Chapter Twenty-One
A few days later
Eleanor, Jane, and Minnie were packing the remaining pieces of apparel in bandboxes, wrapping them carefully in lengths of cloth.
“How are you going to deliver these to Town, miss?” Minnie asked.
“I’ll ask my father if I can borrow the carriage. It would be too risky to go by mail coach—I can’t be sure the dresses wouldn’t be jostled off the roof of the conveyance somewhere along the way. Imagine all our hard work lost because the coach hit a particularly deep pothole.”
The girls laughed, except for Eleanor. In the quiet, Jane said, “Miss, are you all right, then? It’s just that you’ve been ever so quiet the last few days. And you look tired.”
Eleanor had been dreading their questions, but she supposed they were inevitable. If she looked one quarter as bad as she felt, they must be appalled. “I am tired, as you both must be as well. I can never thank you sufficiently for your efforts these past weeks.”
“You worked as hard as we did, miss,” Jane said, giving her a sidelong glance. “We all could use a rest, I’ll wager.”
“And we shall have it, as soon as these boxes are filled and delivered. No more work for a fortnight. I shall pay each of you during your time off.”
“Oh, miss! You can’t afford that,” Minnie said.
Eleanor laughed. “It’s true I can’t afford much, but I’d intended to give you each a little something to thank you for the extra effort you put in on these orders.”
The door banged open, and three heads swiveled around. “Papa,” Eleanor said. Everything from his disheveled appearance to his flushed, agitated countenance signaled trouble, as did his labored breathing. “Do sit down and tell me what has happened. Jane, bring him some water.”
Her father eased himself into a chair, and the three women fussed about him. Eleanor dabbed at his face with a wet cloth, Jane handed him water to drink, and Minnie simply wrung her hands.
Tugging at his cravat, he spoke at last. “Jane, Minnie, I must have a private word with Eleanor.”
If she’d known intervening with Hugh would cause her father such distress, she never would have asked it of him. She dropped the cloth and turned to her assistants. “Thank you both for everything. I shall see you when I’ve returned from London.”
“But miss, you might need us,” Minnie said, protesting their abrupt dismissal.
“If I do, I shall send for you immediately. Trust me to do so.” She mustered a smile while ushering them out the door. In seconds she was back at her father’s side.
“Now, tell me, Papa. Did your talk with Hugh cause this?”
He waved a hand through the air. “No, no. It is worse than you can imagine. The Abbots have run off with Lili.”
Eleanor felt the blood drain from her face. She forced herself to breathe deeply, to maintain her composure. Nothing would be gained by hysterics. “Tell me all you know.”
“Tom Vickers, the Abbots’ nearest neighbor, brought the news. Said Abbot told him he was taking his wife and the little girl and heading for Portsmouth to find work.”
Eleanor, who’d been kneeling on the floor in front of her father’s chair, now sat back on her heels. “But why? What does he gain by taking Lili?”
“I don’t know. Vickers couldn’t get much sense out of the man, to hear him tell it.”
“How did Mr. Vickers know to come to you?”
“Apparently, Abbot told him so, which makes me think Abbot has a plan. Make no mistake, he wants money.”
“We must go after them, Papa. He has Lili.”
“Yes.” Leaning forward, her father grasped her by the shoulders. “Eleanor, we need to inform Sir Hugh.”
Her first inclination was to say no. But if she’d learned anything over the last few days, it was that secrecy and dishonesty hurt everybody in the end, and in this instance could do irreparable harm. She’d no doubt that Hugh would be their best ally in bringing Lili home safely. After the cruel, baseless things he’d accused her of, she hated having to ask for his help. And after this, his low opinion of Eleanor would worsen. But that mattered little given the circumstances.
“Why don’t you rest here for a time and then return home? I’ll find Hugh. I’m certain he’ll have an idea of where to start, what to do first.”
“Very well. But don’t be long.”
Eleanor patted him on the shoulder on her way out the door.
When she arrived at Longmere, Eleanor spotted Ned conferring with some laborers near the front door. She dug her nails into his arm, and that got his attention.
“Miss Broxton, may I help you?”
“I need to speak with Sir Hugh. It is urgent.”
She’d gotten her point across, because without any hesitation, he said, “He’s inside somewhere. I’ll find him. I’ll be just a moment.”
Eleanor waited, pacing, and in the promised moment, Hugh appeared. Her head shot up, and their eyes locked. That cold look he’d bestowed upon her during their recent meeting flickered briefly in his eyes before he seemed to sense her distress. Grasping her arms, he said, “Eleanor, what is it? I was upstairs packing for London.”
“Oh, Hugh.” Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back. “Abbot and his wife have left Haslemere and taken Lili with them. We must go after them. I don’t know how long they’ve been gone, but they have an excellent head start by now.”
“That villain has absconded with my daughter?” He glanced about. “Come inside. You must explain everything to me.” Taking her by the hand, he led her down the hall and into his library. After she was seated, he walked into the passage and hollered at one of the workers to ask someone called Mrs. Foster to provide tea. “And for Christ’s sake, find another chair!”
A second chair was quickly brought, and Hugh placed it across from Eleanor’s, before the windows. “Tell me what you know,” he said.
“There isn’t much.”
When her account was complete, he said, “You’re right, it’s not much to go on. Abbot, his wife, and our daughter are gone to Portsmouth. But we don’t have a direction, or any idea where they might be.” He seemed lost in thought for a moment. “Before we race after them, we must make inquiries here to see if we can find out anything that might help us. I want to speak to this Vickers fellow myself.”
Mrs. Foster brought in the tea and set it on the desk. Hugh thanked her and poured it himself. After handing Eleanor a cup, he said, “I agree with your father. Abbot wants money.” He swallowed the contents of his cup and poured more. “I want Ned to talk to the other laborers. Abbot may have revealed things to them, even if inadvertently, about his intentions.”
“But this is all going to take so long,” Eleanor said. “Are you sure it’s worth the time to talk to these people?”
“I understand your frustration. But if we head to Portsmouth without any idea of where or how to find them, it will take much longer in the end.” He placed the palm of his hand against her cheek. When she flinched and drew back, he jerked his hand away. “I understand how worried you must be. I am, too. Now, drink up. We have work to do.”
“I am coming to Portsmouth with you. You do realize that, don’t you?”
He didn’t argue with her. “I’ll be at your parents’ home within an hour.”
…
After he’d seen Eleanor off, Hugh found Ned supervising the unloading of materials and motioned to him. They were well out of earshot of anyone else. He kept the tale brief. Ned showed no shock, or even surprise, that Hugh and Eleanor had a child together. In truth, Hugh was beginning to believe there was nothing that could rattle the man. Ned’s one question concerned what explanation to give the others as to why they needed to find Abbot.
“Put them off,” Hugh said impatiently. “Tell them we believe he knows something about the fire. No need to say we suspect him.”
“Some of the men may have guessed. I took a few of them aside and made some inquiries. Didn’t learn anything useful.”
Hugh pulled his watch from his pocket. “I’m going to ride out to see Thomas Vickers. He may know more than what he told Sir William. Meet me in an hour at the Broxtons’, by the stables. If you’ve any extra clothing here, you should pack a few things,” Hugh said.
Ned turned to walk away, but Hugh stopped him. “One more thing. Can you see to sending an express to my brother in London? Tell him Lili’s been taken, and ask him to meet us where the London Road meets the Portsmouth High Street, tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.”
The other man nodded, and both went off to their respective tasks.
Hugh found Vickers’s farm easily enough. The man he sought was in the stables, checking on a horse with a sore hock.
“Thomas Vickers?”
“That’s me,” Vickers said. “You’ll pardon me if I don’t shake hands.” He’d been rubbing liniment on the sore spot and hadn’t cleaned up yet. “What can I do for you?”
Hugh introduced himself and explained he was trying to help Sir William track down the Abbots. “Can you tell me anything else? Anything you may have neglected to tell Broxton?”
Vickers lowered the horse’s leg gently and motioned Hugh outside, wiping his hands on a rag. It was late afternoon, the hottest part of the day. “Like what?”
“Where does Abbot intend to find work, for one thing?”
“Shipbuilding. He heard they’re looking for men to help manufacture the wooden blocks used in riggings.”
“Ah. A block mill, then. With his skills, that makes sense.”
Vickers shrugged. “I suppose so.”
“Does he have friends there, or family? There are any number of places he could find work as a carpenter without going all the way to Portsmouth.”
“But maybe no place else he can be so well concealed,” the other man said, giving Hugh a sly look.
Hugh held an advantage in both height and weight over Vickers, who was a little too smug for Hugh’s liking. He stepped closer to the man and said, “Did Abbot pay you to bring the news to Sir William?”
Vickers dodged the question. “I’ve told you all I know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s work to do around here.”
Hugh sensed there was nothing else to find out from this source. He’d gotten the man’s back up, and even if there were more to the story, Vickers wouldn’t be of a mind to reveal it.
…
While her father saw to readying the mounts and making other preparations, Eleanor bathed and changed into a traveling dress. She had no illusions about riding all the way to Portsmouth—it was upward of thirty miles—and she didn’t need to be told she wasn’t up to it. She would travel in the carriage with one of the maids while the men rode.
When she descended the stairs, her mother awaited her. They hadn’t spoken since last night’s revelations, and Eleanor had no wish to speak to her now. As far as she was concerned, her mother bore some of the responsibility for this turn of events. She had conspired with Abbot to keep Lili from her; indeed, had paid him to do so. Her actions had encouraged Abbot in the belief that he could blackmail Eleanor with impunity. With disastrous consequences.
“I asked Mrs. Simpson to pack some sandwiches for you to eat along the way.” She held out a basket, and Eleanor accepted it. She wouldn’t turn down food, for the sake of the others, if not for herself. “Sarah has packed your things and will accompany you.”
“Fine. Thank you.” Eleanor attempted to brush past her mother, but the other woman wasn’t ready to yield.
In a flat tone, her mother said, “Forgive me, Eleanor. I should never have had any dealings with that man. It was very wrong of me.”
As apologies went, it was less than heartfelt. “Mama, I’ve no time for this. As I’m sure you understand, I am only concerned with one thing right now. Lili’s safety and welfare. Your actions have put her at risk, as you’re aware.” Carrying the basket, she shoved her way past her mother.
“Don’t you think you are exaggerating the danger?” her mother asked, infuriating Eleanor.
Halfway to the door, she slid to a stop. Trembling with anger, she said, “If any harm comes to Lili, I will never forgive you. And make no mistake, that’s not an exaggeration.” Eleanor couldn’t help gloating over the shocked look on her parent’s face.
Out back, her father awaited her, his horse shuffling nervously. “What kept you?” he said.
“I apologize. Mama wished to say a word to me.” Eleanor recognized Hugh’s horse, and the other animal must belong to Ned. In a moment, the two men came around the corner of the stables.
Hugh spoke first, the unacknowledged leader. “Ah, I see we’re all here now, save one. My brother will meet us tomorrow morning in Portsmouth. Ned and I need to inform you of what we’ve learned. Ned?”
“I questioned the men Abbot worked closest with, the other carpenters and woodworkers, but I’m afraid I didn’t learn much. One of the men said Abbot once brought up Portsmouth and the opportunities to be found there. This was after the fire, apparently, but none of the others had an interest, so Abbot dropped it.”
“Did they think that was odd?” Eleanor asked.
“As far as I could tell, they didn’t think much about it one way or the other. Sir Hugh, tell them what you learned.”
“I paid a visit to Thomas Vickers. He said Abbot specifically mentioned wanting to work in the block mills. If Vickers knew more, he wouldn’t say.”
“But that’s a good lead,” Sir William said. “We can inquire at the manufactories.”
“Do we have a plan?” Eleanor asked. An urgency clawed at her to be under way.
Hugh shook his head. “Not a very well formed one, I’m afraid. Once we get to Portsmouth, we’ll stop for the night and discuss how to proceed in the morning. We know where Abbot might seek work, which is in our favor. Traveling with a child, they can’t be too far ahead of us.” He glanced around at them, and Eleanor thought he paused particularly long to study her. Did he expect her to change her mind about going?
Hugh gave a brief nod. “It is late, but the days are long. We should be able to make it to Portsmouth before night falls, barring any unforeseen disasters with people, carriages, or horses. We’ll stop once to refresh ourselves.”
He was all business, and she was glad of it. Everybody nodded their assent, and a groom helped Eleanor up the carriage steps. In another moment, they set off toward the London Road, heading south to Portsmouth.