Transition Plan Chapter 30: First Homecoming Part 17 - Shell Games
As the deputy constables took the last of the bodies from their bedroom to a guest room until everything could be pieced together, Edward, Elisabeth, Tarzan, and Jane sat together in the early hours of New Year's Day, still recovering from the attack. Tarzan and Jane sipped on some hot chocolate that Elisabeth prepared to calm their nerves. The Constable took all details to expand the manhunt for Cedric across England, especially with this brazen in-home second attack. Jane and Tarzan emphasized their use of the shield to protect themselves in the bed, and their incredibly good fortune that the crossbow bolts' ricochets killed their killers, but left out the part of avoiding being harmed by Tarzan's leap and continuing to make love in the presence of their would-be killers.
"I think this is all I need, Lord and Lady Clayton. I am sorry such human trash made so heinous an attempt at your lives in your own home. I know these people; I have been trying to arrest them for years."
Edward was heavy-hearted, "I am sorry sir and madam, that the security let these murderers through. You may have my resignation immediately."
Tarzan shook is head at his servant, "No, Edward, everything turned out fine. We insisted on having the party. You and d'Arnot's men could not watch everyone and everything all night. We brought this on ourselves. I never thought Cedric would be bold enough to attack us in our own home. Your resignation is refused."
"Thank you sir," he said with relief and bowed his head in appreciation.
His faith and trust in Jonathan continued to grow. The young man was so much like his parents. Lord Clayton's cousin John would have fired him in anger over something like this.
Tarzan continued, "It's a good thing we leave later today. We are no longer safe here with Cedric loose. We are a threat to everyone here."
Edward suggested, "I have an idea, Lord Jonathan. Constable, you need to hear this before you go."
"As you wish, Edward," the lawman agreed.
"Edward?" Jane puzzled.
Edward explained, "You will be safer if we let them think you are dead. They won't try an attack on the train."
"How do we do that?"asked Jane incredulously.
"First, we hide you from prying eyes. You have a secret room below, m'Lady, where I would ask you stay the day, so as to not be seen."
They were shocked.
Edward continued his plan, "Yes I know of its existence. Your grandfather showed it to me half a century ago. You will depart here in a hearse, and inside coffins, My Lord and Lady, to let them believe you are dead. The train will take your 'bodies' back to the shipping company with the cover story that you will be interred in Africa, your fondest home. You will escape unharmed. The staff will support this. The village has no idea of this latest attempt on your lives so there will not be general alarm. I will go with you to the ship, attending your 'bodies'."
"You will do no such thing, Edward," Elisabeth stamped her feet with her hands on her hips.
"Elisabeth?" worried Edward, thinking Elisabeth was strongly objecting.
"We will go nowhere without me attending Jane's casket as well," Elisabeth insisted.
"Of course, Elisabeth," acknowledged Edward with a slight nod.
The real opposition came from an unlikely source. Jane. She held Tarzan in alarm, "We'll be helpless in those…. those boxes…"
Tarzan said soothingly, "I think we need to do this, Jane. But we won't unless you agree."
Jane thought long and hard, and despite her trepidation about playing dead, buoyed by the knowledge that Edward and Elisabeth would protect them, she agreed, but quipped, "All right, we will do this, Jonathan. But if we die, I will personally kill you, ape man!"
She managed a weak grin for him. Tarzan just rolled his eyes as they all laughed. Edward and Elisabeth were both getting used to their dry humor to calm everyone in grave situations.
There was one more piece of the puzzle needed.
"Constable, we need your support on this," requested the elderly butler.
"This is very irregular, Edward. Concealment and falsification is a crime in itself."
Edward appealed to the Constable, "These people are not playing by any rule of Law, Geoffrey, dear brother. They never have. We were always powerless against them. The peerage of the Count and his Lady has been restoed. The balance of power has now turned to our benefit. I ask this favor only once to permit Clan Greystoke to survive. Our family has always served the ancient Counts as servants and soldiers. We owe Lord Jonathan this. His family supported our family multiple times over the centuries. There has been great distress for this young couple in their short time here in England in their own castle. We must do this. Our father would have insisted we support the young Count."
The Constable sighed deeply but agreed. The lawman put his badge in his pocket, "All right, big brother. We will do this. Unofficially, I support this. I suppose this will help us in this way to perhaps embolden Cedric to show himself."
Tarzan took Jane's uncertain hand in his and stared intently into her questioning eyes, "This will work, dearest. We will prevail. We are in good hands."
"All right, Jonathan. I… I trust your judgment."
They finished packing for Africa in secrecy, never passing an open window. Tarzan filled several old trunks with treasure and locked them, and brought them up from the hidden treasure room for Edward to pack for journey. When they were done, the couple hid in the ancient Scottish bedroom in the depths of the catacombs, with some food and drink that Edward gave them to sustain them for the long trip. They tried to take a nap together, but were too nervous about all the uncertainties ahead, despite their good planning. Instead, they explored the catacombs and found a tiny family chapel, read from the ancient Bible, and added their names into the pages and pages of family history. They kneeled and prayed for strength, which calmed them. Finally it was time to prepare to go, and they quietly came out of hiding, and got nervously into the coffins in a windowless room, attended by their servants. They were very worried and very quiet, hugging before they separated.
Elisabeth tried hard to assure them, "Everything will be all right, my dear Lord and Lady."
Late in the day, a solemn procession occurred. A horse-drawn hearse arrived at Castle Greystoke, and their two gleaming coffins were moved from the castle to the hearse. Their personal belongings were loaded into supporting carriages. The servants all wore black and played along with this grim charade, appearing to grieve heavily as they boarded their personal carriages.
Despite the need for this secretive departure, Tarzan and Jane were filled with anxiety lying alone in their caskets, dying to touch each other for reassurance. But beside each one was their weapon, should they have to leave their coffins, or be able to, they could defend themselves instantly. They were dressed for the night departure, in commoners' dark blacks and browns.
Peering through a powerful spyglass from a village dwelling far away, one of Cedric's henchmen observed, "Well it appears our boys got the Guv'nah and his Lady. The boss will be pleased that he's in charge again."
"Yeah but it must have been a fight to the death. There's no sign of our men," said one thug to another.
"It doesn't matter if they are gone. They were expendable. What's important, bloke, is that the Lord and Lady are dead, along with their heir," said the leader with a satisfied look.
The hearse and escorts made their way to the train station from the village. The snipers in their hiding places along the tree-lined road saw the solemn entourage and put down their guns.
At the station, the coffins and everything else was loaded aboard the cargo section of the train very quietly. Edward and Elisabeth accompanied the two caskets, and once aboard, and away from any spying eyes, Edward whispered to them through the hidden air holes drilled in the sides to let them breathe and see a little, "Let not your hearts be troubled, Masters. We are on our way to Essex and the ship. I know we have been seen. We tried to be. Let's hope this causes Sir Cedric to make a rash move on the other end."
The gunmen on the train were upset that the three crossbowmen got their targets. They wondered now if they would ever get paid for a 'job' someone else did for them, and departed in frustration at the nearest station after the village of Greystoke.
Upon their arrival at the London train station in the evening darkness, another hearse and several carriages loaded the caskets and initially proceeded to the Clayton Shipping Company docks, but took a different turn when they stopped and had a conversation with a hooded stranger enroute. Tarzan and Jane were very worried. The procession stopped at an unknown place at the harbor, with scant illumination in the darkness.
Knocks came on their caskets, with a confident Edward telling them, "It's time. It's safe to get out, my Lord and Lady."
They opened the coffins and got out. Before them was a magnificent sailing vessel. It looked fast even at anchor.
A cloaked shorter man approached them, and he flipped off his hood with a very cheerful grin, "Greetings my Lord and Lady!"
They were very pleased to see Captain d'Arnot. Jane rushed to hug him and exclaimed, "You're not dead! Bless you, kind sir."
"And pleased to not be dead, Countess. It seems the late gunman ruined my favorite 'clothes mannequin' seated at my desk instead of me. The press was more than willing to take that juicy dark story and run with it. Mariners get no respect. I'm sorry that you both had to come here in a macabre way, too. You gave us a real start, until Edward told me at the station."
Jane noted, "Not to worry, Captain. As long as our 'deaths' assure our safety, it was worth it. We read your obituary too, but still hoped you had something up your sleeve as a diversion. You sir, are a master of that sort of thing."
"Thank you, M'Lady."
Tarzan was puzzled, "Where are we, Captain? This is not the freighter's berth."
"We are on the luxury side of the harbor, although no one of nobility is ever here after midnight."
"I can see why, good sir. But aren't we returning on the freighter?" he asked, not certain about what was actually happening.
"No freighter for my Lord and Lady. It's on the far side of the harbor, ready to go. This is your ship, Lord and Lady Clayton. And it is ready to go on your order. With the best crew in the shipping line, it is staffed entirely with people loyal to you."
"It's… it's magnificent, Captain. This is mine? How?" asked an incredulous Tarzan.
D'Arnot joked, "If I may say so, sir, you have a lot of money and your ancestors had very expensive tastes."
Jane snickered at Tarzan, still innocently learning about the extent of his great wealth and the reach of his true power. They all admired the large three mast sailing ship with its very streamlined hull, sculpted superstructure, and high quality wooden decks. The masts were like massive spider webs with ropes and lines connecting everything together. It was sleek. The Union Jack flew on one mast, and the Clan Greystoke coat of arms was flapping on another.
D'Arnot explained, "We have a great need for urgency for our return to Africa, Lord Clayton. This is a converted American Yankee Clipper. For over thirty years there is still nothing faster than these ships on the high seas. We will shave nearly two weeks off our normal two months of travel."
"And the Nigerian Council will be more impressed if we arrive in our own personal Clipper. A freighter, I am sorry to say, Captain, does not invoke awe," Jane added.
"No offense taken, Lady Jane," d'Arnot noted. She was right.
They all laughed together. The loading of their belongings went quickly with help by the sailors. But as they completed the loading, they were confronted by a large group of men that suddenly appeared and surrounded them.
"Hold there or die where you stand. Drop your weapons," said a very serious voice.
They knew that voice. It was Cedric and his heavily armed entourage surrounded the Clayton's, d'Arnot, and the sailors.
Cedric spoke threateningly while pointing a gun at Tarzan and Jane, and chastising his cronies, "I knew the news was too good to be true, and suspected a ruse. Once again, it looks like I have to take care of things myself."
His people chafed, knowing their punishment would be harsh.
He continued to intimidate the young couple and their allies by sneering directly in their faces, "It seems the reports of your deaths are premature, Lord and Lady Clayton and Captain. Rest assured, I will now make that a certainty. Come with me peacefully and you will die with little pain."
The entire group surrendered their weapons, thinking of options. In desperation, Tarzan took the matter into his own hands.
"I will take you with me to hell, Cedric," he yelled as he leaped at the evil man with his bare hands.
"Jonathan, no!" shrieked Jane.
A shot rang out and everyone froze. Jane screamed. Tarzan clutched his chest.