Highwayman's Hazard Read online

  'Did you refuse?'

  'Yes, but then – oh Sarah, it was horrible, and I am convinced he did not mean a word he said, for he was laughing at me in a nasty way – he said he had outraged my sense of what was proper, and it was only right I should refuse to listen to him. He said he meant to ride at once for Forleys and ask Papa for permission to speak. Sarah, Papa will be here as soon as he knows where I am!'

  'Well, he has to come some time,' Sarah said comfortingly. 'Your grandmother will take your part, and perhaps your father will permit you to remain here when he sees how popular you are.'

  'He'll try to force me to accept Sir Gilbert, for he is richer and younger than Lord Tarbuck, even if he is not a lord!'

  She would not be moved from this dismal thought, and refused all further invitations for fear she should again encounter Sir Gilbert, hiding herself in the house and refusing to see anyone, even Louise.

  Louise waylaid Sarah one morning as she made her usual shopping expedition, and demanded to know if Clarinda were offended with her.

  'No, of course not, but she is afraid to meet Sir Gilbert,' Sarah said, and explained what had happened.

  'I wondered how he had displeased her,' Louise said thoughtfully. 'Why does she refuse him? He seems a most pleasant and eligible man.'

  'Do you know him at all?' Sarah asked suddenly, thinking that Louise seemed to know a good many people, and if Sir Gilbert had a house nearby she might have heard about him, but Louise shook her head.

  'I have never met him although I believe I have heard his name. He has left Harrogate again, my mother-in-law tells me. I believe a friend of hers saw him as he was riding out of the town'.

  'Then she might be willing to venture out again,' Sarah said, and laughed ruefully. 'She is so very shy. You must forgive her.'

  'Of course I will. I have planned a small dance in the hotel next week. I do hope you will both come to that.'

  'Thank you. It sounds delightful. I would love to come, and I will see whether I can persuade Clarinda.'

  'Good. I will call on her later today, if you will inform her the unwelcome suitor has departed. I want her to come tonight.'

  She smiled and turned away, almost colliding with a man coming towards them. He apologised and then, glancing towards Sarah, spoke.

  'Well met, fellow traveller. I trust you are enjoying your stay in Harrogate.'

  Sarah turned towards him and her mouth almost fell open in surprise. Then she gulped, and a soft pink flush spread over her cheeks. Looking wildly about her she saw Louise regarding her with interest, and she breathed deeply to steady her nerves.

  'Sir Charles! I had no idea you were in Harrogate!'

  'I arrived late last night. I do apologise for startling you so. I appear to make a habit of it, do I not?' he asked quizzically. Then he turned towards Louise. 'Since our mutual friend appears speechless, pray permit me to introduce myself, ma'am. My name is Orde, Sir Charles Orde, at your service.'

  *

  Chapter 6

  While Sarah was reeling under this second shock Sir Charles was making easy conversation with Louise, who eventually departed after issuing him with an invitation to join a small party at her house that evening. When she had gone he began to walk along with Sarah, insisting despite her protests on carrying the marketing basket she had over her arm.

  'What name do you go by here?' he asked, glancing down at her in amusement. 'I was in dread at having to address you by name and possibly giving you away.'

  Sarah giggled. 'I am Sarah Smith,' she said firmly. 'But you, your name?'

  'Orde, as I said. At least I did not offer you a false one at our previous meeting,' he teased, and she blushed, aware she was still going under a false name.

  'Do you – that is, had you any connection with the Sir James Orde who owned Forleys? Is that why you were interested in it?'

  'He was my brother,' he said abruptly. 'The name of the house was almost the first thing I heard after my unfortunate accident, and naturally I was curious. This is the main reason I, shall we say, detained you?'

  'I did not know Sir James had a brother,' Sarah said in some puzzlement.

  'We had another house here in Yorkshire where we spent our youth. I was rarely at Forleys. And it was ten years ago when he died. You were not of an age to take much interest.'

  'Did you not go there? Did you sell the house to Sir Gilbert?' she asked, curiosity overcoming good manners.

  'The house was no longer in James' possession when he died,' he explained. 'But what of your fair companion? Is she here with you?'

  'My cousin?' Sarah said quickly, feeling that she must maintain some of the story they had invented. Then she realised he would have to know Clarinda's identity.

  He was looking at her, a smile on his lips, and she wondered at his apparent eagerness to hear the answer to his question.

  'Yes, she is,' Sarah said slowly, 'but – well, the fact is, Mary Smith was not her name.'

  'What a surprise,' he said gravely, and Sarah chuckled.

  'We, or rather I, thought she had best conceal her own, for her father might be searching for her. She is Clarinda Middlewick, and her father bought Forleys two years ago from Sir Gilbert, although we did not know that until we discovered it from him.'

  'He is here?' he asked sharply, ignoring everything else and frowning.

  'He was. He arrived soon after we did. But he went away until a short while ago. He has gone again, but no doubt he will return. We think he will tell Mr Middlewick where Clarinda is.'

  'So that is the connection with Forleys,' he mused. 'Why should Sir Gilbert concern himself in your affairs?'

  Reluctantly Sarah explained. 'He has made her an offer, and naturally he must see her father.'

  'She has not accepted?' he snapped, and Sarah looked at him in surprise.

  'No. She dislikes him and fears him, but he hopes to gain her father's consent.'

  'And she will set off on her travels again?' he asked, trying to achieve a lighter tone although he was still frowning.

  'There is no need, our grandmother will protect Clarinda,' Sarah reassured him.

  'I hope you are right,' he said slowly, and then seemed to shake off his worries, asking about Louise and the other visitors to the Spa that they knew. At the house he refused Sarah's invitation to meet Mrs Middlewick, saying he hoped to call another day.

  'She would be pleased to meet you,' Sarah told him. 'Although she laughed about your activities she has begun to be somewhat suspicious you did not reveal your full name. I am sure she would be delighted to have that part of the mystery explained. Of course you would not wish Clarinda to know it.'

  'You will warn her so that she does not swoon on seeing me tonight?' he asked, and Sarah promised to do so, hoping Clarinda's nervousness towards him would not cause her to decline the invitation to Louise's party.

  *

  Clarinda, however, was so relieved to know Sir Gilbert had left, even though it would mean her father would soon be arriving in Harrogate, that she willingly saw Louise when her friend came in the afternoon, and welcomed the invitation to both the evening's party and the dance.

  'For if Papa insists on taking me straight home I may never have such opportunities again,' she said gloomily.

  She had become more cheerful by the time they set off. It was partly her pleasure in a new gown, white damask embroidered with deep pink roses, with slippers to match, but also that during her voluntary seclusion she had missed her new friends more than she had realised, and was looking forward to seeing some of them again.

  Sarah, refusing again Mrs Middlewick's generous offer of a new gown, wore one which she had worn several times before. It was a bright blue, the colour matching her eyes, and trimmed with ruched flounces of darker blue. She fastened a matching blue velvet ribbon about her throat, thinking a little wistfully of the sapphires which had been her mother's, and which she had left at The Hermitage. Their sparkle about her throat and in her ears would have been so much mor
e satisfactory than a mere ribbon, and at home she had far fewer occasions to wear them than she had been offered here. Jewels, however, had been the last things she had considered in that hurried packing, so many weeks ago now, when her main concern had been to take as little as possible for herself and Clarinda.

  The small party, as Louise had described it, was as usual larger than the girls had expected. Louise seemed to consider any number below twenty to be small, and Sarah wondered for a moment how many would be at the dance, which Louise had mentioned was to be for all their friends. Since Louise appeared to have a talent for making friends, as well as a host of local acquaintances, there were always people strange to Sarah and Clarinda.

  Sir Charles was already there and almost immediately crossed the room to speak with them. Clarinda, in a setting which she had become used to and thrived in, seemed less nervous of him, and he took pains to please her, even making her laugh with a sly reference to the dangers encountered from desperados like highwaymen who preyed on travellers.

  Sarah was soon claimed by Captain Gregory, fulsome as usual in his compliments. She turned with relief when Louise brought an older man to be introduced, finding his laboured gallantries easier to bear than the Captain's familiarity. She sat beside him at supper, seeing Sir Charles had remained at Clarinda's side almost the whole evening, and found her companion, along with two other rather more sedate men than the usual guest at Louise's parties, was keenly interested in shipping. They all, it appeared, owned vessels which traded in Africa or the Baltic.

  'My dear young lady, I do apologise,' one of the men said, after they had fallen into a discussion on the most profitable imports to be brought from Africa. 'This must be tedious for you, we should not be discussing business so rudely.'

  'But I am fascinated,' Sarah said, smiling at him. 'I have never seen the sea, and the whole business intrigues me. It seems so vast I cannot understand how anyone finds their way.'

  'I leave that to the masters,' one of the others chuckled. 'I am content they bring me the goods.'

  'Have you been tempted to sell stocks?'

  'Not yet. I prefer to keep all my profits to myself. They are modest, not comparable with the immense gains some have made with the South Sea Company.'

  'What is that?' Sarah asked, and the man explained.

  'Robert Harley set up the Company about ten years since, for trading with the Spanish Americas. It has provided vast profits, over a hundred per cent, to those fortunate to have bought stocks.'

  'Stocks?' she queried. 'I have heard my aunt talk of them but never understood, and she has not been able to explain so that I could understand,' Sarah confessed.

  'When a Company is established you can purchase a part of it, a share in it, and so receive a share of the profits. It is easier to raise money this way than for one man to provide all himself, especially for ventures which may be risky.'

  'If they are risky do they always make a profit?' Sarah asked, wrinkling her brow slightly.

  'No, and then people can lose all they have staked. There are, however, many new Companies being set up after the success of the South Sea Company. I hear their price is over nine hundred now,' he added to his companions.

  'Ridiculous,' was the reply. 'It stood at less than a hundred and thirty only in January.'

  'It has been creeping up for the past six months.'

  'The price? You must think me dreadfully ignorant,' Sarah said with a laugh. 'I understand about the profit, but how does the price change? Do people not buy the stocks when a Company is first formed?'

  'Yes, but they might wish to sell again, and the price at which they sell can vary. The prices of all stocks have been rising very quickly these past few months. I fear a collapse such as happened to the Mississippi Company,' he added gloomily.

  'But the situation was entirely different in France,' another said comfortably. 'It was that deuced Scotsman, John Law, with his mad schemes for issuing assignats that caused that crisis. It cannot happen here, the Bank of England has more sense.'

  'But they connived at the South Sea Company taking over the national debt, and offering their stock in exchange for the State annuities people held.'

  'I prefer to hold my wealth in ships. I've my eyes on a very nice coastal vessel. I think I shall start trading with London. The town is growing so fast there will be a good market for meat and wool from the north.'

  'And coal. A good idea, I must consider it.'

  *

  They then recalled Sarah's presence, and laughingly refused to continue their talk of business despite her genuine assurances that she found this, to her, totally new aspect of life oddly interesting.

  Afterwards, the guests entertained one another with singing and Clarinda, whose voice was much admired, sang several enchanting ditties. Then a duet was called for, and Sir Charles, who proved to possess a deep rich voice, joined her beside the window where Louise was accompanying her guests with a talented exhibition on her guitar.

  'I haven't seen Orde for years,' a man next to Sarah said to his neighbour when they had finished.

  'He's been abroad, I understand, in France. He's hardly been in England since that business about his brother.'

  Sarah unashamedly pricked up her ears.

  'A bad affair, that. Never did hear the full story. Shot himself, didn't he?'

  'He was found lying beside his gun the day after he lost all he had. He'd just offered for the youngest Broughty girl, too.'

  'The one who married Demster?'

  'Yes. She didn't waste time repining.'

  'It wasn't Demster who won everything, was it?'

  'He swore it wasn't, said he hadn't been in the party, but no one knew who had gone home with Orde afterwards and the estates were sold before anyone knew what had happened. There was a note which Orde had written, no mistake about that, giving up everything. Sir Charles had been in the army, and though he tried to challenge it the note was held to be valid. Two of his servants had witnessed it, and they didn't know the man who was there.'

  'A bad affair. Is he on the catch for an heiress?'

  'Have to be. I can't see how else he can contrive.'

  'He does not appear to lack either money or credit,' the other observed. 'Deuced fine coat he's wearing.'

  Sarah silently agreed with the unknown speaker. Sir Charles, tall, broad shouldered and lean, although the muscles rippled in his arms and legs, looked a fine figure. He wore a light brown coat of figured satin, matching breeches and an embroidered waistcoat. The buckles on his shoes glittered with real, not paste diamonds, and his stockings were of the finest silk.

  She considered his features. His deep set, almost hooded eyes of vivid blue could twinkle in merriment or mockery, or penetrate one's very thoughts in a piercing stare. The thin, high bridged nose emphasised his occasional arrogance, and his determined chin and firm mouth would, she considered, deter most people from opposing his wishes.

  He was sitting beside Clarinda now, chatting to her while another guest prepared to sing, and she was laughing up at him with all trace of her former wariness gone.

  Was he, as her neighbour had suggested, looking for a rich wife? Or had he in some manner recovered the fortune his brother appeared to have gambled away? She frowned suddenly. Had he, despite the refusal to take money from the people they had held up together, really been a highwayman? Did his fine clothes come from that source?

  *

  The questions plagued her for the next few days. Sir Charles was always elegantly attired, and sported a variety of jewels, rings and buckles and pins, which must have cost a great deal.

  He called on Mrs Middlewick and she promptly became one of his firmest friends.

  'A charming man, my dear child. How sad for him to lose everything through the stupidity of his brother. It shows the dangers of reckless play.'

  'He would not have had any more, I assume, had his brother lived,' Sarah said quickly. 'Sir John was the elder.'

  'But if he had died without l
osing all he had it would have been different,' Mrs Middlewick persisted.

  'If he had not lost his possessions he would not, as I understand it, have died,' she pointed out.

  'And Papa would not have been able to buy Forleys, and I would not have known you, Sarah,' Clarinda said, and then turned to her grandmother. 'Do you think Papa will be here soon? You will not permit him to force me to wed that horrid man?' she pleaded.

  'Of course not, child. By the time your Papa arrives I would not be at all surprised to find some other gentleman anxious to speak to him,' she added fondly, and Sarah silently agreed with her. Her pretty friend, once she had overcome her shyness a little, was extremely popular with Louise's friends. One of them might well offer for Clarinda, and if she liked him her problems would be solved.

  Sarah herself would then have to return home, and the very idea depressed her. It had been such a different life here in Harrogate for the past few months, with so many people to meet, and such a variety of activities both concerned with Mrs Middlewick's lodging house and the fashionable visitors to the spa. The tranquil life at The Hermitage, with only Aunt Nell and her few friends for company, and the same endless round of monotonous tasks, would be unendurable after this glimpse of another world. She would welcome Robert's return, she thought suddenly, and might even welcome marriage to him if that enabled her to escape occasionally from the quiet life at home.

  The dance which Louise had planned was to take place at a larger hotel than the one where she was staying, and it seemed as though everyone they knew was attending. Clarinda had been excitedly planning her gown for days, and Sarah had been hard put to it not to offend Mrs Middlewick, who urged her yet again to accept a new gown from her.

  'If you will not permit me to buy it for you, will you not accept it as a loan?' the kindly woman asked. 'I do not care to have you short of funds only because you helped Clarinda.'