by Rebecca King
‘I don’t really know her,’ he murmured.
‘Then take a few days to get to know her. You don’t have to do everything in a few days, you know. You have the rest of your life. What I would recommend is that if you are truly not sure if it is her you want, let her stay here so you know where to find her when you do make your mind up. She can call this house a home while we sort out returning her money to her. At least with her finances restored she will be able to make a few choices about where she wants to live. You can then go your separate ways and decide what to do about this house. You are not duty bound to offer for her, provide for her for the rest of your natural lives, or take her to wife. We have all done everything we can to help her with the difficult situation the people she thought she could rely on had put her in. The rest is up to her.’ Callum grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. ‘After all, there is nothing to say that she would be daft enough to take you for a husband.’
‘I thought you had gone to the gaol,’ Phillip smiled.
‘Angus and Justin have taken them,’ Callum replied. ‘I am off to the village with Oliver.’
Phillip grinned and turned to study the house again. ‘This connection I have to Carlotta feels right. I have never met anybody like her. She has been through so much and is stronger than most but seems so vulnerable at times it makes me wonder how she has survived. When we were being chased, Carlotta didn’t scream or get angry, she just did as I asked her to do and went with me. She placed her faith and trust in me.’
‘Maybe you should put your faith and trust in her then, and trust that she won’t hurt you either. Nobody has any guarantees in a marriage; that no matter how much you work at it you will both find the happiness you are after. There is nothing to say that there won’t be days when you wish you weren’t married. There may be days when you want to just have a few peaceful moments to yourself, especially if you have children bouncing on your knee, clamouring for your attention. However, just think of the wonderful, fun times you might have. You will always have someone waiting for you when you do come home. You will always have someone you can confide in and talk to, someone who will know who you are behind closed doors when you are truly yourself. There will always be someone by your side helping you through the harder times in life.’
‘Do you regret marrying Mallory?’ Phillip asked.
Callum sighed. ‘In all honesty, no. It isn’t regret. There are times when I have wondered if it is the right decision. We spend so much of our time facing danger that I have wondered if a family is possible, but each day I spend with her the more I know that I made the right decision. Walking away would just about kill me. I have had to make sacrifices and go home knowing that I still have a lot to learn about the woman I share my home with, but there are many positives that take away any doubts or difficulties we face. We are learning but together. We are finding out what is right for us. We both willingly entered marriage. Nobody forced us to wed. We could have both walked away and decided to go our separate ways. But we decided to wed and at least try to spend our lives together. I have honestly never had a day when I have regretted saying my vows. In fact, I wonder why in the Hell I never married earlier in life. I can only assume it is because I hadn’t met Mallory. She has been through so much it makes me wonder how she stayed sane, but she has. In fact, all the women God has chosen for us have been through so many of their own troubles they are more likely than anybody to understand why we work for the Star Elite. They understand the dangers we face. What I have learnt about Mallory is that she seems to be able to sense what I need when I go home. Sometimes I am so tired all I can do is slump into the chair before the fire and stare blindly at the floor, but she allows me that peace, until she eventually bullies me off to bed. That kind of understanding has to be a part of our marriages because what we do with the Star Elite is such a large part of who we all are.’
Phillip nodded.
‘What I do know is that the team were exceptionally sombre when they thought you had been killed. We all had time to reflect on our home lives and all need to spend a bit of time with our wives and children, just enjoying life a little. The next investigation needs to go to the newer team already establishing themselves in London. I don’t know about you, but I am more than happy to take a few weeks off so I can catch my breath and enjoy a bit of time at home. When we are required to help with a new investigation, I will return to work knowing that I can have that home life waiting for me when I return. I hope you have the wisdom to do the same because to live life just for the Star Elite will mean certain death.’
‘We are all prepared to die doing what we do, wives or not,’ Phillip warned.
‘Are we? Or do we have more of a reason to fight to stay alive now? More of a reason to keep the criminals off the streets. I don’t want anybody thinking they can snatch my wife off the street or attack my children. Crime happens everywhere, even in rural England and yes, people carry guns when they shouldn’t, or else gaols wouldn’t have been in existence in this land for hundreds of years. It’s foolish to claim that this country has never had a problem with crime.’
‘Gaols like Bodmin, or the Tower of London, or Newgate, wouldn’t have been necessary,’ Phillip whispered.
‘Exactly.’ Callum sighed. ‘I will see you later. I am going to the harbour to see if our captain of The Swallow has appeared yet.’
When he was alone, Phillip made his way inside. Tapping on the bed chamber door, he waited but when he received no answer, nudged the door open. At first, he thought she was crying. Carlotta was curled up in the middle of the bed in a tiny bundle of misery. When he crept closer, and perched on the edge of the bed, he saw that she wasn’t at all upset. She was instead sound asleep. However, the evidence of her recent upset was visible on her pale cheeks. Rather than disturb her, Phillip knelt beside the bed and looked at her. Teasing a small curl of hair away from her delicate features, he stoked the softness of her cheek with the back of a finger. She looked so fragile that he had to wonder how she had withstood the trauma of the last few days.
The mental image of children suddenly began to blossom. It burgeoned into life and began to create a certainty deep within him that left Phillip wondering whether their children would have dark hair like him or lighter hair like hers. It made him wonder just how wayward they would be because, after all, Carlotta had taken it upon herself to travel across country alone and had lived by herself without any help from anybody.
‘God help us if they take after us both,’ he whispered.
Strangely, no matter how much he tried to look for it, he couldn’t find one ounce of regret or denial within him if he had children. In fact, he knew already that should a wife and family ever become a reality in his life he would embrace the whole new adventure they would bring them with the same strength and determination he used when working with the Star Elite.
‘A delightful challenge indeed,’ he mused.
With a smile, he gently draped a blanket over her and left her to sleep. Once outside in the corridor, he stared into the empty silence of the house and wondered just how fast the investigation could be concluded so he could get on with his life.
‘Because I really do now need to get on with my life. Our lives,’ he whispered. With one last longing look at the door, Phillip quietly made his way out of the house and tried to catch up with Callum.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They found The Starling in the harbour, bobbing gently in the lapping water. There was no sign of the skipper on board, but the men suspected he wasn’t too far away.
‘Ahoy there,’ Phillip called to a fisherman who was hauling his catch ashore.
Phillip stepped around several people milling on the dockside waiting for the catch to be brought ashore so they could purchase the freshest fish directly from the boat. When the fisherman looked up, Phillip stepped closer. The fisherman tipped his cap. When he realised that they wanted to talk to him, he jumped onto the dockside and ambled over to them.
&n
bsp; ‘We don’t want no trouble around here,’ he began, eyeing their guns.
‘We aren’t trouble. We want to ask you about the skipper of the boat over there,’ Oliver replied.
The Captain threw a wary look at The Starling. ‘What about him?’
‘Where can we find him?’ Oliver asked.
The man wrinkled his nose up. ‘He isn’t from around here. He is a nasty one, that one. Just turned up one day and took over a mooring that wasn’t his. It was old Albert’s. When old Albert objected, he got threatened.’
‘What’s his name?’ Phillip asked.
The fisherman shrugged. ‘Nobody asks any questions. Someone did once and got roughed up when they left the tavern. It was a warning to us all not to ask questions.’
Oliver and Phillip shared a look. ‘Is that his boat or do you think he has purloined it from someone?’
‘I don’t know. He isn’t the kind of man you ask questions of, that’s all I know. He gets nasty. The only good thing about him is that he keeps himself to himself.’
‘Does he bring a catch in every now and then?’ Oliver asked.
‘I haven’t ever seen him bring anything ashore,’ the fisherman replied. ‘But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take catches to other harbours. He does take the boat out to sea every now and then but what he does when he is out there is anybody’s guess.’
‘Do you think he is a fisherman?’ Phillip prodded.
The man gave him a wry look. ‘He doesn’t go out often enough. I don’t know of anybody who can live without bringing in even one catch.’
‘Have you seen any thugs hanging around here of late?’
‘Yes. They have been unsettling the villagers because they are armed and make no attempt to hide it,’ the man replied, eyeing their guns once more.
‘Have you ever seen them with him?’ Oliver nodded to The Starling.
‘He challenged them when they started to hang around the harbour. I think he was worried that they might work for the magistrate or something,’ the fisherman replied.
‘Has anybody contacted the magistrate about him? Has this Albert reported the man to the magistrate?’
‘Albert didn’t want to worry the man because he lives alone and doesn’t want any trouble. He would prefer to just be left to go about his business. Albert just accepted that his spot had gone. He is moored over on the other side over there now.’ The man pointed to a small blue fishing boat sitting beside a larger vessel.
Oliver and Phillip looked at the fisherman when he said: ‘I get the feeling that The Starling will disappear one day just as suddenly as it arrived. He isn’t any serious fisherman, just a young thug pretending to be one of us so he can keep a boat here.’
‘Have you seen him talking to anyone else? Maybe having a meeting with someone in the tavern?’
‘You had best ask at the tavern owner about that,’ the fisherman replied. He turned to look at his boat meaningfully as if to remind them that he had work to do.
Oliver thanked the man and allowed him to return to his vessel. Once he was on board, and far enough away so he couldn’t hear what was said, Oliver he turned to Phillip, Jasper and Callum. ‘Let’s go and see if the tavern owner is up and about yet. I want to know where our missing skipper is staying. If he isn’t at the tavern, and doesn’t sleep on his vessel, he has to have a room in the village.’
Together, the men made their way around the harbour to the small tavern nestled in the farthest corner tucked away between two houses. An upstairs window was shoved open and a disgruntled man leaned out to scowl menacingly down at them when Oliver knocked on the front door.
‘What do you want?’ The tavern owner growled with a heavy scowl.
‘A word with you,’ Oliver called. ‘We are from the War Office. Open up.’
The man muttered something but banged the window closed. Minutes later, the bolts on the door were slammed back and the door yanked open. ‘I haven’t seen you with the magistrate before.’
‘We work with the War Office,’ Phillip corrected. ‘Can we come in?’
‘Well, the door is open isn’t it?’ the burly man snorted before disappearing into the darkened depths of the tavern.
‘Do you rent rooms?’
‘My family live upstairs,’ the man replied.
‘Is there an inn in the area that might rent rooms to a passing traveller?’ Phillip asked.
‘Aye, there is one up on the main road; the Dog and Duck.’
‘I understand you have had some trouble with the skipper of the new boat that appeared a while back: The Starling.’
Phillip’s brows lifted when the inn keeper’s face suddenly darkened, and his lip curled in a derisive sneer.
‘He was given his marching orders. I won’t have him coming around here telling me who to serve while he roughs up my customers,’ the man grumbled.
‘Did he threaten you?’
The man smirked. ‘He tried to get me to keep Albert out of here, but I told him where to get off. He was the one I banned, not Albert. I am not that desperate for custom that I am prepared to put up with the likes of any young whipper snapper. Nobody around here likes him on account of his stealing Albert’s pitch. It isn’t a free for all in the harbour, I can tell you. There are rules around here and he has broken every one of them. He has put everyone’s backs up I can tell you. The sooner he leaves the safer we will all sleep in our beds at night.’
‘Do you think he might have had something to do with the battle that raged at Bladley Weeks the other week?’
The inn keeper froze. When the Star Elite expected him to immediately deny the possibility, the inn keeper seriously contemplated the possibility.
‘Let me just say this; if there is anybody in this village likely to get involved with something like that it would be him. What I do know is that nobody in this village has lost any loved ones. Everyone is present and accounted for, so we haven’t had anything to do with it. I don’t know what is going on over there. What I do know is that it has left everyone in this village unsettled on account of Bladley Weeks being right on our doorstep. We don’t want no trouble around here. We are a peaceable lot and want it to stay that way.’
‘Have you seen anybody else new around here?’ Phillip asked.
‘Aye, there is a young woman who has started to appear, but she hasn’t done anybody any harm. She hasn’t ever been in here and I haven’t seen anybody with her before you ask. The only time anybody has ever seen her is when she has been shopping. People are curious about her, but she is always polite even if she does disappear before anyone can engage her in conversation. People are saying that she is staying in Cliff House. Roger Horley said he saw her going up the path that leads to it the other day.’
‘But nobody has been up there to check on her or introduce themselves,’ Oliver asked.
‘Why would we need to find out where she is living? She seems friendly enough,’ the inn keeper challenged.
The men from the Star Elite thanked the man. They were on their way out of the door when the inn keeper’s question stopped them. ‘Should we be worried about the young woman?’
‘No. God, no,’ Phillip replied with a laugh. ‘The villagers are very good judges of character. Can you tell me, have you had anybody asking about her?’
‘Aye, there have been two men asking about her, but nobody trusts strangers since that thug turned up with his boat. People are keeping quiet about what they know if you know what I mean.’ The man tapped the side of his nose.
‘She hasn’t done anything wrong. The thugs are the ones who are in the wrong. If you see either of them again, please tell the magistrate. The thugs are armed because they are dangerous. Remember what happened in Bladley Weeks.’
‘There are too many people running around this village with guns lately,’ the inn keeper grumbled.
‘That is why we are here. We are staying at the house on the cliff. If you hear of anything, send word to us if you would but try not to go there afte
r dark.’
The tavern owner nodded and remained thoughtful as he watched the tall, powerful men amble out of his tavern. He continued to watch them through the window as they made their way down the street. He wouldn’t dare risk throwing any of them out on the street and it had nothing to do with them being heavily armed. There was something about them that was more menacing than the thug on the fishing boat and for that he could only be grateful because he suspected that the problems that had blighted the village of late were soon to end.
Back on the harbour side, Phillip ran an idle gaze over the boats. He nudged Oliver when he saw The Starling. ‘We have our man.’
Oliver watched the man on deck and checked his gun. ‘He looks as if he is getting ready to sail.’
By the time the Star Elite reached the end of the road, the man had seen them. He froze for a moment before jumping onto the dockside. He began to untie the ropes. Oliver and Phillip started to run toward him. Jasper pointed his gun at the young man and bellowed: ‘Stand still or you will be shot.’
The young man ignored him. Jasper fired a warning shot over the man’s head but had to keep the bullet high, so he didn’t hit the man on the boat next to him. The young thug ducked and hurriedly yanked at the rope securing his boat to the dock. He looked up and swore when he saw the Star Elite at the bow of his ship. Stepping away from the rope, he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender and took several steps backward.
Before any of the Star Elite could jump aboard, the young thug threw himself over the side of the boat and landed in the water with a loud splash.
Phillip dropped his gun on the dockside and jumped into the water after him. When the thug didn’t resurface, he dived down only to be met with cruel hands that tried to slam his head into the side of the boat. Phillip forced the thug’s hands off his throat when the man grabbed him. It was impossible to punch him. All either of them could do was wrestle and slosh around in the water. It was hard work to fight the resistance of the water and the thug, who quickly latched onto his throat again and this time refused to release him, but Phillip continued to push against the thug’s face. His lungs hurt. Phillip held his breath for what felt like an age. The urgent need to open his mouth and suck in a huge breath became impossible to ignore but he forced himself to ignore it. The thug was struggling just as much but seemed more intent on trying to drag Phillip down to his death. The thug was prepared to die because he knew that his days of freedom were over. Phillip had more to live for.