The Major and the Country Miss. Dorothy Elbury

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      His hunger satisfied, he leaned back in comfortable tranquillity against the tree’s great trunk and closed his eyes and, whether it was the lulling sound of the insects droning above his head or the effect of ‘mine host’s’ strong home-brewed, coupled with his early rising, he would never know, but in just a few moments his head nodded on to his chest and he was sound asleep.

      A tentative tap on his shoulder startled him out of his pleasant doze.

      ‘Begging your pardon, sir,’

      The sound of the landlord’s voice dragged Maitland from his slumbers and it did not take him long to realise that the sun was no longer directly overhead, which irritating circumstance meant that he would have to press on very quickly if he wanted to make up the time he had lost. Cursing under his breath, he called for Pegasus to be saddled, hurriedly paid his shot and, mounting in one swift movement, he wheeled the horse out of the yard and urged him into a fast gallop towards Tow-cester.

      Two hours later, by mid-afternoon, he had reached the Daventry turnpike where he ascertained from the toll-keeper that a further eight miles would see him at the Dunchurch pike.

      ‘An’ ye’d do well to stop the night there, sir,’ warned the keeper, pocketing Maitland’s two pence and handing him his ticket. ‘’Taint wise to be crossing Dunsmoor Heath at sundown—been a fair few travellers robbed there lately.’

      Maitland thanked the man for his solicitude, assuring him that Dunchurch would, in fact, be the end of his journey and, with a cheery goodbye, set off once more at a spanking pace.

      Hardly a mile or so up the road, however, Pegasus suddenly faltered in his stride and, gradually slowing down, he began to limp on his left foreleg. Maitland, after five years in a cavalry regiment, had no trouble recognising the ominous signs and he immediately reined in, dismounted and led his horse on to the grass verge where he carefully examined the hoof and found, as he had expected, a small sharp flintstone lodged under his shoe. Since he always carried with him the necessary implements for dealing with such an emergency, it did not take him long to extract the offending object, but, knowing that the horse would still be in considerable discomfort for some little while, he looked about him for inspiration and, spotting a small stream not far off, he led the still limping animal over to the bank and into its soothing shallows. He patted his neck with sympathetic encouragement as the thirsty animal eagerly gulped the refreshing water, then, taking out his pocket-handkerchief, he soaked it in the fast-flowing stream and wiped his own perspiring face before lowering himself to sit on the grass verge while his mount gratefully cooled his sore foot.

      There was still a considerable amount of traffic making its way in both directions along the road. Several carters went by, touching the brims of their felt hats in greeting as they passed, and a pedlar’s wagon, hung all about with pots and pans, brushes and broom-handles and the like, brought a instant smile to Maitland’s face as it rattled and clanked its way onwards. This was followed, shortly afterwards, by a well-sprung, open-topped landaulet, drawn by a pair of beautifully matched greys.

      Having seen that the owner of the carriage was frantically signalling to his coachman to check his horses, Maitland leapt to his feet. Almost before the vehicle came to a standstill, its owner was out of his seat and hurrying back down the road, a slight limp impairing his otherwise swift progress.

      ‘Will Maitland!’ he cried, in obvious astonishment. ‘By all that’s holy! What in the name of goodness are you doing here?’

      Grinning widely, Maitland strode quickly to meet him, both hands outstretched to grasp the other man’s.

      ‘Eddie Catford!’ he said. ‘My dear fellow! I had quite forgotten that your place is hereabouts. How are you, old chum? How’s the leg?’

      The Honourable Viscount Edwin Catford beamed back at his ex-army comrade.

      ‘Not worth a mention, dear friend,’ he replied, with studied nonchalance. ‘But why are you lolling about at the side of the road? Lost your way, old chap?’

      ‘Very amusing,’ chuckled Maitland, giving the viscount a light-hearted punch in the arm. ‘Actually, I’m heading for Dunchurch, but poor old Pegs picked up a flint a while back, obliging us to rein in for a few minutes.’

      ‘Oh, bad luck!’ Catford was instant sympathy. ‘Can we take you up?’

      He gestured towards his carriage and Maitland, turning, saw that the vehicle held other occupants.

      ‘That would be useful,’ he confessed, ‘but I see that you have ladies with you—I must not detain you.’

      ‘Nonsense! They’ll be delighted to meet you,’ avowed Catford, steering his friend to the side of the landau. ‘Ladies, this roadside vagrant is none other than an old comrade from my regiment—one William Maitland, Esquire. Will, allow me to present my cousin, Miss Georgianne Venables, and our neighbour’s granddaughter, Miss Stephanie Highsmith.’

      His two young passengers had been consumed with curiosity as to the identity of the stranger but, upon hearing Maitland’s name, the viscount’s cousin’s face lit up with a welcoming smile.

      ‘Major William Maitland!’ she exclaimed. ‘But surely you are the hero himself?’

      ‘The very same,’ replied Catford, grinning hugely at his friend’s discomposure. ‘Dragged me from the Jaws of Death without a thought for his own safety…’

      ‘Cut line, Eddie,’ begged Maitland, laughing. ‘That’s old history now—your servant, ladies.’

      Turning, he made his bow to the occupants of the carriage, both of whom regarded him with unconcealed interest, for the tales of Earl Gresham’s son’s exploits in the Peninsula had long held the locals spellbound, and there would have been few who would not have heard of Will Maitland’s daring intervention in what might well have been their young hero’s final action.

      Having had his horse shot from under him on the field at Waterloo, the viscount had found himself pinned beneath the dying animal, unable to extricate his shattered leg. Notwithstanding the fact that their company had, by this time, been in hasty retreat, Maitland had wheeled back and leapt from his mount to heave his comrade out of the mud and up on to his own horse’s back. Miraculously avoiding both shot and cannon, he had managed to re-mount and head the animal in a frantic gallop back to their lines, for which courageous action he had been promoted and mentioned in dispatches.

      ‘Aunt Letty will be overjoyed to finally meet you face to face,’ said Georgianne. ‘She was so full of your bravery when she brought Edwin back from the military hospital at Chatham.’

      Maitland smiled. ‘Her ladyship has been kind enough to write to me on several occasions during the past year,’ he replied. ‘I look forward to calling on her.’

      ‘Which I hope you will do, as soon as may be,’ interrupted Catford. ‘But, for the moment, where are you bound? Tie Pegasus to the rear of the carriage and we will take you up as far as we can—give him a much-needed rest from your tiresome weight, at any rate,’ he added, with a grin.

      Maitland, returning the grin, acquainted Catford with his destination. On learning that the viscount was travelling to within two miles of Dunchurch, he gratefully availed himself of his offer and, having secured his mount’s halter to the rear of the landau, climbed into the vacant seat beside his friend.

      ‘You СКАЧАТЬ