Love at the Tower Read online

  Outside the wind was blowing a farm gate open and shut.

  Each bang made Robina’s heart race so fast that she found it difficult to breathe.

  ‘Oh, Mama keep me safe,’ she prayed, as the gate banged noisily in the breeze outside.

  *

  The search party arrived in the village and the Earl wasted no time in locating the carpenter’s workshop.

  He found it closed, but, undeterred, he hammered on the door until Mr. Armstrong came to answer it.

  “My Lord, what a delightful surprise,” he declared, wiping cake crumbs from his face.

  The Earl had obviously interrupted his tea.

  “No time for pleasant chit-chat,” remarked the Earl, walking into the workshop, much to the amazement of the two workers seated at the bench drinking tea.

  “My Lord,” they chorused as they jumped to their feet.

  “I am looking for Miss Melville. I believe that she was abducted outside your workshop this lunchtime. Did you, by any chance, hear or see anything?”

  The men shook their heads and remained standing.

  “Sorry, my Lord,” said Mr. Armstrong. “I have not seen her since she was here this morning when she took away a sample of oak panelling to show you.”

  “She never reached the Castle,” responded the Earl, “you are all certain that you did not hear or see anything? My coachman, Morton, was clubbed over the head and is now nursing quite a severe wound.”

  “Goodness,” exclaimed Mr. Armstrong. “But we wouldn’t have heard a thing with the noise of the machinery in here. If we had the saw running even gunpowder going off would not have disturbed us!”

  “Thank you, anyway,” sighed the Earl, “and I am sorry to have interrupted your tea. Good afternoon.”

  Mr. Armstrong took him to the rear of the building so that he could view where Robina had last been seen.

  He walked over towards the smithy to talk to the blacksmith, but he had not seen anything, as he had been to the ironworks that morning to buy some materials.

  Grim-faced the Earl returned to the post where his horse was tethered.

  ‘I will now find Robina, no matter what it takes,’ he vowed to himself, as he climbed back onto Saladin.

  “Where to now, my Lord?” asked one of his men.

  “We should split up into groups,” he said taking charge of the situation.

  He had faced many dangers in India and mounting a manhunt had been quite commonplace for him.

  But never in his life had a search mattered so much to him.

  ‘If anything has happened to Robina, I will never be able to forgive myself,’ he repeated over and over as his men formed groups and went riding off in search of her.

  *

  At The Three Oaks Inn in the village, Laura and Ellis Hampton were emerging from their private room.

  They both held a look of the truly triumphant.

  “His Lordship will be delighted with the way that you have conducted this affair,” Laura smirked, diving into the small handbag that swung from her wrist. “Here is the next instalment of your fee – Lord Drury will pay you the remainder tomorrow morning once the ceremony has been conducted.”

  Ellis fingered the large notes lovingly.

  He planted a tender kiss on the bundle, as he gazed lasciviously into Laura’s eyes.

  “It’s been a great pleasure doing business with you. I cannot think why I didn’t come to you the moment my brother cut the purse strings!”

  “It’s of no consequence, Ellis, the important thing is that we have succeeded. Although I would have made certain I achieved my aim in the end, your intervention has brought matters to a much swifter conclusion than I had thought possible. You are sure she is safely locked up at the farm?”

  “Tied up like a suckling pig ready for the spit!”

  “You have not harmed her too much, I hope, or laid a finger upon her? His Lordship will not want to receive spoiled goods – ”

  Ellis caressed the side of Laura’s face with his big square hand and let out a low chuckle.

  “Fear not – her virtue has not been compromised. Although I must confess, she is a pretty little thing.”

  “Just curb your impulses, Ellis,” she snarled. “Lord Drury is paying you well for your trouble.”

  “I didn’t know that he was an acquaintance of yours before now. Of course I have come across him in London at the Gaiety Theatre.”

  “He and I are distantly related. When I married Sir Herbert, there were certain aspects to my past I wished to remain private – a certain filthy newspaperman found out a titbit or two and attempted to blackmail me on the eve of my wedding. Thank Heavens Lord Drury is a powerfully persuasive man.”

  “With very deep pockets – ” added Ellis.

  Laura simply laughed and did not commit herself to a response.

  “Ellis, I will see you tomorrow morning. You will, naturally, be a witness?”

  “Naturally. I am looking forward to it.”

  He moved towards Laura and planted a kiss on her cheek.

  “Now I intend to have a few more drinks to keep out the cold before I return to that dreadful farm.”

  “Have you fed the girl?”

  “No, should I?”

  “We will both be in severe trouble if she tells Lord Drury that we mistreated her. I am concerned enough as it is that you have been forced to restrain her in the manner you described – you must take some food and drink back with you.”

  Ellis curled his lip and ran his fingers through his hair in a dismissive gesture.

  “Very well, if you insist. I am certain the landlord will provide me with some bread and cheese.”

  “Until the morning, then, Ellis,” murmured Laura, casting him a sideways glance.

  Before she left the inn, she drew a long veil over her features and wrapped her thin cloak around her.

  The brougham was waiting outside for her, together with the faithful coachman she had brought from London when she married Sir Herbert.

  As he took up the reins, she cast one last look up at the window where she had had her tryst with Ellis.

  ‘Nothing can stop me now!’ she smiled to herself, with a satisfied air, ‘nothing!’

  With one slap of the reins from the coachman, the brougham took off up the road towards an empty Trentham House with Laura ensconced inside, congratulating herself upon her own cunning and resourcefulness.

  *

  Only a few miles away, Robina was still waiting for Ellis to return. Out of the dirty window she could see the sun dipping in the sky.

  ‘It will be getting dark soon,’ she trembled.

  Her thoughts returned to the Earl.

  ‘Was it true what Ellis said?’ she ruminated. ‘He said it sounded as if I was in love with the Earl! I have had such little experience in the ways of the world – I always believed that I would know when I was in love, yet, I have feelings for him that I cannot explain.’

  She sat there solemnly watching the sun go down and examining her heart.

  ‘If I had accepted his proposal when he first offered it, then I would not be in this terrible situation,’ she cried to herself, as a chill draught blew under the door. ‘Why was I so stubborn?’

  She was still tearfully berating herself when Ellis burst in through the door, a bundle in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

  *

  The Earl was becoming increasingly desperate.

  He could see that the light was failing and still they were no nearer to finding Robina.

  “Lighted torches!” he suddenly exclaimed, as they circled the village for the fifth time. “We must find some torches.”

  They all regrouped and headed off for the smithy where the blacksmith kept his fires burning constantly.

  The Earl found him busy shoeing an old carthorse, but he stopped work and brought them some torches.

  “Not found ’er yet, then?” he asked soberly, as the men passed around the lit torches.

 
“No. We have searched every last barn and copse within a five-mile radius.”

  “You have been to the woods above your Castle?”

  “That was one of the first places we looked and I am fast running out of places to try.”

  “Well, good luck, my Lord. Send word when you find ’er.”

  The Earl turned Saladin onto the road and rode on ahead of his men.

  As he approached the next crossroads, he noticed a stooped figure making her way slowly along the road.

  In the twilight he thought he recognised something about the old woman’s face.

  “I say,” he called, making Saladin trot alongside.

  The old woman looked up and in an instant he saw it was who he suspected.

  “Nanny!” he shouted. “I am so pleased to see you. Miss Melville has been kidnapped!”

  “Oh, oh!” cried Nanny, throwing her hands up to her face. “This is terrible! What happened?”

  “All I know is that she was abducted in my carriage this afternoon. She was paying a visit to Mr. Armstrong’s workshop when it happened.”

  “This afternoon you say?” queried Nanny, stopping in her tracks. “And she was in your carriage?”

  “Yes! Yes!” he answered leaning down to her.

  “Oh, goodness. I saw the carriage earlier today and thought it was you in a fine hurry. It was driving like the devil was on its tail and it almost ran me over! I saw it go rushing up the lane by the thatched barn.”

  “But that leads to a dead end,” exclaimed the Earl, quite clearly puzzled.

  Nanny laughed and shook her head.

  “Ah, I can see you don’t know about old Hatcher’s farm then – and it’s on your own land as well.”

  “Hatcher’s farm?” he queried, looking blankly at her in the flickering light of his torch.

  “Yes, my Lord. The old farm has been empty since the old man died about ten years ago. Go right up the lane and then you come to a track. It’s just wide enough to get a carriage through, if I come to think of it. Follow the track for a mile and then it twists through a small copse. Beyond that is the farm.”

  “Nanny, I could kiss you! Bless you! Bless you!”

  “You go and save my Robina, my Lord. I miss her so much since they dismissed me from the house.”

  “Dismissed? Robina did not say – Nanny, I cannot linger any longer – I must go and find Robina. I will return tomorrow and see if we cannot find you some employment at the Castle, if you should wish. As you know, Robina has been working with me there.”

  “Thank you very much, my Lord. Good luck! God speed!”

  The news spread quickly that the search party was heading off towards the crossroads and then up the nearby lane.

  The Earl gathered everyone together and addressed them.

  “Listen carefully, men. The element of surprise is all-important here. I now strongly suspect that Miss Robina is being held against her will at old Hatcher’s farm.”

  A murmur rose from the group – they shook their heads and looked puzzled.

  “I confess that I, too, did not know of its existence up until now, but it’s there at the end of the lane. We must be very quiet and you should look to me for instructions once we get there. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, my Lord,” they chorused.

  The Earl raised his torch high above Saladin’s head and spurred him into action.

  They headed off towards the crossroads and then fell into single file as they trotted up the lane.

  As the lane gave way to the track, the Earl had his men extinguish their torches.

  “We must not be seen from the house,” he warned. “You will follow me.”

  They set off again and followed the track. The Earl could make out both hoof prints and wheel marks in the dusty road.

  The men wound their way through the copse and as they rounded the bend, they saw in the distance a light at a window.

  “It’s the farm,” said one.

  “Right, five of you come with me. Two of us will kick the door in and the rest must stay close by in case we need reinforcements. Does anyone have a gun on them?”

  Two men nodded and patted their saddlebags.

  “Good. Only fire if you hear my command or if you hear shots coming from inside. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  Taking a deep breath the Earl jumped down off his horse and was soon joined by a big burly groom.

  Together they ran at the door and kicked at it with all of their might.

  The door came flying off its hinges and the Earl rushed inside.

  The first thing he saw was Robina tied to the chair, her cheeks stained with tears.

  “Darling!” he cried, taking a knife out of his pocket and cutting her bonds.

  “Robert!” she sighed, fainting into his strong arms as the ropes fell from her.

  “Who did this to you?”

  Robina was crying so much she could not speak.

  She clung onto the Earl as if her life depended on it with her slender arms entwined around his neck.

  “Your own brother,” she sobbed.

  “Ellis!” he screamed, horrified, “where is he?”

  “I think he has returned to the inn – he came back for a while and gave me some food and then said he had to go out again.”

  “The inn?”

  “Oh, Robert, he is in league with my Stepmama! She had him kidnap me so that she could force me to marry Lord Drury. A Vicar is arriving first thing in the morning to marry us!”

  “My brother is as spiteful as he is dissolute. Are there no depths to which he will sink in order to satiate his filthy appetites? He has not – ”

  “No, Robert, he did not lay a finger on me. I would say he was under strict orders not to spoil me for Lord Drury.”

  Robina found herself reddening furiously under her caked tears.

  The Earl gently helped Robina up.

  Through the window he could see that his men had brought the carriage out from the barn and had tethered the remaining horse to it along with one of theirs.

  ‘Ellis must have taken the second horse to the inn,’ murmured the Earl to himself.

  “You and you, go straight to the Police and have them arrest my brother Ellis. I don’t think he will be difficult to apprehend – he is probably completely drunk by now!”

  “You would have your very own brother arrested?” whispered Robina as he returned to her side.

  He gently stroked her hair and her face, gazing at her with such love in his eyes that it made her heart swell.

  “He has abducted the woman I love – nothing is a good enough punishment.”

  “Can you forgive me for being so stupid?” asked Robina.

  “Why do you say that?” asked the Earl.

  “Because I refused when you asked me to marry you. Oh, Robert, I have only just realised how much I love you. There, I have said it! I love you, I love you!”

  He was laughing as he kissed her hair, her eyelids and then her lips.

  “So, my darling, you have changed your mind and will marry me?” he sighed, as they parted.

  Robina looked up at him and smiled,

  “Yes, my dearest Robert, I will!”

  “Then you have made me the happiest man alive!”

  They kissed again and again and Robina poured her whole heart and soul into their embrace.

  ‘Truly I have now found Heaven,’ she decided as they nestled close.

  Just then there came a knock on the door – it was the groom who had helped the Earl kick the lock off.

  He had tactfully withdrawn once he had seen how intimate Robina and the Earl were becoming.

  “My Lord, beggin’ your pardon, but shall we make the carriage ready to take Miss Melville back home?”

  “Your father is still away?” asked the Earl.

  “As far as I am aware.”

  “Then please take Miss Melville back to the Castle,” instructed the Earl, “I have another call to make before th
is night is over.”

  He picked up Robina and tenderly carried her out to the carriage, placed her inside and kissed her once more.

  “I shall not be long, my darling.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I wish to speak to Lady Melville.”

  “Please be very careful,” urged Robina pleadingly, as she clutched at his jacket lapels. “Stepmama is a force to be reckoned with!”

  “Have no fear, Robina. I will return to the Castle as soon as I can. My men will make certain that Mrs. Osidge takes good care of you.”

  With a sign from him the carriage pulled off back down the narrow track.

  ‘And now,’ the Earl grunted to himself, as his men dispersed, ‘I have an appointment at Trentham House.’

  *

  As soon as Robina arrived at the Castle, people anxious for her well-being quickly surrounded her.

  Mrs. Osidge made a great fuss of her and took her immediately to the blue bedroom.

  She brought her an excellent hot meal followed by a glass of hot milk laced with brandy.

  “Drink this now, it will help you sleep,” said Mrs. Osidge, shooing away the other servants.

  “I don’t think I could close my eyes for a second,” answered Robina, full of love for the Earl. “I am far too excited.”

  Mrs. Osidge gave her a knowing smile, one woman to another.

  “We will wake you up when his Lordship returns home – have no fear.”

  With a smile she sank back into the plump pillows and was soon fast asleep.

  *

  It seemed she had only been dreaming for a short while when Mrs. Osidge was once again standing over her and calling her name.

  “Miss Melville! Miss Melville!”

  Sleepily Robina rubbed her eyes and yawned.

  “Robert – has he returned?”

  “Yes,” replied Mrs. Osidge with a broad smile, “his Lordship has just arrived home. He is seeing to his horses and should be here very shortly.”

  Robina climbed out of bed and ran to the mirror on the dressing table.

  Her cheeks were flushed pink from her sleep and her hair was coming undone from the pins that had held it.

  She poured some water from the jug into the small china ewer on the nearby washstand and splashed her face.

  She was just feeling for the towel so that she could dry herself when she sensed that someone was in the room.