By the time Anthony reached the lodge, it was near dark and the rain was turning into snow. He had his coachman deposit him, cat, and hampers there, assuring his servants he just wanted some peace and quiet for a few days and he’d be fine.
Which was true; his servants had standing orders to keep the lodge and the small stable fully stocked with anything that Anthony might need if he decided to retreat here. Used to his eccentric ways, the coachman and guard headed off to the abbey, where they would find a warm fire, a hot meal, and an audience to discuss the mad behavior of their master.
Naturally the first thing he did was feed the Panda, who then settled down to watch as Anthony built a fire, warmed a couple of Cornish pasties he’d brought with him, and opened a bottle of excellent Bordeaux from the locked cabinet that held wine and spirits.
The simple rituals of life were soothing. Ever since he was a boy, he’d liked coming here to be free of servants and his father’s thunderous presence. The lodge was comfortably furnished with plain cottage tables and chairs that time and long use had burnished to reveal the rich patterns of the natural wood. Worn Oriental rugs scavenged from the abbey attics added a note of faded grandeur.
The sizable front room had a cooking corner and the large double-sided fireplace warmed the bedroom behind the sitting area. In front of the fire were a battered but very comfortable sofa and a pair of equally battered wing chairs, also items that had been banished from the abbey as being too old and worn.
Over the years, Anthony had added books and extra lamps and objects that amused him, like a slightly lopsided wooden owl that he’d carved as a boy and a shimmering, mysterious conch shell Julia had given him. Next to that was a very old Portuguese statuette of the Madonna that had been a gift from Athena. Far more than the grand abbey, this was his home. He’d even learned to cook a bit.
While he ate, the Panda leaped onto the table and settled at the other end, paws tucked under him and his reproachful green gaze on Anthony. “Are you missing her, Panda, my lad? So am I.”
Anthony broke a piece from the savory pasty and set it in front of the cat’s nose. A pink tongue licked out and the morsel disappeared. “Don’t worry, you’ll see her soon. Despite your lady’s generally sunny disposition, she has a temper. I’m sure she’s never exercised it on you because you’re a gentleman and her chief courtier, but she’s going to want to skin me alive.”
After eating, he brought out some proposed legislation that Parliament would consider in the upcoming session. His usual habit was to read through and make notes in the margins, but he found that Diana had spoken true when she said the Panda liked to sit right on top of paperwork. Though he didn’t mind having the cat on the table, he did mind when the Panda deliberately stretched out one snow white paw and knocked over the ink bottle, sending a jet-black pool spreading in all directions.
“Dammit, Panda, have you no respect for the rule of law?” Anthony swore as he shoved back his chair and leaped to his feet so the ink wouldn’t drip on his clothing. The handkerchief he used to blot the ink was ruined and so were several pages of legislation, all while the Panda watched with an expression of angelic innocence.
“I think you’re telling me it’s time to go to bed,” Anthony said dryly. “You’re probably right. But first I want to see what the weather is doing.”
He opened the front door and was blasted by snow and a freezing wind. The cat flattened his whiskers in distaste and made a quick trip out and an even quicker return. Several inches of snow had fallen and more was on the way. The storm wasn’t quite a blizzard, but it had aspirations.
Diana would be slowed down, maybe even forced to stay at an inn for a night or two. Angry though she would be, she wasn’t foolish enough to force her way through weather like this.
Was she?
Anthony hung lanterns in both the front windows. Surely Diana wouldn’t arrive tonight, but anyone who might be caught out here in the woods would need shelter from the storm.
As he closed the door, he uttered a silent prayer that all his people were safe and warm on this wicked winter night.
* * *
Diana’s coach made good time, considering the weather. She’d hoped to reach the lodge by nightfall, but they were forced to stop at the end of the day when the coachman told her the snow and darkness were making it impossible to see the road.
No one’s life should be risked on this endeavor, so she gave orders to stop at the next inn. The Vance servants were grateful for the warmth and hot food, and so was she, briefly. Too restless to settle down for the night, she sought out the landlord. “Mr. Mullins, do you have a good strong horse that I could hire to ride for a few miles?”
“You want to go out in this?” he asked incredulously.
“My destination isn’t far and I know the way well.” She made her eyes huge and tragic. “It’s an urgent family matter. I assure you, I’m an excellent rider and have traveled in conditions like this.” Not enthusiastically, but she’d managed.
“I’ve got no sidesaddle,” the landlord said, clearly hoping that would discourage her.
“No matter, I can ride astride.” Seeing that he was wavering, she said intensely, “I’m an experienced traveler who has gone safely all the way to India and back.Please,Mr. Mullins! I swear I’ll be all right, but Imustgo as soon as possible or it may be too late.” She let tears show in her eyes. “It may already be too late,” she whispered.
Though it was too late for her and Anthony, she damn well intended to get her cat back.
* * *
Diana wrapped her scarf more tightly around her numb face in a futile attempt to protect it from the icy wind. She’d made a grave mistake by attempting to complete her mission tonight. Now that she was thinking rationally, she realized that even if she reached the lodge, she’d be insane to leave again in this storm, and she didn’t even have a good way to carry the Panda.
The Panda wouldnotlike being out in this weather! He was a cat who loved his comforts.
The horse was a stalwart gelding, but his pace slowed to a shambling as he forced his way through the deepening snow. Though she knew the way well under normal conditions, the snow and wind changed the look of everything.
She thought she couldn’t be far from the lodge, but she might be wrong and hopelessly lost. Grimly she recognized that her life was at risk. It was mildly interesting to imagine Anthony’s horror when her frozen body was found in his woods come spring, but she’d never had an ambition to end up like one of Gunter’s ices.
Was that a glint of light in the distance? She squinted against the wind, unsure of what she was seeing. If there was a light, it was a long way off. She urged the horse in that direction. Even if the light was in the devil’s own sitting room, she wouldn’t care as long as it was warm. Hellfires were her likely destination and at least she wouldn’t be cold there.
