The Dangerous Lord Darrington(16)

'Hush, my love. Here, drink this. It will help you.'

Guy moved forwards again until he could see the little tableau  illuminated by a storm lamp hanging from a hook on the wall. Beth was  sitting on the edge of a low wood bed in which lay a gaunt, bearded  figure, propped up against white pillows. Guy was standing outside the  circle of light and they did not notice him at first. He watched as Beth  held a cup to the man's lips, then she wiped his mouth with tender  care. As she did so the man looked up and saw Guy standing in the  shadows. His start alerted Beth and with a little cry she jumped to her  feet.                       
       
           



       

'What are you doing here?' she hissed at him, planting herself between Guy and the man in the bed.

'So this explains your night-time wanderings,' he murmured, ignoring her question.

The man behind her shifted nervously. 'Who is it, Beth? Do you know this man?'

Guy raised his brows. 'Well, are you not going to introduce us?'

'Please.' Even in the dim light he could read the urgent appeal in her  eyes. 'Please, go away and forget what you have seen here.'

'Beth, who is this?' The man in the bed spoke again and Guy moved to one side so that he could see him.

'I am the Earl of Darrington,' he said conversationally. 'And who are you?'

The man propped himself up on one elbow. 'Simon Wakeford. Beth's brother.'

Guy's brows went up. 'I thought you were dead.'

'So shall I be, if I am discovered.'





Chapter Eight



Beth clasped her hands together until the knuckles gleamed white. She  would have given anything to prevent this meeting. Why had she not  locked the cellar door behind her?

'Ah.' Simon collapsed back on his pillows. 'So you are one of our guests. It is your friend who has the broken leg, I take it?'

'That is correct.' The corners of the earl's mouth curved upwards. 'I  understand now why Mrs Forrester was reluctant to let me stay.'

His eyes were upon her, but whether they held mockery or sympathy she  did not know because she would not meet his look. Beth felt quite sick  with anxiety. She was unsure how to deal with the situation. She heard  Simon voice the question that was uppermost in her mind.

'What are you going to do now?'

'I do not know, since I have no idea yet just what I have stumbled upon.'

With a calm assurance that infuriated Beth, he dragged a three-legged  stool to the end of the bed and sat down. 'Perhaps one of you would like  to explain everything to me?'

'How do we know we can trust you?' Beth challenged him.

'You don't, but I am not going away now until I know the whole story-unless you intend to enforce my silence by murdering me.'

Beth threw up her hand. 'Do not joke of such things!'

A heavy silence fell over them.

'We have no choice, Beth.'

She turned to look at her brother, her heart aching at the sight of his  gaunt, tortured features. Reluctantly, she nodded and turned to face  the earl.

'Simon is accused of a murder he did not commit.' She gazed defiantly  at the earl, but he remained silent, a look of polite enquiry on his  face. She continued, 'He was in Portsmouth, on his way back from the  Continent, and went to the aid of a Frenchman and his wife who were  being robbed, but one of the thieves was wounded and planted a necklace  in Simon's bag before he died. By then the victims had sailed for  France, so he had no one to speak for him.'

'And you had no way of finding them again?' asked the earl.

'No.' Simon shook his head. 'I knew their name, but precious little else. After I escaped I tried to find them in France, but-'

Lord Darrington put up his hand. 'You went to France? I thought you had just come from there.'

'I had, but once I was accused of murder it seemed safer to get out of  England.' Simon's thin hand plucked at the bed-cover. 'The mob rioted in  Portsmouth and broke open the gaol. I escaped with some others and took  a ship to France, but it foundered.'

'Simon was injured swimming to the French shore,' put in Beth. 'He has had no proper nursing-'

'Until now.'

Beth took his hand and squeezed it. 'I am hopeful that the worst wounds  are now healed.' She shot a look at the earl, 'He still has a swollen  ankle and a recurrent fever.'

'Ah. That explains the comfrey leaves.' He met her eyes, but there was  no reading their expression. 'So what efforts have you made to find the  French couple, what do you know of them?'

'Only their name,' said Simon. 'I remember the man was considerably  older than his wife.' He added inconsequentially, 'She was young and  very pretty.'

Once again the earl fixed his eyes upon Beth.

'And what part did Miles Radworth play in this?'

'He was on the packet that brought Simon back to Portsmouth from his  tour of the Continent. They struck up an acquaintance, and then, when  Simon was accused, Miles came north to tell us what had happened. Since  we believed Simon dead I thought no purpose could be served by making it  known to all the family. Father was so ill and I was too busy nursing  him to worry about what could not be changed.'                       
       
           



       

'Do you mean Lady Arabella still knows nothing?' interjected Lord Darrington.

'She thinks Simon was drowned returning to England,' said Beth. 'We  have been at pains to keep the truth from her. It would break her  heart.'

'Hence you or your sister read the newspapers to her?'

'Yes. Grandmama's sight is failing so there is little possibility of  her reading anything about Simon for herself. There has been nothing in  the newspapers since those early reports, but we will not take the  chance of her finding out.'

The earl nodded and turned back to Simon. 'By running away you have as good as admitted you are guilty.'

Simon shrugged. 'What else could I do? If it had been only the dead  man, I could have pleaded manslaughter, since there had clearly been a  brawl. The jewels were a different matter.' He gave a savage laugh. 'The  courts do not look favourably upon thieves. I did try to find the de  Beaunes when I was in France, but I had no money and dare not use my  real name, so I decided to come back to England. I managed to get a ship  back to Plymouth and then began the long journey north to Malpass. I  found a little work to pay my way, then the fever returned and I was  laid low for weeks. But at last I made it here and Beth has kept me  hidden in the undercroft ever since.'

'When did you get back?'

'Three weeks ago,' Beth answered, seeing the blank look on her  brother's face. The poor boy lived in constant darkness and had little  idea of the passing time.

'I take it this explains the servants' tales of ghostly noises,' remarked the earl. 'And those cries I have heard at night.'

Beth nodded. 'Yes. At the far end of this vault is the door that opens  on to the drive-the one beneath the steps to the main entrance. We keep  it locked, of course, but occasionally when Simon is in the grip of the  fever he cries out. And Tilly has a habit of leaving the inner doors  open behind her. On such occasions Simon's cries can be heard inside the  house. We have been happy to foster the idea of noisy ghosts. Besides  myself, only Kepwith, Sophie and my maid know that Simon is here.' She  added, 'I have written to Mr Spalding, our family lawyer in London, and  he is making enquiries in France, trying to find this Monsieur de Beaune  and his wife. When we do, we shall be able to prove Simon's innocence.'

'And in the meantime you expect to keep his presence here a secret.'

Beth clasped her hands together. 'Yes.'

'You are aware there are severe penalties for harbouring a felon?'

'But he is not guilty!' she cried.

Simon reached out and clutched her skirts.

'The earl is correct, Beth. I should go away.'

'No. Not yet. You are not yet well enough.'

She fixed her eyes upon the earl. 'Well, my lord, will you keep our  secret?' When he did not answer she rushed on. 'I have some guineas  saved-'

'Money will not buy my silence!'

His harsh interruption frightened her. Had she offended him, or was he  contemplating some other way she could reward him for his co-operation? A  chill ran through her. She could trust her servants, whom she had known  all her life, but this man was almost a stranger …

'What … what do you mean to do?' she asked him nervously.

'Nothing, until I have considered all you have told me.'

'It is the truth,' muttered Simon. 'I swear it!'

Those hard eyes rested thoughtfully upon them again, then he took out  his watch. 'It is nearly time for supper. Should we not be going  upstairs, Mrs Forrester?'

Reluctantly she nodded. It took a few moments to make Simon  comfortable, then she led the way back through the vaults, the earl  following a few paces behind her.

Beth was confident they would meet no one on the back stairs; all the  staff would be busy preparing supper or taking their ease in the  servants' hall. They proceeded silently back to the main part of the  house. Lamps had been lit now in the corridors, showing up the dusty  marks on the earl's black coat.