My Lord Deceived (30 page)

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 moment 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.”

“Everyone in
the village has some of the cargo?” Simon demanded.

“Nearly
everyone is involved but not everyone can afford to take part. We
help them with the proceeds as much as we can though.”

“You pay
Hawkshurst?” Jonathan demanded.

“Aye, we do. A
flat rate that is barely a third of what we can sell it for.”

“Where does
Harrison come into it?” Norman asked with a frown.

“We think that
Harrison has been given information on when the shipments are due
by Brian Meldrew,” Jonathan announced flatly. It was either Brian
Meldrew, or Hawkshurst.

“Harrison has
appeared in the village to search the day after the deliveries just
lately.”

“Yes, but he
cannot find the goods. If he has found anything, he hasn’t reported
them on an inventory, which is what he should do,” Jonathan
replied. “I need to know if he has found anything from anyone’s
houses that you know about.”

Everyone shook
their heads. “We are too clever for the likes of him,” an old
sailor scoffed from the back of the tavern. Ribald titters settled
over the nervous group, who turned to Jonathan expectantly.

“We are better
than Harrison, and can outsmart him any day of the week,” one man
boasted from the middle of the group.

“What about the
other villagers? Have you heard any rumours about any of their
goods going missing?”

“You mean
stolen?”

Everyone stared
at each other before they shook their heads. Jonathan sighed. It
was going to be far harder to capture Harrison than he had
realised. Still, the Star Elite weren’t men to give in easily.

“Brian is the
reason why Harrison has been ripping the village apart?” Charlie
snorted in disgust. A ripple of anger swept over the group and
Jonathan shook his head warningly.

“Does
Hawkshurst have the main bulk of the cargo?” He demanded with a
quick glance at the clock. With any luck they may be able to get to
bed before dawn but, if Jonathan didn’t move things along a bit,
they would still be in the tavern when Harrison arrived in the
morning.