Page 27 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

In the instant that Sebastian’s attention flickered towards her, Hubert sprang.

Sebastian jumped back and felt a sharp burning, like a thin trail of fire, across his ribs; Hubert came at him again, the wicked-looking blade no longer concealed, his other hand raised to fend off any counter-attack.

Sebastian feinted with his stick, sidestepped, caught Hubert’s knife-hand by the wrist as it came at him – the forward and upward blow of the accustomed fighter – and managed, just, to keep it from his body.

He brought his cane down on Hubert’s arm, thrusting him backwards at the same time, and broke free.

As Hubert came again, he swung and hit him hard with the cane between the shoulder and neck.

Hubert swayed under the blow, lost his balance, took a half-step backwards to recover it, and caught his heel against the shallow kerb.

He flailed and fell backwards, and there was a sickening sound as his head hit the iron lamppost.

A little sudden silence dropped, and Sebastian only then realised that there had been noise, the gathered crowd shouting, egging the fight on.

He waited, panting, shifting his grip on his cane for the next attack, but Hubert, sprawled on his back, didn’t get up.

From the corner of his eye he saw that the slatternly woman – presumably the ‘wife’ Mary – had been caught by the arms by two onlookers to keep her from interfering.

She had been struggling to be released, but was now still. ‘Jack!’ she yelled.

Close behind Sebastian there was the shrill sound of a police whistle, and he felt rather than saw the crowd starting to sidle away. Then a large, authoritative voice bellowed, ‘All right, everybody, stand where you are! Stand still! You with the stick, don’t you move!’

Sebastian was only too glad to obey. He didn’t think he could have moved anyway.

Maud was standing when Angus was shown into Caroline’s drawing-room: she wasn’t prepared to have any young person loom over her.

She had never really looked at him before – he was just one of the young cousins – but she saw now that he was a handsome boy, well set-up, and his smile, though suitably uncertain for this meeting, was attractive.

She could see why Rachel had fancied him.

Why she should want to give up everything for him was another matter.

‘Aunt Maud,’ he said cautiously. His eyes travelled to Caroline and Rachel, seated on the other side of the room and forbidden by Maud to speak. He nodded respectfully to them. ‘Aunt Caroline. Rachel.’

‘Sit down,’ Maud said to him. She took the chair opposite, and studied him in silence to unnerve him.

He bore it well. ‘Thank you for giving permission for us to become engaged.’

‘Yes?’ she said, to indicate that there was always time to withdraw the permission. Then, ‘It is a great pity you managed to alienate your father and lose all your prospects.’

‘But I have others now,’ he said. ‘I have a good position, and I’ve been told I’m giving satisfaction. When my trial period is over, I’ll have a salaried place with excellent prospects for advancement. I intend to save hard and hope to be in a position to marry next year.’

Rachel drew breath as if to speak and Maud silenced her with a glance. ‘You are an office clerk, I believe.’

‘Something more than that, ma’am. I am to be Mr Cowling’s general manager, a position of responsibility within his business empire.’

‘Empire?’ she queried witheringly. ‘Is he a monarch?’

‘It’s an expression. His interests are wide, ma’am. He is a very wealthy man. He advises the King on financial matters.’

‘My permission is only for you to become engaged. In a year’s time, we will see how things lie. In the mean time, you may see each other under the normal rules of society, and you may correspond.’

‘Thank you, Aunt Maud.’

‘If there is the least impropriety—’

‘I would never do anything to harm Rachel. I love her.’

‘Hmm. Well, we shall see. When the time comes, if your application has been constant and your behaviour impeccable, I may find a dowry for Rachel commensurate with your financial position.’

‘Thank you, Aunt Maud.’

Maud stood. ‘You may have five minutes together,’ she said. ‘Caroline?’

The two dowagers went into the morning room, where Maud sat rather abruptly, and Caroline said, ‘Are you feeling unwell, Maud dear?’

‘Tired,’ she said. ‘This unnecessary situation wears me.’

‘But he’s such a nice boy, and they do seem very fond of each other. And don’t forget, I was allowed to marry for love.’

‘Sir James Manningtree was one of the richest men in London,’ Maud observed.

‘Well, perhaps Angus will make his fortune. It’s very promising that Mr Cowling has taken him up.’

‘You know this Mr Cowling well?’

‘His London house is on the other side of the square. He’s a shrewd businessman, and really rather a pet. I’ve taken a queer fancy to him. He moves in very good society, Maud – received everywhere. And you know he married Kitty’s bosom friend Nina, the girl she was brought out with?’

Maud waved that away. ‘I look to you, Caroline, to supervise their trysts.’

‘Of course.’

‘She will continue to live at Ashmore Castle, but may come up to Town, let us say, once a month.’

‘They can meet here,’ Caroline said. ‘Or I can chaperone them to the theatre or a ball or suchlike.’ She sounded pleased with the prospect.

‘It is not necessary to entertain them,’ Maud said.

‘Or desirable.’ Once the glamour of forbidden fruit was removed from Angus Tullamore, and Rachel realised what life as the wife of a clerk would mean, she might find her enthusiasm for him waning.

A year was a long time when you were nineteen.

He was a pretty boy, but nothing else. Maud wondered she had not thought of it before – allowing a tedious engagement to rub the gilt from the prize.

‘When are you leaving for Germany?’ Caroline was asking.

‘The day after tomorrow. Then I shall stay at the Usingerhof until the baby is born.’

‘But, Maud, what about Alice?’

‘ What about Alice?’

‘You’re happy for her to remain at the art school? You don’t want to bring her out, or arrange a match for her?’

Maud made a gesture that was meant to be impatient, but in fact looked weary. ‘Stainton can make those decisions, since he seems to have taken responsibility for her. I wash my hands of her.’

How did she come to have two such unnatural daughters as Rachel and Alice?

Linda might be annoying in many ways, but her priorities had always been correct.

Maud was quite glad she would have her at her side for the next few months.

She thought briefly of the baby to come, but it was not yet real to her.

Usingen wanted a son, of course, and she hoped it was, for his sake.

Possibly for her own sake, too – girls were so much trouble!

The thought of coping with another daughter’s moods and fancies and then having to bring her out in seventeen years’ time was exhausting.

In the drawing-room, Angus and Rachel sat close together on the settle, their hands interlinked. ‘What did Mama mean about a dowry commensurate with something or other?’ Rachel asked.

‘My financial situation? I think she meant that whatever I managed to save, she would match, but nothing more.’

‘Oh. Then you must save like mad.’

‘I shall, but not for her sake. It’s always nice to be given a sum of money, but I don’t mean to depend on someone else ever again. I shall support you by my own efforts.’

Rachel glowed at such a manly statement. ‘But,’ she said timidly, ‘aren’t you a bit dependent on Mr Cowling?’

‘Not dependent: he pays me for my work. And – I didn’t mention it in front of your mother – he’s already hinted that at some point in the future he’ll allow me to purchase shares in his business, so I shall end up owning part of it.

That will be something solid that can’t be taken away, not like a wage that you lose if you lose your position. ’

Rachel didn’t understand the concept but was happy just to hear him talk. ‘But suppose Mr Cowling has a son – won’t he leave everything to him?’

‘Why are we talking about Mr Cowling when we only have five minutes?’ he said, drawing Rachel towards him.

The inspector had Dundreary whiskers, a look so old-fashioned it kept distracting Sebastian’s attention. He was studying Sebastian’s visiting card as if it might jump out of his hand and dance a jig.

‘So you claim to be this Mr Sebastian Tallant, do you?’

‘Not claim – I am,’ Sebastian said.

‘And your normal place of residence is Ashmore Castle in the county of Buckinghamshire?’

‘Yes.’

‘Which would make you – what? A lord of some kind?’

‘My uncle was an earl. But the Castle belongs to my nephew, and I live there by his kindness.’

‘And if I was to go to this castle and enquire after you, they’d know who you were, no doubt?’ The irony was heavy.

‘They would, but I wish you wouldn’t do that.’

‘Oh, and why not?’

‘Because I don’t want my private business bruited about. And – with all due respect to the forces of law and order – people like them don’t care to receive visits from the police.’

‘You’ve got the talk down pat, I’ll give you that. You remind me of Smooth Cecil, the Gentleman Burglar. He got invited to grand houses by sounding like a nob, and then disappeared in the night with their bits and pieces.’ He examined the card again. ‘And what’s this other address?’

‘My club, in London.’

‘And I suppose they ’d know your name, if I was to enquire?’

‘I’ve been a member for twenty years. They know me there. Ask for Stennings, the head porter.’

The inspector put the card down and leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk, coming to business.

‘So, Mr Sebastian Tallant, who lives in a castle and is not quite an earl, what were you doing in Hog Lane? Not your usual stamping ground, I’d say.’