“It’s a very old local custom, a dance of some sort held in Compton Forge every year at harvest time to celebrate an old deity, the Green Man,” Archer explained. “Although who or what he was they cannot tell you. Just that if you do not do him homage, the next harvest will be blighted! The dancers gather in the village and progress up to the waterfall and the circle of standing stones you were looking at the other day. I believe there is then some sort of ceremony. Quite pagan, of course. The reasons are completely lost in time.”
“How interesting. Would you not care to attend?”
Archer laughed. “No, my friend, I would not be welcome and nor would you. We are foreigners to the local Dorset men.”
“Oh, it sounds charming. A village dance. I would love to see it!” Celeste’s eyes shone with excitement.
“I’m afraid that is quite out of the question, Signorina. If men who are not natives of the area are frowned upon, I can assure you that no women are allowed anywhere near the inn whilst the dance and procession is in progress.”
“Oh, of course, the Green Man Inn,” Jane said, glad of having to think of something other than dancing with Archer. “I’ve often wondered where it got its strange name from. The sign outside is too old and faded to see clearly.”
Her voice died away as a thought struck her. Her maid, Tabitha, had asked permission to attend a dance in the village that evening. But surely the other staff at Deerwood would know that women were not allowed and would prevent her from going?
“Are you certain we cannot attend?” Celeste pouted; she thought a dance in the dark of night sounded exciting.
“I can assure you that no young woman, no matter what her station in life, would go near the Green Man tonight,”Archer said gravely. “These old country customs are steeped in tradition and the locals take them very seriously. It could be very dangerous to interfere in something that is centuries old.”
“Quite right, too,” Lady Goddard said dismissively. “It is certainly not wise or proper to enquire into the pursuits of the local populace. Luckily, all our servants have been with us for years and are Londoners by birth. They would not care to indulge in such fripperies. And now I will ring for coffee. I think we have had enough dancing this evening. Too much exercise is not beneficial for young ladies.”
Jane sat for the rest of the evening in a state of high confusion. Tabitha was her responsibility; she had learnt that lesson from her mama over many years. The servants who took care of the Darcys were due their protection. She had given her maid permission to go to the village dance, admittedly in ignorance of any danger, but it would still be her fault if harm befell her.
Archer couldn’t help but notice her abstracted air and was not alone. Celeste brought her coffee cup back to the table where she sat and whispered to him—“I think dear Jane is miles away in her thoughts. Perhaps it is memories of the young man she had such tender feelings for this summer that take up all her attention.”
A few non-committal words were his reply and he swiftly turned his attention to his grandmother, who was obviously still annoyed by the dancing. The evening was coming to an end and finally the carriage was called for, cloaks were brought and Jane and Celeste were making their thank-yous and goodbyes.
Archer escorted them out into the dark night and checked that the postillion had two bright lanterns lit, one attached to a horse’s bridle, the other on a pole he carried before to illuminate the track. Celeste was handed into the carriage and as Archer turned to assist Jane, he realised she was in urgent conversation with the driver.
“Nay, Miss Darcy, I daren‘t drive you there. Lord, what would the Colonel say if I did that?”
“But John, it won’t take us more than five minutes and …”
“Is there a problem, Miss Jane?”
The girl spun round, fair hair cascading from inside the hood of her cloak. “Oh Mr Maitland—please, tell John here that he must drive me down to the village before we go home. My maid, Tabitha, has gone to the dance tonight at the Green Man.”
“Good Lord why! Who allowed that?”
Jane flushed deeply at the accusation in his voice. “I take full responsibility, Sir. She asked leave to attend and I saw no reason at the time to stop her going. Of course, if I had known it was forbidden, then I would have told her so.”
Privately Jane thought that Tabitha, who had originally joined the Darcy household in London before moving up to Pemberley, was a very sensible, forthright girl who would have laughed at the thought of a bunch of farmers, waggoners and shepherds being a danger. She was well aware that all the servants hired from big cities looked down their noses at their country cousins.
Archer bit back an angry response; this was not the time for recriminations. “John—I will accompany the ladies. Drive to the Green Man. I am sure all will be well, but I agree we must find the young woman as soon as possible. A lot of drink is taken on these occasions.”
A look passed between the two men that conveyed all they suspected might happen to an innocent girl out alone on a night such as this. Archer gave a brief word to a footman to tell his grandmother and Dr Moore where he had gone and then his hand was under Jane’s elbow and she felt herself almost thrown up into the carriage.
With the side lights flickering and the postillion running in front with a lantern, the horses moved off, far too slowly for Jane’s liking, but she realised it would be unwise to travel faster.She was aware of Archer sitting opposite her, his face dark with anger. He did not speak, even when Jane broke the silence by giving a bewildered Celeste the reason for his presence.
“But Jane, I do not want to go to the village! I am tired, very tired. I shall fall ill if I do not get to my bed very soon. Surely the maid will be quite all right. Such girls are used to rough ways and manners. Luisa, my servant, is quite capable to looking after herself. I would not dream of running after her.”
The streak of Pemberley stubbornness that Jane had inherited from her father reared its head again. “Tabitha is my responsibility. I gave her permission to leave Deerwood and go the dance. I know you are tired, Celeste, but here, wrap this rug around you and try and sleep. You can stay in the carriage where it is warm. Hopefully we will not be very long.”
“But why do we not go home first and check to see if the silly girl is back?”
“I don’t wish to alarm the Colonel or Susannah. They will have retired for the night. If we do not find Tabitha at the inn, then we will know she is hopefully back at Deerwood.”
Celeste continued to grumble under her breath but eventually fell silent, the swaying of the carriage lulling her into sleep. Jane wished fervently that she could do the same, but knew that was impossible. But she also wished her cousin was awake and speaking to her. She was only too aware of Archer’s dark, irritated expression every time he looked in her direction. She was tempted to speak but resisted: she was at fault but not through negligence: his anger was unjustified.
The subject of her scrutiny was fighting back the inclination to voice his feelings, which he knew would be unwise. He wasn’t angry with Jane Darcy, far from it—he thought her concern for a servant was admirable—but he was angry at these old traditions that had been allowed to flourish unchecked—whatever their beginnings, centuries ago, surely they had little place in modernsociety, especially when their simplicity seemed to have changed into something far more sinister.
