A Stranger at Castonbury(59)

‘No, not at all. I didn’t even see him very clearly.’

‘Good. Stay right here for a moment, Catalina.’

He turned away and she caught his arm. ‘You can’t go chasing after him! He is probably long gone by now. And...’ And she couldn’t bear to see him hurt again.

‘I won’t be gone long.’

Then he left her there. Catalina waited anxiously, watching the party, wondering what Jamie was doing, where he had gone. She scanned each face, making sure none of them were Webster. After what felt like hours, but was probably only about fifteen minutes, he reappeared at her side.

‘I have sent some of the footmen to search the grounds,’ he said, ‘but I am sure you are right. If it is Webster, he is long gone. If it wasn’t for the party he could never have got on Castonbury property. I should have been more vigilant.’

‘Not in such a crowd as this,’ Catalina protested. ‘But why would he be here instead of fleeing abroad somewhere? Surely he knows he has been discovered.’

Jamie shrugged, but she could see his tension in the set of his shoulders, the sharp watchfulness in his eyes as he scanned the dancers. ‘I will find out soon enough. He can’t hide for ever.’

Catalina was sure he could not, not from Jamie. But Webster had to be underhanded and unscrupulous to come up with such a scheme, and she didn’t want to see Jamie hurt again. ‘You will be careful?’

He smiled down at her. ‘I am always careful, Catalina.’

She doubtfully studied the scar on his cheek. ‘I want to help you.’

‘I won’t put you in danger,’ he said.

‘I won’t be,’ Catalina protested. ‘But I can be good at watching and observing. Perhaps I can hear some gossip about the man, ask around to see if anyone glimpsed him without knowing it.’

Jamie was quiet for a long moment, and Catalina thought he would refuse to let her help at all. But then he nodded shortly. ‘Tomorrow Lily is taking some of the guests on a picnic to gather wild strawberries. Lydia can go with them, if you would care to accompany me to Alicia’s house and talk this over with her. She thought she saw Webster a few nights ago as well.’

Jamie wanted her to see Alicia with him? Catalina looked away, not sure what to say. She hadn’t really seen Alicia since Spain, only that quick glimpse when Jamie had met her at the house in Buxton. She had no idea what she could say to her. Yet she had the strongest feeling that Hugh Webster had to be caught, no matter what it took.

‘Was he not her conspirator?’ she said. ‘Are you certain she has not been in contact with him?’

‘Quite sure. She proved herself to be an adequate actress with my family, but she is not that good. I could see the true fear in her eyes when she spoke of Webster. He had her, and all my family, in his power for too long. He surely won’t walk away from all that without a fight.’

Catalina turned his words over in her mind. Bullies like Webster might hide like the cowards they were when directly confronted, but they would wait and scheme to get what they wanted. She had met too many people just like that in her life. Webster had thought he had a grand prize in his sights; he would be enraged at losing it and would surely blame Jamie for that. Webster had hated him so much even in Spain.

She looked back at the party. Everyone was laughing and dancing, having a splendid time, and Castonbury stood as the glowing, glittering backdrop. A symbol of permanence and tradition that she had come to feel such fondness for. A man like Webster couldn’t be allowed to mar even a stone of it. Not if she could help it at all.

‘I will go with you to see Alicia, then,’ Catalina said. ‘But now I have to return to Lydia.’

‘We still have things to talk about, Catalina,’ he said.

She nodded. She knew he was right. ‘I will meet you later, then.’

And she walked back towards the gathering to find Lydia. Soon enough she would have to leave Jamie and Castonbury, just as she had warned Lydia. At least this way she could help to make sure that, after all their troubles, they were safe again.

* * *

Catalina paced the length of the folly, her footsteps echoing on the stone floor. It was the only sound she could hear in the quiet, silent darkness of the night. Even the birds were quiet in the trees.

Beyond the marble pillars, over the black-green of the lawns, the house was quiet too. A few lights glowed in the windows here and there, tiny beacons in the night, but most of the inhabitants of the house were safely asleep.