In Hiding Page 11

  Edmund’s mind was warping under the strain of enormous gambling debts.

  Marriage to Tamina had seemed such an easy way out and, as far as he could see, it still was.

  He could not understand why she appeared to be working for Lord Daventry, but obviously he had now stumbled on an important secret, hopefully one he could use to his advantage.

  “Tamina, my dear, I am deeply sorry if I have upset you in some way,” he began, his expression one of sincere boyish bewilderment.

  “I was just so very pleased and surprised to see you so unexpectedly here in Funchal. And I apologise for calling you my fiancée, although I must admit I do still have hopes in that direction – No – ” he held up a hand as she protested – “I quite understand that you may have changed in your feelings towards me.”

  “Edmund – I have spoken on the telephone to a young lady whom I believe considers herself betrothed to you. She made it quite plain that you have no real love for me at all and as such I consider any attachment between us to be completely broken.”

  A dark red flush flooded across Edmund’s face and for a second his eyes looked hard and angry. Then he controlled himself and gave her a little bow.

  “Of course, Tamina, I accept your decision. I fear I do not fully understand what you are talking about or who the woman is you spoke to, but now is not the time and place to discuss this fully. You look tired and upset. Do you wish me to escort you back to your ship?”

  Tamina felt tears well in her eyes.

  How could she return to the Blue Diamond? It was impossible. She was no longer Miss Tabitha Waites. She had no place on board that vessel any more.

  The appalling fact lay in front of her – the Earl considered that she had cheated and fooled him.

  The man she thought of so highly who now held her heart and all her dearest affections had only contempt for her.

  No, Tabitha Waites was now dead. She could only be Lady Tamina from now on and accept that she would never speak to the Earl again in friendship and respect.

  “No, I – I do not wish to return to the ship,” she whispered and turned away so Edmund could not see the tears on her cheeks.

  But it would have been far better if she had been able to see his face.

  At that moment a look of evil triumph flashed across it.

  “But your luggage – your maid –?”

  “I will send for my trunks. I do not have a maid at the moment,” responded Tamina quietly.

  She could not remember ever feeling so sad or so unhappy in all her life. It was hard to think, to make plans, but she had to find a hotel, arrange for money to be sent from home.

  She did not have enough with her to pay for both a hotel and a berth on the next boat back to England.

  Edmund clapped his hands together as if he had just had a brilliant idea.

  “Why, while your possessions are coming ashore, I suggest you come back to the villa Mimosa, where I am staying with my good friends, Ernest and Joan Simmons. They are a delightful couple. I am sure they will be only too delighted to welcome you as their guest.”

  Through a dim mist of despair Tamina heard what Edmund was saying.

  It seemed a sensible suggestion. The very thought of finding a respectable hotel, although she guessed that Reids would have a room available for her – but having to explain why she was alone without her luggage was too much to bear.

  “If you are sure the Simmons will not object – ” she mumbled wearily.

  “Certainly they will not. Come, Tamina. My horse is tethered in the shade over on the other side of the square. If you will consider riding with me, we can soon be back at the villa.”

  Tamina was hardly aware of his remarks. She all owed him to help her onto the horse and only flinched when his arms tightened possessively around her as he urged the animal into a fast walk.

  Those arms belonged to a man she had once thought she loved, but now she knew that the only arms she could ever bear to hold her were those of a man who felt nothing for her but contempt!

  *

  Happy from having seen Nancy, Joe hurried along the corridor and with a polite knock, entered the Earl’s cabin.

  He had expected it to be empty.

  He was sure the Earl and Miss Waites would still be exploring Madeira looking at all the old buildings and churches the aristocracy always found so interesting.

  He had never understood it himself. Churches were fine for being christened, wed and buried, and of course he had the utmost respect for the Parson, but why go just to look at stained glass windows and old stone pillars?

  The day cabin was gloomy. The dark heavy curtains were drawn over the portholes to shade the room from the glare of the afternoon sun.

  Joe crossed the room to pull them back and then jumped when a voice barked,

  “Leave them alone!”

  “I’m so sorry, my Lord, I did not see you there.”

  The Earl was sitting at his desk unmoving, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

  Joe hesitated.

  He could not see his master’s face, but from the tension of his silhouette, he could tell that all was not well.

  “Can I get you anythin’, my Lord?”

  “No.”

  The word was snapped out and then the Earl sighed, as if remembering his manners and said in a gentler tone,

  “No, thank you, Joe. You may take the rest of the evening off. We sail soon, I believe. Perhaps you would like to be on deck to see us leaving.”

  “Very good, my Lord.”

  Joe retreated towards the cabin door puzzled. He had already taken his half day off.

  This did not make any sense.

  The Earl had been in such a good mood earlier. What could have happened to cause this anger, this distress?

  “Oh, and Joe, I expect a message will arrive from – well, from someone requesting that Miss Waites’s luggage be sent ashore. Please ask one of the chambermaids to pack her bags and make sure they are sent away with all dispatch.”

  Joe felt his head was spinning.

  “Miss Waites is leavin’ us, my Lord?”

  The Earl laughed and Joe felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It was not a pleasant sound.

  “No, Joe, Miss Waites is not leaving us, but Lady Tamina Braithwaite is! It seems we have been somewhat deceived by my ex-secretary. She has met up with her fiancé on the island and her little charade is now at an end.”

  “Lady Tamina – fiancé – oh!”

  “We have been taken for idiots, Joe. Let this be a lesson to you – never trust a woman, especially one who pretends she is loyal to you!”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  Joe hesitated, one hand on the cabin doorknob.

  “No disrespect intended and I’m right sorry if I am talkin’ out of turn, but may I say that I always found Miss Waites – I mean, Lady Tamina – to be a generous and ’elpful young lady. She was so kind to my Nancy when she found her.

  “I do not dare presume, my Lord, but I’m sure she ’ad a very good reason to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.”

  The Earl stood up abruptly and, with a sharp thrust of his arm, pulled back the curtains over the portholes, letting the late afternoon sun stream into the room.

  He stared out to where he could see the sailors preparing to cast off. They would soon be leaving Madeira and his heartbreak behind.

  Tamina! How the lovely name suited her, he thought, a pretty sparkling name, for a beautiful girl with wonderful deep blue eyes.

  He thrust his fists into his pockets and suppressed a groan.

  He had been about to propose marriage to her.

  He had made such big plans including buying her a ring – diamonds and sapphires – to match her eyes.

  What would have happened if he had declared his feelings? Offered her his hand? She would have had to confess and then how ridiculous would he have looked?

  He sighed deeply.

  “Yes, Joe, I expect in the fullnes
s of time I will discover it was some sort of silly game she was playing to entertain herself while she was travelling out here to meet her fiancé.

  “Unfortunately some young women have no regard as to the consequences of their careless actions. Anyway, we will soon be sailing and Lady Tamina will surely have a good laugh at my expense in the future with her friends.”

  “I don’t reckon it was any old game, my Lord. Miss Waites – I mean Lady Tamina – worked very hard on your book, my Lord. That wasn’t no game.”

  The Earl turned back to his desk and flicked over various pages of manuscript. He caught sight of the odd clever phrase, a use of words, the beautifully organised lists of maps and photographs.

  All were her work.

  A sad little smile crossed his face.

  “You are quite right, Joe. Lady Tamina has a fine mind. She is a clever young woman, and hard working, I have to admit that. Indeed now the initial shock is passing I must wish her every happiness for the future. Although I must admit I did not care for her chosen husband, Mr Edmund Newson!”

  Joe felt a shock run through him.

  That name – that was the man Nancy had pointed out only a few hours ago at the Villa Mimosa, the man who had intended to sully a young woman’s reputation in order to force her to marry him!

  Surely it could not be the same man?

  “My Lord!”

  “Yes, Joe, what is it?”

  “My Lord, I don’t want to speak out of turn again, and beggin’ your Lordship’s pardon, but I reckon Lady Tamina is in great danger!”

  *

  Dusk was falling when Tamina arrived at the Villa Mimosa.

  Edmund helped her off the horse and hurried her indoors, hardly giving her time to stretch her limbs or to notice her surroundings.

  In the cool dim hall she pulled herself away from his restricting arm.

  “You must introduce me to your friends, Edmund.”

  “Oh, yes, certainly, Tamina. But I believe – I believe they are resting before dinner. They eat at a late hour here in Madeira. Let me show you to a room and send for your luggage.”

  Tamina nodded.

  She was tired and aching from the jolting horseback ride in the glaring afternoon sun.

  Edmund was not a good horseman. He was just too fond of using his whip and the ride had not been at all comfortable.

  Although she knew she should insist on speaking to Mrs Simmons before accepting Edmund’s invitation, the thought of a cool room and a soft bed were very inviting and surely no gentlewoman would ever refuse a fellow compatriot a safe haven in a time of trouble.

  Edmund ushered her upstairs, showed her into a small guest bedroom and agreed that he would send a servant to the ship for her luggage.

  Tamina was hardly aware of the door closing behind him.

  She flung herself onto the white bedspread and let the tears flow that she had been holding back for so long.

  ‘Ivan, Ivan!’

  She felt her heart was about to break in two.

  Oh, how she loved him and now there would never be a chance to explain to him why she had cheated and pretended to be someone she was not.

  Over and over again she pictured the look on his face when Edmund revealed her identity and her real name.

  He had been stunned, then bewildered and finally betrayed.

  And she had been the person to do that to such a good and honourable man!

  Restlessly she rose and prowled around the room. This must have been a nursery at some time, she realised. There were bars on the window.

  Peering out she saw that the villa Mimosa was situated high on a hillside overlooking the harbour at Funchal.

  In the distance she could see a ship heading out towards the far horizon, leaving a long wake behind, a straight white line cutting through the deep green sea.

  She was certain it was the Blue Diamond, sailing away towards its next port of call, carrying all her hopes and dreams – and the man she loved.

  Light faded slowly from the room and Tamina was still sitting by the window deep in thought when she realised there was a soft tapping on the door.

  She crossed the room. The servant must have made good time with her trunks from the ship and she wondered what the Earl had said when they were collected.

  Sighing she realised he would have had nothing to do with it. She had no doubt that he would have asked Joe to arrange to have her belongings packed and sent ashore.

  “Miss Waites! Miss Waites!”

  She thought she recognised the voice and wondered if she was dreaming.

  “Nancy?”

  Astonished Tamina now turned the doorknob – but nothing happened.

  She realised to her horror that she was locked in the room.

  “Nancy, the door will not open! What is happening? Where is Edmund?”

  “Wait a moment, Miss Waites.”

  There was silence and Tamina pulled in vain at the door with both hands, but it was made from a huge slab of old walnut and never gave an inch.

  Suddenly there was a scraping sound at the lock and after a long couple of minutes, there was a click and the door swung open.

  Nancy, her bright red hair escaping from under a white lace cap, slipped into the room with her finger to her lips.

  “Nancy, it is you! I cannot believe it. You have come here! Why was the door locked? How did you –?”

  She held up a bent hairpin.

  “Not much I ever learned from my wicked old Dad, Miss Waites, but one thing he did teach me was ’ow to pick a lock!”

  Tamina’s head was whirling but one thing was clear, she could no longer keep up her pretence with Nancy.

  “Nancy, I am sure this will sound odd to you, but I am not Miss Tabitha Waites. My real name is actually Lady Tamina Braithwaite.”

  Nancy was silent for a second then smiled.

  “That explains a lot that puzzled Joe and me, my Lady! You were always so well spoken, so in charge of every situation. We thought perhaps you came from gentlefolk who had fall en on ’ard times. But listen, my Lady, you ’ave to get away from this ’ouse – quickly!”

  Tamina sank down on the bed, bewildered by the girl’s vehement voice.

  “But why? And why was the door locked? I don’t understand.”

  The redheaded girl took a deep breath.

  “It’s that Mr Newson, my Lady. He locked you in.”

  “What nonsense is this you are talking? Edmund? But why? He invited me to stay here with his friends, the Simmons. I accepted. There is no need to forcibly detain me.”

  “AlI know is that the other day I overheard ’im talkin’ to Mr Simmons, saying that he was goin’ to keep the girl he wanted to marry locked up ’ere in the villa for the weekend.

  “She would be alone with ’im because the Simmons and their parents ’ave gone to stay with friends on the other side of the island. You would be alone with ’im, my Lady, alone without a chaperone in the ’ouse!”

  Tamina gasped, her hand going to her throat.

  Even in these modern times, she knew that her reputation would not survive being alone with a man for two nights.

  “But does he really believe that will make me marry him? Surely he could not believe anything so stupid? Does he think that my parents would agree, whatever the damage done to my character?”

  Nancy shook her head. The ways of the gentry were beyond her.

  Tamina found herself wishing desperately that the Earl were here to consult. He would know what to do.

  But, of course, he was now miles away and would probably believe that she had brought this on herself when the gossip finally reached him.

  Bravely she pushed her thoughts aside.

  All her heartache and tears would have to wait until she was free from this ghastly situation.

  “I must escape, go back to town immediately and take shelter in the Embassy,” she said. “Do you know where Mr Newson is now, Nancy?”

  “Down in the study, drinkin’ Mr Simmons�
� prize brandy, my Lady.”

  “Then now is the time and quickly – you must lead the way, Nancy. Will you come with me?”

  She nodded her head vigorously.

  “Yes, my Lady. I ’ate it ’ere and I don’t reckon you should go on your own. It’s too dangerous.”

  And she reached over and picked up a brass candlestick from the bedside table.

  Tamina smiled.

  Nancy looked so fierce clutching her weapon.

  They would not need to resort to violence, she was quite certain. She was sure that Edmund was not dangerous. Heavens, he had been her fiancé until recently! Misguided and wicked, yes, but dangerous? That was ridiculous.

  And with Nancy behind her, she opened the door and began to creep down the stairs.

  They had just reached the hall when a door crashed open and Edmund appeared.

  “Tamina! Where do you think you are going?”

  “Edmund! I have no idea what your silly plan is for me, but I refuse to stay here a second longer. I am going back to Funchal and to the British Embassy!”

  Edmund’s face went bright scarlet with rage and to Tamina’s astonishment he stepped forward and grasped her by her shoulders.

  “Oh, no, my good lady, you are not! You are staying here with me for the whole weekend. And if you will not stay voluntarily and agree to marry me, then you will stay under duress, but you will still end up as my wife!”

  Tamina struggled to escape but his hands were too strong and she cried out as his fingers bit into her soft flesh.

  She was powerless to stop him forcing her back up the stairs when suddenly there was a cry, a thud and his hands fell away.

  Tamina turned, pushing her tangled locks from her cheeks.

  Edmund lay groaning at her feet and Nancy stood over him, still holding the heavy candlestick she had used to knock him senseless.

  “Nancy! What have you done? Is he dead?”

  “Dead? No worse luck, not this one, my Lady. His skull is far too thick! But quickly, we must run. He will come round very soon. So hurry, my Lady, we must escape!”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Tamina stood in shock for a second or two, staring down at where Edmund lay moaning at her feet. There was blood in his fair hair showing the spot where Nancy had hit him.