From close up, the man standing in front of him now was as big as the bears in the Royal Menagerie. He looked and smelled like a beast trained to stand on his hind legs. His paws jabbed outward and caught Thomas under the arms, lifting him out of his chair. Though he was by no means a short man, he dangled in the grasp of the constable’s deputy, who turned and carried him towards the open front door.
‘I say…’
It was all he could manage, before he remembered that there was no point in telling the fellow he could be whipped for laying hands on a peer. There was no particular law against throwing Tom Smith from a house where he was not welcome.
Struggling was useless. His toes were barely scraping the floor. He aimed a kick at his captor’s shins. In response, the man sighed, more disappointed than hurt, and kept walking.
They passed the butler, who gave him an equally disappointed look. He had just enough time to be glad that Louisa was not present to see this, before he was swung once, twice, three times, to gain momentum. Then he was airborne, sailing over the sweep of the drive and into a hedge on the opposite side.
From there, he watched as Percy was treated a tad more gently. He’d been shoved and prodded forward by the other man. But at least he’d been allowed to walk through the door and argue about the process.
‘My things are upstairs,’ he was saying, poking the man in the chest. ‘Surely, there is time to pack?’
‘Your luggage will be sent after you,’ Barnes said from the side where he’d been waiting. ‘I will have it delivered to the inn. You may wait for it there, for a day or two. But if you remain much longer than that, I fear I will have to put you out of the inn, as well.’
‘Then, I think it is within my right to call my grandfather anevil old screw!’ Percy shouted the last words upwards, towards the bedroom window above the door and followed them with a rude gesture.
In response, one side of the curtains twitched to show that their ejection had been witnessed and enjoyed.
Percy turned to Thomas and offered him a hand up out of the hedge. ‘I’ll wager you did not expect your visit here to end with you, toes up in the shrubbery.’
‘We are not yet finished,’ Thomas said, glaring up at the window, as well.
‘Perhaps not,’ Percy said, brushing a leaf off his friend’s shoulder. ‘But we are through for the day, at least.’ He smiled at Barnes. ‘I don’t suppose we could trouble you for a ride into the village?’
The constable shook his head. ‘I came on my horse and my friends will be walking only as far as the nearest farm.’
‘I thought not,’ Percy said. ‘Well, no hard feelings, Mr Barnes. I know my grandfather. You had no choice in this matter. I will not hold it against you.’
‘That is most kind of you, Mr Skeffington. I hope, the next time we meet it will be under better circumstances.’
‘As do I, Barnes.’ Percy offered him a mocking bow.
The constable doffed his hat and then headed off towards the stables to reclaim his horse.
As the house door closed against them, Percy turned to Thomas with an expectant look. ‘Well, Mr Smith, you are the one setting the pace for this little adventure. What shall we do now?’
‘Dinner at the inn,’ he said, staring down the drive towards the village.
‘And then?’
He was going to get drunk. Beyond that, he had no suggestions to offer. But to announce the fact hardly inspired confidence in his abilities as a mastermind.
‘I will think of something,’ he said and smiled. ‘Lead the way, Mr Skeffington.’
When Louisa came down to dinner that night, she was surprised to find her grandfather was the only person in the room. She had told her brother and Thomas not to be late. They should haveknown that she did not want to be alone with him, not even for a moment. Where were they?
She glanced around her and immediately regretted it. There was nothing in the room but the table, chairs and a sideboard that held an arrangement of flowers in an expensive China bowl. There was nothing to see.
Her momentary weakness gave her grandfather ammunition to use against her. He laughed. ‘Do you think your lover is hiding under the table? Perhaps you should raise the cloth and check.’
‘That will not be necessary,’ she said, taking her seat and dropping her napkin into her lap, as her grandfather called for the soup to be served.
She almost suggested that he wait for the others before beginning to eat. Then, she glanced at the empty seats around her and their lack of place settings. The servants had been told there would only be two for dinner. She was the only one in the dark.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the smirk on Grandfather’s face. He was waiting for her to ask about the absences so he could gloat. As always, she had little to no power over what was happening. But she did not have to play along with his little game of yes and no. She picked up her spoon and began to eat.
‘They are gone,’ he said, unable to restrain himself from speaking. ‘They did as I asked and ran off as soon as they could get free of you.’
