Sword to the Heart (Bantam Series No. 13) (18 page)

There was so much solemnity in his tone that Natalia stopped crying.

She knew that they had reached the court-yard outside the front door because she could hear the sound of the gravel beneath the horse’s hoofs.

“Leave all explanations to me,” Lord Colwall commanded.

He drew the stallion to a standstill and now raising her head Natalia saw the golden light from the open doorway, and the Butler and a number of footmen waiting for them.

They would have assisted her to alight from the saddle, but Lord Colwall jumped to the ground and lifted her down himself.

Natalia dropped her head and folded the cloak tightly round her.

“You have brought back Her Ladyship!” she heard the Butler exclaim.

“I found Her Ladyship imprisoned in the old Mill,” Lord Colwall replied. “She is very cold and it was an unpleasant place for her to be alone in at night. Send food and wine up to her room immediately.”

“Yes, M’Lord—of course, M’Lord.”

The servants hurried to obey Lord Colwall’s orders, and with his arm around Natalia he helped her slowly up the stairs.

Ellen was waiting on the landing outside her bed-room.

“Get Her Ladyship to bed,” Lord Colwall said. “She is cold and hungry.”

“Oh, M’Lady, we have been so worried about you!” Ellen exclaimed.

She led Natalia into the bed-room.

Lord Colwall turned and went downstairs again.

Ellen helped Natalia off with her cloak and gave an exclamation when she saw the buttons were burst from her jacket and her riding-blouse was torn
.

“I
...
struggled with the
...
men who were
...
shutting me up,” Natalia said as explanation.

She felt that Lord Colwall must have forgotten the condition of her clothes and that Ellen would be curious.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing, M’Lady!” Ellen ejaculated angrily.

“Do not speak of it to
...
the others,” Natalia begged. “His Lordship would not like it known that anyone has been
...
rough with me.”

“No, of course not, M’Lady” Ellen agreed.

Natalia’s voice was very low and hoarse and she knew it was the shock of Captain Swing’s attempt to ravish her which still made it difficult for her to speak.

She realised she had not said a word to Lord Colwall as he brought her home. She wished now she had been able to thank him.

‘He saved me!’ she said to herself, ‘just as
...
my Knight would have
...
done
.
’

Lord Colwall, returning to the Castle the following day just after noon, thought with satisfaction of what he had to relate to Natalia.

It was a cold day but fine, and Lord Colwall riding his big black stallion looked strikingly handsome as he entered the court-yard and glanced up at the great grey stone building that was part of his heritage.

He had intended to see Natalia the previous evening before she went to sleep.

He had in fact gone upstairs after his own lonely dinner in the great Dining-Room and had knocked on her bed-room door. Ellen opened it and slipped outside to speak to him.

“Her Ladyship is sleeping, M’Lord.”

“Did she have something to eat?”

“Yes, M’Lord, and a little of the wine to drink.”

“I think Her Ladyship’s clothes were in a rather unusual state—” Lord Colwall began.

“Her Ladyship told me, M’Lord, that the men who imprisoned her treated her somewhat roughly. She asked me not to speak of it, feeling Your Lordship would not wish it known amongst the other staff.”

“No, and I am sure I can trust you, Ellen.”

“I would do anything for Her Ladyship, M’Lord, and that’s the truth!”

“I am glad to hear that,” Lord Colwall said. “Do you think you should sit up with her?”

“I did suggest it, M’Lord, but Her Ladyship said it would disturb her to have someone in the room. She is sleeping quite peacefully at the moment and is very glad to be home.”

“That is all I wanted to know,” Lord Colwall said. “There is of course a bell which Her Ladyship can pull if she needs you.”

“It rings in my bed-room, M’Lord, and I could be with Her Ladyship within a few seconds of her wanting me.”

“Have you made up the fire?”

“Yes, M’Lord.”

Ellen looked at Lord Colwall wonderingly.

It was very unlike His Lordship to be so solicitous, and yet, she told herself, he had always been one for planning things down to the smallest detail.

“I think I have thought of everything, M’Lord, and as I said, Her Ladyship has only to pull the bell and I will be with her before it even stops ringing.”

“Thank you, Ellen.”

Lord Colwall went downstairs again and Ellen, watching him go, thought how handsome he was and how proudly he carried himself.

‘If only they could be really happy,’ she sighed.

And then something told her there had been a new kindness and consideration in Lord Colwall’s voice.

She wondered as she went to her own part of the Castle what had occurred the night before to make her Lady seem so distressed that morning.

She had served Natalia long enough to know when she was unhappy, and it had been impossible for her mistress to disguise the misery in her eyes or the droop of her lips.

Then as she watched Lord Colwall across the Park, it had seemed to Ellen as if her mood had changed completely. She had been eager and excited at the thought of hurrying after him.

‘She deserves happiness,’ Ellen said to herself. ‘And so does he—after all he has been through!’

Before he left the Castle after breakfast Lord Colwall had enquired if Natalia had enjoyed a good night. The Butler had gone in search of Ellen and returned to say:

“Ellen has asked me to inform Your Lordship that, not having been summoned by Her Ladyship at the usual hour, she peeped into her bed-room a short while ago, and Her Ladyship was still asleep.”

“Then do not awaken her,” Lord Colwall had commanded. “The longer Her Ladyship sleeps, the better.”

“Yes indeed, M’Lord. There’s nothing like it,” the Butler agreed. “And I’ll give Ellen Your Lordship’s instructions.”

Now on his return at mid-day Lord Colwall hoped that Natalia would be awake; for he had much to tell her.

A groom was waiting at the front door to take his horse. He swung himself from the saddle, patted the stallion on its shining black neck and walked up the steps.

He handed his hat to the Butler.

“Has Her Ladyship come downstairs yet?”

“No, M’Lord, but Ellen asked if Your Lordship would step upstairs for a moment.”

Lord Colwall looked at the servant in surprise. He seemed about to say something and then changed his mind. Instead he turned towards the stair-case and walked up it slowly.

Ellen was waiting for him on the landing.

She curtsied and said:

‘Will you come into Her Ladyship’s bed-room, M’Lord?”

She opened the door and Lord Colwall preceded her into the room.

He looked at the bed as if he expected to see Natalia lying against the lace-edged pillow under the great four-poster. But it was empty!

He turned sharply with a look of enquiry in his eyes towards Ellen.

“Where is Her Ladyship?”

“That is what I don’t know, M’Lord.”

“What do you mean, you do not know?”

“She is not here, M’Lord.”

Lord Colwall stared at her as if she had taken leave of her senses. “What are you trying to say to me?” he asked.

“It’s like this, M’Lord,” Ellen said in a nervous voice. “I received your orders to let Her Ladyship sleep on. I didn’t go into her room until about twenty minutes ago.”

She glanced at Lord Colwall as if she feared she had done wrong.

“I thought Her Ladyship might be needing me and perhaps something had prevented the bell from ringing,” she said in explanation. “I opened the door very quietly thinking that, if Her Ladyship was still asleep, I could creep out again. Then I stood and waited to hear her breathing. I could not hear her and so I pulled back the curtains.”

“She was not there?” Lord Colwall asked.

“No, M’Lord. The bed was ruffled in such a way that it looked from the door as though there was someone in it, but Her Ladyship had disappeared.”

“She must have gone downstairs.”

“No, M’Lord, the footmen in the Hall would have seen her.”

“She must be somewhere in the Castle—in the Nursery perhaps?”

“No, M’Lord, no-one has seen her.”

“I cannot understand it!”

“Neither could I, M’Lord, but I went to the wardrobe to see if any of Her Ladyship’s gowns were missing.”

“And were any?”

“Look at this, M’Lord.”

Ellen crossed the bed-room to the wardrobe which stood on the far wall.

She pulled open the door and Lord Colwall saw the rows and rows of beautiful and elaborate gowns that had so entranced Natalia when she first arrived at the Castle.

But Ellen did not concern herself with them.

Instead she pointed to something lying on the floor.

“Look at that, M’Lord!”

“What is it?” Lord Colwall asked in bewilderment.

He saw a heap of what appeared to be black ribbon and bows of velvet.

“They come from a black gown belonging to Her Ladyship,” Ellen explained. “She had only one black gown amongst those which came from London, and it was a rather elaborate one. Almost too elaborate, I thought, for a funeral or if Her Ladyship was forced to wear mourning.”

She paused and then as Lord Colwall made no comment went on:

“Her Ladyship has taken off all the trimmings. There they are, M’Lord, for you to see—the taffeta frills, the velvet bows. She must have cut them away leaving the gown very plain without them.”

“Why ever should she do that?” Lord Colwall demanded.

“I cannot understand it, M’Lord. There is something else, too.” Ellen opened another door, and now, following the direction of her finger, Lord Colwall saw that lying on the floor was a heap of white fur.

He looked at Ellen for explanation.

“It’s the ermine lining, M’Lord, of Her Ladyship’s travelling cape.”

“Her travelling cape!” Lord Colwall exclaimed.

“Yes, M’Lord. There’s nothing else gone as far as I can ascertain, except for a few of Her Ladyship’s intimate garments. Just enough, I should say, to fill a small bag that one could carry in one’s hand.”

“And is there a bag missing?” Lord Colwall asked.

“Yes, M’Lord. The smallest baggage was kept in a cupboard next door to this room. The trunks were taken upstairs.”

“And one is missing?”

“ ’Twas only a small bag, M’Lord, rather a rough one, not as smart as the others, but it was useful for last-minute objects when we were travelling.”

Lord Colwall walked across the room.

“You think, Ellen, that Her Ladyship has left the Castle?”

“She must have, M’Lord. There is no sign of her.”

“Have you spoken of this to anyone?”

“No, M’Lord. I merely asked the footmen if they had seen Her Ladyship come downstairs. They replied they had been on duty since early this morning, and there has been no-one about except Your Lordship.”

“You did not tell them why you asked?”

“No, M’Lord.”

‘Then if Her Ladyship left the Castle, she could not have gone by way of the front door.”

“No, M’Lord. It’d be easy though to get out any other way. There are half a dozen doors into the garden, and three or four in the kitchen quarters.”

“Her Ladyship must have walked,” Lord Colwall remarked as if he spoke to himself. “If she had ordered a carriage from the stable it would have come to the front door.”

“Of course, M’Lord.”

“I cannot understand it!” Lord Colwall exclaimed. “And where could she have gone?”

There was a knock at the door.

“See who it is,” Lord Colwall said sharply, “and do not let anyone come in.”

“Very good, M’Lord.”

Ellen went to the door and passed through it, partly closing it behind her.

Lord Colwall could hear her voice speaking and one of the footmen answering her. Then she returned and there was a letter in her hand.

“It appears, M’Lord,” she said, “that there was a note addressed to you, downstairs by the entrance to the Dairy. The boot-boy found it earlier this morning, but he thought it was only a bill left by one of the tradesmen.”

Ellen saw the frown on Lord Colwall’s face.

“He did not take it to the pantry until a few minutes ago,” she went on, “and now, in case it may be urgent, it has been brought upstairs.”