by Rebecca King
Daniel’s brows shot up. ‘Passionate? You would know all about that then, eh?’
Luke’s lips twitched but he didn’t answer. ‘She is perfect,’ was all he said.
‘Well, at least you recognise a good woman when you see one,’ Daniel murmured.
‘You know that I made a decision about wanting to settle down when I purchased the house,’ Luke reminded him.
‘Yes, but none of us thought that you would fall for the first woman you stumbled across. I mean, you had barely been here for a week and you had moved her into your house and made her a part of your life without even really knowing much about her.’ There was a hint of a warning in Daniel’s tone that made Luke study him carefully.
‘Have you heard something about them?’
‘No. None of us have,’ Daniel sighed. ‘But don’t you think it a little odd that the entire village has turned against her and her father? Might it be that not everyone can be wrong about two people?’
‘Until we can find out what gossip is being spread about them, we do not know the truth,’ Luke replied.
‘Which is why you should be a little bit cautious about settling her into your home and life, don’t you think? Protecting her because it is part of our work with the Star Elite is one thing, but she is living in your house and you are talking about her as if you are already married,’ Daniel warned. ‘The last time I saw one of my friends have that look same on his face as you have on yours, he had just married.’
‘My gut has never made me wrong about anybody before,’ Luke warned.
‘And your gut would recognise love and not be able to mix up duty and infatuation, eh?’
Luke sighed. ‘You think that I moved her into my house because I am desperate to settle down. That I would make her a part of my life whether she is a liar or not. Do you know something? I am annoyed that you think I am such a poor judge of character.’
‘I am not saying that Rosemary and her father have done anything wrong, or that you are wrong in your judgement of her. You have spent more time with her than any of us. However, what I would do is advise you to be a little bit cautious about letting her into your life until we have found out a little more about what they are supposed to have done,’ Daniel warned.
‘I will help her no matter what she has done. You have seen the way Thomas is with the watches. He has developed a system whereby none of his customers could ever be short-changed or robbed. He adores watches and has handled his customers’ timepieces with reverence. They have left his care sparkling having been lovingly restored to their original state, or as near as. A man doesn’t do that if he is scheming or trying to rob people. Something is wrong, but neither Thomas nor Rosemary are to blame. You can think what you like, but they have been nothing but warm, friendly, and not the kind of people anybody should compare with hardened criminals. Now Samantha Morton on the other hand, is a completely different matter.’
Daniel rolled his eyes and puffed out his cheeks. ‘Now, that is a bundle of trouble I wouldn’t even let sleep in my barn.’
‘There you go. If you recognise that they really don’t like each other, and that Samantha Morton is really nothing but trouble, Rosemary must be nicer, kinder, gentler, and a much better class of person, mustn’t she?’
Daniel started to laugh. ‘You have completely fallen for Rosemary, haven’t you?’
‘I might have.’ Luke grinned unrepentantly at his friend. ‘I might have already asked her to consider making her stay at my house a more permanent arrangement. I know that I want her in my life for good with as much certainty as I know that I want to be in the Star Elite for good.’
Daniel nodded. ‘Then you have my deepest felicitations. I hope that she brings you the enjoyment and love you deserve. I am sure you will be incredibly happy together.’
‘I know we will,’ Luke said with absolute certainty.
The men shared a smile before heading toward the house they were keeping guard over. All was still and quiet. Given the lateness of the hour, not many people were still out and about, but Daniel was watchful as he made his way into the property. Luke took one last tour of the main street and yards running along the back of the properties lining the road before making his way to the workroom at the back of Thomas’s shop. He frowned when he found the door already partially open. He knew that Daniel wouldn’t have left it that way.
Luke slowly withdrew his gun and edged closer to the gap in the door. He peered into the workroom but from his position could see nothing more than the now empty shop. His eyes narrowed when he edged closer, stuck his head into the room, and saw a familiar figure rummaging around in one of the drawers in Thomas’s old workbench.
‘What are you doing here?’ he growled, slamming the door open with more force than was necessary. He stared hard at the young woman who squealed in alarm and whirled around, falling backward against the worktable in shock. While he stared into her eyes, Luke was conscious of her surreptitiously closing the drawer while her hand was still behind her back. ‘What do you want?’
‘I-I am here to see Thomas,’ Samantha Morton informed him coldly.
‘He isn’t here.’
‘Yes, I can see that,’ she replied, peering pointedly into the empty shop. ‘Has he gone out of business?’
There was a hint of satisfaction in her voice that made Luke angry. He folded his arms and glared hard at her. ‘He has been advised by the magistrate to move his stock so it doesn’t get damaged by the arsonist,’ Luke informed her. ‘So no, I am afraid to tell you that Thomas has not gone out of business. His reputation won’t be tarnished by a few spiteful gossips. He has been in business far too long for anything that childish to happen no matter how scurrilous the rumours are about him.’ Luke watched Samantha’s face harden when she learnt that her scheme wasn’t going to work.
‘Where is he?’ She demanded. ‘I should like a word with him.’
‘Why? So you can accuse him of stealing something else? You, who has just been caught with your hand in his work bench drawer while in his property you haven’t been given permission to enter. Give me one good reason why I should not have the magistrate arrest you for trespassing?’ Luke murmured.
‘I am a family friend,’ Samantha cried.
‘You really expect me to believe that?’ Luke growled. ‘Only a few days ago, you were here with your father, who made his dislike of Thomas clear to anybody with eyes in their head. Moreover, you made your dislike of Rosemary Tynesdale perfectly clear with your friends in town the other day when you pushed her into the street. The magistrate knows all about it. Now, you have the audacity to pretend you are friends because you have been caught trespassing, and pawing through Thomas Tynesdale’s personal property?’
‘What have you taken?’ Daniel demanded from the doorway leading to the hall.
Samantha’s cheeks flushed. ‘I am not a thief.’
‘So why are you rummaging through Thomas’s drawers?’
‘I-I was looking for my father’s missing fob watch if you must know.’ Samantha tipped her chin up and glared arrogantly at them both. ‘Now, I am not going to be forced to stay here by you two. Get out of my way.’
‘Oh, I am afraid that you are going nowhere,’ Luke informed her, planting himself in the middle of her only exit from the workshop. ‘You will not leave until you tell us why you are trespassing and searching through Mr Tynesdale’s property. You know you are not welcome here. You know you have no right to be inside the property. You know that what is in his drawers is nothing to do with you.’
‘It is my business when he has stolen my watch,’ Samantha spat.
‘You and I both know that he has stolen nothing. You and your father are liars,’ Luke announced.
Daniel coughed. He knew that Luke was defending the woman he loved, and while he wholeheartedly concurred with his good friend, he didn’t want Samantha to accuse Luke of having a personal reason for doing what he was doing. Stepping forward, he glared warningly at Luke, and focu
sed on the trespasser.
‘You have been searching through the empty drawers for something,’ Daniel mused.
‘I have just said that I am looking for my father’s fob watch. Thomas Tynesdale stole it,’ Samantha announced firmly.
‘A watch maker, who has the skill and tools to make any watch he wants, has taken to risking his reputation, which he has painstakingly built up over decades, to steal a used watch from your father,’ Luke snorted. He shook his head. ‘And this is the clock maker who is famous for having made the Tynesdale Timepiece, which was purchased by royalty?’
Samantha didn’t answer. She stared at Luke, as if finally seeing a vast crevice open beneath her feet. She teetered on the edge of it, clearly trying to find a way to backstep away from a desperate plunge into a trap of her own making, but she was far too late to try to sidle away from her lies. Unfortunately, the only defence that Samantha Morton had were her lies.
‘I am telling you that Thomas Tynesdale has confused the watch my father left here with someone else’s. My father just wants his watch back. If Tynesdale cannot find it, my father wants either the monetary equivalent or another watch of a similar kind to compensate for his loss,’ Samantha announced.
‘But your father cannot prove either the value of his watch or its existence, or the fact that he left it with Thomas,’ Daniel countered. ‘Like we told you the other day, you get nothing without proof.’
Daniel looked at Luke who shook his head, making it clear that he didn’t think the young woman should be allowed to go home. The only way the Star Elite could find out what spiteful rumours Miss Morton was spreading about Thomas and Rosemary was to question her while she was in gaol. As far as Luke was concerned, that was the only way of teaching Miss Morton that she couldn’t do whatever she wanted to spite others.
Daniel, who had been watching Miss Morton before Luke had appeared in the doorway, knew exactly what she had done. Without saying anything, he nudged her to one side and opened the drawer she had just closed. It didn’t surprise him to find a fob watch inside, which had an elaborately carved casing. It was obvious it hadn’t been cleaned, nor did it have one of Thomas’s tags attached. Daniel picked it out of the drawer and held it aloft for Samantha to see.
‘Would you care to tell me why you saw fit to plant this in the drawer?’ he drawled.
‘That’s my father’s watch!’ Samantha cried with theatrical surprise. When she reached out to grab it, Daniel lifted it higher and kept it just out of her reach. By the time he looked up at the doorway, Daniel saw not just Luke watching them, but Roger and William Debrette as well.
‘Miss Morton, you are now under arrest,’ William Debrette announced.
Luke stepped to one side to allow the magistrate to enter the building. Samantha began to quake at the realisation that the men meant exactly what they said.
‘F-for what? I haven’t done anything wrong,’ Samantha protested.
‘You are trespassing,’ Daniel warned.
‘Further, we have reason to believe that you are trying to extort money out of Thomas Tynesdale by planting this watch in his workbench today and claiming it is yours,’ Daniel added. ‘Before you try to deny it, I watched you. I have been a member of the Star Elite for many years and have no reason to lie about what I have just witnessed.’
‘That’s good enough for me and will certainly be enough for any judge to convict her,’ William announced. He turned and looked at Roger. ‘Will you be able to keep her here while I arrange for a carriage?’
‘Are you not going to take her in the gaoler’s cart?’ Roger asked.
‘We need to keep her arrest a secret until we can find out what scurrilous gossip she has been spreading. Once the locals realise that she has been arrested they might be reluctant to talk about what they have heard about Mr Tynesdale,’ William explained. ‘For now, her father can wonder where she has gone.’
‘You can’t do this,’ Samantha protested, looking horrified at the thought that she was going to gaol.
‘I am afraid that we can do whatever we want, my dear,’ William assured her.
‘You are trespassing. That much is proven given your presence in this workshop today. Moreover, you have been watched by a member of the Star Elite planting a watch to try to claim that Mr Tynesdale is a thief in the hopes of getting money or goods out of Mr Tynesdale. That makes you a fraudster,’ Roger announced. ‘From now on, you have no rights. You don’t get to demand anything from us.’
While Roger was talking, William went to find his horse and one of his men.
‘I demand you let me go at once,’ Samantha snarled. ‘You have no proof to support your claims. If my father needs to provide it, so do you.’
‘We don’t when we are the Star Elite,’ Luke warned. ‘Our word is considerably more influential than yours. I would recommend that while you await the indignity of being carted off to gaol, and even while you are festering in a cell, you carefully contemplate your schemes. When you are questioned, it will go some way to shortening the length of your sentence if you are completely honest about what you have done. Lying, or being arrogant, will only increase your sentence. While you are in gaol, we will investigate not just your activities but those of your father and his friends too.’
‘Together with anybody else who has been helping you,’ Roger added.
‘I doubt that it was you who set fire to the door the other night,’ Daniel warned. ‘But your father might if he thought it would help his attempt to try to force Thomas Tynesdale out of business, or panic him into trying to clear his tarnished name by giving you the money you demand.’
‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’ Samantha stared stoically at the floor making it clear to all the Star Elite that she wasn’t going to help them unless forced to.
‘It doesn’t matter what you think. You are not going anywhere except to gaol where you will stay until you confess to your crimes,’ Luke announced coldly.
The silence that lengthened became oppressive, but it wasn’t anything the men from the Star Elite couldn’t deal with. As far as they were concerned, Miss Morton was nothing more a criminal they had a duty to put behind bars. It didn’t matter how arrogant she behaved, how scornful, how critical of them she was, or how much she demanded or despised other people. She was a criminal. She was going to gaol. She had to be accountable for her behaviour.
‘Do you really expect a judge to believe your word against mine?’ Samantha growled.
‘I don’t care what you think,’ Luke announced with an off-hand shrug.
‘Everyone knows you are her lover,’ Samantha snorted. ‘They already know she is living in sin at your house. You couldn’t wait to move her into your home, could you? And you, a member of the Star Elite, living with your lover. She is ruined. The whole village knows it.’
Luke mentally cursed. ‘It was you who followed us the other day, wasn’t it?’ Luke smiled. ‘Then you know that you were trespassing when you came onto my property as well.’
‘At least she has admitted it,’ Roger announced ruefully. ‘She can have it added to her sentence.’ He turned to glare at the young woman. ‘We protect our own, Miss Morton, even you should know that. Make no mistake, I am not going to have someone like you stalking one of my men, and trespassing onto their property, to interfere or threaten the lives of him or his family. Seeing as you have admitted to doing so, and to trying to discredit the family of one of my men, I am afraid you are going to have to have that added to your charges as well.’
Samantha Morton began to pale as she watched Roger’s hardened gaze turn glacial.
‘Of course, if you and your father think you can defraud and threaten the War Office, then of course you are at liberty to think what you like. However, we have a duty to protect our own, and that includes the families of our men. Threaten them in any way and I am afraid you will have the full weight of justice put upon you from the highest in the land. Of course, you are at perfect liberty to try to challenge t
he Lord Chief Justice if you want to, but I don’t stand your chances of success. You should know that Rosemary and Thomas Tynesdale are related to my colleague here now.’ Roger pointed one long finger at Luke before raking the scornful young woman with a dour look. He then promptly turned his back effectively ending the conversation. What he didn’t expect was for the feral young woman to lunge at his back with her fingers clawed.
Samantha Morton screeched and threw herself on him, cursing and spitting as she demanded to be set free. Daniel yanked her off his friend and slammed her onto the floor and held her there while they waited for her transportation to arrive, but there was nothing he could do about her continued wailing. Thankfully, William soon returned, and Miss Morton was shoved roughly into the back of the carriage and carted off to gaol.
Before the men could relax, though, Finley Morton appeared at the shop’s door.
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘Leave me to deal with this,’ Roger told Luke and Daniel.
Neither man moved as they watched Roger wander through the shop and yank open the door to end the relentless pounding. He was forced to step back when Finley barged into the room and slammed to a stop in the middle of the shop.
Finley glanced around the empty shop and lifted his brows at Roger. ‘Has he gone out of business? Where is the blighter? What are you doing here?’
‘That is none of your business,’ Roger replied casually.
‘I demand to know where Thomas Tynesdale is. I hope you have arrested him.’
‘Whatever for?’ Roger asked amiably. ‘As I understand it, there is no crime in running a business.’
‘There is when you try to steal from your customers. I demand that Thomas Tynesdale is arrested,’ Finley snapped.
‘That is something you will have to take up with the Mr Debrette. He is rather busy at present, taking – someone – to gaol,’ Roger murmured with a sly smile.
‘I have the sketches of the watch, and the details of the solicitor who dealt with the inheritance,’ Finley announced.