Page 13 of Willow (Out on a Limb #4)

In Which Important Matters are Concluded with a Surprise Revelation

Willow hated to admit she was tired, but in reality she knew she was exhausted. So when Harry finally led them to a modest home on Audley Street, and they rode down the mews beside it, she could only heave a sigh of relief.

At one doorway, two men stood ready, and although they took the horses, and rendered assistance to both herself and Harry as they dismounted, it was pretty clear that neither were stable hands.

However, she kept her thoughts to herself and simply thanked them as she found her footing on the bricks that paved the yard.

“Come along.” Harry held out his hand. “I know you’re tired. So am I. But soon we’ll be done here.”

She nodded and instead of his hand, took his arm. “We’re in London. Best we observe the proprieties.”

He led them both into the house.

Unlike a regular home, there were no servants waiting in the entryway to relieve them of their coats. That didn’t happen until they had climbed a set of stairs and ended up in the formal foyer, where another footman nodded and took their outerwear.

His silence and efficiency made her a tiny bit uncomfortable, and she stood uneasily by as Harry shed his coat and straightened his jacket.

A door opened and an older gentleman emerged.

“Harry, m’boy. Good to see you. Heard you had a spot of bother down south?”

“I did, sir. Which is why I’m so damned late…”

“You have it, though?”

“I do.”

“Go on in then, he’s waiting.” The man turned to Willow. “You too, young lady.”

“But I…” she blinked.

“He wants to see you both.”

“Very well, sir. Come, Willow.” Harry nodded at her, his face calm.

She wished she was as calm as he appeared to be, because her insides were tumbling over themselves.

But she dipped her head in acknowledgement, dredged up a smile for the gentlemen looking at them, and went to his side.

“This way,” Harry walked them both through the open door, and Willow heard it shut behind them.

A pleasant room, she thought, as her feet sank into rich carpeting. Very much a man’s surroundings, with a fire burning and large leather chairs on either side of it. Opposite was a desk. The biggest desk Willow had ever seen, covered with books and papers.

Behind it sat a gentleman, with another man standing beside him, reading something.

“Ah, Chalmers.” The seated man rose. “And a charming guest as well, I hear.”

“Were it not for her, Sir Sydney, I would not be here.”

Willow’s mind screeched to a halt. Sir Sydney. Could it be Sir Sydney Hadley, the man alleged to be behind the largest spy network England had ever seen? The man who had an extraordinary gift for codes and cyphers?

“In that case,” he said, smiling at Willow, “I, and in fact, all of England, are in your debt, Ma’am.” He turned back to Harry. “You have it?”

She couldn’t miss the focus and intensity of that question, and neither could Harry.

“I do, Sir. A moment please.” He crossed the room to one of the chairs, seated himself, and then—to her astonishment—leaned down and removed the heel of his boot. Apparently, it was hollow, because he extracted a curl of paper, and then slipped the heel back into place.

“Here sir. Still in one piece.”

Sir Sydney accepted it with a nod, and walked back to his chair, seating himself and unfurling the paper, spreading it carefully on the desk. Then he pulled two other sheets and a pen near, and silence fell, broken only by the scratch of his writing as he worked.

Willow felt as if the entire room was holding its breath. What was going on? What was on that piece of paper Harry had stuck in his heel? She’d never noticed anything like that when he was sick, and she’d removed his clothes. But then again, getting him well had been her first objective, not looking for mysterious hiding places in his boots.

After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, Sir Sydney leaned back in his chair. Then he looked at Harry, and a smile creased his lips. “It worked. It’s done.”

Harry’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. “Thank God.”

“Take these, Edgar. Make sure it gets where it needs to be.”

The other man bowed, accepted the papers, and left the room.

“Well now,” Sir Sydney leaned back and looked at Willow. “This must have been quite confusing for you, my dear. But please know that there are many in your debt for keeping this rascal alive.”

“I…” she swallowed. “I’m not sure what to say, sir. I’m very happy I was able to help Harry with…um…whatever it is he does. And I’m glad it all worked out for the best.”

“As am I, sir,” added Harry. “It could have failed dismally though, were it not for Willow and some good luck.” He walked to her side. “We are both curious as to who could have delayed our passage here. I could have arrived much earlier if our carriage hadn’t been stolen.”

“Yes, I just heard about that,” frowned Sir Sydney. “You have no idea who might have been behind it?”

“Well, hardly anyone knew we planned on leaving when we did.” Harry’s voice was level, but she could hear an undercurrent of anger. “And neither Willow nor I can think of someone who would be interested in us or know exactly where and how we were travelling. Except for one person…”

He glanced at Willow, and she nodded. “Sir Sydney,” she said quietly, “the one person who knew our plans, who in fact facilitated them, was…”

Before she could finish, a door opened at the other end of the room, and someone walked in. Both Willow and Harry gasped.

“Mrs Smithers?”

“What the…” Harry choked.

“But…but…” Willow stuttered in shock.

Sir Sydney rose, a surprisingly large grin on his face. “How opportune.” He held out his hand to the woman. “Darling, do come in and let me introduce you to two very helpful and adventurous friends.” He turned to Harry and Willow. “You must allow me to present my wife, Lady Amelia Sydney.”

*~~*~~*

Laughter rang out in the elegant parlour as three people sat around a small tea table and helped themselves to food.

“So, I persuaded my husband to let me go down to the coast,” said the woman they’d known as Mrs Smithers. “With the way things are, the more eyes down there, the better. And truthfully, I wanted a little time away from London. Just some peace and quiet.”

“But all by yourself?” Willow’s eyes were wide with curiosity.

“It would not have helped my image as a poor widow had I brought servants with me,” she answered. “Besides, I must confess I rather enjoyed my tenure on Sea Lane. My neighbours were fascinating.” She chuckled.

“You knew Madame Lépine then,” ventured Harry, as he reached for another tart.

“I did. And she knew me.” Lady Amelia sighed. “We had many lively conversations, since we could share our secrets with each other. It was a sad day when we lost her.” She put her hand over Willow’s. “But you made her last days much happier, my dear. Fortune could not have brought her a better companion.”

“I hope so.”

“So, if I may ask, what happens now? To Sea Lane?” Harry touched a napkin to his lips and brushed a crumb or two from his jacket.

“I believe my husband may already have new tenants in mind,” she answered. “You may not realise it, but a great deal of helpful information is brought across the channel to small villages on the coast, to wend its way to where it will help most.”

“And Harry’s piece of paper helped too?” Willow glanced at Harry, her eyebrows raised.

“Oh yes, my dear. If I understand matters fully, that little scrap helped my husband finish breaking a set of cyphers.” She leaned toward Willow. “He’s awfully good at that sort of thing, you know.”

“I see,” nodded Willow. A thought crossed her mind. “Cyphers. Of course…that’s why Madame had some strange ones amongst her papers.”

“She was very good at them,” answered Lady Amelia. “More than a few of her suggestions made their way here, and thus to where they were needed most.” She nodded as if to a thought she’d rather not share. “Anyway, I believe there will be some activity soon that will please all of us. And much of it will be due to the two of you.”

Harry sighed. “That is very good news indeed, Ma’am. And well worth all the trouble we went through to get it here.”

“You weren’t supposed to get yourself into trouble in France, you know, young man.” Lady Amelia fixed him with a stern gaze. “Quiet and unobtrusive. Those were your orders, were they not?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Harry looked shamefaced. “But I really had no idea I had caught a fever until I stumbled on the docks and damn near broke my ankle. For a few moments, I couldn’t move, and when I did? I knew something was wrong.”

“Well, you made it in one piece, and I couldn’t be happier that Willow was there to look after you.”

“You know, it’s only now I find myself understanding why you weren’t surprised or stunned when Harry was dropped onto my doorstep.” Tilting her head to one side, Willow smiled at Lady Amelia. “You should have been horrified, or at least shocked, but you came right in and helped me deal with him, and I never questioned it.”

“Someone had to. I wasn’t sure at first if it was the courier we were expecting, but it didn’t take long to work out that he was indeed the right man, and he needed some help. Luckily, you were there, my dear. Such a sensitive matter would have been very difficult to handle otherwise.” She patted Willow’s hand. “And you are an excellent nurse.”

“I agree,” Harry smiled at the woman next to him. “I cannot thank her enough.”

“One last thing if I may, my Lady…Harry and I have been trying to think of anyone who knew of our trip to London and who might have stolen the coach… Have you any idea? It has to be someone from Little Witham, doesn’t it?”

Lady Amelia leaned back in her chair and pushed her plate aside with a sigh. “I’m afraid you’re right, dear girl. My husband has sent a couple of his men down there to investigate further, but I would wager that they will find young Samuel to be the culprit.”

“The lad who brought you your herbs?”

“Indeed, yes. Such a pleasant young fellow, too. I was quite pleased with him until I noticed he tended to lurk around the docks much too often for a boy who was supposed to live in the forest. I kept an eye on him, of course, but until your departure, I had nothing to verify my suspicions. He was indeed the only one who knew of your trip. Besides myself.” She chuckled. “I’ll wager you thought it was me, didn’t you?”

Harry felt his cheeks warming under that stern gaze. “Of course not, Ma’am. How could we ever come to that conclusion?”

“Well, we’ll not worry about that now. And just to reassure you, my husband has passed along young Samuel’s name to some people near Little Witham, so that they can verify our assumption. If it’s proved to be true, I doubt he’ll be doing any more business along those lines for quite some time to come.” She wiped her hands on a napkin in dismissal. “But there is something else we do need to concern ourselves with.”

“There is?” Willow frowned.

“Yes, most certainly. Would you both come with me?”

Lady Amelia rose, as did Harry and Willow, who shot a quick glance at each other, then followed their hostess from the room as she led them back across the hall and into a very extensive library.

They both gasped at the number of fully laden shelves.

“Oh, I could live in here,” sighed Willow, as she walked to the obviously comfortable chairs arranged for the convenience of readers.

“I feel like that sometimes too,” Lady Amelia agreed. “But I brought you both here for another reason.”

She crossed the room to a small writing table and withdrew a document from one of the drawers. “I have had this prepared especially for this moment,” she announced.

“Oh. Um…” Harry cleared his throat. “How kind of you…”

Willow simply blinked in confusion.

“This, young man,” Lady Amelia waved the paper in the air, “is a legal marriage document certifying that Mr Harry Chalmers of Myrtle Manor and Miss Willow Trease of Forest Grange, were married three days ago in the presence of the Right Reverend George Snow, and that the occasion was properly witnessed by Lady Amelia Sydney. The small ceremony took place at number nine, Sea Lane, Little Witham, and the formal recognition of said marriage will be placed into the register of the local church, St. Brendan’s, upon my direction.”

“I don’t…I can’t think…” Willow sputtered helplessly.

“How? What…” Harry wasn’t much use either.

“Oh dear,” sighed Lady Amelia. “Right then. Harry Chalmers.” She stared at him.

“Ma’am?”

“This young woman has shown extraordinary courage in rescuing you, caring for you, and accompanying you on a hazardous journey.”

She turned to Willow. “And you, young lady. You unhesitatingly took on the job of nursing this man back to health, no matter the cost to your person or your reputation. And after that, you chose to accompany him on the aforementioned hazardous journey.”

“Uh…well, yes…I suppose…”

“Therefore, there is no doubt in my mind at all that you two are meant for each other. In fact, you declared yourselves married, not only in my presence but also in the inn where you spent the night alone together.”

Willow blushed.

“So, I offer you both this document as a reward for all of the above. It will remove any stain on your reputation, Willow, and allow Harry here to get his hands on you with the blessing of the church, which I think he will appreciate most heartily.” Lady Amelia’s grin was infectious. “However, one must observe the legalities, so if you’ll follow my butler, he will take you to our little ballroom, where my personal chaplain awaits you both with a special licence. He will perform an abbreviated ceremony that will legitimise your union, along with everything I just told you.” She paused. “If you want to wed, of course…”

Harry looked at Willow, who stared back at him.

Then he moved to stand in front of her. “Marry me, Willow. I can’t imagine life without you at my side.”

Willow’s eyes filled, but she smiled and nodded. “Oh yes , I’ll marry you. I really want to marry you. I think I’ve wanted to for as long as I can remember…”

“Then let’s do it. Right now.”

So they did.

(And it must be noted that Lady Amelia, despite her calm and collected demeanour, shed a few tears as the bride and groom exchanged a rather passionate kiss that made the chaplain blush.)