Unknown Ajax Part V

Hugo tells his grandfather that he's willing to put some of his money into the estate, as he can see that its needed, and he wants things better managed. He wants to move into the Dower House with Anthea, but they both wonder if the butler who is living there, is using it to help smugglers. Then drama begins to happen. Hugo and the family are playing billiards when Richmond comes back to the house, with his face blackened and wiht a gunshot wound. He reveals that he has indeed been smuggling, although he knows he should not have been. He was so fed up with his life that he didn't care. Hugo is shocked but not surprised, but thinks the main thing is to conceal Richmond's behaviour from the law and then perhaps he can get him into the army. He rigs up a plan where Richmond pretends that he's drunk, and Claud wears Richmonds bloodstained clothes and admits that he ran away when the Dragoons chased him and shot at him, because he feared they were the family of his village flirt, Eliza coming after him. Ottershaw can't prove that it was Richmond who was shot and Claud's acting is enough to fool anyone, so he has to retire. Lord Darracott realises that his possessive and foolish behaviour has caused Richmond to behave foolishly and recklessly, and he agrees that when his grandson is recovered, he will let him join the army. Hugo and Anthea are relieved that Richmonds problems are solved now, and that they can marry and take over the Darracott estate. The love story is of less importance in this novel than the smuggling story, but it has a lot of humour with Hugo's teasing his relatives by talking broad Yorkshire.....