“Quite clever. Faces turned the wrong way, key items upside down. They would never have passed as legal tender. But most of these benighted souls were illiterate and quite uneducated in any way, so they didn’t see the small changes I had made.
“You?” Celeste turned wide, astonished eyes upon the man.
“Me,” he smirked. “I was posing as their artist.”
Chapter 54
The following day, the lieutenant and the men he had hidden in the hills came down into the valley to begin the process of transporting the perpetrators of the various crimes. The minor rank and file of the revolutionaries, including Smythe and Wilson, had already been hauled rather unceremoniously down to Edinburgh.
Since Warner and Mrs. Whitehurst were English citizens, they would be treated differently from the Frenchmen who had been captured. Their fates would be determined in a court of law. It only remained to be seen whether they would be tried by magistrates in Edinburgh or taken to London.
Margery was another matter. She was likely to be permanently disabled, thanks to her fall. Dr. Dermott said that if she ever walked again it would be a miracle. Her pelvis had been crushed under the horse and her spine was damaged. Sister Agatha suggested that she be placed in the care of the Gentle Sisters, and Mother Sarah concurred. Father Jacob considered it, then decided he would need to establish the Brother Protectors or somesuch, because he didn’t trust “that Warner” not to come bothering around again.
After some discussion with the Lieutenant, the Inspector, and Mr. Smith, it was decided that a comfortable, but secure, cell was the kindest approach.
“She loved riding,” Celeste said, her eyes brimming with tears as Margery’s cart contraption was carefully taken down the stairs and trundled across the courtyard to a wagon that was waiting to take her to the Gentle Sisters. “And she liked listening to stories read out loud. She wasn’t always kind, and she was more like a child than a grown woman, but it hurts my heart to imagine the life she was leading and the one that awaits her.”
Jonathan gently put his arm around Celeste, giving her plenty of space to pull away if she wanted. She leaned into him, cuddling closer. “I promised her father I would take care of her,” he said. “She didn’t want me as a husband, and now that I have met you, I don’t want her as a wife. This is as close as I can get to keeping that promise. I toured a madhouse once, and I would not condemn anyone to that sort of torture. She would be better off hanged, and I just cannot quite bring myself to send her to trial. She would convict herself out of her own mouth, without even realizing she had done so.”
“It still hurts my heart,” Celeste said.
“Mine, too,” Jonathan replied. “Mine, too.”
They stood silently watching until the cart was out of sight around the bend in the road leading to the village. “You know,” said Jonathan, “I have some special mail that I have never opened. I think it might be time for me to ask Mr. Hammonds where he put it.”
“You don’t know?”
“Haven’t a clue,” Jonathan said. “He was always full of surprises and playing tricks on us boys. You wouldn’t think it to look at him, but he used to be a lot of fun when we were growing up. I’m not completely certain that being a grandfather really agrees with him.”
“I think he likes it very much,” Celeste argued. “You should see him when Jill and David are around. He is so proud of them that he nearly bursts his buttons.”
They walked down to the butlery, swinging their hands as if they were children. It was as if somehow in all the turmoil, they had found a warm bubble of happiness that encased them and allowed them this moment together.
If I never have anything more than this,Celeste thought,I will have all the world.
When they reached the butlery, and explained their mission, Mr. Hammonds rose with ponderous slowness from his seat at the big, old table and shuffled slowly over to a rack of wine bottles. He removed one that had the bottom cut out of it, making it a false front. Then he drew out the mysterious package.
Jonathan seated Celeste at the table as if she were a great lady. Then he sat beside her and opened the package with Mr. Hammonds looked on. On top of the bundle of papers was a marriage certificate for Margery Taster and Roderick Warner, dated two months before his supposed wedding.
A note in Christopher Hammonds neat handwriting read, “You don’t need an annulment. You were never legally wed.”
“I wonder,” Jonathan said slowly, “If I had read this the morning I received it, would it have made any difference?”
“You didn’t read it, Your Grace,” Mr. Hammonds said, “Because the Inspector and the Constable came to get you to see the carnage at the orangery. By that time, I think it was already too late.”
Jonathan sighed.
“You need to stop doing that,” Celeste said. “You can’t possibly fix everything in the world.”
There were sad, dark depths in his eyes as he looked at her and then looked away. “I realize that.” He added, “Celeste, if I ever ask of you something you don’t want to do, you can say no. I will acquiesce to your will.”
“I know that, Your Grace. I trust you to not ever lead me astray.”
“Celeste, that is a lot of responsibility for one man.”
“Not really. It is just the right amount, because I have faith in you and your judgement.
Chapter 55
