Peril on the Royal Train (38 page)

‘I’d still like to have shut his mouth for ever.’

There was a sing-song lilt to Hibbard’s voice that partially contradicted his appearance and he made an effort to moderate it. Though brought up by his Indian mother, he’d taken on the name of his English father when he left the country. The older George Hibbard had held a senior position in the East India Company, and – to stave off the boredom of a stale marriage – had strayed outside it. Ure and Matthews made no moral judgements about his parentage. The three of them were united by a common purpose. That was enough.

‘D’ye miss the army, Davey?’ asked Matthews.

Ure snorted. ‘I miss it like a bad tooth that’s been pulled out. My army days are over, Callum. Mind you, they taught me a lot. That’s why ye spent a comfortable night under canvas. I learnt how to pitch a tent properly.’

Matthews smirked. ‘Did they teach ye to steal as well?’

‘Tha’s a gift that comes naturally.’

‘It’s served us well,’ said Hibbard. ‘You stole the gunpowder from your old regiment and just about everything else we needed. Most important of all, I think, was your advice about the royal train.’

‘I knew that there was a rigid timetable,’ explained Ure, ‘because I stood on Perth station more than once waiting for the royal train to arrive. We were soaked to the skin on one occasion because they made us stand out in the rain. To be fair,’ he added, ‘the train was always on time.’

‘It makes our task easier,’ said Hibbard. ‘We know more or less exactly when our target will come into view.’

‘The pilot train will come first, George. The one we want will be fifteen miles behind it, so we’ll have fair warning of its approach.’ He munched some bread. ‘What will ye do when it’s all over?’

‘I’ll sail away from this damned country as soon as I can. I want to go home. What about the two of you? There’ll be a lot of money coming your way,’ Hibbard continued. ‘I honour my promises. You could both afford to go abroad, if you wish.’

‘I’m no’ doing this for the money,’ said Ure, quickly. ‘I’m doing it because of what I saw when I was in Lucknow. I don’t want to be part of an army that straps men over the end of cannon guns and blows them to bits.’

‘And ye’ll never get me to leave bonny Scotland,’ attested Matthews. ‘I’m one of many people here who want to shake off English tyranny. Scotland has been in subjection for far too long. The difference between me and the other rebels is that I’m ready to do something aboot it – at whatever cost.’

Hibbard patted him on the back. ‘You’re a good man, Callum,’ he said. ‘And so is your cousin. I found that out when Davey and I travelled together from India. We didn’t come all this way to fail,’ he declared. ‘Thanks to your help, we can set off an explosion that will be heard all over the British Empire.’

Tallis read the report with interest and gratitude, fascinated by its contents and thankful that it had been sent to him and not directly to the commissioner. Being the first to see it gave him a sense of importance. Colbeck had been economical with detail but his advice was clear. Since he’d identified the site of the threatened attack, he would be able to prevent it happening. The royal train should leave on schedule, confident that it would meet with no obstruction north of the border. Tallis took the report straight to the commissioner and handed it over. After studying it, Mayne slapped the top of his desk in approval.

‘Well done, Colbeck!’ he said. ‘I knew that you’d save the day.’

‘There’s still an element of risk,’ argued Tallis. ‘I’d feel happier if there were more than the two of them.’

‘They know what they’re doing, man. You trained them, after all.’

‘That’s true, Sir Richard. I taught them to temper daring with caution.’

‘Judging by this report, they’ll need both.’ He held up the letter. ‘This must be seen by Prince Albert as soon as possible.’

‘Will it be enough to convince him to keep arrangements in place?’

‘I’m sure that it will.’

‘Then I’ll leave everything with you, Sir Richard.’

‘Wait!’ said Mayne, checking his pocket watch. ‘I don’t have the time to go now. I’m dining with the Home Secretary. We have important business to discuss and Mr Walpole doesn’t like to be kept waiting.’

‘We can’t delay sending this report.’

‘I’d never suggest that. Someone else must take it to Buckingham Palace and you are the ideal person to do so. Give my compliments to Prince Albert and tell him that I endorse Inspector Colbeck’s advice. But before you go, Superintendent,’ he added, reprovingly, ‘take a moment to brush that cigar ash from your waistcoat.’

The reproach went unheard. Tallis had been given the responsibility of delivering an important document to Buckingham Palace. Taking the report from Mayne, he straightened his back, glowed inwardly and marched out as if on his way to have a private audience with Queen Victoria herself.

When the day finally came, they caught the train in Glasgow and headed south. Their banner was hidden in a valise and their objective was listed on the poster in Tam Howie’s pocket. It was an advertisement for the forthcoming visit of the Queen and her family to Scotland. The timetable for the royal train was laid out with clarity. It gave the sabbatarians an opportunity too good to miss. A full compartment made it impossible for them to discuss what lay ahead. When they alighted and set off in a hired trap, however, nobody could overhear them. Howie drove the vehicle.

‘This was a brilliant idea of yours, Tam,’ said Dalton.

‘I read an article somewhere about the Queen’s proposed visit to Balmoral. It’s been at the back of my mind for weeks. If the royal train is brought to a halt,’ said Howie, ‘everyone will see our banner fluttering on the hillside.’

‘The beauty of it is that nobody gets hurt.’

‘Yet we’ll reap a harvest of publicity,’ promised Flora. ‘Her Majesty is a God-fearing woman. In her heart, she’ll applaud our defence of the Sabbath.’

‘She’s more likely to complain that the train is late.’

‘What’s a little inconvenience compared to the desecration of Sunday by the very railway company on whose track she’s travelling? It will make her think.’

‘It will make
everyone
think,’ said Dalton.

‘Yes,’ agreed Howie, ‘and that includes Gregor Hines.’

‘Has he been badgering you again, Tam?’

‘He let me know that he has his suspicions.’

Flora huffed. ‘That man was born with suspicions.’

‘He’s watching us, Flora, waiting for us to make a blunder.’

‘Then he’s going to wait a long time.’

The three of them laughed. Turning off the track that meandered up the hillside, they drove in the direction of the place they’d selected on their earlier visit. The thick grass slowed them down and the bushes gave them only intermittent glimpses of the railway line below. No human being was in sight. All that they could see was a flock of sheep dotted indiscriminately over the hillside. Eager and confident on the surface, each of them harboured doubts but kept them well hidden, talking continuously to bolster their spirits. Howie had told Gregor Hines that they’d be going on a picnic and they’d brought food and drink with them. Anyone seeing them would assume that they were out on an excursion of some sort. There was an air of collective pleasure about them.

When Howie finally brought the trap to a halt in a glade, they got down to proceed on foot. There were hours to go yet but they wanted to be in position. Besides, they needed to gather brushwood to light the fire that would bring the royal train to a juddering halt and cause the passengers to look through the windows. What they would see on one side of the line was the huge banner that Flora had painstakingly created.
GOD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT
. Their message would make the royal family itself take heed.

After tethering the horse in the shadows, Howie tried to lead the way on. Before the Sabbatarian had gone ten yards, however, a burly man in a shepherd’s smock and a battered hat stepped out to block their way. Howie was livid.

‘Stand aside, my man,’ he ordered. ‘We have somewhere to go.’

‘So do we,’ said Davey Ure, pointedly. ‘Ask my friends.’

Callum Matthews and George Hibbard emerged from the bushes either side of the three Sabbatarians. Both were dressed in the rough garb of shepherds and both had pistols levelled at the newcomers. Flora was alarmed and Dalton began to tremble. Howie stepped forward to confront Ure.

‘We mean no harm,’ he said, ‘so you can tell your friends to put their weapons down. If we are trespassing, we’ll pay you well to overlook this intrusion. We had to come here, you see. The royal train will pass close by.’

‘Yes,’ said Ure, seizing him by the throat. ‘We
know
.’

Colbeck and Leeming had also used disguises. Dressed as farm labourers, they looked far less conspicuous in the countryside. Though they were not issued with firearms, there were times when Colbeck felt the need of them and this was one of them. Both he and Leeming therefore carried loaded pistols and a supply of ammunition. Using the telescope to establish that nobody had yet arrived at the place where the gunpowder was hidden, they crept up on it and concealed themselves nearby. All that they had to do was to watch and wait for the moment to surprise the conspirators. Somewhere further down the line, the royal train was on its way north with the most important people in the realm on board. The detectives were determined that it would steam past them unhindered and proceed to Perth.

After the first hour, they merely felt the discomfort. When a second hour slipped by – and when nobody turned up – Leeming’s nerves began to fray.

‘They’re not coming, sir,’ he said.

‘Be patient, Victor. Give them time.’

‘They should have been here by now. They’ve got to dig up that gunpowder and carry it to the place where they’ll set off the explosion. That can’t be left until the last minute. We’ve seen how well they plan things.’

Colbeck checked his watch. ‘There’s still an hour to go.’

‘Where
are
they?’

‘Keep your voice down. Sound carries in the open.’

Half an hour later, Colbeck started to have his own fears. Nobody had come anywhere near the clearing. When he used the telescope again, it showed him a deserted landscape. Leeming was agitated.

‘They
know
, sir,’ he said. ‘They know that we’re waiting for them and they’ve called off the attack. That means they’ll strike again when we least expect it and when we won’t be there to protect the royal family.’

Colbeck was baffled. ‘I can’t understand it.’ He looked at his watch again. ‘Time is running out. In thirty minutes, the royal train will be passing near here.’

‘It will be quite safe. They’re not coming.’

‘Oh, yes, they are, Victor.’

‘We’ve scared them off.’

‘I doubt that. Put yourself in their shoes. They’re bent on assassination and it has to be on the Caledonian. If they miss this opportunity, they’ll have to wait until the royal train returns from Balmoral and they don’t have full details of that. Her Majesty and her party are capricious,’ said Colbeck. ‘They’ll stay in Scotland as long as they wish. The date of their return may shift.’

‘If they’re so keen to launch their attack now,’ said Leeming with concern, ‘why aren’t they here? They can’t cause an explosion without gunpowder and it’s under the ground in that clearing.’

Colbeck was uncertain. ‘Is it?’

‘You actually saw it, sir.’

‘What I saw was a barrel with the name of the regiment on it,’ said Colbeck, ‘but I didn’t check what was in it. Let’s do that now.’

Getting up, he led Leeming up the hill towards the stand of trees.

The sergeant was puffing. ‘Are you saying there’s
no
gunpowder there?’

‘I’m suggesting that we might have been tricked. We know that one of the men is a former soldier. He’ll understand the importance of strategy.’

‘What sort of strategy?’

‘Let’s be quick about it, Victor.’

Colbeck ran hard with Leeming panting at his heels. They went into the trees and stopped in the clearing. Kneeling down, Colbeck began to shovel the earth away with his hands. Leeming helped him. They were frantic. Time was running out fast. When the barrel came into view, they kept on digging until they’d loosened the earth around its side. It was several minutes before they were able to get a good grip on it. Putting all their energy into the heave, they yanked the barrel free in a snowstorm of earth. It felt suspiciously light. Colbeck used a twig to work away at the bung and it suddenly sprung out. Lifting the barrel, he shook it hard but nothing came out.

‘What are they playing at?’ wailed Leeming.

‘This is a decoy,’ said Colbeck. ‘We were meant to find it. They knew that the whole area would be searched after that train crash so they made sure that we’d be misled. It’s a clever strategy. The royal family is only twenty minutes away and we haven’t a clue where the villains will strike.’

Leeming was appalled. ‘It’s our fault, sir.’

‘They’ve pulled the wool over our eyes.’

‘We’ll be hanged, drawn and quartered for this.’

‘Get back to the horses,’ snapped Colbeck. ‘We need to move fast.’

A day that had begun with high ambition had ended in calamity. Instead of being able to proclaim their message to the royal family and, by extension, to a much wider audience, they were trussed up in a tent like three Christmas turkeys. The final insult was that their banner had been torn to shreds to bind them hand and foot. Nobody would see it now. Howie blamed himself for leading them into the dire situation and he could see no way out. He now saw that it had been madness to undertake such a project and wished that they’d never embarked on it. Vowing never to get involved in protest again, he prayed furiously for deliverance.

Dalton, meanwhile, was overcome with remorse. Like Howie, he’d been deceived by their earlier successes into thinking they could do anything. They had now taken a step too far and would suffer for it. There was another strand to his guilt. Having accomplished their work, he’d expected to return to Glasgow where he could take his wife into his confidence at last and tell her what they’d done. Morag Dalton would have applauded him, yet the likelihood now was that she’d never see her husband alive again. He, too, resorted to prayer.