Smuggler's Glory (24 page)

Shaking
his head, Simon climbed the stairs to his bedroom, strangely eager
to leave the darkness to one side and stop it from encroaching on
what was left of his time at Thistledown. It disturbed him more
than he cared to admit to think that he had brought danger to
Francesca’s door. The fact that she had welcomed danger into her
home by allowing Madeline to reside with her was a mere unfortunate
point he was more than willing to overlook.

Minutes
later, he closed the door to his room and froze. He wasn’t alone.
Frowning through the darkness, his eyes landed on the solitary
figure lying curled up on his bed. While his body immediately
responded with anticipation, he mentally groaned at the temptation
she so eagerly put his way.

Sitting
down beside the bed, he wondered if he should just go and sleep in
one of the other rooms, but something kept him where he was. Had
she wanted to speak to him for some particular reason only to find
he wasn’t there and had chosen to wait for him, falling asleep
before he could return? Or had she sought him out in the hopes of
finding solace in her grief?

Running
a hand wearily down his face he knew, for the first time since
arriving in Much Hampton, that his time here was drawing to a
close. As soon as they uncovered the direction of the mine shafts,
he felt fairly certain they would find the entrance the smugglers
were using. How they went about finding their way into the shafts
he wasn’t sure yet, but the resultant skirmish – and he had no
doubt now there would be a final conflict – could result in them
all meeting death.

It made
Francesca’s safety and wellbeing all the more important. It made
his decision that night easier. Rather than wake her, he quietly
left the room and went to the sitting room. It didn’t take too much
searching for him to find some parchment, and a quill and ink pot.
Placing a candle nearby for light, he began to write, first to
Hugo, then to his solicitor.

If he
was to meet his Maker within the next few days, he could at least
know the woman he undoubtedly loved wouldn’t face threat from
anyone ever again. She would not only have the might of Hugo and
his associates behind her, but Simon’s own amassed wealth. He
wished briefly he could offer her his name to go with it, but in
all conscience couldn’t offer a marriage that may not exceed the
next few days.

It was
late by the time he finished, and he carefully rolled the parchment
up and tucked it into his cloak pocket for Bertie to take to
Launceston. He was bone tired, and struggling to keep his eyes
open, but given that Francesca now occupied his bed, couldn’t find
anywhere else he wanted to settle. The brief temptation of settling
in her bed swam before him, but he quickly dismissed it. If she
chose to return to her own bed, he wouldn’t be able to refuse. He
was that close to disgracing himself, and ruining her, that he
didn’t trust his own self-control at being even in the same room as
her. It was best for both of them if he stayed well away, before
they did something they would both regret.

He took
over Pie’s watch instead, touring the house in the darkness and
trying to ignore the alluring image of Francesca; beautiful, gentle
Francesca asleep in his bed.

Despite
his initial wariness, later that morning, Mr Kempton had proven to
be a fount of all knowledge. It had taken some considerable
persuasion to get the shaft maps off him, and even more negotiation
to talk the man into visiting relatives for several days. At least
until the imminent threat of danger was over. Archie escorted the
man and his family to the main road that ran through Launceston,
and secured a promise from them that they wouldn’t return inside a
week. He could sense their curiosity and concern but, after several
assurances, they had departed.

It was
imperative for the success of their mission that everything they
did from now on was kept a secret. Anyone watching Thistledown
could visit Mr Kempton themselves in an attempt to find out what
Simon and his men were after and none of them wanted their
activities attracting anyone’s attention, least of all
Lindsay’s.

A quick
glance at the maps had confirmed to Simon that his suspicions were
indeed accurate. The entrance to an emergency shaft lay only a few
yards from the rear of the long row of workman’s cottages that
lined the main street. It ran all the way to the main mine building
Simon had ventured into the day after his arrival at Much Hampton.
It was undoubtedly the reason why the smugglers were able to use
the mines to hide the spies and create their documents without
anyone growing suspicious.

Simon
had already watched the large black carriage that arrived at three
o’clock prompt sweep into the empty yard of the tavern, drawing to
a halt a few feet from the front door. It had been impossible to
see who the occupants were, but he had a strange feeling that they
would look awfully like Mr Lindsay. He had seen enough to know that
the tavern was used until nightfall when the men would leave and
disappear around the back of the workmen’s cottages before simply
vanishing. He had never been able to skirt around the village
quickly enough to follow them in time to see where they went. On
the nights that he had been at the rear of the workmen’s cottages,
waiting to see where they went, nobody appeared. It was a warning
that his activities were being watched.

Getting
Mr Kempton and his useful information out of the area was one
thing; getting Francesca away to safety was something entirely
different. Simon only wished that it was going to be as easy to
persuade Francesca to leave. She had such a strong connection with
Thistledown that he wondered whether it was going to be possible to
break it at all, even on a temporary basis. Not that he could blame
her, she faced so many insecurities in life that she wanted to hold
on to the one thing that was solid, and as dependable as it could
get – her home.

He
privately wondered if the battle he was going to face to persuade
Francesca to stay with Hugo and Harriett wasn’t going to be more
brutal than the confrontation with spy smugglers. He didn’t want to
resort to outright force to get her to go, but if he had to bundle
her up and send her off in a carriage with Bertie at the reins,
then he would. For his own peace of mind, he had to get her out of
the area before the final confrontation.

“
Morning.”

Francesca glanced up from her book later that morning, and
felt her heart flip. It had become a normal reaction to his
presence that she didn’t think about it. Heat flamed through her
cheeks with embarrassment and she fought the urge to squirm. They
had not had the opportunity to discuss the reason why she had slept
the night on his bed and now, given the look of gravity on his
face, she wasn’t sure she wanted to try to explain her behaviour.
She didn’t completely understand it herself. She wondered briefly
if she should apologise for being so presumptuous but the words
remained locked in her throat.

Instead,
she watched him move into the room, close the door behind him and
all too carefully take a seat beside her. Her stomach began to
tighten nervously and she carefully placed her book on the table.
She waited. The tension within the room was so thick, she was
certain she could cut it with a knife.

“
I need to talk to you, Francesca,” he began, frowning at his
feet.

“
You are leaving?” Her stomach dropped to her toes.

“
Not today, but maybe tomorrow,” Simon sighed, seeing no way of
softening the truth. If he was going to meet his Maker, he didn’t
want lies and subterfuge between them. Not with Francesca. She
deserved so much better than that. Although he had no intention of
revealing any secrets, there was no reason why she shouldn’t
understand the gravity of the situation he and the men from the
Star Elite were facing. Especially given the arrangements he had
made that would impact on her life, her very future.

“
First though, we have to try to arrest the person who is
causing so much trouble in the village. I am fairly certain it is
the same man, or people, I was originally sent here to gather
information on. Pie brought fresh orders from my boss, Hugo, to
break up the link and arrest those culpable for the recent criminal
activity in the area.” He mentally winced at how pompous and formal
he sounded, but it helped him a lot to focus on business rather
than just how beautiful she looked, sitting in a beautiful cream
dress liberally decorated with tiny flowers that matched the colour
of her eyes. “That includes Tom and Charlie, as well as
others.”

“
It sounds dangerous.” Francesca whispered. “Is it Mr
Lindsay?”

Simon
nodded. “Yes. When Archie took Madeline’s body to Launceston for
burial, he sent word to Hugo asking him to locate Mr Lindsay. Hugo
will be sending men to arrest your unwanted visitor for murder, and
anything else he can stick on him. I have no doubt that at the
present time, Mr Lindsay has problems of his own that go far beyond
purchasing Thistledown Manor. But, if he is in the area, we will
arrest him.” Simon saw no reason to tell her that it looked like Mr
Lindsay was the link in the chain that he was after.

Francesca nodded, pleased that Madeline’s murder wouldn’t go
unpunished. The realisation that she wouldn’t receive any further
unwanted visits from that particular quarter brought her an
enormous sense of relief.
If only Simon
could deal with her family so efficiently,
she thought ruefully with a shake of her head.

“
I want you to go and stay with Hugo and Harriett in Padstow
for a few days,” Simon burst out, his voice stern. He sighed
deeply. Francesca had already started to shake her head before he
had even finished. Fuelled by urgency, he edged forward in his seat
and braced his elbows on his knees.

“
You must understand, Francesca, these people are dangerous;
professional criminals who have connections far and wide. They are
ruthless and will be more than ready to fight their way out of the
corner we are going to back them into. I
have
to know that you are out of the
area and safe from harm.”

“
I am not leaving Thistledown,” Francesca gasped, rising to her
feet and moving to stand before the fireplace. The relief she had
felt moments earlier had vanished in an instant. She was suddenly
chilled to the bone but could feel little of the heat emanating
from the steady glow of flames. The gravity in his voice, shook
her. She had never seen him so intense, so purposeful before, and
it bothered her. Still, she could see no reason why she couldn’t
remain in her own home.

“
I’m not going.”

“
You have to,” Simon argued, his voice firm.

“
No, I don’t. This is my house, my home and I am
not
leaving it,”
Francesca snapped, turning away from him as though the conversation
was at an end. But Simon wasn’t going to be thwarted so easily, he
was driven by the desperate need to keep her safe. If that meant
protecting her from her own determination then so be it.

“
Please, Francesca, you must go.”

“
I am not going,” she argued, her voice rising at the
realisation that he simply wasn’t listening to her. Her temper
began to build and, for the first time in her life, she had to
fight with the urge to hit another person. She wanted so
desperately to smack him; to make him understand that she
physically trembled with the need to shake him.

“
Francesca, you aren’t being fair,” he began, breaking off when
Francesca spun on her heel to glare at him, her face filled with
incredulity.

“
I’m
not being fair?” she shouted.
“You turn up on my doorstep, bringing heaven knows what dangers
with you, turn my life completely upside down and then demand I
leave my home and you have the gall to say
I
am not being fair?” She felt her
blood begin to boil and physically trembled with the need to throw
something his head.

“
Calm down,” Simon began, not wanting to be a sitting target,
literally. He made no attempt to approach her, merely held out his
hands in a placating gesture that angered her further.

“
No, I will not calm down. Do you have any idea what my life is
like?” Francesca spat, spinning on her heel and pacing backward and
forward on the thick rug. “I have spent my entire life living with
a family that hated me. I come from a family that actually tried to
sell me, for God’s sakes. This house,” she held her arms aloft,
“has been my only sanctuary. The only place I have ever really been
able to call home. It is where I belong and nobody,” she dropped
her arms, marched directly up to him and pointed one long finger
under his nose, “not even you is going to persuade me to leave it.”
When he took a breath, she spun back to him. “If running away like
some scared child is your answer to fighting battles, then I
suggest you pack up and go now,” she spat scornfully.

“
You do know you could die, don’t you?” Simon said almost
conversationally when she had resumed her pacing.

“
It’s the least of my concerns right now,” Francesca sighed,
glancing beyond him out onto the driveway. “Oh, no,” she groaned,
staring in dismay at the heavily laden carriage that was lumbering
toward them.