got a nice fire going in the—’ She stopped abruptly. ‘Gracious me, Master James, who is that? Mercy on us, don’t tell me you’ve had an accident. Whatever has happened?’
‘Never mind that for the moment, Cully! Where did you say the fire was? In here?’ He nodded to Sam, who hurried over to open the door on the right of the hall. A huge fire was burning in the hearth, a large damask-covered sofa on either side. James put his burden down gently on one of them. Mrs Culver gave a cry and bustled forwards, exclaiming, ‘Whatever are you thinking of, sir? That sofa will be ruined! Just look at the mud on the woman’s boots—and her clothes are soaking wet!’
James ignored the comment. He took off his overcoat and handed it to the groom, then brought a lamp over and put it on a table by the sofa. ‘She’s just a girl! Sam, get one of the other grooms to see to the horses. You go to fetch Dr Liston. Mrs Culver, have a fire lit in one of the bedrooms, if you please, and tell the maids to make up the bed. And put out one of Lady Aldhurst’s nightgowns.’
‘But, sir—’
‘Don’t waste time, Cully!’ James said, carefully removing the girl’s heavy boots and rubbing her feet. ‘She needs warmth and attention. Come back here after you’ve told the maids what to do. Bring one of them with you to help. Wait! You’d better bring some blankets with you, too.’
The housekeeper drew a breath, saw further protest was useless, and left the room stiff with disapproval, still shaking her head and grumbling. After she had gone, James fetched a shawl which was draped over the other sofa, put it over the girl and knelt down beside her. She was lying motionless, barely breathing. The sooner she was in a warm bed the better, but he was reluctant to disturb her more than he had to before the surgeon had seen her. Liston lived not far away—he should be here shortly.
He studied the girl’s face, starkly white against the rich fabric of the sofa, her eyelashes a dark fringe against her cheeks. He was concerned to see that the wound on her temple was still oozing blood, and fetched a napkin from the side-table to wipe it carefully away. She groaned and stirred restlessly, and he held his breath. Then her eyes flew open, large eyes, widely spaced, startlingly, vividly blue, twin pools of colour in that white face. She looked at him apprehensively, then, after several attempts to speak, she whispered, ‘Who…who are you?’
His deep voice was calm. ‘My name is James Aldhurst. This is my grandmother’s house. We found you lying unconscious outside in the rain, and I gathered you up and brought you in here.’ She seemed to be looking for reassurance and he added, ‘Don’t worry. You’re quite safe.’
She shut her eyes and said, ‘My head hurts. I think I fell…I was running…I couldn’t get up the bank…’ Her eyes flew open again and this time they were filled with panic. She struggled to move, but gave up with a cry of despair. ‘I can’t…My head! Oh, my head! But I have to…’ Clawing at his arm, she said, ‘Help me! Please help me! Don’t let them catch me! Please!’
The desperation in her voice startled him. He took hold of her hand. ‘I told you. You’re safe here. I shan’t let them find you. Lie still. The surgeon will be here very soon to look at you, and if he says you can be moved we shall make you more comfortable. But you must stay still for the moment.’ The blue eyes stared into his, then she gave a small nod, winced and closed her eyes again. Her hand fell away from his.
James looked at her anxiously. The hand had been icy. Where was Liston? And why was Mrs Culver taking so long? He went to take the girl’s hand again to warm it, but was shocked into an exclamation when he saw a band of rubbed skin, red and sore, encircling the slender wrist. He picked up the other hand and it was the same. He replaced them both carefully under the shawl and frowned. This girl had evidently been tied up till quite recently, and her bonds had been cruelly tight. What had been going on? Who was she? How had she come to be lying in the middle of his grandmother’s drive at eight o’clock on a storm-driven night? He shook his head and got up impatiently. The answers to those questions must wait. What was needed at the moment was help for the poor wretch! Where the devil was Mrs Culver? He went into the hall and shouted.
Mrs Culver came down the stairs followed by a maidservant struggling with a quantity of blankets. Almost in the same moment the house door opened, and Sam appeared, accompanied by Dr Liston.
‘Thank God! Come this way, Liston. We need you too, Mrs Culver. Thank you, Sam. You’d better go and change out of those wet clothes.’
The surgeon followed James into the room and they went over to the sofa. But, after telling the maid to stay with the surgeon while he examined his patient, Mrs Culver drew James to one side and spoke to him firmly in a low voice. ‘Your lordship, I’ve known you since you were a boy and witnessed a good many of your pranks. I’ve even saved you once or twice from their consequences. I’ll be frank with you, sir. Your grandmother trusts me to look after this house when she’s away. I’m not sure she’d approve of what’s going on here tonight. This young woman—who is she?’
‘I don’t know, Cully. Sam and I found her lying on the drive not far from the house. What would you have had me do? Leave her there?’
‘You didn’t need to bring a beggar woman like her into your grandmother’s sitting room! She might even be a gipsy! I don’t like to think what Lady Aldhurst would say. And here you are, ruining her furniture with that girl’s wet clothes and muddy boots, putting her in one of the best bedrooms, giving her your grandmother’s clothes to wear, calling Dr Liston out at this time of night to see to her…What has come over you?’
‘She’s no beggar, Cully. She’s in some kind of trouble, but she’s no beggar. There’s a mystery here and I intend to get to the bottom of it, but before that we must keep her alive. Is the bedroom ready? If Liston gives the word, I’d like to take her upstairs.’ He turned back to the sofa, and Dr Liston straightened up, looking grave.
‘As far as I can tell there’s no serious damage apart from that bang on the head—but it was a hefty one.’ He gave James a strange look. ‘Her wrists…’
‘I’ve seen them.’
The surgeon nodded. ‘Sam tells me you found her lying on the drive, and from the look of her I’d say she had been there for some time.’ He shook his head. ‘I
don’t know, Lord Aldhurst. I don’t know. I can’t do any more for her tonight, but I’ll come back tomorrow morning. For now she needs a warm bed with hot bricks and blankets, and complete rest. It’s quite likely she’ll develop a fever. I’ll send my man over with a paregoric draught, and if she is restless you could try giving her some of that. But my best advice would be to give her water, nothing more. And keep her well wrapped up.’ He shook his head. ‘We shall have to see.’
James nodded. ‘There’s a bed ready for her. Mrs Culver?’
The housekeeper had been looking at the girl, who was now lying white and still, a vivid bruise on her temple. ‘She looks very ill, it’s true, the poor thing. We’ll put her to bed. I’ll have one of the men carry her upstairs.’
‘I’ll carry her up,’ said James. ‘She needs gentle handling.’
Mrs Culver pursed her lips, but said nothing, and, signing to the maidservant to follow her, she set off up the broad staircase. ‘We’ve put your…guest in the green bedroom, my lord,’ she said, at her most formal. Mrs Culver had not yet been won over, and wished him to know it, but she would keep her opinions to herself in front of the younger servants. ‘If your lordship would put her on the bed, Rose and I will see to the rest.’ And, before he could say anything, she went on, ‘We will handle her as gently as we can, my lord, never fear.’ She waited till James had put the girl down, then firmly ushered him out of the room. ‘I shall let you know when we have finished,’ she said as she shut the door.
James went along to his own bedchamber where one of the servants was waiting with dry clothing, but he hardly noticed what the man was doing. His mind was full of the girl he had just rescued. During that brief moment of consciousness she had appealed to him so desperately, had clung to him as