With the exception of Nat, she doubted very much if she would ever really bring herself to trust a man again. No, she convinced herself, she was doing the right thing. Penelope turned to Hannah who was watching her curiously. It would not be wise to mention the matter to Hannah. Hannah was no fool and Penelope already suspected that Hannah was well aware of her maddening attraction to the man. She just squeezed the girl’s hand reassuringly and changed the subject. ‘I am sorry I am distracted Hannah, but when we get back home, perhaps I can help you make your dress.’
*****
Penelope’s disquiet over Lord Lyndhurst did not abate. She thought of him through the day and dreamed of him through the night. She dreamt of his powerful, warm and comforting arms encompassing her, and basked in his strength, but when she looked into his deep blue eyes, she saw only betrayal. She could not shake off the feeling of discontent. She needed to fill her time purposefully so that she could forget about him. That was not going to be easy though, as she was soon to find out the next day.
Nat had risen early and had accompanied Andy to Sam and Ashe’s farm to help them plough their fields. Ashe was still under the weather after Captain Blackmore’s assault, and Sam had requested their assistance.
Late that afternoon Penelope was helping Hannah to make her new dress when they heard a knock at the door. Patricia, the landlady of the Swan Inn had sent a messenger to request extra supplies of Brandy as the Inn had been exceptionally busy. Rosie had sent the messenger away with the promise that she would send some up as soon as the men returned from the fields, but the delivery would possibly have to wait until tomorrow.
Penelope, who was sewing a sleeve to the bodice of Hannah’s dress looked at Rosie curiously. ‘Could you not just have sent the man away with a barrel to save Nat and Andy a journey,’ she asked.
Rosie smiled. ‘If I did that, I would expose my hiding place. I have not survived this long in free trade without being careful. No, Miss Penny, only a handful of people know about the false wall in the barn and it would be too risky retrieving supplies while the man waited.’
Rosie’s caution could not be faulted. She was a wise old bird and an expert in the art of survival, and Penelope began to understand why she was so successful. It was then that Penelope had an idea. ‘Rosie, you do not have to wait for the men. I will be quite happy to make the delivery for you.’
Rosie was not enthusiastic. ‘You, Miss Penny? Act as tub carrier? I do not think so! The tubs are heavy and I cannot take the risk of you being caught.’
Penelope was exasperated. ‘Please Rosie, I feel so useless, and I do wish to do something to earn my keep. I can wear the disguise I wore in London and no one need ever know. I shall take the pistol and my sword just to be on the safe side. Besides, Gabriel and Cisco could do with the exercise.’
Rosie relented. ‘If you insist, Miss Penny, but Hannah will go with you as she knows the routine. She used to make some drops before I sent her to Newcastle to work for you. You can each take a couple of half Ankers.’
Half an hour later, Penelope and Hannah were mounted on Cisco and Gabriel, each of them with two half barrels of brandy slung over their shoulders and concealed under their clothes. The ankers were designed with one flat side to make this possible. Penelope was dressed in the men’s clothing she wore in London with the addition of a long black cloak, and Hannah wore a specially designed maternity dress and a long red wig. To all intents and purposes, she looked pregnant, and it would be more than an excise man would dare, to search a pregnant woman without just cause. Each of them carried a pistol and Penelope sheathed her sword at her side for added protection.
Rosie looked them over and nodded quite satisfied. ‘You just look like a normal couple on your travels. Pat will know Hannah as she has used the disguise before, but she will not know you dressed like that, Miss Penny. Leave it to Hannah to do the talking.’ Penelope agreed and the two women set off to the Swan Inn to deliver Pat her half ankers of brandy.
Penelope and Hannah made it to the Swan Inn without any incident, but when they entered the door, the first person they saw was Captain Monaghan. They had walked straight into some kind of dispute. Captain Monaghan glanced over as they entered, but luckily ignored them as they slipped unobtrusively to a table in the corner of the room. He was more interested in his quarry, who unfortunately was Lisette. His hand grasped the soft flesh of her upper arm and he was shaking her harshly, and Pat’s husband, John, was standing remonstrating at his behaviour. Captain Monaghan was shouting at Lisette. ‘I insist that you tell me!’ he demanded. ‘The information you gave me the other night has led to nothing and I strongly suspect that you have led me on a wild goose chase, young lady.’
Lisette gazed at Captain Monaghan with wide, brown, innocent eyes, and was not about to give in. ‘Honest Captain. I told you what I know. I can’t help it if you found nothing.’
She turned to John the landlord with pleading eyes. ‘Honestly, I know nothing. Tell him to let me go.’
John the landlord had just about had enough and intervened. ‘You have no proof, so I strongly suggest that you leave my serving maid alone. She obviously knows nothing. You have as much as admitted that you saw a flare at sea, which adds weight to her story. It is not her fault if you are totally incompetent and could not follow through properly. If you have proof, arrest her, but if you insist on harassing my employees without a shred of evidence, I will report you to your superiors.’
Captain Monaghan dropped Lisette’s arm and glared at John and Pat. ‘I will get the pair of you one of these days,’ he seethed. ‘See if I don’t.’ He then stormed out unaware of the fact that four half Ankers of Brandy had been smuggled into the Swan Inn under his very nose.
Pat instructed Lisette to fetch Hannah and her companion some ale and then walked across to them. One glance at Hannah’s ‘pregnant’ stomach assured her that her delivery had arrived. She had seen Hannah in this guise before, but could not place her companion and was not entirely happy with the idea of a stranger in their midst. It was not until Hannah enlightened her of Penelope’s identity that vague recognition dawned. Those unsightly warts on Penelope’s face were enough to distract anyone. Pat leaned over and spoke softly. ‘We will ensure that Captain Monaghan is well away and not snooping around before we relieve you of your load, ladies. Better safe than sorry.’
The pair sat and enjoyed their refreshments, and when Pat felt it safe to do so, she led them to the back of the taproom to relieve them of their Ankers and pay her debts. As Penelope was rearranging her clothes, Pat turned to her. ‘Miss Penny, I think I should inform you that a gentleman called yesterday and asked me if I had seen a young lady in the vicinity. He gave me your description exactly. I did not know what to say, but erred on the side of caution and denied all knowledge of you.’
Penelope gave a start. Could Captain Blackmore have found her? She felt sick at the thought and paled.
‘Did the gentleman say who he was?’ Penelope asked cautiously.
Pat looked a little suspicious. ‘He did not, but he was a very fine gentleman. John thought he recognised him. He could have sworn that it was the Earl of Croxdale. Well, Miss Penny, I asked myself. What would the Earl of Croxdale be doing here, enquiring after an ordinary young lady like yourself?’
Penelope was relieved that it was not her former husband, but the knowledge that it was the Earl was no comfort either. ‘You did right not to tell him Pat. I am grateful for your discretion and I thank you.’
Pat just smiled discerningly. ‘Supposing you would like to tell me who you really are Miss Penny. Your speech is refined and your clothes, although appearing modest are of good quality. I doubt that you are Rosie’s niece as people seem to think you are.’
Penelope was in a dilemma and glanced at Hannah for support. She liked Pat, but was not comfortable with disclosing her real identity. Hannah just gave her an encouraging squeeze on the arm. ‘You can trust Pat and John,’ she reassured her. ‘They will not give you a
way.’
Penelope hesitated. ‘I am happy to tell you who I am, but I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. Only Rosie, Andy and Daniel know, apart from Nathanial and Hannah of course.’
Pat reassured her of her discretion and Penelope told her who she was, briefly relating to Pat how she came to be staying with Rosie. Pat was quite astonished, but assured Penelope that her secret would be safe. She had read somewhere in the local paper about the sensational annulment case in the ecclesiastical court, but would never have dreamed of connecting it to our dear Penny. What she could not understand, however, was why she would want to avoid a personable gentleman like Croxdale, and that was something that Penelope was not going to explain.
Penelope felt a wave of panic. If Lord Lyndhurst had been in the Swan Inn, he was very close. How had he traced her to the Northeast Coast and what did he want? She did not know if she could bear to see him again.
It was twilight when Penelope and Hannah left the Swan Inn and Hannah was keen to get home before dark.
They picked their way along the bridleway in the dimming light and were halfway home when they discerned a lone rider trotting ahead at a sedate pace. Penelope pulled on Cisco’s ribbons to slow him down, and fixed her eyes on the rider, trying to make him out in the diminishing light, and Hannah followed her lead. Penelope could not be sure, but if her instincts were correct, the rider was no other than Captain Blackmore. She thought of the injustice of her situation, the assaults on Ashe, the stolen contraband, and her anger flared. This would be the ideal opportunity to relieve him of the expensive ruby ring and the matching cravat pin. They would more than cover the loss of Rosie’s assets, if only she could waylay him.
Penelope was so intense that she did not realise that she had whispered her thoughts aloud. She looked at Hannah’s horrified face. ‘Please, Miss Penny, do not even think it!’ Hannah begged as she watched Penelope deliberating.
‘Why not?’ Penelope replied. ‘If we pretend we are highwaymen and take him by surprise, we can be away before he even knows he has been robbed.’
‘But Miss Penny,’ Hannah implored. ‘The man is the very devil. He probably has a pistol. I beseech you; please do not do anything reckless.’
Penelope looked into Hannah’s pleading face and realised that Hannah was right. She could risk herself, but she could not possibly risk Hannah. Penelope may have developed a reckless confidence, but Hannah, a delicate, sensitive creature was not up to confronting the notorious scoundrel. That, however, did not stop them from following Captain Blackmore to find out where he resided so that he could be confronted later. Hannah reluctantly agreed to this second plan, although she was far from happy, but if they were discreet, the plan might just work. If they were successful, Rosie’s smuggling ring could be rid of Captain Blackmore once and for all, and her mother may even be able to retrieve the horses.
Although in disguise, Penelope tied her black scarf around her face to make doubly sure that Captain Blackmore would not be able to identify her. The pair followed the rider for a good mile, slowing down when he slowed down and picking up pace when he picked up pace. They were sure he was heading for the Wear Bridge that would take him into Sunderland. Sunderland was a town of over twelve thousand people, and it would be easy to lose him if they were not careful. Penelope decided to close the gap. After a while, Captain Blackmore disappeared around a bend in the bridle path. Penelope dug in her knees to urge Cisco onward and Hannah followed in her wake on Gabriel, but as they rounded the curve in the bridle path, Captain Blackmore was nowhere to be seen. The path ahead was long and straight and he could not have disappeared so soon. Penelope pulled Cisco up and cursed. Had the Captain turned off somewhere? She looked around her for a crossroad or a junction, but could see none, and then all of a sudden, she heard a rustle in the bushes to her right.
The man emerged from an opening in the dense thicket with a pistol pointed directly at Penelope’s head. Penelope gasped, for the face she looked into was not that of Captain Blackmore, but the very displeased countenance of Lord Xavier Lyndhurst. How could she have mistaken the two? The Earl was a full four inches taller than the Captain, but she realised that it would not be so obvious when seated on a horse. They had the same breadth of shoulder and dark countenance, so the mistake, in retrospect, was not so difficult to understand.
Penelope made for her pistol, but it was too late. Lord Lyndhurst made a grab for Hannah and dragged her down from off Gabriel, holding her firmly against his body, but still keeping his pistol aimed at Penelope. ‘Tell me.’ he demanded. ‘Why are you following me?’
Penelope tried to keep a level head. She had the advantage for Lord Lyndhurst did not recognise her, and although she had a low opinion of his loyalty, she also knew that he would not hurt Hannah. Penelope called his bluff and retorted adamantly in a low pitch. ‘You are mistaken, sir. Just because we are travelling in the same direction does not mean we are following you. We are heading for the Wear Bridge. No doubt you are heading that way yourself. Release my companion immediately.’
Lord Lyndhurst was not convinced and kept a firm grip on Hannah. ‘Then why do you keep pace. Do not think that I have not noticed. I would believe you to be a bridle cull if you did not have a female in tow, but I can think of no other reason, than you wish to rob me. No, sir, I do not believe you! Why would a man hide his face under a scarf if he has nothing to hide?’
Penelope had spent enough time in Lord Lyndhurst’s company to know just how to wound his pride and goaded him. ‘It is a brave man who holds a woman hostage and threatens an unarmed man, sir. You appear a gentleman, but obviously I am wrong.’
Lord Lyndhurst gently pushed Hannah away, holstered his pistol and drew his sword. He approached Penelope, who was still seated on Cisco and held the tip of his sword under her chin. ‘But you are hardly unarmed, sir,’ he retorted, pointing to the pistol and the sword that she had been unable to reach in time. ‘Dismount!’ he commanded, ‘and dare to insult me again.’
Penelope had no choice but to do as she was bid. As she did so, Lord Lyndhurst observed the man’s light fluid movement and the round curve of his derriere. He frowned, the man appeared effeminate for all his height and his bravado, and Lord Lyndhurst was perplexed. He pointed to the sword sheathed in its scabbard on Cisco’s saddle. ‘A fine sword you have there, sir, and if I am not mistaken, crafted by the great William Oley himself. I assume that a man who owns such a sword knows how to use it. You are correct in your estimation of me. I am a gentleman, and as such will give you the opportunity to defend yourself.’
Hannah, having no confidence in Penelope’s ability to defend them, ran forward. ‘Please, sir. It is true, we were following you, but we thought you were someone else. Please forgive us, sir, and we will be on our way.’
Lord Lyndhurst raised his eyebrows and smirked. ‘Indeed, it is the first time that I have met a bridle cull who was particular about who he robbed. Nevertheless, you appear to be up to no good.’
Penelope drew her sword from its sheath and faced Lord Lyndhurst. She trembled a little. She would have stood a chance against Captain Blackmore, but she knew that this man had been taught by masters and was a competent swordsman. However, she was committed and apart from disclosing herself, she could see no other way out. With a bit of luck she would be able to hold him at bay until he declared himself satisfied. She did not think that the Earl would fight past first blood and at worst, she would end up with only a scratch.
Penelope stood her guard and as she did so, she looked directly into the resolute, blue eyes of Lord Lyndhurst. The Earl, appraising his quarry noticed the mole above Penelope’s left eye and gave a start. It could not be! He had not been wrong in his estimation as he had watched her dismount, and if he was correct in his assumption, he was staring into the clear, green eyes of Lady Penelope Winterbourne. His heart leaped. He had found her, but he also realised that she must know who he was, and was curious as to why she had not revealed herself. What kind of game wa
s she playing? Well, if that was the way she wanted it, he was ready to oblige, but as he squared up for the fight, he reminded himself that this was no game. Unlike the foils at Angelos, these swords were deadly weapons. He could not allow Penelope an opening and more importantly, he would have to be careful not to inflict a cut and injure her.
As the fight began in earnest, Lord Lyndhurst observed that her swordsmanship had improved since he last sparred with her in Angelos. Although she was still a novice, she was nimble of foot and he would have to be careful. He noticed that Penelope’s play was defensive. Maybe she had no desire to injure him after all. He kept up a continuous barrage of light lunges, which Penelope successfully parried and he carried on patiently until he noticed Penelope begin to tire. He could see the sweat dripping from her brow and the decided look of concentration in her emerald eyes. He decided to end it with an aggressive remise, disarming her of her sword, and she stumbled backwards, tripping over a tree root and landing flat on her back.
Lord Lyndhurst stood over, his feet planted at either side of her hips, his sword pointed at her midriff, and smiled. ‘Have you had enough, Mr. Penistone, or rather, shall I call you Lady Winterbourne?’ Penelope leaned up on her elbows and gasped. ‘If you knew who I was, why did you not say so, and save all this exertion. You are an infuriating man!’ she retorted, with exasperation.
Lord Lyndhurst sheathed his sword and helped her to her feet. ‘I wished for some exercise. More to the point, why did you not reveal who you were? Good Lord, Lady Winterbourne, if I had not realised, I could have seriously injured you. I have been searching the whole of the North East Coast for you.’
Penelope removed the scarf and scowled. ‘I do not know why, after the manner in which you left. Perhaps, I do not wish to be found. Now please go away and leave me alone.’
Lady Winterbourne's Entanglement: A Romantic Regency Adventure Page 14