Page 33 of Linenfold (The Alice Chronicles #4)

N ow Philip too is in the secret of the treasury. ‘So it seems half of Europe is chasing it.’ He counts off his fingers. ‘Richelieu, His Grace of Buckingham, the Seigneur de Soubise, yourself. How many more?’

Back in the long parlour, the four are sitting round the fire.

Jack, Alice, Juliana and Philip. Jack has fed the hearth with brands and brought it to a cheerful blaze.

Alice notices how Juliana seemed to glow when Philip came into the room, though she made no move to pay him particular attention, and placed herself not near him but next to Alice on the settle.

Philip too damped down his pleasure at seeing her and has made no effort to single her out for notice.

Olivia has drawn away to prepare supper, safe in the knowledge that anything she does not already know, Jack will tell her later when they are alone.

‘Ah, another,’ Philip says. ‘What about the Spanish? I feel sure they come into it somewhere.’

Jack laughs. ‘Perhaps the number of pursuers is in proportion to its perceived value. All we know is that a great treasure is moving between France and England. It is said to be for safekeeping, but whose hands it is destined for we don’t know.

I’ve a strong notion His Grace will be searching any party coming out of France.

There’s no reason I know of why your uncle would have been involved, but this must have ranked a strong possibility, to bring the duke in person. ’

Philip makes a face. ‘I wonder he didn’t descend on us before we got this close to London.’

‘He probably wanted to let your uncle bring the consignment as far as possible, maybe even see where he delivered it. It might be why he is holding back now from direct action.’

‘Which might explain why my uncle thought we were being followed. What size is this treasury?’ Philip asks. ‘It’s not the trenchers or His Grace would have pounced on them.’

‘Valuable as they must be, they would not be enough to prompt this sort of search. No, I suspect the trenchers were just a reason to send Cargill to France.’

‘There’s been no word of Lewis Cargill?’ Alice asks.

Jack shakes his head. ‘Nothing. I don’t know whether it’s a good or a bad sign that he passed the trenchers to Lord Hardcastle.

Cargill might have planned it or it might have been a desperate measure if he feared for his own safety.

I don’t know why I’m worrying about him – he’s the duke’s creature. ’

Philip turns to Jack. ‘What sort of items make up this treasury? It can’t be chestfuls or we’d have known long since.’

‘We’re not talking shiploads of Spanish gold plundered from the Americas. It’s likely it has been made as small as possible, the easier to secrete.’

‘So, small items of great value. Jewellery? Coins? Gold ingots?’

‘Any of those,’ Jack says. ‘Think of the crown jewels that Charles wanted to pawn. Removed from their settings they would take up little space.’

‘What I don’t understand,’ Juliana says, ‘is why Buckingham didn’t immediately cart Philip off to the Tower. Heir to the title, possibly in the secret of this treasury.’

‘He’s made it difficult for himself, knowing about the treasury but not wanting to give that away,’ Jack says and turns to Philip.

‘If he thinks you were in the secret, he might feel you’ve hidden it somewhere on your journey and will go back for it later.

All the more reason to hold back and have you followed.

More particularly, why didn’t Sir Malcolm accuse you from the start when you would not say where your nighttime foray took you? ’

‘He doesn’t know. I didn’t mention it,’ Philip says.

‘I need to know where you went,’ Jack says, ‘if I am to give you my help.’

‘I regret I cannot say, beyond my word that it was nothing to do with my uncle.’

‘Philip,’ Alice says, ‘I believe I know where you went and—’

‘What’s this?’ Jack asks, frowning.

‘Philip, which of us is to tell Jack? It need go no further than this room.’

Philip is silent, hesitant.

‘There was mention of a certain tree,’ Alice urges.

‘He came to see me,’ Juliana breaks in.

Philip sighs. ‘Sir,’ he says to Jack, ‘I visited your cousin that night. I wanted very much to see her, and I took the decision to find out where her chamber window looked out.’

‘I made sure he knew,’ Juliana says. Alice silently admires this girl who is strikingly honest, despite knowing she will suffer for it if her parents are told.

Jack is frowning. ‘Romeo and Juliana?’

‘I didn’t climb up to her chamber!’ Philip exclaims. ‘I stood outside and talked with her. The next day our hired coach was going to carry us away.’

The frown deepens. ‘Did you leave anything with her? For safekeeping? To collect later?’

‘He did not!’ Juliana declares, at the same moment Philip protests, ‘On my honour, no! I would never knowingly put her in danger!’ His face softens as he looks at Juliana.

‘I have nothing but the highest regard for her and I should like to call on her when she returns to London.’ He turns to Alice. ‘How did you know that’s where I went?’

‘The length of time you were out, on foot,’ Alice explains.

‘It would take you around half an hour to walk here in the dark, even with a lantern. Time to rouse Juliana and draw her to her window.’ Not that long actually, she would have been awake and waiting.

She adds, ‘And then a few minutes speech with her.’

Juliana stands up. ‘I shall go and tell Olivia now. I don’t want her hearing it from anyone else and feeling I have been underhand.’

Once she has left, Philip turns to Jack. ‘Juliana is entirely innocent in this.’

‘That could be going a bit far,’ Jack says drily. ‘You know her history with young men is not particularly stable.’

‘This is different, I’m sure.’

‘That’s apparently what an earlier one said. Well, if you’re happy to join the trail of destruction, I’m not stopping you.’

‘There might be another side to that trail,’ Alice says.

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Just following your example and keeping an open mind, Jack.’

So that was what I did,’ Juliana finishes.

She and Olivia are alone in the kitchen, Juliana perching on the table, one leg swinging.

‘Perhaps it was rash to – well – invite Philip to visit me overnight, but he had the wit to understand what I was saying, and not to try to take advantage. Obadiah would either have missed it entirely or taken it as a proposal of marriage. And he wonders why I treat him as a baby.’

Olivia regards her cousin. ‘And that’s all? You didn’t go down to meet Philip in the garden?’

‘I was up in my chamber and he was down by the tree and it was completely harmless .’ In a sudden access of confidentiality, ‘Olivia,’ she says, ‘he is so bright , so … alive ! I’ve never met anyone like him.

I really want to see him again when we are back in London, and if you tell him that, I swear I shall positively murder you! ’

‘Of course not. I just want to see you happy, Juliana. I don’t believe your adventures so far have contributed to that.’

Juliana gives a weary sigh. ‘I sometimes wonder if I only do it because my parents so disapprove. They keep on at me about being safe, as though that were the only thing in life. I think they’ve convinced Jack I’m some sort of hoyden.

I swear he jumped every time I put my head out of the coach window on the way here.

That’s partly why I took his horse.’ To her surprise Olivia laughs, and then Juliana does too.

‘We are both conscious of being responsible for your welfare while you’re with us, Juliana, but neither of us wants to hobble you.

I admit I’ve taken to Philip and I feel sure Jack will as he gets to know him.

He has wit as you say, he’s good company, has resolve, and we’re happy for him to visit here while he’s staying at High Stoke. ’

‘I fear there’s a “But” coming,’ Juliana says.

‘If you can give me your assurance that you will not go off alone with him, riding or walking, I shall be happy. In fact, from what little I know of Philip, I feel he would respect that. And I know Jack would be glad if he can honestly pass on his praise of your conduct to your parents when he takes you back. You need an important lever in your struggle to release yourself from poor Obadiah.’

Jack leans back and regards the other three. Juliana has returned a while since, serene but thoughtful after her exchange with Olivia. For the past half hour in the long parlour Philip and Alice between them have given the details of events since the coach accident.

‘Let’s agree now,’ Jack says, ‘that none of us will discuss anything we have talked about here – the trenchers, the treasury, any of it – in front of anyone else. Excepting, of course, Olivia.’

‘That’s sound, and I shan’t,’ Juliana says.

‘Nor I,’ Alice adds.

‘I agree,’ Philip says. ‘In fact there is something else you need to know that I’ve not discussed except with Alice.

From what you have told me, I believe my uncle may have carried this treasury, though I cannot see how it could still be amongst our chattels.

’ And he outlines the work they have done to decrypt the two scraps of paper in his possession.

‘I think the riddle says what it is, where it is and where to take it,’ Alice adds, ‘except that we simply don’t have enough of it to make sense of what we do have. All we know is that it refers to a screen to be kept safe.’

‘And you have no idea where the third part is?’ Jack asks.

‘I’ve questioned all my men, in a roundabout way,’ Philip answers. ‘I’m sure they know nothing. But it’s heartening to know there is a justice on our side, ready and willing to smoke out my uncle’s killer.’

‘I cannot act formally, of course,’ Jack reminds him. ‘I have not been appointed, and officially there is nothing to be investigated.’

‘I understand that, but if you had seen my uncle’s body you would have no doubts.’

Olivia puts her head round the door. ‘Supper. We’re all coming to table now.’

‘We’re coming,’ Jack says, rising, and turns to Philip. ‘Where is your uncle at present?’

‘In a side chapel at Holy Trinity. He is due to be collected tomorrow. I’ve made arrangements to send his body to London for burial.’

‘Then I think the sooner I see him in the morning the better,’ Jack says. ‘If by chance this becomes an official investigation, it will be as well for a justice to know why you believe him to have been murdered.’

They have dined all together, neighbours, cousin, household including the three children and Sam, thus preventing, to Alice’s relief, any discussion of the murder.

Amongst the dishes on the table, Olivia has produced a rich egg tart, yellow as marigolds, sweet and spiced and summered with rosewater, comforting and satisfying in the gloom of a December afternoon.

Juliana sparkles, Philip glows, and Sam sags against Alice in contented satiety, one arm cradling her bump.

Later, once Robert and Cicely have taken the four children back home, Alice rises from the table to make her farewells.

Juliana, duly cloaked, accompanies Philip to collect his and Alice’s mounts.

Watching the two head for the stables, Jack says, ‘I admit I’ve misjudged her.

She’ll always be wild, I suspect, but she’s grown up a lot since we last saw her, and I hadn’t given her credit for it. ’

‘I’ve not known her taking serious thought for things like this before,’ Olivia says. ‘And she seems to be a welcome presence for Philip while he has this matter of his uncle’s murder to contend with.’

Jack smiles, regarding his wife. ‘Perhaps my uncle and aunt will finally give up the idea of her marrying the luckless Obadiah.’ Then, ‘Alice,’ he goes on, ‘I’d like to come over tomorrow and we can talk further.

There could still be things Philip can tell me that he doesn’t even realise are significant. ’