The Traitor's Club: Ford

by Laura Landon

  “Yes,” Callie said. “But what is in the second chest? The chest Grantly was to carry off the ship and place in the hole beneath the bench?”

  “That chest would most likely have contained the gold coins the captain got for the sale of the opium in China,” Ford explained. “And it would have been gold, not bank notes, because they wouldn’t have risked the trail the paper money would leave, the record of a transaction by one of the crew at—what, Callie? What banks do you work with?”

  “Bank of Bengal in India and Mercantile Bank of China.”

  “So,” the admiral said, “the person behind the smuggling operation never steals from the shipping company. His money comes directly from the sale of opium. And the captain falsifies the bill of lading to make it appear the goods were sold for a poor price. But in actuality it was a very good price. It was just fewer goods than the manifest says, because the crew off-loaded some to make room in the hold for the opium the captain buys in India or Bangkok and smuggles into China.”

  “But how can he know that Captain Fletcher and Palmer aren’t cheating him?” Lord Dunhurst asked. “They could remove some of the money before they give over the chest.”

  “No, that would be impossible,” Callie explained. “Gold coin is the only form of payment the Chinese authorities will accept. When I send payment, I put the agreed-upon amount of gold coin in a locked chest. That chest is then sealed and not opened until the sale is made. But in return, authorities pay for goods we export to them in bank notes. The amount is put in a chest along with the bill of lading and sealed.”

  “But couldn’t someone break the seal on the trip out, remove some of the gold, then reseal the chest?” Lord Dunhurst asked.

  Callie shook her head. “I put my seal on the manifest that’s placed inside the chest, then lock it. The seal on the outside of the chest must match the seal on the manifest. The same is done after the sale. The seal is placed on the bill of lading, then locked inside the chest with the payment. So the captain has to be colluding with the Chinese or Indian merchant to falsify the bill of lading and claim more goods were delivered than really were.”

  “And they wouldn’t trade the opium for bank notes. They’d never be able to exchange the notes in England without getting found out. So it has to be gold.”

  “The question is,” the admiral asked, “how are we going to catch the person behind the smuggling operation?”

  Ford smiled. “Now that we know how our smuggler does it, we should be able to catch him without much risk.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Ford spent the next two days and nights at Hugh Wythers’ townhouse. He had two reasons for staying away from his residence. The first was that he couldn’t be sure Fletcher believed that he was dead and that he wouldn’t post a lookout to watch his townhouse for any sign of activity. The second was that he needed to work with Hugh to formulate a plan to trap the smuggler.

  He wanted this over. He needed to explain everything to Callie before she found out from someone else that Her Majesty had offered him the admiral’s share of The Crown’s Shipping Company if he discovered who was stealing from her.

  But more importantly, he wanted her to know that he no longer wanted the admiral’s share. That he intended to tell Her Majesty that the shipping company needed to stay with the admiral, and from him pass down to the admiral’s heir . . . which would be Callie.

  Or, if Ford were fortunate enough to convince Callie to marry him, maybe they could run the shipping company together and use part of the profits to help the wounded soldiers who’d returned with no hope of a future.

  He looked out the window again, hoping for her arrival. The street was still empty.

  “Has Lady Calinda arrived yet?” Hugh asked from the doorway.

  “Not yet, but she should be here any moment.”

  “What will we do if she doesn’t have word of the second clipper’s arrival?”

  “She’ll invent another repair that needs to be made to the Night’s Lady. Callie knows how important it is that the Night’s Lady doesn’t set sail before the Wayward docks. We can’t let either clipper leave before we discover who’s behind the smuggling operation.”

  “Who do you think it is?” Hugh asked.

  This was the question everyone had asked from the moment they’d discovered someone was using the clippers to smuggle opium. They still had no answer.

  “It has to be someone with a knowledge of the ships and the routes they take to deliver their goods. It has to be someone whose presence at the docks and especially at Crown’s doesn’t draw notice.”

  “I was sure it was Grantly,” Hugh said, sitting down behind the large oak desk where several maps were still laid out.

  “So was I,” Ford answered. “But now there’s only one possibility. Except I hate to think that I’m right.”

  Ford’s comment drew Hugh’s attention, and he lifted his head. “Who? Who do you think it is?”

  “Do you remember Callie speaking of Viscount Shatterly?”

  “He was the admiral’s first mate, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes. The two have been friends since childhood, then joined the service together. They served on the same battleship, and Shatterly was with Barclave when they fought alongside Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.”

  “But why? What reason could he have for smuggling opium?”

  Ford shook his head. He couldn’t imagine why Lord Shatterly would do such a thing. But if he was correct, they would soon learn the reason.

  Ford pulled back the drapery at the window to see if Callie had arrived.

  “You have it bad,” Hugh said with a smile on his face.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes you do. I’m talking about Lady Calinda. You’ve fallen in love with her.”

  Ford opened his mouth to deny Hugh’s accusation, then stopped his words. Hugh was right. He did love her. For the first time in his life he had to admit that he’d found someone he knew he couldn’t live without. He’d found the one person who made his life complete. Who filled in the emptiness in his heart and repaired the parts of his soul that needed mending.

  The woman who made him yearn for a future where he woke up every morning to find Callie in bed beside him, never so far away that he couldn’t reach out his arms and gather her to him.

  “I never thought I’d find anyone like her,” Ford admitted with a sheepish smile. He walked over to the large leather wing chair placed before the desk where Hugh sat and sank down into the cushions. “I never imagined there was anyone out there so perfect.”

  “What do you get out of this, Ford? What reward is Her Majesty willing to offer for finding out who is behind the smuggling operation?”

  Ford hesitated. He didn’t want to admit to anyone the reward Thrush had offered him. He no longer had any intention of accepting it. But he couldn’t keep such information from one of his best friends.

  Ford propped his arms on his thighs and stared down at his feet. “The half interest Admiral Barclave has in Crown’s.”

  “Bloody hell, man.”

  Ford shot to his feet. “I know.” He paced to the fireplace and looked down at the lifeless ashes.

  “Does Lady Calinda know this?”

  “I know I have to tell her, but I just haven’t found the right time yet.”

  “I doubt she’ll take the news well.”

  “I know, but I’ll have to make her understand.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Calinda said from the doorway. “She’ll never understand.”

  Ford spun to face her. He expected Callie to turn on her heel and rush from the house. He considered that she might lift the nearest object and hurl it at him. He even thought she might be overset with emotion and begin to cry. But she did none of those things.

  “Callie—”

  With a penetrating stare, she lifted her hand to stop his words. Then, her shoulders fell as if she were preparing to deal with an unavoidable
tragedy, and she walked forward.

  Ford didn’t approach her. He knew his touch would not be welcome.

  She reached one of the matching leather wing chairs that flanked the desk and sat with her hands locked in her lap and her eyes focused straight ahead.

  Ford made his way across the room and sat next to her.

  “Perhaps you should explain your role in this deception, Captain Remington. What exactly you were hired to do.”

  Her accusation was a bitter pill to swallow. Her use of his title tore through his chest. The pain he felt was nearly unbearable. “Callie, I—”

  “Calinda, Captain. Lady Calinda.”

  Ford closed his eyes. It was impossible to meet Hugh’s gaze. Impossible to believe this was happening. This wasn’t how he intended for her to find out. He swallowed past the lump in his throat, then began.

  “I was approached by a representative of Her Majesty shortly before we met. Her Majesty had noticed a gradual decline in the profits from Crown’s.”

  “Did Her Majesty suspect the admiral?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Then . . .” Her hands tightened in her lap. “I see,” she said.

  “Her Majesty suspected no one, Call—Lady Calinda. As one of Her Majesty’s former officers—”

  “As a spy,” she corrected.

  “Yes, as one of Her Majesty’s former spies, I was asked to look into the situation.”

  “And your reward for discovering the thief would be half interest in Crown’s. The half interest you intended to steal from my grandfather.”

  “No. I had no intention of taking anything from your grandfather. If I discovered the guilty party, I told Her Majesty’s representative I had no intention of stepping into your grandfather’s shoes until he was ready to give over control.”

  “How magnanimous of you,” Callie said.

  “Callie, don’t.”

  “Lieutenant Wythers,” she said, focusing her gaze on Hugh behind the desk. “What plans have you and the captain considered in order to discover who is behind the smuggling?”

  Hugh sat forward, then gave Ford a glancing look of regret. “Captain Remington and I have discussed several possibilities.”

  “But the one you think will provide the best result is?”

  “Have you had word on when the Wayward is expected to dock?”

  “Yes, she was sighted a day out of London. She should arrive some time tomorrow.”

  “Excellent. It’s probable that everything will proceed as before. Lord Grantly will visit the docks and take the chest of gold coin Captain Palmer hands over to him. Then tomorrow night he will exchange the chest he received from Captain Palmer with the chest and packet he finds beneath the bench in Hyde Park. Only this time, Captain Remington and I will be waiting to see who comes to pick up the chest Grantly leaves.”

  Callie nodded. Ford could see that she approved of their plan. “You know the admiral will insist on being there to discover the identity of the person who’s been stealing from him.”

  Hugh smiled. “We assumed as much.”

  “And I will be there with him.”

  “No!” Ford objected.

  Callie turned her head and leveled him the harshest expression he’d ever seen her give anyone. “You have no say in where I go, Captain, or what I do.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” Ford answered, even though he knew arguing with her would get him nowhere. She had a kind of strength unlike any he’d known among the women in his life.

  She managed in a trade where even some men wouldn’t venture. She spent her days in a shipping office on the docks, working with sailors and seamen and merchants and common laborers. She held her own in a world that women of her class didn’t even know existed. What made him think she would accept his concern for her safety?

  Callie turned away from Ford and spoke to Hugh as if he were the only person in the room. “I assume you have a suspect in mind,” she said. “Who do you think is smuggling opium? One of the captains?”

  Hugh shifted his gaze to Ford, asking if he wanted him to answer. Ford nodded that he did.

  “The most likely person is Lord Shatterly.”

  “No. I told Captain Remington that Viscount Shatterly wouldn’t betray the admiral like that. He’s returned from the country and spent the entire day at the shipping office with the admiral. If you could see the camaraderie between the two lifelong friends, you would realize how impossible it is that Lord Shatterly would do something so traitorous.” Callie shook her head. “It has to be someone else.”

  Hugh looked at Ford with a helpless expression on his face. Ford could only shrug his shoulders in answer to Hugh’s silent plea.

  “Perhaps it is,” Hugh finally said in a conciliatory tone. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Callie gave Hugh a curt nod, then rose to leave. “May I tell the admiral what your intentions are?” she asked.

  “By all means,” Hugh said. “But please emphasize how important it is that he not say anything to anyone about tomorrow night. Particularly Viscount Shatterly, although you are certain of his innocence.”

  “You may rely upon his discretion.”

  With that, Callie turned to leave.

  Ford watched her cross the room. He knew he couldn’t let her leave like this. He knew she wasn’t simply walking out of the room. She was walking out of his life. And once she left, he’d never get her back.

  “Callie,” he said when she reached the door.

  She stopped, but she didn’t turn to face him. “We have nothing to say to each other, Captain.”

  “Please, at least let me explain.”

  She turned. “Explain what, Captain? That you didn’t use me to gain access to my grandfather? That your intentions weren’t to take the one pleasure he had in his life away from him? Away from me?”

  She turned to leave but stopped when she’d taken only a few steps and turned back to face him. “I should have known,” she said, leveling him a hostile glare. “I should have known you weren’t to be trusted any more than any other man I’ve ever met. I shouldn’t have forgotten,” she said as she walked out of his life.

  CHAPTER 16

  Ford stayed hidden in a small copse of manicured trees near the bench where Lord Grantly was to make the exchange. Hugh stood watch on the opposite side of the clearing. To make sure the person behind the opium smuggling didn’t get away, Ford had recruited the other two members of their little club of traitors, Jeb Danvers and Caleb Parker.

  The four of them had worked together through many dangerous missions and knew one another as well as it was possible for any four humans to do so. Ford felt comfortable that when this night was over, the smuggler would be caught and his life would resume as it had once been. Except he knew that was impossible. There would be nothing to go back to if Callie wasn’t a part of his life.

  He’d sent a letter trying to explain that she hadn’t heard the entire conversation. That he could never have taken over Crown’s until the admiral was ready to retire. That after he’d met her and realized how important the ships and the company were to her, he could never have separated her from them.

  But the letter had come back unopened.

  He’d said everything he could think of to make her realize he would never have done anything to harm the admiral. And somewhere deep inside him, he had to believe she already knew that. Somewhere deep inside him, he knew the ships weren’t the problem.

  Ford leaned against one of the trees behind which he was hiding. The thought of him assuming ownership of the shipping office wasn’t what cut Callie to the bone. The reason she’d turned her back on him was that he’d lied to her. He’d deceived her. Just as the other man she’d loved had done.

  Ford hoped that in time Callie would see things differently. That she’d realize she would never have been allowed to be solely in charge of the shipping company for Her Majesty. He was sure she would understand. But he wasn’t sure she could ever forgive his deception.


  Ford closed his eyes and listened to the silence. Lord Grantly had already exchanged the chests, taken the packet of money, replaced the stone over the hiding place, and left the park. All they had to do now was wait for the head of the smuggling ring to show up and get the chest.

  Ford considered how devastated the admiral would be if the man behind the smuggling ring was his friend Viscount Shatterly. But all the evidence suggested that it was.

  A twig snapped in the distance, and every nerve in Ford’s body jolted. He didn’t move but listened to the footsteps as they neared the bench and then stopped.

  Ford was tempted to turn to see who the offender was but forced himself to wait a little longer. Long enough that the culprit had time to remove the chest Grantly had placed in the hole.

  He heard the rock move, then counted to three before he turned and stepped out from behind the tree.

  Hugh stepped out from where he’d been hiding, followed by Jeb and Caleb. The four had pistols pointed at Viscount Shatterly.

  “Step away from the bench, my lord,” Ford said, “and place the chest on the ground.”

  Lord Shatterly did as he was told. He stepped to the middle of the walking path, then placed the chest on the ground in front of him. When he rose to his full height, he looked around at the four men surrounding him . . . then laughed.

  “I wondered how long I’d get away with this,” he said in a humorous tone as his feet shuffled as they were wont to do. “It’s been nearly three years. I didn’t expect my run to last so long.”

  Before Ford could respond, Admiral Barclave stepped out from the shadows. Callie was at his side, along with her father and her brother.

  “George?”

  Ford couldn’t see the admiral’s face clearly, but his shock was plain from the sound of surprise in his voice.

  “Oh, Admiral, this is rich. You didn’t suspect me, did you?”

  Admiral Barclave took several steps closer. Callie stayed at his side as if it were her responsibility to protect him.