He turned his mind to the much more pleasant thought of Mrs Charity Weston, and a reluctant grin tugged at his mouth. If he had talked to her much longer it was very likely she would have recognised him. Perhaps it was because she was an actress and used to playing parts herself that she noticed the similarities between the quiet, respectable gentleman farmer and the boisterous, lawless Dark Rider. Hell and confound it, he thought the way he disguised his voice and changed his whole manner would fool anyone, but apparently not. He had seen her fine brows draw together, noted the puzzled look in those large blue eyes-by God, but she was beautiful! Aye, that had almost been his undoing. Kissing her when he held up the Scarborough coach should have been enough for him. Why in heaven's name had he gone to her house? Madness. He put up his hand to rub the white blaze that ran down the great horse's face.
‘Well, Robin, no harm done this time, my old friend, but we will need to be more careful. We'd best give Mrs Weston a wide berth in future, I think.'
Ross rode back to the farm, the familiar cluster of stone buildings rearing up blackly against the night sky as he approached. A solitary lamp glowed in the yard and he found Jed dozing in a chair in the stables. Leaving the groom to take care of Robin, he went into the house.
Silence greeted him when he entered through the kitchen door, but a cold wet nose pressed against his hand.
‘Back in your box, Samson, good boy.' He scratched at the dog's head before the animal padded off into the shadows.
Mrs Cummings, his housekeeper, had gone to bed without leaving a light burning, but the sullen glow in the range showed him that she had banked up the fire against the winter chill. Lighting a lamp, he also noted with a burst of gratitude that she had left a jug of ale on the table and on a plate, under an upturned bowl, was a slice of meat pie.
The woman was a treasure. He must increase her wages-when he could afford it. He poured himself a mug of ale and threw himself down in the chair beside the fire. As he devoured the pie he thought about his situation. That it had come to this-a captain in his Majesty's navy, decorated for bravery under fire, now struggling to pay his way. He picked up the poker and stirred the coals with rough, angry movements while a quiet, insidious voice murmured in his ear.
What about those coaches you hold up? You could take more than enough to live comfortably.
He shook his head to rid it of the tempting thought. He was no thief; he wanted justice and would take only what had been stolen from him. Why, even the mailbags he searched through were always left at the roadside, where they would be found intact the next day.
Then you're a fool, said that insistent voice. If you're caught, you'll hang for highway robbery-no one will care about your justice.
‘I will,' he said aloud to the empty room. ‘I'll care.'
He drained his mug to wash down the last of the pie, then took up his bedroom candle to light his way up the stairs. The echo of his boots on the bare boards whispered around him.
Fool, fool.
* * *
Charity liked living in Allingford. Her fellow players were friendly, as were the townsfolk. Of the more noble families, only Sir Mark and Lady Beverley afforded her more than a distant nod if they saw her in the street, but she was accustomed to that. Actresses were not quite respectable. Her first appearance at the theatre was followed by equally successful performances in the tragedy Jane Shore and another comedy, The Busy Body. Charity knew both plays very well and they did not overtax her at all, so when she was not rehearsing and the weather was clement she enjoyed hiring a gig and driving herself around the lanes. She had grown up not fifteen miles from here, in Saltby, and although she determined not to visit the village, nor to go anywhere within her father's jurisdiction as magistrate, the countryside around Allingford was familiar and welcoming. Her maid did not approve of these solitary outings and tried to dissuade her, but Charity only laughed at her.
‘What harm can come to me if I stay close to Allingford?'
‘There's highwaymen, for a start,' retorted Betty. ‘They still haven't caught the rogue who held us up on the Scarborough Road.'
‘The Dark Rider.' The rogue who kissed me in this very house.
Charity had neither seen nor heard anything of him since. She had scoured the newspapers for reports of the mysterious highwayman and had spoken to her fellow players about him, but there was no information. However, she had no intention of explaining any of that to her maid.
‘Surely a highwayman will be patrolling the coaching road and I mean to explore the byways. I shall not see him again.'
Charity was not sure she really believed that and even less sure that she wanted it to be true. Betty tried again.
‘You might meet your father.'
That thought was much more alarming. Charity wondered if she had been wise to confide so much about her past to Betty, but the maid had proven herself a good friend over the years. However, Charity would not be dissuaded.
‘I doubt it. And as long as I stay this side of the county line he cannot hurt me.'
Betty frowned, her usually dour countenance becoming positively forbidding.
‘He must know by now that you are in Allingford. Someone will have told him that Charity Weston is appearing at the theatre.'
‘Mayhap he will think it a mere coincidence that an actress has the same name as his daughter.'
‘And mayhap he is planning some mischief.'
‘Nonsense, Betty. It is more than a dozen years since I left Saltby. Phineas has probably forgotten all about me.'
‘Not he, mistress. From all you have told me of the man, he will not rest while you are in Allingford. Your success will be like a thorn in his flesh.'
‘Well, that is a pain he will have to bear,' said Charity stoutly, ‘because I am not going away.'
Nevertheless, she made sure that when she travelled north or east she kept within the bounds of Allingford, although she felt confident enough to venture farther afield on the other side of the town, and one sunny March day she set out to explore the land to the west. The air was bracing and a covering of snow on the distant hills told her that winter had not yet gone for good, but the blue sky lifted the spirits and Charity was glad to be out of the town. At a crossroads she stopped, debating whether to explore further or to go back to Allingford. After all, it was the first night of a new play tonight and she would need to prepare.
While she was making up her mind, a pedlar came round the corner, leading his donkey laden with leather packs. The gig's pony snorted and shifted nervously. Charity quieted the animal and pulled a little to the side to allow the pedlar to pass.
He tipped his hat, his bright, beady eyes alight with curiosity.
‘Good day, missus. Hast thou lost tha' way?'
‘No,' she replied cheerfully. ‘I am exploring and cannot decide which route to take.'
‘Ah, well, then. I tek it tha's just come from Allingford.' He stopped and pushed up his hat to scratch his head. ‘If tha' teks that road to yer right, you'll reach Kirby Misperton. The way to the left leads to Great Habton. And that track there-' he pointed to a wide lane bounded on either side by ditches ‘-it looks best o' the lot, but leads to nobbut Wheelston Hall.'
‘Thank you, that is most enlightening.'
With a toothless grin the pedlar touched his hat again and went on his way. Charity looked at the three lanes before her. She had an hour yet before she needed to turn back. Kirby Misperton, Great Habton-the names were intriguing, but Wheelston.... She frowned slightly, wondering where she had heard the name before.
Then she remembered the quiet stranger who had attended the opening night reception only to leave after the briefest of words with her. Ross Durden. He had said he lived at Wheelston. Of the three lanes before her, the track to the hall was by far the widest and had been well made, but showed signs of neglect with the ditches overgrown and hedges straggling untidily on either side. A prosperous property, perhaps fallen on hard times? She remembered Lady Beverley's words. There was clearly some sort of mystery about Mr Durden. She set off again.
You cannot drive slap up to someone's house just because you are curious!
Charity ignored the shocked voice of her conscience and turned the pony. She had set out to explore, so why should she not go this way? The crossroads had no signposts, so it was not unreasonable for her to take the most interesting route.