Chapter Eleven #3
Lelander had made his way to the dining room after he and Burkhart had sent the butler to his bed and banked the fire in the drawing room. He’d gone to the far side of the table, quite near where he and Miss Poppy would take their seats at dinner. It afforded a good view of the doors.
As he waited, he heard the occasional noise, but then nothing would come of it.
Chemsworth was a very old house and old houses liked to settle in the night.
At home, the first time he’d spent the night in the dower house when he’d been young, he’d been up for half the night listening to old wood creak its bones.
He’d been convinced he was moments away from defending his grandmama from intruders until she told him about the house settling over breakfast.
Now, though, he heard a very distinct sound. It was not the old bones of the house creaking. It was footsteps. Whoever it was, they walked softly but there was a clicking sound on the marble floors of something else.
Lelander peered over the table and saw Miss Millthorpe, of all people, marching past the door. She had an umbrella and that was making the sound.
What was she doing? She ought not be down here. What in the world had brought her down the stairs? With an umbrella? Certainly the lady did not think to go out of doors.
As he was contemplating that, he heard more footsteps, and talking too. Miss Poppy and Miss Pansy passed by. Were they following her? What were they all doing down here? It might become dangerous—they should not be here!
He did not quite understand where they’d gone. Perhaps there was a stairway down to the kitchens at the end of the corridor. Perhaps they’d all gone down for a pot of tea? What a time for a pot of tea! In any case, that would not explain the need for an umbrella.
Just then, he heard a shout coming from the other direction. That was Burkhart.
Lelander leapt up and raced down the corridor toward the drawing room. He hoped that wherever the ladies were going, they had gone.
In the gloom, he saw a figure in the great hall. The man raised something toward him.
Was it a pistol?
Before he even had a moment to look for cover, a spray of liquid hit his face. “My eyes!” he shouted as they burned.
He ripped at his neckcloth and rubbed at his eyes. He smelled the distinct aroma of gin. Had he been sprayed with gin? As he staggered in the hall, the butler’s voice penetrated his ears.
“Mr. Lelander,” Mr. Smuckers said, “I did not know it was you. Here.”
He was handed a vase sloshing with water. He promptly poured it over his eyes and then dabbed with his neckcloth.
His eyes still burned but at least he could see.
Another crash came from the drawing room. Lelander raced toward it with Mr. Smuckers on his heels.
The drawing room was dark but it was easy enough to see two figures rolling on the ground.
“Took you long enough,” Burkhart said, panting. “Help me with this rogue—he went for the Patinir.”
Behind him, Mr. Smuckers muttered, “How did he get past me?”
Lelander ran over and helped Burkhart subdue the baron. Or the alleged baron, it looked like.
They stood him up, holding him by each arm.
“The baron!” Mr. Smuckers said, seeming very surprised to note it.
“Now gentlemen, what is all this fuss?” the baron said. “I only came down to admire the picture. I wished to see if it was signed on the back.”
Mr. Smuckers, who was staring in disbelief, pointed and said, “Wait a minute! There is the clock from the library! You took the clock from the library!”
The baron shrugged. “I thought to put it in my room. The clock in my room runs slow.”
This, the butler appeared to take great umbrage to. “Slow?” Mr. Smuckers said in an outraged tone.
“We’ll let the magistrate hear all your stories of admiring the Patinir and wishing to borrow the clock,” Burkhart said. “While he’s at it, he can confirm if you are who you say you are, which I think you are not.”
“We’ll tie him up and guard him until first light,” Lelander said. “Then the magistrate can be sent for.”
Burkhart nodded. “Mark me, Mr. Smuckers, this fellow is no baron.”
Mr. Smuckers nodded slowly. “I should have been tipped off when he did not know which was the fish fork.”
Lelander felt the man stiffen. Apparently, he had not realized that mistake had been noticed. That would go to show how little he knew about the habits of a viscount’s table. Of course it had been noticed, probably by everyone.
Suddenly, they heard a shout. A woman’s shout. Burkhart looked at Lelander.
“Miss Millthorpe and the ladies. I do not know what they do down here,” Lelander said.
Smucker went very red in the face over that, though Lelander did not know why.
“Can you manage him on your own, Smuckers?” Burkhart asked.
The butler raised his pump-can in answer.
“It’s gin,” Lelander said, “one spray of it and he’ll be blinded. Trust me.”
They pushed the fraud baron into a chair and Smuckers stood back and aimed his can at the man’s face as if he were one of Napoleon’s firing squads.
They hurried out to the great hall.
“What took you so long,” Burkhart said.
“I was blinded by the butler’s gin-weapon.”
The three ladies were walking toward them. A fourth figure behind them raised a pistol.
He and Burkhart stopped in their tracks. Where had the second man come from?
Miss Poppy’s eyes were wide. She looked so frightened and he did not have a weapon to fight back with.
“Turn round, gentlemen, and we’ll soon be out of your hair.”
Lelander knew there was nothing to do but comply. A man with a pistol who had run into trouble was a dangerous man. He might shoot one of the ladies without even meaning to do it.
“I attempted to subdue this gentleman with my umbrella,” Miss Millthorpe said stiffly.
“She didn’t know he had a pistol,” Miss Poppy whispered.
They had backed out to the great hall. They could see the fraud baron in his chair with the butler taking aim at him. And the butler could see them, including the man with the pistol.
The man called, “Wagner, let’s be off.”
Smuckers’ eyes were wide. He turned and sprayed Wagner in the face. The fellow shouted and clutched at his eyes.
The man with the pistol cursed. He aimed it at Smuckers and went to his compatriot.
“I can’t see!” Wagner shouted. “Gennings, I can’t see!”
“Then you’ll have to walk blind,” Gennings said, “we can’t stay here longer. The jig’s up. Let’s go!” Gennings grabbed Wagner’s arm and dragged him from his chair. “Just walk,” he said.
Gennings pointed the pistol in all directions. He paused and said, “You,” pointing at Miss Poppy. “You’ll come with us until we are away.”
“Do not you dare,” Lelander said.
“Don’t I?” Gennings said. “I’m the one with the pistol, I can dare anything I like.”
“We will not hurt her,” Wagner said, waving his arms around like a man in the dark. “We’ll let her go once we’re off. I am a gentleman, after all.”
“A gentleman!” Smuckers cried.
“If Poppy is going then I’m going,” Miss Pansy said. “We are never separated.”
Gennings huffed. “C’mon then. Times a’wasting.”
Lelander wracked his mind over what to do. He could not allow these rogues to leave with Miss Poppy and Miss Pansy. He also could not allow that gun to go off, even inadvertently.
He glanced at Burkhart, trying to silently communicate the idea of going out the back of the house, racing to the stables, and saddling horses to follow the rogues.
Gennings, with Wagner blindly hanging on one arm, moved to the front doors, pushing the ladies ahead of him.
And then they reached the steps.