AN ACCIDENT NEAR THE CASTLE
What a ride! Earlier in the evening, Grace had called it spooky. Now she
said nothing, but just sat thinking, watching the tall old trees through
the carriage window as the equipage rumbled along.
She thought of her mother and father and Walter and of the coming
meeting in London. She thought of Nan and her brother and smiled. She
thought--but the thought winged away, as the carriage swayed far over to
the right, and James Blake stuck his head out and shouted to the driver,
"Be careful there!" The carriage slowed down. Grace breathed easier.
Then the warning was forgotten and the whole thing forged ahead again,
bumping over stones and rocks and ruts.
The horses seemed possessed. The old carriage creaked and groaned under
the strain. Momentarily, the passengers felt that the whole thing would
topple over, or that the carriage, like the one-hoss shay, would
collapse into a thousand pieces. Grace now was visibly frightened. Nan
looked at her anxiously and gave a warning look to Bess whom, she was
afraid, would break out in a tirade against the carelessness of the
driver. Finally, they rounded the sharp turn in the road which Nan
remembered as just preceding the castle gates.
They all breathed easier. They could see the castle now, beyond the
gates and beyond the drive. But just as they looked reassuringly at one
another, just as old James Blake murmured, "Home again," the carriage
gave a sharp lurch. The horses stopped suddenly, stumbled, regained
their balance, and then stood, shaking their heads vigorously. The
carriage gave one mighty shake, shivered, and settled down to silence on
its ancient springs.
Inside, the occupants were jolted one on top of the other. The girls
unscrambled quickly. Young and hardy, the jolt did not hurt them, but
old James Blake had toppled over so that he was lying senseless against
the door.
Nan knelt down beside him. She pulled out a handkerchief and pushed his
tousled hair back from his face. There was an ugly gash in his forehead.
Dr. Prescott felt his pulse. It was faint. Together, they raised him to
the seat.
They called for the coachman. There was no answer. They exchanged
significant glances. "Do you suppose he was hurt, too?" Grace could
hardly speak she was so frightened.
Laura made a move to get out, but as she did so old James Blake stirred.
"Dinna go out there," he murmured as he slowly opened his eyes. He
looked around. His eyes found Nan and he reached out and touched her. "I
dinna ken what it's all aboot," he said weakly and seemed about to drop
off again. He caught himself.
He raised his hand and tried to push the door open. It was stuck. He
knocked at it weakly with his fist. Then he kicked at it and it flew
open.
"Hey, up there," he called to the coachman.
There was no answer. He got out, slowly and painfully. Nan followed and
took his arm. He patted hers reassuringly.
"Better take care, lass," he murmured, half stumbling, half walking
around to the front of the coach. Nan shook herself impatiently as an
eerie feeling came over her. Nevertheless, it was comforting to hear
someone descend from the coach at her back.
"Be careful, Nan." Dr. Prescott's voice came through the darkness.
"Can I help you?" It was Laura's tone, low and confident.
"We're all right," Nan called back. She stood now, next to James Blake
looking up at the coachman's seat. It was empty!
What had happened? A number of possibilities flashed through Nan's mind
as she moved closer to James Blake. Had the driver been hurt and fallen
down the other side? Had he jumped down and run away after the carriage
stopped so suddenly? Had--had he been in the carriage at all during the
wild drive up the hill?
She followed James Blake as he picked his way carefully around the
whinnying horses. Was this all a part of the strange series of events
that had seemed to pursue her ever since she knew for certain that she
was to make this trip?
Nan stepped up beside the old Scotsman when he paused to examine the
feet of one of the horses in passing. What did he know about all of
this? She determined to ask him when they were alone again. Now, she
took comfort in noting the kindly expression on his face as he rubbed
the head of one of the horses that seemed to be hurt. The animal nuzzled
his nose in the master's hand.
"Easy now," he encouraged and almost at once the animals stopped the
impatient shaking of their heads.
They reached the other side of the coachman's seat and fearfully looked
around. There was nothing there. They walked back over the road for
several yards. Still they found no signs of the missing person.
James Blake scratched his head reflectively. "Come, now," he took Nan's
hand firmly in his, "come, stay close to me and we'll clear this mystery
up." His voice sounded confident, but inside he was sure, as sure as he
was of anything that this was no mere accident.
He felt the warmness of Nan's hand in his. He noted her apparent
fearlessness. "The lass should never have been allowed to come to
Emberon," he thought and was annoyed that his own desire to see her had
allowed him, in the early months of the year, to persuade himself that
it would be all right.
Why hadn't he allowed the Edinburgh solicitors who had handled the
estate carry out the final terms of the will of old Hugh without his
meddling? Ah, but it was too late to think of that now. She was here and
had to stay, at least for the night. Perhaps tomorrow he could send her
on to Edinburgh. But now, now it was best to get her mind off
this--accident. It was best to get her back in her apartment at Emberon.
He could guard her there.
"Come, lass," he spoke, as he turned from his search along the side of
the road, "these things are not for young ladies. You and your friends
must go back to the house. We'll let someone from there make the
necessary inquiry."
"But what if the coachman is lying along the road, hurt?" Nan
protested. "If we wait, it might be too late to help him. Please, let me
look down the road a way further." She almost wrenched her hand free
from his as she spoke.
"That's a brave lass," he complimented her. Nevertheless he didn't let
her go. He turned abruptly and started back toward the carriage. Against
her will, she went along with him.
"Did you find him?" Laura was waiting beside the door of the carriage as
they came up to it again.
Nan shook her head. What was this all about? Why had old James Blake
stopped the search for the missing coachman so suddenly? Exhausted from
the day's events, the landing at Glasgow, the trip to Emberon, the
excitement over the Scotch games, and then this mystery, she felt
impatient with the old gentleman. She was still afraid that the coachman
lay out there in the dark somewhere, injured.
Her feeling of impatience continued as James hustled the girls into the
carriage, closed the door after them, and then walked alone to the big
gate and pulled three times on the big bell rope.
In the stillness of the night, the girls, huddled in the carriage,
could hear very faintly the sound of the bell up at the big house. Then
they heard, or thought they heard, the sound of a door, footsteps, and
at long last, there was someone at the gate. Though they couldn't see
anyone, they knew that James Blake was in whispered consultation.
Finally, there was the grating noise of the gates swinging back on rusty
hinges. James Blake sent a man from the house to drive the carriage the
rest of the way. The girls were glad to hear the slapping sound of the
reins as the new driver put them in place over the horses' backs.
The carriage pulled out of a rut, lunged forward and then came to a stop
again.
"Careful!" The voice was that of the old steward. The driver tried
again. This time a horse stumbled.
"Whoa, there," James Blake ordered, "we canna drive them. The poor
beastie is hurt."
So it happened that at sometime after midnight, six Lakeview Hall girls
and Dr. Prescott got out of a carriage and walked along the lonely
entrance road to Emberon Castle.