“Wait, don’t go. I need to talk to you,” he slurred his words.
The wench shook her head at him in denial.
“I’m sorry Charles,” she whispered.
She saw Charles pass out on her cot, she had to get out of here before he came to. Rushing over to the bed she pulled out her knapsack and stuffed her belongings into the bag. Leaning over she watched as he slept. He looked so tired and worn out. Why didn’t he stay in Margate and recuperate? He was on a fool’s errand, chasing after Shears. He was only going to get himself killed. She could tell that he was still in pain from his injuries. She wished she could stay and take care of him again, but it was too dangerous for both of them. Why did he have to kiss her? The kiss almost blew her cover. Even though she didn’t kiss him back her body betrayed her, nonetheless.
Brushing the hair off his forehead, she let her fingers trail down his cheek. The bristles from his beard rubbed roughly against her fingertips. She traced his lips with her fingers before she lowered her head and lightly brushed her lips across his.
Standing up, she glanced around the room, checking to make sure that she left nothing behind. It was time to move on. Her cover would be blown, and her work was done in this town after tonight. As she paused in the doorway, she wanted to turn around for one more look. She fought herself not to turn. If she did, it would only make her long for something that was impossible for her to have. Yanking the door shut she walked away from him. As she ran down the backstairs, she heard footsteps racing up the other stairway. She paused as she listened to the voice of her nightmares. Pulling herself back into the shadows she picked up her pace and swiftly made her way out of the tavern. She managed to escape both men in her life tonight. It was too close this time.
Chapter Three
“RAINA,” CHARLES WHISPERS AS he awakens.
He sluggishly opened his eyes to the glaring sun. Moaning he shut them and pulled the blanket over his head. He had the mother of all headaches. Charles didn’t recall drinking last night as he tried to remember what he did the evening before.
When everything came back to him in a rush of memories. The kiss. It was her. How could he have been so blind to her disguise? He felt the connection to her but did not understand how or why. She was a fool, putting herself so near to Shears.
As he rose out of bed, he bumped into the nightstand, his balance was off kilter. He knocked the tray to the ground causing a loud noise and glass to break. The door flung open at the racket. When Jake and Sammy saw it was only him, they shook their heads as they came inside, closing the door behind them. Neither one of them said a word. Sammy cleaned up the mess and Jake sat in the only chair in the room making himself comfortable. He leaned his long legs out, putting his hands behind his head and stared at Charles waiting for him to speak first. When Charles refused to talk, Jake shook his head in disgust.
“Where is she?” Charles finally inquired.
“She, who?” Jake asked back.
“Raina.”
“How are we supposed to know her whereabouts? You are the one looking for her.”
“I was with her last night.”
Jake laughed, “No, you were with the waitress Bessie and when she left, the ugly one entered.”
“Raina was the ugly wench.”
“I thought you had better taste than that Mallory. This spy business has changed your style in women.”
“You fool, she was in disguise. Where did she go?” Charles yelled to get his point across.
Jake sat up in his chair at the anger in Mallory’s voice. How was he supposed to know the chit was in disguise?
“She left the room before we rescued you, she was headed to the back stairs. When we heard Shears and his men coming up the stairs, we realized we had to get you out of the room. When we knocked on the door, you did not answer. We found you passed out on the cot.”
“She had a drink, there must have been a sleeping potion in it. I remember grabbing the glass before she drank it. I didn’t want her harming the babe.” Charles went white after his last comment.
It sunk in what he was saying. The babe. Raina was with child. The knowledge made him weak in the knees. He lowered himself to the bed as the realization of the danger she put herself through. It also made him question, whose child was it? Is the babe his? He only remembered brief snatches of his illness, most of that time is still a blur. Did they sleep together during that time? Closing his eyes, he tried to recall their time together. But he could only remember the flavor of honey on her lips from their kiss last night. He tasted her resistance, but he did not imagine her becoming soft in his arms. She was in danger.
“Where did she go?”
“She snuck down the back stairs, after that, we don’t know. We grabbed you and left. By the time we came down the stairs, she disappeared.”
Charles rose from the bed and started to get dress. He had to locate her. She was his to protect whether or not she realized it. Even if the babe isn’t his, he would offer them his protection.
“Where do you think you are off to?” Jake asked.
“I am going to find her. She could not have gone far.”
“You are not leaving Mallory. We have strict orders to hold you here until nightfall.”
Charles saw Jake and Sammy moved to stand in front of the door to block his exit. Did they imagine they could stop him from searching for her?
“Instructions from whom? I don’t answer to anybody but myself.”
“Thornhill said to keep you here. He plans to meet us tonight at the pier. There is no way you can wander this village after last night. We will have to wait for word that he is here, then it is safe to leave.”
“What happened last night and where are we? Also, why is Thornhill involved now?”
“Here is a safe house that Thorn used during the war, that we desperately needed after last night. You’re a dead man if any of the villagers see you.”
“Why?”
“You don’t remember a single thing from the night before?”
“I recall trying to talk Bessie into telling me information on Shears, then she went downstairs. When the pregnant wench came in, it was a battle of wills. Then the next thing I realize I’m waking up in this room.”
“Bessie was murdered Mallory, and they are pointing the finger at you, my friend.”
“I never laid a hand on her. She left the room.”
“Well her body was found in her room this morning covered in blood. Her throat, slit. Everyone in the tavern saw her go upstairs with you.”
“But you saw she wasn’t in the room when you rescued me.”
“Yes, but who are we to trust? Two strangers in town that are not connected to you. They planted her body there after we left.”
“Damn.”
“You have made Shears an extremely powerful enemy Mallory. He will stop at nothing to destroy you.”
“You had better tell him the other good news,” Sammy said with sarcasm.
Charles rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. Could it get any worse? In his line of work, the answer was always yes. It could, and it would. But if he could stop Shears anything that happens would be worth it. The man has destroyed too many lives and continues to destroy more.
“What else happened?”
“The warehouse with the weapons burned to the ground.”
“Well, that is good news. It was what I instructed you to do.”
“It wasn’t us sir,” said Sammy.
Charles looked between the men for answers. If they did not burn the warehouse down, then who did? Both shrugged their shoulders with no clue on who might have done the destruction. He closed his eyes as the truth hit him. It was her. She is bent on revenge.
“Raina.”
“There is no way the girl did that sir,” Sammy tried to explain to Charles. “It was too elaborate of a fire for a mere girl to set.”
“She is no mere girl Sammy. She is the daughter of a general who fought under Napoleon. S
he is a woman set on revenge who is avenging the death of her family. She is a danger to us all unless we can stop her,” Charles explained to the two men.
They all contemplated the destruction she could do if they didn’t find her and put a stop to her plans. The greatest threat was to herself. When somebody believes they have nothing to lose, they would put themselves into the danger to make it more effective.
“Where do we go from here, sir?” Jake asked Charles.
“We stay with the course of action. We trail Shears. Because wherever Shears goes, Raina will follow him. This time you two will gather information, while I look for the girl.”
“How are you going to stop her? Thornhill tried the night we rescued you, he assumed he got through to her,” said Sammy.
“I need the chance to speak with her. To try to reach out and help her understand she has to step back and let us do our jobs,” Mallory explained.
“Jake grab the necessary supplies and Sammy ready the horses. We leave here in the middle of darkness. Send word to Thorn that I will meet him in London in a week’s time.”
They nodded their heads at his directions and left the room. Charles walked to the window and pulled back the shade just enough for him to be aware of his surroundings. He observed the villagers as they continued with their daily routine unaware of the danger that their country was in. It was his profession to protect these people, and he was doing a horrible job of it. He also needed to shield her from herself most of all.
Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. As he looked up and down the street, he did not notice anybody watching his room. The women gossiped on the corner while the men worked.
He pulled back from the window unaware he was being watched. That somebody was watching and waiting for him to make his next move. He had made himself vulnerable in too many ways. His head was not in the game. It was wrapped around a piece of baggage that could be his destruction. That made him a threat to himself.
…..
They took off in the dead of night, riding their horses into the darkness. Keeping off the main road so not to be noticed as they made their way towards London. Mallory was aware Shears would have to go to the city to meet with his benefactors. Charles had thwarted him these last few months and knew Shears was short on funds. Charles knew that Shears was headed to London and she would follow him. He would find her there and when he does, he would have to convince her to lay low. She must understand that there was a price on her head.
Mallory shifted on his horse and felt a sharp jab against his side. Reaching into the inside of his coat he pulled out the source of his discomfort. Pulling out the jewelry box he found from the tavern wench, he opened the lid looking at the contents with a whole new eye. The case and the items it contained began to make sense to him now that he realized Raina was the owner.
He smiled to himself as he imagined the little girl storing her most prized possessions in her keepsake. His smile turned to one of sadness as he sensed her pain at the loss of her parents and why she must treasure this. She was going to be very angry and upset when she realizes that she is missing it. Mallory had a few questions for her about the keepsake box and the items it contains when he finds her.
Jake and Sammy pulled up on both sides of him and he quickly slid the treasure back inside his coat.
“We are being followed, from what I can tell it is only one rider,” Jake said.
“Yes, I am aware. We have been trailed since we left town, he is keeping his distance from us. Let us continue on our way and pretend that we are none the wiser.”
“I don’t think we should take those kinds of chances sir,” Sammy argued.
“If the person’s main goal is to harm us, he would have done so by now. He is acting alone; we will wait him out.”
“Is it a he or a she?” Jake asked.
“It isn’t her, she has already caught up with Shears. That is why we must hurry.”
Mallory pulled ahead and raced his horse faster to their destination. Jake and Sammy followed suit. They didn’t agree with his decision but understood he would not stop.
They rode for hours and once dawn was beginning to break, Charles slowed down and walked his horse over to the river. Sliding off the horse, he let the animal take a much-needed drink.
“We will take a short break here where each of us will take a turn at guarding the horses, while the others sleep. I will take the first watch, you two get some rest,” Mallory told them.
Charles winced as he observed Sammy climbing down from his horse and limp over to take a drink from the river. He felt awful for pushing the old man the last few hours, as he realized that riding for a long period of time put Sammy in a lot of pain. The story of how Sammy acquired his injury was due to saving Thorn’s life. As soon as they got to London, he would have to leave Sammy behind. He did not want to risk the old man’s life going after Shears. He would not have that on his conscience too.
As he waited for the two men to fall asleep, he kept an ear out for their follower. He heard the rider pull off when they did. Now, where was he hiding? Mallory snuck off in the trees making himself scarce to draw out their visitor. He listened to the snap of twigs off to his right. Circling back, he managed to get behind him. He viewed the man as he leaned up against the tree with his hand laying above his head. While his other hand rested on his hip, drawing his coat behind his back. He had a hat on, pulled low over his face.
Pulling a weapon out of his boot, Mallory advanced on his enemy.
“Put the knife away Mallory, I mean you no harm.”
Mallory paused at the familiar voice. He assumed he was dead. There had been no sign of him as Charles trailed Shears and rumors amongst Shears men was that Shears had killed him. But that is all they were. Rumors.
“Maxwell.”
He waited for Maxwell to turn around and face him. When he did, he was unprepared. For this wasn’t the man that had been his partner the last few years. It was the look of a man haunted by unknown demons.
“I heard you were dead. By the looks of you, I’m thinking it might be true.”
Maxwell raised his eyes at his comment but didn’t respond to it.
“Does everybody else assume that I’m dead?” Maxwell asked.
“You mean by everybody, the Crown?”
Maxwell nodded his head.
“They are skeptical. They only have the rumors of Shears to confirm it; not that he is the most trusted of men to believe.”
“Does Shears presume I am dead?”
“Well since he is the one boasting he killed you for double-crossing him, I believe so,” Mallory commented.
“Why are you following me, Maxwell?”
Maxwell shrugged his shoulders, his jacket scraping against the tree. Mallory hated when he did this. You constantly had to pull information out of him. He was always twisting things around to confuse you; to draw the attention away from him. This time Mallory was prepared and would wait him out.
“Well since you are here, you might as well keep watch. I’m going to catch some shut eye before we ride again,” Mallory said as he made his way back to camp.
Maxwell didn’t respond but followed him back to the other men. When they returned, Jake woke up to take the next shift. Jake glanced between the two and advanced towards Maxwell. Mallory shook his head at him to back off. Jake stopped and glared at Maxwell and began to keep guard.
Maxwell slid down against a tree and leaned his head back. Sliding his hat to cover his eyes, he decided it was finally safe to get some sleep. He knew Mallory was going to have his back. Their friendship was a long withstanding one that stretched back to childhood. Charles might be mad and disappointed in him, but he would not turn him in. Yet.
Chapter Four
RAINA WAS AWARE THAT this was dangerous, but it was the only disguise that kept her protected while she gathered the information she looked for. Not only was it risky, it was her most insane idea yet. But if she pulled this off, she could get the evide
nce she needed and be in a safe environment. Especially after her latest escapade. She was lucky to be alive. Her revenge towards Shears was as strong as ever but after what happened to Bessie, she was fortunate that it wasn’t her. While she had no love for Bessie, she felt sad another innocent life had ended at the hands of Shears.
She slowed her step to a crawl. It would not do to get caught running along the hallway like a young maid. This time she must be careful and not make mistakes on her disguise. She knows now that Charles must have seen through her cover at the tavern. Why else did he kiss her? Why indeed? Obviously, she did not know him as well as she thought she did, considering the way he snuggled up to Bessie and then was kissing her the next minute. He was a cad. She only got to view the sick Charles, the one who depended on her for survival, not the rake he most certainly was.
Raina walked into the nursery and watched the young lad play with his ships. He was acting out the part of the captain as he took over the pirate ship. How ironic that the boy wanted to recreate the very thing he had escaped from. He hero worshipped his new father; as he was pretending to be him. The child was lucky to have found a new family that cared for him as the Thornhills did. He was the one bright spot to this dilemma with Shears. An innocent that managed to survive his clutches. Hopefully it continued this way for the young man.
“Well Tommy it is time to wash up for dinner. You will have to leave your privateering for another day,” Raina said.
“Ah, but I was just getting to the good part. I was going to take over Shears’s ship and plunder his crew,” Tommy complained.
Raina fought back a grin at that scene. “Well you can plunder away tomorrow. Your parents are on their way up before they attend a dinner this evening.”
Tommy jumped up with a smile and rushed over to the washstand. He chattered on about his battle to her as he washed his hands. Raina walked around the room picking up toys and putting them back on the shelves as she listened to his story. It was a shame he wasn’t older, they could sure use him with their fight.
Rescued By the Spy Page 3