Clara was impressed that Charles had been practical about his safety and was especially thankful there was something they could do to try to help themselves.
She wriggled her fingers inside her brother’s boot. It was not as easy working behind her back; her shoulders strained against her movements, but she forced them to move in the opposite direction of their natural position. Eventually, she managed to pull the knife out of the boot.
“Excellent! I’m going to wriggle around and put my hands under the knife. Can you try and cut my ropes?”
“I’ll try, but what if I cut you?” Clara asked worriedly. She would be working blind.
“A few cuts is better than drowning,” Charles answered with a small smile of encouragement.
Charles wriggled around again, and Clara started the task of trying to cut the ropes. It was hard, slow work but, when she was almost sobbing with pain from her shoulders, Charles’ hands moved as he was able to free himself under the loosening bindings.
“Here, let me realise your hands,” Charles whispered, kneeling behind Clara. He freed her quickly and then cut the ties that held his feet. He was more careful releasing those bindings. “We might need to pretend we are still bound until they leave the beach,” he responded to Clara’s puzzled look as she rubbed her hands, trying to bring back the circulation.
Finally, Charles cut Clara’s foot ties and then wrapped them loosely around her feet. “You should be able to kick them off easily if needed,” he explained.
Charles stood and walked to a sort of ledge in the rock wall. He positioned himself so he was partially standing, but with his bindings around his feet. He put his hands, which were holding the knife behind his back and waited.
Clara watched Charles worriedly. He had a knife, but they had guns and far more experience than her brother. “Charles, please don’t do anything foolish,” she said quietly.
“If I’m going to die tonight, I’m not going to do it without at least some sort of fight,” Charles said grimly.
Clara felt the tears sting her eyes. Charles’ expression had changed; it was as if he had aged in the time they had spent in the cave. She could only hope they would be left alone, preventing Charles from using the knife.
As if to purposely torment Clara, Joshua chose that moment to enter the cave. He handed Claude one of the lanterns and made to follow him with the second. “We’re landing the boats, so it’s time to say a fond farewell,” he taunted. He noticed that Charles was away from Clara and higher than his sister. “Look at the brotherly love, trying to get to higher land and leave his sister to drown first. Shame on you, Charles! Or has her constant nagging finally made you see sense? I’d have got rid of her years ago.”
“You will show my sister the respect she deserves! Take back those words, you scoundrel!” Charles snapped, his face reddening with anger.
Joshua laughed and approached Charles. Clara panicked at the two men standing close to each other and unconsciously grasped a loose rock that her hands had been resting on.
“I said I wanted to give you a beating before we left, and I don’t suppose a few minutes will spoil anything.” Joshua moved his free arm back as if to punch Charles.
Charles moved quickly, Clara seeing the flash of a blade before Joshua let out a scream of pain as he staggered back, dropping the lantern. Before the light was extinguished Clara saw that Joshua held his hands against his face.
Clara saw Claude’s figure running into the cave ̶ his bulk was unmistakeable ̶ gun in his hands. With all her might, Clara threw the rock she held in the direction of Claude at the same moment that a shot rang out.
Chapter 18
Edmund had settled down as he had every other night since he had been banned from visiting Glazebrook House. He had taken to walking around the outside of the house before settling in for his night concealed on the beach. He had been drawn to the house, excusing his actions by his need to make sure Clara was safe.
He had never seen her, not at a window or on the grounds. He had experienced part relief, part frustration. She was obviously safe within the walls of the house, but he longed to be able to gaze upon her face again. The kisses they had shared haunted his dreams, but there was nothing he could do to change the situation. She was capable enough of revealing his role and putting the whole scheme into jeopardy. He could be angry with her if he did not keep excusing her actions by admiring the lengths she would go to in order to protect her brother. If only her loyalty had not kept them both apart.
There had been more activity in the area over the last few nights; it was clear to Edmund that whatever was planned was coming to a head. He would have been suspicious about the activity but his hiding in the beach house had given them specifics so that reinforcements could be organised.
Henry disturbed Edmund’s pondering as he entered the concealed area behind the rocks. “You could’ve found a more comfortable hiding place,” Henry grumbled as he tried to fit his large frame in the confined area.
“I’ll bear that in mind next time,” Edmund muttered.
“Anything going on?”
“There’s definitely more activity but nothing from the sea as yet. You’d better settle yourself in it could be a long night.”
“What I do for King and country, and it’ll never be recognised,” Henry grumbled.
They were silent for a while, both taking turns to watch the beach and the sea. Sooner than expected Edmund saw a figure emerge down the cliff path, not trying to hide.
“That’s Shambles,” Edmund whispered. They were not in hearing distance, but it was best to make as little sound as possible.
“Cocky little blighter,” Henry mumbled.
Edmund raised an eyebrow at his friend but did not say anything. There was no point trying to get to the bottom of his excessive dislike of Shambles at this point.
They were both focused on the beach when a small commotion occurred at the bottom of the beach path. “What the hell’s going on?” Henry hissed.
“I can’t make out what’s happening, but it looks like something’s amiss,” Edmund responded. “They’re heading to the caves.”
Both men strained to see if they could make out anything in the moonlight, but it was not until two lanterns were lit in the cave opening, shedding light onto a small area of beach in front of the caves, that they were able to see what the scuffle had been about.
“The young fool!” Edmund spat. “What the hell did he think he’d achieve by coming down here?”
“I will personally strangle him if he causes them to abandon their plans!” Henry growled.
“Look!” Edmund said, pointing towards the sea. They had both been focused on the cave for a few minutes, trying to observe what was happening, neglecting what activity was occurring offshore.
Henry looked and, as his eyes became accustomed once more to the darkness of the night, he could see the outline of vessels on the water. There was activity on the sand, confirming that what they had seen was correct.
“Are your excise men in position?” Edmund asked.
“Yes, they’re across the headland and over the other side. I just need to blow this, and they’ll come running.” Henry patted his side where a hunting horn was hanging loosely on his hip. It would be perfect for notifying the number of men hidden roundabout.
They both turned back to look at the beach when they heard a distinctly female squeal.
“Clara!” Edmund cursed before moving towards the sound.
Henry used all his strength to haul Edmund back behind the rocks. “You fool! Stay where you are!”
“They’ve got Clara!” Edmund ground out, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. The aim of the night forgotten, all he needed to do was reach her.
“And what do you think they’ll do to her once they see you running across the sand? They’d kill her within a blink of an eye,” Henry whispered, his tone fierce whilst struggling to keep a tight grip on Edmund. He was not going to risk everything going wrong at this point.
“I’ll make sure I get to her,” Edmund said, still straining.
“Don’t be a fool; they’d overpower you both. There will be time to get to her. Be patient, man!”
“Don’t try and pretend you are even the slightest bit concerned whether I reach her or not!” Edmund snapped.
“I’m not risking all the months of background work just so you can go and get yourself killed.”
“If they harm her, I’ll kill you.”
“Fine.”
An uneasy silence descended on the pair. Edmund was no longer watching what was happening on the sea; all his focus was on the lit cave and who was in there. His deep frown and tensed body betrayed his inner turmoil.
She was in danger. Henry was correct; by revealing himself he would put everyone at risk, especially Clara. Why the hell had she come down to the beach? She was no fool; she must have known she would put herself in danger. Edmund cursed; of course she knew, but it would not have mattered to her in the slightest; her brother was in peril; she would follow with complete disregard to her own safety.
Edmund’s teeth ground together; this was exactly the reason he should have never nurtured their friendship when Henry suggested it. Being involved with someone meant you cared and, once you cared, you were vulnerable.
He slumped against the rock wall. He was fooling no one, especially himself. Henry had given him a perfect excuse; that was all; he would have sought her out anyway. Her kisses had moved him liked no other, and he had felt something stir in him; it was almost as if he had been awakened by her, and there was no chance that he could have let that go easily.
Henry disturbed his thoughts with a nudge. “The boats are landing. I’ll just give them a few minutes to step on shore and then we’ll make a move. I don’t want to go too early and give them a chance to push off again. We haven’t got boats to chase them out to sea. I don’t need to ask which direction you’ll be moving.” The final sentence was said with derision; Henry was annoyed that sentiment was getting in the way of the task in hand.
Edmund did not reply; he was watching Claude bring out one of the lanterns, wondering what was going on inside.
He heard a scream, saw Claude turning and caught sight of the glint of a gun in the lantern light as Claude pulled it out of his breeches and headed back into the cave. Within a second the cave was plunged into darkness, and there was the sound of gunshot.
*
The curse that Henry let out would have shocked even the most open-minded of his acquaintances as Edmund jumped from his hiding place, a gut-wrenching roar on his lips. He started running across the sand oblivious to anything but reaching the cave and Clara.
Henry jumped up and blew the horn until a bullet whizzed past his head. He crouched down while, at the same time, moving onto the beach, abandoning the horn and taking one gun from each side of his breeches.
From being a quiet beach it changed into a whole world exploding all at once. The shouts seemed to come from all around, each person having no idea who was friend or foe in the darkness. Guns were fired, but they were set-off in panic rather than at any one in particular.
Henry reached the boats ahead of the excise men. He shot two men, their bodies falling into the shallow water with hardly a splash before abandoning his guns. He seized a knife from one of the bodies and used it against an attacker who had run at Henry. A third body was tossed to the side before Henry’s head seemed to explode from a blow to the back of his head, and he fell to the ground, barely conscious. It was pure willpower that forced him to roll out of danger of the gunshot that was aimed at his body before kicking away the legs of his assailant.
Luckily for Henry, at that point, he was joined by three excise officers who took over the task of battling with the men who were still trying desperately to push the boats back into the waves.
Each grouping near the boats seemed to be having the same battle: people fighting for their lives as they tried to escape. Near the headland two torches were lit, and it was plain that at least one of the boats had escaped back into the water. There came a roar of anger from further down the beach, and the figure that would be later recognised as Claude ran towards the torches. The excise men who were near the shoreline scattered into the darkness, recognising a beast of a man when they saw him. Claude picked up one of the torches and waved it above his head before ripping the lid off a barrel and plunging the lit flame deep into the cargo that had been so carefully landed on the beach not so very long before.
The explosion ripped through the sand, sending wood, sand and body parts in every direction. There was no evidence of Claude ever existing after the explosion, just a large black crater that was soon filled with sea water.
“No more light!” Henry screamed at the top of his voice. He had no idea how much gunpowder was on the beach, but it was clear the men involved did not want capture, no matter the cost.
Noises seemed to be amplified in the dark; thuds as fists connected with bodies, the occasional gun shot and scream of pain as one or other person was injured badly or worse.
Eventually, captured men were brought to Henry by the excise officers, most displaying the evidence of not giving up easily. Henry finally gave the order to light some torches; with men dead and others captured, he deemed the area to be safe in order to examine who they had captured and to try and make sense of the chaotic scene.