My Lord Deceived

by King, Rebecca

  She tugged her hat low on her brow and wished she was back at home in bed. Guilt still weighed heavily on her. She had promised Jonathan she would remain at home yet here she was, on a beach with a group of the very people he was trying to eradicate. The thought of his reaction if he ever found out what she was up to made her squirm. There was no way out of her commitment though. She had promised the others that she would take part in one last operation, and that was exactly what she had to do.

  At least tonight was the last night.

  Jonathan felt the soft thud of footsteps and turned to watch Stephen move into position. He studied the procession of people head down toward the beach and made a mental note of those he recognised, and tried to remember as much detail as he could of those he didn’t. There were twenty of them all in all, along with four people who stood with the horses on the beach, and at least six look-outs on the top of the cliffs.

  He studied the last person carefully. It was the person with the flat cap he hadn’t been able to get a proper look at the last time he had watched them. Whoever it was had a quick conversation with Harry but, given that there was very little moonlight, it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female under all that heavy clothing.

  While he had searched Kat’s house yesterday, he had not found any unusual attire except for some old men’s clothing in her mother’s room. Were they the same as the ones the unknown person wore tonight? He wasn’t sure, but he was damned near positive he could remember that flat cap somewhere before, and it wasn’t just on the beach the first time he saw the smugglers.

  He watched them all take their places to await the boats. As soon as the signal was given and the dozy patrol had wandered uselessly past, he slipped next to Rupert.

  “The one in the flat cap is mine,” he whispered. He gave Rupert a pointed look. Rupert rolled his eyes and peered over the edge to look at the figure Jonathan believed was Kat. From this distance it was impossible to tell but he relied on his friend’s powers of observation and gave him a swift nod of acknowledgement.

  Jonathan moved around to Stephen who was on the main pathway off the beach. He was in position and waited to waylay the horses when they left the beach.

  “The flat cap is mine,” Jonathan growled.

  “We have company,” Stephen whispered. He nodded once toward a thick patch of hedgerow further along the cliff. Jonathan lifted his brows when Stephen gave him a description of Brian Meldrew and Colin.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if Brian was the one who had chosen to tip Harrison off. If so, what was his motive? He was busy on Mr Barnaby’s boats surely to goodness? Why would he enter an agreement with an Excise man? Unless he had secrets of his own he wished to keep, and Harrison knew and wanted in on the smuggling operation.

  “See where they head to. If they go for the cargo, arrest them. If not, follow them. I want to know why they are spying,” Jonathan ordered. He knew that Archie and Simon were in position but daren’t head toward them. Instead he wriggled backward to take up his own position just above the person who wore the flat cap.

  “Do you know them?” Stephen asked as he glanced toward Brian.

  “I most certainly do. The dark haired one likes to use a flick knife, so watch him.”

  Jonathan continued to wriggle back and made his way down the narrow path toward the far end of the beach, closest to where the person with the flat cap was waiting. He suspected that if it was Kat, she would run home at the first sight of imminent capture and he had every intention of waylaying her departure.

  She was his, and he wasn’t going to allow her to escape.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Everyone waited in nervous anticipation for what seemed an age before the first shadows of the boats began to form into solid shapes as they drew closer to the shore. They seemed to have battled with the tides for hours. Jonathan wondered how long they would try before they finally surrendered to the powers of the ocean. Even from several feet away, he could hear their grunts and shouts as the crew tried to row in unison against the oceanic fury.

  All at once, a huge wave appeared to rumble toward them. The rolled top broke into white caps that grew and grew with menacing intent as it rolled further inland. Cries and shouts were quashed by the wave as it landed directly onto the boats and obliterated them from view.

  “God, they are all gone,” Harry cried. He lifted his lantern to try to see better and didn’t notice that the tide had risen onto the beach to soak his boots. Everyone remained perfectly still and stared at the spot where the boats had disappeared. Barrels and boxes began to bob to the surface, some of which began to slowly move closer to the smugglers while others were dragged back out to sea.

  “We have to save them,” Charlie shouted. Several of the rowers bobbed about on the water. Their arms waved desperately as they tried to shout for help. Despite the foreign language, their cries for mercy were unmistakeable to everyone. Immediately, half of the smugglers formed a human chain and started to battle the surf in a desperate attempt at a rescue. The other half tried to grab the cargo that floated to stop it hitting the men in the water. Eventually, three of the Frenchmen were caught and hauled to safety, but the smugglers weren’t fast enough to save the other two, who disappeared into the darkness. Their cries grew weaker and weaker, and disappeared altogether within minutes. As soon as they had hauled the last two sailors ashore, they turned their attention to recovering whatever cargo they could get hold of.

  Kat was exhausted. She struggled to gain her feet against the strong currents that shifted the sand beneath her feet. Once or twice she stumbled, and was helped upright by a hand on her elbow.

  Jonathan flicked a signal and lunged to his feet. He didn’t need to glance at the flurry of movement further down the beach to know that Simon had broken his cover. Archie would ensure that the path off the beach was blocked while Stephen moved forward to ensure that the horses didn’t leave.

  Together, in spite of the fact that they were going against their operational orders, Simon and Jonathan waded into the sea to help bring everything home. The sooner everyone got to safety, the less likelihood there would be of a death tonight.

  Rain pelted down around them. He watched the hat fly off and disappear on a tide of darkness. The sight of Kat’s wild mane of hair was all he needed to see. He cursed fluidly when she began to be dragged backward as the wave returned to the sea. He ran the last few steps to get to her before she disappeared into the darkness after her hat. With a curse, he grabbed the collar of her jumper in a fierce grip and hauled her to her feet.

  Kat gasped and coughed against the sea water that stung her throat. She realised that she was standing on tip-toe and shook sea water out of her eyes only to freeze in horror as she stared directly into Jonathan’s stark face.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Saving your miserable backside, woman,” Jonathan snarled and hauled into her arms. He ignored her protests and snarled at two of the smugglers who tried to intervene when he started to drag her unceremoniously out of the sea. He didn’t stop until she was on dry sand. Once there, he dropped her and watched her stagger as she tried to gain her footing, but made no move to help her.

  He was so furious right now that he struggled to contain the urge to thump something. He turned to watch Archie pound down the beach toward them to join in the chain that struggled to bring the cargo to shore. While they each had their duties to perform, tonight’s rough seas meant that this had turned into a battle for survival. The chain of men stretched further out to sea than was wise but they were too far out to be told to return. The noise of the waves drowned out even the loudest shout. Everyone resorted to measured looks and hand gestures that were barely visible through the gloom.

  A faint cry from the far end of the chain drew everyone’s attention and they all stared at the sight of arms far out in the sea as the man was dragged relentlessly toward his death. The chain of people stretched as far as possible and, at the last moment,
managed to capture the man’s arm to haul him to safety.

  Jonathan decided that enough was enough and drew his gun. He pointed it into the air and released a shot. Everyone turned to stare at him, and he waved his arms to order everyone out of the sea. Simon and Archie moved to stand on either side of the group, and were prepared to block anyone who tried to run for freedom.

  Eventually, the last man broke free of the surf and staggered to join the group. Everyone was soaked and completely miserable. One or two of the smugglers tried to object and waved toward the valuable cargo that slowly but surely disappeared into the sea. Their objections were soon quashed by the rest of the group though, who stood in bedraggled silence and stared at Jonathan.

  “It’s not worth dying for,” Jonathan warned. He waved his gun meaningfully at one man who eyed one of the brandy barrels with too much interest.

  “It’s worth a lot of money to us.”

  “Move it and you are going to jail,” Simon snarled as he shoved the man roughly back into the group.

  Kat remained silent and stared at Jonathan. She had never felt so sick or frightened in her entire life. A wave of shame swept through her. She wished that the sand would open up and swallow her whole. He had yet to speak to her, but she could sense the unmitigated fury that positively radiated from him.

  Rupert appeared in the pathway. He signalled that the pathway was secure. Seconds later, Stephen appeared on the main pathway and gave Jonathan the same gesture. Jonathan had no idea what he had done with Brian and his friends but, at that moment, didn’t really care. Right now he still battled with the image of Kat, waist deep in the sea. She could so easily have drowned. He was livid.

  “Right, you are all smugglers, and as such have to be dealt with accordingly.”

  “Are you going to arrest us?”

  “Move,” Simon growled. He waved the group toward the tavern.

  With a sigh, the group shuffled in that direction. Despite their curiosity, nobody spoke as they left the beach and headed toward the town in the single file that Archie and Simon insisted on. At the far end of the beach, Stephen took over the horses and led them toward the cliff. He would circle them around and take them back through the town. Jonathan studied Kat’s back as she walked before him. He shook his head and wondered if his plan had been such a good idea after all.

  It was only the sight of the guns that Jonathan and his men held that kept everyone quiet. They all knew that their situation was dire. Were they going to be held in the tavern before they were carted off to jail?

  Kat swallowed and thought of her brother and mother back at home. She sent them a mental apology and felt the sting of tears that mingled with the sea salt on her lashes. There was nothing she could say to Jonathan, and didn’t blame him for his anger. Her humiliation was complete, and there was not much that she could say to excuse her behaviour. The fact that this would be the last time she was involved in smuggling could not be proven, and would hold no weight in court when she appeared for her trial. They had been caught red handed, and there was nothing any one of them could say to excuse that fact.

  Once in the tavern, everyone took a seat and waited for Jonathan to lock the main doors. Stephen and Archie stood beside the bar. With a glance at Jonathan, Harry moved behind the bar and poured everyone a liberal measure of rum which Simon handed out to the group. Once everyone was settled, they all turned to Jonathan. Nobody made any attempt to escape, or ask any questions, or even excuse their behaviour. They knew that at this point, there was little any of them could say or do to make situations any different; or their futures any brighter.

  Kat couldn’t bring herself to look at Jonathan and, thankfully, he made no attempt to speak to her. She studied her soggy boots instead, but was acutely aware of him as he moved to stand at the bar. He turned to face them and studied each person in turn.

  “You all know what you have been doing is highly illegal.” He didn’t bother to hide the disgust in his voice. His eyes locked on Kat, and he wondered what was going through her mind. Was she worried? Was she scared? He hoped so.

  “What are you going to do with us?” Charlie called from his habitual seat at the end of the bar.

  “He is going to send us to jail, you idiot,” someone replied dourly.

  “You are smugglers. You deserve to go to prison,” Simon announced. He crossed his arms and leaned his hips against the bar in a casual pose that belied the tension in the air.

  “We are only trying to earn a living,” someone else argued. “With the taxes so high it is hard to even put food on the table.”

  “You wouldn’t understand that. You are a nabob from a wealthy family,” a woman cried from her stool. She glanced around her and nodded at the rumbles of agreement that swept over the crowd.

  “We have children to feed. Please don’t send us to jail,” another woman pleaded, and began to sob quietly into her apron. Jonathan studied her for a moment before he turned his gaze to Simon.

  “We work for His Majesty’s government. We are here to rid the coast of smugglers and protect the coastline from French invasion,” Simon sighed.

  “We haven’t seen any Frenchies,” Harry replied in horror. “We don’t smuggle people.”

  “Not yet, but how long do you think it will be before they realise that smugglers work this part of the coast and decide to send a Frenchman or two for you to help ashore? What then? Serving a prison sentence for smuggling is considerably better than being hung for treason.”

  “We haven’t smuggled any Frenchmen,” Harry replied. “It’s just brandy, sugar, tea and cloth mainly, most of which we use ourselves. We struggle to put food on the table without the extra money the smuggling brings us. Show us some mercy, my lord.” His plea was chorused with cries of ‘here here’ and ‘aye’.

  Jonathan waited until silence settled over the anxious crowd again. “I am prepared to strike a bargain with you.” He knew he could offer them a deal because he had received a missive from Hugo before everyone had left Dentham Hall. It gave Jonathan permission to deal with the villagers in any way he deemed appropriate. In return, Hugo asked for Harrison to be sent down to Bodmin for questioning. He hadn’t explained why, but Jonathan suspected that Harrison was involved in illegal activities that went far beyond Bentney on Sea, or a few stolen barrels of brandy. Some of his activities must have strayed onto the Star Elite’s remit if Hugo knew about him and wanted to see him personally.

  “Why should we strike a deal with you?” Charlie demanded.

  “Because we can stop you from getting arrested,” Simon drawled.

  Jonathan moved a stool and sat beside Kat. Although he made no attempt to touch her, or even look at her, his presence beside her left her feeling scared and off-kilter. His actions made it clear that she was under the protection of the Star Elite.

  Kat could feel the curious gazes of the rest of the smugglers on her but daren’t look up.

  “You betrayed us?” Norman cried with a mixture of disbelief and anger on his face.

  “No, she didn’t,” Jonathan replied and glared at Norman. “She has denied all knowledge of smuggling and has lied to protect you. We have been in the area to investigate Harrison from Excise.”

  Rumblings went through everyone.

  “He is a scoundrel, that one,” Norman replied, somewhat mollified that Kat had played her part. Although Kat could still feel everyone’s curiosity, she knew that they were still unsure of her involvement with Jonathan.

  “What do you want us for?”

  “We want to offer you a bargain,” Simon drawled. “We will spare you jail, if you do something for us in return.”

  “If we don’t?” Harry demanded. He stared at each member of the Star Elite in turn.

  “You go to jail and face the consequences,” Jonathan snapped.

  He was aware of Kat as she sniffed and shivered beside him, but couldn’t take his eyes off the restless crowd. The tension within the tavern had risen tenfold to the point that at any mom
ent he could have anarchy on his hands, and then they would all be in a mess because there weren’t enough of the Star Elite to contain the angry smugglers. He was fairly certain that they could be withheld through gunfire, but that would draw the attention of the rest of the villagers, and Harrison if he was in the area, and the last thing Jonathan needed was Excise turning up.

  “What happens if we do help you? What do you want us to do?”

  “You help to capture Harrison and, as long as you cease all smuggling activities with immediate effect, you are free to go about your way,” Jonathan replied firmly.

  “You won’t report us to the authorities?”

  “We are the authorities,” Archie growled. “We will arrest you and ensure that you are all transported to Bodmin if you don’t comply.” His tone was so matter of fact that he could have been discussing the weather, but it was his direct gaze that commanded everyone’s attention.

  “As long as your daily business doesn’t include receiving or selling smuggled cargo, then you can forget all about tonight and any potential repercussions,” Simon added dourly.

  “I strongly advise you all to find something legal to replenish your purses because I promise you now that I will be continually on the look-out for smuggling about these parts from now on. If I find any one of you involved in any way, you will be off to Bodmin faster than you can spit,” Jonathan assured them.

  “What do you want us to do?” Harry sighed.

  “Firstly, who is the person who organises the drops?”

  Silence settled for a moment. Everyone looked at each other before a bearded man stepped forward. “It is Nigel Hawkshurst.” Everyone gasped and twittered. The Hawkshurst family were notorious throughout Cornwall for their illegal activities. “I don’t know where he gets his information from, but he approached us to tell us that a ship was nearby and had this cargo. I got some people together and we decided to accept the shipment. It arrived at the time stated with all of the goods intact. It has evolved over the last two years.”