Fenella J Miller by A House Party Read Free Book Online Page A

finger
around his close fitting black stock as if it was unaccountably shrinking. He
cleared his throat noisily.
    ‘It’s like this, my lord. We
searched the lane but found no sign of any fallen tree blocking the way.
Neither was there any sign of their having been assailants hidden in the hedge.
The only hoof prints we could find were those of the three riders who jumped
out.’
      Whatever he had expected the man to say it had
not been this. ‘Let me understand you, Captain   Smith . You’re suggesting, are you not,
that Miss Coombs and her two grooms imagined the whole incident?’ His voice was
even. Years of dissembling meant, when necessary, he was able to disguise his
feelings.
    ‘I own I’m puzzled by the whole
situation, my lord. Those three riders were so scared they risked breaking
their necks by jumping over that hedge. Something spooked them, but I’m not
sure it was anything more than a couple of poachers.’
    ‘That doesn’t explain the fallen
log. I can see no reason why poachers should place it there or wish to remove
it after Miss Coombs had gone. Do you have an explanation for this?’
    Captain Smith shook his head. ‘I
don’t, sir. Did all three of them see the tree, or was it just the young lady?’
    ‘I have no idea. I can see where
your mind is going on this. You think it could have been a trick of the light,
no more than a dark shadow across the lane. If the groom heard the poachers and
called out a warning it’s very possible Miss Coombs, in her fear, was
mistaken.’
    The light tap on the door
heralded the arrival of the footman bearing a tray laden with coffee, tea and
freshly made lemonade. The young man deftly placed it on the desk, bowed, and
hurried away.
    ‘Well, thank you for being
discreet, Captain Smith. I wouldn’t like Miss Coombs to be embarrassed in any
way.’ Ned raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting for a response.
    ‘Of course not,
my lord. I shall mention possible rioters and disaffected labourers in
my report.’
    ‘Good man. Now, what can I get
you? I’ve an excellent brandy on the side table, if you would prefer it.’
    Ten minutes later Captain Smith
departed under the mistaken impression that his host was well satisfied with
the outcome of his investigation.
    Ned prowled the room deep in
thought. He had accepted the explanation without comment. Now was not the time
to voice his suspicions. This was something far more sinister than poachers and
imaginary logs. If it had been any other young woman of his acquaintance, he
might have accepted what Captain Smith had told him, but Miss Coombs was the
last person to mistake a shadow for something as substantial as a tree.
    God’s teeth! He remembered now
that one of the grooms had dismounted and attempted to move the obstruction
from the path. He had obviously neglected to pass this fact on to the militia.
Frowning, he returned to his desk and kicked back his chair. Was there more to
all this than he had at first thought? Would a chancer, an opportunist hoping
to snatch an heiress, be so meticulous in covering his tracks?
    He poured himself a second glass
of brandy. He smiled wryly, Miss Coombs had only been back in his life for
twenty-four hours and already he was being driven to strong drink. He now had
two conundrums to solve. He had to unmask the traitor, if there was one,
masquerading as a labourer with the balloon party, or possibly it was the
elegant émigré , Count Everex that he
should be studying more closely.

 
    Penny paused long enough to
admire the red coated soldiers as they thundered past but didn’t stay to watch
Weston greet them. No doubt when she met him before dinner he would tell her
what the soldiers had discovered. Obviously the fact that they were back so
quickly meant no one had been apprehended.
    She shivered as she recalled the
shadowy shapes in the darkness of the lane and the very real fear she had
experienced. Whoever it had been could try again and she was glad t she had