XV
“WHAT IS IT, SADIE?”
“Oh, nothing, miss,” the maid replied nervously. “’Tis merely you startled me, me not expecting to see you on these stairs. I been putting m’lady’s things away and was just taking Ulysses here down to his bed.”
“Is your mistress still awake, then?” Nell asked, thinking that if that were the case, she would just step up and tell Rory about Aunt Agatha’s illness and make sure she was comfortable for the night.
But her question appeared to agitate Sadie still more.
She seemed, even in the dim light of the stairwell, to have gone quite pale.
“Oh no, miss, she be asleep!”
“But if she is sleeping, surely you wouldn’t just be coming down from straightening her things,” Nell objected, watching her closely now. Sadie bit her lip.
“I was quiet, miss,” she muttered defensively.
“Maybe so,” Nell agreed, “but I think I will just step upstairs and see for myself that her ladyship requires nothing further tonight.”
“Oh, please, miss,” Sadie gasped. “My lady will be so angry with me. Pray, do not go up!”
“Well, what is this, then? Have you been up to mischief?” A dozen thoughts passed through Nell’s mind, and she remembered the other servants had been determined to teach Sadie her place.
She had heard nothing more of the matter, but perhaps she would have to look into it.
Then she realized Sadie was denying that she had done anything, and it occurred to her that the maid rarely spared a thought for anything but her mistress’s needs.
It was not Sadie who was likely up to mischief.
Suddenly Jeremy’s intent looks earlier in the drawing room took on new meaning, and misgivings stirred, developing rapidly into a deep sense of foreboding as she gazed with narrowed eyes at the maidservant.
“Is the Lady Aurora truly sleeping, Sadie? Mind you do not lie to me, for I do indeed mean to go upstairs.”
Sadie’s lips trembled. “N-no, ma’am.”
Nell sighed. “Where is she, Sadie?”
“I dunno.” She saw quickly that Nell disbelieved her, and raised her hand in a quick gesture of protest. “’Tis the truth, Miss Nell. She never told me. I only know she went out looking like the very spit of mischief and wouldn’t say a word about where she was bound.”
“Good God!” Nell exclaimed. “An assignation!”
“No, ma’am,” Sadie stated positively.
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because she was dressed in boy’s clothes, Miss Nell.”
With a gasp of pure shock, Nell leaned against the banister, clutching at it for support. “Boy’s clothes. Where on earth—”
“She had them from home, miss. Often wears ’em out riding. Even Lord Crossways don’t know. My lady cursed Lord Huntley when he insisted she always take a groom, for of course she didn’t dare wear those clothes where anyone else might see her, lest her mama or papa find out.”
Nell remembered Rory’s own casual reference, soon after her arrival in Brighton, to her habit of donning boy’s clothing when it suited her purposes, and decided the girl must not harbor similar fears with regard to a mere aunt.
Her face paled. “Dear God, does that mean she will have gone somewhere all alone now?”
“No, ma’am, for she couldn’t saddle her horse alone, and at home she carried the clothes in a satchel until she was well away from the house. I expect she’s taken that Joe boy into her confidence. He fair dotes on her ladyship.”
“Then he is as much of a nodcock as you are, Sadie,” Nell said, not mincing matters as her temper flared again.
“I promise you, you have not heard the last of this, for I shall have a deal to say to you later. But now the important thing is to find your mistress before she finds herself in the basket.” She had been thinking rapidly and realized that there was very likely at least one person in the house who would know where Rory had gone.
“Don’t cry, Sadie!” she snapped as she realized tears were beginning to course down the maid’s cheeks.
“We’ve no time for such nonsense. Go immediately and desire Jeremy to step up to my mother’s boudoir. Tell him to hurry.”
“Yes, miss.” And Sadie fled, leaving Nell prey to all manner of worrisome conjectures.
She very much feared she knew exactly what Rory had taken it into her head to do.
Had she not mentioned her interest in the free-traders time and time again?
Would it not be exactly like the little wretch to follow her own wishes if she had found some means by which to do so?
Nell was very nearly wringing her hands when Jeremy entered the boudoir some moments later, looking anxious. “Sadie said I was to come up straightaway, Miss Nell, and she sounded all of a twitter. Be something amiss?”
“Indeed, something is amiss,” Nell agreed, eyeing him speculatively. “The lady Aurora has gone out, and we do not know where she has gone. I thought she might have confided in you.”
“Me, miss?” But he tended to avoid her gaze, and she could see that his thoughts were giving him little comfort.
“What is it?” she demanded. “Come now, Jeremy, if you know where she is, you must tell me.”
“She never told me she was going out, Miss Nell, and that’s God’s own truth. I did fear she might have taken some fool notion into her head when you didn’t go to the assembly tonight, but she swore to me she’d do nothing foolish. Howsomever—”
“Out with it!” Nell, her fears rising with each passing moment, wanted nothing more than to shake him. “Now, Jeremy!”
“Well, her ladyship’s been right curious all along about the gentlemen, Miss Nell, ’n she’s always askin’ a fearful lot o’ questions.”
“Good God! I knew it! But what sort of questions? Where on earth can she have gone?” She had expected something of the sort from the moment Sadie had mentioned boy’s clothes.
But it was no use to congratulate herself on her insight.
She must do something to prevent Rory from dashing headlong into catastrophe.
Her intent to get to the bottom of things was clear, and Jeremy grimaced, then let out a long sigh. “There be a boat coming in tonight, and m’lady pestered the life out of me to tell ’er where they’d be landing.”
“Merciful heavens!” Nell exclaimed. “Surely you were not idiotic enough to tell her!”
“Well, that’s just it,” the lad confessed reluctantly.
“I never meant to, Miss Nell! ’Twas like she bewitched me.
And when she said she only wanted to have a look from the clifftops, I gave her pepper, Miss Nell.
Said it was fearful dangerous even to be thinking of such stuff, ’n that I couldn’t speak even for my own cousins an they discovered a pretty young thing like herself out ’n about on the cliffs.
She said I’d no business to be talking to her like that, me being a mere footman ’n all, but she promised she’d do nothing foolish.
I-I believed her—thought she meant she’d stay at home.
Not,” he added more wretchedly, “that that will save my groats when Cousin Jeb comes to hear of it.”
“Where has she gone, Jeremy?” Nell struggled to keep her voice calm, though she wanted to stamp her feet and shout at him.
He looked at her in astonishment. “Lord, Miss Nell, I can’t tell you that. Best I can do is go after her myself. Haven’t I just said there’s a boat landing tonight? It’d be worth as much as your life—aye, and mine—an I was t’ tell you.”
“Jeremy,” Nell said, her voice dangerously calm, “you have done enough damage already. I shan’t allow you to do more, so if you do not tell me instantly where she has gone, I shall send for Lord Huntley and for Major Gideon Talcott of the Tenth Hussars to discuss the matter with you.
If my wretched niece has taken you even half as far into her confidence as I believe she has, you will know that neither gentleman will deal lightly with you.
I shall give you precisely five seconds to choose which course you will follow.
” She folded her arms beneath her breasts and waited, scarcely daring to breathe and terrified lest he prove stubborn enough to force her to send for Huntley.
She had no doubt of his lordship’s ability to get at the truth, but they could ill afford the extra time it would take.
But Jeremy had gone quite pale at the mere mention of the two names. He had met his lordship, of course, and Nell had no doubt that Rory had provided him with an excellent description of the large major as well. He cleared his throat twice.
“Well, Jeremy? I am waiting.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He eyed her unhappily, then capitulated. “They be landing at Black Briar Cove, Miss Nell, which be about three miles along the coast road, Rottingdean way.”
“I know the place,” Nell said, sighing in relief. “What time will that boat land?”
“Not till midnight or after, but there’ll be lookouts posted long afore that.”
“Does Rory know?”
“Aye.”
“Will they harm her, Jeremy? She’s wearing male attire, probably in the belief that it will somehow protect her, but will it fool them at all?” Nell made no attempt now to conceal her anxiety.
Jeremy shifted his feet. “Depends, miss, but I doubt it, and probably it be best if it don’t, if they see she’s a lass. Either way, if one of my cousins is on look-out and if she mentions my name, they might only send her off with a flea in her ear. But she might not mention me.”
“Why ever not?”
He looked sheepish. “I told her they’d not like me telling her so much, that they’d be like t’ murder me if they found out.”
“I’ve a certain degree of sympathy for such feelings,” Nell muttered, thinking quickly. “You must go as fast as you can to Mrs. Fitzherbert’s house, Jeremy. I’ll write a note for Lord Huntley, but you will have to show him the way. He’s not so familiar with this part of the coast as we are.”
Jeremy was staring at her in dismay. “I cannot! I’ll go myself, Miss Nell, but ’tis no place for a gentle-bred lady like yourself, and I cannot take his lordship there.”