Moon and Stars

by Elizabeth Johns

  “Moving the arms would most likely cause us to lose the bigger prize and not stop the operation—only suspend it.”

  “I agree. And I want to know who the wretch is that dares attempt to blacken my name for his purposes.”

  “Brennan would have dared. However, I think this is more a matter of convenience.”

  “Using my yacht?” Yardley elevated an eyebrow in question. “Using my land?”

  “Perhaps. Do you have any enemies, your Grace?

  “I thought they were buried with my former wife. I have no controversial bills up before the Lords. No, I cannot think of anyone who would attempt to implicate me in this.”

  “Then I suggest we remove the ladies as planned and continue to search. I would station guards discreetly, to keep an eye on the arms in case the plan changes or someone warns them off.”

  “Do you think there is a spy in my household?”

  “Most likely, or else they would not be so bold as to use your property. Your arrival was a surprise.”

  “Very well. I will organize the posting of the guards personally, using my footmen from London who have no suspicion attached, nor reason to snitch against me.”

  “A wise choice, your Grace. I would also keep our plans to ourselves. Only tell each person as little as necessary.”

  “Now, what are we do to about my sister?”

  Chapter 13

  Guilt is always a winning tactic when you cannot get your way in a respectable fashion.—16 Feb

  The next morning, Charlotte woke to a flurry of activity amongst the household. Servants were rushing to and fro beyond her door, accompanied by the rattle of trunks being carried downstairs, and the sounds of domestic upheaval echoed through the halls.

  “What is going on, Chapman?” Charlotte asked when her maid brought in her morning chocolate. Following the adventure, Charlotte had been awake rather late, and she was not appreciative of early morning on a good day.

  “The Duchess and Lady Wyndham have taken a notion into their heads about presenting Miss Letty to the ton. If that were not enough, they have decided they must all remove to Wyndham to plan it,” Chapman grumbled, having more freedom of speech than an average lady’s maid, since she had been Charlotte’s nursery maid.

  Charlotte dressed and made her way down to the chaos. Servants were moving trunks, and every carriage and cart was being loaded for the mass exodus. She hoped they did not expect her to participate in this when for once there was so much excitement to be had at home.

  “I suspect that is what this is all about. They want the ladies out of the way in case there is danger,” she said to herself. “Well, they had better not try to force me to leave my home.”

  Deciding to stake her claim from the beginning, she sought out Yardley in his study.

  “Good morning, Lottie.” he brother greeted her, rising when she entered before returning to his seat. “You do not look any the worse for wear. I did not have a chance to ensure you were all right last night.”

  “I was shaken, but Sir David helped me keep my wits.” With the help of brandy, she added silently, but she would omit that detail. “Now, I would like to know what is going on. The whole truth, if you please.”

  Her brother narrowed his gaze and began stroking his chin as he was wont to do when he was contemplating something distasteful.

  She took a seat, revelling in his discomfort. She could wait him out.

  “Very well, what would you like to know?”

  “Besides why you lied to me, you mean? You did not hurt him or call him out, did you?”

  “I have not determined how to solve that problem, yet. We must first deal with the smuggling situation.” He stood and walked around his desk to join her.

  “Is that why there is a room full of guns in the tunnel?”

  “Yes, and Douglas was sent here to expose the leader.”

  “I knew it! I knew there was more to this than Sir David being a servant!”

  “That is confidential information, Charlotte. His identity must remain concealed or it could compromise the entire undertaking. I have only told you in order to make you see reason, to keep you safe.”

  “Regardless of that, I am eight-and-twenty, dear brother, and I do not intend to remove to Wyndham.”

  “Charlotte,” he growled.

  “This is my home. I have never removed to Wyndham. Do you not think that would alert the gang more than my staying here?”

  “That is a risk I am willing to take. Your life is worth more to me than catching the smugglers. There will be other chances, I am sure.”

  “Not for me. And what of Sir David?”

  “He is not my primary concern.”

  “What if he is pardoned?”

  “He will still have a criminal past, Charlotte.”

  “Yet if it matters not to me? You have had your chance at happiness, Brother. He is the first man to make me feel like…like I am worthy.”

  “How will you feel should you be shunned in Society? If your children are ridiculed and the centre of jests?”

  “We could live at his plantation.”

  Yardley shook his head. “You have not thought about this in a detached manner. You are thinking with emotion, not your head. And what does Douglas say to this? Have the two of you already planned what lies ahead?”

  “No,” she hung her head. “He will not even discuss a future with me.”

  “Then he is wiser than I gave him credit for.” His eyebrows lifted in obvious pleasant surprise.

  “I know he cares for me, Benedict. He makes me feel special, cared about.”

  “You do not need a man to make you feel special, Charlotte—and you must know you are cared about!” He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.

  “My mind knows that, but my heart feels indescribable when I am with him. I intend to fight for him if necessary, Benedict. I would much prefer your support than to have to battle you as well. We have enough against us as it is.”

  There was a slight knock on the door. Jolie’s beautiful face peered around the panel. “May I intrude?”

  “Of course.” Benedict answered before he committed himself to Charlotte, she could not help but notice. He kissed his wife on the cheek and Charlotte tried not to be jealous. She was happy for them, truly; she just wanted that for herself, too.

  “Is everything packed and ready for departure?”

  “Almost. Lady Brennan and Letty have already taken their leave. I was waiting to accompany Charlotte.”

  “I am not going,” she said firmly.

  “But you must!” Jolie exclaimed. “Do you not wish to be a part of Letty’s come out?”

  “Of course I wish to support her, but you, Elly and her mother do not need my help. The three of you could run the War Office.”

  Her brother snorted and covered it with a cough.

  “Benedict, you must make her go. It is not safe for her to stay here!”

  “I am sorry, my dearest, but she wishes to stay. She thinks it will raise more suspicion if she leaves.”

  “Charlotte, do you really think so?” Jolie pleaded.

  “I do. I could come for the day and return in the evening, as I normally do. Would that suffice?”

  “I will still be here with her at night,” Benedict assured his wife, “though we intend to keep the fact mum. Davenport and Prescott will stay in the cottages.”

  “So everyone will think you have left?” Charlotte asked.

  “That is my intention. I do not even want the household to know, other than my servants from London.”

  “Do you think there is a tattler in the household?” she asked with surprise.

  “Douglas does. It may not even be intentional, but small things, like an order from the butcher, give away the fact that the family is in residence. Unfortunately, there is always someone willing to talk for enough coin.”

  “I suppose so. Hopefully this will be over with quickly and everything can go back to normal.”

>   “Yes, normal,” Charlotte echoed, her features composed. Deep in her heart, she hoped fervently for so much more.

  Despite searching all day for where the ammunition was hidden, they found nothing. David was now on his way to participate in his first smuggling run with the gang, and the others were meeting at Wyndham for dinner. He could only hope that someone would let something slip tonight, though he never would have been so careless as a leader.

  Lord willing, this would be his penultimate run as a smuggler. Pretending to be someone you were not was so very exhausting, yet it was the price he must pay for the jealousy and greed of his youth.

  He dressed in black trousers, shirt and boots and placed his black cap on his head. His dark beard hid his face well enough that he did not need to darken his skin with soot.

  As he made his way through the dense fog to the meeting point near the village, he thought about his exchanges with Prescott, Harris and Davenport earlier in the day. Could they be trusted? Yardley seemed to have faith in them, but David had learned early in his career that few men had the honour they proclaimed, especially when it came to women, finances and pride. Regardless of his misgivings, they had searched by his side all day, to no avail. Wyndham had had no success either. Extra soldiers were to arrive soon and ships were to be put in place, yet he kept having this nagging feeling the smugglers would move the goods early. Yardley arriving with his entourage had frightened the gentleman leading this. It was beginning to feel eerily like Brennan’s downfall. He had to tread very carefully to make sure it was not his.

  “Douglas,” Captain Dunn greeted him as the workers met at the rendezvous point near the Saltdean Gap. “I heard word all of the guests have departed from Langborn.”

  “Aye. You know how the nobility is. The Duchess had a whim to go somewhere and the Duke indulged it.” He spat with disgust.

  Dunn eyed him with obvious approval. “I, for one, am glad for their whims. I never did like them sniffing around. Ye never know when they might take a fancy to act all righteous, as if they don’t know where their fine tea and brandy comes from.”

  David grunted his agreement. The less said the better.

  A young man swaggered into the tunnel with his chest puffed out, full of his own consequence.

  “What has ye lookin’ like a cock in a hen house, Clifford?” Dunn asked, grinning, revealing crooked, yellowed teeth.

  “Let me jus’ say, Nibley will spend his evenin’ on a wild goose chase.”

  “Is that so? Well, tell me, what have ye done?”

  “I rearranged all his purty little trail markers, is what I done. He’ll be in Brighton afore he realizes.” The young man guffawed, along with most of the fifty or so men gathered, all dressed in black with darkened faces.

  “The fog won’t hurt his confusion, either,” Dunn added. “Time to go.” The leader began dividing up the labour, some to row, some to climb.

  Since he had a horse, David was assigned to keep watch from the eastern side. The Reverend Howard was the western lookout, closer to the village, as usual. Once all the goods were unloaded and in the tunnels, it would be transported to the church.

  A light flashed out on the water, and at the signal the men set out to meet the incoming ship. At the sound of the oars slicing through the water, David set Gulliver to the chalk cliffs, climbing eastward, shrouded in the mist. It was a perfect night for the trade, with visibility low. Even if you could hear, you could not see more than twenty feet in front of you. There would not be much warning if the Revenue came upon them. He cocked his gun and placed it in his waist-band, then strained his eyes to see and his ears to hear. The biting wind was fierce up on the cliffs, an unwelcome addition to an already distasteful undertaking. Fleetingly, his thoughts strayed to Lady Charlotte, all warm and tucked up in her bed—and wishing he might join her—before he dismissed them as pointless.

  Walking on, alone with his thoughts, he realized it was a decided disadvantage to be a stranger to these lands. Back home in Westmorland, he had known every rock and crevice to avoid. In the fog, it was slow going to make sure he and Gulliver avoided the cliff’s edge and stayed aware of how far they had walked. It could have been half a mile or more already, but if he went too far back from the edge, he would possibly miss any ships coming in from the east. Gulliver’s ears flattened before David heard the cry for help. He looked forward and saw what appeared to be someone falling over the cliff’s edge. Dismounting as far back from the edge as he could reasonably do for his mount’s safety, and telling Gulliver to stand, he ran forward on foot.

  He was too late. Dunn was there before him, kicking loose the fingers with which Officer Nibley had been barely hanging on.

  The sickening thud he heard, as the Revenue man landed on the rocks below, would haunt David for his lifetime. It was low tide, and there was no soft reprieve for the poor Exciseman’s body. Dunn did not even look to see what became of the man, as he marched on towards the east. It did not appear he had noticed David, either.

  Where was he off to? The run was happening in the other direction! Feeling torn, David peered over the edge to see if there was any chance of saving Nibley. He could not make out the body clearly through the dense sky, but he knew there was almost no chance of surviving that fall.

  Reluctantly, he felt as though he must follow Dunn. He returned to Gulliver, not wishing his horse to suffer the same fate as the Revenue man, but there was nowhere to tether him here with only tall grass covering the cliff. He led the horse, creeping along at a snail’s pace, not wanting to overtake Dunn, when the sounds of digging echoed from the beach below, the occasional strike of shovel against stone sharp in the misty atmosphere. He had been sent on a diversion run! He muttered oaths under his breath. There was no way to alert Yardley and the rest at this point.

  Once again, David left Gulliver as far back from the edge as possible and crept forward to the edge to see, hiding as best he could in tussocks and tall grass.

  At least twenty men were scaling up and down the cliffs on ropes, carrying sacks. More men were down on the beach. The tide was out and they were digging near the cliff face, burying the goods as they were brought down.

  David breathed a small sigh of relief. At least the goods were not being sent out that night, although it begged the questions, when would they be and what would happen now? Should he return to the other run so he did not alert Dunn? He could always claim Gulliver had stumbled and gone lame. The thought of Lady Charlotte, all alone at the house while the smugglers were removing goods, made him uneasy. Would she hear them and feel compelled to do something? There really was no choice to be had. He must go and ensure she was safe.

  Chapter 14

  Why is danger so tempting? The more I attempt to reason with myself to stay away, the more I decide I must dive head first into it. After all, what have I to lose?—17 Feb

  Charlotte could sense that something was wrong the moment she returned to Langborn from spending the day at Wyndham. She had left her brother at the empty gardener’s cottage and come back to the house alone. It was eerily quiet when she set foot in the house and immediately she felt unnerved.

  Had Yardley given everyone the evening off without telling her? It was something he would do, but why? Was it part of the ruse to make the gang leader more comfortable; to entice him into a trap? Walking through the house, there was not a servant to be found. Was the entire household involved in smuggling and she had never noticed?

  The kitchens were empty, as was the housekeeper’s room. Charlotte knew her brother was not far away, but could not help wondering when he would join her. If he had given all the servants the night off, why was he waiting to return to the house?

  Tiptoeing back up the stairs, Charlotte went to the library. If something was going forward, she might be able to hear through the wall. Should she go and fetch her brother and David? It had been easy to be brave when she thought the house full of servants, but there was definitely something amiss. She took a small pistol fr
om the desk. Recalling how she had laughed at her brother when he had given it to her, now she was grateful—even though she hoped it would not be necessary to use it. There was also a small folding knife in the drawer and she hesitated with her hand above it. In sudden decision, she grabbed hold of it and put it into the pocket of her cloak. Were not the heroines always prepared in her books? She snorted to herself at the thought of being able to do anything which could be considered heroic. However, something was happening; something which might involve Sir David, and if she could, she had to help.

  Placing her ear against the fireplace, while being careful not to have a repeat of revolving into a cave, she strained for any signs of activity. Hearing none, she desperately wished she knew whereabouts the other door led out. Should she go in search of it alone? No, that would be foolish in the extreme. The wise thing would be to find her brother. Where was he? He had said he would join her here shortly.

  She jumped as a crash sounded on the other side of the fireplace. In that moment, everything became real. She was alone in this house and beyond the secret door there were dangerous men who would kill her. If only she had a servant to send for Yardley! It would take too long to run to the stables.

  What should she do? There was little she could do in these frivolous skirts and slippers. She made a swift decision to change into something warmer and more practical before leaving via the kitchens to see what she could find. Perhaps it was simply large rats overturning something that had caused the sound. Unfortunately, she could not convince herself.

  Pulling her hood up over her head, she stepped out into the cold and dark. She did not dare carry a lantern for fear of being detected. How many times had she been out here by day? But nothing was the same at night. The bushes seemed to have doubled in size. The trees had become bandits lying in wait. Owls hooting beyond the kitchen garden were ravaging beasts. Her boots, crunching in the frozen grass, sounded like the fireworks at Vauxhall. If there was anyone standing watch, they would be certain to hear her coming.