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.Alone Demelza undressed, put on her nightgown and over it a white dressing gown also made by Nattie.It fastened close at the neck and had a little flat collar trimmed with lace.She brushed her hair as her mother had taught her to do until it shone, then still feeling wide awake she picked up her book and forced herself to concentrate on it.Before she did so she lit two candles which Nattie would have thought, eyes or no eyes, an extravagance.Then, because her book had begun to interest her, she forgot everything else until it was with surprise that she heard the stable clock strike the hour of midnight.‘I certainly must go to sleep now,’ she told herself and shut her book to put it away tidily.Everything in the Priests’ Room had to be put in its place because it was so small.Then, as she stretched her arms above her head, feeling a little cramped after sitting for so long, Demelza had a sudden longing to breathe the fresh air.One disadvantage of the Priests’ Room was that it was not well ventilated and for the first time since she had slept there Demelza felt stifled and restricted.‘I will go downstairs and stand at the garden door,’ she thought.‘I will breathe deeply, then come up again, not even Nattie could find fault with that!’She slipped her feet into her soft satin heelless slippers and very quietly began to descend the stairs.She passed the top floor, reached the first and was just proceeding further when she heard voices in what was known as the Red Room.Someone was speaking clearly, but in what seemed a deliberately lowered tone and there was something almost sinister about it as if the words were hissed.Without actually realising that she would be prying on the occupant’s privacy Demelza stopped and, standing on tiptoe, looked through the small hole, which was incorporated in the Jacobean panelling with which the room was lined.As she did so, she remembered that it was Sir Francis Wigdon who slept there, the man she disliked.She could see him sitting on the side of the bed.He was still wearing his evening clothes, but had loosened the cravat round his neck.“You have brought exactly what I told you?” Demelza heard him say in a lowered voice, which made his words seem deliberately secretive.She moved slightly so that she could see to whom he was speaking and saw to her surprise there were two other men in the room.One looked like a valet, wearing a striped waistcoat in what she thought was Sir Francis’s colours.The other was a much rougher type, coarse and wearing a red handkerchief round his neck.He held his cap in his hands which he was twisting nervously as he said,“I’ve got it safe, Guv’nor.”“You are sure that it’s strong enough to be effective?” Sir Francis asked, speaking now to the man who appeared to be his valet.“I can swear, sir, that when ’e’s taken it Crusader’ll not run tomorrow.”“Good!” Sir Francis ejaculated.Demelza held her breath as if she could not believe what she had heard.“Then get on with you!” Sir Francis ordered, “but be absolutely certain before you enter the stables that everyone is asleep.”“We’ll be cautious, sir,” the valet replied.Demelza did not wait to hear any more.She knew now what the men intended to do.There had always been talk of horses being doped before races and of owners having guards to watch their stables.But she was quite certain that it had never crossed the Earl’s mind, or Abbot’s, that the horses were not safe at The Manor.Her first thought was that she must wake Gerard, but it was impossible to get directly into his room and she was afraid if she went into the corridor she might encounter the men to whom Sir Francis was speaking or even Sir Francis himself.Almost without conscious thought, her feet carried her along the side passage which led to the Master’s room.Only as she descended the steps which led to the secret panel by the fireplace did she ask herself if she was doing the right thing and remembered how furious Gerard would be with her.Then she told herself that nothing mattered but that she should save Crusader.How could she stand by and do nothing while he was doped and made unfit to race the following day?It was not only that the Earl would lose face at having to withdraw his horse and that he and Gerard would lose the money they had wagered on him.It was also a humiliation and an ignominy that such things should happen at The Manor of all places.She put out her hand without even waiting to look through the peephole.The secret door opened and she stepped into the room which had been her father’s.The curtains were drawn back and, by the light of the stars and a pale moon that was creeping up the sky, she could see clearly enough to realise that the Earl was in bed and asleep.Drawing a deep breath Demelza spoke – *The Earl had enjoyed his dinner when the house party had been joined by six of his closest friends.The food had been excellent, the wine superb and, although the conversation had naturally been about the racing everyone told amusing anecdotes of one sort or another.They capped each other’s jokes with a wit that made the Earl feel sorry that the King was not present.If there was one thing that George IV really enjoyed it was witty conversation to which he could contribute with an intelligence that few people except his closest friends credited him with.“A damned good evening, Valient!” one of the Earl’s guests said when he left.“I cannot remember when I laughed more.”As the Earl went up to bed, he thought he had been wise in insisting that everyone should retire early.Like the King, he hated parties that went on too long and he disliked it if men drank so much that they became incoherent.Abstemious himself, he found drunkards a bore and he never allowed himself to be bored.When he got into bed, he echoed the sentiments of Lord Chirn who had said as they walked upstairs together,“This is the best Ascot I have ever attended, Valient.Not only have I made money, but I have never been more comfortable and I find in the peace and quiet of this house that I sleep like a child.”It was what the Earl himself had found.There were no noisy chambermaids or whistling ostlers to wake him in the morning and the clean air coming in through the windows carried the scent of the pines and flowers.He fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.Then he awoke with an alertness that came from his training as a soldier [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]