OF THE DUEL IN THE WOOD
ONCE, however, in the open air I paused; and then, with no fixed
intention in my mind, I slowly crossed the yard and peered in at the
open stable; and here, indeed, a surprise awaited me, for a horse,
which I recognized as belonging to the young baronet, and upon which
he had twice visited the manor, was standing unsaddled in the nearest
stall.
Wrapped in thought, I stood staring at the animal before me. From the
inn came a confused babel of voices, the clatter of crockery, the
clink of cups, and now and again a burst of laughter. But to all this
I gave no heed, for my brain was thinking deeply. What was Sir Rupert
Courtenay doing here? And, seeing that he lived but some three miles
distant, for Clevedon Hall was the old mansion I had seen from the
summit of Cleevesborough nestling in the trees, what purpose could he
have in putting up his horse at the village inn? That he was bound
for the manor I did not doubt. But would any man forsake his horse at
the village to walk the remainder of the way on foot? The idea was
preposterous. And then I remembered his confusion at the colonel’s
words, and the appointment he had mentioned, and a sudden light broke
on me, and all was plain. He had come to meet my lady, was in her
confidence, a sharer of her schemes! Dolt that I was, not to have
thought of it before! He had come to meet my lady--but where?
A few moments thought, and it flashed upon me like an inspiration.
At the beginning of the village, where the parkland surrounding the
manor ceased and the first scattered houses of the street began,
parallel with the road, a narrow winding path ran through the woods.
I had stumbled upon it by accident when first I came to Cleeve, and
though I fancied it was seldom used, save by the servants of the manor
in their errands to and from the village, ’twas an ideal spot, I vow,
in which to hold a tryst. Aye, and as the memory of it grew upon me the
very spot itself was mirrored clear before my eyes.
At one place in the wood, where the pathway widened to an open
clearing, a little rustic bridge was thrown across a stream. ’Twas
here, if anywhere, that they were like to meet. If only I could make my
way to this spot unperceived and conceal myself in the vicinity, it was
more than likely that I should learn the meaning of these mysteries.
True, ’twas not an honourable part to play eavesdropper, but I consoled
myself for what misgivings I had upon the subject with the thought that
all was fair in war, and that if the part was thus forced upon me, why,
’twas my lady herself who was to blame for it.
With my resolution formed, I roused myself for action. I knew that
for the execution of my project I had time to spare, for I was well
assured, however urgent were his orders to advance, the colonel would
not yet release his guest. Accordingly, unnoticed by any one within,
I passed across the yard and gained the village street, threading my
way between groups of men and horses, until I stumbled at length upon
the man I sought, the one-eyed sergeant of my troop, and to him I gave
instructions to secure my horse and to choose a dozen men on whom he
could rely, and with these, upon the regiment’s departure, to take
possession of the inn and to await my further orders.
He saluted in return, and I watched his burly figure go clanking down
the street. Then satisfied that I had at least one tried and cunning
soldier to uphold me, I continued on my way.
When I had left the village behind me and had reached the woods, I
turned sharply to the right, and at a distance of some two hundred
yards from the road I came to the entrance of the little path. As I
stepped into the cool shadow of the trees, I paused irresolutely, as
a sudden thought struck me. What if it was not my lady he had come
to meet, but Mistress Grace! I had seen enough with my own eyes to
convince me that there was a warmer feeling existing between them than
mere cousinly affection. Was all my cunning scheme to end in witnessing
a lover’s meeting?
Almost I had persuaded myself that this was indeed the case, and I
was strongly tempted to retrace my steps. But the memory of the dark,
mysterious vessel I had seen deterred me from my purpose, and again I
set my face resolutely towards the house, and at the next turning in
the path I came upon something by which my ardour was considerably
stimulated, for fluttering from a thorn bush beside the track was a
shred of scarlet cloth.
I took this tell-tale witness in my hand and closely examined it. It
was of the same material as the coat I wore, and had been but recently
torn from its wearer, for now that I gazed about me, my suspicions
roused, in a patch of moist turf at my feet I saw the fresh print of a
man’s spurred heel. I gazed eagerly ahead; but the pathway so wound and
twisted that I could not see a dozen feet before me--only the hot sun
slanted through the leaves above and fell upon the thickets of brier,
and bush and bracken that walled me in on either side with a hedge of
emerald green.
I listened, but no sound reached my ear save the hum of insect life
around me and the sough of the wind in the whispering trees. Yet who
was the man who had recently passed along this path? And why should a
trooper be wandering in the woods?
The more I thought of this, the more it puzzled me. I could hazard no
conjecture as to the man’s identity, still less as to his purpose.
Only, with a growing uneasiness, I loosened my sword in its sheath and
advanced more cautiously, searching the bushes on either side.
It may have been for some quarter of a mile I had proceeded thus when,
upon drawing near to the little clearing, on a sudden I heard the sound
of a man’s deep voice and a woman’s startled cry.
At the sound I slipped amongst the bushes on my left, and forcing my
way through their tangled growth, at the turning of the path I parted
the leafy screen before me and gazed across the little clearing.
Two figures met my eyes. In the woman standing with her back to me I
had no difficulty in recognising my lady; but, dazzled by the sunlight,
I was forced to look twice at the man who faced her at the head of the
bridge, barring her progress--the man dressed in the uniform of the
Tangier Horse--ere I clearly perceived his features. It was De Brito!
De Brito! The sight of him came as a revelation to me. For at once I
remembered that I had not seen him at the village when the regiment
rode in, though in the incidents following our arrival this fact had
escaped my memory. But the explanation of his presence in the manor
woods I had yet to learn, and I bent my attention on the scene before
me.
What had already passed between them I could only guess, but my lady
was now speaking.
“Are you aware, sir, that this is private ground?” she said clearly.
“Private?” De Brito answered mockingly. “Aye, aye! A sweet spot for a
meeting. But seeing that the recreant lover is but a laggard, why, you
should thank me, mistress, that I am here to take his place.”
“Whoever you may be I do not know,” my lady answered, her figure
trembling with surprise and passion, “but be assured of this, your
insolence to me shall not go long unpunished. And now, stand aside.”
“Oho! you think to frighten me with fine words, do you, madam?” he
sneered, his evil smile replaced by an ugly frown. “Not so fast, my
dainty dove; you came hither for your own pleasure, you will remain
awhile for mine.”
“Let me pass,” my lady replied, advancing boldly towards him.
But she had mistaken her man. Instead of giving place to her, he took
two steps forward and gripped her wrists.
“You shall pass fast enough, mistress,” he said roughly, “but first
I will even take toll of those ripe lips; for who passes, pays.” And
despite her struggles he strove to draw her towards him. Up till now I
had remained a silent spectator of the scene; nay, I had even felt a
thrill of satisfaction that my lady should see that not every one would
treat her with the same forbearance that I had shown towards her; but
when he laid hands upon her a sudden flame of anger took possession of
me, and I sprang into the open space.
“You hound!” I cried.
At my words, releasing his hold upon my lady’s wrists, he stepped
backwards, a circumstance of which I was not slow to take advantage
by placing myself between him and the bridge. But his surprise once
mastered, he faced me with a lowering brow.
“So,” he said sneeringly after a moment’s pause, “the recreant lover
arrives. Now I understand, and I congratulate you, mistress, on your
choice.”
“You fool!” was all I could stammer, so taken aback was I at his words;
“what do you mean?”
“What I say,” he answered in the same sneering tone. “We were blind
not to have suspected it before. ’Tis not the first time a pretty face
has caused a man to change sides. And I come between you, do I?” he
continued darkly. “I am a spoil-sport, am I? Yours, and that----”
I checked the foul word on his lips by a blow that sent him reeling
backwards, when, his spurred heel catching in a projecting root, he
fell heavily to the ground.
Throughout the foregoing scene my lady had remained standing in the
same spot, as if doubtful what course to take.
“Go, madam,” I said quietly, unsheathing my sword and placing myself to
cover her retreat, though without daring to take my eyes from the man
before me.
As the latter rose slowly to his feet I heard my lady’s receding
footsteps cross the bridge and die away upon the woodland path, and in
another minute I had need of all my skill to meet the attack of the man
before me, for with a furious oath he drew his sword and flung himself
upon me, and our blades met to the sound of the music that I loved so
well.
From the first I read murder in his eyes, and so fierce, indeed, was
his attack that I was driven back to the bank of the stream; and it
was only when I felt myself upon the very edge of this that I realised
my danger. I dared not turn my head, but instinctively I knew that
one step backwards and I should fall some four feet to the bed of the
stream, where, penned between its narrow banks, I was practically at my
opponent’s mercy, and what form this latter would take I read all too
clearly in his blood-shot eyes. He saw his advantage, too, for with a
short cry of triumph he redoubled his efforts, so that I tottered on
the very brink. But his very confidence of success was like to have
been his undoing, for rallying myself with the courage of despair, I
parried his furious lunges and thrust so shrewdly in return that I laid
his cheek open from brow to chin.
Startled for a moment by the suddenness of the attack, and blinded by
the blood that sprang freely from the wound, he threw himself violently
backward, thus narrowly escaping the second thrust with which I
followed up my advantage.
But the respite thus afforded me was sufficient. I sprang lightly aside
and renewed the fight upon more equal terms. Once, indeed, we paused
as if by mutual consent, and faced each other with dripping brows and
labouring breath. But in a few moments’ time we fell to it again, and
the glade resounded to the rasping of our blades, that thrust and
parried, twined and clicked together like sentient things of evil;
whilst the sun lay hot upon the clearing and the birds flew chattering
from the surrounding woods. And once again I narrowly escaped with my
life, for as we circled round each other I stumbled over the very root
that had previously caused his downfall, and though I sprang instantly
aside, so near was the fierce thrust that he aimed at me that his point
shredded the cambric at my throat.
Up till now I had been acting mostly on the defensive, but roused by
this last attack to sudden passion, and conscious of a thin trickle
of blood upon my breast that warned me how near had been my peril, I
called all my skill to my aid and began to press him in my turn.
And from that moment the aspect of the fight altered, for good sword
though the man was, his intemperate habits were against him, and
whereas, minute by minute, as the fight proceeded I felt myself growing
cooler and settled more steadily to my work, the sweat gathered thicker
on his brow and his chest heaved in panting breaths to his exertions.
Thickset as the man was, and like a bull for strength, I felt his
thrusts momentarily grow weaker, and foot by foot I pressed him
backwards across the open space--back until he could retreat no further
by reason of the encircling trees; and then, as I felt his pressure on
my blade diminish, twice I drove him round the little clearing. Nor for
all his renewed efforts could he make headway against me or even hold
his ground.
Once he rallied, twice he rallied, but my wrist was iron and I would
not be denied. And with my glittering point ever at his breast, looking
into my grim face, I think he tasted then the bitterness of death.
Think? Nay, I know. I could read in his dilated eyes, in the snarling,
blood-streaked lips, that reminded me of naught so much as of a trapped
wolf, that he realised that he was mastered. The man was no coward, as
I knew, but reading my purpose by his own, small blame to him that the
shadow of doom gathered upon his face, or that as for a third time I
drove him before me, a low groan escaped his lips.
“Curse you!” he gasped hoarsely, parrying wildly; “finish it, and
be----”
And even as he spoke the end came, for putting aside a still wilder
thrust, I slipped within his guard and wounded him in the wrist.
At that the sword fell from his nerveless fingers, and staggering to
the nearest tree, he leaned against its knotted trunk, while the blood
dripped steadily upon the grass and his breath came in long-drawn,
labouring sobs. And at this moment from the direction of the village
the trumpets of the regiment sounded the “assembly.” The sound was
wafted clearly to our ears upon the breeze, and I saw De Brito start
and straighten himself ere turning to me with a puzzled frown.
“Well,” he said hoarsely, “what are you going to do?”
For answer I pushed his sword towards him with my foot.
“There is your sword,” I said shortly, “and the regiment is in the
village. You should know as well as I the meaning of that trumpet call.
For the rest, Señor de Brito, I am glad that our paths lie for the
present wide apart.”
Still for a moment he glowered on me, relief struggling with hate upon
his face. Then he stooped and raised his sword.
“You are a fool,” he said slowly, sheathing his blade and hastily
twisting a handkerchief round his wounded wrist. “A while ago I should
have killed you without scruple.”
“I am not an assassin,” I said coldly.
“On your head be it, then,” he answered sneeringly. “Only the matter
does not end here, and if you live long enough there shall yet be a
heavy reckoning between us. No, curse you!” he added with sudden
passion, “you have not seen the last of Heitor de Brito.” And with a
look of baffled hate, he turned upon his heel. Long after the sound of
his footsteps had died away in the woods I stood where he had left me,
pondering upon the events of the last half hour.
Indeed, it was only when from the village there came another long-drawn
blast sounding the “advance” that I roused myself to a sense of my
surroundings. Then sheathing my sword, I quenched my burning thirst at
the stream, and having freely bathed my face and hands and ascertained
that the wound upon my neck was a mere scratch--scarce more than skin
deep, indeed--I turned to leave the spot. Yet now that the fierce
excitement of the moment was past and had given place to the inevitable
reaction, I began to ask myself what I had gained by championing my
lady’s cause, and to count the cost of my interference. What was it to
me that she should meet with insult, or that for her sake I should make
for myself a ruthless enemy?
My present position was by no means so secure as I could have wished it
to be. Here was I isolated from all assistance in this out-of-the-way
village, with but a dozen troopers at my back, in the midst of a people
notoriously hostile to us, and, for all I knew, a whole regiment of
Jacobites in the vessel I had seen in the bay. The prospect was not
encouraging.
[Illustration: “He leaned against its knotted trunk, while the blood
dripped steadily upon the grass”]
And upon reaching the village I had an example of the effect that the
presence of so small a number of my men remaining there produced, in
the altered demeanour of the villagers themselves; for whereas
before they had scarcely dared to show themselves in the street, now
upon every doorstep and in the open space before the inn excited groups
were gathered, above which sounded the shrill voices of the women and
the low muttering of the men.
This clamour, indeed, fell to silence as I passed, but was renewed
with double vehemence when my back was turned. To this, however, I
paid no heed, but looking neither to the right nor left, I strode down
the street, the excited groups making way for me readily enough at the
sight of my grim visage and clanking sword.
I found that the sergeant had faithfully carried out my orders by
withdrawing with his party to the inn, for I deemed that this latter
building was the most capable of being held by a dozen resolute men in
the event of their being besieged, though that fate should play them so
scurvy a trick I did not anticipate.
Still, I determined that I would give my lady no single loophole by
which she might contrive to outwit me. So true is it that a fool will
pride himself on his acuteness even in the midst of his folly, though
this lesson was more fully inculcated on my mind by subsequent events.
Conformable to the plan that I had conceived in my own brain, I took
the sergeant aside and warned him to be strictly on his guard against
surprise, arranging that two pistol shots in rapid succession should
be the mutual signal of danger between us. But so comfortable was the
aspect of the inn parlour, of which the troopers had already taken
possession, and the welcome sight of the familiar uniforms with their
reassuring air of security, that again I was sorely tempted to remove
my quarters thither also. Surely it was my pride only that prevented me.
Glancing through the open window, I saw a trooper bringing my horse
from the stable, and again I cautioned the sergeant to look well to the
safety of their own animals and to make certain that the liquor with
which the troopers were served had not been previously tampered with.
“No fear of that,” he said with a grin, pointing to two unopened casks
of ale which they had already rolled into the room. “He will be a
clever man who touches that whilst we are present.”
Nevertheless, I could see that although as a soldier he was inclined
to look down upon the villagers as a set of ignorant rustics, he was
visibly impressed on hearing of the vessel I had seen, and I believed
that I could trust him to look well to the safety of his party. With a
few parting words to the men themselves, I mounted my horse and rode
away.
Again as I clattered up the street I was the mark of all eyes, but I
fancied that the groups showed more reluctance to make way for me.
At the door of the blacksmith’s forge, round which were gathered some
dozen of the hardiest men left in the village, I caught sight of
Sampson Dare, towering a head and shoulders above the rest, and at
the same moment his eyes met mine with a glance full of menace and
defiance there was no mistaking. Yet I made as if I did not see, and
in accordance with my assumed air of indifference, with hand on hip and
lightly humming a little air, I passed them by and so rode slowly to
the manor. But here I could gain no information that would enlighten
me upon the events of the day, though I spent an hour in pacing the
terrace walks, keeping a watchful eye upon the house. From there I made
my way to the cliffs; but though I gazed eagerly seawards, I could see
no trace of the mysterious vessel of the morning. To the horizon the
surface of the sea was bare of any sail.
Again I returned to the house, half hoping that I might yet find my
lady waiting to tender me her thanks for the service I had rendered her
in the wood.
But again I was disappointed; my lady was nowhere to be seen. And a few
hours later that happened which drove all speculation upon her conduct
from my mind. It was drawing towards ten of the clock, and I was
lingering at the table after my evening meal, when I was startled by a
loud and prolonged knocking proceeding from the direction of the main
entrance.
So urgent, indeed, was the clamour that I sprang instantly to my
feet, and thrusting the pistols which I kept ever handy into my sash,
I caught up my sword and hurried into the hall. And this indeed so
quickly, that ere any of the servants had reached the spot I had flung
open the massive door.
Outside in the dusk was one of the troopers. He was panting heavily as
if he had been running.
The sight of his face confirmed my forebodings.
“What is it?” I cried quickly.
“The horses!” he gasped.
“The horses?” I repeated sharply. “What of them? Speak, man!”
“Are gone!” he continued, leaning against the door post.
“Gone?” I cried incredulously. “Gone? Do you mean to tell me, man, that
they could remove a dozen horses from the stable, from beneath your
open windows, without you seeing them? You were drunk, you knaves!” I
said fiercely.
“It is not true,” he answered sullenly, recovering his breath somewhat.
“And for the stable, ’tis a wooden shed. They had removed the boards
at back--and the stalls are empty. But that is not all. For Long
Marsden----”
“Aye!” I cried impatiently. “What of him?”
“He had gone to see how they fared, and----”
“Is missing, too?”
“No,” he answered slowly; “he is not missing; but----”
“Where is he?” I cried, grasping the fellow’s arm so that he winced.
“In the stocks!” he replied.
“In the stocks?”
I stepped back a pace or two and gazed at the man in blank astonishment.
“Aye,” he added hastily. “He had been stunned as he entered the stable
door. Ten minutes later we found him with a broken head in the stocks,
and the key is missing!”
Still I could do nothing but stare stupidly at the fellow, until the
silence following his words was broken by a low laugh from behind me. I
turned quickly at the sound.
In the doorway upon my left, and so close that she must have heard
every word between us, stood my lady. And at the sight of her a sudden
rage possessed me.
“So, madam!” I cried passionately. “I believe I have to thank you for
this.”
I could not make out her face clearly, for she stood in the shadow of
the doorway--only her white-robed figure and her sparkling eyes.
“For what, sir?” she replied in a voice in which amusement struggled
with contempt. “For stealing your horses?”
“That and this other outrage!” I continued, striving to hide my
mortification, and succeeding, I fear, but ill. “’Twas done by your
orders and you know by whom.”
Again she laughed mockingly, a laugh that stung me worse than any words
of scorn.
“Would you question me as to their names, sir--with the flame of a
candle?” she replied. “I have heard that is a gentle method of yours!”
I remembered the sergeant’s threat to the steward, and I coloured hotly
at her words.
“No, madam,” I answered when I could speak, “for I should as little
expect truth from your lips as I should look to you for gratitude!” And
without further words I turned and, closely followed by the trooper,
ran down the steps.
Once in the road, however, I was forced to restrain my impatience and
to slacken my pace, for the man beside me was little used to running,
and, moreover, was exhausted by his previous exertions. I questioned
him closely, therefore, as to the details of what had passed. From
this I gathered that just before their supper was served the man whom
they called Long Marsden had taken a lantern and stepped across to the
stables to see that all was safe there, as one or other of the men
had done at short intervals throughout the evening. That at first his
absence caused no uneasiness, but when ten minutes had elapsed and he
did not return, their suspicions were aroused, and two of their number
were sent to look for him. That they found the stable door bolted on
the inside, and upon this being forced open, they found a great gap in
the back wall of the shed, where half a dozen boards had been removed
and the horses gone. More, the lantern lay upon the ground and a thin
trail of blood led through the opening. This they had followed round
the adjacent buildings until they came to the square before the inn.
Here, in the shadow of the court-house, they saw a dark mass huddled in
the village stocks, which proved to be the body of the missing trooper.
He was quite insensible, and was bleeding freely from a gash upon the
forehead; and the stocks being secured by a heavy padlock, all their
efforts to force it had proved unavailing.
And all this, be it understood, had happened within a hundred feet of
the inn.
“But did you see no one, man?” I said at length.
“Not a soul,” he replied. “The place might be deserted.”
And upon reaching the village, I found this last statement fully
verified; for the street lay empty and silent under the moon. Not a
light showed in any of the houses on either side. All was darkness and
silence.
And rendered even more uneasy by this ominous silence than by the
open clamour of a few hours previous, I passed hastily up the street
to where the moonlight fell upon a group of scarlet-coated figures
gathered round the framework of the stocks.
As I approached the sergeant detached himself from the group and came
to meet me.
“He is coming to,” he said briefly, saluting.
I said no word to him, good or bad; but as they made way for me in
silence, I knelt down by the side of the unfortunate trooper. He was
half conscious, indeed, and moaned frequently as if in pain. A brief
examination showed me that his wound was not so serious as it had
at first appeared, and that it was more from the shock of the blow
that the man was suffering. I next turned my attention to the stocks
themselves. The upper or sliding portion was fastened to the lower by
an iron hasp and staple, through the latter of which passed a heavy
padlock, strong enough to resist all the efforts of the troopers’
swords.
Presently I rose to my feet.
“Six of you follow me,” I said shortly. And I turned and walked swiftly
back to the blacksmith’s cottage.
Upon the door of this latter I rapped loudly with the hilt of my sword.
The noise went echoing down the silent street, and we stood waiting for
what should follow. Nevertheless it was fully three minutes before a
window above was opened and a man thrust out his head.
“What do you want?” he said in a sleepy voice--assumed, I had no doubt.
And I recognized him as one of the men whom I had seen with Sampson
Dare.
“You!” I answered sharply. “To come down and open the door!”
“Open the door?” he answered. “A likely thing that! Who be you who come
disturbing honest folk at this hour? I would have you know I have a gun
here for thieves, and----”
“Hark you, fellow!” I cried sternly, stepping out where the moonlight
fell full upon my face, while six pistols covered him. “If the door
be not open in two minutes I will blow in the lock and serve you as
I served the steward yonder. Do you hear, you knave?” I continued
fiercely. “You shall hang, on my word of honour!” For here I had no
women to deal with.
Perhaps he read in my face that I should keep my word--perhaps the fate
that had overtaken the steward’s obstinacy decided him.
“Wait,” he said slowly, disappearing from the window. Presently he
opened the door.
“Now what do you want of me?” he said sullenly.
“To release the man,” I said sharply.
“I have not the key,” he replied.
“Ah!” I said slowly. “And how know you that we desired a key, my
friend? Your own words convict you. No, no,” I continued with a sneer,
as he could find no words in answer; “you have not the key, of course,
and the village has not the key--but you have tools here, Master
Blacksmith, and strong arms to wield them. So get you speedily what you
require, if you would not swing at your own door.”
In short, a few minutes later found us back at the stocks, and the
blacksmith began his task. Nevertheless, so stout was the iron, that it
required a full twenty minutes’ filing ere the man was released from
his unpleasant position. They carried him into the inn, and having
seen him restored to consciousness and his wound dressed, I set about
considering our position. As to who were his actual assailants the man
himself could give no information, for he had been struck down ere he
had advanced two steps within the stable. And the horses? ’Twas worse
than folly to search for them by night, and by this time they were no
doubt miles away, or hidden in some secluded spot amongst the torrs.
And both the landlord and his assistants swore so volubly that they
knew nothing of the occurrence, for that they were serving the troopers
at the time, that, strongly as I suspected them, I could prove nothing.
And so soundly rating the troopers for their carelessness, I returned
presently to the manor, but not to rest. For I sat watching and
listening at the open window, with my pistols at my side and sword
unsheathed, until the first streaks of dawn were lightening the sky.
Not till then did I throw myself upon my couch and court forgetfulness
in slumber.
Ah, my lady, my lady! The game to be played out between us has opened
in your favour! Who will secure the final trick?