Chris Nickson - Constant Lovers

Taylor stroked the horse’s head between the eyes and didn’t answer for a few moments. Then, ‘Told her to grow up, that they’d arranged a damn good marriage for her.’

‘How serious was all this romance?’

‘Strong, I reckon.’ Taylor moved, setting himself in the shade on the other side of the animal. ‘She’d been seeing him a little while. Loved him, Annie told me. He was just unsuitable for what her parents wanted for her marriage.’

‘Not rich enough, you mean?’

‘Aye, summat like that.’ He gave a cold smile.

‘Do you know if Sarah gave him up after she was wed?’

‘Annie never said she was still seeing him.’

Nottingham brushed the fringe off his forehead. The hair was damp and stuck to his skin. He debated telling Taylor what he knew. If Anne had confided anything in him, it might help.

‘From what we’ve been able to find out, Sarah was still seeing him regularly. They were planning to leave together.’

The man raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, I’m glad love meant more to her than money, any road,’ he said.

‘Did your daughter give you any indication?’

‘Not really.’ He scratched his head. ‘Last time she was here she did say Sarah might be with child.’

Nottingham’s eyes widened. ‘She told you instead of her mother?’

Taylor smiled wistfully. ‘She loved her mam well enough, but like I said, I was the one she talked to. Allus was that way.’ He sighed. ‘You think the child might be this other man’s?’

‘It could be,’ Nottingham agreed guardedly. If she was pregnant by Jackson, then this would be the perfect time to leave and set up somewhere new. They’d arrive as a couple with some money and a baby on the way. Who’d think twice about that?

Taylor looked thoughtful. ‘And what about Annie? Were they going to take her?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know,’ the Constable answered truthfully. The man had been forthright, and he deserved honesty in return. ‘If I had to guess, I’d say yes. She’d been privy to all Sarah’s plans, after all. She’d always gone with her mistress when she met her lover. They trusted her. So, for what it’s worth, I think Anne would have gone with them.’

‘You think our Annie and Sarah were killed because of all this?’

‘I don’t know why they were killed,’ Nottingham told him with a weary shake of his head. ‘I’m trying to find out. And that’s why anything I can learn is useful.’

‘When you find out, will you come and tell us?’ Taylor asked. ‘Just so we know why Annie had to die.’

‘I will,’ Nottingham promised. He pushed his heels against the horse’s flanks and the animal moved off. Perhaps it was time to see the Gibtons again, after all.

He rode along the drive to the house with his thoughts rolling and tumbling. A gardener was working, scything part of the lawn, arms moving in long, limber arcs. Even though high clouds remained teasingly in the sky, the heat was still gathering and Nottingham wiped the sweat from the back of his neck.

When he dismounted no one hurried out to greet him. He tethered the horse and walked slowly to the door, raised the polished brass of the knocker, warm to his touch, and let it fall against the wood.

It took a minute until he heard footsteps pattering inside and the serving girl opened the door, face flushed with running.

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ she said with a small curtsey. She was close to Emily’s age, hair gathered loosely under a cap, her eyes full of worry and work in a friendly, good-hearted face.

‘Is Lord Gibton in?’ he asked. ‘I’m Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds. I’ve been here before.’

‘I remember, sir,’ she replied. ‘Lord and Lady Gibton are gone for the day.’

‘Ah well. I wanted to tell them how things were moving in the hunt for their daughter’s killer.’

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ the girl repeated. ‘They’ll be back this evening, I think.’

‘How long have you worked here?’

‘Me, sir?’ The girl looked astonished at the question. ‘About a year, I think.’

‘Do they keep you busy?’

Her eyes flicked around quickly, making sure no one was in earshot. ‘They do, sir. There aren’t enough of us to do all the work,’ she said quietly.

He nodded sympathetically. ‘What’s your name?’ he asked.

‘Alice, sir.’

‘Did you see Mrs Godlove when she was here?’

‘Yes, sir, course I did, lots of times. She came to visit regular, about every month, her and Anne.’ She hesitated. ‘Do you know what happened to Anne?’

‘That’s why I was out in the village. We found her body. I’m sorry.’

Alice looked down for a moment. When she raised her head again only willpower was keeping her features composed.

‘You know they were supposed to visit when she was murdered?’

‘I heard that. But I wasn’t here.’

‘Oh?’ It was Nottingham’s turn to appear surprised.

‘He give us all time off, me, the cook, the footman and the gardener. There’s only the four of us work here, sir. The place needs lots more but the master won’t pay to have more people. Three days, he give us. We all have family local, he said we could go and see them.’

‘So you never saw if Sarah and Anne arrived?’

‘No, sir, but she wasn’t expected, anyway. We all went on Thursday morning, and we come back Saturday night, like they told us.’

Now that, he thought, was very strange. He’d never heard of anyone giving all the servants time off together.

‘Every single one of you went?’ he asked, and she nodded. ‘Why would he do that?’

‘It was the mistress, sir.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘She takes the black dog sometimes and gets right bad. The master said she didn’t want anyone but him around. He was even willing to pay us for the time, which isn’t like him, if you know what I mean. That’s how serious it was. But we hadn’t to say anything about it. He doesn’t want people to know how she gets. Then he said if we weren’t back on time not to bother returning. Same if we ever breathed a word of it.’

‘And did you all show up?’

‘Yes, sir.’ She gave a hard, frustrated smile. ‘No choice, really, there are no jobs ’less you go into Leeds and I don’t like it there.’

‘Has he ever done this before?’ Nottingham asked, still astonished.

‘No, sir.’ Alice blushed slightly. ‘But, God forgive me for saying so, they’re an odd pair.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘We all try to keep out of her Ladyship’s way. She has an evil temper on her. She comes out with language you don’t hear in an alehouse, sir, and she’ll even let fly at the master with her tongue.’ She stopped abruptly, realizing she might have said too much.

‘Don’t worry,’ the Constable assured her, ‘I won’t say a word.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘How was Lady Gibton when you got back?’

‘Still in her bed. But come Sunday she was up and off to church, right as you like. Please, sir,’ she begged, her eyes desperate, ‘promise you won’t say anything?’

‘I promise,’ he assured her. ‘I’ll come back and see Lord Gibton another time. Best we both forget I was here today, don’t you think?’

Alice smiled gratefully. ‘Yes, sir. Thank you.’

He decided to take the long road back to Leeds. For a short journey that had seemed so straightforward when he set out, he was returning with much to consider. The old Roman road petered out where it crossed the bigger Newcastle road and he turned, letting the horse take its time as he rode towards Chapel Allerton. There was a tavern there that he knew, a place he’d visited often when there were hangings up on Chapeltown Moor. They’d have water for the animal and something good to slake his own thirst.