My Earl the Spy (12 page)

“Blast it!” Henry cursed. He quickly told them of the events that had taken place at Dorset and his subsequent request of Milly and the consequences of that.

“So you think this Shambles has taken her?” Sarah asked; all earlier bravado disappeared when facing the reality of her friend being in danger. “Milly did mention about the drawing, but I admit I didn’t take it seriously. I thought you were over reacting. Would he travel here to reach her?”

“Definitely,” Henry responded grimly.

“You put her in danger. You put her family in danger. How can she possibly have feelings for you after doing that? I don’t understand,” Sarah said in confusion.

“I wasn’t convinced she had; it was you who told me her feelings weren’t untouched as I’d presumed from her behaviour,” Henry pointed out not unreasonably.

“How can you do a job that puts others so much at risk?”

Henry was reminded of another time before he had accepted his current occupation when life had seemed far simpler. He shook himself; now was not for dwelling on what had already passed. “It protects the rest of the country. There is a real threat from France. I couldn’t stand by and see Napoleon invade.”

“But it’s put Milly in danger.”

“I need to return to London. He’ll be taking her there.”

“She will never be found in London!” Sarah gasped.

“If I have to tear every brick from every building, I’ll find her,” Henry said fiercely. If he had felt fear at Milly being hurt previously, it was nothing compared to the feelings of terror he was desperately trying to dampen down in order that he could think straight. “Please excuse me; I need to send off some correspondence before I start my journey. A search for her can be started before I return to London.”

Sarah reached out and touched Henry’s arm. “You will find her?”

“I promise.”

Chapter 13

Milly was exhausted. They had travelled with hardly a break. She had been allowed to leave the carriage only once when she had been forced to explain that, if she was not allowed to leave, there would be unpleasant consequences for anyone travelling inside. It had been one of the most embarrassing experiences of her life but, unfortunately, necessary.

Having a young man standing outside a room while she freshened up had been a necessary evil. There had been no opportunity to try to make an escape; the room had been checked before she had been allowed access, and the window was small enough that even she could not have hoped to squeeze through.

Milly had considered for a moment trying to escape, a natural instinct to flee, but it was not a possibility in reality. Billy had informed her of the address of the school her brothers were attending; at that moment Milly had assured them once more of her co-operation, and she had not changed her mind. She could not risk this unfortunate event impacting any other member of her family.

She had agreed to draw the picture of Joshua Shambles mainly out of vanity, and it just served herself right that she had not considered the consequences of becoming involved with something that was so obviously dangerous. It was ironic that not so very long ago she had berated Henry for putting people at risk, yet she had put her whole family at risk. She was thankful that her cousins were still on their wedding trip and could not be drawn into this mess.

A lesser person would have blamed Henry for her current position but, although Milly acknowledged he had involved her, she had been a willing participant. To be fair to Henry, he had remained near her in Farnham when he had heard Joshua had found out who was behind the drawings. He had promised her protection and, in fairness, he had given it, even to the point of the silly marriage proposal.

Milly grimaced as the coach continued to trundle along even though it was dark; they were obviously not afraid of being approached by highwaymen as most other travellers were. Normally travel at night would be avoided for fear of being attacked on the road; this was clearly not a consideration on this journey. She was sure they were returning to London, but what would happen when they reached the capital, she could only guess at.

In moments of despair, she wondered if Joshua would kill her for what she had done. It was clear he had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure her capture. There was another thought that had sprung into her mind as the day had progressed, but that thought did not bear thinking of. She prayed that Henry would not be put in danger because of trying to find her.

It was late when Milly was roused from a fitful sleep by the halting of the carriage. It took a moment or two before she realised it was not a normal horse-changing stop, but that they’d entered a dock area. Milly was surprised at the level of noise surrounding them even though the hour was late; it was clear that the docks did not sleep as the more elegant streets did.

She was instructed to put on a long cloak and put the hood over her head. Doing as she was bid, stepping out the carriage, she turned to Billy who was, as always, watching her closely.

“What happens now?”

“That’s not up to me Missy; my job was to get you here. I’m paid and then off on my way,” Billy responded, his hand leading Milly by her elbow into a large warehouse. They walked through a building full of barrels and boxes of all shapes and sizes. Milly wondered if there could be so much illegal goods without any authority figure noticing; there was such a large amount, but the law must be looking the other way as she did not think anything to do with Joshua Shambles would be legitimate.

A section of the warehouse had been partitioned off from the large open space, and Billy rapped on the door. It was opened slightly while the visitors were checked. A second later, the door was opened fully, allowing the pair access into the room.

Milly was faced with two men, one of whom was Joshua Shambles. She stopped the sharp intake of breath before it was heard when she saw the ugly scar on his cheek. It had not healed well and was an horrific sight to anyone but especially to a genteel young woman. She knew without question who had inflicted the scar, and the feeling of dread increased ten-fold in her chest. Joshua was not going to be inclined to be lenient with his treatment of her when he had such a disfigurement caused by her own cousin.

“Had a good look?” Joshua sneered. “This’ll be nothing by the time I’m finished with you.”

“Have you my money?” Billy asked, obviously not keen to hang around now he had delivered his part of the deal.

Joshua threw him a bag that jangled with coins. Billy caught the cloth bag and weighed it in his hand. “Nice doing business with you.”

“Any word of you talking about this, and I’ll cut your tongue out,” Joshua snarled at Billy.

Milly almost laughed when Billy turned and doffed his cap at her in deference before leaving the room. He had been pointing a knife at her for most of the journey; it was ironic to now be so subservient.

Milly turned back to face Joshua when the door closed behind Billy. She was terrified but needed to know answers to some questions. “I don’t need to ask why I’m here, but what do you intend to do to me now?” she asked. Her voice was slightly shaky, but it was something she could not have stopped; she was no gothic heroine.

“Oh, so you admit your part in trying to see me hanged?”

“You nearly got my cousins killed; you tried to get yourself hanged.”

Joshua moved quicker than Milly thought possible, the back of his hand across her face sent her reeling to the floor. She gasped in pain, unable to stop the tears but managing to contain her sobs.

“I expect respect while you’re under my roof!” Joshua snapped.

“Josh, damaged goods won’t get you the result you want.” It was the first time the other man had spoken, and his voice was quiet.

“I’m sick of the likes of her talking down to me! I had enough while I stayed with her fop of a cousin!” Joshua snapped.

“It’s up to you, but you know full well how they are about their women being untouched.”

Joshua pulled Milly to her feet. She flinched, expecting another blow, but it didn’t come. “You, Miss High and Mighty are my ticket out of this mess. I’m swapping you for a pardon. Your Lord Grinstead will be given the choice: your life or my freedom. Easy as that.”

Milly was flung onto a pile of what turned out to be empty hessian sacks. “You stay here quiet, and you’ll be safe. If you cause a noise, I won’t hesitate to bring one of your brothers to join you. Do you understand?”

Milly nodded, mute.

“Good. There’ll be someone watching this door day and night. If you’re no trouble I might feed you. Maybe but maybe not; we’ll see.”

Joshua and the second man walked out of the door and locked it. Milly sank back on the sacking, touching her face tenderly. She could taste blood, and her cheek felt sore; there would probably be a bruise but, as the way she looked was definitely the least of her worries, she let her head fall back on the rough material. She could not think straight, but one thought would not go away; it was unlikely she would get out of this unscathed, if at all. Staring at the closed door, she knew the next few hours or days were going to be the most testing of her life.

*

The door opened, and Milly sat up quickly. During the night she had arranged the sacking into a more comfortable arrangement, even using one as a blanket. The cloak she had been given protected her from most of the roughness of the material, and it had enabled her to get some sleep, even though she still felt weary on being woken.

She looked in alarm at the door, expecting to see Joshua, but it was the second man who walked in with a tray in his hands. “Here you go, Miss Holland. It’s not fine fare, but it should fill a hole.”

“Thank you,” Milly said quietly. “What should I do about…?” her cheeks had flushed at needing to raise the issue for the second time in two days, both times with men.

The man smiled in sympathy. “This cupboard contains everything you need, and if you leave the door open, the door acts as a screen.”

“How long will I be here?” Milly asked.

“It depends what your Lord intends to do.”

“He dislikes Mr Shambles.”

“Aye, there’s not many who do like him.”

“Then why?” Milly asked in confusion. “Why would he get co-operation from everyone if they did not respect him?”

“Money, usually. Don’t ask too many questions. None of us can afford to be your friend, Miss Holland, for all our sakes.” The words were said gently, but there was a warning.

“I hate being so helpless,” Milly admitted.

“Just don’t antagonise him, and you’ll be fine.”

“Am I allowed to ask your name?”

“Everyone calls me Mack. Now eat your food; it’ll taste even worse cold.”

“Thank you, Mack.”

Milly stood and stretched her stiff muscles. She was not used to such inactivity and spending too many hours in a carriage and then an uncomfortable night did not bode well for the days to come. She looked at the food on the tray; Mack had been correct; it was anything but fine fare. A slice of pie with thick, dry-looking pastry lay on its side. A few unappetising biscuits completed the offered food, and a jug of small beer was the only drink on the tray.

Having been so long without food ̶ only once on the journey had food been obtained, and that had been eaten in the carriage ̶ Milly was ready to eat almost anything. Taking small bites and washing the stale food down with the now much appreciated drink, Milly did indeed fill a hole.

When she had finished, she felt less drained and walked backwards and forwards across the small floor of the locked room. She hated being so helpless and unable to change anything about her current situation, but the risk for her family was enough of a deterrent to prevent her from doing anything rash. She was not about to underestimate Joshua Shambles’ determination to seek vengeance. She would have to wait for the moment. Doing nothing was not a perfect solution, but there was little else she could do.

*

Milly had suffered three days of staring at the same walls, walking around the small confined room and eating dried, tasteless food, washed down with small beer, vital to help swallow the dry morsels. She had never liked the taste of small beer, but she was positively grateful for it now.

Mack had been the one to visit each time food was delivered. She had tried to delay him by asking questions and, although he was in some respects kindly to her, he never loitered above a minute or two. Milly craved contact with someone; she was desperately hoping her family were safe, and that Joshua would get what he wanted without her ever needing to see him again.

In the hours of silence Milly thought of Henry, wondering what he was doing, hoping he was safe and, more often than not, hoping he could forgive her pushing him away. She ached to see him again but was terrified he would risk his safety in searching for her. She presumed there would be some agreement being worked out for Joshua’s pardon.

The morning of the fourth day, the door burst open, and Joshua stormed into the room. “I knew that damned Earl wouldn’t be a gentleman and do things the easy way! Get up! We’re leaving.”

Milly was unceremoniously dragged to her feet and pushed forcefully through the door.

“What’s happening?” she asked, partly relieved to be leaving the room behind, partly fearful of what was going to happen with Joshua in such a foul mood.

“You need to be moved somewhere more secure,” Joshua snarled. “Now keep quiet, or there’ll be more bruises!”

Milly instinctively touched her cheek which was less tender than it had been but was obviously bruised. She received a look of warning from Mack that stopped her from asking any other questions.

She was dragged through the warehouse, her feet tripping regularly. She was shocked at how stiff she was and how it was causing her to struggle to walk at speed even after such a short confinement. Joshua cursed at every stumble and gripped her harder until she could hardly feel anything but the sharp pain in her arms where his fingers dug deeply into her flesh.

They reached the large doorway, and a carriage that had seen better days was waiting. Milly was lifted roughly and thrown into the open doorway of the carriage. She landed on the floor with a groan but soon scrambled onto the seat as Joshua and Mack followed her inside.

The carriage set-off before Mack had time to close the door, and a curse from the quiet man rang out as he reached for the swinging door.

“I’m sure there’s no need for quite so much rush,” he muttered to Joshua.

“Wait until it’s your neck in the noose, and then we’ll see how fast you move!” Joshua snapped in return.

“They’ll hardly hand me a reward for my part in all this,” Mack said with a nod towards Milly. “I signed up for getting people into the country, not kidnapping ladies.”

“Well things changed because of them, not me.” Joshua’s tone was mulish; he never accepted responsibility for anything that happened; the situations he found himself in were never his fault if there was someone else to blame. “Why he couldn’t just agree to my terms! This could all be over now!”

“And let a commoner get one over on an aristocrat? What foolish ideas you have sometimes!” Mack almost laughed at the young man. “We are in this mess because the toffs always get what they think they’re entitled to.”