Page 66 of Needs Must
Donna simply gaped at him, her composure slipping. He actually seemed to believe what he said, and clearly felt that he had done nothing wrong. Donna sensed Esmeralda’s agitation. The fire smoked and she knew that the wind blowing down the chimney was not responsible for the choking atmosphere. Esmeralda was in the presence of her murderer. Donna knew it for a fact and felt a chill trickle down her spine that drove all feelings of safety clean away. She had to best this man somehow, for Esmeralda’s sake as much as her own.
‘Talking of what’s mine,’ Ian said, strolling about the small room and making it feel cramped. Its size, she assessed, would work against Donna if she tried to evade him. Wherever she moved to, he would be able to stretch out an arm and grab hold of her. ‘I believe you have some property of mine, and I would like it back please.’
‘Emperor’s gone lame,’ the stallion’s groom told Cal. ‘I’ve put a poultice on his off fore. Reckon he twisted a fetlock in the paddock yesterday.’
‘Damn!’
Cal had been about to ride over to Arndale and check on Donna as he passed. He could have used his regular morning ride as an excuse to catch a glimpse of her and assure himself that she had not been harmed. Not that there was any reason why she would be. Harte couldn’t possibly have arrived yet, and anyway Jules still had people in the village checking for strangers, just to be sure. Cal wasn’t taking any chances when it came to Donna’s security.
Not that Emperor being out of service would prevent him from riding. He’d take Thad instead. That might even serve better. Donna would be pleased to see the gelding that she appeared to have bonded with.
He had just given instructions for Thad to be saddled and was on the point of mounting up when he heard footsteps pounding in his direction and a young voice calling desperately to get his attention. His heart stalled when he recognised Tom Cooper pelting up to him, gasping for breath.
‘You’re needed,’ he said, resting his hands on his knees and panting. ‘Some cove has got to Mrs Harte and she’s on her own!’
Cal didn’t wait to hear anymore. He swung into Thad’s saddle and indicated to Tom that he should get up behind him. He did so with the athletic ease of youth and Cal pushed Thad into a gallop the moment they cleared the yard. He brought the gelding to a halt in a stand of trees a hundred yards away from the cottage and tied his reins to a branch.
‘Keep low,’ he said to Tom as they approached the cottage’s gardens. ‘Mrs Harte is alone you said? Where’s Miriam?’
‘Gone to the village, I think.’
He considered sending Tom back to the Hall on Thad and having him summon Jules but decided against it. If Jules arrived and was seen, then there was no telling what a cold-blooded man who’d already killed a defenceless woman before later committing fratricide would do to protect himself. Even as things stood, whatever actions he took it didn’t bode well for Donna. Cal didn’t want to increase the odds against her. He had already lost the advantage, since he couldn’t get into the cottage to listen to what was being said. He understood now why he’d been unhappy about the entire plan. A premonition perhaps?
He could burst in, take Harte by surprise and use the distraction to save Donna from the man’s vile clutches. He paused as he approached the sitting room window, still crouched low. Harte, he suspected, would react to being confronted by using Donna as a shield to prevent Cal from getting to him. Or worse, by threatening to kill her if Cal didn’t back off. He couldn’t take that chance. But as long as she remained in possession of those damning letters, she was likely to remain alive, providing he didn’t spook Harte into reacting recklessly.
Hold that thought.
He recalled the warped windows. As he approached he could see that Dawkins had done a first rate job of stopping the draughts, but there was nothing he could do about the misshapen wood, and there were still gaps which offered an outside possibility that Cal would be able to overhear what was being said.
He and Tom crouched beneath the window, their breathing as loud as Cal’s thumping heart, and listened.
‘How did you find me, as a matter of interest?’
Cal felt a rush of relief when Donna’s voice reached him clearly.
‘I am no fool.’ A harsh laugh followed her question.
‘There are some that might gainsay you in that respect,’ Donna replied archly.
Oh, Donna, don’t antagonise him.
‘I know that Aykroyd despises me, but he served his purpose. There are few better than him when it comes to finding people who don’t want to be found. He will do anything for a good payday.’
‘Well, you would know all about that.’
‘I also know he’d sell me out if he got half a chance. So I had someone follow him.’ Harte chuckled. ‘For all his cleverness, he never once realised it. Anyway, I found out where you were and gave him a chance to prove me wrong. He didn’t, of course, so the moment I knew he was on the coach to Chichester, I decided to take matters into my own hands. We probably passed one another at some point on the road.’
There was a long pause that played heavily on Cal’s nerves. He peeped over the window ledge and could see the back of Donna’s head. She was seated in a chair in front of the fire. Harte was pacing about behind her like a caged animal. Cal cursed beneath his breath. He wanted her to see him so that she would know that help was on hand, but she didn’t once turn her head.
Look round!
‘Now, my dear, time’s a-wasting,’ Harte continued. ‘That interfering maid of yours will be back soon. I know she’s gone to the village,’ he added, presumably because Donna showed surprise. ‘I know every move you make, including your cozy arrangement with the local bigwig. I hope you enjoyed it. It’s the talk of the village, you hussy!’ Harte’s features twisted into a grotesque parody fuelled by jealousy, and Cal knew all too well what he intended to do to Donna just as soon as he had acquired the letters. ‘Anyway, we wouldn’t want Miriam to get in the way of our cozy reunion, would we now? I’ll have to remove that particular obstacle if it comes to it.’
Harte obviously knew that intimidating Donna would prove futile, and that threatening Miriam would be the quickest and surest way to obtain Donna’s cooperation.
‘I should like to see you try it,’ Donna said with commendable calm. ‘You are a bully and a coward. Threatening helpless females is your way. I have always known it. What you fail to consider, however, is that neither Miriam nor I fall into the helpless category. Besides, you cannot subdue us both.’
‘Don’t try my patience,’ Harte said with a mirthless chuckle. ‘I could tie you up now and render you harmless soon enough.’
