[Aunt Dimity 06] - Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil Read online

  Aunt Dimity

  Beats the Devil

  Aunt Dimity - 06

  Nancy Atherton

  (An Undead Scan v1.5)

  FOR E. TERRANCE ATHERTON

  SOLDIER, BROTHER, FRIEND

  CHAPTER

  1

  It was a dark and stormy afternoon on the high moors of Northumberland. A cold October rain battered the Range Rover’s roof and the fog was as thick as porridge. I hoped my hosts at Wyrdhurst Hall would hold high tea for me, because it looked as though I might be a bit late.

  Thanks to the murky weather, I’d almost certainly missed the turnoff for Wyrdhurst’s gated drive. To judge by the Rover’s lurching progress, I’d somehow left the paved road altogether and veered onto a narrow, muddy track that seemed to be climbing straight into the clouds.

  I could do nothing but climb with it. The moorland rose steeply to my right and fell sharply to my left. There was no place to turn around and I had no intention of backing down a road I could barely see.

  I had even less intention of using my handy cell phone to inform my husband of the vehicular pickle I’d gotten myself into. Bill had already expressed grave reservations about my ability to drive without incident from our home in the Cotswolds to a remote location near the Scottish border. If I called to tell him where I was—or more precisely, where I wasn’t—he wouldn’t say “I told you so,” but he’d think it loudly enough for me to hear.

  Apart from that, there was nothing Bill could do to help, short of sending a Hercules helicopter to airlift me to safety, and I couldn’t imagine even the most intrepid chopper pilot volunteering to fly in such wretched weather.

  The only phone call I was tempted to make was a transatlantic one to Boston, to pour my frustration into the ear of Dr. Stanford J. Finderman, my former boss. The farther I climbed, the more willing I was to blame Stan for every splash of rain that blurred my windshield. After all, the trip had been his idea. I ground my teeth as I recalled the way in which he’d goaded me into driving to a distant corner of northeastern England in the monsoon month of October.

  “Shepherd! How the hell are ya?” Stan was the curator of my alma mater’s rare-book collection, but his colorful language owed more to a stint in the navy than to his years in the rarefied world of rare books. “You remember Dickie Byrd?”

  I shook the cobwebs from my professional memory and came up with: Richard Fleetwood Byrd; head of a thriving family firm based in northern England; a hardnosed, irascible rascal with a soft spot for illuminated manuscripts. I hadn’t laid eyes on him for the past eight years, but I doubted that he’d changed much since then.

  “The scrap-iron king of Newcastle?” I sat at the desk in the study, where I’d taken the call. “Sure, I remember him. What’s up with Dickie?”

  “His niece Nicole just got married,” Stan informed me. “Goes by the name Nicole Hollander now. Hubby’s called Jared.”

  “You want me to drop off a wedding present?” I asked.

  “Just listen up, will ya?” Stan replied testily. “Dickie’s Nicole’s legal guardian and she’s the apple of his eye. Little Nickie wanted a country house for a wedding present, so Dickie let her choose one of the family estates. She chose a big old Victorian heap way the hell up in Northumberland. It’s called Wyrdhurst Hall.”

  “Weird hearse?” I echoed, grimacing. “Creepy name for a wedding present.”

  “Dust off your Old English dictionary, Shepherd. It’s spelled W-Y-R-D-H-U-R-S-T. Means ‘watch-place on the wooded hill’. Dickie’s grandpa built it. Came complete with its own library—more than a thousand books, Dickie tells me.”

  “Now, that’s a nice wedding present,” I observed.

  “I thought so, too,” Stan agreed, “but Dickie doesn’t think the books in the library are classy enough for his princess. Wants a professional to decide whether to keep ’em or replace ’em with something better. I’d go myself, but I’ve got to chair a frigging conservation conference at Yale. Besides, my department’s budget…”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I muttered. I’d heard it all before. Whenever Stan caught the scent of a book deal in England, he called on me to check it out. My old boss seemed to be under the impression that I’d moved my family from Boston to a tiny Cotswolds village for the sole purpose of stretching his travel budget. “What’s Dickie offering in return for our services?”

  “The Serenissima,” Stan replied.

  I gave a low whistle. The Serenissima was a fifteenth-century prayer book adorned with gold leaf, semiprecious stones, and lots of bright enamel. It was the kind of thing Stan could show off proudly at donors’ dinners. “Isn’t that a pretty big payoff for such a little favor?”

  “What can I say? Dickie wants the best bookman in the business to work for his niece. That’s why he called me. And that’s why I’m calling you. Will ya help me out, Shepherd? Northumberland’s right up your alley—all the scenery you can eat.”

  I was tempted, sorely tempted, by Stan’s offer. It had been ages since I’d prowled a really juicy private library, and I’d never set foot in Northumberland. The Gypsy in me kicked up her heels at the thought of roaming those misty, myth-filled hills, but the responsible mother in me put her foot down.

  “How long will it take?” I asked.

  “A week, tops,” Stan assured me. “The Hollanders are already in residence. They’ll put you up in style.”

  “A week?” I sighed. “That’s an awfully long time for me to be away. Bill might not want to spend a whole week on his own with the twins, now that they’re walking and talking and teething and—”

  “Your new nanny a stinker?” Stan interrupted.

  My new nanny was, in fact, worth more to me than the Serenissima would ever be. Annelise Sciaparelli had inherited the job from her older sister, who’d married and moved to Oxford. Childminding skills evidently ran in the family, because Annelise was every bit as caring and competent as Francesca had been.

  “Annelise is a gem,” I replied, “but—”

  “When’s the last time Bill hightailed it off on one of his business trips?” Stan pressed. “What’s sauce for the goose…”

  “That’s unfair,” I protested. “Bill’s work is important and—”

  “And yours isn’t? I get the picture, Shepherd. Just let me know what your lord and master decides, will ya?” My old boss snorted derisively and hung up.

  I returned the phone to its cradle and gazed pensively through the study’s ivy-webbed window. I should have ignored Stan’s cheap shots, treated them with the contempt they deserved, and I would have, if they hadn’t contained one tiny particle of truth.

  I hadn’t gotten out much, lately, whereas Bill had gotten out quite a lot.

  In the nineteen months since the twins had been born, I’d spent exactly one night apart from them. Bill, on the other hand, had been gone for weeks on end, supervising the European branch of his family’s law firm. I’d agreed to the arrangement willingly enough—no job was more important to me than motherhood—but Stan’s pointed comments made it seem a smidge unfair.

  It certainly wasn’t healthy. Will and Rob were pearls beyond price, but after a year and a half in their company, I was beginning to sink to their level. As proof, I recalled a fifth-wedding-anniversary dinner at a swanky restaurant in Oxford. Neither Bill nor I would ever forget the pained look on the sommelier’s face when I sipped the wine, grimaced horribly, and declared it “yucky.”

  Clearly, my brain was stagnating. I needed to spend more time among grownups, for the sake of my vocabulary, if nothing else.

  While the mother in me dithered,
the Gypsy danced, stirred by the lure of those misty hills. By the time I sat down to discuss the trip with my husband, the Gypsy had won out.

  “Bill,” I began with steely determination, “Stan has a project for me, up in Northumberland.”

  “That’s great!” Bill exclaimed. “It’ll do you a world of good to get away from the cottage for a while, and frankly, I’d love to spend some time alone with the boys. I don’t want them to grow up thinking fatherhood’s a part-time job.”

  “B-but I’ll be gone for at least a week,” I sputtered, disconcerted by Bill’s support. It was like slamming a fist into a pile of whipped cream.

  “No problem,” said Bill. “I’ll rearrange my schedule, and Gerald can take care of any urgent business that comes up. With Annelise on hand to help with the boys, there’ll be nothing for you to worry about.”

  “True,” I acknowledged weakly.

  “I can join you when you’ve finished the job,” Bill enthused. “We’ll drive up to Edinburgh together and take in a session of the new Scottish Parliament. I’ve been wanting to see it in action. It’s the first time in nearly three hundred years that the Scots—” He broke off in midstream to eye me curiously. “For heaven’s sake, Lori, you don’t have to ask my permission to go. Who do you think I am? Your lord and master?”

  “I think,” I said, melting, “you’re just about perfect.” After kissing my husband as thoroughly as I knew how, I picked up the phone to call Stan, who was tickled pink by the news.

  “Knew I could count on you, Shepherd. I’ll fax the details and let the Hollanders know you’re on your way. Enjoy the scenery.”

  What scenery? I fumed as the Range Rover continued its precarious ascent. I couldn’t see much farther than the white knuckles of my hands gripping the steering wheel. The weatherman on the car radio informed me cheerfully that it had been raining heavily in the north for the past month and seemed to suggest that it would go on raining well into the foreseeable future. I hoped the sun had shone on the Hollanders’ wedding day, because I was willing to bet they hadn’t seen it since.

  There was no point in blaming Stan for my predicament. He might have goaded me into going to Northumberland, but he hadn’t made it rain, so I left the cell phone in my shoulder bag, beneath the jacket I’d tossed on the passenger’s seat.

  Something small and pebbly bounced off the Rover’s roof. “Hail,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “What’s next? Locusts?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the spots usually occupied by the twins’ safety seats, thanked heaven that my boys were safe at home, and nearly swerved off the road as a shower of rocks smacked into the Rover, cracking the windshield and splintering the side windows into a million jagged shards. Scared witless, I jammed on the brakes and skidded to the brink of a landslide that had obliterated the muddy track.

  Even as I watched, a spitting, roiling cataract crashed down the steep hillside, devouring the narrow lane and sweeping debris down into the mist. Gingerly, I reached for the gear lever, to shift into reverse, but before I could get hold of it, the car gave a sickening shudder and tilted crazily toward the churning torrent. The ground was giving way beneath my wheels.

  My hand froze in midair, then returned slowly, carefully, to release the seat belt. Scarcely daring to breathe, I reached for the door handle, nudged the door open with my elbow, and flung myself onto the muddy track, where blind panic sent me scrambling away from the precipice. Panting with fear, I swung around just in time to see the Range Rover turn tail-up and plunge, like a breaching whale, into the fogbound valley.

  I sank limply into the mud, choking back terrified sobs while a tiny, rational corner of my brain stood back calmly and took stock of my situation.

  No car, no phone, no coat, and no umbrella. No broken bones, granted, but also no idea of where I was or where I might find shelter.

  High tea at Wyrdhurst Hall was looking iffy.

  CHAPTER

  2

  I was so cold I’d stopped shivering. My rain-soaked sweater hung nearly to my knees, my wool trousers clung to my legs like rotting leaves, and my suede boots oozed mud as I staggered forward, buffeted by a bone-chilling gust. The wind seemed to gain strength as my own failed.

  Still, I kept walking, numbed in mind as well as body, unable to recall where I was or how I’d gotten there, knowing only that if I stopped moving I’d die.

  And I couldn’t allow that to happen. Will and Rob were waiting for me, just beyond the next bend, and Bill was right there with them. They had warm clothes for me, a hot meal, and a fluffy comforter big enough for us all. I’d made it down the muddy track to the paved road, hadn’t I? Surely I could make it to the next bend.

  If only the heather weren’t so alluring. If only I could resist the urge to curl up on the springy turf and fall asleep. Just a short nap, that’s all I wanted. The boys would understand. They wouldn’t want Mummy to be so very, very tired.

  A sharp rap to my right kneecap nearly knocked me over. Looking down, I saw that I’d walked straight into a low wall by the side of the road. Beyond the wall, like a humble Camelot rising from Avalon’s mists, stood a tiny whitewashed cottage with two deep-set windows and a peacock-blue front door. Smoke curled from its chimney only to be shredded by the grasping wind. I watched the curling smoke, mesmerized, until Bill ordered me to snap out of it. Vision blurring, I stumbled feebly to the blue door, raised a frozen fist, and pounded twice.

  “Please,” I whispered, felt my legs fold beneath me, and slumped, senseless, to the ground.

  I swam lazily through an endless ocean of sleep, vaguely aware of the acrid scent of burning coal, the flicker of firelight on my eyelids, and the familiar pressure of Bill’s body nestled close to mine beneath a thick layer of soft blankets. Eyes closed, reluctant to rise from the bottomless depths of slumber, I turned my head to nuzzle the crook of his neck.

  “Mmm,” I murmured. “You’re warm.”

  “That was the general idea,” said a voice.

  The voice did not seem to be my husband’s.

  “Bill?” I ventured hopefully.

  “No Bill here, I’m afraid,” said the voice. “Will an Adam do?”

  I opened my eyes and found myself staring at a not unattractive but wholly unfamiliar collarbone. When I lifted my gaze, I saw a tousle of black curls framing a pale, heart-shaped face I’d never seen before. The stranger’s eyes, dark as a Gypsy’s, sparkled like wine in the firelight and his lips were close enough to graze my brow.

  “Adam Chase, at your service,” he said, his breath ruffling my hair. “And you would be?”

  “Lori,” I croaked. “Lori Shepherd.”

  “I don’t usually object to women falling into my arms, Lori Shepherd, but you gave me quite a fright.” Adam Chase propped himself up on his elbow, taking care to tuck the blankets in between us. His action underscored the interesting fact that we were both as naked as guppies. Confusion must have suffused my face because he added, “Body heat. It was the only way I could think to thaw you.”

  “Oh,” I said, at a loss. “Thank you.”

  “Not at all,” said Adam. “Do you think you could manage a bit of broth?”

  My stomach, as if on cue, rumbled. “I was supposed to take high tea at Wyrdhurst,” I murmured dazedly.

  “Were you? What a pity. It’s well past teatime now.” Adam swung his legs over the side of the narrow iron bed and contrived to pull on a pair of black jeans without revealing more than an inch or two of lean, well-muscled haunch. He reached for a black sweatshirt that had been slung over the back of a worn brown leather armchair and held it out to me.

  “Your clothes aren’t dry and I don’t want you to take a chill.” He hesitated. “Can you dress yourself or shall I—”

  “I can manage,” I blurted, then blushed, embarrassed by my overreaction. It wasn’t as if my rescuer would see anything he hadn’t seen already.

  Adam seemed to understand. “Of course,” he said gravely, as I took the sweatshir
t from him. “If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  His parting words were slightly facetious, because there was no kitchen, as such. Once I’d hauled myself into a sitting position and drawn the sweatshirt well past my hips, I saw that the cottage was nothing more than one large room, its sections defined by furnishings rather than walls.

  The kitchen corner featured a wall-mounted cupboard above a stone sink with a single spigot. Beside the sink, a pine counter top held a pair of gas rings, a cutting board, and a clay flowerpot bristling with utensils.

  A modest pine table and a pair of beechwood chairs made up the dining room. Above the pine table hung a brass oil lamp, which Adam lit on his way to the kitchen.

  The area to the right of the front door had been set up as an office, with a five-drawer kneehole desk, a swivel chair, and a pair of heavy-laden bookcases. The desk held a portable typewriter, miscellaneous papers, and a jam jar filled with pens and colored pencils.

  The corner opposite the office must have served as the bedroom. Shirts hung from pegs above a small chest of drawers, and a nightstand stood beside an empty space where the iron bed would have stood if it hadn’t been pushed close to the fireplace, for my benefit. The leather armchair, and the ottoman that went with it, had been thrust from their traditional spots before the hearth to make room for the bed.

  My clothes—all of them—dangled from the edge of the simple plank mantelpiece, anchored there by a row of smooth, fist-sized stones. My suede boots sat at a little distance from the fire, where they would dry without splitting. They’d be stiff by morning, though, thanks to the mud.

  “We’re a bit isolated here.” A match flared and Adam bent low to light the gas rings. He placed a saucepan on one, a teakettle on the other. “I’ve no telephone, and my car is in the village at the moment, undergoing repairs. I’ve a bicycle”—he motioned toward a sturdy mountain bike leaning just inside the front door—“so I could have ridden into town for help, but I didn’t want to leave you alone.”