Chapter 16
‘I had been wondering whether we might get away with taking just one carriage to Castel-a-Mare,’ Charlotte declared at breakfast. ‘But considering we are going to have to bring eight children home with us, even two carriages will be a squeeze.’
‘We may have to sit some of them on the top,’ Henry retorted, ‘but I don’t believe any will quibble as long as they are being taken to safety.'
‘And when exactly will that be?’ she quizzed him, picking up a piece of toast she’d just finished buttering.
Henry shrugged. ‘I can’t give you an answer until I’ve spoken with Benedict. This is a development none of us saw coming.’
Charlotte nodded, frowning at her piece of toast before returning it uneaten back onto her plate.
‘I feel as though what happens tonight will either make or break this case,’ she continued.
‘We had no idea what we were dealing with at Winner Street, but now we know exactly what’s at stake and I don’t mind admitting I’m deuced terrified. ’
Henry put down his cup. ‘You don’t have to take part in tonight’s incursion, Lottie,’ he said carefully. ‘Nobody will blame you if you decide to remain here instead.’
Charlotte gave him an outraged glare. ‘Goodness knows what will happen to you if I’m not in the vicinity,’ she snapped. ‘The last time I let you out of my sight, you ended up being drugged and hanging from a cellar window.’
Henry gritted his teeth. ‘Well, that’s rich coming from someone who got stuck halfway up a deuced ladder only days ago after being out of sight for less than five minutes.’
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, two spots of colour appearing on her cheeks. ‘Perhaps a modicum of gratitude would not go amiss,’ she shot back, ‘since no one could argue your nose is now a much more pleasing shape…’ She gave a pause, before adding, ‘Or it will be once the swelling has gone down.’
Fortunately, Billy was not privy to the conversation between Mr Henry and Miss Charlotte, and once he’d finished his chores, he hurried towards Simla House, in preparation for hiding himself away in Lord Tavistock’s boot locker.
Quite what he would do when he was discovered at the other end was not something he’d given much thought to.
As Billy had discovered on countless occasions, things might go absolutely right or disastrously wrong.
But either way, there was usually not a lot you could do about it, and he generally found it much more productive to focus on things like his stomach.
To that end, he’d made sure to help himself to a couple of apples and a piece of Mrs Williams’ Madeira sponge in case he got peckish on the way.
By one thirty p.m., both carriages were on their way to Torquay.
Alexandra and Arabella were riding with Evans, and the rest with Albert.
There was one more eleventh-hour addition of the furry variety.
The argument as to whether to take Aggie along had continued for quite some time – with half the family declaring the Retriever had more than proved herself at the Winner Street Orphanage and the other half arguing that she’d only been following the strong smell of cabbage.
In the end, those in favour of Agatha’s presence won out – mainly because the dog had a formidable set of teeth and was not averse to using them to protect the humans she loved.
Once they arrived in Torquay, the plan was to look for a place no more than five minutes’ walk from Castel-a-Mare where both carriages could be parked without sticking out like a bumblebee on a bald man’s head.
The intention was for Alex and Bella to remain close to the carriages along with Aggie in the event they were in need of either a quick exit or a strong pair of incisors.
Henry and Charlotte would conceal themselves in a convenient place in the garden, making sure they had a clear view of anyone coming or going, while Benedict and Rhys waited for the conspirators inside the house.
Arabella felt her feeling of nausea increase the closer they got to Torquay until she actually feared casting up her account. Biting her lip, she stared out of the window, twisting the fingers of one hand restlessly in Agatha’s dense coat and worrying at her neckline with the other.
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ Alex said softly as her twin sought to loosen her collar.
Bella looked up, startled, before giving a rueful chuckle. ‘And here I thought I was doing so well hiding it from you.’
Alex gave a derogatory snort. ‘You’ve never been able to hide anything from me any more than I have you,’ she scoffed. ‘Are you in love with him?’
Arabella didn’t attempt to deny it. Instead, she gave a ragged sigh.
‘I don’t know,’ she murmured. ‘I know that leaving him yesterday evening was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do, and I know that my fear for him has left me unable to think of anything else.
..and I know that my heart lifts whenever he walks into a room…
’ She paused, and uttered a breathless laugh before adding, ‘And I know that I want to do… things with him that would completely horrify Aunt Charlotte if she ever found out. Is that love?’
‘Well, aside from the fact that I think Aunt Charlotte would probably surprise you, I can only speak for myself. And, yes, I felt - feel - all of those things for Rhys.’
Arabella shook her head. ‘I always thought love would be genteel,’ she groaned. ‘A meeting of minds. You and Rhys seem so at ease with each other, but forgive me, neither of you exhibits outward displays of affection.’
To her surprise Alex laughed. ‘The displays you speak of are best kept to the bedroom,’ she chuckled. ‘But that’s not to say we don’t feel them, in fact…’ She stopped as Arabella held up her hand.
‘Please let us leave it there,’ she begged, her face turning pink. ‘When this is all over…’ Alex nodded in total understanding. She held out her hand, and Bella gripped it tightly. ‘Do you think he’s unhurt?’ she whispered.
‘I think Chief Inspector Hartley is very good at his job, and he knows how to look after himself,’ Alex responded, her voice firm. ‘All will be well, dearest.’
They ended up parking the two carriages about a hundred yards further along Middle Warberry Road next to a heavily wooded area that extended to both sides of the road.
Out of sight to the casual observer, the vehicles only became visible once someone was almost upon them. It was the best they could do.
As discussed, Alex, Aggie, and Bella remained with the carriages, though the latter flatly refused to be left behind unless someone returned immediately with an update concerning Chief Inspector Hartley’s well-being.
There was a nail-biting fifteen minutes wait before Charlotte returned with good news.
Benedict was stiff after spending the entire night sitting on sharp cobbles, but other than a bruised posterior, he was perfectly well.
‘Once our plan has been formed, I will return with the details.’ The two women watched their aunt march back down the road with mixed feelings. As she turned into Castel-a-Mare in the distance, Arabella put their anxiety into words.
‘I’m really not sure Aunt Charlotte has the stamina to remain in hiding for hours,’ she murmured. ‘Oh, I know she has the determination, but we both know how bad her rheumatiz gets when it’s damp.’
‘It may be that one of us will have to change places,’ Alex mooted, ‘She’ll be impossible to deal with if she’s forced to take to her bed.’ Both women winced at the thought.
‘Well, I’m more than ‘appy ter tek Miss Charlotte’s place if the screws start givin’ ‘er jip,’ a voice suddenly chipped in between them.
‘What the…? Billy,’ Arabella groaned. ‘How did you get here?’
‘I id in the boot box,’ the boy announced proudly, ruffling Aggie’s fur. The Retriever at least was happy to see him.
‘You’ll be in the suds once Papa catches you.’ Alex shook her head in exasperation at the unrepentant face grinning up at her.
‘Don’ yer worry none, Miss Alex, I’ll mek meself useful. I can go places wi’out anyone seein’ me.’
‘So, it would appear,’ Bella retorted drily.
‘Right then, wot d’yer want me ter do first?’ he asked, oblivious to the sarcasm.
‘First, you go and tell Chief Inspector Hartley that you’re here,’ Alexandra asserted.
‘He’ll ultimately decide what’s to be done about you…
.’ She paused as the boy’s face dropped, adding, ‘It might well be he agrees with your suggestion to become a go-between.’ Billy frowned, about to inform her that that wasn’t what he was suggesting at all, then his face cleared, and he nodded fervently.
‘I’ll be invisible,’ he promised, giving the two women a quick bow before turning and disappearing into the trees.
‘Does he know which direction Castel-a-Mare is?’ Bella fretted, only narrowly preventing Aggie from dashing after him.
‘It might be better if he runs in the opposite direction,’ Alex commented wryly. ‘With a bit of luck, he might end up in Paignton.’
‘I was hoping to get the children out well before the meeting began,’ Ben declared to Rhys, Henry and Charlotte, ‘but this morning I realised the only way we’ll be able to free them is to get them out through the grating.’
‘Are you sure?’ Henry quizzed him with a frown.
Ben nodded. ‘As soon as it was light enough, I moved the dresser in the kitchen to check the door behind it. As you’d expect, it was locked, and the key taken.
According to Maisie, there’s at least one more locked door between the kitchen and their jail cell.
There’s an outside chance that we might be able to break the door down if we do it together, but then they’ll know someone’s been here and freed them. ’
‘It needs to look as though the girls have escaped on their own,’ Rhys guessed, ‘which will hopefully stop the men in charge from going to ground.’
Ben nodded. ‘But if any of them catch sight of the grating and spot a hole where the bars used to be…’
‘We’re in the suds,’ Henry interjected helpfully.