by Rebecca King
Callum nodded, but inwardly raged against being parted from Mallory. When he looked up his gaze clashed with Sir Hugo’s. He knew instantly that Sir Hugo understood his worry.
“She is with the Star Elite.”
“But that didn’t stop them from trying to snatch her yesterday,” Callum countered.
Sir Hugo sighed. “What you have to understand is that Melrose is now aware of the number of men he lost yesterday and that they were cut down in a brutal firefight. He won’t allow his men to be caught out again. They are going to be fiercer to fight than ever before and will stop at nothing. Surprise is our best weapon.”
“You were taken before the firefight, weren’t you?” It wasn’t a question.
“I was caught by the bastard before you even entered the wood. I watched you go into the trees but was bound and gagged and couldn’t call out to you. I had to wait to see if you could get out alive. At that time, I had no idea that the rest of the men were in those trees waiting for you.”
Callum and Mallory shared a look. They both knew that they had only survived because the men had been so quick to intercept them.
Even though they were sitting next to Sir Hugo, Callum reached out and placed a warm palm over Mallory’s clasped hands. She looked at him and smiled gently. He winked.
“It will be all right. If we disguise you as a man, you should be able to get out of here without being noticed.”
“Do you ride astride?” Sir Hugo asked.
Mallory shook her head. “I have no idea what to do.”
Sir Hugo nodded. “I have asked Niall to arrange for a farmer friend of mine to deliver a cart of wood to us. We can smuggle you out of here under some rags. When he returns to the farm, he is going to take you with him. You can then make your escape. If Melrose follows, you will have plenty of fields and barns to hide in until he is out of the area.”
“If the men know about this then they can intercept Melrose’s men should they appear,” Callum added. “But I don’t think she should face this alone.”
“It is going to look odd for her to be with someone,” Sir Hugo argued. “Melrose and his men will be looking for the both of you. They won’t expect her to be on her own. That is the key here.”
At any other time, Callum would have just accepted Sir Hugo’s orders and let her go, but after what had happened to Sir Hugo, Callum wasn’t prepared to take the risk.
Mallory felt her stomach churn as she fretted over the chances of survival if she came face to face with Melrose while she was alone.
“As soon as those disguises arrive, we are going to leave. Callum, you go and get the horses saddled and close the house up. Mallory, can you gather all the food together? We must make sure everything is taken with us when we leave because we won’t be back. The men aren’t safe here.”
Sir Hugo heaved out of his seat and shuffled across the room where he plopped down into a high-backed chair before the fire. He leaned back and stared absently into the flames, seemingly forgetting all about Mallory and Callum, who watched him with growing concern.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Later that day, Mallory scratched her itchy chin and tried not to look down at her clothing. It was odd to wear breeches and a pretend beard. The rest of the men seemed to think so too because the second she appeared in the kitchen in her new disguise they broke out into laughter that wouldn’t stop. Even Sir Hugo huffed a laugh.
“You look like a little boy in his daddy’s clothes,” he teased.
“I didn’t ask to look like this,” Mallory mumbled through her beard.
She squinted malevolently at Callum, who was openly grinning.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she warned.
“Give me those,” Phillip suggested, holding his hand out for her clothing.
Mallory reluctantly handed her dress over. She watched it disappear into a saddle bag which Callum then tossed casually over his shoulder. He swept her with a look before pursing his lips to hide his smile.
“Well, I know who you are, but I don’t think Melrose’s men will be able to recognise you given how much that beard swamps your face. However, what we do know is that they will be curious about who this stranger is.”
“You had better wear this,” Will suggested, draping a long cloak over her shoulders which positively engulfed her.
Mallory stared down at the folded edges and realised then just how ridiculous her legs looked in the gentleman’s breeches. With her cheeks aflame, she tugged the voluminous folds of the cloth around her and held them firmly in place with tight fists.
“I hope to God nobody I know sees me wearing these,” she hissed.
“I know you,” Callum offered with a very masculine smirk.
“Shut up.”
Unoffended, Callum laughed and sauntered out of the door. Mallory glared after him and wished the teasing would continue for a while longer because it helped quell her fear of what lay ahead.
“What do I do now?” she asked, somewhat helplessly.
“Now, you are going to hide in the back of the farmer’s cart. He is at the side of the barn delivering the wood. He is one of us, so don’t worry that he is going to realise you are in the back and kick you off his cart. He is going to take you out of here. Do not, no matter what happens, peer out from your hiding place. Stay hidden. Keep the cloak covering you and remain still until he tells you that you are at the farm. He is going to take the cart directly into the barn. Wait there for us to come and fetch you,” Will said.
“It isn’t going to be his farm he takes you to. He is going to go to his friend’s farm about thirteen miles away, so it is going to be a long journey but lie still and wait. The farm is nothing to do with Melrose and is miles away from Melrose House. I doubt Melrose will have any interest in it. We will have men following you just in case, but they will keep their distance. They are there to intercept anybody who tries to stop you. They will leave when you reach your destination and are on the way to Cornwall, and only then,” Sir Hugo warned.
Mallory stared out of the door and watched Callum lead several horses to the front of the barn. She wished she could go out there and talk to him, but now was not the time for conversation. Words were impossible because she couldn’t get them past the huge lump in her throat.
“He will be all right. Callum has been working with the Star Elite for many years. He knows what he is doing. He is one of the most capable men I have ever met. I wouldn’t have sent him into that house to fetch you if I didn’t think he was.”
“He didn’t get into the house. I met him outside.”
Sir Hugo grinned. “I thought you might.”
“How did you get out of that garden that day?” she asked.
Sir Hugo winked at her. “That is something I shall never tell you, my dear. What you need to concern yourself with is getting through the next few hours. We will not be far away. You just cannot talk to us, or the farmer, I am afraid. Stay quiet and keep your eyes and ears open. I will see you in the carriage later.”
Mallory opened her mouth to speak only to find that Sir Hugo was shuffling to the door. As soon as he reached it, he took a breath, adjusted his own false beard, tugged his hat low over his brow, straightened his shoulders, and let himself out of the house. His stride across the barn was in stark contrast to his injuries. It was sure, steady, and full of purpose. Nobody who looked at him would have suspected that it was the same man who had been carried into the house all bloodied and broken several hours earlier. It was only when he reached the horses that Sir Hugo paused and leaned heavily on one. He shrugged off the offer of help from Callum, and eventually made his way into the barn looking drunk rather than injured.
“Do you think he will be all right?” Mallory whispered to Will, who came to watch over her shoulder.
Will pursed his lips. “Put it this way, if Sir Hugo isn’t going to be all right then none of us will be. We will play our part and hope for the best. We know what we are doing. The Star Elite don’t fail very o
ften, but we are not infallible, nobody is. Nobody can promise you anything, I am afraid.”
“Life is temporary, isn’t it?”
“Make the most of it.”
“I would, if I am given the chance to,” Mallory whispered.
“Callum can be reluctant to change life at times. In his job everything he does is questioned, temporary, and subject to change. We can make plans, but they are often changed if something goes wrong. Life is uncertain. I think that it makes most of us want home lives that are a little more predictable. Nobody can live life without security or solidity. Callum will come around to the idea of having a wife. He just needs a little time to get his head around the fact that he has found you.”
“I don’t think marriage is what either of us want,” Mallory protested.
Will lifted his brows at her. “Really? Are you sure about that?”
Before she could reply, Will quietly left the house leaving Mallory to stare out over the yard in quiet contemplation. Her stomach dropped to her toes when her view of Callum was interrupted by the arrival of the cart, the driver of which clambered down and ambled toward the door.
Callum turned to watch the farmer knock on the door. He wished he could go over and talk to her one last time before she left. All he could do was helplessly watch while Mallory shook hands with the farmer and climbed awkwardly into the back of the cart while the farmer climbed onto the high bench seat. Within seconds, the cart had rounded the corner of the house and disappeared.
“She will be all right,” Sir Hugo murmured.
“She was covered well. Did you see? With the false board in front of her nobody would know she is there,” Will added.
“Let’s go,” Callum growled.
Together, the men each made their way out of the yard. One by one they each left using a different route.
“Are you ready?” Callum asked Sir Hugo.
Grimly, Sir Hugo nodded.
Callum waved at the carriage sitting in the middle of the barn.
“Get settled then. Oliver put a basket of food and drink together so we can eat without having to stop.”
He stood back while Sir Hugo awkwardly and painfully climbed aboard. When Sir Hugo was settled, Callum slammed the door closed, donned a thick cloak and climbed onto the driver’s seat.
“Later,” Phillip murmured before he nodded at Callum and left as well.
Callum waited long enough for Phillip to disappear, and then eased the carriage out of the barn. He felt the heavy weight of his gun resting against his hip. It should have been reassuring to have it, but Callum knew that even heavily armed, Sir Hugo had been captured and nearly killed by Melrose. Further, his gun would be sodding useless if a gunman shot him during an ambush. He might never get to see the man who murdered him in cold blood.
While he spent the meandering journey out of the area looking for people lurking by the side of the road, Callum still had plenty of time to think. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to Mallory. What was he going to do when they all reached Cornwall as planned, and the time came for him to walk away from her? Could he? Should he? Would he be able to get on with his life if he did?
Even while he asked himself that last question, Callum knew the answer.
“No. I could not just go back to the investigation and not think about her. Even now, I am thinking about her.”
“Then understand what that means,” Sir Hugo mumbled from within the depths of the carriage. “Stop.”
Callum tipped his head to hear him better. “What?”
“Stop the carriage.”
Callum reluctantly stopped. His shoulders tensed. He turned to study the landscape while Sir Hugo shockingly left the carriage. Tugging his cloak up, he awkwardly clambered onto the bench seat beside Callum.
“What do you think you are doing?” Callum asked as he watched the man wince and settle into the most comfortable position he could manage.
“Sitting beside you. I have a few broken rips, a broken hand, and cuts and bruises that need Harriett’s poultices, but I am not a sodding invalid. Besides, I need some fresh air and you need another pair of eyes to help look for an ambush.”
There was a cold hint of finality in Sir Hugo’s voice that warned Callum not to object.
With a shake of his head, Callum flicked the reins and guided the carriage in a new direction.
“You should not ignore how she makes you feel,” Sir Hugo said suddenly many miles later.
“I don’t know her,” Callum growled.
“I will admit that it is best not to label your protective instincts toward her as anything more just now. You have, after all, been given orders to protect her. Being protective of her is an instinct that you have been told to engage in. It is inevitable that you should feel that way because she is essential to your completing your mission as instructed.”
“This is more,” Callum replied without hesitation. It was the truth.
“If you know that deep in your gut then you would do well to abide by it. What I will say is that you should spend some time with her at the end of the mission and see how you feel when you return to work If you cannot find yourself able to stay away then what you feel is personal, and you should return to her and do everything possible to keep her in your life.”
“And if I don’t want to be with her?”
“Then leave her to get on with her life.”
“She has no home to go back to,” Callum warned.
“I know, but you have been tasked with getting her out of Melrose House and keeping her safe. You have not been instructed to look after her future. You are expected to hand her over to your colleagues who will oversee that part of the mission.”
“How? Do you plan to keep men guarding her even when Melrose has been arrested?”
Sir Hugo slid him a look. “No. You know we do not have the manpower for that. We will make sure she is financially compensated for the losses she has sustained.”
“You are going to set her up in a house of her own? But how do you expect her to live? Where?” Callum instinctively objected to her being left to fend for herself.
Sir Hugo smiled at him. “She has to have the ability to decide if she wants to try to return to her old life. She might feel as if she has left things open and needs to go back to lay ghosts to rest. What we are going to do is make sure that when Melrose is taken down, either through death or gaol, what he owns is used to compensate his victims. We can do nothing to help them recover from the memories of their ordeal, or replace the time they spent being slaves, but we can make sure that they have every means possible at their disposal to create a life of their own, wherever they choose to call home. Melrose is going to pay for it.”
“That sounds fair,” Callum grinned. “Does Melrose know?”
“He doesn’t get a say in the matter. His bank accounts have already been frozen. His funds have run dry. Work is ongoing now to ensure that doors are closing to him within ton. He is a felon at large the War Office are seeking to capture. Word is out that anybody who helps him is going to end up behind bars as well.”
“But Mann has helped him anyway,” Callum mused.
“Yes, but by helping him we can suspect that Mann has either done something Melrose can blackmail him for, or Mann has been involved in the scheme and is prepared to do everything possible to help Melrose.”
“Because they are partners in crime,” Callum said.
It wasn’t a question.
“Because he is with Melrose now.”
“Mann has made himself guilty. I doubt Mann has been conscripted to join his cause by Melrose. Mann has been friends with Melrose for years.”
“Do you think all of Melrose’s friends are involved?”
“I doubt it. Some doors have slammed shut with such swiftness that there can be no doubt the people responsible have nothing to do with the kidnaps. Others-” Sir Hugo shook his head.
“What about Mallory?”
“I will take the time to ask her what h
appened and maybe get her to try to describe some of the men she saw while she was at Melrose House, just in case any of them are ton. When she has told us everything, I will give her the time she needs to recover physically and decide where she wants to live. She will be helped to secure a house and given enough money to live off, so she only has to work if she wants to.”
Callum was pleased that Sir Hugo was prepared to go to such lengths to help Melrose’s victims. On the other hand, he wanted a say in where Mallory chose to live.
“You will need to return to the investigation. The men need all the help they can get now that they know how brutal Melrose is.”
Callum nodded, but he still hated the thought of having to be parted from Mallory.
“What I would advise is that you do nothing just yet. If you care about her then give it time. Those emotions will be there, just as strong, next week, next month, maybe even next year. If they are then you know you should act on them. If this is some sort of passing fancy because of your mission, your feelings will ease, and you will be warier the next time you are sent to look after someone.”
“What about the men who have already married the women they were sent to rescue? Did you send me after her because I was single, and you knew what might happen?”
“Yes.”
Callum lifted his brows and looked at his boss in astonishment. He hadn’t expected such a ready confession.
“I know from personal experience just how much your emotions can be drawn into your investigation. It is how I met my Harriett. I didn’t want to marry. It was the very last thing I wanted, and consequently she nearly died because I wasn’t around to protect her. Someone tried to kill her, and nearly succeeded. It was just a stroke of luck that she survived. It could have ended any chance of happiness I ever had. Thankfully, Harriett lived. I was not stupid enough to waste a moment and married her not long after.” Sir Hugo sighed.
“Others have happy marriages and some of them have barely known their wives before they met the vicar,” Callum mused.