Chapter Eleven

Kitty

Kitty crawled into bed convinced she would never be able to settle, but she was so exhausted she fell into a deep sleep almost instantly and was only woken when Miss Steele came into the room at daybreak.

"Time to get up! 'Tis your wedding day, and you need to look your best."

Kitty toyed with the idea of saying she could not possibly look her best after being locked in a freezing cold attic with only a few hours' sleep. Besides, she had a crashing megrim– a direct consequence of the terror of her abduction, and Miss Steele had played a wretched part in that. She might add that if by some misfortune she were to find herself a reluctant bride at the altar today, she would simply say "no"– very loudly– when the vicar asked the all-important question.

But no! She would not say any of that. Kitty did not want to provoke the increasingly volatile Miss Steele.

"If you think you can get out of a marriage," Miss Steele said, "by simply saying ‘no' at the altar, then you are more of a simpleton than I had taken you for."

Oh dear! It was unfortunate that Miss Steele knew Kitty as well as she did, for she had an uncanny knack of knowing what Kitty was thinking. Kitty must be on her guard!

"But the bride does have to agree," Kitty said, "doesn't she?"

"A moot point," Miss Steele said, "for if the wedding ceremony has been arranged, it is assumed the bride has agreed. And do not forget your father is favorably inclined towards this marriage. He knows it will save him from ruin. Do want to go against your father's wishes? Disobey him?"

Surely Mr. Honeyfield had not given any meaningful consent to this farce? If Kitty could talk to him.

"And Lord Steyne has sorted out all the legal requirements," Miss Steele said, "for he has obtained a special licence for you to marry– so that you can enjoy the Christmas festivities as a new bride. Is that not thoughtful of him? He has been planning this for ages. 'Tis the best Christmas gift a young lady could receive."

Kitty's resolution not to provoke Miss Steele flew right out of the window like an enraged insect– and buzzed about angrily over Cottage Crescent before darting back into the attic room to deliver its sting.

"I will never marry Lord Steyne," Kitty snarled. "How dare you try to force me into an arrangement I have not agreed to. I will scream when I am in the church! I will rant and shout until all who are there are on my side and I am released."

"Who do you think will be there to hear you scream?" Miss Steele said. "This will not be some society wedding with all your family and friends, but a quiet country event in the small village of Brislington."

Miss Steele paused. Then flushed deeply. Ah! She should not have named the village of Brislington. That had been a mistake.

"There will be no one there who is on your side," Miss Steele continued quickly. "The vicar..."

"The vicar will not marry me if I am not willing."

"He will– because he owes his living to Lord Steyne. And the only other persons present will be myself, Lord Steyne, and you– plus the parish clerk and a couple of witnesses chosen by Lord Steyne, I know not the details. You can forget any screaming and ranting– especially when you know what the consequences of your disobedience will be."

"What consequences could there be?" Kitty said. "You have no hold over me, for I would rather be dead than marry Lord Steyne. I care not what you might do to me."

"But you do care about your mother."

"Of course I care about my mama. I miss her dreadfully and think it is terribly wrong that she has been whisked away to a private hospital at such short notice– but surely she will be back soon, for Lord Steyne will not want to pay the fee for my mama to stay there– not when he knows I will not marry him."

Miss Steele gave one of her famous high-pitched whinnies. Her laugh was possibly the most irritating thing about the woman– that, and her tendency to betray a family who had given her a home in Russell Street for many years.

"You are supposed to be a clever girl," Miss Steele said. "You read a lot of books at least– which is not quite the same thing– but you seem to know almost nothing and are entirely lacking in powers of reasoning or deduction."

What exactly could she mean? Trouble, for sure. Miss Steele had an odd glint in her eye. Triumph?

"Your mama has been taken by Doctor Voss– who is actually plain Mr. Voss– for as far as I know he has no medical qualifications whatsoever. She has been taken to his hospital– his private asylum."

An asylum! Heavens alive! One heard such tales.

"You do not know where the asylum is," Miss Steele said, "and neither does your father."

'Twas a shame Miss Steele hadn't slipped up again and revealed the name or location– as she had done only minutes before with the wedding venue of Brislington.

"Mrs. Honeyfield will not be returned from the asylum until you have become Lady Steyne."

What an abhorrent thought!

On top of her increasingly painful megrim, Kitty now felt sick. And yet it seemed Kitty would have to marry Lord Steyne if she ever wished to see her mother again. Her mama! The most perfect parent anyone could wish for. When she had been in better health, Mrs. Honeyfield had devoted herself to Kitty, making sure she enjoyed a very happy childhood and was able to grow up with everything she needed, surrounded by love. Now it was time for Kitty to do something for her mama.

"Ah, lost for words, are you?" Miss Steele said. "I know what you feel for your mama. You will not let her stay in an asylum. Have you any idea how they treat women in those places? They are left freezing cold, without enough food– and there are other mortifications in store for the wretched inmates that someone as na?ve as you can little imagine."

"You do not need to say anything else," Kitty said. "You may get me ready to go to the church. I will not make it difficult."

"Good! You are seeing reason at last. Get yourself washed quickly. I will get a servant to bring you up something to eat. It will not be what you're used to, mind, just some gruel and tea– but you need to have something in case you faint."

"Thank you," Kitty said automatically.

But inside, she was seething!

"I will be back directly to help you into your dress and do your hair."

Kitty forced both a tear from her eye and the corners of her mouth to turn down. It would not do if Miss Steele suspected in any way that Kitty was hatching a plan.

She will not read my mind this time! I am determined.

Kitty felt strength building inside her. Was this what men felt as they entered battle? Kitty's deep love for H had allowed her to tap into reserves of courage she had not known she possessed. She had become a woman– and was not going to give up her hopes of love easily.

Of course, if the worst came to the worst, Kitty would save her mother from the horrors of the asylum, but there was a long way to go before all hope was dead– and before Kitty might have to give up any chance of married bliss with her H.

Miss Steele swept away with a more than usually supercilious look, and Kitty stared out at the sky streaked with pink and red. It promised to be a stormy day ahead.

Think! I must think! All hope is not lost– there must be something I can do.

A young servant girl came into the room. "Here's your breakfast."

"Thank you. If you could please put the tray on the bed."

The girl set the tray down carefully, then stood in front of Kitty, awkwardly twisting her hands in a none-too-clean apron while fixing her gaze on the floorboards. Then she looked up and opened her mouth as if to speak– but nothing.

Why, the girl was but a child. What was she doing in this place?

"Do not be afraid," Kitty said gently. "If you have something to say to me, please speak."

"'Tisn't right," the girl said at last, "what's going on here."

"I know."

"Have you got anyone?" the girl said. "I'm Martha, by the way. Anyone who might be able to help you? Anyone looking for you?"

Kitty held her breath. Her trust in human nature had been rocked by the wickedness she had encountered recently. What if this young girl, Martha, had been planted by Lord Steyne and Miss Steele to encourage her to defy them, only then to come down more heavily and punish her? Perhaps they would use the laudanum they had threatened her with before, so that she would enter the church in a semi-conscious state and only come to in time to say, "I do."

This was a real fear. And yet Kitty trusted the girl. She still believed in the essential goodness of human nature. Two rotten apples in the barrel of mankind did not mean that everyone would betray her. Did it?

"I have people looking for me," Kitty said. "They are not far– but they do not know where I am. I have an idea, though. The clothes I am wearing– if they were displayed somehow outside once we have all left, like a flag, maybe hanging from a window, why then I do believe if my H was riding past looking for me, he would recognize them."

"H? That is a strange name. But this whole situation is odd– why were you dressed as a boy when you arrived here?"

Kitty smiled wearily. "'Tis a long story. I have not the time to tell you– but one day..."

She reached into her pocket. "I can give you something for your trouble. See this? 'Tis a quizzing glass and will help you see objects far away– it magnifies them. Would you like to have it?"

"Yes, please!" Martha's eyes widened. "Thank you, Miss. That would be wonderful. My mama– she cannot see so clearly now on account of many years bent over the needle. Do you think it would help her?"

"I think it would help her a great deal," Kitty said, "and I would very much like her to have it. There! Take it. Hide it in your apron."

"I will do what you ask," Martha said, "but now I must be away down to the kitchen. I will wait for a safe time after you leave before I hang your clothes where they can be seen from the road."

"And if anyone asks," Kitty said, "say I am gone to be wed– against my will– in Brislington. Today!"

A long shot– but perhaps the message would be delivered, God willing.

I trust Martha– and now we have a hope of victory in this terrible battle! Let us hope we win the war.

*

Henry

Henry did not feel the cold wind as he galloped on and on, trying to find his beloved Kitty.

It is as if I am riding into battle– both exhilarating and terrifying.

There were precious few people out at this hour of the morning. Henry stopped everyone he saw and asked if they had seen or heard anything unusual. A fine carriage speeding along? A young woman's cries of distress?

Everyone was keen to help, but no one had any information. If the shops or taverns had been open, he could have inquired there, but all premises were firmly closed at this hour.

Henry stopped one young woman in the street who was on her way to work in the Coombe Down bakery.

"I feel sorry for you, sir," she said, "but cannot help. A lord has abducted your sweetheart, you say? A lord would be on his way to a big house, and we do not have many big houses up here. There's Prior Park– but that's quite a way off. Always wanted to see Prior Park, I have!"

"The gentleman concerned... I mean the man concerned does not reside at Prior Park," Henry said. "His estate is further into Somerset, a long way off."

"Do you not think this lord might be on his way to his estate in the country? Would that not be the best place for him to hide out?"

"I do not think he will stray far from Bath," Henry said.

He clung to his belief that Lord Steyne would keep to the relatively local area, as he might have need to call on his men from the city, and not all of them would have horses. Certainly, the ruffians who had attacked Carter and Henry seemed to have nothing but the rags they stood up in– and their fists.

"I wish you luck, sir. Do not like to think of any young lady been taken in by– what did you say his name was?"

"I didn't," Henry, "but since you are interested, I will tell you his name. Lord Steyne."

"I have heard of him!"

"What have you heard?" Henry said, slipping off Trigger.

Whatever the woman was about to say, it surely could not be worse than anything Henry already knew about him– but the information could be useful.

"I have heard he is a rake," the woman said. "He treats women badly– cares not for their feelings."

Then she leaned closer. "'Tis rumoured, sir, that he did get a young woman from Coombe Down with child."

"The villain!"

"Yes, sir," the woman continued, "and he wanted to set her up as one of his mistresses, but her parents would not hear of it. The vicar of our church, he took Lord Steyne to task and made him pay some money to the family so that the girl could keep her child and live with her parents."

"Well, that ended better than for many unfortunates," Henry said. "I am glad she was able to keep her child."

How could men behave like that, thinking they could treat women shamefully with impunity? Thank God for a clergyman with a strong moral sense! Not all of them were this principled, though. Henry had come across some vicars who would do almost anything to get a good living and seemed little suited to looking after the souls of men and women.

"I thank you for your information," Henry said. "Good day!"

As he cantered away on Trigger, Henry could see streaks of rosy-fingered dawn mixed with an angrier red in the sky. The new day was beginning– and he was at a loss where to look next.

He decided to wait a while and plan his next move carefully– and give Trigger a chance to catch his breath too. There was no sense in tiring the horse excessively at this point in the pursuit. Henry sat down by the side of the road and bit into the heel of the loaf he had brought with him, while Trigger nibbled at the dew-drenched grass.

Think Henry, think! Where else is worth exploring?

Henry decided to retrace his steps down the Wells Road in the direction of Beechen Cliff again. Once down on flatter ground, he paused again at the fork where he had gone left but recently. What if he took the right this time? Or should he retrace his steps and return to Coombe Down, then fan out, exploring more lanes and villages? Oh, where would Lord Steyne have taken Kitty?

Trigger pulled at his bridle and neighed.

"Which way do you want to go?" Henry patted the horse's mane. "Lead me where you wish. Ah! The right fork. You want us to travel up there. Another hill! I hope you've got the strength for this, Trigger."

Progress was slow, as both Henry and the horse were getting tired. Henry continued to ask any passer-by for information. There were more people about now as the day had begun in earnest. One kind older lady insisted that Henry accept one of the pasties she had in a basket covered with a cloth.

"Same age as my son, you are," she said. "I know what you young men are like– always hungry."

"I should say no," Henry said, "but I'm ravenous, so thank you very much. Missed my breakfast, I'm afraid."

"Been in a fight, too," the lady said. "You looked in a mirror recently?"

"No, I haven't," Henry said. "No time for vanity, I'm afraid!"

He put his hand on his face and brushed away a few flakes of dried blood.

"Still handsome, though," the lady said. "Were you fighting over a lady? Once my old man fought someone over me. Dead romantic, it was."

"You could describe it as a fight over a lady," Henry said, "although I have to say it did not seem romantic. Not one little bit."

But what came before– oh my! Kitty in her wet shirt pressing up against me! How quickly the mood can change.

Henry gave Trigger at least half of the pasty, and the two of them continued up the hill, revived by the kind gift from the woman.

"Ah," Henry said to the horse. "We're nearly at the Cottage Crescent. I do believe Selina had a school friend who lived here. There's some story about why they moved out– I cannot remember it now. Was it not to their taste? Noisy neighbors? I wonder..."

Henry dismounted and walked through the stone gate along the back of the Crescent to the very end house. What was this? A cap lying abandoned on the ground. Was this... could it be... ye gods! Henry's heart beat wildly as he picked up the cap. This definitely belonged to Kitty. He was on the right track.

Trigger tossed his head as the wind whipped through the trees. And then there was a flapping sound. Egad! Washing? What sort of crescent was this, where someone would hang their clothes out of a window to dry? And in this weather? 'Twould never be countenanced in the Royal Crescent– but Cottage Crescent was a very different sort of place. Charming, but much smaller, well away from the city and very much on the wrong side of the river. But wait!

Those clothes! They are the very ones Kitty was wearing.

Henry stared up to the second floor. Kitty's shirt, breeches and jacket were dangling in the wind. Someone had opened the sash windows and shut them over the clothes to hold them fast– and now they were doing a merry dance in the breeze.

Henry wanted to beat on the front door, but needed to exercise caution. Henry had the element of surprise– he should use it to his best advantage.

He went round the far side of the house, tied Trigger up securely and then crept across the grass to the back door. Should he go in? Maybe he should peek through the window.

"Are you H?" a young woman said, opening the door and stepping outside to join Henry in the garden. "Are you H, what's come to save Miss Kitty?"

"I am indeed," Henry said, "and who might you be?"

The girl had used Kitty's pet name for Henry– a good sign, surely?

"Martha. I work here. If you're looking for Lord Steyne and that nasty piece of work, Miss Steele, well, they've taken your Kitty not half an hour since. Right pretty she looked when she left in her best dress and satin slippers."

"I wondered what she would be wearing," Henry said, "because I spotted her clothes from the road."

"That was her idea," Martha said. "She said once they had left for Brislington I was to hang her clothes out of the window as a sign. It was ever so exciting! But quite tricky as well, because the wind kept trying to pull them away from my fingers. I managed in the end to wedge them fast with the sash. Miss Kitty said to show you this." Martha produced the quizzing glass from her pocket. "She said you would recognize it and know I was speaking the truth if she had given me this."

"You did very well," Henry said, "and on another occasion I must thank you properly. But Brislington, you say? What on earth are they going to Brislington for?"

"'Tis Miss Kitty's wedding day," Martha said. "They are to wed in Brislington."

"Like hell they are!" Henry roared. "Is there no end to Lord Steyne's wickedness? I must away and stop this charade before it is too late."

"Miss Kitty told Miss Steele that she will say ‘yes' when they want her to," Martha said. "She will say ‘I do.' I shouldn't have been listening, but they did not notice I was there."

"Did you hear anything else?" Henry said. "Why would she want to say ‘I do?'"

"They have threatened her, sir. Her mother has been taken to an asylum. They have that to hold over her. 'Tisn't right. They are evil people."

"You never spoke a truer word," Henry said. "Now, I think I must be on my..."

"Henry! Henry! Are you there?"

By Jove, that was George's voice! Henry untied Trigger quickly and made his way to the road side of the house, hotly pursued by Martha, where he found George, with Carter, Lord Templeton, Mr. Honeyfield, Edmund, and a few other men, all on horseback.

"Henry! Thank God! There you are," George said. "Have you got Kitty?"

"No," Henry said. "I have only just arrived. Kitty is on her way to Brislington. She is being forced to marry Lord Steyne."

"What are we waiting for?" Carter said as he turned his horse back towards the main road. "Come on!"

Henry gave a last wave to Martha, leapt onto his horse, and joined the others as they galloped away to rescue Kitty.

Our own private army– pray God we are not too late.

*

Kitty

Kitty was flung against the side of the carriage as it travelled at speed, west towards Brislington.

Earlier, in the attic room, she had submitted to being prepared for her wedding day by Miss Steele with no opposition, keeping up the sham of submissive sadness. Miss Steele had first helped Kitty into her undergarments and best dress, then brushed Kitty's hair and arranged it beautifully, carefully placing one of Mrs. Honeyfield's bonnets over her curls. The finishing touches of gloves, shawl, and jewelry were carefully added.

"And now for your satin slippers," Miss Steele had said. "Can you manage? That's it. And here is one of your mama's reticules– see, it matches your dress perfectly."

Ah! So that was why Miss Steele had searched Mrs. Honeyfield's room in a hurry last night. She had not been looking for things to steal, as Kitty had suspected, but for items to add to Kitty's wedding outfit.

But Kitty was not about to trust Miss Steele– for was she not hand in glove with the devil himself, Lord Steyne? None of his wicked plans would have been able to be so successful were it not for Miss Steele's spying and tittle-tattling.

And here Kitty was, in a carriage racing towards her doom, with only her wits to rely on– and the faint hope that the plan she had tried to put into action with Martha would work. Would Henry and Carter be able to find her before it was too late?

"Try to sit still," Miss Steele said. "You will crumple your dress at a time you need to look your best."

Kitty nodded and lowered her eyes. She had constructed a carapace over her feelings so that Miss Steele could no longer penetrate her mind. But really– look her best? That would be impossible. She might be dressed up in fine clothes, but how could anyone look their best when they felt absolutely terrified– and were to be sacrificed at the altar?

She was about to be married to one of the most revolting men in England– by force. And her mother's safety depended on her compliance.

Kitty touched the lace of her skirt, feeling the silver thread beneath her fingers. Her best dress, the one with the particularly pretty heart-shaped bodice embroidered with flowers, the one she had imagined in her dreams she might wear if she married her H...

She shivered and pulled her fancy white and yellow shawl around her. The weather was freezing! If only she had been wearing her red cloak, walking on the Crescent Lawn with her H, how happy and warm she would have been.

Lord Steyne sat opposite Kitty and Miss Steele– and glared horribly. They would soon be passing the turning for Newton Saint Loe on the left. Kitty was going to try her hardest to make sure she knew where she was, in case the opportunity for escape presented itself. She was not over familiar with this area between Bath and Bristol, but she had certainly been to Newton St. Loe with her parents a few years ago, for they had been friendly with the family who lived at Newton Park.

"There is no point looking out of the window like that," Lord Steyne said. "You do not know where I am taking you."

How interesting! So Miss Steele had not admitted to Lord Steyne that she had made a blunder and revealed to Kitty she was to be married in Brislington. Kitty stored this nugget of information away. It might indicate that Miss Steele feared Lord Steyne. What sort of hold did he have over her? Was it purely for money that she was helping him? Or could she have feelings for him? Surely not! The man treated women abominably, and his sneering, contemptuous expression was both repugnant and fixed.

Yet, for all that, he was rich and held a high position in society– thus, to some at least, he was desirable. Poor, silly Miss Steele.

The carriage raced on and on, and the sky outside darkened. Surely there was a storm brewing? Kitty reckoned that at this pace they would be in Brislington before the next hour was up. Should she try to slow the journey? Create a diversion? Revert to her idea of screaming and ranting? But no. All that would mean was a large spoonful of laudanum for her. She must stay alert, she must stay positive– and she must trust that true love would conquer all.

They passed the turning for Saltford on the right, travelling further until they reached the turning for Keynsham. Then Lord Steyne rapped on the roof of the carriage with his stick to indicate a change of direction.

Kitty's heart fluttered like a caged bird. Were they perhaps going to Keynsham? Would she be married in Keynsham? Had Miss Steele mentioned Brislington on purpose, just in case Kitty managed to get a message to Henry and Carter? Was she that devious?

"We've made good time," Lord Steyne said. "We will drop into Keynsham. Horses need water, and I could do with a drink before I shackle myself with the holy bonds of matrimony again. My last try was an unmitigated disaster– wretched girl never produced an heir, and now she's dead– good riddance!"

What a way to speak of his poor dead wife! What she must have suffered. But thank goodness this was merely a quick stop in Keynsham– and it seemed that Brislington was still the intended final destination. Perhaps the slight delay would even give Henry a chance to get there before them?

Kitty bit her lip. She must not be overly optimistic about this. The chance that Henry had managed to see her clothes hanging out of the windows or find her discarded cap on the ground, meet Martha and learn she was to be married in Brislington, was only a remote possibility.

But even a remote possibility was better than the thought of being sacrificed that day to the evil Lord Steyne.

Once they arrived in Keynsham, Lord Steyne ordered the driver to take the carriage into the courtyard at the back of the local tavern, The Condemned Man.

"Get some water for my horses," Lord Steyne ordered a servant who had come out to greet them. "Look sharp! We do not have much time."

The servant scuttled away.

"And in case you had any thoughts of escaping," Lord Steyne said to Kitty, "my driver will sit with you while I go inside. He is under strict instructions not to allow you to leave the carriage for any reason."

"But perhaps some water," Miss Steele said, "for myself and Miss Kitty? And if we should need the ladies' retiring room?"

"You're not getting anything," Lord Steyne said. "'Tis too dangerous for you to be seen inside– and no drink of water means no need for the ladies' retiring room, doesn't it?"

Then with a raucous laugh, he went through the back door of the tavern and reappeared about five minutes later, wiping his foamy mouth on his sleeve and smelling of ale.

As the carriage made its way back to the main road for the last leg of the journey, Lord Steyne let out a long, low burp. There was no indication that he thought he was in the presence of ladies, for no apology followed. The man was disgusting– in both manners and conduct.

And how interesting that he had begun to treat Miss Steele with the same careless disregard as he had treated Kitty since her abduction.

"I don't like the way you're eyeing me, missy," Lord Steyne said to Kitty.

Heavens! The man might be a brute– but he was observant.

"Get those rags out of your reticule again, Miss Steele. We might have to tie this one's hands behind her back again and use the gag. We'll see if it's necessary!"

Miss Steele opened her reticule and brought out the rags. Kitty could see a small bottle in there and a teaspoon.

"Ha!" Lord Steyne said. "See you've spotted the laudanum. Not an empty threat. If we need to pacify you, we will."

"If I am drugged– unconscious even– with laudanum," Kitty said, "I believe the marriage ceremony will not be able to be undertaken."

"Possibly not," Lord Steyne said, "but perhaps thinking of Mrs. Honeyfield will make you behave. You want things to go well for her, don't you?"

"Of course." Kitty lowered her eyes meekly, a shiver going through her spine.

She turned her head to look at Miss Steele, and their eyes met for a split second. What was that? Could Kitty see sympathy in those eyes– after everything Miss Steele had done, was she now having her regrets? Only time would tell!

Hurry, Henry, hurry my love! For I have such desperate need of you.