Augusta met Claudia's eyes. "An excellent reference from the Spider, no doubt."
Clarissa's mouth tightened. "Do you think it possible?"
"The timing of it seems to fit." Augusta broke off as the chambermaid on the end fell to her knees sobbing. "What is it, Lily?"
Lily looked up at her with streaming eyes. "I was afeared he had some wicked intentions in mind, ma'am. But I thought he only meant to pinch some silver. I never thought he'd do anythin' like this, I swear I didn't."
Augusta beckoned to her. "Come into the library. I wish to speak with you in private." She glanced at the butler. "Start the search immediately. So far as we know, Robbie must have been on foot. Is that correct?"
"There be no horse missin' from the stables," a groom volunteered. "But he may 'ave 'ad one o' 'is own waitin' on the grounds."
Augusta nodded. "True. Very well. Here is how you will proceed, Steeples. Have all the available horses saddled at once, including my mare. Mount those who can ride. Send everyone else out on foot with torches and the dogs. Send someone into the village to rouse the people there and dispatch a messenger to London to inform his lordship of what has happened. We must move quickly."
"Yes, madam."
"Miss Fleming will help you organize the search, won't you, Miss Fleming?"
Clarissa took on a militant expression. "Indeed I will, madam."
"Very well. We shall begin." Steeples turned to take command of the troops.
Claudia followed Augusta into the library and stood listening intently as Lily spilled her tale.
"I thought he liked me, ma'am. He was always bringing me a flower or a little present. I thought he was courtin' me, I did. But I wondered at some o' the things he done."
"What made you think he was up to something wicked?" Augusta pressed.
Lily sniffed. "Robbie said he would be comin' into a lot of the ready soon. Said it would be enough to set him up for life and he would buy a little house and live like a lord. I laughed at him, but he seemed so serious that I almost believed him at times."
"Was there anything else he said that alarmed you?" Augusta asked quickly. "Think, girl. My daughter's life is at stake."
Lily looked at her and then dropped her forlorn gaze to the floor. "Not exactly somethin' he said, ma'am. More like things he did when he didn't think anyone was watchin'. I used to see him lookin' the house over real careful like. That's when I wondered if he might be thinkin' of helpin' himself to some silver. I was going to tell Mrs. Gibbons, honest I was, but I wasn't sure like, if you know what I mean. And I didn't want to see Robbie dismissed if he wasn't plannin' anything wrong."
Augusta went to the window and stood gazing out into the darkness. It would be dawn soon. Steeples had moved quickly to follow her orders. She could see horses being led around to the front of the house. The dogs were barking excitedly. Even as she watched, several people carrying torches started off into the woods. Oh, Meredith, my dear little Meredith. Do not fear, I shall find you.
Augusta pushed aside the frantic desperation that threatened to well up inside her. She forced herself to think logically once more. "He cannot get far before morning, even on horseback. He has Meredith with him and that means he cannot make good time. Her weight will slow him down. In daylight he will be easily noticed by people who will ask questions and wonder what is going on. Therefore we will assume he intends to hide Meredith by day and travel at night."
"He can hardly stop at an inn carrying Graystone's daughter," Claudia said. "It will be questioned. And Meredith is not likely to stay silent."
"Precisely. Very well, we shall assume he has set out for a place where he can conceal Meredith until he makes contact with the Spider. There cannot be too many places around here where Robbie could hide with Meredith for any length of time."
Lily's head came up abruptly, her eyes clearing. "The old Dodwell cottage, ma'am. 'Tis vacant now on account of needin' repairs. Robbie took me there a while back." She started crying again. "I thought he was goin' to propose to me, fool that I was. But he said he just fancied the stroll."
"A long stroll," Augusta said, remembering the cottage where she had taken shelter during a storm. Graystone had been annoyed at having to come after her that day. She remembered that very well. She also recalled that he had told her the place was the only vacant cottage on the estate.
"Too long. That's what I told him. We walked for nearly two hours to get to the place. Then all he did was have a look around. Said he'd seen enough and that we should start back. My feet was hurtin' somethin' terrible by the time we returned."
"Is this cottage isolated?" Claudia asked. "Would it make a likely hiding place?"
"Yes, it would, for a short time. It is definitely worth checking." Augusta came to a decision. "Everyone else has already left to begin the search, including those two armed men Graystone sent down here to Dorset with us. I shall get dressed and ride over to the Dodwell cottage myself."
Claudia started for the door. "I shall come with you. It will not take me long to dress."
"I had best see if Steeples can secure us a pistol," Augusta said.
"Will you know how to use it if it becomes necessary?" Claudia asked in surprise.
"Of course. Richard taught me."
Half an hour later, with dawn just breaking, Augusta and Claudia brought their horses to a halt in the woods behind the Dodwell cottage. They saw a horse tethered in the old shed.
"Dear God," Claudia said softly. "I believe he really is here with Meredith. We must go back and get help."
"We may not have time to return for assistance." Augusta dismounted and handed the reins to her cousin. "And we do not know for certain that Robbie brought Meredith here. It could be a vagrant or some traveler who got caught by nightfall and found this cottage. I am going to see if I can get a look at who is inside."
"Augusta, I am not at all certain we should attempt this on our own."
"Do not fret. I have the pistol. Wait here. If something goes wrong, make for the nearest cottage. Anyone in the district will come to the aid of Graystone's family."
Augusta removed the pistol from the pocket of her riding habit and held it tightly as she went forward through the trees.
It was easy enough to make her way to the back of the cottage without calling attention to herself. There were no windows in the back wall of the crumbling structure and the old shed provided additional cover.
The horse tethered in the shed looked at Augusta without much interest as she started to slip past. Augusta eyed the animal thoughtfully and then went into the shed and untied the old mare.
The swaybacked old horse clomped obediently along when Augusta took hold of the halter and started around the side of the cottage. Near the front of the cottage Augusta paused and smacked the mare soundly on the rump.
Startled, the horse moved into a brisk trot that took it straight past the front door and down the lane.
A bellow of alarm sounded from inside the cottage. Augusta heard the door slam open and a young man still wearing Graystone's livery charged out.
"What in bloody hell? Come back here, you damned nag." Robbie whistled frantically at the disappearing horse.
Augusta raised the pistol and hugged the shelter of the side wall.
"Damn and blast. Goddamned nag. Damn it to bloody hell." Robbie was clearly torn about what to do next. He evidently decided he could not afford to lose the horse.
Augusta heard the front door being closed and then came the sound of Robbie's footsteps as he ran, cursing mightily, after the old mare.