Walls have ears. Doors have eyes. Trees have voices. Beasts tell lies. Beware the rain. Beware the snow. Beware the man You think you know. ~ Catherine Fisher.

Chapter 49.

The Servant Girl.

The five days given to Beatrice by Iestyn were pretty miserable for the girl. She saw no one, except for the maid Mary, who came by three times a day with food. She would also draw up a bath for Beatrice in the evenings. The tight, tense look on her face kept Beatrice from speaking to her.

She had tried once, but Mary had shaken her head and motioned towards the door. Obviously there were strict orders not to speak and someone behind the door was listening. This confirmed to Beatrice that her door was guarded at all times. There was nothing to use to climb down from the window, which was locked anyway. Beatrice had experience breaking windows, but the noise would bring someone running in a second.

There seemed no way of escape, and that meant when the time was up Beatric would have to give the colonel an answer. Now, she did not want to return to Mamma, but she certainly didn't want to be that villain's wife either.

"If he really thinks he can scare me into it, he's a downright fool!" Beatrice grumbled. She didn't know what to do and so did nothing, figuring she would have to improvise on the spot when the colonel arrived. Thus the days passed one after the other. It was the night of the fourth day and Beatrice was sitting in her bed, hugging her knees. One more day. The day after tomorrow she would have to give some sort of answer.

"There must be some way to choose neither and still keep my freedom," she whispered to the darkness. A snap at the door caught her attention. Someone had just unlocked the door from the other side. Fear gripped Beatrice that it was Colonel Blethyn coming to take something, something he couldn't wait for the wedding night to take. Beatrice slipped out of bed and lit the candle. Let him try to make a move on her and she'd throw the burning thing at him. And then the jug, and the basin, and the chair; the table if she had to!

The door creaked open but instead of Colonel Blethyn, Beatrice was surprised to see Mary. She was fully dressed, but her hair was down in a night braid that reached well past her knees. She held no candle in her hand, and putting her finger to her lips she motioned for Beatrice to keep quiet. Shutting the door softly, she locked it from the inside, then turned to the inmate, who had set the candle back on the table.

Mary motioned for Beatrice to come and sit with her on the bed.

"We must keep our voices very low," she whispered. "These walls have ears and the windows have eyes. I wanted to speak to you sooner, but could not. There is a guard at your door at all times. Tonight I have drugged him. He keeps a little bottle with him, it was empty and he asked if I could refill it. I put the sleeping draught in secretly. There is enough to keep him asleep all night. I know what the colonel is trying to make you do. He has been planning it for a long time, together with his mother."

"I think I figured that out by now," Beatrice sighed. "He is the master of covering it up. When I knew him in London he was so different. I cannot believe it is one and the same person."

"Ah, but that is who he is," Mary whispered bitterly. "All his life he wore a mask of goodness that hid the devil he is inside. And that woman, his mother, she is no better. The two of them will be the death of you."

"Is there anyway of escape?"

Mary let out a sad sigh. "If there was, I have yet to discover it. You are not the only inmate here. I have been trying to get away for nearly seven years, and have never succeeded."

Beatrice let out a quiet gasp. "Did Colonel Blethyn kidnap you too?"

"No." Mary shook her head. "No, it was his mother. She calls me Mary, but that is not my real name. She tells everyone that I am an orphan with no family, but that is not true. I have family and I have a name that was given to me by my mother and father, but if I dare tell anyone, Lady Blethyn will whip me. She has in the past. But you are in the same boat I am in, so I will tell you all. My real name is Heulwen Llyod."

Beatrice had to cover her mouth to keep her gasp from being too loud. "The lost Llyod sister!" She exclaimed in a whisper. Grabbing Heulwen hands, she gripped them tightly. "So you've been here all this time."

Heulwen's face was also full of surprise. "You know of me?"

"I have been staying with your brothers these past three months."

Heulwen caught her breath. "You have? How are they? Do they remember me?"

"Remember you? They mourn your loss every day. But how did you come here? Colonel Blethyn told the Llyod brothers that he didn't know what happened to you. They think Lady Caron Blethyn poisoned you."

The petite, pretty face filled with bitterness. "She did not. She turned me into her little slave. When she died I wanted to go home, but then this Lady Blethyn stopped me. She said the punishment was a punishment, and I was destined to serve a Blethyn my entire life. She had her son lie about me and kept me prisoner in this cottage. I tried to run so many times, but she always caught me. There is always a guard at the door, and for three years she kept me with shackles on my legs. She only removed them when I promised never to attempt esape again. I delcare she is a witch, and she has evil potions that tell her everything that is happening."

Beatrice could not believe her ears. What was Lady Blethyn made of that she would keep this girl away from her family for no good reason?

"She didn't even like Bevan Blethyn," Heulwen continued. "She hated her stepson and his wife, and they hated her. But still she kept me, saying my mother and her family must always know what happens when commoners try to mix with those of noble blood. To return me would be to let the Llyods score a victory over the Blethyns. Thus I am still with her, but I swore to get my revenge. If she wants me in this house then I shall remain, but I will know all her secrets and one day I will use them against her. And there are many secrets in this house, Miss Morton. Evil secrets, wicked secrets, secrets of greed, theft, and even attempted murder."

By now Beatrice was intruiged. "By Lady Blethyn?"

Heulwen shook her head. "By her son. Colonel Blethyn puts himself out to be a righteous man, but he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I have heard much and I know it all. He hates his nephew the Earl because everyone thought Caron to be barren and Iestyn was sure the title would be his, but then a son and heir was born and all the colonel hoped for was lost. He joined the army to make a living for himself, but I do believe even by then he was plotting to get rid of his nephew. When the Earl entered adolesence he became rebellious and restless and wanted to get away from his father and home. So he ran off and joined the army. His father covered this up and told the world his son went to Italy on account of bad health, when the heir, in real life, could not have a healthier constitution. The Earl knew where his son had gone and had his half brother keep an eye on him, promising to ruin the stepmother if Iestyn didn't keep his son alive and well.

Iestyn sought out his nephew, who to hide his identity, took upon himself the name of Captain Fleets."

Beatrice jumped from the bed in shock. "Fleets? Captain William Fleets?" She murmered in dismay, her face going pale.

"Yes," Heulwen nodded, not quite understanding the reaction. "He traveled with his uncle to India and though he never knew it, Iestyn sent monthly reports to the father, letting him know how the son was getting along."

Beatrice's hand went to her heart as it thumped wildly against her chest. Oh it could not be true. Her knees shook a little and she sank down to the floor next to Heulwen, nodding for her to continue.

"At last the old Earl died, they said it was from pneumonia but it was not. I know because I have been serving the woman who killed the Earl, being long tired of him. It was my current mistress. She knew that while the man lived her son would not be able to get rid of the heir so she waited until he came down with a bad cold and then poisoned his food. Lady Caron lived on for another year, to keep the suspicion away, and then Lady Blethyn poisoned her as well."

Beatrice shook her head in horror. "Mercy, she is a lethal woman!"

"I tell you, she is witch. She can kill anyone she likes and get away with it. All because she is a rich woman, and all rich woman use arsenic in their cosmetics, thus she always has the poison with her. With the Earl and his wife finally out of the way, Iestyn began staging 'accidents' for the new Earl, but he did not die because of an Indian servant he picked up, who always guarded his master's back."

"Raj," Beatrice murmered. "Faithful Raj."

"They returned from India and soon joined in Wellington's campaign against Napleon. It was there that Iestyn almost succeeded. He is not all monster like his mother, he could not stab his nephew in the back with his own hands, but he made an 'accident' occur. A fire that nearly killed his nephew. But once again it was foiled by the little native fellow who had do doubt become Colonel Blethyn's greatest enemy. His Lordship, however, was badly burned and scarred for life. His Uncle brought him back to the castle, where he locked himself in a tower and wasted away day after day for three years. And his uncle, his evil, wicked uncle, unable to finish the task himself, did his best to have Elwyn Blethyn finish it on his own. He fed him lies, mixed with the hard truth of course, thus hoping that Elwyn would end his own life."

"But he didn't," Beatrice softly said. Her thoughts were in a whirl. He had been the Earl. All this time she had been seeing the Earl himself, who had given her his fake name and concealed his identity.

"No, there was alway a faithful servant and a cousin who managed to keep the man alive. But Iestyn was not idle during the long years, oh no. Elwyn neglected his estate, he cared for nothing, so Iestyn, together with the family secretary, worked quietly together. They have been stealing money from Llys Gwyn ever since Bevan Blethyn died. Thus Iestyn hopes to kill of Elwyn, then become the Earl and with the money he has stolen restore the castle and the land to it's original beauty and be the Lord and Earl."

"But if he is not Earl yet?" Beatrice gasped. "What became of Captain Fleets....Elwyn Blethyn that is?"

Heulwen gave a sad smile. "Elwyn Blethyn did away with the name of Fleets, wanting to return under his true name. On the day you were kidnapped, however, Iestyn went to Blethyn and when he returned he told his mother that it was only a matter of time. Mentioned he would have the funeral one day and the wedding on the next. If the Earl is not dead yet, he will be very soon."

All of this was far too much for Beatrice. She sat staring into space, trying to make sense of it. He had never really died, he had just done that to come back under his real name. But why? Was it because she had kissed him in the starlight and he had decided that he wanted to live? But it hadn't worked. That man, that uncle and his horrible mother. His killed his nephew and kidnapped her. He knew Captain Fleets, or Elwyn Blethyn, had been in love with her. What if he had been the one who wrote the letter to her mother? What if he had been plotting this for a long time already. These thoughts turned her shock turned to anger.

"Oh, I won't marry him!" She snapped. "Huh, he was telling me that I can't get my way all the time, but he can, can he? Just because he is a man? I think not! I won't give him the pleasure of deciding me fate. There must be someway out!"

"He will catch you," Heulwen replied. "I've tried numerous times. I do not remain here by my own accord. I hate that woman and her son, I hate working for them. I wish to go home, to my family. My dear brothers, my beautiful Ilyd Alarch." She bit her lip and looked away.

Beatrice gazed at her in pity. Kept in shackles, whipped, threatened, abused. She grasped the worn out hands, hands that cooked and washed and cleaned and scrubbed without end, and looked deep into the beautiful green eyes.

"We shall return you to your brothers," Beatrice promised. "We can run together. It's worth a try. You know the way around the cottage, tell me about it."

Heulwen hesitated, then took a deep breath. It was worth a try, it was always worth a try. "There is always a manservant guarding the door," she whispered. "And of course there is always one guarding your door."

"Could we climb out the window?"

"Not out of this one, it faces the front door. There is another attic room at the back, it is used as a sort of storage, but nothing of use is kept there. The rooms right underneath it are Lady Blethyn's personal quarters."

"Hmmm," Beatrice frowned. "That is annoying. Is she a light sleeper?"

"Very. But!" Heulwen's eyes brightened. "But I could drug her, like I did your guard. Then she wouldn't hear us esacaping. We will need something to climb down the window though, it is on the third floor."

"Too bad your hair isn't long enough," Beatrice dared to joke, reaching out to brush the long braid. "And we haven't a prince to bring us a rope ladder. I wonder, what if we were to tie sheets together. Only how should we get them there. We'll need quite a few."

"I have access to the linen cupboards," Heulwen pointed out. "I could sneak them one at a time. We must run in the night, very late when it is dark. Only I do not know how to get the guard to sleep again."

"Leave that to me," Beatrice smiled. "All you must do is make sure that I have some sleeping draught here with me. Smuggle it to me at breakfast. How did you get the key to my room?"

"It is the spare that I stole from M'lady. I will return it of course, but I can easily get it again tomorrow. The hard part is getting more laundrum, but with good hope I will get enough for the lady and for the guard. I wish we could drug everyone, but I don't think Lady Blethyn keeps that much in one place. She hides all her poisons in different places and I only know where one is."

"That is alright," Beatrice reassured. "Now, this has to all be ready by tomorrow night, because on the morning of the sixth day Iestyn will come to me with my answer. Go now, and be sure to bring me the sleeping substance tomorrow."

"I just hope it works," Heulwen fretted.

"Oh, but it will, it must! And if it doesn't I will try again and again until either I get away or death frees me. I've been slave my entire life to a dragon, and I will not spend the rest of it slave to a serpent."

Heulwen gave a soft smile and leaning over, kissed Beatrice. "At least take heart that if we are caught you will not be whipped. Though I make no promises about the shackles."

Rising softly she left the room, locking it behind her. Beatrice settled back into her bed, but was far too excited and confused to sleep. She replayed every moment she spent with the captain, going over any word he said to her. So many things made sense now that she knew his real identity. He had no doubt killed off Captain Fleets because after that kiss he wanted to tell her the truth. But where had he disppeared to then? Why had he kept silent for three months? If he had come back right away maybe Iestyn wouldn't have won in the end after all. She felt sure now that Iestyn was the one who gave her away to the dragon, and then he pretened to be so helpful and kind. Serpent! Snake! There was no better way to describe him. To do such a thing to his own nephew, all out of greed!

"And you, Captain, you were the Earl," she whispered. "And you never told me. Are you really dead now? Did you uncle finish you off? How wicked he is! Vile! Cruel! Well, I won't let him get away with it. I'll have justice. I'll get revenge for what he did to you, to me, to everyone!"