"Alas, brother!" she cried, "and if by some folly I should betray my King to his foes!"
"Nay, think not of such a thing," said Lord Wilmot, speaking for the first time, "yet think of yourself, fair maiden. Should the thing become known, it may go something hard with you at the hands of the Governor of this unhappy realm."
The colour had come back to Jane"s fair face. She looked fearlessly into the eyes of the speaker. "That is nought," she said quietly. "Could any ask a better fate than to lay down life in such a cause? If I may save the King, what matters all the rest?"
"That is the answer I looked to have from Jane," spoke the brother; and so the matter was settled.
It was agreed by all that the secret should be kept from the household.
The sick father and old mother should not be burdened with the responsibility of the knowledge. Colonel Lane and Lord Wilmot were to ride to Mosley that same night when the late moon had risen, and upon the following evening they would return to Bentley, bringing in their train the new groom, William Jackson, who would be told off the following day to accompany his sister on her ride to Abbotsleigh.
It may be guessed with what feelings Jane watched for the return of the party upon the next evening, and how keenly she scrutinised the face and figure of the new servant riding behind her brother. He had a swarthy skin and very dark eyes, and a rough head of short hair that gave him something the look of either a Roundhead or a country b.u.mpkin, and in his actions he seemed to be ungainly and loutish. Jane"s eyes glistened as she realised that here was a Prince--a King as in her heart she called him--masquerading under the guise of a clown, and her heart beat high as she realised that she was to have the honour of a.s.sisting in the next stages of his difficult and perilous escape to the coast.
She had no speech with him that night; she heard her brother hand him over to the head servants with an injunction that he should be well cared for, as he was to ride with Mistress Jane upon the morrow. It was only on that morrow, when she descended to the courtyard dressed for the saddle, that she was brought face to face with her strange attendant.
Her colour came and went with excitement as their eyes met, and for one instant she saw an answering gleam in his before they dropped, and he stood in decorous immobility at the horse"s head.
It was a strong animal, as was needed to carry double, though Jane"s light weight was no great burden. The mother herself descended to see her daughter depart, and to give her many last charges concerning her sick sister.
She gave a glance at the new serving man, in his sober suit of grey, and when Colonel Lane made him a sign to a.s.sist his mistress to mount, there was something so odd in his manner, an awkwardness partly a.s.sumed, partly the result of the strangeness of the office, that caused the old lady to laugh merrily, and say to her son in no very modulated tones:
"Faith, but my daughter has a goodly horseman to ride before her! Where didst pick up the rogue, my son?"
Jane was covered with confusion at hearing such words spoken; but in the bustle of the departure of the cavalcade, this was not observed, and when they were safely out at the gate, Charles spoke in a low and mirthful tone:
"Be not displeased, fair Mistress; such words as those are sweet to the ears of a fugitive. It is when men bow before me, and seek in secret to kiss my hand, that my heart sinks within me. For, however loyal and true they be, I would sooner they held me for the rogue I personate, than for their hunted King."
The party proceeded gaily on its way for a while. Lord Wilmot rode beside them and in advance, his hawk on his wrist, his dogs by his side, looking like a sportsman enjoying his favourite recreation. Mr.
Lascelles generally rode with him, and Mr. Petre and his wife kept close together with their own servants. Jane and the King, being well mounted, sometimes drew ahead, though they were careful not to be far from their party, till at last the horse they were riding began to drag a little.
He got behind the rest of the company, and at last seemed inclined to limp.
"Methinks he has lost a shoe," quoth Jane; and Charles, springing to the ground, found that this was indeed the case. By this time the rest of the party was considerably in advance; and Jane lighted off the horse and looked anxiously about her.
"We are not far from the village of Bromsgrove," she said, "and there is a farrier there who will shoe the nag. But I would one of the servants were here to take him."
"Here is the servant!" answered Charles, smiling, as he laid his hand on the bridle, "if you will show the way, sweet Mistress, we will soon have the horse at the forge door."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Well, now, I did hear as young Charles Stuart himself was taken," answered the smith.
_Page 193._]
There was nothing else for it, though Jane shook with apprehension as they entered the village, and their presence before the forge attracted the usual small crowd of idlers.
But if the lady were anxious, Charles seemed sufficiently at his ease, as he held up the horse"s foot for the smith to examine.
"What"s the news?" asked the King of the man, as the task of shoeing was nearly accomplished.
"Why, I don"t know as there has been any since the beating of those rascally Scots at Worcester," answered the other.
"Have they taken any of the English rogues that joined with the Scots?"
asked Charles, with his habitual _sang froid_.
"Well, now, I did hear as young Charles Stuart himself was taken,"
answered the smith; "anyhow, they"re so sharp on the look-out for him, that they"re main sure he can never leave the country without falling into their hands."
"If they get that rogue into their hands," quoth Charles, "I reckon they"d best hang him forthwith; for he"s been the cause of all the trouble, bringing the Scots into the country to fight, just as things were getting settled and comfortable again."
"Faith, and thou art right; and an honest knave to boot!" said the smith, as he finished his task. And Charles, after paying for the shoe, led the horse to the tree where his mistress stood waiting, smiling in her face as he observed the sudden pallor that had overspread it.
"Oh, my dear lord!" whispered Jane softly, as he swung her more deftly this time to her seat; but Charles only laughed as he mounted in front.
"Nay, Mistress, but if I get not my little jest out of all my troubles, I should belike go mad. Let us laugh and be merry while we may. Who knows what the morrow may bring forth?"
A little farther along the road they found the rest of the party awaiting them in some anxiety. Lord Wilmot had gone on in advance, not being one of those for whom Jane"s pa.s.s was made out; but the others were waiting for them to come up, and were in much anxiety lest they had been detained by some evil hap.
They had now to ford the River Avon not far from Stratford, and proposed to stop for the night at the house of Mr. Tombs at Longmaston; but as they approached the ford they saw a most unwelcome sight. A troop of Parliamentary horse-soldiers had made a sort of bivouac on the river"s bank, and were lying about by the ford, whilst their horses grazed and drank.
"We can never pa.s.s them!" cried Mr. Petre in great alarm; and forthwith turned round with his wife and servants, and sought to persuade the others to follow him, and find another route; but Charles whispered a word in Jane"s ear, making no effort to follow the faint-hearted Petre; and Mr. Lascelles remained beside them.
"To fly is the greatest folly," spoke the King. "See, the fellows are eyeing us already. Let us wave farewells to our good Petre, as if he were riding a part of the way, and had turned back at the ford. But let us press on. You have your pa.s.s, Mistress Jane. If we want the whole troop after us all hue and cry--why then let us follow friend Petre!"
There was sound sense in Charles"s words. As soon as the other members of the party showed that they were proceeding on their way, the soldiers ceased their significant handling of the horses" bridles and saddles, and only watched the oncoming riders with ordinary attention. Jane"s heart was in her mouth as one of the men, whom she took to be an officer, rode up and examined the pa.s.s she held out towards him. But he looked only at her and the paper; he spared no glance for the stolid serving man in front, and the party was permitted to ride on unmolested and unquestioned.
Jane drew a long breath of relief as she dismounted in the courtyard after this first day"s ride. There was still another night to be pa.s.sed before they reached Abbotsleigh; and she did not yet know exactly whether she might have to accompany the party even farther, in her capacity of mistress to the serving man. But at least a halt of a few days was to be made at her sister"s house; and she felt as though her responsibilities would then come in part to an end.
Charles seemed in a merry mood when they rode forth upon the morrow. Of course she never saw him when once they had called a halt for the night.
He went to the servants" quarters, she to be entertained by the ladies of the house, her friends; and since the fewer who knew the secret the better it would be, she could not breathe a word of the matter lying so heavy on her heart.
But the King beguiled the way by low-toned tales for her amus.e.m.e.nt, though they seemed rather terrible to her too.
"I was bidden last night to wind up the jack," said Charles, with a twinkle in his eye; "and never a notion had I how the thing was done! We princes are taught a vast number of useless accomplishments; but how often have I wished these last weeks that I had been taught to cook viands or mend my clothes! I made such a bungle of it that the virago came at me with a rolling-pin in her hands. Odds fish! but what a rating I got! "What countryman art thou, stupid-head, that thou canst not wind up a jack?" she cried; and I had to answer: "I am a poor tenant"s son of Colonel Lane of Staffordshire; and we seldom have roast meat; and when we do we don"t make use of a jack. We put it in the oven." Was that well answered, Mistress Jane?"
"Ah, my liege, I cannot bear that you should be thus served and rated!
We should all be seeking your comfort on bended knee."
"Well, well, sweet Mistress, the day may come when the King will have his own again; but, meantime, let us enjoy a laugh over the fortunes of fallen royalty. Perhaps it comes not amiss for a prince to learn sometimes that, after all, he is but common clay!"
That night there was no friendly house to shelter Jane and her party, so they put up at the Crown Inn at Cirencester; and as there was always peril in such places of recognition, Charles affected to have an ague upon him, and retired promptly to bed.
Luckily no one in the inn or the town suspected or recognised the person of the King, and the next day"s ride was without adventure. Just as it was growing dusk the party rode into the hospitable courtyard at Abbotsleigh, and Jane found herself being helped from her lofty pillion by her kindly host and relative.
"I would ask your good offices, dear sir," she said, "on behalf of this honest fellow, a servant of my brother"s, who is suffering somewhat from the ague, that he may be better lodged and served than his comrades. My brother has a great affection for him, and gave him especially to me for this journey. I pray you see that he be well tended."
"It shall be done, fair sister," answered Mr. Norton at once; and summoning Pope, the butler, he put Charles--or William Jackson, as he was called--into his charge, telling him he was one of Colonel Lane"s tenants and favourite servants, and must be treated with kindness, as he was suffering from ague.
Jane"s time was naturally taken up with interviews with her sister, who had just given birth to a little child, who had not lived above an hour or two, so that the young mother was in sore trouble, and greatly pleased to have her sister"s sympathy and companionship. This personal sorrow kept her thoughts busy with her own affairs, and she scarce spoke more than a few words about Jane"s journey, whilst the grave face and rather preoccupied manner of her sister seemed explained by other causes.
It was not till the evening of the next day that Jane came upon the King, wandering in the shrubberies of the great garden. There was n.o.body near, and the place was so secluded that Jane did not hesitate to pause and speak with him. After all, even if anybody did see them, there was nothing very wonderful in her having a few words with one of her own servants.
"I trust, sire, that here, at least, you are subject to no ill words or hardships?"