‘I could get there early and hide in the trees,’ volunteered Leeming.
‘You don’t know in which part of the wooded areas he’d be lurking.’
‘I could use the telescope to find out, sir.’
‘Captain Whiteside will be using a telescope on you, Victor. He’ll scan the whole dale before he makes his move. There’s nothing else for it,’ said Colbeck. ‘We have to follow his instructions. The safety of the hostages is paramount. Once they’ve been returned, we go after Whiteside and this Sergeant Cullen.’
Leeming blenched. ‘Do we follow them on horseback?’
‘Can you think of a quicker way?’
‘They’re from a cavalry regiment, sir. They know how to ride.’
‘We can’t expect to overtake them, Victor. We just need to pick up their trail and follow them. When they’re well clear, they’ll think that their mission was a great success and they’ll relax. They won’t expect us to be so close behind them.’
‘Where will they go?’
‘Oh, they’ll have an escape plan worked out,’ Colbeck told him. ‘The chances are that the horses are hired from somewhere near a railway station, enabling them to hop onto a train and — as they think — make off with the ransom money.’
‘I’m still not happy about riding a horse, sir.’
‘We’ll find you a quiet mount this time.’
‘Where do you think they are at the moment?’
‘Well, as I told you, my feeling is that they’ve been somewhere in Oxfordshire all the time. The further they travelled with the two ladies, the more chance they had of being seen. They’d have prepared a hiding place well in advance,’ said Colbeck. ‘They needed to keep Sir Marcus’s daughter and her maid completely out of sight.’
The discussion continued all the way back to London and it distracted Leeming from the incessant din of the train and the rocking of their carriage. Though the evening was drawing on, they caught a cab and went straight to Scotland Yard. Tallis had departed but he’d left a message for them. It was waiting on Colbeck’s desk. Picking it up, the inspector read the letter with an approving smile.
‘The superintendent has been as good as his word,’ he said. ‘He made enquiries about our two suspects. Captain Terence Whiteside and Sergeant Manus Cullen did both serve in a cavalry regiment but neither of them has been anywhere near
the Crimea. The heroics with which the captain left Mrs Greenfield spellbound were pure invention. No doubt he told the same stirring tales to Sir Marcus’s daughter.’ He folded the letter to put in his pocket. ‘I thought it was Irishmen who were supposed to have the gift of the gab.’
‘Perhaps the captain has Irish blood, sir.’
‘He has the cheek of the devil, I know that.’
‘Women are so easily taken in.’
‘Don’t tell that to your wife or she’ll box your ears,’ said Colbeck. ‘In my experience, women have far more intuition than we do. Madeleine senses things that completely elude me. How easy is it to bamboozle Estelle?’
‘It’s near impossible, sir,’ replied Leeming with pride. ‘She’d have seen through all the nonsense that he fed to Sir Marcus’s daughter.’
‘Your wife doesn’t have the slightest intention of running away from home to some phantom paradise. Estelle is very happy with her husband and children. Imogen Burnhope, by contrast,’ said Colbeck, pointedly, ‘was not happy with her lot. She wanted to believe there was something better for her and that made her credulous. When she learns the truth, it will be a heart-rending moment.’
‘That’s all the more reason to catch this lying cavalry officer and his friend.’
‘They’ll be caught and roundly punished, Victor.’
‘Did the letter give you any idea where they’ve been living, sir?’
‘No — but if you find out, please inform the army.’
‘Why is that?’
‘They’re both deserters.’
Edward Tallis accompanied him to the bank then travelled back to Worcestershire with him in order to act as a bodyguard. Sir Marcus was carrying an immense amount of money in his bag and it never left his side throughout the two train journeys. In case of trouble, the superintendent had an old army pistol concealed in his valise. The other reason he went back to Burnhope Manor was to remind himself that he was still theoretically in charge of the investigation. Having telegraphed ahead to Shrub Hill, they arrived to find that a message had been taken out to the house. Vernon Tolley was waiting to drive them there.
The coachman did not have to guess what had happened this time. Sir Marcus and Tallis talked openly about the latest development in the case. All that Tolley did was to keep his ears pricked.
‘What if they don’t hand Imogen over?’ asked Sir Marcus, beset by anxiety. ‘What if she’s no longer alive?’
‘I feel certain that she is,’ said Tallis, confidently. ‘Without a live hostage, he has no bargaining tool. If we don’t see your daughter, no money will be given.’
‘He and his accomplice can live in luxury for the rest of their lives on the amount in this bag. Are you sure that Colbeck will be able to retrieve it?’
‘I am, Sir Marcus.’
‘It’s galling to be compelled to buy my own daughter back like this.’
‘Look at it another way,’ advised Tallis. ‘We’ve had hostages killed before now because their parents were either unable to afford the ransom or because they couldn’t pay it in time. Captain Whiteside will get his money on time.’
‘I look forward to his getting his just desserts.’
‘So do I, Sir Marcus. As an army man, I’m horrified that this whole affair is the work of two deserters. They were a disgrace to the uniforms they wore. If they’d been under my command,’ said Tallis, ‘I’d have had them tied securely to a cannon and given two hundred lashes apiece.’ He gave a grunt of satisfaction. ‘It was a punishment that had a tendency to discourage others from similar disobedience.’
Though they talked freely about the treatment that Whiteside and Cullen should receive, they never once introduced Tunnadine into the conversation because they’d agreed to differ on the subject of his punishment. Each man had his own position and neither would be shifted from it. Where they did side with each other was on the decision to keep him unaware of the second ransom demand. If he was not at the exchange, he couldn’t make another disastrous intervention.
When they reached Burnhope Manor, they waited until the coachman had put down the step and they alighted. Sir Marcus hugged the bag protectively as if it were a baby rescued from a house fire. The butler admitted them and they entered the hall to be welcomed by Cassandra and Emma Vaughan. A third member of the family had joined them. He darted forward to shake Sir Marcus’s hand.
‘Good evening, Uncle,’ said the curate.
‘What, in God’s name, are you doing here, Percy?’
‘I’m doing exactly what you just said. I’m here in God’s name.’
‘Percy wanted to offer his assistance,’ explained Cassandra. ‘I wish that I could say the same of my other son but he disappeared off to London.’
‘George would have helped,’ said Emma, loyally. ‘He’s very brave.’
‘I’d prefer to put my trust in Percy.’
‘Why?’ asked Sir Marcus. ‘What does he intend to do?’
‘I intend to appeal to the kidnapper,’ said the curate. ‘When he sees that I’m a man of the cloth, he’ll know I pose no threat to him. I’ll reason with him. I’ll remind him of Christian teaching. I’ll talk to him so persuasively that he’ll hand over Imogen and her maid without asking for anything in return.’
Cassandra beamed. ‘Isn’t that a splendid idea?’
‘No, Mother,’ said Emma. ‘It isn’t. Percy will be in great jeopardy.’
‘He won’t be allowed anywhere near the kidnapper,’ said Tallis. ‘As soon as he sees that his instructions have been defied, the man will probably turn tail and run, taking the hostages with him. All that you’ll have done, Reverend, is to imperil your cousin and her maid. I can’t let you do that.’