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“Get off me! Help!” She started to struggle but a big hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her shouts. From the inside of the carriage, a scrawny madwoman with wild eyes lunged at her and grasped hold of her with clawed hands, dragging her inside.
“Oi!” she heard a voice roar from across the street. Reg! Caroline kicked out and twisted, desperately, elbowing her attacker and trying to brace her booted feet against the step.
“Bitch!” he seethed and a rough blow between her shoulder blades sent her sprawling onto the floor of the carriage. Her assailant climbed in behind her, slamming the door inexorably shut behind them.
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Caroline struggled onto her knees, but the carriage was already lurching forward.
“Tie her hands, Sidney,” the woman instructed with rising excitement. She bounced on her seat, clapping her hands. She looked half-crazed with glee, her blond hair straggling around her face, lank and unkempt.
“No!” Caroline burst out, attempting to straighten her bonnet before realizing she had lost both hat and cloak in the struggle. “I will not resist anymore. If you only let me sit on the seat beside you, I will be quiet, I promise.”
Sidney grunted. “Only see that you do!” he snarled. “Or you’ll get that for your pains!” He lifted his hand in a threatening gesture.
Caroline cast down her gaze to hide the flare of anger she felt. She wanted to fly at him, to kick his shins and rake her nails down his face, but her kid gloves prevented it. Clambering onto the seat beside him, she folded her hands to show herself meek and biddable, while inside she felt anything but.
The first chance she got, she vowed, the first time the carriage came to a halt, she would spring at the door and fling herself out of it. Any fate would be preferable to remaining in the clutches of two such wicked individuals.
Her gaze traveled over the face of the woman opposite and suffered another dreadful shock, for she recognized the features partially obscured by the fall of greasy blond hair. “Mama?” she gasped incredulously. “Is that really you?”
The other woman smiled, slowly until all her teeth showed. It was oddly jarring. Angela Needham never showed her teeth, considering such a thing as quite uncouth. “Found you,” she said triumphantly. “You thought you had escaped me, didn’t you, foolish girl?”
She wagged an admonishing finger, and Caroline saw Mama’s cuffs were dirtied as though she had not worn clean clothes in days. “Thought you had gotten away, did you not? You have led us quite a dance these past few weeks, but you shall never defeat Mama.”
Caroline stared at her quite stupefied. “What has happened to you?” she asked, taking in Mama’s disheveled appearance. No hat, no coat, she looked as far from her habitual appearance as Caroline could imagine. If she was not mistaken there was a stale, sour smell emanating from her too, instead of the usual waft of violets.
Caroline edged off her gloves by tiny degrees lest either of them should notice. She wanted to have every weapon at her disposal, even if it was only tooth and nail.
“Happened?” her mother echoed sharply. “Why? Whatever do you suppose? You have caused me all manner of suffering, as is your custom,” she said resentfully. “Ever since you were small you have given me nothing but trouble! I didn’t even want to kill Sophy! It has been most inconvenient doing without a housemaid all these weeks!”
“It weren’t my fault! You said as to clobber the female I’d find under that archway,” her accomplice interjected sullenly, “and that’s what I done! Weren’t my fault you sent the wrong one down there!”
Mama rounded on him. “Goring and I have explained it to you a dozen times, you stupid oaf!” she screeched. “Caroline ruined it all! As she ruins everything!”
“Sophy?” Caroline whispered, a cold feeling spreading over her. “Sophy is dead?”
“Yes, and like I said, it’s all your fault,” her mother replied petulantly. “I told you to go down to the pergola and what must you do but go wandering off to pick herbs? It was all most vexing and not at all what Goring and I had planned. Then you turned up at dinner and caused such a scene in front of Lord and Lady Faris. I will never forgive you for that, Caroline. If you would just do as you are told I would have been spared all my suffering.”
Caroline stared at her. “You meant to kill me?” she said shakily. “I always knew you disliked and resented me, but…”
“I had to, Caroline. Don’t you see?” Mama tipped her head to one side and regarded her expectantly.
“The money,” Caroline breathed. “It was all due to my inheritance?”
“Of course,” said simply. “I always intended that money for Edgar. The house too but your father had to go and leave it all in trust for you in that wretched will! His solicitors were growing quite insufferable, wanting to meet with you, threatening to send representatives to Cornwall.”
She waved a hand. “I simply could not stave it off any longer. I did not really want to kill you.” She frowned. “Indeed, it was quite dull without you, I scarcely knew how to occupy my days. And then Edgar went and spoiled everything! If not for him, I might have enjoyed mourning my lost wicked daughter. I scarcely even had the chance to take to my sickbed when that wretched female showed up, trying to usurp me!”
Her bosom heaved with indignation and Caroline could discern dark patches of sweat under her armpits. She could not help but stare. Mama had always been so polished, even fussily dressed. Now she looked as though she was unraveling at the seams.
“Does Edgar know you are in town?” Caroline asked faintly.
“Edgar?” Her mother’s expression turned bitter. “I should say not! He traveled to London with the Farises,” she muttered angrily. “He does not listen to his mother anymore. If you only knew how he has treated me! The magnitude of his betrayal.” She brooded a moment before continuing.
“I have had to move heaven and earth to make my way to London without all of Penarth knowing I have left my sickbed. Goring is at home, maintaining the fiction while I snuck to town with her cousin, Sidney.” She glanced across at the ruffian sat beside Caroline.
Caroline turned her head to scan his crude, lumpish features. “This man is Goring’s cousin?” she asked. She could see no resemblance between him and Mama’s faithful lady’s maid.
