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Thoroughly agitated now, Gabriel threw down his napkin and leapt to his feet.
“How did she depart?” he asked, pushing past Carroll.
“I am not entirely certain, Milord. I heard cook say that she’d seen the lady and her maid leave on horseback,” the butler called after his retreating back.
“Hell and damnation, the foolish bloody woman!” he muttered, adding several more colourful curses to his litany as he loped through the house to the boot room.
He appeared in the stables a short while later, warmly clad and carrying a pile of blankets and furs. “Ready the sleigh,” he bawled at no one in particular.
“Milord, a moment?” the under-groom called, hastening to his side.
“Yes, what is it, Joseph?” he asked, short on temper.
“The countess, she has taken Star, and her maid has Merry, the mare you purchased for your fiancée.”
Gabriel turned the air blue with language he would never normally countenance, but in this instance, it was required that he release his pent-up fury before he hit something or someone.
The woman, whoever she was, deserved a sound thrashing, which he was more than tempted to give her once he got his hands on her. In fact, if Star and the gentle Merry were harmed in any way, he swore to personally deliver his own brand of justice.
In no time at all, the sleigh was prepared. The two mules, Jolly and Chestnut, were tacked and ready to pull the little-used sledge. Piling blankets upon the seats behind him, Gabriel took up the driver’s position.
Being hardy, these mules, bred from a draught horse as mother and a large Jack donkey as father, were much stronger and tougher than any horse, ideal for hauling the sled through the deepening snow. Although the going would be slow, at least they would persevere and be equal to the task.
Gabriel instructed Joseph to take control of the back of the sleigh. The groom first lit the candles in the lanterns set either side at the front before he jumped nimbly up onto the back of the sled and held on with both hands. Joseph was thoroughly versed in the art of knowing in which direction he should lean in order to stabilise the vehicle as it approached a bend.
With a flick of his riding whip, Gabriel had the two mules plodding forward.
It was easy to follow the deep tracks made by the horses. The mules came into their stride after a half mile of travel and progressed onwards at a steady pace. Gabriel did not push the beasts, for he had no way of knowing how long they would be out in these freezing conditions. He took no pleasure as they passed through this sparkling world of shimmering white. No, his full attention was on finding the direction of the road now hidden by the changed contours of the snow-capped landscape. He was resolved to save his horses and the women from frostbite or worse. His heart raced in time with the bell that jangled at the front of the sleigh.
They had a moment of near disaster as they rounded a snowy bend, the sledge rearing onto its side traversing a snow-covered bush. Gabriel had miscalculated the highway’s direction. The sleigh tilted alarmingly, but Joseph, skilled at such manoeuvres, leaned the opposite way in order to right the sled, thus calamity was averted. After that, they journeyed onwards without further mishap.
Chapter 7
Angele realised her foolhardiness shortly into their journey. She’d been too hasty in her decision to return to Churchton immediately. Star shuddered beneath her, finally coming to a halt. He simply stood still, his flesh quivering in the biting cold whilst he snorted in distress. The mare that Ivy rode had fallen far behind; it was obvious she struggled with the depth of snow.
They should return to the house, but it seemed Star had other plans. The brave stallion picked his way across the pristine snow at an angle to the highway. Angele instinctively trusted the steed and made no attempt to control his wayward behaviour. She studied the brightness ahead, squinting, just about able to make out the outline of a building. Shortly after, a dwelling came into view. No smoke rose from the chimney, and the cottage was covered in thick snow, a sure indication that no welcome fire blazed within the hearth which would have melted the worst of the snow from the roof.
Star plodded laboriously around the small cottage to the back where a rudimentary stable was to be found. Stiffly, Angele dismounted and was instantly up to her knees in snow, making walking difficult. She and the horse made their way inside the shelter, which was cold but offered some protection from the blizzard outside. Hay was stored at one end while two stalls were at the other. Star needed no persuading to enter a stall. Angele fetched hay and filled a bucket with snow, placing both in front of the horse, hoping the snow would soon melt and provide the animal with water.
There was a creaking of doors as Ivy entered the stable, leading the exhausted Merry. Angele took the reins from her maid and stabled the mare in the same manner she had Star. The two women then closed and re-barred the doors of the stable to keep out the arctic chill. They held on to each other as they struggled towards the back of the cottage.
Angele hammered on the door, already suspecting no one lived here. When there was no reply, she tried the latch, and the door swung inward. Inside, there was an old wooden table and four chairs. A blackened range sat against the far wall.
“I saw a stack of firewood outside. Please fetch some logs, Ivy, we must have a fire. I shall investigate inside the cottage.” Angele didn’t wait to see if her maid obeyed her instruction but moved through the tiny scullery and into the main room.
It possessed two ancient fireside rocking chairs set upon a reed-covered floor. A small latched door stood open on the opposite wall, revealing a winding stairway. Angele tentatively climbed the twisted stairs to the upper floor onto a poky landing. There were two identical-sized bedchambers. Each one sported an old carved wooden bed with ticking-covered straw mattresses. A bolster lay at the head of each bed.
In one of the rooms, a large recess had been shelved. There were a few motley items of bedding folded, a couple of blankets and some aged bed linen. Frost fronds decorated the inside of the tiny diamond-paned windows, and her breath vaporised into mist in the frigid air. She shivered. Making her way back down the stairs, she knew that to survive they must manage to light both the fire and the range, but how?
* * *
Gabriel and Joseph had not travelled very far when the horse tracks they were following veered off the road. They were still within the estate grounds, but it was obvious that the ladies’ horses were suffering difficulty with the growing depth of snow. Meanwhile, the mules picked their way through the driving weather without showing any sign of distress.
Shortly after they’d left the road, a small house came into sight. Horse tracks led toward the deserted tied cottage that had stood empty since old Jeb, the farrier, had passed away. Gabriel knew that his estate manager intended filling the position come spring, when the labour market was normally buoyant.
At least the woman purporting to be Marie had the good sense to seek shelter. He just hoped it wasn’t because one of his horses had turned lame. He drove around the back of the farrier’s cottage and pulled up the mules.
Conditions had turned ferocious. Snow blinded him, swirling about his head, disorientating him as he made for the makeshift stable. Thank goodness he had no need to continue his search in this forbidding weather. Joseph was already unhitching the steadfast mules. Gabriel paused to pat each stoical creature as he passed by.
