She wondered on what log or rock he had rested it, and felt a qualm of compassion, for the weather was not kind in December. “You look tired. I don’t think you can have slept well.”
Pity was not desired. He stated in a flat voice that he had enjoyed an excellent night’s repose, while he walked briskly from grate to window and back.
“It would be a result of all the exercise you get, pouncing around the room,” she suggested lightly.
He sat on the edge of a chair. “I think you should go to the Dower House with Lady Jane tonight. It is hard on her, an older woman, being out of her bed. It is clear the smugglers don’t intend to come while you are here. You are causing everyone a vast deal of bother with this cork-brained scheme.”
“It is no such thing. Lady Jane enjoyed herself excessively. She agrees with me it would be very mean-spirited to let them go without finding where they have been hiding the brandy.”
“We’ll discover that all right!” He rose again from the chair and paced in the other direction across the room this time.
“It has already been arranged. Lady Jane comes to me again tonight. You waste your time, deVigne, trying to bring us round your thumb.”
They were interrupted by a knocking at the front door. “My first creditor!” Mrs. Grayshott exclaimed.
“I’ll get it,” deVigne said, heading to the door. When he came into the saloon, it was no creditor who accompanied him, but Andrew’s uncle, Clancy Grayshott, known slightly to the widow from his having been presented to her at the time of Andrew’s funeral. He resembled Andrew, but was older, an altogether bigger man, and less refined.
After a few common civilities, Clancy said, “Where is Bristcombe today?”
“The Bristcombes are no longer with me,” Delsie answered. “Mrs. Bristcombe’s mother required them in Merton. They left yesterday.”
His nod held no surprise, and she took the idea that Clancy Grayshott already knew this. As he lived in Merton himself, it would be odd if he did not know it. Certainly in Questnow all items of gossip were known in an hour. “Ah, then you are left short-handed, ma’am. Perhaps you will be inclined on that account to accept the offer I am come here to make you.”
“What offer is that, Mr. Grayshott?” she asked, suspicious.
“I am eager to have my great-niece come to me for a few days. I had expected the pleasure of being her guardian, as you may have heard, but, being deprived of that, I would ask you to bring her to visit my wife and myself at Merton till the weekend.”
“I’m afraid it is impossible for us to go at the present time,” she answered promptly. A visit to this man’s home would be her last choice at any time. She was sure that on this point, at least, deVigne would agree with her. Her marriage had been arranged to keep Bobbie away from Clancy Grayshott, but she soon found herself to be in error. Really there was no accounting for the strange quirks deVigne took into his head.
“I see no harm in your taking Roberta to visit the Grayshotts for a few days, cousin,” he said.
“She is not here,” Delsie pointed out.
“She is only at the Hall,” she was reminded.
“The Hall!” Clancy was immediately on his feet. “Roberta was left in Mrs. Grayshott’s care! It was her father’s express wish that she not be under your guardianship, Lord deVigne.”
“She is not under my guardianship, but only paying a short visit of two days to her uncle-myself-as she will soon be doing with you. Nothing forbids that.”
“No, no! She lives here with me,” Delsie explained hastily, yet she felt foolish. It must appear to Grayshott as though her marriage had been a ruse to get Roberta into the hands of deVigne.
Clancy appeared to accept her explanation. “If you can let her visit her maternal uncle, I see no reason why you cannot bring her to me. My wife is particularly eager to see her.”
Delsie was not happy to see Roberta go off to Clancy Grayshott’s home, yet his request seemed justified. She noticed too that he had not asked her to send Roberta, but bring her. This was hardly more pleasing, but it removed her one excuse to forbid the visit. Clearly he was not trying to get Bobbie away from her. No, he wanted a short visit from her, along with her stepmother.
“I shall take her to you one day, Mr. Grayshott. I promise that, but this happens to be an impossible time for me to leave home.”
“On the contrary, it is a perfect time,” deVigne said. “You are without a housekeeper. I shall undertake to find you one during your absence. A few days in Merton will be a pleasant change for you, and when you return, you will find your house in order.”
“I cannot leave now. There will be creditors, after the notice in the papers,” she parried. His reason for wishing the visit was becoming clear to her. He wanted to get her out of the house to let the smugglers come and get their brandy. He would even send her and Roberta off to this horrid Clancy Grayshott to achieve his aim. She dug in her heels.
“I’ll be happy to meet the creditors for you,” he said.
“I had hoped to bring you and the child to my wife today,” Clancy went on, unconvinced that he had failed, with the unexpected support from deVigne. “She has not had the pleasure of your acquaintance, ma’am, and you may imagine how eager she is to meet Andrew’s wife.”
‘I could not possibly be ready to make the visit on such short notice,” Delsie insisted.
“Tomorrow, then. I’ll put up at the inn in Questnow for the night…”
“Stay at the Hall,” deVigne invited. Delsie directed an incredulous stare at his speech. DeVigne loathed Clancy. To offer him the hospitality of the Hall was done only to make her position more difficult.
“I fail to see the great urgency for this visit,” she said angrily. “I have promised to take Roberta to you in the near future, Mr. Grayshott. In a week or two-”
“With winter coming on, it’s best to do the thing before the roads become bad,” Grayshott pressed on urgently.
“It is only early December. I cannot think we’ll be snowbound within the next week. I’m sorry. I am very busy-everything in a mess here. It is impossible to leave at this time.”
“My wife will be very disappointed,” Grayshott said, peering at her to see how this new tack was working.
“I will be happy to receive her here at any time. I cannot leave at the present.” The mulish set of her chin at last convinced him that his errand had failed.
“I’ll tell her, then,” he said, arising. DeVigne too arose, and together the two men left the Cottage. From the window, Delsie saw them stroll together down the walk and off towards the stable.
* * * *
“That young lady has a mind of her own,” Clancy said. “She’ll come to grief, mark my words.”
“She had better not,” deVigne answered in a quietly menacing tone. “You understand my meaning, Clancy?”
“Can’t say as I do,” the man answered slyly.
“Let us cut line. We have discovered what is going on here, as no doubt Bristcombe told you.”
“Bristcombe? I haven’t seen him in a dog’s age.”
“Not since this morning, at any rate. How long will it take you to get the stuff out of the orchard?”
“You found that out too, did you?” He laughed. “Pity. Such an ingenious idea, I had hoped we might go on using it. Andrew was a drunken fool, but he had a way with mechanical contrivances, no denying.”
“Is one night sufficient?”
“Oh, an hour is time enough, but not with a sharp-eyed busybody looking over our shoulders. That wouldn’t do at all. The gentlemen are right shy.”
“She won’t be here tomorrow night. Come any time after midnight.”
“What have you in mind to do with her? She won’t budge for me, and I fancy you’ve already tried your hand at leading her.”
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet. Tomorrow night. And Clancy, this will be the last time the orchard is used.”