The Weird Of The Wentworths Volume I Part 31

The Earl sprung up, and rus.h.i.+ng from the room frantically summoned all who were near. "Arranmore, John, Musgrave, Scroop, all of you; the secret is out, she is found, but there is danger yet."

Turning a deaf ear to a hundred questions that poured in on every side, the Earl rushed back to his room, to seek for Juana, but she was not there. As he returned he met Lady Arranmore, who asked him in fear what it all was.

"Ellen is found! I go to rescue her."

"Where, where is she?" asked the lady, but her brother was gone, and she ran up stairs to spread the happy news. Meantime the Earl and most of the gentlemen had reached the stables, and were helping the men to saddle the horses as quick as possible. With the utmost despatch the Earl, the Marquis, Musgrave and Scroop, were mounted, and attended by Wilton rode off, leaving the rest to follow as they might.

"Send two carriages to the Peel like lightning," was the Earl's last order.

The news, only half known, spread like wildfire through the castle, and it was much exaggerated, and added to in its travels from mouth to ear.

Dreadful rumours of the young lady, being murdered, or dying, were freely circulated, whilst there was mounting in hot haste, and retainer after retainer rode off for the scene of action; last of all started Captain Wilson, not from any laggard feelings, but because the gallant seaman had mounted a fiery young steed he was ill able to manage, though he stuck to it like a lion on the giraffe; thrice he was carried round the park ere he could rein him in and take the pathway, for it was young Nimrod he bestrode.

"Where is the Captain?" asked the Earl, as he and Musgrave rode side by side at a terrific pace. "Why does he not a.s.sist in the rescue?"

"The Captain rode to Edinburgh after dinner," answered Sir Richard, "or he would have been the first, and foremost to rescue lady fair, as he has ever been on the battle field."

"I trust so," said the Earl; and then to himself he muttered, "it is curious, it surely cannot be he has any part in this, and yet I have a horrid suspicion; his intimacy with wretched L'Estrange, that base friend who turns to sting his protector's hand, who abuses the hospitality of his host, a terrible reckoning I will have. Oh G.o.d, shall I be in time?" And again he struck his spurs in his panting courser's side, and rode as if for life, and life depended on every stroke of his horse's hoofs.

"This grows exciting," said Scroop, "we are now nearing the den. Oh, to think of L'Estrange so foully abusing the Earl's friends.h.i.+p; we shall have a fight I hope. The fair girl shall see Scroop will not bring disgrace on his name."

"Nor Musgrave either," said Sir Richard. "'Forsters Fenwicks and Musgraves they rode and they ran,' is not that the ballad?"

"I hope we shall have better luck than those Musgraves had," said Scroop.

The party were now in sight of the Peel; down the steep they rode as only true followers of the chase could, and a n.o.ble quarry was in view.

On they rode, the Earl foremost; his face red with conflicting hopes and fears, ire and burning ardour to show how he did battle for his lady love. On his right and left rode the Marquis on a tall steed of the Arab breed, and the false Musgrave; a few paces behind Scroop spurred on his horse, as the jockey with the winning post in view presses on; behind him galloped old Wilton; he was not last because he was unable to keep his foremost rank, but because like a faithful servant he wished his master to gain the praise of being first in, maybe with awful meaning, at the death! Just as they reached the greensward a loud "Tally ho, hillo there, tally ho! where ride you?" a.s.sailed their ears.

Without reining their horses they all looked back, and saw the Captain, who in hot haste rode up.

"G.o.d be thanked, my fears are groundless," said the Earl to himself, and then aloud, "Ha! I thought the Captain would not be missing, in the forefront of the battle."

"Battle is it? By G--" said the soldier, "hurrah then! I was just riding in from Edinburgh when I met my man Archy, and he told me to ride off to Cessford's Peel, and something about Ellen being found. Egad I rode as if old Scratch was at my heels, and I am right glad I was in time: where is the rampart to storm? Egad, Ellen shall see how John de Vere can do battle for ladye bright!"

One or two others just then arrived, and amongst them young Nimrod, who sped in like a wild Indian, and pitched his rider fairly on the greensward.

"Such a brute I never cruised on," said the Commander, rising all wet with the dewy gra.s.s; "there was no steering him, he would not obey his helm and has wrecked me at last on a leesh.o.r.e."

This incident produced some laughter, and the appearance of the gallant sea captain as he got up, and the horse galloping round and round the enclosure, leaping and bounding with delight at thus ridding himself of, what doubtless he had thought, a wild beast, gripping him by neck and mane, was indeed ludicrous, and would have made the Earl laugh too on any other occasion. At the same moment Juana once more appeared. When the Earl had run off for a.s.sistance, unseen, or unnoticed in the confusion, she had left the castle, and remounting her fleet horse at a gentle, but unbroken hand gallop, set off for the Peel, determined if the help should not come soon enough, she would at least risk an encounter with the three furious men to save Ellen; the mad haste with which the pursuers had however ridden across the country, whilst she took the more circuitous route by the main road, had counteracted her plans, and she arrived a few moments after the rescuers.

"Ha, my guide, you here?" said the Earl; "why where have you been?" A shriek from the high window of the castle rose slightly, but terribly on the night air as he spoke. "Ye G.o.ds it is she; her cry for aid, and I not there!"

"Haste, my Lord, or it may be too late," cried Juana.

There was no need of such a charge; like lightning the whole party were dismounted, and the Earl, followed by the Marquis and the others, fled up the entrance, mounting the stairs more like maniacs than men in their eagerness. The Captain alone lingered behind, he was the only person but Juana in sight.

"Then it was you, perjured woman, that betrayed our cause?"

"It was, bold, bad man."

"You did not compromise me?"

"I named no one but L'Estrange, though you deserved it."

"It is well for you,--you are a cunning asp, but one that bites too; had you spoken a word against my honour, you had died the death!"

"Your honour?" said Juana, in bitter irony.

"And if you dare breathe a syllable of my being an accomplice I will wring that head of yours off its fair neck. I will bring you to a reckoning for this yet, by G--d, I will!"

"Take not his name on thy perjured lips."

"Avast there--keep thy viperous tongue still, it has done mischief enough already for one night; but I must not delay. Ha, they batter the door do they, it will stand the best of them," so saying he sped up the stairs crying: "Egad, I had lost you in this old labyrinth. Blaze away, Arranmore, I will help."

Whilst the Captain had been talking with Juana, the five others had reached the door, and were wild at finding it locked within, and well able to withstand the attack.

"G.o.d grant," said the Earl, "she be not murdered within, and her murderer fled; I dread the silence: try again, Arranmore, try, oh! once more."

The Captain smiled in scorn. "It stood me," he muttered to himself.

But at that moment the Marquis again threw his giant size and strength against the oaken door; it shook like an aspen, but still it held firm.

"Once more," he cried, "all help, it must be supernatural if it still stands."

Suiting the action to the word the Earl, Musgrave, and the Captain, leant their full weight against the framework, and the Marquis throwing back his form once more struck the door with his shoulder. Before the shock of the young t.i.tan it yielded like a thin panel before the boxer's glove, and with a terrible crash the whole fell in, tearing with it, in its descent, the iron hinges soldered into the masonry, that fell like powder; and the bolts, that drew out the framework with them as they yielded. A loud shout of joy followed this wonderful display of strength, and a louder cry still, partly of joy, partly of that wild fury with which foe meets foe, partly of that bounding thrill when we save the life of a fellow being--especially if she be fair and young, partly of that yell of vengeance when we behold the miscreant, on whom a just punishment is to fall. A wilder shout still when they saw, over the wreck of the portal, her whom they had ridden and striven so hard to save, and him they had ridden and striven so hard to be avenged on. In the silver beams of the moon stood Ellen, trembling. More in the shade still, and for a moment hardly discernible, stood Edward L'Estrange, calm, unmoved, placid, yet they who read his eye saw in him the fury of the lion, brought to bay. In his hand he held a pistol. There might be a hard struggle yet ere they held him captive.

CHAPTER XXIV.[H]

"Ill met by moonlight, proud t.i.tania."

_Midsummer Night's Dream._

"My strength thou mayest indeed overcome, for G.o.d made women weak, and trusted their defence to man's generosity."--_Ivanhoe._

"Ha! my fair damsel," said Captain de Vere, as he entered the room with Stacy and L'Estrange, for to them we must again return; "you see we are come to drill you in true love-making, and teach changeable girls their duty to return to their first love."

"How dare you enter a lady's room?" replied Ellen, in a haughty voice.

"You, an officer in the King's army! Do you not blush to own it? You, a man, and insult an unprotected maiden!"

"Ho! that does not go down with me," said the Captain. "Hear her, Bill.

Egad! one would think she was queen, and we her humble prisoners!" and he gave a brutal laugh at his jest. "You are proud, my fine girl; we will bring you down a bit; were you proud as Lucifer you should bend. I have never been bearded by man in my life, and, by G--! a girl in her teens does not do so!"

As he said these words he walked forward to where Ellen stood.

It would be untrue to say Ellen was not dismayed by the bold soldier's att.i.tude; her words belied her heart.

"Fear not, my pretty one; you are as pert as a finch--and I like you for it. Egad! I envy Ned his sweetheart. But we will leave you together to talk it out, or fight it out."