A Murderous Masquerade (21 page)

He opened his eyes again and rubbed his forehead as something Charlotte has said, what felt like half a lifetime ago, came back to him. It had been as they searched for anything of value at Caithwell.

“Father had a great collection of Oriental art at one time, but much of it has been sold. There were some fabulous swords and a whole collection of knives. At one point he had a medicine cabinet made from Jade that contained hundreds of tiny phials. John sold it to the Doctor. All I have now are the books that went with it. I can’t understand them as they are written in some oriental hand and the translations don’t make much sense without the medicines that the box contained.

The two small phials were obviously oriental and contained something that he had never smelled the like of before. Could they have come from the medicine cabinet?

Charlotte had no money. If whatever she found in the box was valuable enough, would she have sent word to her doctor that she wanted to buy the ancient jade medicine chest back? But to what purpose? Had the doctor helped her search for whatever medicine she thought might help him and bring him luck? He couldn’t imagine how anything was going to help him now, especially not two tiny bottles of strange smelling liquid, but for some reason he trusted his cousin implicitly.

He tucked the bottles back into the box along with the notes and put it back into his pocket. He’d have to be up before dawn to make sure that he could take whatever the concoction was that Charlotte invented, but he knew that he was going to take it. After all, what did it matter if it sent him off into the afterlife a little sooner than expected? So long as he had time to get the bottles and notes back into the cinnabar box, no one would be any the wiser. They would probably think that he had a heart seizure through stress.

He took off his coat bundled it up beneath his head as he lay back and closed his eyes. He brought up every image he could remember of his beautiful wife, Anne and prayed that his last dream in this life would be of her.

Chapter Thirteen

Anne watched out of the window and dreaded the lightening of the morning sky. Her nails had made scores in the palms of her hands and her cheeks were sore from the trails of tears that had run freely throughout the night.

There was a gentle tap at her door and Charlotte came in on hesitant footsteps.

“Anne? Can I sit with you?”

Anne reached out behind her and held out her hand.

“Of course. I think we need each other this morning.” She picked up a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes yet again.

Charlotte dropped onto the bed and curled her knees beneath her nightgown.

“This cannot happen to him, Anne. Is there nothing else we can do, no one else we can turn to?”

Anne shook her head as her shoulders trembled. The voice was thick in her throat as she attempted to reply.

“Alexander has done his best. Even now he and Geoffrey are not home but searching for some kind of evidence or help. I can’t think of anyone else. My father has more influence than I ever thought. My only comfort is that I never have to see or have contact with him ever again. Evenleigh is mine by right of my previous marriage. Fortunately my venture with Alexander, Lily and Geoffrey has secured my personal income. I will never marry another man. Giles is my husband and always will be. Our child will grow up knowing his father through me and the rest of his loyal family.” She caressed her stomach gently.

Charlotte let her own tears fall.

“Alexander has explained to me that White Briars will be mine and Giles’ share of his venture with you all will pass to me also. Caithwell will be left for your son...” she hesitated. “Have you considered what will happen if you have a daughter?”

Anne gave a grim laugh.

“Of course. She will be loved and looked after by all of us. Caithwell will go to whoever is next in line, I suppose.”

Charlotte frowned.

“But who is the next in line? There’s not much of the family left. My father and Giles’ were the only two brothers and Giles is an only child. The line would have to be followed back to beyond my paternal grandfather, though I suspect that our solicitor would know.”

She and Anne looked at each other, both of them suddenly dry-eyed. Anne stood up quickly.

“Alexander has a lineage book. It has all the titled families in it from the sixteen hundreds. I’d be interested to find out who inherits, wouldn’t you?”

Charlotte nodded and stood up quickly as suspicions grew in her mind.

“But Caithwell is a mouldering pile. Who on earth would want it? They would have to be desperate.”

Anne swallowed back her fears.

“Yes, they would and I know two people who are desperate enough to attempt to get it at whatever cost. I don’t think that they are interested in the actual house, but more likely what it contains. Everyone knew that the old Lord, your father, was a miser and that you brother John gambled nearly everything away, but hardly any of the contents of Caithwell have ever been sold and your mother was an heiress. I think they are expecting the house to be full of treasures!”

Charlotte nearly laughed.

“They are delusional then. There was only one treasure in there and I have that in my bedroom here.” She referred to the huge diamond that she had discovered in the cinnabar box.

Anne pulled her wrapper around her, a determined frown upon her brow.

“But no one else knows that. Your brother boasted of great treasures apparently. That’s how he managed to keep his creditors at bay. That’s what others expect to be there. Come on, let’s go and find that book of Alexander’s.”

The both walked out into the corridor and down the stairs to the library.

Alexander looked up and smiled grimly as they walked in. His cravat was pulled away from his neck and his shirt lay open at the throat. His coat was flung over the back of a chair. He had obviously not long arrived home. Lily’s head lay on his shoulder as she slept on the chaise beside him. He lifted her gently and moved a cushion to support her before standing up and going to the other women

“So you couldn’t sleep either. Lily has only just nodded off. She had been up all night waiting for me and hoping for good news. She needs her rest.”

Anne looked at him hopefully but tears leapt into her eyes as she saw his bleak expression. He had discovered nothing new. She lifted her hand and touched the streaks that marred his cheek. It was obvious that he hadn’t been able to hold back his own tears while in the presence of his wife.

“She needs to sleep, but I cannot close my eyes. The thought of...I can’t think of it. It is impossible...” Her voice faded as she heard the hall clock ticking loudly and the unthinkable came ever closer. Shaking her head, she cleared her thoughts and came back to the present as she looked about the room. “We had a thought. Not that it will help at all now, but we are curious all the same. I wondered if you still had that book of your father’s. The one with the peerage listings in it. Charlotte and I would like to know who is going to inherit Caithwell if my baby turns out to be a girl.” She placed her hand over her stomach and rubbed it gently. Their child was the only thing giving her any comfort.

Alexander’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead.

“Good Lord! Why didn’t we think of this before? I just assumed...Well, you know what I assumed, what most men assume. Our first children will always be sons if we had our own way. Let me find it for you.” He turned to the book cases and began running his fingertip along the shelf.

It only took a few moments before he discovered it. He turned to Charlotte.

“It’s not an up to date volume but it may tell you what you need to know. I know that Giles’ family is small. Your father, John and you were the only ones he ever spoke of and that wasn’t very often. He mentioned you once when he returned from leave, Charlotte. Forgive me but he said that it was a relief to come back to war. He thought that it was possibly quieter on the battlefield than having you ask him a hundred questions in an afternoon.”

Charlotte pouted.

“Well, of all the nerve! And here I am distraught by what is happening. If it wasn’t for the fact that I love him so much, I would never speak to him again.” She suddenly realized what she had said, that she really would never speak to him again and tears welled in her eyes. She turned away from Alexander and Anne. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...” Her voice trailed off as Alexander caught her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.

“We know what you meant. Come, let’s sit and see if we can discover who might be coveting any wealth that may reside at Caithwell.” He turned the girl and gently brought her to the chair beside Anne. Alexander knelt on the floor between them and flicked through the book. “Caithwell...” he turned another page. “Caithwell...” his finger slid down the entries. “Ahhh!” He remained silent for a long moment before closing his eyes and turning the book towards Anne.

“Oh no!” The misery in her tone was tangible. She placed her face in her palms and sobbed as if her heart would break.

Charlotte picked up the book from where it had fallen to the floor. She quickly found the relevant page again and ran her own fingertip down the entries.

“George Ellesworth? He married my great grandfather’s sister...” She looked up at Anne. “That’s your family name. This doesn’t go far enough but the name is there in black and white. Anne, your own family are going to inherit Caithwell. Giles was in their way and they orchestrated this whole thing to get rid of him.” Charlotte rose to her feet, angry hands fisted at her sides. “We have to go to the judge! We have to tell him this. Now!” Her impassioned tones rang through the library.

Anne turned from Charlotte to Alexander, horror written on every feature of her beautiful face as she suddenly realized that she could see more than she should be able to. She turned her head towards the windows. The sun was already rising over Ormond.

Dawn had come and it was all too late.

Giles had been awake for some time. His stomach churned at the thought of what was to come. It struck him as odd because he had never felt real fear on the battlefields even with the enemy so close that he could smell the heavy scent of garlic and stale red wine on their breath.

A glimmer of light cast a beam through the barred window and he glanced above his head. Dawn was just breaking. There were some sounds across the square and he stood up quickly. He picked up his coat and cringed as he noted the creases that had formed over night as he used it as his pillow. He nearly laughed as he imagined the look on Craddock’s face when he saw it.

He brushed the coat down, attempting to remove the worst but his hand stopped as it felt the small box in his coat pocket. He lifted it out and stared at it. The two hearts were not obvious, especially in this light but he knew where to look now and found them easily. He pinched them together with his fingernails to make the cloverleaf shape and pulled. He hadn’t realised that he held his breath until it whooshed out of him as the secret door opened. He tipped the two bottles from the compartment and took a deep breath as he opened the stoppers. He gave them a sniff and squeezed his eyes shut as the strong scents caught at the back of his throat.

Could he actually take it without knowing what Charlotte had planned? It was obviously something that she had shared to a certain extent with Alexander or he wouldn’t have slid the box into his pocket. He wondered how much she might have told him. There was the sound of movement right outside his door. The hanging was scheduled for seven. Charlotte’s instructions had said take at dawn. Did the potions do something that needed a couple of hours to begin to work? The key was slotted into the lock. It was now or never.

He closed his eyes, sent up a prayer to a God that he often called to for entirely different reasons, and tipped the contents of both bottles down his throat.

Nothing could have prepared him for the taste that hit the back of his tongue. It took everything he had not to gag the whole lot back up again. He squeezed his eyes shut as his fingers fumbled with the bottle stops before sliding the bottles back in the box.

He snapped the box shut just as the door opened and slid his hand into his pocket.

Nate stared at him for a long moment as he sniffed the air. The man’s nose twitched and a slight crease formed between his brows.

“Cor! That’s some fancy perfume Craddock’s given you. You ‘oping to woo the angels?”

Giles gave the man a good natured smile.

“At least you seem to think I will be seeing angels and not demons. Sounds like there is hope for me yet.”

Nate settled the tray he had brought with him on the bed.

“Well, that bit is obvious. You ain’t a bad man like that Lord said but we can’t do much about that now. The judge has spoken, so that’s it. Now come and eat this up. Mister Gates says that you should only ‘ave a light breakfast. Lots of folk chuck up in the moments before the drop...Makes a ‘orrid mess if you ‘ave anyfing too rich.” He nodded towards the dish of greying porridge.

Giles held down the already rolling contents of his stomach.

“Thank you so much for that piece of information. It’s just what I needed to know. I think I’ll give it a miss. Stomach’s a bit queasy at the moment. Wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience to anyone.” At that instant a large pocket of wind made its way from his stomach to his mouth and he belched uncontrollably.

Nate waved his hand in front of his face.

“Blimey! That’s a bit rich as it is! You sure you ain’t been drinking that perfume, cos your breath smells somefing awful strange.”

Giles apologized profusely. The taste in his mouth was appalling; he could not imagine what his breath must have been like.

“I am most dreadfully sorry. Can’t think what came over me. I can assure you that I’m not normally quite so vulgar.”

Nate shook his head.

“Tha’s all right me Lud! Must be nerves. Nothing like going to your own ‘anging to put the wind up ye! You’re lucky that you don’t get to dangle in front of the masses. They made you a nice scaffold with a private drop. That Duke who’s been visiting arranged for it. Old Lavenham was mightily annoyed and said that your demise should be public but the Duke insisted it’s your due, you bein’ a Lord an’ all.”

Giles rolled his eyes. As if a private drop would make things any better.

“Yes, very decent of him and I like the thought of disappointing Lavenham.” He cocked his ear as the church bells rang out the half hour. Thirty minutes until his demise and all there was to look at was a plate of congealing porridge. Nate looked at the porridge too. The man’s yellow furred tongue slipped out and he licked his top lip. Giles took pity on him. “You can have it if you like. I’m sure I can resist the temptation for the last hour of my life.”

A big grin broke out over the man’s face.

“You are a true gent, Sir.” He picked up the wooden spoon and started shovelling in scoopfuls. After eating for almost a minute he wiped his sleeve across his mouth. “I told the wife about you. The family ‘as been eating like royalty. It’s a bloody shame that they brought your trial forwards. We could ‘ave done with keeping you alive for another couple of weeks. Would ‘ave set us up for the winter what wiv me wife drying the hams. Reckon we can make it last through to November though, so we’re grateful all the same.” He dipped his spoon in the watery oats again.