by Val Wood
‘Don’t cry, Annie,’ she muttered. ‘Don’t weep and wail like you always did.’ But she couldn’t stop the tears which gushed unchecked down her cheeks.
She glanced westwards along the narrow strip. The two revenue cutters were marooned on the sandbank and there they would stay until the tide turned, and she wondered if they would attempt to put off a small boat to reach the shore; the Breeze was already lost to view in the obscure half-light of a grey dawn.
The bank curved, jutting out onto the shingle with a thick covering of shrubby undergrowth. She took a deep breath and got to her feet. She daren’t look at Toby for she knew her nerve would fail if she saw once more the cold dead face and staring eyes.
She closed her eyes and bent towards him, intending to lift him under his arms and drag him towards the shelter of the overhanging bank.
A hand closed over her mouth, while another arm clad in red, grasped her round the waist and pulled her upright. She struggled, trying to bite the hand that was so firmly clenched about her mouth.
‘Ssh. Don’t struggle. And don’t scream. I’ll not harm ye.’
A thick Scottish accent whispered in her ear and her eyes flickered from side to side as she tried to see her captor. He released the arm around her waist but kept his hand on her mouth.
Her eyes opened wide as she turned to see the leathery face of Sergeant Collins. She lashed out at him. He grabbed her again.
‘Don’t make a sound. I’m here to help you.’ He released his hand slowly. ‘I’m sorry about your friend.’
‘Sorry? Sorry?’ she hissed. ‘You’ve just killed a man. A man who did you no harm.’
‘Not me.’ He shook his head. ‘One of my troopers. He’s young and nervous. He had no orders to shoot and he’ll get the lash because of it. But if we don’t hurry and hide your friend, then they’ll come looking for me, thinking I’m in trouble. I told them to give me ten minutes while I looked for the smugglers. We’ve had a merry dance tonight—’
His words were cut short as a pistol was placed below his right ear. ‘Don’t move. I’ll fire if tha as much as breathes.’
Josh, with a scarf covering half of his face had crept up behind them and was brandishing not only a pistol but a heavy club.
‘Wait. Wait.’ Annie said urgently. ‘Don’t fire. I know him, he said he’ll help us.’
‘And tha believes him? I wouldn’t trust any sodgers. They’re in ’King’s pay; it’ll be a trick.’
‘No trick.’ Sergeant Collins spoke rapidly. ‘You must believe me and hurry, my troopers will be starting to look for me. Let me go back and I’ll tell them you’ve escaped, that there’s no-one here.’
‘Does tha believe him?’ Josh kept his pistol firmly in place.
‘Aye. He owes me a favour. Remember?’ she queried the sergeant.
‘I’ll not forget it. We’ll be even with this.’ His eyes scanned hers. ‘But I can’t guarantee another time. You’ll be as well to lie low; Mr Roxton is determined to stamp out this illegal trade.’
Josh lowered his pistol. ‘Go on then. Get moving. And draw thy men away, keep them away from ’river.’
Sergeant Collins with a backward look at Annie, scrambled back up the bank. They listened intently for a few minutes and then heard the diminishing pound of hoof-beats as he cantered away.
Josh bent over Toby and touched his face. When he stood up he pulled the scarf from his face: he was deathly white. ‘He’s dead, Mrs Hope! I thought – I thought – when I saw thee fall down ’bank that he was onny injured. If I’d known – I wouldn’t have stayed my hand with yon sodger.’
Annie pressed her hand to her mouth to control the trembling. She couldn’t see for tears. ‘He didn’t feel anything, Josh. He was smiling when he died.’
She gave a sob. ‘What do we do? It’ll soon be light. We have to get him away from here.’ She drew in a sharp breath. ‘What about his brother?’
Josh stared at her as if not seeing, his eyes vacant. Then he shook his head as if shaking away a bothersome fly. ‘We’ll get him over yonder first, under cover – just in case that sergeant breaks his word and comes back with his men, or Mr Roxton.’ As he uttered the custom’s man’s name he spat. ‘We’re worth a packet of money now, thee and me.’
He gave Annie the pistol and hoisted Toby’s body across his broad shoulders and they crossed the shingle to the overhanging bank. He pushed into the scrub and carefully placed him down on the ground. Then tenderly he placed his thumbs over Toby’s eyes and closed them. ‘God bless thee, sir. Sleep peacefully.’
They sat silently for a few minutes, locked in their own thoughts, their eyes on the two ships trapped in the middle of the river. Then Josh screwed up his eyes and looked into the distance. He pointed up river. The Breeze was slipping silently back towards the marooned ships, keeping close to the northern shore.
Josh got up. ‘Keep watch, I’ll be back.’ He slithered down the bank and ran westwards along the shingle and out of her view.
She felt the coldness of the pistol in her hand. I wouldn’t know how to use it even if anyone came. I could only use it to threaten. She looked at Toby lying next to her. His face looked peaceful, as if he was merely sleeping. It was only the bloodstained coat which told her he wasn’t.
Josh is a long time. She worried that he might get caught by the patrolling soldiers. What would I do if he didn’t come back? She started to shiver. What was it Toby had said before we left? If anything should go wrong, make a new life for yourself. She started to weep and in her distress, some primitive urge caused her to rock, back and forth, her arms hugging her knees. I can’t, Toby. I’ve come to rely on you. I never told you how much I cared, how much you meant to me, and now its too late, you’ll never know.
Yet creeping into her consciousness came the knowledge that she had bared her soul to him, breaking open the seal of silence which she had avowed to keep. ‘It’s safe with thee, Toby,’ she muttered. ‘I know tha’ll never tell.’ And perhaps by telling, she thought, as she sat numbed by her misery, you realized that I did care for you, for I would never have told another soul.
She raised her head above the scrub. Daylight was breaking ever faster, streaks of light stretching long yellow fingers across the sky, reflecting in the dark water like golden strands. The Breeze was sailing closer to the silent revenue ships, yet there was no movement on their decks and she wondered if the crew and revenue men had cast off in the darkness in their small boats, leaving only a single watch on board, to return on the next tide.
Hessle and Ferriby will be throbbing with rev’ men if they have, she thought. But they’ll not find anything. It’ll all be safely hidden by now. She thought of Mrs Trott’s henhouse and Mr Sutcliff’s pit, and the countless other hiding places packed to the brim with contraband.
A boat was coming, she could hear the splash of oars as they dipped into the water. Josh. She saw his sturdy frame as he pulled towards the overhang and he beached the coggy on the shingle.
‘Come on, we haven’t much time. ’Breeze’ll be on top of us before we know it.’
He lifted Toby across his shoulder and with Annie following led down the scrubby bank towards the boat.
‘What are we going to do? Where are we taking him?’ She kept her voice low as they lay Toby in the bottom of the boat.
‘We’re taking him to his brother. We can’t take him back with us, there’ll be too many questions asked. Cap’n Linton’ll know what to do.’
The Breeze had passed the two ships, a single figure came on deck of the Mayfly, the frigate appeared to be deserted, and the Breeze now veered away from the shore towards the middle of the river.
‘Right. Pull hard.’ Josh heaved the boat into the water and jumped in. ‘I don’t want to hail her. I just hope that ’look out is on his toes and sees us, otherwise we’ll be run down.’
He took an oar from her and they both pulled, drawing the coggy towards the middle of the river and into the path of the Breeze.
�
��They’ve seen us.’ Annie waved an arm towards the schooner. ‘There’s Captain Linton. Drop back. Drop back.’
The coggy boat dipped and rolled on the wash from the Breeze as she was brought up, and someone on board slung a ladder over the side.
‘Go on up,’ Josh said tersely. ‘Tha’d best break ’news first.’
Annie felt the ladder sway as she put her foot on the first rung and thought of the first time when Toby had made her climb. She felt sick with fear and apprehension at breaking the news of his death to his brother.
But it was as if Matt Linton guessed as he took her hand and helped her onto the deck. He turned his hand over and looked at the blood transferred to his own hand from hers. Her face and cloak were spattered with Toby’s blood as she’d wrapped him in a last tender embrace before falling over the bank, and her eyes as she lifted them to his face, couldn’t hide the anguished grief which overwhelmed her.
He put his arm around her shoulder and called to a seaman to come and bear a hand to assist her. She leaned against him and watched vacantly as Matt climbed down the ladder towards the boat and as she looked over the bulwark she saw him gently touch his brother’s face and then turn to Josh to say something.
With Toby over his shoulder he climbed the ladder and on reaching the quarterdeck laid him gently down. He knelt beside him for a few minutes, his head bowed and Annie wondered if he was praying. But when he looked up his blue eyes were ice cold.
‘Who did this?’ His voice was harsh and demanding as he stared at her. ‘Roxton? He’ll answer for this. Damn his eyes.’
She shook her head. No matter that the revenue man was hated, she couldn’t let him take the blame for this. ‘No. A soldier. He was young seemingly, and nervous. He didn’t have orders to shoot.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘How do you know this?’
‘Sergeant Collins. I know him. He came. He helped us get away.’
‘You have a soldier as a friend? They’re in the pay of the Crown!’
‘Not a friend.’ She was beginning to feel faint, the events of the night sweeping over her. ‘I once did him a favour. He was returning it.’
She thought she saw a sneering of his upper lip, a twitching which betrayed some emotion, but the sky seemed to be growing darker and her heart was hammering and his voice was drifting away, getting fainter and fainter and as she fell, he caught her in his arms.
When she came round she was lying in a bunk in the captain’s cabin. Her cloak had been removed and she was covered with a blanket. She turned her head. Matt had his back to her, searching for something in a locker. He had taken off his jersey and was clad in a white shirt and black breeches and she saw that as she had imagined, his shoulders were as broad as Toby’s had been. Her gaze followed down from the fair hair which curled below his neck, to the leather belt he wore around his waist, down past his black breeches to the tops of his boots.
He turned as she stifled a gasping sob and picking up a glass he came towards her. ‘Are you feeling a little better?’
She nodded. She felt so empty, as if her mind had been displaced and she could no longer find the words to express her grief or anger.
‘Will you take a little brandy and water?’ A ghost of a smile touched his lips. ‘The water is clean.’
She took the glass with trembling fingers and sipped but her teeth chattered and she couldn’t swallow. She handed it back to him and put her head in her hands. ‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered. ‘I know how bad you must be feeling and it’s not that I haven’t seen some dreadful things in my life. I’m not a feeble creature who faints with the vapours, but Toby – Toby meant so much to me.’
His face was sombre as he sat down beside her. ‘Try to drink this. Believe me, I’ve had a tot or two already, though I must keep a steady hand and eye.’ He held the glass to her lips while she drank, his hand over hers.
‘Thank you.’ She swung her legs to the floor. Her feet and legs were scratched where she had fallen over the bank.
‘I’ll get you something to put on those scratches,’ he said quietly.
‘No. It’s all right.’ She stood up. She felt unsteady, the floor beneath her feet was dipping and rolling. ‘I’ll have to be getting back. But what will you do about—. Oh,’ she caught her breath. ‘Josh! He’ll still be waiting for me.’
He shook his head. ‘No. He’s gone. I sent him ashore. There’s nothing he can do here. He’ll break the news to Mr and Mrs Trott and tell the others.’
‘I would have done that. They’ll be heartbroken, she treats him – treated him like her own.’
‘I know, she always did.’ A veil of sadness settled on his face and she wanted to comfort him.
A sudden pitching sent her staggering almost into his arms. ‘What’s happening? Why are we rolling so?’
She bent her head and looked out of the square window in the bulkhead. The shores of Hessle had gone and there were other more familiar landmarks, windmills and spires and the tower of Holy Trinity Church.
‘We’re sailing!’ she gasped. ‘You have to let me off.’
‘I can’t,’ he said tersely. ‘It’s too late. I had no alternative. The revenue men would have been back, they’d have boarded us and if they’d found Toby—, well it doesn’t bear thinking about.’
‘But what about me? Where are you taking me? Are you putting me ashore in Hull?’
He sat down at his chart table and busied himself. ‘No.’ He didn’t look at her. ‘You’ll have to come with us.’
‘Come with thee?’ She stormed across to him, but her dignity was lost as the ship rolled and she grabbed the rim of the table to steady herself. ‘Come with thee where?’
‘Ah!’ He looked up at her. ‘I thought you’d lost your native lyrical tongue, but I’m pleased to hear that you haven’t.’
‘Don’t you sneer at me, Captain Linton.’ She leaned across the table and glared into his face. ‘I thought that sorrow might have softened thy proud arrogant manner, but I see that it hasn’t. Grief doesn’t touch thee or melt thy marrow.’
His chair crashed to the floor as he rose angrily from the table and grabbed her by the wrist. ‘Don’t tell me about sorrow, you stupid woman. I know as much about it as the next man – or woman. I don’t need you to tell me, not about grief – or death. I’ve seen plenty.’
He let her hand fall and turned away and there was something vulnerable in the bend of his head as he picked up his chair and sat down again.
‘I couldn’t put you ashore with Josh.’ His voice was weary and he ran his hands across his eyes. ‘Correction. I didn’t put you ashore with Josh because you were ill,—and, mistaken as I may have been, I thought that perhaps you would want to come with us. I shall give Toby a burial at sea. I just thought that you would want to be there.’
He sat unmoved by her weeping, simply staring into space. Then he rose to his feet and went to the door. ‘The pilot will be along shortly to guide us out of the Humber. I’ll be obliged if you’ll keep below and out of sight. The fewer people who know you are here the better. Also, the crew are not happy about having a woman on board, though under the circumstances they’re not raising any objections. I’ll have food sent down to you as soon as we reach open water.’
Her grief turned to anger once more as she gazed through the window in the cabin and saw the house roofs and spires and towers of Hull receding on the skyline. The wind thundered through canvas and rigging and she felt the pitch and roll as they rounded the point of Spurn and made headway into the heavy swell of the German Ocean.
18
For two days and nights she tossed, sick and wretched in the captain’s bunk. Brandy and water and a dry biscuit were the only sustenance which passed her lips for she refused all other food which the cabin boy brought to her. Of Matt Linton she saw nothing, but she cursed him each time she retched or staggered to look out of the small square window and saw the surging water and the far horizon and not a sight of land.
Then the following morni
ng the boy knocked and calling for him to enter, he came in carrying a jug of hot water and clean towels and then returned a few minutes later with a bowl of hot soup.
‘Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am. Captain Linton’s compliments and he says will you prepare yourself.’
‘Prepare myself?’ She stared at him dully.
‘Aye, ma’am. Today’s the day for Master Toby’s burial. Sails are already scandalized.’
‘Scandalized?’
‘Aye, ma’am. It’s tradition. Sails are hanging loose in the buntlines. It’s the way we honour the dead. If you take a look yonder, you’ll see that ships nearby are flying flags at half-mast out of respect.’
‘But they don’t know Master Toby,’ she whispered as she looked out and saw several ships, schooners and brigantines, with their ensigns at half-mast.
‘No ma’am, but they know Captain Linton and he’s well respected.’
‘Is he?’ she said curtly. ‘Thank you. Tell Captain Linton I’ll be up shortly.’
When she came up on deck the air was sharp and cold and she took several deep breaths. The cabin had been hot and stuffy and she realized that she might well have felt better if she had dared to come up earlier.
The crew were all assembled. Matt looked pale and haggard she thought, and she wondered where he had slept as she had taken his bunk. She took her place at his side and he nodded to her. ‘I trust you are feeling better.’
That cabin boy, she fumed. He must have told him how sick I was.
‘It takes a little time to earn your sea legs.’ His voice was low as if it was an effort to talk to her. ‘Another day and you’d even enjoy a sea voyage.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s been very rough. I thought several times that we were about to capsize.’
He permitted himself a slight smile. ‘Smooth as a millpond, a cat’s paw only.’ His smile vanished. ‘A perfect day for a burial.’
She lifted her eyes and it was then that she saw the platform attached to the bulwarks and strapped to it was a white shroud, wrapped in heavy sailcloth. She started to shake and Matt took her by the arm.