Page 10 of The Affairs of Ashmore Castle (Ashmore Castle #2)

Dory poked her head cautiously round the door of the small drawing-room.

Mr Sebastian was seated at the piano, a cigar clenched in his teeth, his head tilted back to avoid the smoke.

His hands were rippling across the keys.

When he saw her he continued to ripple with his right hand, while with his left he removed the cigar and placed it in the ashtray on the piano-top, and said, ‘Yes, that’s right, come in! I’m ready for some conversation.’

‘I don’t want to disturb you, sir.’

‘I was just doing scales and arpeggios. Trying to keep the old hands flexible.’

Dory looked innocent. ‘I thought p’raps it was one of those modern composers that don’t hold with tunes.’

Sebastian gave her a mock scowl. ‘Don’t be naughty, miss. Sit down there and talk to me – and do some mending, in case anyone comes. Here, is this enough of a tune for you?’

‘That’s nice,’ Dory said, settling in the chair he had previously placed where he could both see and hear her. ‘I could nearly sing to that. What is it?’

‘Schubert, “The Trout”.’

‘It’s pretty.’

‘Tell me what’s going on in the house. Is Lady Kitty really all right after her fall?’ He referred to her that way in their conversations to distinguish her from the dowager countess.

‘Oh, quite,’ said Dory. ‘Young things like her carry easily – their insides are like elastic bands. It’s older ladies who have to be careful.’

‘I’m glad to hear it. She seemed all right at breakfast, but of course she wouldn’t tell me anything. What’s happening below stairs? Who is William in love with these days?’

‘Still Milly.’

‘Amazing. That’s lasted a long time.’

‘Longer than I did. He was over me in weeks. I should feel insulted, shouldn’t I?’

‘Do you crave the admiration of such as William?’

‘No, sir. But a woman has her pride.’

His left hand stumbled a note. He vamped a little while he retrieved his cigar, waved it and said, ‘Do you mind?’

‘No, sir,’ said Dory. Seeing that it had gone out, she stood, picked up the matchbox and struck a match for him so that he could keep playing.

With the lightest touch he guided her hand.

When the cigar had caught, he looked up at her from under his shaggy brows, and for a moment their eyes met.

Then she drew back, blew out the match and sat again.

‘I think Milly’s getting tired of being mooned over, though,’ she resumed, as if there had been no interruption.

‘She was too shy when she first came to say anything, but I happen to know there’s a nice boy in the village who’s interested in her, and she’s afraid he’ll find out about William and get the wrong idea. ’

‘Age-old problem.’ Sebastian nodded. ‘The Two Suitors. Sounds like a Sherlock Holmes story, doesn’t it? But life is hard for the acknowledged beauty. Though she’s a little too much “white mouse” for my taste.’ Dory smiled at that and shook her head. ‘What else?’

‘There was a big fuss yesterday over some wine. There was a delivery from the merchant, and Mr Moss had James – Hook, I mean – help him put it away in the cellar and record it in the cellar book. Then Hook starts checking the book against the bins, and says there’s bottles missing.

Mr Moss was terribly upset. The cellar key never leaves him, he says, so nobody could have taken it.

Hook said he must just have forgotten to record some bottles when he brought them up for the table.

’ She glanced up at Sebastian. ‘Mr Moss doesn’t like that suggestion either, because it would mean he was careless or forgetful or—’

‘Yes?’

‘Hook says he’s getting too old for the job.’ Dory made a face.

Sebastian looked thoughtful. ‘He’s an ambitious man, James Hook. I was aware of it when he used to valet me. He’d like to be butler himself.’

‘He’s not the right sort for a butler, though. Hasn’t got—’

‘The gravitas?’ Sebastian suggested.

Dory didn’t know the word, but it sounded right.

She nodded. ‘Course, it seems most likely that Mr Moss did forget to mark out a bottle. Or else wrote the wrong figure down by mistake, or read it wrong in the first place. A three can look like an eight. It’s easily done.

Doesn’t mean a person isn’t fit for their job. ’

There was such a thing as loyalty among servants, and she didn’t mention that Mr Moss had once or twice fallen heavily asleep in his chair in the butler’s room in the evening and had had to be roused to go to bed.

It would be possible for an unscrupulous person to lift the key from his chain while he was comatose and gain access to the cellar.

She didn’t want to suggest that, either.

It wasn’t right to throw suspicion without proof.

After a pause she changed the subject. ‘Oh, I don’t know if you heard: Josh Brandom – Lady Alice’s groom – has broken his foot or his ankle or something.

He was exercising one of the horses and it slipped on the hill and fell, and his foot was caught under it.

Dr Welkes plastered it up and says he can’t ride for three weeks at least. Josh never was the sweetest-tempered man, and now he’s worse than ever.

Won’t sit quiet with it up, like anybody would, but hobbles about the stableyard on a crutch telling everybody what to do.

I hear Mr Giddins is close to lamping him one, bad foot or no bad foot. ’

That made Sebastian smile. ‘I can just imagine—’ he began, but broke off as a maid appeared in the doorway, looking nervous.

It was Ellen. She bobbed a curtsy to Sebastian and said, ‘Beg pardon, sir,’ then hissed at Dory, ‘Mrs Webster’s looking for you.

’ A roll of her eyes suggested the unspoken words, and you’d better not let her find you here .

Dory stood, unflurried. ‘If you’ll excuse me, sir, I’d better go.’ She hoisted her sewing-basket under her arm, and bobbed to him for Ellen’s benefit. As she turned away, he plunged into a thunderous rendition of the funeral march, and she had to conceal a smile.

‘You can’t go out on your own, my lady,’ Josh said, with his most mulish look. ‘Her ladyship made it quite clear before she went away.’

Alice knew he meant her mother: Kitty didn’t really exist for him. ‘I’m only going to ride on our own land,’ she said impatiently.

‘You and Lady Rachel riding out alone together when you was little girls was one thing. But she’s not here.

And you’re older now. It’s not fitting. Her ladyship said specifically, she said, “Lady Alice is not to go careering about on her own like a hoyden. She’s to be attended all the time.

” That’s what she said. “I look to you , Brandom, to see to it,” she said. ’

‘Her ladyship isn’t here,’ said Alice.

Josh scowled. ‘It’s taking advantage, my lady, that’s what it is. And I shall feel obliged to tell her ladyship when she comes back. It will be my duty to let her know what goes on when her back is turned.’

Alice drew an irritated breath. What a tattle-tale! she thought. But he would do it – she knew he would. He never forgot a grudge. And his loyalty to her mother was unshakeable. ‘All right,’ she said, ‘I’ll take one of the boys. I’ll take Timmy.’

‘Timmy’s not here today, my lady. His day off.’ He said it with a hint of triumph that riled her more.

‘The little one, then – the one with the ears. What’s his name?’

‘Oscar, my lady? He’s too young.’ Oscar was timid, and would do what Lady Alice told him, which Josh knew as well as she did. Oscar would be no replacement for a grim, watchful groom with a lifetime’s training in strict propriety. ‘He’s not been here long, so he doesn’t know the tracks.’

‘But I do.’ Alice smiled serenely. She knew she’d got him. ‘You want me to take someone, and I shall. I choose Oscar.’ She turned and beckoned to a passing groom. ‘Have Pharaoh saddled for me, and tell Oscar he’s to accompany me. I shall be ready in ten minutes.’

‘Yes, my lady.’

She turned and walked briskly away. Josh tried to follow her, but his crutch had sunk in and the jerk almost toppled him. By the time he had worked it free she was gone.

Oscar looked very young and rather small on board Dickie, one of the grooms’ horses, and it was obvious that Josh had managed to get at him before Alice came back because he was plainly nervous.

Pharaoh had a long, free stride and was glad to be out, while Dickie was rather a plod, and the poor child had to keep chivvying him along to keep up.

The clicks and giddups from behind her were an unrestful accompaniment to her ride.

When they reached the brow of the hill and were out of sight of the house, Alice checked and beckoned the boy alongside. ‘Now, Oscar,’ she said, ‘I’m going to gallop, and Dickie won’t be able to keep up. And I don’t need you with me anyway.’

‘Oh, my lady, Josh said—’

‘I know what he said. That he’d skin you alive if you let me out of your sight. Am I right?’

‘Yes, miss – my lady,’ he admitted, with a worried gulp. ‘Sort of.’

‘Well, Josh is not your boss, I am. And it’s not your fault if Dickie is too slow.

Just stay on this track, and walk Dickie along till you get to the other end of the spinney.

There’s a gate there and a stile, and you can tie him up and sit on the stile and wait for me.

I’ll come back that way and collect you before we go home. ’

‘Yes, my lady,’ Oscar said, close to tears.

‘You’re not to worry,’ Alice said impatiently. ‘Josh will never know. I shan’t tell him – and you won’t either, will you?’

‘What if he asks me?’ Oscar whispered. It was a sin to tell a lie, wasn’t it?

‘Here . . .’ She fished a sixpence out of her pocket and gave it to him. ‘Buy something for your mother next time you go home.’