Sharing A Bed - Part 2
Sep. 6th, 2021 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rix_scaeduAt the stairs, Hester waited for a thin, elderly gentleman, impeccably dressed in black except for his snow-white cravat, to finish descending the stairs. Having reached the floor, he unexpectedly turned to Hester and in a quiet, clear voice said, "I wish to complement you on your sword work, ma'am."
Hester bowed. "Thank you, your Grace."
"You have the advantage of me?" There was a definite question there.
"Miss Hester Vanns, your Grace. We haven't met before, but you were pointed out to me during the recent discussions in Soissons." Hester paused and added, "I was one of Colonel Nairn's people, making sure that there were no unwanted intrusions or interruptions."
"Ah." His voice held a tone of gentle enlightenment. "I believe you may have been mentioned in passing - there cannot have been two young ladies working with Colonels Nairn and Trediakovsky. Something about a horse, if I recall correctly."
"Quite possibly, your Grace. My horse is both better bred and better looking than I am." She added, "If you will excuse me, your Grace, I will go and change into clean attire."
He waved a hand in benign dismissal. "Of course, Miss Vanns. Most proper. Hopefully by the time you are done, the kitchen will be reorganized sufficiently to have produced breakfast."
Hester made her way up the stairs, into her room, and noted the trundle bed and extra luggage that had not been in the room the night before. A glance at the bed made it obvious that both pillows had been used. She sighed as she admitted to herself that she did not appear to be someone that a lady, such as the one they'd rescued this morning, would wish to admit to their acquaintance. Mary arrived with the hot water at that moment, so Hester gave her the bloodied greatcoat, had the maid help her check her nightshirt for blood stains, locked the door behind the girl when she left, and then retreated behind the privacy screen to relieve herself and wash before donning her short chemise and the front lacing corset designed to support and reduce her bust. Then she dressed in her usual mannish fashion: stockings; shirt; smalls; buckskin breeches; white cravat in a simple knot; a green patterned waistcoat; a grey coat with green detailing; and her boots. Between putting on her breeches and tying her cravat she brushed out her night-time plait and put her brown hair up in a bun at the back of her head.
After putting her gear and effects away in her saddlebags and valise, she went back downstairs. A quick glance into the taproom told her that breakfast was being served and that a number of official looking gentlemen were now in location. Hogan and Munro were seated at the same table as their batmen and Grant, while Ross was speaking to an older gentleman with James Luton's profile. Hester interrupted the serving girl on her way back to the kitchen and asked, "Excuse me, but does my party still have the private parlor? It's just that I can see them all eating in the taproom."
"I'm sorry, no, miss. The duke, the lady all the fuss was about this morning, and her friend all arrived late last night, and they took the parlor. Had to move all the gentlemen's rooms around last night too. If you'll just go and take a seat in the taproom, I'll come and bring you breakfast. With all the fuss we've had, I'm afraid there's no choice. Do you want tea or ale to drink, miss?"
"Tea, please." Hester smiled at the woman and then walked into the taproom. She made her way over to Hogan and Munro, looked at the table and said, "Looks like this table is full. I trust you'll not take it amiss if I sit elsewhere? Oh, and Munro, when this business," she gestured at the prisoners, the official looking gentleman, and the newly arrived surgeon, "is put away as much as it can be, could we talk?"
Munro, who was wearing a rather splendid brocade banyan, put down his napkin and answered, "Yes, of course."
Hester nodded her head and walked over to where Prescott and Luton had started eating a heaped plate of food each. "Do you mind if I join you?" She stood behind one of the vacant chairs and put her hand on the top of its back.
"Course not," replied Prescott cheerfully. "Sit down. Want some ale?"
"No, thank you." Hester pulled out the chair and sat down. "I've already asked for tea. I suspect I'll be spending part of the morning speaking to the magistrate, and it'll probably be better if he can't smell alcohol on my breath."
"That's my father, over there talking to Colonel Ross," Luton informed her. "Sir Henry Luton, the magistrate that is. Not quite sure where Prescott's father has gone to." He gestured with his fork, "Oh, and we went outside to look for a carriage or horses, because those chaps had to have gotten here somehow and how were they planning to get the lady away? Just in time to see a coach driving off from the opposite side of the inn that we came in on. Found where they'd been waiting - looks like they were there for a couple of hours." He resumed eating.
Breakfast, when it arrived, was a large plate of poached eggs, poached smoked or dried fish, two varieties of fried sausages, and toast. The fish and the sausages were unfamiliar, but the aroma made Hester realise that she was ravenous. She ate the entire serving, washed it down with lashings of tea, and began to feel distinctly better. Foiling an abduction and maiming a man before breakfast was not her favourite way to start the day.
It was at that point that Prescott and Luton stood up. Not just getting up to go somewhere, but the sort of standing up you did when a senior officer entered the room. It also meant that whoever it was, was standing directly behind Hester. She stood, turned, and bowed to the official gentleman. "Sir. I believe you are Sir Henry Luton, the local magistrate?"
"Yes, I am, Miss Vanns. My son been telling you about me, has he?" Sir Henry was built along the same lines as his son, a hand's width short of six feet tall, and solid across the shoulders and through the chest.
"Only to tell me that you are the magistrate, sir. I'm sure that he did not wish to make our forthcoming discussion about this morning's events more difficult for either of us than it needs to be." Hester clarified, "There's enough going on here that we don't need to complicate it with false impressions of each other."
"Indeed. I need you to describe this morning's events from your point of view." He gave her a sharp look, and Hester recognized the evaluating expression as one she had often seen on her friend's face.
"Certainly, sir. Do you wish to do that here, or somewhere else? Pray excuse me for a moment - I'm not sure that I'm entirely respectable." She picked up the napkin and patted her mouth and chin to make sure they were clean and dry. "There, that's better."
"We'll talk over here in the corner," said Sir Henry pointing at an unoccupied table. "I'd prefer the parlor, but the lady at the centre of all this is in there and I don't want to force her to be in the same room as the prisoners." He led the way over and pulled out a chair for Hester to sit on. "If you'll sit here, Miss Vanns, and I sit opposite you, then we can both keep our eye on the comings and goings."
"As you wish, sir." Hester let him adjust the chair for her. "Thank you."
Sir Henry sat down opposite her and said, "Please begin by telling me your part of this morning's events."
Hester began with the scream, and completely left out Munro and Stirling's presence in her room until they all left it. Sir Henry raised his eyebrows but said nothing, and simply listened until his son and Prescott caught the fleeing second man.
Sir Henry looked at her for a few moments and then remarked, "That sounds very comprehensive, but I do have a few clarifying questions. Am I right in understanding that you, Colonel Munro, and Munro's batman were all in the same room when you heard the scream?"
"Yes, sir. We were." Hester swallowed nervously.
Sir Henry took a deep breath and asked, "Was their presence in any way related to this morning's other events? Could they have seen anything while moving from their room to yours?"
Hester answered carefully, "I have no reason to believe that their being in my room had anything to do with the other events of the morning. I don't know what they were doing in my room, because they weren't there when I locked the door and went to bed last night. I believe both of them were still asleep when I woke this morning, but I've had no chance to discuss the matter with Colonel Munro yet."
"You and Colonel Munro aren't friendly?" Sir Henry gave 'friendly' a particular emphasis.
Hester recognised it for the euphemism it was. "No, sir. Certainly not in that fashion. I do, however, consider him a friend. I know that he has enjoyed the company of a number of ladies over the years, and I understand that they have enjoyed his, but he has never been overly familiar or importunate towards me."
"Over the years, heh? How long have you known Colonel Munro?" Sir Henry shifted his weight back in his chair.
Hester wasn't sure how this was related to the magistrate's enquiries about the events of the morning but thought that he was probably working around to something. "I've known him for almost seven years, sir. Since he was Major Munro and I was sixteen and a half."
"So how would you describe your relationship with him?" Sir Henry looked like a man working on a puzzle.
"Professional. He tasked me to undertake tasks for the command, often behind enemy lines. I did them and then he paid me." Hester added, "And that was how I survived after not being evacuated from Luggonia until the first surrender after the fall of Tolosateh."
"So your mode of dress isn't an affectation?" Sir Henry wasn't beating around the bush.
"No, sir, it's not. These," she indicated her body, "are the clothes I own. I'm living, as I have for a number of years, out of two saddlebags and a small valise. I went to a modiste while I was in Lundun, but I had to come north on business before the garments could be finished."
"And what might that business be?" Sir Henry was back to evaluating her again.
"Personal rather than professional, sir. I've unexpectedly come into some property to the west of the Isle of Arran, and it was strongly recommended that I go and inspect it immediately." Hester gave a self-deprecating smile. "I have to meet the relevant man of business in Dunedin, and he's to escort me the rest of the way."
"So you ran into Colonel Munro and his party yesterday?"
"Yes, sir. I know them all from my time on the continent, and I've known them all about the same length of time. As we were travelling in the same direction, on the same road, at much the same speed, it would have been awkward to continue travelling separately." She added, "I was on already on horseback and they were in the coach, so there was no inconvenience to any of us."
"Did you notice anything unusual on the way here?" Sir Henry folded his hands across his stomach and seemed to settle in for a long talk.
Hester considered the question. "I haven't been to the Border in summer before, and I haven't been in the country at all for the last seven years, so the natural scenery and the architecture are both unfamiliar. I understand that the weather’s bad this year and the roads are worse in consequence. There were a great many men on the road heading away from the army camps down south when I first left Lundun - they eased off after Grantham. There was a prize fight being held in some place a little south of York, so instead of stopping there to water and rest my horse, I went on to the next village. I didn't particularly notice any other travelers until I ran into the others at Marshlow. After that, the traffic didn't seem unusual, and no-one caught my eye. Was there anything in particular that you were interested in?"
"The thing is, Miss Vanns, I don't yet know what I should be interested in." He gave her a brief smile.
"That's always the rub, isn't it, sir? Hindsight would be a fine thing if you got it beforehand." Hester cocked her head at the sound of distant, muffled shouting. "What's that about?"
Sir Henry looked grim. "I have no idea, but given the events of this morning, I'd better find out." He waved over the serving girl and asked, "Isobel, what's that racket about?"
Isobel, ruddy brown hair neatly pulled up and back and a modest kerchief tucked around her neckline, replied, "Mistress is ringing a peal over her lad, Sir Henry. Seems she's not happy about something he did last night after she and the master turned in."
Sir Henry asked, "What did he do?"
Isobel looked around the room and pursed her lips. "It's probably best that I don't go spreading things around, Sir Henry. If you need to know, best you ask the mistress herself and I'll not be in the way of losing my job."
Sir Henry paused for a moment. "Yes, you're probably right. Thank you, Isobel." He turned back to Hester, "Now, Miss Vanns, did our two prisoners say anything this morning that sounded significant to you? Anything that might point to motivation or identity, perhaps?"
"The one who was upstairs has an accent I can't place. The one I fought with has learned to speak like a gentleman, but you might be able to provoke him into reverting to what it was originally. The second knows how to use a sabre, but I don't believe he uses it regularly - he grips the hilt too tightly and that makes him clumsy." Hester looked at Sir Henry and gave a half shrug. "I'm sorry, but neither of them dropped a name or a place."
"If they didn't say it then you can't have heard it," observed Sir Henry. "Now, the man you injured-." He stopped as he and Hester both realised that the duke was heading for their table. The old man had shed all traces of indolence and the expression on his face was grim. Sir Henry and Hester both stood and bowed.
The duke nodded back in acknowledgement. "Luton, we've got a problem. The blacksmith has just finished looking at the ladies' carriage. He says it's been interfered with, and both my coachman and theirs agree, now that they've seen it in the light of day."
Hester's gaze strayed in the direction of the prisoners, and she said slowly, "So they expected to find the ladies stranded on the road in the dark in the middle of nowhere and possibly desperate for help?"
"It has a certain elegance in that it lacks violence and wouldn't actually involve abduction, to begin with," admitted the duke. "If you don't mind injuring or even killing your victims."
"Which would make this morning an alternate plan," mused Sir Henry. "This is beginning to get out of my experience."
There were a few moments of silence, then Hester said politely, "Sirs, if I might point out that you have to hand two colonels, one major, and two experienced infantry captains. Their experience may well be very much to the point here."
Sir Henry raised an eyebrow at her. "Experienced infantry captains? Luke's my youngest boy and Harry's father tells me that his son's well in his way to be a sot."
"What do you think they were doing for five years from Luggonia to Tolosateh, sir? Also, in my experience Harry Prescott only drinks anything like too much when he has to gag his common sense and tie it up in a corner so he can do things like storming the breach in an enemy fortification. If he's drinking to excess at home, sir, one might ask what about that arrangement makes him need to suppress his common sense."
Distracted, Sir Henry looked in the direction of his son's friend and murmured, "Prescott didn't tell me anything about that."
"Possibly Captain Prescott did not tell his parents the full extent of his activities because he didn't want them to worry. He took part in the storming of two breaches, that I know of, and he survived, which is the trick." Hester sighed. "You might want to have a quiet chat sometime with James about what he did during the war. If Harry has kept quiet, then he probably has too."
"So, your considered advice, Miss Vanns, is for me to consult the experts who happen to be at my fingertips." Sir Henry was regarding her with some amusement.
"They would at least give you possibilities to consider, sir. Also, if you task them to help you, they’re less likely to think they should undertake anything on their own initiative in this matter," Hester pointed out. "Ross, Munro, and Hogan already feel involved in the matter, and as officers and gentlemen, they may well feel obliged to take action."
Sir Henry looked thoughtful. "And that action may not be what I want, or even what the law allows. I see."
"I cannot speak to your last point," replied Hester quietly, "but, yes."
"Putting them to work would take the strain off you," pointed out the duke, "and eager as I am to protect the ladies, I am no longer as young as I used to be."
"Sirs, if you no longer need me, may I be excused?" Hester needed to speak with Munro and discuss the very first part of their morning as soon as possible. She knew exactly what the expected remedy for her problem was, but first she wanted to know how she'd come to have that problem. Munro was the man most likely to have the answers. If he didn't, or wouldn't talk, then she'd talk to Stirling.
Munro had disappeared from the taproom. So had Ross, but Hogan was still sitting across from the prisoners, looking larger than life, impossibly genial, and drinking his way through a pot of tea. Hester walked over to Hogan's table and interrupted his consideration of the prisoners with, "Excuse me, Major Hogan?"
He looked up and over at her, teacup held in mid-air. "Yes, my dear?"
"I'm looking for Colonel Munro - I believe he and I need to talk to each other. Do you know where he is?" Hester did her best to keep her tone even, because suddenly she didn't feel even. Sword fights before breakfast were part of her normal life, as her normal life had been for the past seven years. Discussing the only socially acceptable way out of the mess she and Munro had found themselves in that morning was a new and somewhat frightening proposition.
"The two of you do need to talk," agreed Hogan. "I'm not entirely sure how it came about myself. Our rooms got changed around last night when the other three guests arrived late - it was well after you went upstairs. Ross got moved in with me, and I know Munro was being moved to free up another room, but I didn't hear anything in all of that to make me think of you." He took another mouthful of tea and then added, "Munro's gone upstairs to get dressed. So's Ross. I'll take myself up after Ross comes back down."
Hester replied, "Thank you. I might go wait outside the door for him. The way things are going this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if something else happens if I try to put it off at all."
"Probably wise," commented Hogan over his teacup. "The two of you are sensible, reasonable adults. I'm sure you'll work it out."
Hester bowed in farewell, made her way to the stairs, and started going up them. On the landing she met the two older ladies coming down, and stepped aside for them, pressing her back against the balustrade and nodding politely in greeting. Surprisingly they stopped and dipped short curtsies. "Miss Vanns," began the lady who'd been manhandled that morning, "I'm afraid I was rude to you this morning."
"We were rude," corrected her friend quietly.
Hester took a deep breath, and replied, "Ladies, you'd just undergone a very trying experience. Aside from that, I emerged from a bedchamber in a state of semi-undress and accompanied by two men. You are perfectly entitled to choose whom you wish to acknowledge and associate with, and this morning I looked like a very disreputable person."
"On the other hand, you revealed yourself to be compromised in order to save me from, well, nothing good." The first lady curtsied more deeply and said, "Thank you. I am the Dowager Countess of Netherdale, and this is my friend, the Dowager Countess of Allanford. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for your aid this morning."
"My lady, I cannot imagine not acting as I did in those circumstances," Hester replied sincerely. "I trust that Sir Henry has the matter in hand, and there will be no repeat of the incident."
"Indeed," replied Lady Allanford. "Speaking of incidents, you might wish to know that my lady's maid was in the kitchen earlier when the landlady was scolding her son. Apparently when we arrived last night in distress, he rearranged the gentlemen's rooms so the duke could have a room and Lady Netherdale and I could have a room between us. It seems he only saw you from angles that meant that he thought he was putting the fair-haired gentleman in with a young man." She paused and looked expectant.
"That does explain a lot," remarked Hester, thinking rapidly. "I was sure I locked the door last night before I went to bed, and at that point I was alone. The landlord would have a duplicate key, wouldn't he? And if the son was acting for his parents...."
"Yes, dear," agreed Lady Allanford while Lady Netherdale looked appalled. "But it is very awkward for you and the gentleman."
"Yes, my lady, and I am on my way to have the awkward conversation with him now." Hester flashed them both a quick smile, "But that conversation will be less awkward if we're both dressed for the day."
"Indeed," said Lady Netherdale. "If you should require moral support or...information, please don't hesitate to ask us."
"Thank you, my lady. I will keep your kind offer in mind. Now, if you will both please excuse me?" She bowed, they curtsied, and everyone continued on in their original directions.
Hester arrived at the door to her room as Stirling was leaving it, covered chamber pot in hand. "He's just getting ready to come and find you," the batman told her. "Seems to think he needs to put his best foot forward."
"I'll wait here then, while you go and get rid of that," Hester told him. "I don't need to make things worse by rushing his preparations." As Stirling took his odiferous burden off towards the back stairs for disposal, Hester put her shoulders back against the wall opposite the doorway and waited.
Five minutes after she took up position, Munro opened the door to what was, it seemed, their room. His greying sandy hair was neatly brushed, he was freshly shaved, and he seemed to have taken a great deal of effort over the tying of his cravat. He swallowed, and for the first time in the nearly seven years she'd known him, he looked nervous. "Ah, Vanns. I take it that you agree that we need to talk?"
She nodded. "Definitely. I understand that rooms were switched last night in a bit a flurry, but I don't understand how you took up residence in my room without me waking up."
"I was...fairly congenial at the time, but I think you did. Almost." His blue eyes looked concerned. "You said something like "What?" and started to turn over. I said that we had to share because the ladies and the duke needed rooms of their own. You, sort of grunted and rolled over again." His forehead creased between his eyebrows. "It didn't occur to me that it was you. The voice was muffled, the landlord's son said he was putting me in with the young gentleman, and I was very drunk." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened."
At that moment Ross, fully dressed, opened his door and strode out into the hallway, far too cheerful for the morning that Hester was having. He exclaimed cheerfully and grandly, "Here you both are! Everything in hand, I trust? I got the local parson's name and direction off the magistrate when we were talking earlier."
Hester and Munroe turned to look at him together. "We hadn't gotten that far yet," Munro told him.
"We've only just gotten to talk to each other. This morning has been a little busy with other things," Hester reminded him.
Ross was both unflappable and cheerful. "What's to talk about? The two of you have to get married to each other as soon as possible."
"Money," said Hester.
"Where we're going to live," added Munro.
"Our families," continued Hester.
"But I will take that information about the padre, before you toddle off and occupy yourself elsewhere," finished Munro with a very direct look at his friend.