‘Don’t worry, if the boy is there we will find him and bring him back to you.’
Silently she nodded. I am a distraction, she thought, and fought down the desire to throw her arms about his neck and kiss him, to wish him good luck and urge him to be careful. Instead she tried to keep her worries hidden as she watched them walk away. They were soon swallowed up by the mist and she was left with only Jem Sawley for company.
* * *
Dominic followed Jasper down the narrow track. The drizzle and mist enveloped them and within minutes their outer clothes were dusted with tiny water droplets. When they reached the small promontory Jasper led the way to a derelict barn. The door had disappeared, but the roof was almost intact.
‘We’ll leave the horses here,’ said Jasper. ‘The inn lies at the other side of the quay, but it’s not far.’
‘Good.’ Dominic drew his pistol from its saddle holster. ‘You go to the inn and call for service, I’ll slip in the back way and search the rooms.’
‘I shall go to the front door and make a lordly fuss.’ Jasper looked at Dominic, his eyes unusually sombre. ‘Be careful, Brother.’
He slipped away and was soon lost to sight between the straggling buildings. Dominic waited a few minutes, then set off after him. The whole area was deserted, no fishing boats were tied up at the quay, the houses and outbuildings were empty and an air of quiet desolation hung over everything. He kept close to the buildings, the rain splashing from the roof tiles onto his hat and shoulders as he hurried along the muddy lane and into the narrow alley that led to the rear of the inn. The long, low building formed an L-shape around a cobbled yard. On one side the roof was extended to form a covered way, which looked as if it had once been a skittle alley, but was now filled with empty beer barrels stacked untidily against the back wall.
He could hear Jasper’s voice, loud and bombastic as he shouted for the landlord. Dominic moved cautiously towards the open doorway. He found himself in a narrow passage. An open door immediately on his right led to the kitchen and a set of narrow stairs ran up to his left. He slipped up the stairs, which mercifully did not creak. A series of doors led off the landing. Boldly he put his hand on the latch of the first one and walked in, prepared to apologise and retreat if it was occupied, as if he was a genuine guest.
The room was empty, shabby but clean with the bed made up and ready for use. The second and third attempts revealed similar empty rooms.
‘Hmm,’ he muttered to himself, ‘that gives the lie to their being full.’
The next door was locked and a heavy bolt had been fastened to the outside, the freshly splintered wood evidence that it had been fitted very recently. He knocked softly and heard a sobbing whimper.
Dominic took out a pocket knife and set to work on the old lock, which soon gave way.
Cautiously he opened the door. The room was as sparsely furnished as the others, but Nicky was there, alone, sitting disconsolately on the edge of the narrow bed. As soon as he saw Dominic he threw himself at him.
‘Thank God,’ muttered Dominic, laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘Come now, let us get out of here—’
‘Not so fast, my fine friends.’
The rolling West Country vowels made Dominic’s head snap around. The landlord was at the door, a shotgun held menacingly in his hands.
‘Ah. I thought I heard a noise up ’ere.’
Dominic stepped in front of Nicky. ‘Don’t be a fool, man. Put the gun down. The game is up now, unless you mean to murder us.’
The landlord shrugged. ‘Murder, abduction, it makes no odds. We’d hang anyway if we was found out—and keep yer hands where I can see ’em,’ he ordered, as Dominic reached for the pistol in his pocket.
‘Dan’l, what’re you doin’...?’ the landlady’s shrill tones preceded her up the stairs. A slatternly looking woman with untidy hair and a greasy apron appeared beside her husband, who sniffed.
‘We got a visitor, Martha. Come to get the boy. Do you check ’is pockets, and see if he’s carryin’ a weapon.’
The landlady wiped her hands nervously on her apron and approached Dominic, keeping well to the side so there was no possibility of blocking her husband’s aim. She lifted the pistol from his pocket and the man called Daniel gave a satisfied nod.
‘I thought as much.’
‘So are you going to shoot ’im, Dan’l?’
‘No!’ cried Nicky, clinging to Dominic.
‘It’s all right, Nicky,’ said Dom quickly. ‘Don’t worry, lad.’
‘Aye, that’s right, you tell ’im,’ leered the landlord, waving the shotgun menacingly. ‘If you are wise, you’ll both behave yerselves.’
‘And if you are wise, you will let them go.’ Jasper’s cool drawl came from the landing, a pistol in his hand.
‘Is that right?’ The landlord spat on the floor. ‘Seems to me that pop gun o’ yers might get me, but not afore I’ve pulled the trigger, and one blast from this would send the nipper and yer friend to kingdom come. And it’s not to say that Martha here might not loose off yer friend’s shooter, too.’
A cold chill ran down Dominic’s spine. He wondered how quickly he could drop down and shield the boy. If he was quick enough, he could take the force of the blast and Nicky might survive.
‘So what’s it t’be?’ the landlord demanded. ‘I ain’t gonna stand here all day. Either you comes in here with yer friend and the boy, or I’ll shoot ’em both.’
‘Don’t ’ee be too hasty, Dan’l.’ The woman placed her hand on the landlord’s arm. ‘If we has trouble here then we’ll have the Revenue men crawling all over the place.’
‘She’s right,’ agreed Jasper. ‘You cannot fire that thing without an almighty disturbance that will bring every Revenue man for miles down upon you.’
The landlord shrugged. ‘No matter. They ain’t found nothing yet so I reckons I’ll tek my chances, if I ’as to. And as to shooting anybody...’ his lip curled, displaying a mouth full of yellow, rotted teeth ‘...a man’s entitled to defend his property. No, my fine buck, I thinks you’d better give that pretty pop o’ yours to my good lady, afore my finger gets itchy on this trigger and I shoots the boy.’
Through the open doorway Dominic met Jasper’s eyes and read the message there. The risk was too great. Jasper lowered his pistol.
‘Well, fellow, it seems you have me there.’
The landlord stood away from the door. ‘You come on in here, then, where I can see thee. And, Martha, you go and fetch some cord to tie up these fine gennlemen!’
‘I’m sorry, brother,’ murmured Jasper as he came to stand beside Dominic. ‘Perhaps we will have another chance.’
‘Perhaps.’ Dominic shrugged.
Faced with the shotgun pointing at them, they could do nothing but wait until the landlady returned with a length of thin rope, with which she proceeded to bind their hands behind their back.
‘Tight, mind,’ ordered Daniel. ‘They’s big divils and I don’t want no messin with ’em.’
‘Aye, but what now?’ said Martha, when she had finished. ‘Do you want to leave ’em all here?’
‘No, the boy can stay—the lock’s bust, but the bolt on the door will hold’n.’ He looked up suddenly. ‘Where’s your horses?’
‘Back at the village,’ said Dominic. ‘At the inn.’
‘Aye,’ added Jasper. ‘We told them we were here to paint the landscape.’
The landlord’s face twisted into a cruel grin. ‘Well, then, they won’t think nothing of it if you takes a tumble off the cliff into the sea. We’ll put you in the cellar ’til nightfall, then tek you out to sea an’—’
‘No!’ shouted Nicky, ‘You shan’t hurt them, you shan’t.’
The landlady pulled him against her greasy skirts. ‘No, no, they won’t be ’armed, my babby.’ She glared at her husband. ‘Do you want to have the nipper bawling and troublesome all night? Will said we was to keep ’im safe—no marks, ’e said.’ She looked down at the little boy.
‘Don’t ’ee worry, me lad. We’re jus gonna put yer friends into the cellar for a while, till William comes to take you all home, ain’t that right, Dan’l?’
‘Aye,’ growled Daniel. ‘So you two get yerselves downstairs, now, and don’t try anything, I ain’t afraid to deal with you.’
‘No, of course not, now we have our hands tied behind our backs!’ retorted Dominic. He turned and nodded at Nicky. ‘We will see you later, Nicky.’
Daniel waved the shotgun again. ‘That’s enough, now get yerselves down them stairs.’
The landlord kept a safe distance behind them and the landlady, waving Jasper’s pistol in her hand, informed them that she was quite prepared to use it.
A door under the stairs led to the cellar. The landlord waved them forwards, waited until they were both on the stairs, then kicked his foot into Jasper’s back, sending them crashing down into the darkness.
* * *
Zelah paced up and down the clearing. The light within the trees had faded to a grey dusk. Surely Dominic and Jasper should have returned by now? It was still raining, but the mist had lifted a little and she could see where the lane dropped away to the quay. There was no one in sight. She felt quite sick with apprehension, imagining the most horrendous scenes. It was almost too dark to see now and with grim determination Zelah made her way back to where the groom was sitting with the horses.
‘Help me to mount, Sawley. We will go and find out what has happened.’
‘Nay, madam, the major said—’
‘The major should have been back by now,’ she retorted fiercely. ‘Now it is up to you—either you come with me, or I shall go to the quay alone!’
Chapter Seventeen
The darkness was complete. Dominic and Jasper sat back to back on the cellar floor, each in turn trying to untie the other’s wrists. Dominic ran his tongue over his lips, tasting blood. He guessed he had cut his face when the landlord had pushed them down the stairs, but that was a minor concern. He thought of Nicky locked in the room upstairs and his anger grew. He would give everything he had if he could save him, not only for his own sake, but because of what the boy meant to Zelah.
Jasper swore softly. ‘It’s no good, Dom. That damned fishwife has tied the ropes too well.’
‘We’ll rest for a moment, then I’ll try again,’ muttered Dominic. He leaned against his twin. ‘How long do you think we have?’
‘Heaven knows. I wouldn’t think he would try to get rid of us while he has any customers, and by the sound of it the inn’s pretty full tonight.’
‘A couple of hours at most, then.’
‘Our best chance would be when they take us to the ship,’ said Jasper. ‘We might be able to make a run for it then, perhaps get help at the customs house from the Revenue officer.’
Dominic said nothing. They both knew it was a slim chance, but neither was willing to admit defeat.
‘We’ll just have to conserve our energy and—’
‘Hush!’ Dominic whispered urgently. ‘Someone’s coming.’
They struggled to their feet and waited, tense and expectant. They heard the soft rasp of bolts being drawn back from the door at the top of the stairs. Dominic swallowed the bitter bile of frustration. If only his hands were free he would punish that damned landlord—
‘Nicky!’
Jasper’s exclamation mirrored his own surprise. The soft glow of candles appeared at the top of the steps and Nicky came racing down towards them, Jem Sawley following quickly, but it was the figure behind the groom that caused Dominic’s heart to stand still.
‘Zelah! By heaven, what are you doing here?’
She closed the door carefully behind her before descending, holding her candle high to give as much light as possible.
‘We guessed something had gone wrong and came to find you. Here, Nicky, hold the candle for me.’
‘Did you call at the customs house for help?’ Dominic demanded, looking past her.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Everything was in darkness and we did not want to waste time.’
With a furious oath Dominic turned to his groom. ‘Hell and damnation, Jem, you should not have brought her here!’
Zelah did not wait for the hapless groom to muster his arguments.
‘He could not very well leave me behind!’ She pulled a long-bladed knife from the folds of her cloak. ‘I found this in the kitchen and thought it might be useful. Turn about, if you please, and I will cut you free.’
It was the work of moments to cut through their bonds. Dominic stood for a moment, rubbing his sore wrists. His relief at being free was tempered by anger. He wanted to rail at Zelah for putting herself into such danger, but because he knew it was foolish and unjustified he kept silent. Jasper knew no such reticence. He put his arm about Zelah and kissed her soundly on the cheek.
‘Well done, my dear!’ He looked across at Dominic and grinned. ‘I don’t know about you, brother, but I have had enough of this inn’s hospitality. Shall we go?’
‘Yes, immediately,’ returned Zelah. ‘We left our horses with yours, at the old barn.’
The three men went first, cautiously opening the cellar door. The laughter and chatter from the taproom filtered through the narrow passage, but there was no one in sight as they crept out.
They had almost reached the doorway when the landlord appeared from the courtyard. His eyes bulged when he found his way blocked by the men he thought safely trussed up in his cellar, but Jasper’s fist caught him squarely on the chin and laid him low. Hurriedly Dominic and Jem dragged the landlord’s unconscious body into the shadow of the building and signalled to Zelah and Nicky to come out into the wet twilight.
Once in the yard Zelah found her breathing easier: it was good to be outside again, even though the mist was thicker than ever. She held Nicky’s hand as they followed Jasper out of the yard, Dominic and Jem hovering protectively behind them. Her spine tingled. She was fearful of hearing the alarm raised, or, even worse, a shot ringing out. Even when they reached the horses she could not relax. Jasper threw her up into the saddle while Dominic took Nicky up before him and they left the village at a canter, not slowing up until they were up on the plateau again, with only the mist and the rain for company. Zelah glanced nervously over her shoulder.
‘Do you think they will follow us?’
‘It’s possible,’ said Dominic. ‘We should get as far away as we can while there is some light.’
Jasper nodded.
‘I agree, although it pains me to lose two good pistols to the villains. But we may yet recover them. I do not intend to let that rascally landlord and his wife get away with this. But first we have to return Nicky to his parents, and before tomorrow’s hearing, if that’s possible. Let’s press on, if you feel up to it, Miss Pentewan?’
Zelah nodded and Nicky, cocooned inside the front of Dominic’s greatcoat, raised his head.
‘Yes, please,’ he said, his voice breaking. ‘I w-want to go home.’
* * *
They had ridden hard until it was too dark to travel, then broken their journey at a coaching inn, where all Jasper’s considerable address and his full purse had been required before the landlord was persuaded to admit them. They had set off again at dawn, but heavy rain hampered their progress and they had to divert several times to avoid the swollen streams that blocked their route. There was no time to go to West Barton before the hearing started at ten o’clock so they made directly for Lesserton, where the church clock was already striking the hour when they reached the White Hart.
‘Your brother is here,’ observed Dominic, nodding towards the carriage pulled up across the street.
‘Good, I hope Maria is with him too, I cannot think she will be sitting at home on such an important day,’ declared Zelah, as Jasper helped her dismount.
He pulled her hand on to his arm. ‘Come along, then, we will all go in together.’
* * *
Their entrance caused immediate confusion. Sir Oswald, facing the do
or, saw them first. His eyes narrowed and a dull, angry colour mottled his cheeks. Maria gave a little scream and Reginald, who was sitting beside Mr Summerson, his lawyer, jumped up, gazing at his son and unable to speak for some moments. Maria ran forwards to take Nicky in her arms while the rest of the crowd muttered in surprise, knowing nothing of what had ensued.
Dominic stepped into the centre of the room and addressed the magistrate.
‘I beg your pardon for the intrusion,’ he announced. ‘We came to tell Mr Buckland his son is safe.’
‘Aye,’ declared Reginald, his eyes bright with anger. ‘He was abducted, Sir Arthur, and this note was sent to me, warning me not to present my new evidence to this hearing!’
The surprised mutterings around the room swelled as Reginald handed the paper to the magistrate. Sir Arthur hammered on the desk again, then looked at the little boy, now held safely in his mother’s arms.
‘You were taken, young man, against your will?’
Nicky nodded solemnly. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘And do you know who it was who did this to you?’
‘Yes, sir. He’s there.’ Nicky pointed towards Sir Oswald’s bailiff. ‘It was Mr Miller, the man who is trying to leave.’
The villagers raised their voices in a howl of outrage and those nearest Miller held him fast as he edged past them. The bailiff swore and tried to shake them off, but found himself trapped.
‘It weren’t my idea to take the boy!’ he cried. ‘Sir Oswald ordered me to do it.’
Sir Oswald jumped to his feet. ‘Be quiet, you fool!’
Mr Summerson rose and directed a stern look at the bailiff. ‘If you know anything more you should tell us now, Mr Miller. The charge against you is a serious one.’
‘He told me to do it!’ Miller was gabbling now, fear loosening his tongue. ‘Just like he told me to get rid of Old Robin, to stop’n talking.’
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