‘Well, the doctor’s in with him at the moment,’ he explained. ‘I’m afraid he has a fever this mornin’ an what with that an’ his leg?.?.?.’ He shook his head and Amber’s stomach did a somersault. Was the sergeant trying to tell her that Barnaby wasn’t going to make it?
‘Istillwant to see him,’ she said stubbornly and after hesitating for a moment he sighed and lifted a large key that was hanging with some others on a nail behind the desk. The girl certainly had spirit, he had to give her that. Most young women would still be in bed recovering after what she had been through the night before.
‘Just for a few minutes then.’ He lifted the flap in the counter and led her to the door that would take them down to the cells. ‘By rights I shouldn’t be allowing anyone to see him until he’s seen the solicitor,’ he told her. ‘But there’s not much chance of that happening yet. He’s well and truly out of it.’
The sergeant could hardly take in what had happened the night before – and it wasn’t just the incident on the cliffs. He had been called in early when one of the neighbours in Argument’s Yard had noticed that Mrs Preston’s door was flapping open in the breeze, and when they’d gone in to check on her, they’d found a bloodbath. The woman was covered in bruises and the house looked as if a hurricane had gone through it, but worse than that was the fact that she was quite dead with a knife on the floor beside her and her wrists slashed. Whitby was usually such a quiet place and now here he was with two deaths to deal with in one night!
He unlocked the door and Amber followed him down some steep stone steps that had been worn in the centre from the numerous feet that had trampled up and down them over so many years. It felt damp, certainly not the sort of place for an invalid to be, she thought, but she was afraid that the sergeant might change his mind about allowing her to see Barnaby so she held her peace until they reached the bottom where she saw three cells all in a row along one wall.
The doctor was bending over a low bed in one of them, but at the sound of their footsteps, he straightened and Amber got her first glimse of Barnaby. His face was flushed and wet with sweat but as she involuntarily called his name, he turned his head and gave her a weak smile.
The cell was unlocked, and rushing into it, Amber dropped to her knees and took his hot hand in hers, whispering, ‘How is he, Doctor?’
‘Not good I’m afraid.’ Turning to the sergeant, he asked, ‘Could I have a word please?.?.?. outside?’
The two men left to stand in the far corner where they couldn’t be overheard as Amber turned her full attention back to Barnaby whose grip on her hand was surprisingly strong.
‘Ah?.?.?. your face,’ he groaned as he tried to focus his eyes on the livid wound on her cheek.
‘It’s nothing, it’ll soon heal.’ Without thinking she raised his hand to her lips and gently kissed his fingers and to her surprise she saw tears on Barnaby’s cheeks.
‘I-I’m so sorry for everything I’ve put you through,’ he said in a trembling voice.
She shook her head. ‘This wasn’t your fault,’ she insisted. ‘If you hadn’t come along when you did?.?.?. Well, I dread to think what he might have done.’
‘A-and Charlotte?.?.?. is she all right?’
‘Absolutely fine,’ she assured him but her temper was rising by the minute. Barnaby was clearly very ill, far too ill to be locked up in a police cell and she determined to say as much when the doctor and sergeant came back. Luckily, though, she didn’t have to.
‘Mrs Greenwood.’
‘Yes.’ Her head snapped round at the sound of the sergeant’s voice.
‘It’s highly unorthodox but the doctor has recommended that your husband should go home to be nursed. The magistrates are not due into town until early next month and hopefully he’ll be on the mend by that time. But I should warn you, he will have to return to jail and go before them. I imagine he will be sent to court to stand trial and be sentenced at that point.’
That was all in the future but for now Amber was just grateful that Barnaby could come home where she could make sure that he received proper care.
‘I shall drive you both back to The Crow’s Nest in my carriage,’ the kindly doctor informed her. ‘As I’ve pointed out, Mr Greenwood is hardly in any condition to try to escape and he needs more care than I’m able to give him while he’s locked up in here.’
It took almost half an hour for the doctor and the sergeant to manhandle Barnaby up the stairs and into the doctor’s carriage, and by then the colour had drained from his face and his lips had turned a frightening shade of pale blue.
‘I was hoping you’d make an official statement before you left,’ the sergeant grumbled once they’d managed to get him as comfortable as possible in the carriage. ‘And I will of course hold you personally responsible if he does try to run away. And myself or one of my officers will be visiting every day to check on his progress.’
Amber stared at him in disgust. ‘Come as often as you please and does hereallylook capable of running anywhere?’ she spat sarcastically. ‘And as for the statement, I’ve already told you what happened. My story will be no different this mornin’ to what it was last night! I ain’t in the habit o’ tellin’ lies an’ I’m tellin’ you, Barnabydid notstab Bertie. The knife that Bertie cut my face with was sent flyin’ when the two of ’em were fightin’ afore they went over the edge o’ the cliff. So can Ipleasetake him home now?’
‘Er, yes, yes of course.’ The sergeant stood to one side as the doctor climbed into the driver’s seat and Amber scrambled into the back to cradle her husband’s head in her lap.
As it rattled away the sergeant offered up a silent prayer that he had done the right thing. There was one thing for sure – his head would be on the block if he hadn’t, but there was nothing he could do about it now, so with a sigh he turned and went back into the small police station.
Once they arrived back at the house, Mrs Jennings, Amber and the doctor somehow managed to get Barnaby inside and into bed although the journey had clearly taken its toll on him and he looked ghastly. His face was the colour of putty, with sweat running down his cheeks.
‘Get that window open an’ get some air to him,’ Mrs Jennings said bossily. ‘Then he’ll need bathin’ with cool water. Do you think you can manage?’
Amber nodded wearily, although she felt dreadful herself. ‘Of course.’
‘Right lass, well as much as I’d love to stay an’ help I need to get back to me chores but I’ll tell you what, I’ll take little Charlotte wi’ me for a couple o’ days. She’ll love it up at the farm an’ it will give you more time to concentrate on Barnaby if you ain’t got to worry about her. What do you say?’
Amber chewed on her lip. She had never been parted from Charlotte since they had been reunited but she knew it made sense. Barnaby needed her far more than Charlotte did at the present time and so she finally nodded and hurried away to pack a little bag of clothes and Charlotte’s favourite rag doll.
