline walked to the doorway, pulled Edwin inside and shut the door firmly.
“Edwin, this is Anthony,” she said bluntly.
Edwin froze for a moment, in much the same way that Caroline had when she had discovered the identity of the visitor. But once the news sunk in, his reaction was very different.
“Anthony?!” he said, his colour rising. “You are Anthony?!”
Alex held his hands up palms outward, in the universal gesture of submission.
“Edwin,” he began, “I—”
“Get out,” Edwin said, his voice low, shaking with suppressed anger.
“Edwin,” Caroline said, “he thought—”
“I don’t care what he thought,” Edwin interrupted. He rounded on Alex. “You absolute bastard,” he said. “After all you’ve done, you have the bloody nerve to come here now, and put us at risk again? Have you any idea what we went through after you skipped the country?” he continued, his voice rising. “Have you any idea what Beth went through, is still going through, because of you? Get out of my house, or by God I’ll call the authorities right now, and see you hang with pleasure!”
To everyone’s surprise, without a word, without even picking up his coat and hat, Alex nodded once, then turned and calmly walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The three remaining occupants of the room stood looking at the door for a moment. Edwin was breathing heavily, his face still flushed with emotion.
“It’s my fault,” Sarah inserted into the tense silence. “I let him come with me. He wanted to apologise to you both. I shouldn’t have let him come.”
“Please leave, now,” Edwin said, his voice still taut.
She picked up Alex’s coat and hat, and went to the door.
“I’m sorry,” she said tearfully. She opened the door and went out, looked round the entrance hall. There was no one in sight. She would have to try to find the nursery and Màiri herself. She brushed a tear away with the back of her hand and started to climb the stairs. When she was halfway up she heard the library door open and turned back. Caroline came out and beckoned to her.
“Sarah, would Anthony leave without you?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” Sarah said. “He wouldn’t let me and Màiri walk back to the village alone. He’s probably waiting outside somewhere, at the gate maybe.”
“Good,” Caroline said. “Go to the kitchen and get cook to prepare some food for the journey home, and then get Màiri. Third door on the right,” she elaborated. “Don’t leave yet, though. Let me calm Edwin down. He’s very upset.”
“I’m so sorry, Caroline,” Sarah said. She had never heard Edwin swear before. That he had, and in front of women, showed how enraged he was. Her lip trembled, and tears sparkled on her eyelashes.
“No need to apologise,” Caroline said. “Just give me a few minutes with him.” She went back into the library.
Edwin was pacing up and down, but the moment he heard her come back in he rounded on her.
“What the hell were you doing, embracing the man?” he shouted.
“Surely you don’t think—”
“Of course I don’t!” he roared. “I know you wouldn’t…you know…but Caro, he’s a traitor, for God’s sake!”
“Will you keep your voice down?” Caroline hissed. “He’s Sarah’s cousin Adam, from Newcastle.”
Edwin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“He’s a traitor,” he continued after a moment, in a quieter voice. “He pretended to be our friend for over three years and all the time he was using us, laughing at us behind our backs! How could you even allow him in the house, let alone embrace him?”
“He wasn’t—”
“He married Beth, made her fall in love with him,” he continued fiercely, “and then he left her to face Cumberland and Newcastle, knowing that they’d do anything to break her, and knowing that, poor girl, she loved him enough to defy them, whatever the cost.”
“Edwin—”
“He doesn’t care about anything or anyone except saving his own skin. He—”
“Edwin, will you shut up!” Caroline shouted, loud enough that Toby, passing through the hall, heard her. She moved across to her husband, took his hands in hers.
“Calm down, and listen to me for a minute,” she said. “Hear me out, and then if you still feel the same I’ll go out and tell him never to contact us again.”
“He’s still here?” Edwin said incredulously.
“He won’t let Sarah walk back alone.”
“I don’t see why not. She got him in to see you, what further use does he have for her?”
“Edwin,” Caroline said warningly.
“Very well,” he said. “I’ll hear you out.” He sat down heavily on the sofa and leaned back. She sat opposite and told him everything that had passed between them since Anthony and Sarah had arrived at the house. After she’d finished he sat quietly for a moment, taking in what she’d said.
“You told him that she was in Antigua,” he said.
“Yes, I did. I know you said I must keep it a secret, but I had to tell him, I think. I know he fooled us all with his impersonation of Sir Anthony, and I know he must be a very good liar, but I believed him when he said he never passed anything you told him back to the Stuarts. I also believe he’ll do whatever he needs to do to find Beth. He’s hardly going to tell anyone how he found out where she is, is he? He’ll reinvent himself, go to Antigua, and bring her back. If anyone can do it, he can.”
“Do you really believe he’ll do that, go all the way to the West Indies?” Edwin asked. Now the rage had dissipated, he looked tired, careworn.
“Yes,” Caroline replied with conviction. “He loves her, as much as she loves him. I’m sure of it.”
“How can you be sure of that? Really sure?” Edwin asked.
“Because when I told him that Beth had defied Newcastle and that he’d had her transported, he was angrier than I’ve ever seen anyone be. He couldn’t feign that. In fact he tried to hide it, to stay calm. And because if I had been him, and you had been transported by a vicious pig like Newcastle just for standing up to him, I’d feel the same way.
“I’d feel the same way because I love you as much as Anthony loves Beth, as much as she loves him. I would kill for you, and I’d die for you, without hesitation. We know Beth would die for him, and now I’m certain he would do the same for her. He deserves the chance to find her, to try to take her somewhere safe. They both deserve that. And I want to help them, if I can. But I’ll leave that decision to you, as I promised.”
She finished speaking, sat back, and waited while he considered. She was not a person to defer to anyone, particularly if she was convinced she was in the right. Edwin knew that, and had always loved her for it. The fact that she was willing to now told him that she trusted him to make the right decision. He thought for a few minutes, running back through his friendship with Anthony, through everything Beth had said about this man she called her husband, about all the times Caroline had been correct in her judgements of people in the past. Then he scrubbed his hands across his face, and sighed.
“I hope you’re right,” he said softly. “I hope we’re both right. Because he now has the means to destroy us, if he chooses to. You said he’s still here?”
“Sarah said he won’t leave without her. He’s probably at the gate.”
He nodded.
“Go and tell him to come back in. Tell him I’m calmer now, and I need to talk to him.”
She smiled, and standing, went to the door.
“Thank you,” she said. Then she opened it and went out, leaving him sitting on the sofa, wondering if he was insane for what he was about to do, and knowing that he would do it anyway. For Caroline, who he loved. For Beth, who he loved. And for Anthony, who had once been his closest friend, and who in spite of everything he also still loved.
He reached across the table, picked up a cake and ate it, washing it down with the remains of the now-cold tea. Then he sat back and waited for the others to return.
“I was very angry,” Edwin said the moment they came back into the room, “but I’ve calmed down now. Were you at the gate?”
“Yes,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t leave without being sure Sarah and Mary were safe. Edwin, there’s nothing I can say that will make things right between us, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“My wife believes you, and trusts you,” Edwin said. “And because she does, I will, too. If you betray our faith in you, I will do everything in my power to have you arrested. That’s all I want to say on the matter.”
“I understand,” Alex said. “I’ll be on my way, then. Thank you.”
“You cannot go to Antigua, Anthony,” Edwin said. “Beth isn’t there.”
Alex, in the act of turning to leave, stopped.
“But Caroline told me she had been transported to Antigua,” he said.
“She was. But last night I had news of her. Sit down, for God’s sake, Anthony. And Sarah. I’m sorry for using bad language in front of you, both of you.” He glanced at his wife. “That was unforgiveable of me.”
“I’ve heard much worse than that in my time,” Sarah said, vastly relieved that Edwin seemed to be himself again. She sat down, and after a moment’s hesitation Alex sat down next to her.
“What is this news?” he asked. “Can you tell me, without risk?”
“Yes,” Edwin said. “It is no secret that the Veteran sailed for Antigua with a hundred and fifty Jacobite prisoners on board. What Newcastle doesn’t want people to know is that Beth was among the prisoners. He wants to forget her, and, more importantly, he wants Prince Frederick and Prince William to forget her too. It seems Cumberland is still somewhat enamoured of her, or at least might be if she is brought to his attention again.”
Engrossed with the news he had to impart, Edwin failed to see the look of rage that crossed Alex’s face at the mention of Cumberland’s name, before he composed his expression and waited with apparent calmness for Edwin to tell him where Beth was. Sarah and Caroline did see it, and Sarah reached across the space between them to give his arm a reassuring squeeze, and felt the rock-hard muscle of his forearm, tensed in anticipation of bad news.
“Where is she?” she asked bluntly, wanting Edwin to get to the point for Anthony’s sake.
“I’m sorry,” Edwin said, noticing for the first time the unbearable tension pervading the room. “The captain of the Veteran arrived back in England two days ago. His ship was captured by pirates when he was one day away from Antigua, and was taken to Martinique.”
“Where’s Martinique?” Caroline asked.
“Martinique is another island in the West Indies,” Alex said. “Were they French pirates?”
“So it seems,” Edwin replied. “We have no further news yet, but Captain Ricky said that the prisoners were brought on deck and he and his men were put in the cargo hold where the prisoners had been kept.”
“This could be very good news,” Alex said. “France is an ally of the Stuarts. I would expect them to treat any Jacobites kindly; I would hope so, in any case. And it may be easier to get her back if she has not been sold into servitude.” He looked at Caroline and Edwin and smiled, a real smile that lit up his eyes. “Thank you for telling me this.”
“Do you intend to go to Martinique?” Edwin asked.
“Yes, of course,” Alex said. “If Beth is there, then I must go to her.”
“If you intend to go to Martinique, you will first of all have to sail to France. And then it could be weeks, maybe months before you find a ship that will take you there.”
“That’s not a problem,” Alex said. “No matter how long it takes, or how far I have to travel, now I know she’s alive I will find her.”
Edwin sighed.
“Anthony, the Duke of Newcastle is writing to the governor of Martinique this very night, to demand the return of the prisoners.”
“Yes, I would expect that,” Alex said. “It’s a formality that has to be gone through. And I am almost certain that the governor of Martinique will respectfully refuse Newcastle’s request. It would be the same if the situation were reversed.”
“What is not common knowledge,” Edwin continued, “is that Newcastle is going to offer inducements for the return of certain prisoners, of which it’s certain Beth will be one. You must keep this to yourself, Anthony. If they agree, she will be returned to England.”
Alex just managed to stop himself from swearing in two languages. He tore his fingers through his hair, freeing it from its ribbon.
“Can you find out if she is?” Caroline asked her husband. Edwin glanced at Alex, then away. “You’ve trusted him this far, Edwin,” she added gently. “It’s all or nothing, I think.”
“Have you told him why I didn’t come for Beth earlier?” Alex asked. Caroline nodded. “Edwin,” Alex continued, “I didn’t need to come here today. Sarah very kindly offered to try to find out if you had any news of Beth’s whereabouts. I insisted on accompanying her because I wanted to apologise to both of you for what I did to you, for betraying your trust in me. I know that in your eyes I’m a traitor, and I accept that. But you were my friends, and although I’ve done many terrible things in my life I have never betrayed a friend.
“Caroline believes me, which is more than I hoped for. I don’t expect you to, but I have to say to you, as I said to her, that I am sorry, for I never meant to hurt you, and although I lied to you because I had to I never passed any information you gave me on to my Jacobite connections. I’m honoured that you’ve helped me this much, and if you don’t want to tell me any more about Beth, I’ll understand. I know you hate me and don’t blame you for it.”
“You’re a fool, Anthony or whoever you are,” Edwin replied. “I didn’t hate you because you lied to me, but because I thought you’d abandoned Beth. Regardless of her mistaken allegiance to the Stuarts, Beth is a very special woman, and she does not deserve what happened to her for refusing to betray you. I thought you weren’t worth her loyalty, but Caroline believes you thought she was dead. And now I’ve calmed down, I think that’s true. If you truly are willing to go all the way to Martinique for her, then you must love her.”
“I do, more than life itself,” Alex said.
Edwin nodded.
“Then don’t go yet. I will do what I can to find out what the governor does with the prisoners. How can I make contact with you when I do?”
“He’ll be staying with me,” Sarah said immediately, “as my cousin.”
“No,” Alex countered. “You’ve already done far more than I expected you to. I may have to stay in London for a few weeks, and during that time I think it’s safer for all three of you if I keep away from you, in case something goes wrong. If you find anything out, send word to Adam Featherstone at Sam’s Coffeehouse on Exchange Alley. Don’t write openly though, in case someone reads the letter. Just tell me that the parcel is where I expected, or is in Fleet Street if it’s France, or is being returned to the sender if she’s being sent back here. I have to go out of London for a few days, but when I get back I’ll go to the coffee house every day until I hear from you. In the meantime I’ll make preparations to leave for Martinique.” He looked from Caroline to Edwin, and smiled. “When I came here today, I didn’t know what your reaction would be, but even in my wildest dreams I would never have expected you to help me as you have offered to do. I can never repay you for this.”
“You don’t need to,” Caroline said. “You are our friend. But please be careful.”
“I will be very careful, but you must promise me something, you as well, Sarah. If you hear that Sir Anthony Peters has been arrested, do not make any attempt to contact me in any way. Just forget that I ever existed.”
“I can’t do that—” Sarah began.
“You can’t expect us just to leave you—” Caroline said at the same time.
“No!” Alex interrupted, his expression earnest, verging on desperate. “You must promise me this. When I left London as Sir Anthony, I never expected to return, except under one circumstance, which has not come to pass. Every day I stay here increases the risk that someone will discover me.”
“But you don’t look at all like Sir Anthony!” Caroline said.
“Even so, it’s possible something may go wrong. If it does, then I would ask you to do as you were going to, try to help Beth to get to a safe place where she can live out her life in peace. But you absolutely must not attempt to do anything for me, no matter how small. You will not be able to save me, and will only put yourselves at risk.”
Edwin nodded.
“You’re right,” he agreed. “We will do as you say.”
“Thank you,” Alex said. He stood. “I’ll leave now. Will you ensure that Sarah and Mary get back safely tomorrow?”
“No,” Sarah said, standing as well. “We’ll go back to London with you. People saw us come here together. If we leave separately it may cause suspicion. Once we reach London I won’t try to contact you again, I promise.”
She had a point. He smiled and nodded.
“You have all been wonderful friends, to me and to Beth,” Alex said. “Whatever happens, I will never forget that.”
“Anthony,” Edwin said. “I can see now that you took a huge risk today, because we now know exactly what you really look like, and you did that only to apologise to us. That tells me more than any words could. You may have terrible judgement where monarchs are concerned, but not only have you been our friend, you still are. Do not get yourself arrested, not at this late stage. I don’t think any of us could bear that, least of all Beth.”
“I will do my utmost not to,” Alex said, smiling broadly.
On the way back to the village Alex and Sarah walked in silence, each pondering the events of the last couple of hours. Màiri sat on Alex’s shoulder, chattering happily to herself in baby talk.
“They are wonderful people,” Sarah said after a time.
“Indeed they are,” Alex agreed. “And so are you.”
She smiled at this, and they carried on in silence for a little longer.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said.
“Of course.”
“Do you trust them?”
“Of course I do,” Alex said. “They have the means to have me arrested, as do you. Yes, I trust them.”
“Why didn’t you speak to them with your proper accent, then?” she asked.
“How do you know that the English accent is not my proper one?” he replied.
She looked at him wryly, and he laughed.
“I trust Caroline and Edwin,” he said, “but you’re family. There’s a difference, ye ken.”
For a moment she thought he was referring to his fictitious relationship as her cousin, but when she looked at him he smiled down at her with the same curve to his mouth that Màiri had, and looked at her with the same long-lashed eyes as Màiri’s, save only the colour, and she knew that he was, in his own way revealing to her what she had suspected all along; that he and Murdo were closely related. He reached out his hand to her, and shyly she took it.
It was transitory, she knew that. When they got back to London he’d leave her, and she would probably never see him again. But right now it felt very good to be part of his family. She lapsed back into silence, intending to commit to memory every remaining second she had with him, and they continued on their way hand in hand.