Henry assessed who he had before him. He pulled one man out from the line-up. “You can tell them not to speak, but do you honestly think that will save them?” he asked roughly.
Bernard looked defiant. “So you can speak French? What of it?” He had been muttering instructions to his neighbours in French.
“They, like you, will swing for what’s happened tonight,” Henry said confidently.
Bernard laughed. “That may be, but if you think this is the only landing, you’re sadly mistaken. Your King will find out very soon just how he’ll be treated come the invasion!”
“Take him away,” Henry said in disgust.
Henry continued to search the prisoners with a growing sense of dread. There was no sign of Joshua amongst the group. He gave instructions to the excise men and, as everyone started to move away from the sea back towards land, Henry set-off towards the caves. He hoped to goodness that Edmund had secured the man he wanted to capture more than anyone else on the beach.
Chapter 19
Edmund had run faster than he had ever done in his life. The sand had slowed him, but he pushed on, forcing his boots over the ever moving ground. He had reached the cave breathless but unchallenged, but that did not last. He was hit with a punch that sent him sprawling backwards.
Whoever had given that punch was no lightweight; Edmund’s head reeled with the force. He did not have a chance to recover as he was hauled to his feet. He saw his attackers arm pulling back to deliver another punch, but Edmund shot the limb before it had the chance to connect with Edmund’s body.
He was released with a grunt, and the hefty man staggered away towards the beach. Edmund let him go; the man was injured and no longer a threat to those inside the cave, which was all that Edmund cared about.
Edmund entered the hollow slowly; it was dark, and he was aware that Joshua had gone back inside before the scream and gunshot; he could be waiting to ambush Edmund. He moved slowly, not waiting until his eyes had become accustomed to the light. He could hear something towards the back of the cave, but the sound was only slight.
His foot hit the lantern that had clattered to the floor and he kicked it out of the way. “Damn it!” he muttered to himself.
“Who’s there? I’m armed, I’ll have you know!” came the shaken voice of Charles.
“Baker? Are you alone?” Edmund growled.
“Lord Chertsey? What the devil are you doing here? I’ve got Clara, but Joshua is somewhere about. He’s injured, and I can’t see a damn thing!” Charles said, his voice gaining a little confidence now that he had support.
“Stay where you are,” Edmund instructed.
Outside sounded chaotic with the noise of shouts, gun shots and obvious fighting. At the moment Clara was safer inside the cave rather than out of it. Edmund needed to find Joshua; while he was at large, she was not completely out of danger.
They were all rattled when the explosion from the water’s edge seemed to shake the cave. “I’ve had enough of this. Wait there Baker; I’m going to get some light!” Edmund snapped, walking out of the cave.
He shouted out to one of the excise men who had lit a torch near the beach pathway, standing guard over the path off the beach. The torch was brought across to the cave entrance, and Edmund returned to the darkness inside.
It soon became clear there was no one else in the cave apart from the brother and sister. Edmund felt his legs buckle underneath him caused by the relief that she was alive and unhurt. He sagged against the cave wall, staring at the back of her head. He had not realised just how afraid of her being injured he was until he saw her wrapped in her brother’s arms, safe.
Edmund wanted to move across to them both, but they were so wrapped together that he could not intrude. He felt like an imposter looking on jealously. “Are you both unhurt?” He asked gruffly.
“We’re fine. I need to get Clara home,” Charles replied.
“I’ll make sure it’s safe before you venture out,” Edmund said, leaving the cave to check that everyone who should have been captured was.
He met Henry walking across the beach. “Is everyone contained?” he asked.
“Still alive? I’m surprised after pulling a stunt like that!” Henry growled at him. “You nearly cost us everything.”
“At this point I couldn’t give a damn about anything apart from returning those two to their home. There’s not going to be any nasty surprises if I move them?”
“I’ll send a couple of men to check everywhere, but there shouldn’t be. The pathway was covered. Have you got Shambles?”
“No,” Edmund responded in surprise. “I thought he had returned to the beach. He isn’t in the caves.”
“He isn’t on the beach. He must’ve gone into the backs of the caves; we need to find him,” Henry snarled.
“No.
You
need to find him. I couldn’t care less where he is. As of this moment I no longer work for King and country,” Edmund said, turning back to the cave. “Let me know when everything has been checked,” he shouted over his shoulder.
“If you think you can walk away as easily as that, you are a fool!” Henry cursed before issuing some orders. Four of the excise men lit torches, two going up the beach path and two entering the cave to search out the rear. He had a gut feeling that they would not find anything; after all the planning, all the waiting, it appeared Joshua had evaded him.
*
Clara remembered saying goodbye to her mother. The illness had only lasted a few months before the children had been taken into the bedchamber to say a final goodbye. Charles had been devastated and taken out of the room by their father. Clara’s mother had indicated for Clara to come closer.
Tears streamed down the young woman’s face as she grasped her mother’s hand. “Mama, I love you.”
“And I you, my wonderful girl,” came the laboured response. “Take care of your father, he will mourn too much.”
“I will.”
“Clara, I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything, Mama.”
“Promise that you will care for Charles. Look after him, he is young and impressionable; I worry about him when he ventures into society. Your father will be of no use to him; I’m relying on you and, if you are married by then, your husband. Only you are capable enough to look after him. Promise me.”
“I promise, Mother; I will always look after him.”
The words would be more prophetic than both women had realised. The death of Clara’s father was only two years after they lost their mother; he finally gave in to the malaise that had descended on him on the death of his wife.
Charles had never quite understood his father, the death of a parent not being as debilitating as the death of a life partner. Clara had been the one to keep relations smooth between the pair and, as a result, had grown even closer to her brother.
She had no serious worries about protecting her brother; in many instances he deferred to her advice, and it seemed as if their mother’s concern had been unfounded.
Recent events had upset Clara’s equilibrium, and she had been haunted by the feelings of letting her mother down. After the evening’s trials, she was clinging on to Charles as if letting him go would result in him being hurt.
She vaguely heard Edmund, but her state of shock, fear and complete and utter terror maintained her focus on Charles.
“It is safe for us to return home,” Charles said quietly to Clara.
“They might hurt you,” Clara responded, wrapping her arms even tighter around Charles. “I won’t let them harm you.”
“Miss Baker, Clara, it’s safe,” Edmund said gently, helping both bodies move as one as he guided them to their feet.
“Mr Shambles?” Clara shuddered at the need to say the name.
“Long gone,” Edmund responded. Joshua had obviously managed to slip past the excise men and was probably well on his way back to London. He would not risk capture by staying in the area.
Charles and Clara walked slowly back to the house, both were stiff, cold and sore from the effects of their imprisonment. There was still much activity on the beach, but neither sibling registered what was happening, they both seemed too engrossed in caring for the other.
Edmund wanted to touch her, to wrap her in his arms and never let her go, but it was not right to come between them. He felt intrusive on the scene and excluded from the person who he ached to be close to.
If Clara and Charles had expected to enter Glazebrook House without any disturbance to the other occupants; they had underestimated the impact of the commotion on the beach. The voices and shouts might have been swallowed by the sounds of the waves, but the gun shots and then the explosion had not.
The pair, followed closely by Edmund were met in the hallway by every occupant and most of the staff of the house.
Milly was the first to move forward. “Oh, my goodness! Come into the drawing room! Tea, brandy and warm blankets!” she instructed briskly.
Edmund helped Milly to shepherd the pair into the room and seated them both on a sofa. He banked the fire before moving a chair near the sofa at Clara’s side.
“What on earth has been going on?” Mr Beresford demanded.
“Not now,” Edmund growled out.
“Not now?” Mr Beresford exclaimed hotly. “If any of my family are at risk of goodness knows what, I demand to be told!”
“No one is in danger,” Edmund flashed him a look that would have silenced most people.
“Can you guarantee that? I want to leave; my wife and daughter are not going to be put at risk!” the concerned parent continued.
“You fool! Yes, take your family off in the middle of the night and see how long it is before you are accosted by highwaymen, or overturn your coach on the roads in the dead of night. That’ll be a fine example of protecting your family!”
“You might be a Lord, but I don’t like your tone, young man!” Mr Beresford shouted.
“Enough!” Milly said loud enough to silence the two combatants. “If Lord Chertsey says there is no danger, then there isn’t, Mr Beresford. Rest easy that the male staff will patrol the house all night to ensure we are all safe in our beds; there is really no need to leave. If you wish to leave in the morning, I understand, but please rest easy. If you would like to return to your chamber, I shall have a tray sent to your room with some warm spiced wine; it is a recipe of the area and is perfect for settling ones nerves after such an upset.”
Mr Beresford seemed slightly mollified at Milly’s calming words and, at Milly’s nod, was escorted from the room. Before the door was closed behind him, he turned to Milly. “I shall be speaking to your cousin about his engagement. I am no longer convinced of the advantage of the attachment.”
Milly sagged when the door was closed; she was thankful that neither Charles nor Clara had seemed to notice what had been said. They were seated, their heads touching, talking quietly to each other.
“What happened?” Milly asked Edmund.
“A little more than smuggling brandy,” Edmund replied, too tired and concerned to enter into a full explanation.
“Lord Grinstead knew about this didn’t he?”
“He organised the welcoming party to try and capture the culprits.”
“So you knew that it wasn’t simple smuggling before tonight?” Milly asked in shock.
“Yes.”
“And yet neither of you saw fit to let us in on the potential danger we faced.” Milly was reminded of the conversation she had exchanged with Henry but, if she were honest, she had not believed him fully when expressing how much danger they were in.
“We couldn’t risk exposure. Henry in particular has worked for a long time on this,” Edmund said quietly.
“My family could’ve been killed!”
“I know,” Edmund responded, his voice barely above a whisper. That thought was going to haunt him for a very long time to come.
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of drinks. Milly made both Clara and Charles drink a large brandy before giving them a cup of tea each with lots of sugar. As Milly handed the cups to her cousins, she exclaimed. “Look at your wrists! They’re bleeding!”
Clara looked down at her wrists, as if noticing the cuts for the first time. “It happened as we cut the ropes; we had to act quickly or someone could have disturbed us.”
Milly ordered water and cloths to be brought in order to clean the wounds. “Where is Lord Grinstead?” she asked Edmund.
“I don’t know. Outside somewhere.”
“I shall return soon,” Milly said, standing. The normally calm woman had an expression that would have worried even the most hardened man. “I’m entrusting my cousins’ care to you, Lord Chertsey; I shall return as soon as I can.”
Edmund raised his eyebrow; he was suddenly a little sorry for Henry if the quiet but formidable young woman was able to find him.
A bowl of steaming water was brought in, and Edmund dampened the cloths that had been provided. He positioned his chair so he was seated directly in front of Clara and gently took her hand. He said nothing, but carefully washed her wounds.
Clara looked at him and the haunted expression nearly brought him to his knees. “They were going to leave us to drown,” she said quietly.