An Introduction to the Pink Collection (17 page)

They began going through drawers and chests, looking for concealed cupboards behind hangings.

“But I fear it won't be hidden as obviously as that,” said Adolphus. “We shall have to be subtle. What was that noise?”

They all listened and could hear the sound of carriage wheels, then Wyngate'surly voice barking instructions.

“Has he dared – ?” John breathed.

“Of course,” said Adolphus “Go down to him and distract his attention. Rena, you go down too. At all costs he must suspect nothing.”

There was no choice but to do as he said. Together they descended the stairs to find the hallway a scene of chaos.

In the centre stood Wyngate and Matilda. Around them swarmed workmen, hurrying here and there, inspecting, grimacing at what they found.

“What is this?” John demanded.

Wyngate gave him a sour smile.

“I thought it was time to make a start.”

“A start which I have not authorised,” said John angrily.

“Come now, we know you're only playing games. You need what I have, and it's no use pretending otherwise. This work has to be done, and now is as good a time as any.”

John's hands clenched at his side. In another moment he would have thrown Wyngate out bodily, but Rena's gentle touch made him stop and remember Adolphus' advice.

“Miss Wyngate,” Rena said, stepping forward, “how nice to see you. Why don't you come with me and – ?”

Still talking she led Matilda away up the stairs.

“Is Cecil still here?” she whispered when they were a safe distance.

“Yes, I'm taking you to him. And somebody else is here. Your grandfather.”

“I have no grandfather.”

“But you have, and he is longing to see you.”

They had reached the king's room and Rena threw open the door. Adolphus was studying a small cupboard. He looked up at the sound.

Then he became very still.

Tears began to pour down his face.

“Jane,” he whispered. “My Jane.”

“Jane was his wife,” said Rena. “You look like your grandmother.”

“You're the man I saw all those years ago,” Matilda said suddenly. “I thought you were my father's ghost – you look so alike.”

“No ghost, my dear,” said Adolphus. “Just a man who had just discovered that he had a grandchild. I have always wanted to meet you properly.” Tears still coursed down his cheeks, but he was smiling through them.

Matilda gave a little gasp and ran into his arms. She too was weeping with joy.

“Grandfather, Grandfather,” she cried.

He looked tenderly down at her face. “I thought you had something of the look of Jane, all those years ago,” he said. “But you were a child, and it wasn't very clear. But now, it is like seeing my darling again.”

“Papa always says I'm nothing to look at.”

“You are beautiful,” said Adolphus. “Cecil and I agree on that.”

Now Matilda saw Cecil, watching them. Adolphus smiled as they hugged each other, and said, “I congratulate you on your choice of husband. He is an excellent young man.”

“Oh Grandpapa, will you help us?”

“With all my heart. But first we must conclude our search of the house.”

“There are some old coins hidden somewhere in the house,” explained Rena. “They used to belong to Charles II.”

“Then surely they'll be in his chapel?” said Matilda.

Everyone stared at her.

“The King's Chapel,” she added.

“There is no King's Chapel here,” said Rena. “It's just an ordinary chapel.”

“Well, there was this waiter who served Papa and me in the hotel last night. He was ever so old and he said he used to work here when he was a boy. According to him the family always called it the King's Chapel, because of Charles II. He made it sound like a big secret, a name that only the family used, because the ‘lower orders' weren't good enough. So if the place has been empty for years I suppose nobody would know.”

“Sweet heaven, is it possible?” exclaimed Adolphus. Some footsteps in the corridor made them all alert, but it was only John.

“I've left Mr Wyngate barking orders to workmen,” he said. “He's perfectly happy as long as nobody contradicts him, so I thought I'd slip away for a moment. Has anybody found anything.”

Swiftly Rena explained about the King's Chapel.

“What marvellous luck if it's true,” said John. “Let's go and find out. But we'll have to be careful. Wyngate mustn't see you, Adolphus, or Cecil. I'll go back and draw him off.”

It went against the grain with him but he managed to smile as he returned to where Wyngate was still in the hall, giving orders to a thick set man.

“This is Simpkins, the architect I've employed,” he said.

John suppressed a wince and held out his hand to Simpkins. “Delighted to meet you sir. We must have some discussions about what you're going to do in my house.” He stressed ‘my' very slightly.

Simpkins, a decent man, was beginning to sense that something wasn't quite right here. Wyngate had spoken as though the house was his. He looked uncertainly from one to the other.

“Are those plans you're holding?” asked John, indicating some scrolled papers Simpkins had in his hand.

“Yes, sir.”

“Why don't we all look at them in the library?”

As he'd hoped, at this sign that he was being more ‘reasonable' a self satisfied sneer settled over, and he made no protest at being led away to the library.

Now, John thought, the others had the chance to come downstairs and go to the chapel without being seen.

The plans were excellent, all but the tower. If only he could afford to do this work himself he would be glad to employ Simpkins.

If only….

His mind flew to the others in the chapel, searching, searching, everyone's fate depending on it.

He forced himself to concentrate.

“This tower is impossible,” he said. “You must strengthen the foundations first.”

Simpkins gave a sigh of relief. “That's what I keep trying to – ”

“Shut up, both of you,” snarled Wyngate . “That tower is what I want, just as it is. And I want it now. If you think – what the devil are you doing here?”

The other two looked up to see Adolphus standing in the doorway, regarding his son with sad, terrible eyes.

“Because I have longed to see you again,” he said.

“Well, I haven't longed to see you, and I don't want to see you. I told you yesterday to get out. Why do you pursue me?”

“Perhaps because you are my son, and despite everything, I still love you.”

“Sentimental nonsense!” Wyngate said with a kind of soft savagery. “Stay away from me. I won't be haunted by you.”

“But you are haunted by me,” said Adolphus in the same melancholy tone. “In your mind I have haunted you more with every act of wickedness. That is why the sight of me is so intolerable to you.”

“Get out of this house.”

“That is for the owner to say,” Adolphus said, meeting his eyes. “You are not the owner, and you never will ever be.”

“You're wrong. I've never been defeated yet.

“He – ” Wyngate  shot out his arm towards John, “won't refuse me in the end. He can't afford to.”

“You are mistaken,” said Adolphus. “He can't afford not to refuse you.”

John moved to join him in the doorway.

“Mr Simpkins,” he said, “if I am fortunate, you and I may talk another time. In the meantime, stay well clear of the tower.”

“You take your orders from me,” Wyngate flashed at the architect.

“Now, come along, sir,” Simpkins soothed him. “You wouldn't like me to bring the house down about your ears, would you?”

John took the opportunity to draw Adolphus out of the room.

“I thought you were going to stay hidden,” he murmured.

“I will not hide from my own son. Strange as it may seem, I still love him, even hope to reclaim him.”

As they spoke they were heading towards the back of the house where the chapel was. Cecil, Matilda and Rena were hunting through it. It was a big job, although the chapel itself was small.

“Of course it might be up there,” said John, pointing upwards to the gallery that ran along one side of the chapel. “How can we reach it?”

“It's not accessible from down here,” said Rena. “It was where the servants used to sit. They came in by their own door at the back.”

“We must search the main chapel thoroughly first,” said Adolphus. “And consider the gallery afterwards.”

To everyone's dismay a thorough search of the chapel revealed nothing.

“What lies through that door?” Adolphus asked Rena. “The vestry, I suppose.”

“Yes, just a very tiny one. Papa used it when he conducted services here, when I was a child. That didn't happen very often. Apart from the old Earl's funeral he baptised two children, and conducted one marriage. It was the Earl's great niece and she asked me to be her bridesmaid. I was so excited.”

As she spoke she was opening the door to the vestry. There was the little table, and on it the register of births, marriages and funerals, still open, her father's writing clearly visible.

“Let's look at this wall behind,” said Adolphus. “It's exactly the kind of place where a concealed cupboard could be. Help me move the desk.”

Together they tried to push it but the desk wouldn't move.

“It's stuck on something,” said Adolphus. “There's a loose floorboard sticking up. Let me try to – ”

He was working away at the floorboard until suddenly it came loose in his hand and he lifted it right out.

There, in the gap beneath, was a leather purse, like the one Rena and John had found under the cross, but larger.

“Adolphus – “

“Steady my dear, don't get your hopes up too soon.”

But she couldn't help darting to the door and calling into the chapel, “Come quickly. We've found something.”

In a moment the others were all huddled in the little vestry, crowding round Adolphus as he opened the bag, thrust in his hand, took out the contents and laid them on the desk.

Gold coins. Twenty three of them.

“Have we found them?” Rena whispered.

“We have found them,” said Adolphus. “The twenty three remaining gold coins that once belonged to King Charles II.”

“And does that mean – ?” John also did not dare voice his hopes.

“It means that you have all thirty,” said Adolphus. “Part of this nation's history. And as you have the complete set, their value is fabulous.”

“You said a hundred thousand?” John said. “Can it really be so much?”

“I can give you the name of a collector who has been seeking these for years,” said Adolphus. “I have no doubt of what they are worth to him. You will soon be safe.”

“Safe!”

They all said the word, looking at each other. Then they said it again, for it was suddenly the most beautiful word in the world.

“Why do you say ‘will be safe'?” John wanted to know. “Surely we are safe now?”

“You will not be safe until you are legally married,” said Adolphus. “And that should take place as soon as possible.”

“But he will stop us,” said Matilda. “Not John and Rena, but he'll find a way to prevent me marrying Cecil.

He'll just drag me off to London.”

“Not if you marry here and now,” said Adolphus.

Again they exchanged glances. “But can we?” asked John.

“I am a minister of the church, retired but still in orders. This chapel is still consecrated, so you told me Miss Colwell.”

“Of course. You mean that you were thinking of this even then?”

“I like to look far ahead.”

“Will it be valid without witnesses?” Cecil wanted to know.

“But we have witnesses,” said Adolphus. “Each of you will witness the marriage of the other. And if my son tries to make trouble I shall simply refer the matter to the local bishop, who will support me.”

“You know Bishop Hoston?” asked Rena.

“Know him? I taught him at theological college. He used to borrow books from me. In fact, I think he still has one or two. So that's all taken care of. Matilda, are you legally of age?”

“I am twenty-four.”

“And you?” he looked at Rena.

“I am twenty-two, and have no family.”

“Then I can marry you now, if that is your wish.”

“Yes!” The four of them said it together.

“Then bolt the doors,” said Adolphus robustly. “Let no-one enter until our work is done.”

They were the strangest wedding ceremonies Rena had ever seen, yet she had no doubt that they were safe in the hands of this holy man. Apart from her father, no man had ever impressed her so deeply with his power for good.

By common consent Matilda and Cecil married first, since they had the most to fear from her father. Or, as John put it to his beloved,

“Wyngate cannot harm us now.”

They married with curtain rings which Adolphus ‘just happened' to have slipped into his pocket, at about the same time that he asked Rena about the status of the chapel.

John stood groomsman to Cecil, and then he and Rena signed the register which they had found in the vestry only half an hour ago.

Then the newly married Cecil became groomsman to the Earl, while Mrs. Cecil Jenkins was Rena's attendant, both of them covered with dust but full of joy.

“Wilt thou take this woman – ?”

“I will.”

“Wilt thou take this man – obey him and serve him, love, honour and keep him – forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, as long as ye both shall live.”

With profound joy, Rena responded, “I will.”

“With this ring, I thee wed – ”

Before John could say more there was a thunderous knocking on the door outside.