Chapter 19 Ambushed
Cooper drew near to the Manvers estate and observed a hearse standing before the entrance. He reined in and wondered who within the manor had died. Only two men, dressed in black, stood beside the cart.
He guided his horse into a small grove and waited.
Within half an hour, six servants in livery emerged, bearing a coffin.
It was placed upon the cart, and the two men followed behind as it turned onto a narrow lane, no doubt leading toward the family burial ground.
Cooper narrowed his gaze, wondering who the men might be.
Neither seemed of an age to be the Earl.
When they had gone, he circled to the opposite side of the manor, tethered his horse to a gatepost, and made his way through the kitchen gardens until he stood near enough to observe the back entrance.
A well stood nearby, half concealed by hedge and shrub, and he took shelter behind the thick growth to watch.
An hour passed before a maid appeared, carrying two buckets. She approached the well and began to draw water.
Cooper removed his hat and kept his eyes lowered.
“Miss, I came to inquire after employment, but I see there has been a death in the house. Might you tell me whom I should address, and when I ought to return?”
The girl looked him over from head to foot, then fixed her gaze upon his face.
“Mister, we are all wondering whether any of us shall keep a place here, now that the Earl is dead. I only hope I shall be paid for this month’s wages.”
Cooper lifted his eyes.
“The Earl of Manvers is dead?”
“Aye,” she replied. “They say he gambled away his money, and some believe one of his creditors shot him down for not paying what was owed.”
Cooper’s expression sharpened.
“Was it a violent death, then?”
“Violent?” She said bitterly, “I should say so. He was shot in the back as he walked toward the stables. Whoever fired stood not ten feet from him. One shot was all it took. He never saw it coming.”
She hesitated, then added with blunt honesty, “Not that any of us laments his loss, except that we may not be paid, and may lose our positions besides.”
“But he was an Earl,” Cooper observed. “Surely his heir will settle matters with the servants.”
The maid shook her head and, overcome, sank onto a bench.
“They say he has no heir. The steward sent for the solicitor, who will search the records. We all pray they find someone, sir, someone who will make things right. The tenants are set for a good harvest, but if there is no one to manage the estate…”
Her voice faltered.
Cooper sat beside her.
“Miss, I do not believe matters are so hopeless as you fear. If there is no heir, there will be a purchaser, and the estate will be managed.”
She drew out a handkerchief and wiped her face.
“Perhaps it will be as you say.”
Then she rose quickly. “I must take this water in, or Cook will have my head.”
Cooper stood as well and bowed.
“Thank you for speaking with me. One more thing, when did you lose your master?”
“But two days ago, sir. The stable boys heard the shot and ran to him. They tried to stop the bleeding, but they could not.”
“I am obliged to you,” Cooper replied. “I wish you well.”
With another bow, he left her at the well and returned to his horse, his mind already turning over all he had learned.
Cooper mounted at once and rode back the way he had come, anxious to rejoin the Colonel. If Manvers was dead, another hand must be involved.
He drove his horse hard toward Elvaston, his mind racing with the implications, when, rounding a bend in the road, he heard a shot ring out, followed by silence.
Ahead, he saw a carriage, the leaders reared, and the coachman struggled to bring them under control. Then Cooper saw a horseman burst from the woods, riding in his direction.
Cooper pulled his own horse into the shelter of the trees, drew his loaded pistol, and waited. No man would be so bold as to fire upon two carriages if he were alone. There must be others.
A minute later, the rider passed him at speed. As Cooper watched, the gunman flung away a musket, which fell into the tall grass.
Cooper watched for more attackers, but none appeared. He urged his horse back onto the road and pursued.
When he was near enough, he raised his pistol and fired.
The shot struck the man in the back. A pistol dropped from his grasp. His horse reared, and the rider pitched heavily to the ground.
Cooper dismounted and knelt beside the fallen man, pressing his hand to the shoulder wound in an effort to stem the bleeding.
The man was very young, perhaps twenty. As Cooper watched, the boy’s eyes fluttered open.
“Tell Abby…I love her. I meant to save her.”
Cooper’s voice hardened. “Did you kill Manvers?”
“Yes,” the man whispered. “For her sake.”
“And Lord Stafford?”
“Accident.” He groaned.
Cooper stared down at him in disbelief. “You are a fool. You have brought ruin upon yourself.”
He leaned nearer. “And her father’s accident. Did you cause that as well?”
The young man groaned.
“No. Manvers killed him. He crowed about it.” The young man groaned again.
Hoofbeats sounded behind them. A carriage drew up, and a man sprang down.
Cooper barked.
“I shot this man in the back. We must staunch the blood.”
The coachman’s face was grim.
“This man fired upon the Colonel.”
Cooper’s head snapped up. “The Colonel has been shot?”
“It was a glancing injury,” the coachman replied. “He lives. He is in the carriage behind. I was sent to fetch you. The Colonel says you know how to bind a wound.”
Cooper’s jaw tightened.
“Help me with this boy. He has taken a bullet to the back.”
The two men removed the boy’s jacket and pressed it firmly against the wound, using it as a thick pad to stem the bleeding.
After examining the injury, Cooper said, “Hold pressure here. The ball may have lodged against the bone. There is no exit wound, and the lungs appear untouched. I will ride back at once and send help.”
Meanwhile, upon hearing the shot, Darcy had seized his musket and shouted, “Get down. Keep your heads down.”
The women dropped at once, kneeling on the carriage floor with their heads pressed against the seat cushions.
Darcy knelt beside them, peering out the window and scanning the dark line of trees.
There was no movement. He saw neither man nor horse.
Then he heard hoofbeats retreating.
He sprang down, musket raised and ready to fire, but the rider was already beyond range.
Then the Colonel rode up, the front of his shirt and waistcoat soaked through with blood.
“Richard, you have been struck!”
“In the shoulder,” Richard said through clenched teeth.
Darcy helped the colonel dismount and helped him into the second carriage.
A hush fell over them as another shot sounded in the distance.
Robert Miller called out, “Cooper shot the gunman! He lies prostrate on the road.”
Richard ordered. “Send for Cooper to bind me up. The sooner I am bandaged, the sooner we may reach Haddon Hall.”
The women offered their handkerchiefs, and Darcy added his own, then pressed them to the wound. Richard’s face tightened.
“Do not press so hard, Darcy. I believe the spent bullet is lodged within. I can feel it when you press down.”
“Very well,” Darcy replied, easing his hand, “but I do not mean to see you bleed to death.”
They all turned to face the road when they heard hoofbeats. It was Cooper. “I have the murderer. There was only one man involved.”
He dismounted and said, “Colonel, you have taken another bullet.”
Richard managed a strained smile.
“Yes, as you see. There is something about me and bullets. They have a fondness for lodging in my body.”
Cooper’s mouth quirked, then he lifted the pad made of handkerchiefs and examined the wound.
“The bleeding is already lessening. Colonel, if we return to Elvaston, I may remove the ball and bind you properly. We must also attend to the gunman.”
Richard’s expression tightened. “I do not trust that it is safe to return to Elvaston. There may be others waiting for us there.”
Cooper asked, “May I speak freely, Colonel?”
“Yes. Speak. These ladies have a right to know all that has occurred.”
“Lord Manvers is dead.”
Lady Harrington lifted her hand to her mouth and managed a single, strangled word.
“Dead?”
The two sisters looked stricken.
Richard was sharp. “How do you know this?”
“I saw the servants carry out a coffin, sir, and I questioned a kitchen maid. She told me the Earl was shot in the back two days ago.”
The women murmured.
Cooper continued. “And the young man who fired upon you confessed it. He says he killed Manvers in order to save the woman he loves.”
He turned toward the women. “He spoke the name, Abby.”
Lady Abigail cried out. “No. It cannot be true. Do not tell me Giles killed the Earl.”
Richard frowned. “Who is Giles?”
Her mother answered.
“Giles Clarke, the son of one of our tenants. He has loved Abby since they were children.”
Lady Abigail cried, “I must see him. Is he dying?”
She ran down the road, and Lady Anise ran after her.
Richard turned back to Cooper.
“Is there more?”
“That young fool killed Manvers when it was known that Manvers had their father murdered.”
Richard’s jaw tightened. “What a shame. If he lives, he will hang. Are there others involved?”
“No, Colonel. He acted alone.”
“Well, that is a mercy. At least we shall not be obliged to fend off a horde of men, and the women are no longer in danger, with Manvers out of the way and this young fool quite out of commission.”
Cooper said, “But Manvers must have hired a man to cut the shaft. Someone who had access to Harrington’s carriage.”
Lady Harrington’s voice was broken. “No, not one of our household servants. How can this be?”
“Perhaps not, my Lady, but we will need to look into the matter more closely.”
Darcy spoke then.
“No one knows of this but ourselves. Must it be delivered to the law? Manvers was a murderer. A life for a life. It is not for man to sit in judgment, but in this case, justice has been done. I would spare the boy if possible.”