Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
THEO
Iled the men up the drive to the manor house, my breathing shallow and my heart racing.
Somehow I had to keep a check on everything the men did.
I was grateful to only have the two of them with me, for now.
The third, Le Gall, had clearly seen himself as the most capable, and maybe he was.
Which was another reason to be glad I had sent him off with Lord Thistlebury, who I believed would keep him busy for as long as possible and thus give us a chance of finishing our search before he could get to the manor house.
I hoped Rue had someone looking out for our arrival, and that they would have made all their preparations by the time we entered the house.
I asked myself why I had been so determined to warn her when I believed in my heart of hearts that she was no witch.
Was that really the case? Could I be mistaken about her?
I didn’t think it possible. I had met her enough times to trust in her innocence.
Would she have helped me at Crack Ankle Lane if she was a witch?
She could have stopped Warrior and led him up the lane and left him with the woman at the cottage if she was fearful of getting to know me better. Surely?
I slowed the horses and began giving the men orders about the search, so as to delay our arrival for as long as possible without making them suspicious.
We stopped in front of the house and within seconds Jem appeared from around the side. He shot me a furious glare. ‘You can tie the horses to the fencing there,’ he said, indicating a couple of rails that hadn’t fallen apart yet.
We did as he asked and then, unable to hold back for another moment, I led the men up the steps to the front door and knocked loudly on it.
Pierre opened it. ‘Yes?’ he asked as if he didn’t know we were expected.
I was relieved at his feigned surprise to see us there. I withdrew the order from my jacket and held it out to him. ‘Kindly deliver this to Rue Underwood or Ophelia Tredwell, then permit us to enter and carry out our orders.’
‘Orders?’ He seemed genuinely shocked and I wondered for a moment whether he didn’t know about our arrival, or was simply a good actor and hid his reactions well.
I watched for any physical sign so I could tell in future if he was lying.
There was little to note, but I did spot him press his lips together briefly as if trying to stop himself saying something he shouldn’t.
‘We have been ordered by the Witchfinder to inspect this house.’ I held up the order. ‘If you would take this to them immediately, we will endeavour to complete our search as quickly as possible.’
He left us standing on the doorstep but didn’t close the door in our faces.
As I stood there waiting for him to return I thought of the best way to carry this out.
I didn’t want anyone to search through Rue’s personal effects.
I turned to the men. ‘There are three floors here: the ground floor, first floor with the bedrooms, and attic. You search the ground floor,’ I said, pointing to the shorter of the two men.
‘You, the attics. I’ll take the first floor.
We’ll meet down here as soon as we’re finished.
’ They nodded. I lowered my voice. ‘Please remember, these people are innocent until proved guilty of committing any illegal acts. Their possessions must not be damaged, nor any mess made. It should not take us long to see for ourselves whether there is any evidence on the premises. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Pierre returned. ‘I have been instructed to allow you in.’
I thanked him and wondered where the women were, but decided to get on with what I was here to do and went upstairs.
The first room I entered was, judging by the attire in the wardrobe, Rue’s grandmother’s.
Shame washed over me as I began lightly searching for evidence.
I soon realised there was nothing there apart from a few trinkets and pictures.
I was relieved to leave the room and went to the next along the corridor.
I opened the door upon a lighter room that I took to be Rue’s bedroom.
There were flowers in a chipped vase, and a worn doll that I fancied might have been a gift from her mother.
The thought saddened me and lowered my mood even further.
A small, hand-sewn pouch tied with a red ribbon drew my attention.
I hesitated before picking it up from on top of a painted box and saw a fine circle painted on it in gold.
The circle was empty and for some reason that seemed odd.
‘Don’t touch that,’ a woman snapped. I immediately let go of it, grimacing when it dropped to the floor.
I bent to pick it up and spun around to face Rue, who stood in the open doorway.
I felt as if I had been caught doing something dreadful.
I wondered what the pouch represented to her.
‘I’m sorry. I do not take pleasure from this.
’ I lowered my voice and looked pointedly at her bedroom door. She closed it.
‘Rue, this is a necessity if we are to prove to my father that there is no evidence against you.’
She didn’t speak immediately but seemed thoughtful. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘And I also appreciate you doing your best for us.’
‘You do?’ It was a relief to hear her say so.
‘Yes.’ She frowned. ‘Not that it makes it much easier.’ She cocked an eyebrow at me. ‘We are not accustomed to having strangers rummaging through our private things.’
I winced. ‘I know. And if there was any other way, I would do my best to take it.’
She smiled. ‘We both know your father’s ways. Everyone does.’ She gave a sad laugh. ‘I shall leave you to it.’
‘You are welcome to remain here while I continue,’ I suggested, mostly because I wanted to make the most of whatever time I could spend in her company, but also because I wanted her to witness that I wouldn’t delve through her possessions unnecessarily.
She stared at me. ‘You’re an enigma, Theo Le Cerf,’ she said thoughtfully.
I was intrigued by her comment. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
‘I’m not sure whether I should like you or distrust your intentions towards us.’ I frowned in confusion as she continued. ‘You want us to think of you as a kindly man, who despite circumstances, hopes to help us as much as he can.’
‘That is the case,’ I insisted, hating the idea that she or her family might think otherwise of me.
She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. ‘Is it?’
She genuinely didn’t know whether to trust me or not. The realisation stung.
‘You are hurt by my admission,’ she said. ‘I don’t like to upset people but if you aren’t who I hope you are inside, then you could be a very dangerous person for me and those I love.’
‘Why? If you’re innocent, surely who I am shouldn’t matter.’ I wanted to tell her that it mattered very much to have her trust me. ‘You are innocent, aren’t you?’ I teased, intending to lighten the mood in the room.
My question had an unexpected effect. She glared at me, not speaking, for a few seconds. Then, turning to the door, she took hold of the handle and looked over her shoulder at me. ‘I refuse to dignify your question with an answer.’ She walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
How had I misread our conversation so badly? ‘Fool.’