Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
THEO
‘Why did you insist she be brought to you today, Father? Was it to frighten her?’
I could barely contain my fury that my father had ordered me to bring Rue before him as soon as possible. Though I knew him well enough to guard my temper and not to give away my true feelings for Rue.
Rue. I couldn’t imagine for one second that the woman I had now met several times was a witch. If someone had a vendetta against her, then it was possible that they had told my father that I had danced with her at the festival and then asked around for information about her.
Were my actions the cause of his summoning Rue to be brought before him? If they were, I couldn’t understand why he might have taken against her. Then I remembered who her mother was. My mood dipped further.
‘You are well aware that a claim has been made against Mistress Underwood. Do you expect me not to investigate her? Accusing someone of sorcery is an extremely serious act.’
It was true. The thought sickened me. ‘But you don’t believe this person, do you?’ I asked hopefully. ‘Not after meeting Mistress Underwood?’
My father raised an eyebrow. ‘Theo, regardless of my instincts, I need to prove there is weight behind this accusation, which is why you must return her to her home and pass on my instructions to her family and estate workers.’
‘Was it only the maid at the farm who accused her?’
My father studied my face for a few seconds then narrowed his eyes.
‘That is not for you to know.’ His eyes pierced mine.
‘You are still only an assistant, don’t forget.
I am yet to decide how fully committed you are to your role.
’ His expression softened. ‘We both know that carrying out this work is not for the faint-hearted, Theo. For now, you are to continue your investigation into this woman and her family.’
I was under no illusion about how important this mission was for my father. I wished I understood why, after almost a decade, he was now concerning himself with Lady Thistlebury’s daughter.
‘You are to find something to implicate her and prove this accusation true. Do you understand?’
‘Falsify evidence?’ The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to think. Did he truly expect me to carry out this order?
My father’s eyes darkened. ‘Are you determined to upset me, Theophilus?’
His tone sent chills through me. He was using my full name, which he rarely did now. This case seemed different from others I had seen him conduct. More ominous, more calculated. I stared at him. Any admiration I still held for his work was diminishing by the second.
Did he truly believe Rue capable of witchcraft, or was this matter a personal vendetta for him?
‘There is something I must tell you about Mistress Underwood,’ I said, eager to put her in the best light possible.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Go on then, I’m eager to hear what you have discovered.’
‘I don’t believe her to be a witch.’
He laughed. ‘Theo, you had better have more to give me than just a statement.’ His eyebrows rose. He was clearly amused at my comment. ‘She is a beautiful young woman and I can understand your reluctance to think ill of her.’
Anger washed over me. ‘I have reasons for believing this, Father, and they have nothing to do with her appearance.’
He sat back in his chair. ‘Tell me.’
‘She saved my life,’ I said hoping to shock him and change his opinion of her.
His eyes widened and I saw with satisfaction that I had done as intended. ‘How?’
I explained about my accident in Crack Ankle Lane. ‘You see? She is too good to be a witch.’
My father stared at me. I spotted disappointment, and then a colder determination in his eyes. ‘You say she went to the cottage at the top of the lane for some concoction to stem the bleeding?’
‘That is correct.’
He tilted his head back and groaned before looking at me once more. ‘Theo, I have shared my suspicion that the women who live there practise witchcraft.’
I was going to ask why he hadn’t arrested them as well, but decided against it, not wishing to cause anyone else to incur my father’s displeasure.
‘And what of this magickal mixture that stopped the heavy bleeding from the wound?’ he asked. ‘You don’t believe that to be mysterious?’
I had no idea and hadn’t missed his use of the word magick. ‘I believe it was herbs of some kind. You know as well as I do Mistress Underwood sells tinctures and the like in the market.’
He glared at me, as if wondering whether I still followed his opinion of witches or had become less fearful of them. I used his silence to try and explain why he shouldn’t be so harsh on Rue Underwood.
‘Father, Mistress Underwood clearly resents your part in her mother’s demise, and also my connection to you. She doesn’t trust us, and I can perfectly understand why.’
‘Theo—’
I interrupted him, determined to have my say.
‘No, Father. This must be said. Mistress Underwood had every reason to let Warrior gallop past her in that narrow lane. Instead, she risked severe injury stopping him.’ I still couldn’t understand exactly how she had done it.
‘She then calmed him and brought him to me. I was bewildered after hitting my head and was in no position to insist she help me. However, regardless of her feelings towards me or’—I gave him a pointed look—‘you, she did her best to stem the bleeding, dress my wound and see that I was capable of riding back home. Surely that should be enough to prove she is a decent woman, one with a conscience, rather than someone willing to do others harm?’
I waited for him to argue and was surprised when he did not.
‘Father?’
He gave a bored sigh. ‘No doubt she had her own motives for making the most of the occasion when it presented itself to her.’
I was wasting my time. Whatever was behind this persecution of Rue Underwood, there was probably far more to it than I was aware.
My father was not a stupid man; he was cunning, cynical and rarely changed his opinion of someone once it had been formed.
I could tell he wasn’t open to argument, and to reason with him further would only make him suspicious about my feelings towards Rue.
I doubted he had failed to notice my concern for her when helping her sit.
I recalled how I spoke gently to her and calmed her, and I was annoyed with myself.
Why had I been so careless as to act in that way?
I would have to be far more careful in my behaviour if I was to help prove Rue’s innocence.
I had seen for myself the way she had turned silent, her eyes filling with unshed tears, when he referred to her family history. I decided it wouldn’t seem odd to enquire further.
‘You’ve known Mistress Underwood’s family in the past, Father, but am I to understand that you had more to do with them than the late Lady Thistlebury’s arrest and execution?’
I saw a satisfied smile cross his face. I hated this side of my father and had to concentrate not to reveal my distaste.
‘You will recall your first time attending the execution of a witch?’
I remembered it only too well, having spent many years tormented by nightmares over the incident. Before I had a chance to confirm it, my father continued speaking.
‘It was almost ten years ago. Lady Thistlebury had been tried and found guilty of sorcery.’ He sighed happily. ‘I had no option but to carry out her execution.’
I shuddered at the memory, at the thought of Rue as a little girl having to witness such a dreadful scene.
‘The little girl—’ I said, but was unable to continue as I saw her again, being held back by a man, her large turquoise eyes red from sobbing as she pleaded for mercy for her mother.
The hatred as she looked from my father to me was something I had never forgotten.
I recalled Rue looking sideways at me earlier, her unspoken accusation clear.
I felt sick. I might not have known who she was at the festival, but she quickly discovered my identity that day.
I now knew why she hated me so readily, I thought miserably.
I would feel the same way about her if things were reversed.
Poor Rue. To witness something that horrific being done to a stranger had been enough to turn my stomach, so how deeply must her mother’s death have scarred her?
And now I was adding to the years of pain she had been forced to endure.
If only I hadn’t gone to the festival and danced with her, held her in my arms, laughed with her.
The carefree sound of her laughter had a musical quality.
She had seemed so full of life, her spirit free as she embraced the dancing.
And now I had tracked her down and brought her in front of my father, who seemed only too happy to replay her dark history.
The second in her family to be accused by him of sorcery.
I would have loved to be able to reminisce with her the few moments of joy we had experienced that one time, but I now saw she would never believe there wasn’t at least a part of me that was like my father.
I closed my eyes and thought of her almost passing out in his office. No wonder she had been fearful. I thought of her trying to make her way home to what was left of her family, thanks to my father’s actions all those years ago. I knew I needed to go after her.
‘If only her father would reappear,’ my father said thoughtfully. I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to himself or to me.
‘Why?’ I asked intrigued. ‘What difference would that make?’
He stared at me for a moment, a strange look in his dark eyes.
‘I might not be as interested in the girl if the father would come and respond to questions I wish to have answered.’ I went to speak, but he narrowed his eyes.
‘Or maybe I want to see how he has fared these past years. Whether he’s still the proud man who showed off his beautiful wife before her practice of witchcraft brought shame on his good name. ’
‘You wish to taunt him?’ I asked, shocked.
He waved for me to go. ‘I do not. Anyway, that is of no matter. The chances of him being found after a decade are slim at best.’
I wanted to continue the conversation, to discover whether it might be feasible to find this Lord Thistlebury fellow.
‘On your way now, Theo.’
I had been dismissed.
‘I’ll leave now and do as you ask,’ I said, eager to find her.
My father didn’t respond, or if he did I didn’t hear him.
I left the office and broke into a run as soon as the door closed behind me.
I trotted to the outskirts of the town and spotted her ahead of me.
I was about to call out to her to wait for me to take her home, when a cart pulled up beside her.
I realised my mistake and was furious with myself for stopping to question my father.
Now I was too late to make the return journey with her and had lost my chance to persuade her that I had her best interests at heart.
Yet again Jem came to her rescue. He jumped down and I watched with envy as he hugged Rue before taking her hand. He helped her up onto the bench seat, climbed up and sat next to her and took up the reins.
Not wishing to disturb them, I waited, wishing I was lucky enough to be so close to her.
Jem put his arm around Rue’s shoulders. How I wished I could be the one she allowed to do that.
Be the man she trusted. My stomach clenched as she looked up at Jem, spoke to him and then rested her head against his shoulder.
Although I had no right to interrupt their time together, I still needed to pass on my father’s message to everyone at Thistlebury Manor.
Despite her fear, everything about Rue was dignified and I couldn’t help admiring her.
I wished I could leave her to be comforted after her ordeal and decided to follow them back to the manor later.
It wouldn’t take me long to get there on Warrior, but for now I wanted to stay in the background and give Rue time to come to terms with what had happened.
It was the least I could do. It wasn’t much, and Rue would never know, but it helped assuage some of my guilt at my part in this chaos I had inadvertently brought into her once peaceful life.
I decided to ride in the opposite direction, to the next village along from Stanthorpe, for a bite of lunch and give Jem and Rue time to reach the manor and reassure her family that she was unharmed.