by Sally James
‘One of them’s left,’ Lord Dorney whispered into Jackson’s ear. ‘We need to bring the other on deck.’
He went cold with fear. It was quite possible Lambert had seen and recognized Bella if he had been lying in wait while Dan went to the house. Her disguise was not difficult to see through close by. He wouldn’t have risked shooting her, for she had the money he wanted. He could have shot Dan to prevent them from knowing he was nearby. Had he now gone in search of her? If so, what did he intend? To trick her onto the boat, or bring her by force to join Mary?
Speculation was pointless. Their first task was to disarm whoever was left on the boat, and rescue Mary. Then he could deal with any threat to Bella.
He beckoned to Alexander to crawl alongside. ‘Listen carefully,’ he breathed, so softly they both craned nearer to hear him. ‘Alex, you move back until you can see anyone approaching the boathouse. Hoot like an owl if anyone comes. Jackson, get behind the boathouse, ready to let the horse go. Drive it away, but stay behind the boathouse. We don’t want him to shoot at you. Wait until I’ve swum out beyond the boat. I should be able to get aboard without him hearing me, so when he comes on deck I’ll get him. Alex, you stay here in case the other one comes back, while Jackson rows the boat out for us to take Mary off.’
He shrugged out of his coat and dragged off his boots. Nodding to the others he waited while Alexander wriggled backwards until he was hidden amongst the reeds, and Jackson crawled towards the boathouse. When they were both in position he crawled to a spot where he could slip into the water out of sight of the boat. Marking its position, he took a deep breath and dived beneath the water. He thought he could swim the distance under water. He’d often swum as far in the lake at Dorney Court. But he had to go slowly, make certain there were no splashes to alert Lambert or his friend, whichever one of them was on the boat.
* * * *
Bella came upon the tethered horses and dismounted. She saw that the trees ended within yards, and assumed the men had gone forward on foot. She would do the same. Taking her small pistol from her pocket, she went cautiously forward, dropping to a crouch as the cover became sparser.
Then she came to a deep, wide stream, and almost wept in frustration as she had to follow the bank until it was narrow enough for her to jump across. When this delay had occurred for the fourth time she vowed she would wade through the next stream, even if the water came up to her neck. The delay was too long, she’d never catch the others and be able to warn them about the guns Lambert had with him.
Finally she came to an open patch of ground, and could see the boat. It was riding gently on the waves, twenty yards or more away from the bank. No one was visible on the deck. It was small, but there appeared to be a cabin, for she could see something which looked like a raised roof at one end. She looked around, hoping to see the men, wondering where they were, desperate to pass on her message. She frowned. There was only one horse by the building she assumed was the boathouse. Had one of them ridden away, or was the other tethered out of sight?
As she watched the horse neighed loudly, reared, and turned to race away. Bella glanced back at the boat and saw a man emerge onto the deck. Even from this distance she was sure it was Lambert. He held a rifle and pointed it towards the shore. Then her eyed widened, for someone was scrambling out of the water onto the deck. She gasped with fear. It was Lord Dorney, and Lambert had heard him. He swung round, pointing the rifle, and without thought Bella aimed her pistol and fired.
Chapter 18
Lord Dorney surfaced just beyond the yacht and took a deep breath. He was beside the anchor chain, and as he reached out to grasp it the wind veered and swung the yacht towards him. A loose rope, which had, he presumed, tethered the rowing boat, swung free a few yards towards the stern. As he let go of it, the anchor chain rasped against the boards, and he heard footsteps on the deck approaching the side. He cursed his inability to see what was happening above his head, and dived back under the water.
Cautiously he swam towards the stern, where he would be shielded by the small cabin. Once more he surfaced, clinging to the outward sloping boards. He shook his head to clear the water from his ears, and tried to distinguish sounds from above. Footsteps again, and then the slam of either a door or hatch. He couldn’t tell which, but he had to take a chance.
He approached the dangling rope, pulled it cautiously, and breathed a sigh of relief when it became taut. Stealthily he began to draw himself up, hand over hand.
The wind was increasing, and the yacht swung round again, so that now he was visible from the shore. He was almost at the top of the rope when once more he heard footsteps approaching. He was not near enough to the rail to clamber over before the man approaching would see him, and if he dived back into the water the splash would reveal his position. Climbing upwards and taking Lambert, if it were he, by surprise, was the only option.
His head was just level with the rail when a startled voice spoke.
‘Who the devil are you, and what do you think you’re doing, trying to board a private boat?’
It was Lambert. He had seen him only once, at the inn in xxx, but there could be no mistake. The man was dressed in breeches and a shirt, a neckerchief tucked into it.
‘William Lambert? I wanted to talk with you,’ Lord Dorney replied, continuing his ascent. He had one leg over the rail when Lambert moved a few steps back and reached to the bench behind him. He swung round, a rifle in his hands.
‘I’ve nothing to say to you. Go, before I send you to the bottom plugged full of holes.’
He raised the rifle and pointed it at Lord Dorney. Before he could dive back into the water a shot rang out and Lambert, clutching his right arm, dropped the rifle and staggered to the side of the boat. Lord Dorney swiftly climbed onto the deck, picked up the rifle and pointed it at Lambert.
He glanced round, wondering where his salvation had come from, inwardly praying that whoever had shot Lambert was a friend and not some madman who would shoot at anything, or Lambert’s friend Hill who might have shot Lambert by mistake. As far as he knew Jackson had no pistol, and from his knowledge of Alexander’s ability he didn’t think his cousin could have shot so accurately by design.
Neither of them was visible, so he wasted no more time. Keeping below the rails just in case the marksman was Lambert’s friend, he wrenched the neckerchief from Lambert’s neck, and ordered him to turn round and put his arms behind his back.
‘My arm! It’s bleeding! I can’t,’ the man groaned, clutching at his injured right arm and trying to roll up his sleeve to see what the damage was.
Lord Dorney prodded him in the side with the rifle. ‘The sooner you comply the sooner I’ll do something about it. It doesn’t look more than a scratch.’
Grumbling and wincing, all defiance gone, Lambert did as he was told. When Lord Dorney had tied his wrists together, he looked round for something to use to secure his legs, and with an inward grin hauled up the dangling rope and used that. If by chance his friend Benjamin Hill returned, he would be unable to board.
‘Where’s the girl?’
A faint spark of resistance flared. ‘What girl?’
‘Don’t be foolish. The maid, Mary. We know you have her. Do you want me to shoot you too?’
Lambert shuddered. ‘We haven’t touched her! She’s in the cabin.’
Lord Dorney went to the doorway and looked in. Mary lay on a bunk, her ankles tied together and her hands bound behind her. He stepped inside, and taking a knife which lay on the small table, cut the bonds.
She struggled to suppress sobs. ‘Oh, my lord, I’m so thankful to see you, I’ve been so frightened.’ She sat up, rubbing her wrists. ‘Miss Bella hasn’t given them money, has she? If she has, because I was so careless, and believed him, I’ll never forgive myself!’
‘No money has been paid. You’ll be off this boat soon,’ he promised.
‘How did you find me? Is Miss Bella all right?’
‘Yes. She’s waiting at the in
n with Sir Daniel. My cousin and Jackson are with me, keeping watch. I’ll signal to them all’s well and they’ll be here in a moment. Now I’d best be making sure Lambert isn’t up to mischief.’
He took the rope which had bound Mary and used it to tie Lambert’s feet.
‘Where is your friend?’ he asked.
Lambert continued to moan. ‘I’m bleeding to death! You’ve as good as killed me!’
Lord Dorney looked contemptuously at him. ‘Your friend, Mr Hill? Where has he gone?’
‘To - to fetch some wine from the house,’ Lambert gabbled, all defiance gone. ‘I couldn’t carry that as well as the food. My arm! I need doctor.’
‘You’ll get one, as well as a constable.’
‘I haven’t done anything! It was a jape, that’s all. She wasn’t hurt. It wasn’t my idea!’
Hearing the sound of voices Lord Dorney spared a look towards the shore. He blinked, then grinned. He might have known. There were three figures emerging from the reeds. Lord Dorney raised his voice. ‘Jackson, Alex, come aboard. And bring Miss Trahearne too.’
‘I’m bleeding!’ Lambert whined. ‘Aren’t you going to do anything?’
‘Why should I care if you bleed to death? You were prepared to shoot me, no doubt to kill me, without a second thought.’
He watched Alex help Bella into the small rowing boat. Jackson scrambled in after them and took the oars. It was a tight squeeze for three, and the boat rode so low in the water that the occasional wave went over the sides. The distance was short, though, and soon Bella was being helped onto the deck. Alex and Jackson followed, the latter glancing down at Lambert and clenching his fists.
‘Mary?’ Bella demanded. ‘Is she here? Is she harmed?’
‘I’m here, Miss Bella,’ Mary said from the cabin doorway, and began to sob. Before Bella could move Jackson pushed past her and drew Mary into his arms.
‘You’re safe now, my lass. We’ll look after you. There’s nothing to worry about now. Did they hurt you?’
She shook her head. ‘They drugged me, kept me tied up, and gagged me when there were other people around, but that’s all.’
‘How did they get you?’
Mary shook her head. ‘I was stupid. He spoke to me when I came away from the dressmaker’s. Said Miss Bella had been thrown from her horse on the way to Richmond, and they thought she might have broken her neck. He said he’d take me to her, but when I got into the hackney he went the other way. Oh, Miss Bella, I’m so sorry!’
‘You’re not to blame. But it proves Amelia Stockley was part of the plot!’ Bella interrupted. ‘How else would he know I’d gone to Richmond?’
‘He could have heard from one of the others in the party,’ Lord Dorney said.
‘It wasn’t my plan,’ Lambert said. ‘Amelia thought of it.’
‘And no doubt you wanted to share in the money you’d extort from Miss Trahearne, as well as have your revenge for the manner in which she bested you at xxx?’
‘I say it wasn’t my plot!’
‘If I have my way he’ll hang for this!’ Jackson said.
‘The first thing to do is get everyone away from here,’ Lord Dorney said. ‘Alex, I suppose we’d better bind this fellow’s wound. Was it you that shot him?’ he suddenly demanded of Bella.
She nodded. ‘He was going to shoot you. I told you I would,’ she said, suddenly turning to Lambert. ‘You didn’t believe a woman could shoot straight when we met before. Now you know better. Be grateful it’s only your arm!’
He just groaned.
‘I’ll get something from the cabin,’ Alex said. ‘No doubt they have some spare shirts or cravats there.’
Five minutes later Alex and Jackson lifted Lambert down into the boat. His arm had been bandaged, but his feet and hands were still tied together.
‘He looks in no shape to run away, miserable poltroon,’ Alexander commented. ‘He fights defenceless females.’
‘Not all are defenceless,’ Lord Dorney said, glancing at Bella. ‘Alex, you can go for our horses. Jackson, come back for Mary, and the two of you can take her and Lambert to the village and find the constable. One of you bring the horses back for us.’
‘What about Hill?’ Alex asked. ‘He might come back.’
‘Somehow I doubt he’ll want to attack us. We have several weapons, it seems. I expect Mr Hill will be making his way back home as fast as he can, if he can find a horse!’
* * * *
When they were alone Bella looked at Lord Dorney and her heart began to beat faster. He was wet through, his shirt clinging to his body and revealing taut muscles and broad shoulders.
He seemed to read her thoughts, and grinned. ‘We appear to be using up an uncommon number of shirts between us. Forgive me for a moment and I’ll see if our friends have another supply. Can you do sentry duty in case I’m wrong, and Mr Hill does come back? Shoot at him, by all means, if he tries to damage the rowing boat. Or we’ll both have to swim ashore.’
He vanished, to reappear some time later in dry clothes which, Bella judged, had belonged to Mr Hill, for they were rather loose. Lambert had been weedy. The unknown Mr Hill must have been considerably fatter.
‘There’s food in the cabin. Presumably that which Lambert collected from his home. I am feeling decidedly hungry. Will you join me?’
They brought it outside, neither wanting to sit in the tiny, claustrophobic cabin, and sat side by side on the deck. Bella was ravenous. There was newly baked bread, ham and cheese, and some sweet, early apples. There was one bottle of wine which they shared.
‘They must have been anticipating a long stay if they needed more supplies,’ Lord Dorney commented as they cleared away the impromptu picnic. ‘I wonder if they intended making a voyage? Or taking Mary somewhere else?’
‘I’ve no doubt that miserable worm will tell us if we ask. And try to lay the blame on Amelia Stockley. Oh, how I want to go back to her card parties and see whether I’m right about their wanting to cheat me! If they do I’ll - I’ll take out an advertisement in the Times!’
He laughed. ‘I didn’t think you were so vindictive!’
‘I hate being cheated! Just because I have more money than some other people doesn’t mean I like to squander it.’
Lord Dorney looked at her for a long moment. ‘Bella, why did you follow us?’
‘Sir Daniel told me Lambert had taken guns from the house. A rifle, and a fowling piece. You wouldn’t know, so I came to try and warn you.’
He smiled. ‘Somehow I suspect that is typical of you. Instead of sitting and wringing your hands you have to take action, don’t you?’
‘Anyone would, who cared!’
He changed the subject. ‘Dan’s feeling better, then?’
‘Sore, and his head aches, but he was coherent. He told me Lambert had been to the house. He might still have been there when Sir Daniel called, and guessed we’d followed him.’
‘You could have been shot at, even captured like Mary was.’
‘I had to try and warn you, or you’d have been the one shot!’
‘Bella,’ he said, and paused. ‘I want to apologize. I’ve been pig-headed, too influenced by my brother’s experience.’
‘His wife, you mean?’ she asked softly.
‘Yes. I thought all heiresses would be like Selina. You’ve heard about her, I suppose?’
‘A little,’ she admitted.
‘She had to change Dorney Court, which I’d loved as a boy. It was my home, and I thought nowhere else could be as perfect. Robert loved it too, but he couldn’t gainsay her. She made it very plain it was her money. She didn’t love him, only his title. Even that couldn’t keep her faithful. Within a year of the marriage she was openly living with another man.’
‘How could she!’ The pain in his voice was not just for his childhood home. It was clear to Bella that he as well as his brother had felt betrayed and disillusioned by Selina. Tentatively she reached out her hand and laid it on his. He turned it to gra
sp her fingers in his..
He shrugged. ‘He was weak, my brother. Like my father, who gambled away much of his inheritance. But Robert couldn’t bear the shame of it, so he called the fellow out. He wasn’t a good shot, but he was beyond reason. He felt humiliated.’
‘I heard he killed the man.’
‘So you’ve heard some of the gossip?’
‘In Bath. But that has nothing to do with you.’
He shrugged. ‘Robert was fortunate. He killed the man, but he maintained it was a freak shot. Certain malicious gossips who had predicted a different outcome tried to lay the blame on me, as I’m a much better shot. I think it was Selina who started the rumours. But soon she was with another lover. Robert, meanwhile, could not live with what he’d done. I think he hoped either to be killed or to wound the man.’
Bella squeezed his hand. ‘And he killed himself? I’m so very sorry. It must have been so dreadful for you.’
He looked down at her. ‘Do you know all my family’s history?’
She shook her head. ‘People love gossip. And because it was you, I wanted to hear. Not because I was gloating, but I needed to know all about you.’
‘I found him, hanging in the stables.’ He sighed, remembering.
‘Oh, you poor man! How dreadful!’
‘It’s in the past. But it made me wary of all women for a long time. Bella, my dearest, I tried to forget you, but I couldn’t. I was determined not to marry, after Robert’s disaster. Especially I hated the idea of marrying a rich woman. That time in Bath, I forgot all my resolutions.’
‘And then Salway revealed that I’d been lying,’ she said, the bitterness against him still strong. He’d caused so much unhappiness.
‘Yes. Oh, I was an insufferable prig! I understand now - I think I did at the time, but wouldn’t admit it - your reasons. Do I have any chance? Could we start again?’