A Handful of Ashes Page 4

  ‘Hush, boy, you’ve had a fright. I’ll soon have you out of here.’ Loosening the straps of the rig, Josh took the reins in his hand and tried to help the gelding to regain his feet. Squealing and blowing, the animal made it to his knees before rolling on his side again. Tremors ran along his flanks and an odour of fear rose from him. The gelding’s breath came in harsh bursts and blood bubbled from a wound in his heaving chest.

  Josh swore. ‘Cowardly bastards!’ he yelled, punching at the air. ‘What did the poor horse do to deserve being maimed in such a manner?’

  Untying the rope from the tree, Josh hurled it into the ditch. He’d just straightened up when an arm came around his neck from behind and Alder appeared in front of him. Josh managed to throw a punch and something crunched when it landed. Alder grunted and drove a fist into his midriff with some force, driving the wind from him. The neck hold released, he began to double over when a punch to the chin snapped him upright again, propelling him backwards. He landed heavily on his outstretched arm, which immediately snapped under his weight.

  ‘Christ!’ The pain of it made him shriek and he curled into a ball. A kick to the head from his assailants brought darkness crowding in, but it wasn’t hard enough to dull the excruciating pain of a second kick to his crotch from behind.

  As he began to retch, a voice said against his ear, ‘Let that be a lesson to you, Skinner.’

  There was the sound of horses galloping away. Above the thump of his own heartbeat and the rush of blood in his ears, Josh heard the laboured breathing of his horse and its whickers of distress. His own injuries kept him lying there for a full half-hour as he alternately passed out from the pain, or woke up to vomit.

  Eventually, he heard hoof beats approach and managed to pull himself into a sitting position to shout out a warning to the rider of wreckage on the road. The rider slowed, then came to a halt. It was Marcus.

  ‘Josh! Good God, what’s happened?’

  ‘A rope across the road brought me down. I’ve been set upon and my arm is broken. Take a look at my gelding first, would you, Marcus? He’s suffering.’

  A few seconds later Marcus came to squat upon his haunches next to him. ‘Part of the shaft has snapped off and has been driven into his chest. His lung is pierced. I have a pistol in my saddle bag. With your permission I’ll put the poor fellow out of his misery. It will be kinder than allowing him to linger.’

  Miserably, Josh nodded. A few minutes later a shot rang out.

  ‘Can you mount my horse?’

  Josh managed a wry smile. ‘I doubt if I can even stand up. My balls got a good kicking, as well as my head. I don’t know which is worse.’

  ‘Then I’ll go and rouse my household and come back with a cart. It’s nearly dawn. They can clear the debris, send for the knacker and fetch the doctor.’

  ‘Make it Noah Baines, would you? I don’t want my sister Siana alarmed, and I don’t want Francis involved at this time.’

  ‘I understand.’ A cloak was tucked over Josh’s body. ‘Try to relax, I won’t be long.’

  Once they were back at the house, Josh found himself tended to by Marcus. Soon, he was lying on a soft bed, wrapped in a nightshirt. Marcus made a face when he splinted his arm. ‘The bone will have to be manipulated if it’s to set properly, but at least it hasn’t broken through the skin.’ Dark eyes came up to his. ‘The procedure will be painful.’

  Josh nodded.

  ‘Care to tell me which of the Mathesons did this? Though it wouldn’t take much to guess it was Roger and Alder. Both were the worse for drink and behaving loutishly. You can bring charges against them, you know.’

  ‘They’re Francis’s family, and it would be uncomfortable for both him and my sister, should I decide to do that. They won’t get away with it, though. A pity about my horse, the poor beast didn’t deserved what he got – that he didn’t.’

  Noah Baines was announced. His examination was thorough. ‘Luckily you have a thick skull, for the concussion is slight, and I can fix the arm.’ He shook his head when he examined Josh’s groin. Face straight, he announced, ‘The balls will have to come off though.’

  Josh’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘Not bleddy likely, Doc. I’ve got long-term plans for them.’

  When Marcus whooped with laughter, Noah cracked a grin. ‘Right, Mr Skinner, let’s get that bone pulled into place. It’s going to hurt like hell but I’ll give you some laudanum to dull the pain. As for your manly bits, it’s a temporary disablement. Bathe them in cold water four times a day until the swelling subsides, and don’t attempt to exercise them until the bruising has gone, whatever the temptation.’

  Noah handed over a dose of laudanum, watching while it was swallowed. Then he began to lay out padded splints and strapping. Josh’s ears took on a pleasant buzz and he felt so relaxed he had a job keeping his eyes open and kept grinning.

  Baines smiled to himself, then turned to Marcus. ‘You made a good job of the splint. I’ll need assistance with this arm. Are you up to it?’

  Marcus nodded. ‘I know what’s expected, I studied anatomy and basic surgery techniques for a while.’

  ‘Ah, that accounts for it. Ready when you are then, Marcus.’

  The next minute Marcus had Josh held firmly below the elbow, and Noah Baines was pulling on his wrist. A searing pain shot through him.

  Before he had time to shriek, Josh passed out.

  At Rivervale House, Francis was attempting to straighten Alder’s bloody nose.

  ‘Damned fool to fall off your mount,’ Ryder said without compassion. ‘What were you doing out riding at that time, when we have the journey home to make? Don’t you know there are itinerant workers abroad who would cut your throat for a shilling from your pocket? Most of them are Chartists, out to unsettle the labourer force with their demands.’

  Francis glanced up from what he was doing, saying with some satisfaction and a smile, ‘Not hereabouts, Ryder. Marcus Ibsen has improved both conditions and wages at Cheverton, and the Chartist cause has run out of momentum. You met Marcus earlier.’

  ‘Ah yes, that fellow with an eye to Maryse. He might be a good choice for her. She’s a nervous filly and he looks the type who would stand for none of a woman’s nonsense.’

  Francis was not about to get into a discussion with Ryder about his beloved daughter, especially when Maryse was being compared to horseflesh. He manipulated Alder’s bloodied nose less gently than he should have in retaliation for the remark, heard him suck in an agonized breath. ‘I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about this, Alder. The swelling and pain will subside in a few days, and your nose will settle into its new shape.’

  ‘It looks like it was caused by a punch to me,’ Ryder grumbled. ‘Are you sure you haven’t been set upon? If so, we can lay charges and have the fellow transported.’

  ‘With all those boxing medals from Cambridge to his credit, would Alder have come off second best?’ Roger scoffed.

  ‘We haven’t seen the other fellow.’

  Alder exchanged a glance with his brother. ‘There is no other fellow.’

  Ryder’s eyes narrowed.

  Later that afternoon, a servant from Cheverton Manor delivered an account to Rivervale House, addressed to Alder Matheson. It was intercepted by Ryder, who hadn’t believed a word his sons had told him.

  The earl discovered Alder in a secluded part of the garden, arguing with Pansy. He stopped to listen for a while.

  ‘I’ll dance with whoever I wish, Alder. You’re my cousin, not my father.’

  ‘But Josh Skinner is a low peasant.’

  ‘You are acting lower.’

  ‘When we’re married I’ll bring you to heel, by God, I will!’

  ‘I’m not marrying you, Alder. What are you doing . . . let go of me, at once.’

  There was the sound of a slap and Alder swore. ‘Damn you! Mind my nose.’

  ‘Damn your ugly nose, then! I hope it drops off and the crows eat it.’

  Though Ryder grinned at her
retort, he thought it was time he made his presence known.

  Pansy had an outraged look on her face, tears in her eyes and angry patches of colour in her cheeks. She seemed relieved to see him.

  Rubbing his face, Alder took a step back.

  ‘From what I overheard, you owe Pansy an apology, Alder.’

  ‘Sorry,’ he muttered.

  Pansy glared at him. ‘You’re becoming a bully and a bore, Alder.’

  Ryder laid a calming hand on her arm. ‘Enough, Pansy. We’ll sort this out later. Alder, an account has arrived from Joshua Skinner requesting reparation for a horse and rig, plus the services of a doctor. Would you mind telling me how this has come about? And no deceit, this time.’

  Alder’s face mottled red as he flicked a glance at Pansy. ‘It’s a private matter between Skinner and myself.’

  Ryder was insistent. ‘What happened last night, or do I have to ask Mr Skinner?’

  ‘The fellow was leering at Pansy all evening, and he had the cheek to waltz with her. I warned him off earlier, but he didn’t listen.’

  ‘Joshua Skinner was a guest in your uncle’s house. You had no right to warn him. Pansy is sensible. If his behaviour had been improper towards your cousin she would have informed her father, who would have dealt with it, no doubt.’

  ‘Damn it, Pa, Pansy is my future wife. I don’t want some low type handling her on the dance floor.’

  The earl gazed from one to the other. ‘Am I to understand that Pansy has accepted your suit?’

  Spirited little filly that she was, Pansy sent his son a glare. ‘I certainly have not! On the strength of what has happened now, it’s doubtful I ever will.’

  ‘Ah, don’t get so miffed, Pansy, I know you don’t mean it, since the fellow means nothing to you.’ Alder turned towards him and shrugged. ‘Mamma said Maryse is having an unsettling influence on Pansy. I think she’s right.’

  ‘Pshaw!’ Pansy snorted, sounding so exactly like his wife, Prudence, that the earl nearly chuckled when she demanded to know of his son, ‘What did you do to poor Josh?’

  ‘Tied a rope across the road so poor Josh would come a cropper – and he did. It serves the upstart right, too.’

  Her face became ashen. For a moment Ryder thought she might go into a faint, then she sucked in a breath and whispered, ‘How could you do such a terrible thing, Alder? Is Josh injured?’

  ‘He was breathing when I left him, which was more than he deserved. He did break my nose, after all.’

  This was worse than Ryder had imagined. ‘You caused a fatal injury to a man’s horse, destroyed his rig and left him lying unconscious on a public highway? That was the act of a coward.’

  His son’s face adopted a sullen expression. ‘I was drunk, Pa. I’ll pay the fellow off and that will be the end of it.’

  ‘It might only be the beginning of it. Being the son of an earl carries certain responsibilities along with the privileges. Not only could you be charged and hauled up before a magistrate for what you’ve done, you could also drag the family name through the mud.’

  ‘No lawyer would take his case against me.’

  ‘It appears Skinner doesn’t intend to press charges if remuneration is forthcoming. Fetch Roger, would you? Attend me in your uncle’s study and we’ll discuss a suitable settlement.’

  ‘Pa . . .’

  ‘Now, Alder! I will not tolerate dishonourable behaviour, such as has happened here. I’m ashamed of you.’

  After he’d gone, the earl turned to his niece and offered her his arm. ‘I cannot apologize enough, Pansy. Don’t think too badly of Alder, for he’s allowed his regard for you to blind his good sense. So far, he’s shown remarkable patience in his pursuit of you, but no young man of mettle likes to be kept waiting for such a long time. I realize that Skinner is of little consequence to a girl of your breeding. If you were to accept Alder before we leave for home I’d be the happiest man alive, for you know how fond of you we all are. It would settle him down to be sure of your affection. Your father would be pleased with the match too.’

  ‘You’ve discussed it with my father?’

  ‘Of course. He’s eager to see his daughters settled into advantageous marriages.’

  Pansy muttered something non-committal as they strolled back to the house.

  ‘Alder will apologize, of course.’ Ryder kissed her gently on the forehead. ‘Perhaps you’d find your father and ask him to join me. He was going into the library the last time I saw him.’

  Her father looked up from a book and smiled when Pansy joined him. ‘Why so glum, my precious?’

  ‘There’s been some trouble. The earl wants you to join him in your study.’

  Laying the book down on a table Francis came to where she stood. ‘Does the trouble concern you?’

  ‘Only indirectly. Alder took exception to Josh Skinner dancing with me last night, and set about him.’

  ‘Oh, so that’s where the broken nose came from.’ Placing a finger under her chin, he lifted it so she met his eyes. ‘Since my two daughters are of exceptional beauty, it was bound to happen. But Alder being jealous of Josh is simply preposterous. You’d have more sense than to encourage a youth so socially beneath you.’

  ‘You married Siana, and they are brother and sister,’ she pointed out.

  He frowned. ‘As my wife, Siana is accepted. Besides, she was married before and had adapted to a different life than the one she was used to.’

  ‘Josh was badly hurt.’

  His eyes sharpened. ‘How badly? Has he been examined?’

  ‘A rope was stretched across the road, his horse was killed and they left Josh unconscious on the road. Dr Baines was called out to attend him. He could have died.’

  ‘They?’

  ‘Roger was in on it, too, I think.’

  ‘It’s worse than I thought, then. I’ll go to see Ryder at once.’ He kissed her on the nose. ‘Try not to worry, Pansy. We’ll sort this out so Josh is well compensated and Alder and Roger keep their good name intact. Money always talks sense to Josh.’

  ‘Not only to Josh, it seems, except he’s worked for his and deserves it.’

  The coldness in her voice brought a frown to her father’s face. ‘You’d better explain that censorious remark, Pansy.’

  ‘Alder was the ringleader, he always is. He needs a good flogging. Any recompense should come from his allowance and he should apologize publicly to Josh.’

  ‘Should he now? Your opinion on this matter is of little consequence, since Alder is too old to be flogged and his punishment is for his father to decide. I doubt if that will include a public grovelling by the son of a peer to entertain Miss Pansy Matheson.’

  Nearly gasping at the rebuke, she took a step back, prepared to do battle on Josh’s behalf. ‘Then you’re going to condone Alder’s behaviour?’

  ‘I certainly don’t intend to condone your lack of courtesy towards me. Am I to suppose you harbour tender feelings towards Josh Skinner?’

  She slanted her head to one side, feeling tears prickle in her eyes. ‘Of course not, he’s merely a friend. But what if I did?’

  ‘You’re being silly and argumentative. Please remove yourself to your room. I’ll be in my study later if you wish to offer me an apology.’ He strode off, his back as stiff as a broomstick.

  ‘You’re perfectly horrible when you’re with your brothers,’ she whispered after he’d gone, which wasn’t quite true, for she had overstepped the mark and should have accepted the reprimand. Now she was angry with him. Bursting into a storm of weeping, she fled into the garden instead.

  Alder found her there a while later, her temper repaired, her eyes quite dry but still red from weeping. ‘Go away. I feel horrid and ugly.’

  ‘You look wonderful to me.’ Alder handed her a red rose. ‘I’m sorry if I upset you, Pansy. I’m a brute.’

  ‘I know,’ she sniffed, and because she’d grown up with him and couldn’t totally dislike him, she asked, ‘Did you get into much trouble?’r />
  ‘I deserved it. I’ve taken all the blame which lets Roger off the hook and I’m going to see Skinner now, to apologize. Come with me.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘Alder Matheson, do you intend to make a fool of yourself by apologizing to him in front of me? My papa said you wouldn’t be expected to abase yourself in such a way.’

  He grinned at her. ‘I’ll grovel on my belly if it will make you feel better and allow you to like me again. I thought I might offer him my new horse as a replacement. I really didn’t mean to go as far as I did.’

  ‘Really, Alder, that’s wonderful.’ She threw her arms about him in a hug, surprised and pleased by his generosity.

  His fingers stroked through her hair. ‘We’ve known each other since childhood, Pansy. I hate it when you’re furious with me.’

  ‘I’m not furious, now.’

  ‘Your father said you thought I should be flogged.’

  She shrugged and sat up, smiling at him. ‘So I did, and if you were a man I would have flogged you myself. But you can be quite sweet when you try.’

  He slid from the seat and onto one knee, taking her hand in his. ‘I know I don’t look very pretty at the moment, but Pansy, my darling, honour me by saying you’ll wed me. I’ll be sweet all the time, then. I love you quite desperately.’

  From the other side of the hedge came the muffled sound of her father’s voice, followed by that of the earl. Then came the loud, aggrieved voice of her aunt Prudence. ‘Girls in my day did as they were told. They had no opinions.’

  ‘Ah,’ said the earl, ‘I imagine they were storing them up for their old age.’

  Stifling a giggle, Pansy whispered, ‘Get up, you fool. Our parents are here.’

  His eyes full of laughter, Alder begged, ‘Say you will, or I’ll shout it to the skies. Pansy Matheson!

  She placed a hand over his mouth and hissed, ‘Stop it this minute, Alder.’

  Taking her hand in his he kissed her palm, then his arm came up around her waist and she was drawn onto his knee so he could steal a kiss from her mouth. Her face heated, for she hadn’t expected to like it. Placing her hands against her cheeks she said in a flustered voice afterwards, ‘I’m mortified.’