Jacob's ladder
Chapter 5: Lady Borland

“But, my dear, what is this thing thosemen are trying to get?”

Luis had just told lady Borland thestory of his adventures, since the arrival of Gérard in Salamanca until hispersecution by Blatsov in the streets of Lisbon. But he had skipped everyreference to Jacob’s ladder: the conversation he had overheard in theuniversity chapel; his talk with Pierre at home; and what his tutor had saidbefore he fled from the inn. He had not mentioned the amulet, because in hismind it belonged to Charles and he was not sure that his tutor would allow him todeclare its existence. On the other hand, Charles had said that Lady Borlandhis friend, that she was to be trusted. He felt confused.

Lady Borland spoke quite acceptableFrench, so they had been able to converse. She was about forty, tall and thin,sandy-haired, with rosy cheeks and a face that, far from beautiful, expressed theconscience of her social level and her self-security. Compared with Charles,who never insisted on social differences with anybody, Luis felt intimidated bythe lady and tried to behave with extremely politeness to keep her good graces,for she was his only help and defense against Blatsov, who had to be somewhere inLisbon, plotting to seize him.

Lady Borland had just asked thequestion he had been expecting and fearing. He could not help to answer but, togain time, he said:

“Blatsov wants me, but I don’t knowwhat he wants to do. Milady, are you sure that we are safe here? He is awful!”

The lips of the lady pursed in aslight smile. She did not appear impressed by the terror in the boy’s eyes.

“Don’t worry. This house is a smallfortress, garrisoned by an army of faithful servants with long years at myservice. This man won’t be able to come in without my leave, and I won’t giveit. We are in Lisbon; this is not an inn near Ciudad Rodrigo. This is a highly civilizedtown. If you abduct or murder someone, you must pay the consequences. I haveinfluential friends. When Blatsov is found, he’ll be arrested. When he is injail, you can forget about him.”

Luis felt far from easy, for heconsidered Blatsov much superior to the Portuguese police, but pretended toaccept Lady Borland’s words. Anyway, she had not forgotten her originalquestion and tried again:

“I understand that major Gérard hasbeen sent by Boney to get an object which belonged to him, but is now in the possessionof count Philippe.”

Luis shuddered when he heard her namein such familiar way the man who had almost become the owner of Europe.

“That’s true,” he answered.

“By the way, have you heard thatBoney entered Paris on Monday and is again the emperor of the French?”

Lady Borland’s voice expressed the ironyand disdain of a born aristocrat for an upstart. Luis did not speak. He wasafraid of Bonaparte. At the same time, he admired his strategic and militarytalent, but did not dare to say it, because his hostess would be vexed.

“This thing Gérard is looking for:you have it, don’t you? Philippe has trusted it to you.”

Luis couldn’t speak, but his love fortruth impelled him to nod.

“Can I see it?”

Very slowly, as though strugglingwith himself, Luis unbuttoned his shirt, put his hand inside his clothes anddrew out Jacob’s ladder. Lady Borland took it carefully, looked at it for sometime and gave it back, saying in a disappointed voice:

“Is this all? I thought it would be somethingmuch more interesting. It weighs very little; it cannot be very valuable, evenif it is made of pure gold. Why is Boney so determined to get it?”

“He thinks it is a lucky amulet andwants to recover it. Charles stole it during the battle of Borodino.”

“Good for Philippe!” exclaimed LadyBorland, who added scornfully: “I’m not surprised at Boney’s superstition. It istypical of low people who get too high. But why didn’t Philippe destroy it? Itwould be safer; it would never fall into his hands again. It cannot be becauseof its monetary or artistic value.”

“Charles considers this object moreimportant than it seems. I don’t know why, he didn’t tell me, but he said somethingabout this when he put it in my hands.”

“Let me see it again,” said LadyBorland. Reluctantly, Luis took again Jacob’s ladder from inside his shirt andallowed her to take it in her fingers.

“It looks like a ladder. Why are thesteps irregularly distributed?”

“I don’t know, milady.”

She turned the small object aroundseveral times and looked at it attentively before releasing it.

“You can keep it,” she said. “Takegood care of it, if it’s so important.”

“I have it always with me.”

During the next week, Luis could notspeak again to Lady Borland, who seemed to have forgotten about him. During thattime, he dared not leave the house, fearing to meet the man in black, but did notfeel bored, having discovered a library with French and Spanish books which he turnedinto his lair, and spent many hours reading there. The servants, English orPortuguese, treated him with the elaborate politeness appropriate for theirlady’s guest, although Luis conjectured that they all knew that he was the wardof a French count.

On Sunday, the lady called him againto her presence.

“Your friend Blatsov has disappeared.He must have foreseen that we would try to arrest him. He has probably leftLisbon. Don’t be afraid, you are not in danger.”

Luis did not contradict, but his awetoward the man in black was too high to hope that he had forgone his intent soeasily. Lady Borland seemed to guess his thought, for she added:

“In any case, you’ll soon becompletely safe. We are leaving Lisbon, I’m getting back to England, and you’llcome with me. Blatsov won’t be able to follow you there.”

Luis realized that the lady had usedthe preceding week to make arrangements on his behalf and felt remorse forhaving thought that she had forgotten his situation.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, hedid not see her, but was not surprised, for she was very busy with their imminentdeparture. Her house was big and she couldn’t move it at a blink. Speaking withthe servants, he learned a few things about his hostess: the Lisbon housebelonged to her, and she made long and frequent stays in Portugal. ThePortuguese servants would remain there, but the English would travel with herto England. Used to their mistress’s trips in both directions, they saw nothingunusual in her next move, which they thought would take about one month toprepare. Therefore, when Lady Borland announced on Thursday that they would beleaving in three or four days, they were dumbfounded and started working in earnest,while Luis was called again to her presence.

When he went in the room where shehad always received him, he was surprised by the change in her face. She seemedworried, dark-browed and almost fearful. Up to this point, she had always consideredhis fears childish, but now she seemed to have been infected. Luis wondered whathad happened and soon had the answer:

“The man in black has been seen. Heis in Lisbon. My agents could not arrest him. Apparently, he escaped them mysteriously.Assuming a certain degree of exaggeration in their report, it’s clear that Blatsovhas accomplices who are hiding him. We must hurry up and leave as soon aspossible.”

“When, milady?”

“Our ship will be ready to leave onSunday. On Saturday, we’ll move on board carefully, for his spies are everywhere.We have detected people in this street who have nothing to do here. They must havebeen sent by Blatsov. If you leave the house, they’d get hold of you or run andtell their boss where you are. Don’t worry, we’ll deceive them, I have myplans.”

On the evening of Saturday April 8th,the coach was ready in the hall, inside the house. The huge room was full ofcrates, which would be moved to the ship on the next day. Today they would takenothing, for Lady Borland wanted to hide the fact that Luis was leaving thehouse and make it look as though she was going alone in one of her usualvisits. The lady, her personal maid and the boy got in the carriage. The driverdrew the curtains to make them invisible and climbed the box, the doors wereopened, the whip was cracked, and the two horses trotted slowly out to thestreet. Peeping at a slit between the curtains, Luis saw a man, leaning on thewall, whose eyes were following the coach, but he did not move. If he was oneof Blatsov’s spies, he did not seem to suspect that Luis was in the carriage.Up to this point, at least, Lady Borland’s plans seemed to have worked.

Following a devious way, to misleadpossible pursuers, the coach stopped at the docks, near the gangway to aschooner whose sails, partially unfolded, and the crew toiling on the deck, pointedat an imminent departure.

“We’ll go on board,” explained LadyBorland. “The coach will go to several places in Lisbon before getting backhome with the curtains drawn, so that the watchers will assume that I havereturned. I’ll instruct the captain to push the ship away from the jetty andkeep double watch during the night, just in case. As you see, everything’s incontrol. Tomorrow at sunrise they’ll bring my luggage. When it’s on board, we’llleave for England.”

Everything was done as the lady hadsaid. The three passengers in the coach walked quickly up the gangway andretired to their cabins. As a child, Luis had been interested in ships,collected drawings and designs, but it was the first time he had been on boardone, and he felt disappointed at not being able to visit it in depth. Hecheered himself thinking that he had just to wait till the next day, when theywere on the open sea, with no danger of being watched.

One hour after midnight, loud shouts onthe jetty called the attention of the watch, who warned the captain and wakedLady Borland. She dressed hastily and came on deck to see what happened. A man onland was asking to be allowed on board, for he brought important news. Thecaptain had called her to ask her opinion, but the lady recognized one of herEnglish servants and ordered him to be brought on board. A boat was sent, asthe ship was twenty yards away from the jetty. Once on board before her mistress,the man, exhausted and panting, spoke with a broken voice:

“I had to run, milady. Your house hasbeen attacked. They’ll come here any time.”

“Who dared?” asked the lady.

“They were twenty, commanded by a manin black. They beat the servants, put them together in the hall forinterrogation, and searched the house. I escaped through a window in the secondfloor. The servants are terrified: they’ll tell him that you are here. I’vecome to warn you.”

Lady Borland thought it over. Shelooked disturbed, but controlled her feelings and soon took the situation inher hands. Turning to the captain, she asked:

“Can we leave now?”

“Everything is ready, milady, we cantake to sea in fifteen minutes. We were waiting for your luggage.”

“We must leave it, we are in danger.Those men are more daring than I thought. Give the order immediately.”

The captain saluted and left, whilethe lady spoke to her servant.

“You must get back,” she instructed.“Don’t worry; when they know I have escaped, those men will leave you alone.Tell Jarvis to follow in the next ship with my luggage and my attendants. We’llmeet again in England.”

Although he was reluctant, theservant did as he was told. When the boat which took him to the jetty cameback, the captain gave the order to weigh anchor and hoist the sails. Thecreaking of the capstan awoke Luis, who came on deck rubbing his eyes. LadyBorland saw and called him to her.

“What happens?” asked the boy.

“We are leaving.”

“But it is not morning! Why did youchange your plans?”

“Look,” answered the lady, pointingat the harbor, just invaded by a troop of armed men. In front of them, clearlyvisible at the light of the lanterns in land, they saw a man with a pallidface, clad in black, who walked to the end of the jetty, as though he wouldlike to jump in the water, but stopped suddenly, his eyes fixed on Luis, whomhe seemed to see clearly in spite of the darkness which covered the ship deck.

The wind blew the sails; the ship turned by ninetydegrees, gained distance and cut the invisible thread joining Blatsov’s eyeswith the boy, who had just escaped him for the third time.