CarlysleCoupToAnderonHouseAs soon as the curricle was safely out on the street, Giulian urged his horses to a quicker pace. He knew the route Danton would be following as he drove the Anderon coach to the location -- the "safe house" -- Bea had directed them to. But with everything that had happened, Giulian would not be easy in his mind until the coach was in sight again, and better yet, arrived at their destination. "Keep an eye out for trouble," he murmured to Elissa. He himself needed to concentrate on driving, though at the moment the streets were pretty well deserted. The route they took was an unexpected one -- twisting through the more obscure merchant streets. After a half hour of this, they saw the carriage drawn up to the side of the road -- not the destination, for they were meant to undertake the last part of the journey on foot. There was no sign of anyone else, however -- it seemed they would be able to undertake the next part of their journey unmolested. As the curricle drew up, they could see Renalda peeping out. When she saw them, she gave a little wave and then disappeared back inside the coach. "Hullo, Nalda!" Giulian called out softly, relieved. Then he said, "Let me talk to Mother, and Danton." Nalda held the door open. Danton climbed down from his perch to come and listen to what Giulian had to say. "Mother, I need to know now whether you're going to want to try and retrieve Gallfrey tonight," said Giulian. "If so, I'll give Danton a rendezvous point where he can meet us with the curricle after we've seen the girls safe with Elissa. If not," he looked over at the groom, "you can take it to the Uni stables till further notice." The Anderon coach and horses, either way, would be left at a livery stable a street or two over, one of the reasons they'd chosen to halt here. Bea shook her head. "Jules," she said. "You know what your father would say -- no outsider, no outsider at all must know where the safe house is. I'm sure your friend is a wonderful woman -- but we've planned this for years. We can't compromise the children's safety now. We must go on alone ... with Danton." Renalda was listening, her arms wrapped around Rosie. Giulian looked troubled. "I understand that, Mother," he said, "and I think Elissa will too. But it's the children's safety I'm thinking of. If you and I are to stay with them, well and good. But if we head off to Anderon House to rescue Gallfrey, who will be there to guard Nalda and Rosie?" Bea shook her head. "Gallfrey will be safe at Anderon," she said, and Giulian guessed that she was trying to convince herself of this. "Korine will make sure of that. But if all of us were there ... No. And getting there would be the truly dangerous part." Renalda looked at her worriedly. "Could Jules go?" "No!" said Bea. "It would be too dangerous." "With Elissa as backup I'd be willing to risk it," said Giulian. "There's nothing much can catch me on the road, you know, Mother. If you want Danton I can come back here to the livery stable for the curricle, once I've seen you and the girls safe." Bea seemed to be thinking -- and finally she nodded. "I trust you, Jules," she said. "If Gallfrey is safe at Anderon House -- leave him there. Don't risk him on the streets. But if things look bad..." Giulian nodded decisively. "We'll get him out -- and I'll bring him to you, Mother." She frowned again. "Leave Danton with us, and we'll make our way to the safe house on foot from here." Giulian exchanged a glance with his groom, then nodded again. Before turning to speak to Elissa, he said, "Change coats with me, Danton. We're about of a size, and if anyone who sees me thinks I'm just a groom, so much the better." Then he turned to get Elissa's attention as the wiry groom began to unbutton his livery coat. "Elissa, are you with me? Mother, Danton and the girls are going on foot from here. I'm heading for Anderon House to see if my little brother needs rescuing." There was a low chuckle in the darkness from beside the curricle -- and then silence. Giulian turned quickly toward the sound, looking anxious. "What was that?" Cursing to herself as Bob disappeared with the last comment, Elissa jumped down from the curricle. She pulled the stick out of her purse once more and opened it with a flick of her wrist. She looked around in the darkness and back at Giulian. "Stay with your family.... This is mine..." she called to him. She walked towards the side of the street where the other thief disappeared to. "Get out here and face me... You will not bother them," she said in a low tight voice to the darkness. But there was only silence... Lanky Bob had faded back into the shadows whence he came. Moving closer to Giulian and his family, her eyes still darting back to look at the darkness and shadows, Elissa stopped next to Giulian's side. "Aye, I'm with you. I'll always be there... If that is your wish," she said in a low voice. Her eyes shining with the strength of her words. "Come on, then." Giulian reached a hand down to her, a tender light in his dark eyes that shone through the pale tenseness of his expression. Danton meanwhile had divested himself of his livery jacket, and handed it up to his young master. In return, Giulian gave the groom his long driving coat. The wiry groom was close enough in size to Giulian that the livery fit him reasonably well. "Go quickly, now, Mother, and be safe," Giulian said in a low voice. "Look after them, Danton. God willing, we'll see each other again soon." All the Anderons were now standing on the narrow pavement. Bea reached out and clasped her son's hand tightly. Those magnificent dark eyes were bright, and she did not trust herself to speak. Renalda, her arm around Rosie, managed a smile. Giulian returned his mother's handclasp, his eyes mirroring hers. Then they turned and walked away into the darkness of the street, Danton moving close behind in protection. Giulian watched them go, then straightened and shook the reins. "Let's go." They were already in a quarter of the city from which few would expect a noble's carriage to come. Drawing on the studies he'd made of the city streets when preparing for the Experiment, Giulian chose a route to Anderon House that was reasonably direct, while avoiding the main thoroughfares and the routes he habitually used going to and from the University. He kept his horses to a trot for most of the way, husbanding their strength for whatever desperate race might lie ahead of them. The streets he chose seemed calm and quiet, and soon they were approaching the more prosperous district where Anderon House stood. Giulian slowed the team further and approached the house from the back, a route most often used by delivery wagons bringing supplies to the kitchens. He kept a sharp eye out for activity of any sort. There was none -- not even the bustle of early morning deliveries, which Giulian had encountered a couple of times when trying to slip into the House so late that it was early (that was, of course, before he had his own suite of rooms). Giulian paused the curricle just outside the back gate and studied the house, frowning slightly. The lack of delivery wagons could easily be explained by the unsettled conditions in the city right now. But was this apparent peacefulness genuine, or a trap? "What do you think, Elissa?" he murmured to the woman beside him. "It does not feel right, Jules... It is far too still around here, in spite of the time of day." Elissa looked around, the long fighting stick still in her hands. "What is the usual procedure for the manor during times like this?" "A state of siege, you mean?" returned Giulian, with a mirthless smile. "I don't know. I haven't been through one before. Now, if this were a normal day," he went on, thinking it out, "most of the family would still be asleep, but at least some of the staff would be up and about, in the kitchens especially -- taking early morning deliveries, firing up the ovens, making preparations for breakfast." He cast a glance at the House's chimneys, at the same time testing the air. The smell of early morning fires and breakfast preparations was somewhat reassuring. "Peterson would probably be waiting up for me," he added, a certain rueful affection evident in his voice. "He is ever your man and wonderful at that. Strong and loyal, you could not have a better man. Is there a secret way in that we could check things out?" "Not that I'm aware of," replied Giulian, shaking his head. "And now I wish I'd let you teach me sneaking." Elissa chuckled softly and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I would have enjoyed teaching you. Well, then, what is the plan for finding your little brother?" "Let me think. If this is some kind of a trap, presumably we haven't sprung it yet. What will they expect? And how can we foil their expectations... or play on them? I can't imagine they'd harm Gallfrey -- he's only a child -- but they might well use him as bait to capture Father or Mother or me." He looked up at the house again. "I could easily point out Gallfrey's bedroom window for you. I realize you're not really dressed for climbing," he added apologetically. "But at the same time I could create a distraction by taking the curricle to the stables, by the south entrance as I normally would. If there's a groom on duty as usual, I may be able to get news. If there isn't..." His mouth set grimly. "That might tell me something, too." Elissa chuckled softly as she rose to her feet. "Darling, you still do not know me all too well. I am always prepared for anything, even if I am no longer in the business." Her hands were busy at her waist and soon the long gorgeous skirt of her dress fell to the ground, leaving her in a type of pants and bodice of the dress. She removed the outer layer of the bodice -- a corset type of garment -- and was left in a shirt. "I wish it was darker, but it will do for now," she said, twisting her hair into a simple knot. "What would you like me to do?" "For now, I think... just get out and lurk," Giulian said with the flicker of a smile. "I'm going round to the south gate, where I usually come in these days, to see what's what. If I'm not back in, say, a quarter of an hour to tell you not to, that's when I'd want you to climb up to Gallfrey's window." He pointed with his carriage whip. "Second floor, third from the left." There seemed to be rather more guards gathered around the gate than usual, and all dressed in Anderon uniform. All of them were also well known to Giulian. Giulian drove up close enough to the gate that the guards could recognize him as well, despite his borrowed livery jacket. After greeting the men by name, he asked the senior guard, "Dixon, what's the situation here?" The guards all saluted, amd then Dixon spoke up. "It's all calm, my lord. Now. We caught three intruders in the park earlier. Down by the boathouse." "What sort of intruders?" queried Giulian. "Armed?" Dixon nodded grimly. "And offworld weapons too, my lord. But they didn't know the lie of the land, my lord, and we were able to surprise them. Young Jackison got a nasty burn from one of their ... guns. Dr Gomast doesn't like the look of it." Giulian's expression hardened. "If you have them in custody, I'll speak with them presently. How is my brother?" "Sleeping peacefully," Dixon hastened to assure him. "Korine is with him -- she's not left his room since the trouble started. And there's guards on the door as well." Korine had once been Delan's nurse, and nurse to his siblings as well. Later she had been housekeeper for Anderon House. Now theoretically retired, she was still seen as the greatest authority on matters domestic within the House after Lady Anderon. To Giulian and his siblings, she had always been a surrogate grandmother. Giulian nodded. "Good. Let her, and Peterson, know I'm here. I just need to swing back and retrieve my escort," he smiled slightly, "and then I'm coming in." He maneuvered the curricle back and around so that he could return to the back entrance where he'd left Elissa. "Elissa," he called softly. "It's all clear. You can come in with me now." After watching the conversation from the darkness where she disappeared into, Elissa slowly emerged from her hiding place and smiled at Giulian. She looked around carefully, for any sign of attack, and then her eyes met Giulian's once again. She reached the curricle and stepped up into it. Settling in, she reached out and laid her hand over Giulian's that held the reins. Even that brief touch told her that some of the tension had eased out of him. He was still alert, but not as tightly wound up as he'd been as they drove through the city. "We can stay here," he told her. "It will be better. The guards are well trained -- they intercepted three intruders already -- but someone should be in charge until Father can return." Giulian flicked the reins and once more headed his team to the south gate. "Just one more short step and then you can have a rest and a good rubdown," he told Castor and Pollux. At the gate, he reined in again and told the guards, "This is Miss Elissa Chatham. She's with me." The guards saluted. "Yes, my lord!" The gate was opened as widely as possible to allow Giulian to drive his curricle into the courtyard. (Continued in Carlysle Coup: At Anderon House) |
