“Is Bruce alright?”
“Pardon?” Kat snapped and tore her eyes away from the sight of Billy, who was perched regally on a small, dappled pony. She read the concern in Jonathan’s eyes and sighed. “Oh, yes he is fine. He is having an afternoon nap.” She eyed the small pony warily and was alarmed at the sheer joy that twinkled in Billy’s eyes.
Trust him not to be scared, she thought ruefully. The pony looked soulfully at her with large, doe-brown eyes, as though it too was silently pleading with her not to be cross, and she felt the fight drain out of her.
“Jonathan says I am a natural rider,” Billy boasted and puffed out his chest importantly.
“You most certainly are, but it is time to go home now. Mother will have tea on already and we are late.”
“But, can’t I stay and ride just a little longer?” Billy’s pleaded in a voice that almost undid her, especially after the harshness of last night.
“I am afraid that if it is time to go, then it is time to go. I will put Percy back into his stable. He must be tired by now.” Percy was by far the most docile horse Jonathan had ever owned. He was so old that even Jonathan had lost count with how many years he had owned the horse.
“Can’t I ride him just a little bit more?” Billy whined and leaned forward to reverently stroke the horse’s neck.
“Billy, it is time to go now,” Kat sighed impatiently.
She watched as Billy slowly dismounted under close supervision from Jonathan, who explained how to gather the reins up in one hand and lead the horse back to the stable. Once or twice as they walked, Jonathan moved Billy’s fingers and edged him further away from the neck of the horse. Billy showed no fear, most probably because he was used to Molly, but she had never seen him this intent before. Molly had been with them for many years and was very loving and friendly, as long as you had plenty of carrots to keep her occupied. Still, Billy held the leather straps of the reins in gentle fingers as he concentrated on the instructions Jonathan gave him.
At the stables, she watched as he reluctantly handed the reins to a stable hand and waited until Percy disappeared from sight. It bothered Kat enormously to see the sadness on Billy’s face as he turned away. She didn’t want him to get too involved in things going on in the Hall. She wondered if Jonathan wanted Billy to join the staff when he was older. Although she couldn’t see any problem with him doing that; it would be a wonderfully secure job that paid well and would ensure that he could live locally while at work. It was the thought of being in contact with Jonathan when he finally settled down to someone of his own ilk, and had children with them that made her hesitate.
She quickly closed the thought out and turned to her brother, who thanked Jonathan for the impromptu riding lesson.
“Thank you,” Kat murmured respectfully.
Jonathan frowned at the politeness on Kat’s face and wondered what he had done to incur her annoyance this time. He had the distinct impression that she was displeased about something but had no idea what he had done wrong. She had a horse, and Billy had already admitted that they both rode it, so it couldn’t be that. Was there something else?
“Have you seen anything of Brian today?”
Kat shook her head. “Nothing, thankfully. I think they have gone to ground while the gossips do their worst,” she replied ruefully.
“I am sure that the gossips will have turned them all into quivering wrecks by now. Mr Hamilton-Smythe and I will pay them a visit later to put forward the bargain.”
“I cannot see any possibility of you getting their agreement,” Kat sighed. She wished they would allow wisdom to make their decision for them but doubted that Brian’s ego would allow him to give in without further provocation.
Jonathan merely smiled. “We will see. Thank you for coming to read to uncle. Are you available to read tomorrow?”
“I think so. Your uncle wants to get to the end of the next chapter apparently.”
“Good.” He turned to Billy. “If you come back with Kat, I will give you another riding lesson on Percy.”
He smiled when Billy began to hop up and down with excitement. The scolding on Kat’s lips remained unspoken as she watched Billy’s reaction to the offer. She hated to see the seriousness return. The Billy who stood before her now was the same young boy he had been prior to their father’s death. It was wonderful to have him back. Rather than put him off the idea, she clapped him on the shoulder she steered him firmly toward the driveway.
“Thank you,” she murmured quietly to Jonathan. The smile they shared shook her to her very foundations.
She still quivered when they arrived home, and found their mother in a state of agitated nervousness while the Excise men scoured the house.
CHAPTER TEN
Kat paused just inside the doorway and stared at the mess that was their sitting room. Chairs had been tipped on their sides, floor boards tugged up. She watched as two Excise men began to rifle through the contents of the cupboard in the kitchen.
“Are you alright?”
Agnes was clearly shaken and barely answered her. They moved across the room, through the kitchen and stood to watch Harrison and his associate, rummage through the storage room next to Molly’s stable. Kat’s temper surged when their belongings started to be thrown out of the stable into a haphazard pile in the middle of the garden.
“Hey!” Kat shouted. She glared angrily at Harrison as she stalked across the yard. “I am going to be report you to Hamilton-Smythe, if you carry on with this. I can understand you need to search, but I am damned if I will let even you destroy our personal property.”
Harrison turned toward her, his face twisted in a rage. “You will stand back and allow us to go about our government business. Hinder us and I will put you behind bars.”
“I have no intention of trying to hinder you, I am just saying that you don’t need to break everything you touch,” she snapped. She refused to be perturbed by the ruthless intent on his face.
She knew for certain now that the man had received information about when the smuggled cargo was due to arrive. For some reason he was determined to be the first to get his hands on the goods. A small tendril of suspicion began to unfurl in her mind and she watched as Harrison and his colleague slammed the stable door closed with a disgusted sigh. They shared a look and turned to Kat.
“Tell me where it is,” Harrison murmured in a silken voice that belied the hard glitter in his eyes. “We know you have the goods here somewhere. If you think for one moment that you are going to outsmart us then you can think again. We are perfectly at liberty to turn up whenever we choose: day or night, and you would do well to remember that. If you are caught with anything you shouldn’t have, or are implicated in the smuggling that we know is going on around these parts, then I will ensure that you receive the full weight of justice.”
Kat stared dispassionately at him and feigned boredom with a deep sigh. “I suggest you issue your threats to someone who deserves them. I am going to report your heavy handed tactics to Hamilton-Smythe. I am certain that nowhere in your duties does it say that you are at liberty to destroy innocent people’s property. Come into my house like this again and damage any of our belongings and I can assure you that you will be on the receiving end of justice for once. We know what you are up to, Harrison,” Kat warned coldly. “You will not get away with it.”
She watched as the man paused and turned to stare at her. She knew then that her suspicions were on the right track. The man was definitely up to something and she was fairly certain it had nothing to do with his need to bring smugglers to justice.
Her thoughts immediately turned to Brian Meldrew. He undoubtedly knew that she and her family had taken their fair share of smuggled goods. Was he the one who gave Harrison information about when the cargo had arrived? If so, why? Why would he betray the entire village? Alright, he was a little rodent who thrived on trouble, and always seemed to get away with his misdeeds. His behaviour had never been brought to the attention of
the magistrate. Was that because Harrison had agreed to protect him from the magistrate in exchange for information? She frowned and considered the man before her for a moment. He was certainly furtive and persistent enough. But was he looking for smuggled goods, or something else?
“I am just going about my duties, Miss Baird,” Harrison replied blithely.
“Then if you are completely satisfied that every inch of this house has been destroyed, I am sure that you have other houses to wreck.” She ignored her mother’s startled gasp as she followed Harrison through the house. Her fury was so strong that she physically trembled with the urge to shove the Excise man roughly out of the front door.
She hated to feel so helpless, and wondered whether this was what it felt like to be led away in chains. Her gaze flickered toward Hester’s house across the street, and Kat wondered how she bore such infringements on her personal space time and again. She could now understand Hester’s need to get away from the village and seek sanctuary at her mother’s farm.
The last Excise man hadn’t completely left the doorway when Kat slammed the door loudly behind them and turned to face the chaotic room with a huff.
“Kat, you really shouldn’t bait the man like that, you know. He will only be worse when he comes back next time,” Agnes scolded. She swept Billy into her arms and soothed him while she watched Kat begin to put the furniture back into position.
“I take it that you managed to secure everything?” She knew that mother and Billy had, or the Excise men would have found the goods. She frowned and considered the clean state of both of them. They hadn’t used the manure pile by the looks of it, but never mind. At least they, and the goods, were completely safe now.
“I don’t know, Kat,” Agnes sighed when Billy had settled down and they all began to put the house back together. “I think I have just about had enough of this game.”
“What do you mean?” Kat froze and looked at Billy, who stared blankly back at her. They both turned to look at their mother.
“I mean that we cannot keep doing this. There is far too much at risk. If we were ever caught, one of us, if not all of us, would end up in jail.”
“We need the money though,” Kat replied.
“We can do without it Kat. We will have our freedom and can live secure with the knowledge that the money we earn is legitimate, and we will have nothing to fear when Harrison and his men come to inspect us.”
Kat couldn’t find argument with that and merely continued to restack the cupboard with a little too much care. It gave her time to think. She wouldn’t be all that sorry not to have to go down onto the beach in the middle of the night, and get thoroughly soaked while she dragged heavy barrels, crates and things ashore. In the summer it wasn’t too bad. In winter, it was back-breaking misery. Although she would never say as much in front of Billy, at some point the temptation would prove too much for him and he would sneak out despite their best efforts to keep him away, and he would join the smugglers on the beach. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him; either prison or injury.
“What do we do if we stop though? I mean, we can continue to run the market, and we can just about get by with my wages from the tavern, but we need the extra income.”
“We can make a few cut backs on our purchases,” Agnes argued.
“We live frugally enough as it is.” She didn’t want to argue in favour of them continuing to smuggle, but they couldn’t really afford to cut back any more than they already did. They didn’t starve by any stretch of the imagination but they didn’t have much in the way of luxuries either. They survived, just the same as every Cornish family did in the height of England’s war with the French.
“Well, we have enough put by to purchase more fruit and vegetables to sell at market. Our suppliers can provide us with more stock and we can afford the extra,” Agnes sighed, and slumped down in a chair wearily, as though just the mere thought of all of the additional stock left her exhausted.
Kat studied her mother carefully. It was the first time she had seen her mother almost defeated and could sympathise with the responsibilities, fears and worries Agnes had. While the thought of extra stock and more legitimately earned money was good, they couldn’t lose sight of the fact that Molly wasn’t getting any younger. At some point they would need to buy another horse to be able to continue to take their goods to market. A new horse would cost them a pretty penny and would undoubtedly wipe out the meagre amount of money that they had managed to save.
“Before we decide for definite, let’s break up the goods we do have and store it ready for tomorrow’s market,” Kat suggested with a sigh.
“We are not going to break those goods up while Harrison is in the area,” Agnes snapped and glared at her daughter. Kat was sometimes so much like her father that it made her heart bleed. She was so stalwart in the face of adversity that Agnes often wondered where she got her inner strength from. Even now, as outraged as she was by the callousness of the Excise men, there was a forthright determination in her that was so like her father that Agnes wanted to cry.
Since dear Frank had passed, life had lost its sparkle and joy, and had been replaced by a weary expectancy that had beleaguered her every step. The only things that had kept her going were the market, and the two people standing before her now. She would protect them with her life, and couldn’t help but wonder what Frank would say if he knew that she had allowed their children to be drawn into a life of crime.
“Let’s get the house cleared and then we can have some lunch. I don’t know about you but I am starving,” Kat sighed. She nudged Billy into the kitchen before her and left Agnes to silently contemplate the empty grate in the hearth.
“Do you think she is alright?” Billy whispered and into the sitting room.
“I think she is just very tired, Billy, and she has a point about the smuggling. If I am honest, I think we would be better to stop too.” She saw Billy’s instinctive protest and waited for his argument, but none came. Instead, he stared thoughtfully down the stairs before he nodded before he disappeared outside.
After they had eaten and ensured that the Excise men had left the street, Kat began to unpack the boxes from the back of the drawers in her room. Billy started to take them downstairs to Agnes, who waited with paper and string. Together they broke the boxes of tea into smaller packets that were carefully stored back in their hiding places. They completed the same process with the bolts of cloth, which were cut to order, and the barrels of brandy, which were poured into bottles and jars they had purloined from Harry at the tavern. It was a small industry in its own right, and Kat was rather proud of their accomplishments. Still, she knew that they couldn’t carry on for much longer. Harrison was becoming more and more determined to catch someone in the village, and they had to be more and more careful that the person he caught wasn’t any one of them.
A tiny shiver of guilt swept through her at the thought of what Jonathan’s reaction would be if he ever found out what they were up to. She hadn’t exactly lied to him outright, but she hadn’t taken him into her confidence either. She knew he would either be angry or disgusted. Either way, if he did work for the government as he claimed, he would have to report their activities to his best friend, Mr Hamilton-Smythe. It would be ironic if they escaped the persistent harassment of Harrison, and his men, only to be turned in by the one man they had come to trust.
Late that afternoon, a commotion outside the house drew everyone’s attention. Mrs Barnaby was hurrying down to the harbour in floods of tears, and was accompanied by a small group of people who looked as harried as the fisherman’s wife.
Kat’s immediate thoughts turned to Harrison. Had he caught someone with illegal goods?
“Quick! One of the trawlers has come back and there is a problem,” someone cried.
Kat looked at her mother and they hurried down to the harbour side along with everyone else. They stopped at the edge of the crowd and watched as the body of Mr Barnaby was taken off
his boat. Brian, visibly shaken, sat on the harbour side with a bucket between his knees.
“What happened?” Agnes asked Harry, who moved to stand beside them.
“He fell over apparently and landed on his fishing knife. He didn’t die but the cut was deep. They didn’t get him back to the harbour on time.”
Kat frowned at that and doubted it was an accurate version of events. Mr Barnaby was a fifth generation fisherman. Men with his experience didn’t make amateurish mistakes like that. Accidents with fishing knives were something a young deckhand would have in the middle of a storm tossed sea. Today the waters were calm and winds were virtually non-existent.
They stood back respectfully while the boat’s crew carried Mr Barnaby’s body toward his house. His wife wept quietly on her neighbour’s shoulder as she followed her husband’s corpse home. A subdued silence settled over everyone as they waited respectfully until the procession disappeared from view. Once the group was gone, some of the locals remained around the harbour side to chatter, while others quietly ambled away.
As Kat began to make her way home, she turned back to cast one last look at the harbour side. Her gaze landed on Brian, who still held the bucket while he studied her. The malicious gleam in his eye unnerved her but rather than let him know how much he disturbed her, threw him a dirty look and hurried up the hill to catch up with her mother and Billy. She couldn’t help but wonder whether Brian had been involved in Mr Barnaby’s demise but then immediately dismissed the notion. Brian was a bully; someone who thrived on being able to pick on those he considered weaker and smaller than he was. He wasn’t a cold blooded and ruthless killer.
My Lord Deceived Page 13