Coming Home (14 page)

She must
do
something. All her life she had done things, not agonized or talked about them. Her instincts nagged that time was running out for Kit and Tilly. To murmurs of ‘You be careful, miss' she left the infirmary and crossed the quadrangle to the superintendent's office.

Pettigrew oozed unctuous concern. ‘What's this, Miss Colebrook? Sent her out with some money? Good heavens, dear lady! Surely you don't expect her to come back whilst she has fourpence to pay for drink?' He laughed derisively.

Her heart sank. She had given Tilly exactly fourpence. That revolting creature had answered her question. It was too much of a coincidence for him to mention the precise amount. But she dare not challenge him without having someone to back her up. Stomach roiling she retraced her steps to the infirmary.

‘What happened?' The group crowded around.

She shook her head. ‘He has her. I know it.'

There was a collective gasp of horror. ‘What will you do, miss?'

‘Somehow I shall have to search the whole place to see if she's being held prisoner here.'

‘What if Pettigrew catches you?' Minna asked.

‘Then I shall tell him the truth, that I'm looking for Tilly. He won't know I suspect him of having anything to do with her disappearance.' Juliana would not stand around doing nothing while Tilly was in danger. Tilly had been wonderfully loyal to her, and if she were missing, she knew Tilly would move heaven and earth to find her.

‘I'll come with you,' the Pirate said. ‘You can search for Tilly and I'll look for Kit. I'll show you how to find your way around the workhouse and the men's infirmary.'

Juliana raised her eyebrows. ‘Minna, I don't even know how to get past Pettigrew's office to get into the main building.'

Minna smirked. ‘That's easy. Follow me.'

And off she trotted as Juliana struggled to untie her apron. She caught up with Minna outside the door and Minna raised a grimy finger to her lips. Pettigrew was crossing the square from his office to the men's infirmary.

‘Excellent,' Minna beamed. ‘Now we can go past the front of the building instead of creeping around the back.'

Juliana followed the Pirate's every move. Obviously Minna had
lots
of experience coming and going in places where she had no right to be.
Her serge-clad form disappeared behind a small building set back on its own behind Pettigrew's office. Juliana had never noticed it before.

‘What is this place?' she whispered.

‘Dunno. Storehouse mebbe.' The Pirate was more concerned with peering in the back window of Pettigrew's office. ‘Well, they ain't in there,' she announced, after she had clapped a hand over her bad eye and peered hard with her good one for a few minutes. ‘His office looks the same as usual.'

It was on the tip of Juliana's tongue to ask Minna how she knew what Pettigrew's office looked like, but she decided she didn't need to know what Minna got up to. It was more important to find Tilly and Kit than worry about Minna's illegal excursions.

Treading cautiously through the dried grass she edged along the side of the small outbuilding and around the corner. The building had no windows at all, but the padlocked door held possibilities. There was a large crack where the door hinges joined onto the jamb, but all was darkness within and she couldn't see anything. Now this was interesting. It was the sort of place where people could be hidden.

‘Tilly?' she whispered as loudly as she dared. ‘Kit?'

No answer.

‘Look out! 'E's coming back.' The Pirate's shocked whisper stopped her in her tracks.

‘
Deus
!' She scuttled back to Minna and they rushed alongside Pettigrew's office then set off at an angle behind the men's infirmary.

‘If we go around here, we can get back to the women's infirmary by going in a circle,' Minna explained.

‘Can't we carry on looking for Tilly?' Juliana asked, dismayed. ‘We've hardly started searching.'

‘I can, but you can't. 'E'll be coming to fetch you shortly. Time you went 'ome,' the Pirate explained.

‘Oh! Yes, of course it is. I must hurry.' Juliana turned to Minna. ‘Minna, don't get locked out tonight searching for Kit and Tilly. Remember the watchman locks all the doors at six o'clock.'

‘Oh, I remember all right,' Minna said with a grin. From which Juliana deduced that Minna's nightly excursions were a regular occurrence.

They scurried back to the women's infirmary.

‘Did you see anything?' a couple of women asked.

‘No. No sign of them at all, and Pettigrew is prowling about,' Juliana said. ‘There's nothing else I can do tonight. I will tell the marchioness everything tomorrow,' she said.

‘Marchioness?' Minna asked in surprise.

‘Yes. I'm going to see the Marchioness of Trewbridge,' Juliana explained. ‘She's a very helpful lady. She'll know what to do.'

‘Oooh, you be careful, miss. You're a nice lady, but you're not … well, if bad things happen, them nobs stick together like glue.' Minna worried her bottom lip with her teeth and a couple of the other women's faces looked doubtful. Obviously their experiences of the nobility had not been good ones. Juliana understood that. She had had similar experiences in Portugal. It seemed that often those with the most, were dab hands at ignoring the needs of those who had the least.

But the inmates were wrong about the Trewbridges. And, of course, Colly would help. He might not be influential, but he wouldn't sit by and let Kit and Tilly become absorbed into the black underbelly of London. She knew that as sure as she knew her own name. He might not see himself as honourable because of his father's indictment, but Colly was everything that was honourable, and more. She could rely on him.

She snapped herself out of her daydream. Pettigrew would be coming in a minute and she must have her wits about her to deal with him on the way home.

H
OLLOW-EYED AND exhausted, Juliana lay back against the cushions in the luxurious Trewbridge carriage praying that Tilly had escaped her captors and was on her way home this very moment. ‘Keep safe, Tilly. Keep safe,' she muttered under her breath.

She wondered how on earth she could introduce the topic of child prostitution into the elegant atmosphere of Trewbridge. She could not imagine any social discourse that would lend itself to: ‘By the way, did you know that child selling is rife in Melksham and Hungerford?'

But when the moment came, she found it quite easy after all.

As the carriage drew up at the bottom of the steps, she prepared to alight. The great oak doors flew open and instead of Twoomey, Colly strode out. He took the steps from the groom and extended an arm to Juliana.

‘Good morning.' She placed her gloved hand on his muscled forearm and cast him a half-smile. Oh, it was
so
good to see him again.

‘I have been out of my mind with worry,' he muttered, his face creased with a frown. ‘Are you all right, Miss Colebrook?'

Puzzled, she struggled to understand. How could they possibly have heard about the troubles at Hungerford? ‘I'm well, thank you.'

‘We've all been concerned about you. Come inside. Everyone is waiting.'

He took her to the small withdrawing room where the entire Trewbridge family was assembled. Still clinging to Colly's arm, she stopped on the threshold and blinked. She felt rather like an actress at centre stage playing a role only the audience knew.

The marchioness surged forward. ‘Dear Juliana, come and sit down. We have much to discuss.'

If Juliana was puzzled by Colly's behaviour, she was warmed by the marchioness's greeting. Marguerite, too, smiled a welcome and patted a space on the settle beside her.

‘We are pleased to see you, Miss Colebrook. We've all been anxious about you,' the marquess said.

Juliana stared at the elegant, suave figure of the Marquess of Trewbridge and wondered why such an exalted person should be concerned about her.

Twoomey entered with a tray laden with decanters and biscuits. Colly, sizzling with impatience, prowled from one end of the room to the other whilst Twoomey dispensed glasses of Madeira and ratafia. Unlike the other ladies, Juliana gratefully selected the Madeira. Twoomey had scarcely left the room when Colly burst into speech.

‘Juliana—'

Only Juliana saw the grin on John's face. She reddened and raised her chin. Colly didn't notice.

‘Have you had any problems at your uncle's place?'

‘Yes, but how did you know?'

‘Just after you left, we discovered that somebody had been asking questions about you at Trewbridge and in the village.'

‘Before I even arrived at my uncle's house? That doesn't make sense.'

‘What do you mean, it doesn't make sense?' Colly demanded. There may as well have been only the two of them in the room. The Trewbridge family sat still and silent as Colly and Juliana stared at each other.

‘I wasn't any threat to them until I found out what was happening at the Hungerford Charities. And I hadn't even
heard
of the Hungerford Charities until I arrived at Uncle Sholto's.'

‘What the hell have Hungerford Charities got to do with the prowler?' Colly demanded in exasperation.

Juliana stared at him. ‘What prowler? Are you not referring to the child selling at the Hungerford Charity Homes?'

Colly goggled. ‘
Child
selling?' He subsided on to a leather chair.

‘Child selling!' Marguerite echoed. ‘Juliana!'

‘Do you have proof of this, my dear?' the marquess asked.

Juliana smiled wryly. ‘I knew that would be the first thing you'd ask. I'm afraid I only have the word of several inmates and my own experiences. '

‘And your own experiences are?'

So Juliana told them the tale of Kit Mortimer and about Tilly's disappearance. She also admitted that her uncle might be involved. There was a short silence.

The marchioness spoke first. ‘You may leave Sir Alexander to us. We are acquainted with him.'

The relief to have that off her shoulders! ‘I'd be very grateful, your ladyship. I had no idea how to find him. If he sees you are acquainted
with me he might be disposed to trust me. After all, Pettigrew
is
the government-appointed superintendent and they trust him.' Then she added, ‘Of course, it is even possible that Sir Alexander, too, is involved.'

The marchioness regarded her with respect. ‘You have thought this out well, Juliana.'

She shrugged. ‘I had nothing else to do all night. I was determined to stay awake in case my uncle … well, I don't know. And I hoped against hope that Tilly might manage to find her way home. I was too anxious to fall asleep.'

Colly jumped up again. ‘There's something else you should know. And after that, perhaps you should …' He turned to Marguerite.

‘Yes.' Marguerite nodded to Colly. ‘Juliana, after we have discussed everything you must lie down and rest.'

Heavens, she must look terrible. ‘No, no. I might oversleep,' she demurred.

‘It won't be a case of oversleeping, Juliana, because you are not going anywhere. You will stay here,' Colly said firmly. Then he backtracked. ‘Sorry, my lord. Uh …' He cast an anxious glance at the marquess, whose lips twitched.

‘Of course she will stay here,' interrupted the marchioness. ‘On no account will you return to that dreadful place, Juliana. And be assured we will do our best to help you find Kit Mortimer and Tilly.'

‘Provided the reason for their going missing is the result of foul play,' her husband struck in.

The marchioness lifted a shoulder as if to say,
well, of course, foul play is involved
.

Juliana was amused to see the Marquess of Trewbridge lean over his wife and flip one of the artful curls arranged to hang near her earlobes. ‘Let us not blunder in, my dear,' he murmured.

From which Juliana deduced that the marquess had occasionally suffered from the marchioness's impetuousness. Juliana smiled at Lady Trewbridge, admiring her impulsive loyalty and quicksilver reactions.

‘However, we have not addressed the other problem,' Colly said, frowning.

‘Other problem?' Juliana asked. Now what?

‘The prowler that Colly mentioned,' the marquess explained. ‘A stranger has been asking questions about you, Miss Colebrook.'

Juliana sagged back in her seat.

Colly rose to go to her, then sat down.

‘Oh, no. I did not mean to bring trouble to Trewbridge,' Juliana
apologized. ‘Truly, I have no idea who – oh!' She turned to Colly. ‘Could it be that man I told you about at Portsmouth?'

‘I think it might be.'

‘I racked my brains trying to work out what was familiar about him,' Juliana said, ‘and yesterday I remembered. He did not seem to be English or Portuguese. He reminded me of some Spanish soldiers I nursed once.'

‘Spain?' the marquess queried. ‘Well, that enlarges the field. The people he spoke to did not mention a foreign accent, just that some of his English was difficult to understand.'

‘Looks Spanish … difficult to understand,' John said. ‘Probably Cornish.'

Colly nodded.

Juliana felt more puzzled than ever.

‘Why would a Cornishman follow you around?' Colly asked.

‘How should I know? Heavens, I don't
know
any Cornishmen,' Juliana said pettishly. Every limb was heavy and she longed to lay her head on a soft pillow and sleep for hours. She rubbed her forehead.

‘Bed,' the marchioness said decisively.

Juliana stood up. ‘Thank you, but I cannot stay here. It would be rude of me to leave my uncle's house without … I think some of this is my fault. I realize I am not the sort of niece he expected. Perhaps I should have tried harder to—'

‘Tosh. Come with me,' Marguerite said and dragged her out of the drawing room.

 

Colly wondered by what peculiar peregrination Miss Colebrook had arrived at the idea that she was to blame for her uncle's behaviour. After longing for a family for years, even when faced with evidence of their perfidy, she could not quite bring herself to admit that the much-wanted family was beyond the pale. Instead, she had decided the fault lay not only with her family, but also with herself.

‘If she tries any harder she will explode,' prophesied the irreverent marchioness. ‘How ridiculous! She is the sort of young woman anyone would be proud to call family, yet that greedy Sholto Colebrook can only see her earning potential.'

Colly rose and began his usual pacing from one end of the room to the other. ‘But what connection does Miss Colebrook have with a Cornishman?' he muttered to nobody in particular. ‘She has no family connections in Cornwall.'

‘Would her uncle have sent the man to keep an eye on her, d'you think?' John asked.

‘But the fellow was in Portsmouth,' Colly objected. ‘At that time her uncle wouldn't have known she was in the country.' He thought for a moment. ‘Well, he might have. We wrote our letters as soon as we landed, and Juliana saw the fellow a couple of afternoons later. However, it's not likely. Why on earth would Sholto Colebrook send someone to spy on his niece? She was coming to stay with him anyway.'

‘Perhaps the Cornish fellow was in Portsmouth carrying out other business for her uncle,' John surmised, ‘and realized that Juliana was the niece of his employer. After all, Juliana mentioned child-stealing so I imagine every ship that comes in is surveyed for prospects.'

‘You think her uncle might be that deeply involved?' Colly asked, appalled.

‘It's possible.' This came from the marchioness. ‘I hate to say it, but
nothing
would surprise me about Sholto Colebrook.'

‘Now, Jeanne. We don't know anything for certain or we would not have let Juliana go there,' the marquess interrupted.

‘Hmmph!' the marchioness muttered,
sotto voce
.

 

And when Juliana had slept for several hours and awoken refreshed, she said that nothing would keep her from returning to her uncle's house. ‘I
have
to go back,' she explained. ‘How else will I find Tilly and Kit?'

‘You did your best to find Tilly, Miss Colebrook,' the marquess said gently. ‘I suggest you leave any further investigating to us. I've already sent a messenger to London. However, I agree that you should return to your uncle's house so as not to raise suspicions.'

Indignant and startled, Colly raised his voice above the others' protests. ‘My lord! What if something should happen to J—Miss Colebrook?'

‘Now that I've visited here, my uncle and Mr Pettigrew would be reluctant to harm me, surely?' Juliana couldn't stop her voice from wavering.

‘Yes; they will not risk any enquiries from this quarter,' the marquess said in an uncompromising tone. ‘While you were resting I sent a note to Sir Alexander Mortimer asking him to come to Trewbridge as soon as possible.'

‘Oh!' was all Juliana could say. She imagined Sir Alexander had been startled to receive the summons.

‘I referred to the Hungerford charity homes. No doubt he will be very curious.'

‘But what about the intruder?' Marguerite struck in. ‘
He
might be dangerous. And even though your uncle and this Pettigrew person
might not harm you, they might keep you away from the infirmary so they can cover up their wrongdoing. That way we will never learn what is going on.'

Juliana grimaced. ‘Our only recourse is to rely on Sir Alexander's co-operation. I hope he does not disbelieve me. But he'll know I'm not lying about his grandson because the Pirate can prove it.'

‘Who?' five voices demanded.

Juliana blushed as all eyes were riveted on her. ‘That's her nickname. Her correct name is Minna. She used to be employed by Sir Alexander and left to work for his son and daughter-in-law.'

‘Excellent,' the marquess said. ‘But you'd better make sure this Pirate doesn't go missing too.'

‘No. Minna is safe. You see, Mr Pettigrew doesn't realize Sir Alexander's grandson has been in the infirmary. He takes no interest in the patients at all – never speaks to them.'

From across the room she felt Colly watching her. ‘You won't try any more investigating on your own, will you?' he asked.

‘Oh.' Juliana blushed. ‘I was just thinking—'

‘No!' said five voices in unison.

‘Very well.' She subsided. It was immensely comforting to know she did not have to tackle this problem on her own. Almost as good as having family.

That evening when the Trewbridge carriage brought her home, she greeted her uncle with a serene countenance. ‘Good evening, Uncle Sholto. The marquess and marchioness send their regards. I have a few preserves here from the kitchens at Trewbridge to give to Cook.' She showed him the basket supplied by Marguerite. It was a masterly touch, designed to let her uncle assume a friendship that did not exist.

‘Well!' He smirked. ‘That was very kind of them indeed, very kind.' He peered into her face and she edged back a step. ‘What did they ask you about the infirmary?'

‘Nothing. I could not describe the things I see every day in front of the marchioness or Lady Brechin. They are not used to such things,' Juliana said virtuously.

‘Of course not.' He nodded, satisfied. ‘Of course not.'

Breathing a sigh of relief Juliana went to her room, hoping she had thrown him off the track.