Free Countess Dracula by Guy Adams Page B

said Nayland.
    ‘I didn’t even know it was locked.’
    ‘That’s because you always get Gerry to drive you everywhere.’ Their sullen driver was only too used to his mistress’s demands and had actually threatened to leave their employ several times due to her frequent abuse. Nayland had always assumed she had taken such a dislike to him because she had been unable to lure him into her bed.
    ‘So what do we do now?’ Elizabeth asked.
    ‘You wait here with her and I go and get them.’
    ‘I’m not sitting out here with the body! What if someone comes along?’
    ‘Charm them. The last thing we need is Patience seeing what you look like. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now let’s just deal with this.’
    He ran back towards the house, remembering his jacket just as he was about to step through the front door. Why risk it drawing attention? He took it off and threw it to the side of the doorway.
    Inside he almost ran right into Patience. ‘Sir,’ she said, managing to appear only slightly startled, ‘I heard someone outside and I wondered …’
    ‘We’re just heading out.’
    ‘Does Gerry know? I think I saw him sitting in the kitchens.’
    ‘I want to drive – you know I like to drive.’
    Patience knew better than to argue, even though he was speaking far too quickly, not acting natural at all.
    ‘Get me the keys, would you?’ he asked, trying to decide which car had the biggest trunk. ‘The Daimler. I just need to grab something from upstairs.’
    ‘Of course, sir. Might I ask …?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Is the maid with you? Only madam did say …’
    ‘Yes, she is. Madness, I know, but you don’t argue with Elizabeth.’
    Patience felt it safer not to comment on that. ‘I’ll just get the keys.’
    Nayland suddenly panicked. ‘Meet me back here, yes?’
    Patience gave him a brief look of concern but nodded and walked off towards the kitchens.
    Nayland needed to calm down before he aroused any more suspicion. He could probably pass it off as frustration at Elizabeth, anger at her stupid idea to take the maid out. Patience would probably believe that. However much Elizabeth seemed to think that the housekeeper would do as she was told, Nayland knew there was a puritan heart beating away in the woman somewhere. He had no doubt that she wouldn’t cover for them if she suspected murder. Some things were beyond her duty.
    He ran up the stairs and into Elizabeth’s bathroom, wanting to check for any signs of what they had done.
    They
. It suddenly hit him that, as always, he had made himself part of Elizabeth’s business. Something that should have been hers to bear alone was now a weight on his shoulders too.
    He grabbed a towel and rubbed at the bath. Elizabeth had done a fair job of cleaning but their wrestling with the corpse had left traces of its own. He ran the towel over the floor, mopping up a couple of blood spills, and then wrapped it up into a tight bundle.
    Going back into the dressing room, Nayland grabbed a small holdall, shoved the towel into it and then ran his hands through Elizabeth’s clothes until he found what he was after: another red dress, different of course from the other one but close enough. He bundled that into the bag too and ran to his room to fetch another jacket and a tie. He slung the jacket on, folding the tie into his pocket, and ran back downstairs.
    ‘The keys, sir.’ Patience held them out to Nayland and he grabbed them without replying.
    Having second thoughts at the door he turned back to her. ‘Knowing Elizabeth it will be a long night,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry about waiting up – we’ll manage.’
    ‘Very good, sir.’ Patience showed no sign of being pleased about the early night but Nayland hadn’t expected her to. He’d seen her smile just twice while she’d been working for them, both times under extreme duress.
    He tried to look casual as he left the house, pulling the door closed gently behind him before grabbing his