The Quiet Gentleman Read online

  ‘Healed beautiful, me lord!’ Chard said.

  ‘They have, haven’t they? Chard, presently Mr Martin will be going to Grantham. Could you find business to take you there also? In case he should see you?’

  ‘I could, me lord, of course: nothing easier!’ Chard answered, looking at him intently. ‘Was your lordship meaning to go there too?’

  ‘No, in quite another direction. I am going to Evesleigh, and I wish to be very sure that Mr Martin does not take that road.’

  Chard nodded, but said: ‘I’m thinking it’s all of ten miles, me lord, and the grays pretty fresh.’

  ‘I can handle them.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it, me lord, but – you’ll take young Wickham?’

  ‘Oh, yes!’

  ‘Well – not that you’d ever let him take the reins!’ said Chard gloomily. ‘If you’ll pardon the liberty, me lord, I wish you’d wait till you are a bit more robusto!’

  ‘Bastante! ’ said Gervase, smiling. ‘I must see Mr Theo, and as long as I don’t have Mr Martin on my heels I shall take no sort of harm, I assure you!’

  ‘Does he know your lordship means to go?’

  ‘No one knows but you. My shoulder is thought to be troubling me, and I shall presently retire to my room. Say nothing to Wickham! Just tell him to remain on duty while you are in Grantham, in case I should need him!’

  He then returned to the house, dawdled through the morning, and by noon had confessed his disinclination to accompany Ulverston to Whissenhurst. Miss Morville rescued him from a renewed threat of having the doctor sent for, by saying that there was no occasion for summoning a doctor if only he would behave with common-sense, and rest, instead of unnecessarily fatiguing himself. He allowed himself to be persuaded to lie down upon his bed; and Ulverston, who had insisted on seeing him comfortably bestowed, was able to report to Miss Morville a few minutes later that he showed every disposition to go to sleep. Ulverston then took himself off to Whissenhurst; and Miss Morville went out into the gardens to take the air. Half an hour later, rounding a corner of the Castle, with the intention of entering through the east door, she found herself confronting the invalid, who had just emerged through that doorway.

  The Earl halted, exclaiming ruefully: ‘Miss Morville!’

  Miss Morville, thoughtfully considering his caped drivingcoat, the hat on his head, and the gloves in his hand, said in a voice of mild interest: ‘I expect you feel that a drive will do your shoulder good, my lord.’

  He smiled. ‘Forgive me! I would not have hoaxed you, if I could have got rid of Lucy by any other means!’

  She raised her eyes to his face. ‘Where are you going?’ She coloured, and added: ‘I don’t mean to be prying and inquisitive, but I cannot help feeling a trifle anxious. If you don’t choose to tell me, you need not, of course.’

  ‘I will hide no secrets from you,’ he said lightly. ‘Indeed, I trust you implicitly, Miss Morville! I am going to see Theo.’

  ‘Going to see Theo!’ she echoed, staring at him. ‘Oh, pray do not! It – it is such a long way to Evesleigh!’

  He took her hand, and held it. ‘No, it is not such a long way, nor shall I fall into any more ambushes. That is what you are afraid of, isn’t it? You need not be: Martin has gone to Grantham, and, although I trust he may not know it, Chard is watching him. He won’t let him out of his sight. Believe me, while Chard is with Martin I stand in no sort of danger.’

  She swallowed, and managed to speak with very fair composure. ‘I believe you must be safe at Evesleigh. It is on the road! That is where it happened before!’

  ‘But this time only you and Chard know that I am out.’

  She was silent for a moment. After staring unblinkingly at a clipped hedge, she brought her eyes back to his face, and said: ‘It is never of the least use to interfere! I daresay you know very well what you are about. I only wish you may not return to Stanyon in a high fever!’

  He laughed, and raised her hand to his lips, and kissed it. ‘You are a woman in a million!’ he told her caressingly, gave her hand a pat, and let it go.

  He found his under-groom, a zealous youth rigorously schooled by his senior, polishing a saddle in the harness-room. When he was bidden put-to the grays he looked surprised but pleased, and made all haste to obey the order. A couple of stableboys ran to draw the Earl’s curricle out of the coach-house; and while this was being done the Earl strolled away to look at his brother’s new hunter. Since he had not been expected to enter the wing of the stables devoted to Martin’s horses, Mr Leek had no time to remove himself from the building, but shrank back instead into an empty loose-box. His nephew, who had been leaning on a broom-handle, began briskly to sweep out one of the stalls.

  ‘Don’t be bashful, Leek!’ said the Earl. ‘You were just having a word with your nephew, were you not? Where is Mr Martin’s young ’un, Hickling? I haven’t seen him yet: fig him out!’

  ‘Yes, my lord!’ muttered Hickling, laying aside the broom, and casting a fulminating look in the direction of his uncle.

  This gentleman, emerging from the loose-box, achieved a genteel cough behind his hand, and said that he hoped there was no offence.

  ‘None at all,’ replied the Earl, watching Hickling lead out a rather rawboned youngster, and following him into the yard.

  ‘Exercising them grays, me lord?’ enquired Mr Leek, with another cough.

  ‘A couple of inches too long behind the saddle,’ said the Earl, disregarding this question.

  ‘Very quick over his fences, my lord!’ said Hickling.

  ‘You run him down, Jem, and let his lordship see his paces!’ recommended his uncle. ‘Meself, I’d say his middle-piece was a shade light – jest a shade!’

  The Earl glanced at him. ‘You seem to know something about horses.’

  ‘Brought up with them, in a manner of speaking, me lord!’ said Mr Leek promptly.

  ‘Do you think you could handle my grays?’

  Mr Leek cast them a dubious look, but had no hesitation in asserting that he would back himself to the extent of a double finnup to do so.

  ‘Well,’ said the Earl, ‘Wickham cannot, so as I may need a little help you had better come with me in his stead.’

  Hickling opened his mouth, and shut it again, as though thinking better of what he had been about to say. Mr Leek’s expressionless eyes met the Earl’s rather quizzical ones without a blink. ‘Very pleased to go along with your lordship!’ he said. ‘And to lend a hand with them grays, if and when so desired!’

  Wickham had not been admitted into Chard’s confidence, but he had a shrewd idea that Chard would by no means approve of the new arrangement. Blushingly conscious that it formed no part of the second groom’s duties to expostulate with his master, he yet plucked up enough courage to make the attempt. He was silenced, though not unkindly; and was left, ten minutes later, uneasily wondering what Chard would have to say to him when he returned from Grantham.

  The grays were very fresh, but the Earl gave no sign that the task of controlling them was imposing too great a strain upon his injured shoulder. As the curricle bowled along the avenue, Mr Leek ventured to enquire what was their destination.

  ‘I am going to Evesleigh, to visit my cousin,’ replied the Earl.

  Mr Leek stroked his chin. ‘Well, now, is that so?’ he said. ‘Evesleigh! Ah! Unless I’m mistook, which don’t often happen, that’s all of ten miles, guv’nor. Done to a cow’s thumb, that’s what you’ll be!’

  ‘Oh, no!’ the Earl said calmly.

  Mr Leek relapsed into silence, which remained unbroken until the grays turned into a narrow lane, when he was moved to point out to the Earl that this was not, according to his information, the road to Evesleigh.

  ‘Not the most direct road to Evesleigh,’ the Earl corrected.

  ‘O’ course I ain’t what you might call familiar with t