She even opened the hanging cupboard and looked under the beds, just in case the girl had taken fright at something, but her blood was running cold.Throwing off the damp shawl, she took up her candle again and marched back down the passage.
Emerging into unexpected light on the landing, she blinked at the scene lit up below her.
Three weary, travel-stained gentlemen stood in a huddle to her right, gawping with varying degrees of alarm at Mrs.Rains who stood, hands on hips, in the middle of the room, glaring up the steps, not at Tabitha, but at Lily—thank you, God!—who seemed to have halted near the foot of the stairs beside a complete stranger in army uniform.
“Is there no food to be had at your hostelry, madam?”the officer was asking with a fair degree of irritation.
“’Course there is,” Mrs.Rains answered aggressively, “butshe’s already had hers, and you was asleep!”
“I am now awake and hungry, and if the lady requires a glass of milk, I really do not see why she should not have one.”
Mrs.Rains, becoming aware of Tabitha’s candle and her movement toward the stairs, seemed to swear beneath her breath.
Lily and the officer both glanced around too.Before her stepdaughter could blurt something like,There you are, Tabitha hurried into speech.
“Why is this taking so long, Lily?If there is no milk in the house...”
“Lord lumme, of course there’s milk,” Mrs.Rains broke in.“I just got to serve these poor gents first, who’ve been travelling all day.Sit down, gentlemen, Rains will be in directly.The table is set for you just where you are...”
She moved to heft up a laden tray from the table nearer the kitchen door—or what Tabitha supposed was the kitchen door.“I’ll bring it up,” she snapped at the three on the stairs.
“That won’t be necessary,” Tabitha said regally, sailing the rest of the way downstairs and sweeping Lily and her unknown swain with her.
He was a pleasant-faced young man, who managed somehow to look pale beneath bronzed skin.It might have been a trick of the candlelight, but Tabitha suspected he had been injured, a suspicion confirmed when he limped aside and bowed to her.
“Oh, Tabbie,” Lily said brightly, “this is Lieutenant Meade who is also staying here.I met him in the passage.Sir, my stepmother, Lady Sark.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Lieutenant,” Tabitha said, glancing at the other men in the room.
She found the adults still standing, watching her as if stunned, although the accompanying boy had thrown himself eagerly onto the nearest chair at the table.When his elders bowed to the ladies, he sprang up again and bowed too, gracefully enough to have been taught.Although tall, he seemed to be younger than she had first supposed, surely no older than thirteen or so.
Interesting.Did spies and saboteurs normally bring their children along?
Rather to her surprise, the oldest of the three men walked toward her and bowed again.“Lady Sark?Allow me to introduce myself.My name is Smith.”
Oh, unimaginative!Although he spoke in perfect English, without the accents betrayed by most of the emigrees she had met.
“How do you do, Mr.Smith?”She looked pointedly at the boy.
“My son, Edward.”
Certainly another English name, though he may not have been born with it.The boy bowed again, his eyes wide now, as if he had started to pay attention.The third man had stepped back and was not introduced—presumably a servant.
“My stepdaughter, Lady Lily Lisle,” Tabitha said languidly.
“Dinner is served,” Mrs.Rains growled as she crashed the last dish down on the table.
“We shall wait here,” Tabitha informed her, taking a seat at an empty table not too close to the Frenchmen, “for our milk.”
“A small plate of cold cuts, or leftovers, with small beer, is all I require,” Lieutenant Meade added.
“Do join us, Lieutenant,” Tabitha invited, just as the door burst open in a gust of damp wind, and Jack De’Ath strode in, slamming the door behind him.He took off his hat and shook himself like a dog.
“Who the b-devil are you?”Mrs.Rains demanded.
Jack regarded her with unexpected hauteur.“The name is Johns, but you won’t know it since I have not reserved rooms.I have merely got separated from my people and need somewhere to stay for the night.”
“We’re full up,” Mrs.Rains said shortly.“It’s less than two miles to the tavern in Garth.They’ll take you in.”
