Page 33 of The Society Catch
Giles shrugged. ‘One gets used to night watches and I had a few hours’ sleep at the inn. A roof over one’s head is a luxury.’ He glanced around. ‘Come in here. I do not want an early-rising stable boy to see us at this time of the morning.’
With a sigh Joanna allowed herself to be guided into the interior of the stables. A textured floor with a drain at its centre ran between two rows of large loose boxes, each surrounded by a high wooden partition topped with iron grilles and with double doors at the front. Moonstone watched them over the half-door off her stall and behind Giles was an empty loose box which appeared to be used as a store by the stable boys.
Both its doors were open, a carelessly abandoned pitchfork was propped in the entrance and inside were piled boxes and bales. A sudden glimmer of a plan struck Joanna and she hastily dropped her eyes in case Giles should see either her change of mood or the direction of her interest.
‘Just what do you think you are about?’ he began, giving Joanna a very fair idea of how he might sound to a subaltern who had been out on the tiles to the neglect of his duty. ‘Setting out alone, into God knows what on a tired horse…’
‘Oh, Giles,’ she said softly, not having to act in the slightest to produce the quavering note in her voice. She risked a glance upwards from under her lashes and willed the production of two large, glistening tears.
‘Joanna, damn it there is no need to cry.’
‘Oh, Giles,’ Joanna said again, on a falling note of despair. She would never have dreamt of using this sort of behaviour before but her performance appeared to be working, and Giles’s expression had softened.
She took a stumbling step forward and cast herself with considerable energy on his chest, catching him around the neck. She might be slender, but she was tall and he took a step backwards. Before his arms could close around her to steady her she thrust her right foot between his ankles, and then threw her weight forward against him.
Off-balance, Giles staggered, the pitchfork caught him behind the knees and he fell back into the loose box.
Joanna was at the door in a second, dragging both top and bottom sections across, bolting them both to the door frame and to each other. Now she must saddle Moonstone and be away before either Giles managed to scramble up and squeeze through the narrow gap between the top of the railings and the rafters, or his shouts attracted the attention of the grooms.
It was ominously quiet, he must be assessing the best way to climb out. With her heart thudding so loud that it seemed to drown out any other sound Joanna ran down the aisle and dragged the saddle and bridle off their stand outside Moonstone’s box.
‘Good girl, steady girl. Stand nicely for me,’ she pleaded as the grey sidled and stamped, picking up her urgency. Joanna led her out into the yard with a cautious glance at the box where Giles was imprisoned. There was still no sound: he must be building the boxes and bales into a heap to climb up. He would be so angry. Joanna clutched to herself the memory of that moment when she was in his arms, against his chest. Then she found the mounting block and was up and away, spurring the mare down the carriage drive with scant regard to the noise she made.
Chapter Sixteen
Giles hammered on the front door, not stopping until a bemused footman opened it. He stepped back, clearly alarmed to find a large, coldly furious and bloodstained man on the step. ‘Sir?’
Giles scrubbed at the trickle of blood which kept blurring the vision in his right eye and snapped, ‘Kindly inform Lady Brandon that Colonel Gregory requires urgent speech with her.’
‘But, Colonel, it is quarter past six in the morning.’
Giles simply stepped into the doorway and shouldered him aside, at which moment Rooke appeared, neck cloth askew, looking not best pleased at having had to struggle into his tail coat in haste.
His tone as he addressed Giles was less than subservient. ‘Colonel, I really must ask you to withdraw. I will naturally inform her ladyship that you called.’
‘When will you do so?’ Giles produced a large pocket handkerchief and attempted to staunch the flow of blood from the cut on his forehead that must be making his appearance thoroughly villainous
‘At her ladyship’s normal breakfast hour, naturally.’ Giles’s narrowed his eyes and the butler added, ‘At ten thirty, sir.’
Giles regarded him with an expression which had routed more strong-willed men than the butler. His voice however was pleasant as he remarked, ‘You will go to her ladyship now and you will inform her that either she receives me in the room of her choice in fifteen minutes or I will do myself the honour of calling upon her in her bedchamber. Do I make myself plain?’
‘Yes, Colonel. But–’
‘Then go and do it – and if you are considering scuttling down the backstairs and summoning support in the shape of a numberof grooms or footmen, I promise that you will regret it. As they will,’ he added thoughtfully.
He saw Rooke eye his right fist which was flexing and unflexing and deciding that discretion was the better option. ‘Philips, get the Colonel some warm water and a bandage for his head and brush his coat. Her ladyship must not be discommoded – any more than is inevitable.’
It was twenty minutes, not fifteen, before Lady Brandon sent Rooke to say that she would receive Colonel Gregory and he was well aware that his expression as he strode into her boudoir was not conciliatory. She gave a squeak of alarm and shrank back against her maid, but he merely bowed from the doorway and said, ‘My apologies for inconveniencing you at this hour, ma’am. If you will tell me where Miss Fulgrave has gone I will remove myself immediately.’
‘Joanna? Surely she is in her chamber?’
‘I can assure you that at half past five this morning she was riding away from this house. Are you telling me that you had no idea of what she was planning?’
‘No, none at all,’ Lady Brandon protested indignantly, pushing back the lace nightcap which threatened to slip over one eye. ‘She was cross with me last night when I promised you I would let her go with you tomorrow, and she was disappointed when I explained that I would not be travelling abroad for some months.’
‘Then where will she have gone?’
‘I do not know, she has no acquaintance in the area. All I can think of is that she will try and reach her sister, Lady Willington, in Lincoln.’ She looked distractedly at Giles, then appeared to notice for the first time the rough bandage around his temples. ‘Are you hurt, Colonel? Will you not sit down?’
