Blanchland Secret Read online

  ‘Very well, my lord! If you don’t like my tale, perhaps you can offer an alternative!’

  Their gazes locked, Sarah’s defiant, Guy’s thoughtful. He shifted slightly.

  ‘A midnight rendezvous seems most likely, Miss Sheridan!’

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed. How far would he go to discover the truth? She knew that he had things to hide, just as she had, but she judged him eminently capable of calling her bluff. There was no doubt that this was very awkward.

  ‘I am not in the habit of arranging night-time trysts, sir,’ she snapped. ‘No doubt the atmosphere of Blanchland is affecting your judgement!’

  ‘I was not suggesting that you were creeping away secretly to meet Allardyce,’ Guy said pleasantly, ‘for you have your cousin with you! Although, perhaps, knowing his tastes—’

  Sarah blushed bright red and it was Amelia who threw herself into the breach.

  ‘I see that your observations are as offensive as ever, sir! If it comes to that, how do you explain your timely but somewhat questionable arrival?’ She turned sharply on Greville. ‘Perhaps Sir Greville would care to answer? Is Sir Ralph holding one of his bacchanals in the woods tonight?’

  Greville started to laugh. Amelia looked so furious at this inappropriate response that Sarah was glad she was holding the lantern and unable to set about him with her bare hands. Now that her temper was up, there was no stopping her.

  ‘By what right do you question us anyway, Sir Greville?’ Amelia demanded hotly. ‘Even if we choose to go dancing in the woods all night long, it would be none of your affair! Kindly mind your own business!’

  Greville gave her a derisive little bow. ‘My dear Amelia, I only question your behaviour as I fear you are setting your cousin a bad example! You, an older woman, should take it upon yourself to act responsibly—’

  ‘Monstrous!’ It sounded to Sarah as though Amelia was about to explode. The lantern wavered dangerously and she took it out of her cousin’s wayward grip, then wondered if she should have done so when it appeared Amelia was about to slap Greville. He caught her arm in a negligent grip and turned towards the doorway.

  ‘Fascinating as this encounter is, Lady Amelia, I feel we should be taking up your suggestion and returning to the house. Miss Sheridan, could you light the way?’

  ‘Allow me,’ Guy said, taking the lantern. ‘I should not like to be at the mercy of your somewhat dubious sense of direction, Miss Sheridan!’

  Sarah was beginning to feel as annoyed as her cousin, who was arguing with Greville in a furious undertone. Before she could frame a blistering reply, however, another figure stumbled out of the trees and into the circle of light at the folly entrance.

  ‘Renshaw?’ a voice said incredulously. ‘Baynham? What the deuce—’

  It was Lord Lebeter who came towards them, blushing suddenly as he saw Sarah and Amelia. ‘Ladies! I beg your pardon! I thought—’

  It was evident to Sarah exactly what Lord Lebeter was thinking. In a place like Blanchland, where no activity was apparently too outlandish, he must have thought he had stumbled into some new entertainment.

  ‘Evening, Lebeter,’ Guy said laconically. ‘Do you suffer from sleeplessness also?’

  ‘Oh…’ Justin Lebeter looked self-conscious. ‘A short stroll before I turn in…Thought I saw a light up here…’

  ‘We were just returning,’ Sarah said helpfully, as his words ground to a halt. ‘Would you care to walk back with us, sir?’

  Nobody spoke as they trudged back through the snow and it seemed to Sarah that a distinctly awkward atmosphere had settled over the group. The presence of Justin Lebeter at least ensured that neither Guy nor Greville persisted in any awkward questions, but Sarah knew that they would scarcely give up so easily. Once they got back to the house, both Sarah and Amelia made sure that they divested themselves of boots and cloaks so quickly that the gentlemen had no further opportunity to interrogate them.

  As she mounted the stairs, Sarah’s mind was full of all the unsolved issues. To the question of the locket was now added the reason for Guy and Greville’s presence at the tower, the absence of Olivia, the mystery attacker…And what had Lord Lebeter been doing strolling about the woods at midnight? Matters were becoming all too complicated…

  Sarah pushed open her bedroom door and set the candle down on the bedside stand. A movement in the corner of the room caught her eye and she spun round with a muffled gasp.

  In a chair by the wall was a slender young lady, watching her with huge, apprehensive brown eyes. As Sarah recoiled, she said hastily, ‘Miss Sheridan? I do beg your pardon for intruding in such a way, but it was my only chance! I am Olivia Meredith, and so very happy to make your acquaintance!’

  Chapter Eight

  Miss Olivia Meredith bore a startling resemblance to both the portraits in the locket and also to the current Viscount Renshaw. Sarah stared, and reflected that there could now be no question over her relationship to the Woodallan family. Here was the same thick blonde hair, tied in long braids in Miss Meredith’s case, and the deep brown eyes that provided such a striking contrast to her fairness. Olivia’s face was the oval shape of the lady in the locket, but her other features were discernibly from the Sheridan side of the family, and it gave Sarah a curious feeling to see the fusion. Here was an example of what a child might look like if it had herself and Guy for parents.

  Sarah realised that she was staring and that Olivia, huddled deep in the armchair, was looking even more apprehensive than before.

  ‘Forgive me, Miss Meredith,’ she said hastily, ‘it is just that you remind me—’ Sarah broke off, suddenly remembering that Olivia might have no idea of her parentage.

  ‘I am sorry if I startled you, ma’am,’ the girl said quickly. ‘I could think of no other way of meeting you in private! It was Tom’s idea—Tom Brookes, you know—for he and his family have been hiding me.’

  ‘I see,’ Sarah said slowly, coming forward and taking off her cloak. ‘Then the meeting at the Folly Tower—’

  ‘Oh, it was all a ruse! Tom knew that if he let a few rumours drop that I would be at the Folly, Lord Allardyce would leave the house and the coast would be clear for me to seek you out here!’

  ‘I see!’ Sarah said again, grimly. ‘I must remember to congratulate Tom on his strategy! Having us all tripping about in the snow must have afforded him considerable satisfaction!’

  Olivia let out a peal of laughter, then clapped her hand hastily to her mouth. ‘Oh, dear, how dreadful! I am so sorry, Miss Sheridan, but you see, we had to thwart Lord Allardyce at all costs!’

  The fire had burned down and Olivia was shivering a little, though whether from cold or the thought of Allardyce, Sarah could not guess. She stirred it to a glow, then sat back on her heels to survey her niece.

  ‘Is Lord Allardyce the reason you wrote to Mr Churchward? You must tell me how I can help you, Miss Meredith. But first—are you hungry or thirsty? I can always send to the kitchen for some food—’

  But Olivia was shaking her head. ‘Oh, no, thank you, Miss Sheridan. Mrs Tom feeds me very well! I will not keep you from your bed for long, but if I could just explain my difficulties…’

  ‘Of course,’ Sarah said. She sat down opposite. Olivia’s head was bent, a shade of colour in her cheeks. She played nervously with a pleat of her skirt.

  ‘Tom Brookes told me that you had come to help me,’ Olivia said, in a rush. ‘When I wrote to Mr Churchward, I scarce expected that he would ask you to come here yourself—’ She broke off, looking confused, to start again, a deeper pink colour now in her pale face.

  ‘I think you should know, Miss Sheridan, that my mother—my adoptive mother,’ she corrected herself carefully, ‘told me of my connection with your family a few years ago. Believe me, I have no wish to push myself on your notice, but I had nowhere else to turn!’

  Sarah smiled at her niece’s anxious face. ‘There is no question of you putting yourself forward, or being unwelcome, or anything like that, Miss
Meredith! You know now that I am your aunt, and I am very happy to have found you!’

  Olivia smiled back a little tremulously. ‘Thank you. I must own that it is strange to find I have another family and I am sorry—’ her face fell ‘—that I never knew your brother, my…father.’

  ‘Yes.’ Sarah hesitated, trying to think of something both true and complimentary to tell Olivia about Frank Sheridan. ‘I was very fond of Frank. He was…a most interesting and charming man and I am sure he would have liked you, Olivia. I may call you Olivia, may I not?’

  ‘Oh, please!’ Olivia had started to look a little happier.

  ‘And you must call me Sarah, for I cannot bear to be called ‘Aunt’! It makes me feel far too old!’

  Olivia giggled. ‘I cannot believe that you are many years older than I, Miss—Sarah! It will be like having a sister!’

  ‘Excellent! We must talk much more, but perhaps the most pressing matter is for you to tell me how I can help you, Olivia. Your letter to Mr Churchward suggested that you were in either grave danger or dire need; as I have already met Lord Allardyce, I can perhaps imagine—’

  The light fled from Olivia’s face, leaving it looking pinched and cold again. Sarah leant forward and instinctively touched her hand. ‘Come! It cannot be so bad—’

  ‘I am sorry,’ Olivia said in a rush. ‘It is such a silly matter, but I did not know where to turn. Oh, I am not explaining myself at all well—’

  ‘Start at the beginning,’ Sarah counselled, settling back in her chair. ‘You were away at school in Oxford until recently, I believe?’

  ‘Oh, yes! I came back to Blanchland only a few months ago. Mama was worrying about what I should do here, for I know she wishes to see me respectably settled and there is so little society hereabouts! Until recently I believed that she hoped I might go to Bath for a season, but there were insufficient funds. I believe Father had not invested wisely and when Mama became ill—’ Olivia shrugged prettily ‘—all our remaining money had to go on medicines. I did not repine, for I was sure that matters would resolve! The family of one of my school friends offered to help me find a position—a governess or companion would have done, I should not have minded! But then…’

  Olivia stopped and looked away into the fire. ‘Then Lord Allardyce came here, to Blanchland.’

  Sarah had been quite still during Sarah’s rehearsal of the events that had led to this point. She could imagine Mrs Meredith’s hopes and fears for her daughter, the unlucky investment of the money given by Lord Sheridan, the difficulties as Olivia’s prospects shrank with the loss of fortune. She had seen it herself—without money it was always a struggle. Sarah knew that she had been lucky to have both a family name to ensure her position in society and a rich cousin willing to help her. Olivia had had neither, but had still determined not to call in the debt owed by her father’s family. Not until Lord Allardyce had come to Blanchland…

  ‘I first met him in the village and he was most attentive,’ Olivia continued. ‘He took to calling on us and Mama was most excited—I believe she thought I might catch an Earl! But I did not like him, nor did I believe that his intentions were at all honourable!’

  Remembering Allardyce’s penchant for the pure and innocent to refresh his jaded palate, Sarah could well imagine why Olivia would appeal to him. Not only was she young and beautiful, but she had an utterly unspoilt quality.

  ‘Then, one day, he called when Mama was from home and although I refused at first to see him, he insisted. He asked me—’ Olivia looked up, caught Sarah’s eye, blushed and looked away. ‘In short, he proposed that I should become his mistress. He promised me all manner of comforts to ease my life, but at such a price! Believe me, Miss—Sarah, I was not even tempted!’

  ‘I believe you,’ Sarah said truthfully. There was something so transparently innocent about Olivia that Allardyce’s proposal could not help but be repugnant to her. ‘But I do not suppose that Lord Allardyce took his dismissal lightly?’

  ‘No, indeed! He pestered me for days until I scarce dared step outdoors! And then he came to us one day, all triumphant, to tell us that he had purchased the lease of the house from Sir Ralph and that he would throw us into the street unless I agreed to his demands!’

  Sarah sighed. It was so simple when one had the means. Allardyce would barely have noticed the price of a lease and it was just the lever he needed. Mrs Meredith, whose health was not strong in the first place, would have been almost beside herself with worry.

  ‘What did you do, Olivia?’

  Miss Meredith sat up a little straighter. ‘Why, I set off straight away to come here to see—’

  ‘Sir Ralph?’

  ‘No…’ Olivia looked momentarily confused ‘…Lord Lebeter!’

  For a moment Sarah wondered whether she had been listening properly. The sudden introduction of Justin Lebeter into the situation threw her briefly, until she reflected that, with a young lady as lovely as Miss Meredith, there would surely be a welcome suitor as well as a villainous one. It probably explained Lord Lebeter’s surprising appearance at the Tower earlier that evening. He, too, must have heard the rumour that Miss Meredith would be there, and had gone to find her.

  ‘Are you then already acquainted with Lord Lebeter?’ Sarah asked carefully.

  ‘Oh, yes!’ Where Olivia had been cast down before, her eyes now sparkled very brightly indeed. ‘Lord Lebeter is the brother of one of my school friends, you see, and I met him originally at her house. Then, when my circumstances changed, I did not believe that I should ever see him again. Imagine my feelings when I saw him riding through Blanchland village one day!’

  Sarah raised her eyebrows. In the face of this dewy-eyed bliss she suddenly felt a very old aunt indeed.

  ‘Of course,’ Olivia added, blushing, ‘I was a little cast down to think of him staying here, for Sir Ralph’s parties have such a shocking reputation! But he is so truly the perfect gentleman that I cannot believe—’ She stopped, overcome by natural delicacy.

  ‘So when you were in trouble, you naturally turned to Lord Lebeter,’ Sarah prompted.

  ‘Oh, yes! But the terrible thing was that he had just that morning left Blanchland to visit in Devon, and when I approached the house I was met instead by Lord Allardyce! I was so afraid of what he might do that I ran away, which was how Tom found me, and the rest you know!’

  Sarah felt slightly breathless at the dash through the events that had led to Olivia’s disappearance. ‘I am sorry to appear a slow-top,’ she said, ‘but if I could just clarify a few points—’

  ‘Oh, of course!’ Olivia said obligingly. ‘What is it that you wish to know?’

  ‘Well, firstly, how did you come to write to Mr Churchward?’

  ‘Oh, Mama suggested that as soon as Lord Allardyce started importuning me! But I thought to turn to Lord Lebeter first!’

  ‘Of course. And when you ran away from Lord Allardyce, Tom helped you—’

  ‘Yes, for he found me hiding in his greenhouse!’

  ‘I see. And he has been hiding you ever since?’

  ‘We thought it was a good idea,’ Olivia explained. ‘Lord Allardyce has been looking everywhere, but of course he did not think of the servants! And, as Tom works here, he was able to watch Lord Allardyce and make sure that he did not get too close.’

  ‘I see,’ Sarah said again. ‘Were you not tempted to seek Lord Lebeter’s help once he returned here?’

  Olivia’s eyes sparkled again. ‘I was, but Tom and Mrs Tom thought it a bad idea. They were afraid that Lord Lebeter might be as bad as Lord Allardyce, and though I knew that could not possibly be true, I could see that such a course of action would not be at all respectable! Besides, I had written to Mr Churchward by then and Tom advised me to await his reply. When he saw that you had come to help me, Sarah, he said that everything would be all right and tight and that, if Lord Allardyce kicked up a fuss, you would set your cousin on him! Is she very fearsome, Sarah?’

  ‘Very!’ Sarah sa
id, lips twitching at the thought of Tom’s description of Amelia. ‘But I am sure that she will like you, Olivia! She is your relative, too!’

  Olivia looked very struck by this, but also rather apprehensive. ‘Well, I hope she may like me, for I wish to meet her above all things! So, what do we do now, Sarah?’

  Sarah sat back. ‘I think, perhaps, that you should come back to Bath with us, Olivia, and your mama, too, of course. I shall speak to Amelia in the morning. Lord Allardyce will not trouble you once he sees you have friends to help you, and once we are in Bath we may consult Mr Churchward over the lease of your house, and speak to Amelia’s man of business about the investments, and make lots of plans! How does that suit you?’

  Olivia’s eyes had regained their sparkle. ‘Oh, may we indeed? You are so kind! Why, I think that would be the most exciting thing in the whole world!’

  ‘And, of course,’ Sarah said with a twinkle, ‘we shall give Lord Lebeter your direction in case he wishes to call! Now, can you be ready to travel tomorrow?’

  Olivia’s face fell a little. ‘I fear that Mama is not very strong at present and will not be well enough to go for a day or two, although such good news will lift her spirits! I am so sorry, Sarah!’

  It was bad news, but Sarah swallowed her disappointment. Her instinct was to take Olivia away from Blanchland as soon as possible, but it was clearly unfeasible to do so without Mrs Meredith’s presence at her daughter’s side. That left the dilemma of what to do with Olivia in the meantime, for Sarah had no illusions as to the lengths Allardyce might go to thwart her plans. It was essential to prevent him from finding her niece and every delay meant danger.

  ‘Can Tom continue to hide you, Olivia?’ she asked cautiously. ‘He seems to have been most adept at it so far, and we must be careful until we have you well away from here. I should not like Lord Allardyce to find you—’