The Talisman Ring

‘Well, it is not precisely my own,’ said Eustacie. ‘It –’

‘I know that. Who gave it to you?’

‘Nobody gave it to me!’

‘Do you mean you stole it?’

‘Of course I did not steal it! I have just borrowed it because I thought it would be a good thing to take a pistol with me. Du vrai, it belongs to my cousin Ludovic, but I feel very certain that he would not mind lending it to me, because he is of all my family the most romantic.’

The free-trader came back to her side in two quick strides. ‘Who the devil are you?’ he demanded.

‘I do not see what concern it is –’

He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. ‘Never mind that! Who are you?’

‘I am Eustacie de Vauban,’ she answered, with dignity.

‘Eustacie de Vauban…Oh yes, I have it! But how do you come to be in England?’

‘Well, my grandpapa thought that they would send me to the guillotine if I stayed in France, so he fetched me away. But if I had known that he would make me marry my cousin Tristram, who is not amusing, I should have preferred infinitely to have gone to the guillotine.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ he said. ‘Is he at the Court? If you’re running away from him I’ll do what I can to help you!’

‘Do you know him, then?’ asked Eustacie, surprised.

‘Do I know him! I’m your romantic cousin Ludovic!’

She gave a small shriek, which had the effect of making him clap his hand over her mouth again. ‘Fiend seize you, don’t make that noise! Do you want to bring the Excisemen down on me?’

She pulled his hand down and stood clasping it between both her own. ‘No, no, I promise I will be entirely quiet! I am so enchanted to meet you! I thought I never should, because Tristram said you could not set foot in England any more.’

‘I dare say he did,’ replied Ludovic. ‘But here I am for all that. You’ve only to breathe one word and I shall have Bow Street Runners as well as Excisemen on my trail.’

She said fiercely: ‘I shall not breathe any word at all, and I think you are quite insulting to say that!’

He put his other hand over hers. ‘Did they tell you why I can’t set foot in England?’

‘Yes, but I do not care. Did you kill that person whose name I have forgotten?’

‘No, I did not.’

‘Bon! Then we must at once discover who did do it,’ said Eustacie briskly. ‘I see now that this is a much better adventure than I thought.’

‘Do you believe me, then?’ he asked.

‘But certainly I believe you!’

He laughed, and pulling her to him, kissed her cheek. ‘Well, save for Basil, you’re the only person who does.’

‘Yes,’ said Eustacie. ‘But me, I do not like Basil.’

He was about to answer her when Ned Bundy loomed up through the darkness and twitched his sleeve. ‘Abel,’ he said laconically.

Eustacie heard the crunch of a pony’s hooves on the snow and the next moment saw the pony, with a short, thickset man sitting astride the pack-saddle. Ludovic took her hand and let her up to the newcomer. ‘We

ll?’ he said.

‘There’s a dunnamany Excisemen out. We’ll have to make back to Cowfold – if we can,’ said Mr Bundy, dismounting. He became aware of Eustacie, and favoured her with a long, dispassionate look. ‘Where did that dentical wench come from?’ he inquired.