The Quincunx by Charles Palliser

Author:Charles Palliser [Palliser, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Mystery, Fiction
ISBN: 9780140177626
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1995-06-28T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 60

Later that day in the afternoon Barney, Sam and Jack suddenly came into the Red Room where most of us were, and clapped their hands for attention.

“It’s tonight!” Barney cried.

Everyone began to talk at once, laughing and smiling as if with unqualified delight — but it seemed to me that some of them looked frightened, too.

“You all know what to do,” said Sam. “Get ready now.”

And so they began to make their preparations — the women dressing up and painting and powdering themselves, and the men, apart from Will and Bob who were delegated to stay behind and guard the house, similarly arraying themselves. To my dismay I noticed Sam cleaning and loading a small pistol.

In the middle of this bustling scene Barney beckoned me into the hall: “Put on your new togs,” he said. “You’re coming with us.”

“I shan’t,” I declared.

His face darkened and he repeated: “You shan’t? What the devil do you mean by that?”

As he spoke he struck out at me and though I had time to dodge the main force of the blow, his fist glanced off the side of my head.

“Why do you think I took you in?” he shouted. “Why do you think I paid for them togs?”

How I wished I knew!

“Then I’ll give them back,” I said, near to tears with the pain of the blow, “and you can let me go.”

“Stow that,” he growled. “I’ve got other plans for you. Now do as I say.”

“Lay off him, Barney,” said Sally, coming down the stairs in a beautiful yellow silk dress I had not seen before.

“Shut your noise, gal,” he answered. “We need a boy tonight. You know that.”

“I can get one,” she said calmly.

When Barney looked at her in surprise she beckoned him towards her and they whispered together for a minute or two. Then he nodded and came back to me.

“Next time you do as I bid,” he said, wrenching one arm behind my back to make his point. “Understand?” I nodded, wincing in pain and he released me and bellowed: “Will!”

When that individual hurried up, Barney gestured towards me: “You and Bob make sure the boy don’t get out while we’re away. Otherwise you’ll answer for it.”

Will nodded, looking at me in a way that made clear that it would be a pleasure to catch me trying to.

When the two hackney-coaches that had been sent for arrived, the party boarded them exactly like an expedition of pleasure setting out from a fine house in Mayfair. Will and Bob secured the street-door behind them and then settled down to play cards and drink in the drawing-room.

After Barney’s words I was more determined to escape than ever before, and yet I could see no way to do so. Stepping adroitly from joist to joist, I wandered about the dark and empty house, holding a lighted candle-end, and tried all the boards across the windows on the ground-floor and the back-door. This merely confirmed that without tools I had no chance of getting out.

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