Chapter 15
Milly had checked for signs of life and had nearly wept with relief when she felt shallow breaths on her hand when she held it in front of his lips. He had been badly beaten; bruises were already emerging.
She tried to lift him off the cold floor but could barely lift one side of him; she could never move him without help. Looking around the small cell in desperation, she covered him with a blanket and her cloak, but it was not enough; he needed to be off the floor.
Milly had been the model prisoner, but circumstances had changed. She stood at the door and banged with all her might, shouting for help at the same time.
It was many minutes before Milly heard the sound of the door being unlocked and stepped away from the doorway, rubbing her now bruised hand. Her heart beat uncomfortably in her chest as she dreaded the sight of Joshua.
Mack entered the room and closed the door firmly behind him. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked roughly.
“Lord Grinstead needs help.”
“He’s lucky he’s still alive, the young fool,” Mack sounded angry.
Milly decided that she had to have faith in Mack; he had helped her so much already. “Please help me lift him on the bed. He’ll catch a chill if he remains on the floor.”
Mack muttered under his breath but bent to haul Henry’s upper body onto the hard bunk. Milly quickly grabbed his feet and was relieved Henry was off the stone floor.
“I need something to clean his wounds,” Milly said, her eyes pleading with Mack’s steely glare.
“You’re asking too much.”
“Please. He must’ve been trying to find me; I can’t see him hurt without helping him.”
“He’s put you both in real danger,” Mack responded.
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. I’d already accepted that I probably wouldn’t be leaving here alive,” Milly said, her tone matter-of-fact.
Mack looked at the young woman and, with a small smile, showed his appreciation of her spirit. “I’ll bring what I can but, when he comes to, it’ll be up to you to keep him quiet. Antagonising Joshua at this point won’t be a good idea.”
“I’ll do my best. He’s probably never followed anyone’s advice in his life, but I’ll try.”
Milly would never have guessed the level of respect Mack had for the woman who had dealt with her confinement with the utmost dignity and lack of complaint. Even now, when he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was terrified, she maintained her composure and tried to make a bleak situation better. It was wrong that she was being put through such a trial.
An hour passed before Mack returned. Milly had been afraid he would not bring the items to tend to Henry, so she had lit the fire and one candle in order that she could keep him warm and watch for any change in his situation. She sat on the bottom of the bunk, taking up as little space as she could.
Mack brought food, beer, a bucket of water, cloths and a bottle of brandy. “He could need some of that when he wakens; he took a solid beating.”
“Thank you,” Milly responded. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t understand how human beings can inflict such damage to each other; it’s barbaric.”
“It’s all some people know,” Mack responded quietly. “Don’t eat the food all at once; it’s likely I won’t be back for some time.”
There was no point in Milly wondering what tasks Mack had to do that took him away from her. It was nothing to do with her, and knowing would not achieve any solution to her predicament. She remained standing until the door locked behind Mack, and then she poured some water into her cup before holding it over the fire to take the chill off the water.
Using the cloths supplied, Milly wiped the dried blood from Henry’s face, hands and arms. He had arrived dressed only in breeches, his shirt and boots. She took off his boots so he would be more comfortable. Having wrapped him in the blanket, she monitored his temperature, afraid of a fever developing and worried that he had not regained consciousness.
Milly sat on the edge of the bunk, placing a cool damp cloth on Henry’s forehead until it warmed up, and she replaced it with a fresh cloth. She moved his hair away from his face, trying to wash away the traces of blood that had become attached to his hair. Henry looked a little better than he had when he had been brought in, but his face was a mess.
Henry eventually moaned, and Milly shushed him, stroking his cheek gently in a soothing motion. “My Lord, you are safe,” she soothed.
“Miss Holland? Milly?” Henry croaked.
“Yes.” Milly smiled at the use of her given name.
Henry opened his eyes, realising soon enough that he could open only one, the other being closed due to swelling. “Have they hurt you?”
“No. But they’ve hurt you.”
“Feel bloody awful,” Henry muttered.
“Here have some of this,” Milly moved to lift Henry’s head, so she could raise the brandy bottle to his lips.
Henry winced as the alcohol stung his cut lips but gulped the liquid, welcoming the taste and knowing the effect would numb some of the pain he was feeling. He had never felt as sore in his life. “Is this smuggled?” he asked, trying to inject some humour into a very dark situation.
“Probably,” Milly responded with a small smile. “I don’t think anything here will have been gained by legitimate means.”
“I think we’re in a bit of a pickle, Milly. Can I call you Milly?” Henry asked, looking at her seriously.
Milly realised how bad Henry must be feeling because of the fact that he had not attempted to sit up. “I think we’ve moved a little beyond formalities, haven’t we?”
“Yes. I’m Henry from now on. I’m glad you’ll be speaking my name; your voice is always so soothing and gentle, almost like a gentle kiss. My name will sound good on your lips.”
“Do you ever stop flirting?” Milly asked, but she had flushed with pleasure at his words.
“Not while there’s breath in my body.”
“I think you’d better conserve that breath at the moment and rest. You’ve been through a right old time of it and need a while to recover. Try to sleep. I know the bunk isn’t the best, but it’s all we’ve got.”
Henry looked around the room as best he could. “Where will you sleep?”
“I’m going to nurse you tonight. I’ll sleep in the morning when you awaken.”
Henry wriggled towards the wall and turned onto his side. The movement caused him to grimace in pain, and he paused when a wave of nausea passed over him; he must have damaged his ribs if the pain was anything to go by.
“Join me; we can both fit on here,” he indicated that Milly lie beside him.
“No!” Milly responded, shocked at the suggestion.
“Why not?”
“I’ve not washed in days.”
“That doesn’t worry me; I can’t imagine I smell too pleasantly after spending goodness knows how long on the dockside. It’s the sensible solution.”
“For a rake maybe, but my reputation has received enough trials so far in my life; it would never recover from this!”
Henry looked genuinely upset before he sighed and spoke. “Milly, I don’t know if I can get us out of this. I think your reputation in front of a bunch of traitorous villains is the least of our worries.”
Milly paused. He was right; neither was sure that this was going to end happily; she might as well take the pleasure of being wrapped in his arms; it could be the last thing she did.
Wrapping her cloak tightly around her body, she sat on the bunk and lay down. Henry had smiled at the action; she was still being prim even though she had given way to his suggestion. He placed one arm under her neck and folded it over her body, pulling her close to him, putting his other arm around her waist. He curled his body around hers, resting his head on the pillow.
“Thank you,” he whispered and kissed her hair gently. “I’m sorry you’ve been put through this. I will do my damndest to get you out of here, if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Please don’t talk like that,” Milly responded quietly, feeling bolder when she did not have to look at him.
“You’re here because of me.”
“And you’re here because of me. Go to sleep.”
Henry kissed her head once more and sighed into her hair. He had never felt as bad in his life, both emotionally and physically, but he would have chosen no other place to be at that moment. She fitted into him like nothing or no one had ever done before.
He closed his eyes and drifted into a surprisingly contented sleep.
*
Milly awoke lying in the same position in which she had fallen asleep. She could easily allow herself to feel happy at her position, but it was ridiculous to let her romantic ideas come to the fore in such a situation. She attempted to move slowly, but strong arms held her fast.
“Where do you think you’re going?” came the gruff voice of Henry.
“I-er. To get some food,” Milly stuttered.
“There’s no hurry is there?” Henry truly did not want to let her go. He had suffered from a more disturbed sleep than Milly, the pain of his injuries waking him from time to time. Each time he had kissed Milly’s hair and lain with his nose buried in the thick tresses, which were dishevelled by many days of being unbrushed.
“We shouldn’t,” Milly insisted. It would be so easy to forget her principles but, if she did, she would, as a consequence, lose her grip on her self-control, which would result in the reality of the situation taking hold. She could not afford to lose control.
Henry sighed. “Why are you so good?”
Milly chuckled at his response. “Why do you make it sound a trait to be despised?”
“When it prevents me from keeping you wrapped in my arms, it is,” Henry said before kissing her head one last time.
Milly felt her mind was at odds with her heart and felt bereft when Henry removed his arms enough that she could easily move off the bunk. Her colour was heightened as she busied herself, emptying the ash out of the brazier in readiness for the next fire and dividing the remaining food in two.
“I don’t know when our next meal will arrive, but there’s not really enough to split it over two meals each,” she explained apologetically, handing Henry the food.
“As I can barely open my mouth without it hurting, I think it will take some time to devour this small feast,” Henry responded wryly.
“Would you like some brandy to help with the pain?”
“Not this early. Even I have limitations!”
Milly smiled and joined Henry on the bunk. He had sat up and, although they were not touching, they were seated far closer to each other than would have been allowable in any respectable drawing room.
“Have they mistreated you?” Henry asked, eating very slowly. He did not really want to eat, but what Milly had said was true, they should eat while they could.
“No. When I was brought here, I thought I wouldn’t have been able to stand it; there was mention of rats. I couldn’t have coped with being in total darkness with the sounds of rats, but Mack brought me the fire, candles and the wood for blocking the hole over there. I’ve heard them running in the walls, but thankfully not seen them.”
“Mack?” Henry asked in disbelief.
“Yes, do you know him? He brought you in last night.”
“I’ll kill him!” Henry snarled.
“I don’t understand,” Milly said in confusion. Mack had been the kindest person she had met since her nightmare had begun; she could not understand Henry’s reaction.
“The situation is worse than I thought, Milly.”
Henry offered no other explanation, but the atmosphere changed. Milly sensed he was in a dark place and, although curious about the connection between the two men, she held her counsel.
Neither mentioned Mack again for the rest of the day, but the mood did not really return to the comfortable one it had been in the morning despite the circumstances.
There was one other hurdle to get over, involving using the crude petty. After a lot of negotiation, which involved Henry being amused and Milly being mortified, agreement had been reached that involved them each in turn facing the wall and sticking their fingers in their ears. Henry had increased Milly’s discomfort by singing at the same time, but it had been done as an effort to give Milly the opportunity to curse Henry and relieve some of the mortification she was feeling.
Just as Milly was considering making a fire for the evening, the door opened. If Joshua had entered bringing attention to the fire would have been a disaster, although with Henry seated at her side, the thought of rats in the dark was not quite so terrifying.
Luckily, it was Mack who walked through the door, closing it firmly behind him, while trying to carry a basket of food and jug of beer.
At the sight of Mack, Henry jumped to his feet, the movement causing him to wince in pain, but the discomfort not preventing him from carrying out what he had been waiting to do all day.
“You’d better be armed because I’m going to kill you–you traitorous bastard!”
Chapter 16
Mack calmly placed the tray and jug on the table, watching Henry the whole time. “Keep your voice down, you young fool!” he snapped. “Do you want to see us all killed?”
“You, yes, definitely! There aren’t words you could utter that could make this any better!”
“Well, I won’t bother then.”
Henry growled in frustration. “You knew I was tearing London apart to find her, yet you were the one looking after her? Which of course leads me to not unnaturally believe that when I was seeking out Shambles to stop something like this happening in the first place, you knew exactly where he was.”
“I was obeying orders.”
“
I
gave you orders!”
Mack smiled slightly. “We are all tiny cogs, even you; it’s just the rest of us realise that. If you choose to ignore it, that’s your mistake not mine. I gave you what information I could.”
“Who do you answer to?”
“The same person you keep ignoring. You’ve angered people by being headstrong and stubborn.”
“And what? Should have I left her to face her own fate?” Henry snapped, nodding at Milly, who was watching the exchange with fascination.
“You were being an idiot before then. You had to get that picture circulated didn’t you?”
“Shambles was on the run.”
“To lead us to a bigger prize.” Mack turned to Milly. “Don’t light the fire, Joshua will be here before the evening’s out.”
“Oh, no,” Milly said quietly, looking at Henry with concern. Both men were unpredictable at the best of times; being confined in a small room with one being a prisoner was not a mixture that would end well.
Mack left the room, and Henry paced, his fists in tight balls, all pain forgotten in his anger.
Milly tried to pacify him. “We all had a part to play in this mess,” she said reasonably. “I could have easily refused to draw the picture, but instead I let my vanity be stroked and gave you the tools to seek out Shambles.”
“You are completely innocent in all this!” Henry growled. “I should have left you alone.”
Personally, Milly was still glad he had not left her alone. Her smitten heart could not but appreciate every moment with him, no matter how ridiculous or dangerous the situation. For the thousandth time she questioned her sanity in refusing to marry the man she so clearly loved.
“I need to ask you to do something that won’t come easy,” Milly said when Henry had finally calmed down enough to return to sitting on the bunk.
“Oh?”
“Please don’t antagonise Shambles when he comes in.”
“That’s a promise I won’t make,” Henry responded, belligerently.
Milly sighed; she knew it was a lot to ask of him. She reached out and took hold of his hand. “I wouldn’t ask this normally, but please, do it for me. I can’t stand the thought of him taking you away from me. Having you here has made this prison more bearable.”
Henry did not respond immediately. He was not unaffected by her words which, as with everything else to do with Milly, came as a surprise to him. The thought of causing her distress felt like a lump of lead in his stomach; he could not increase her anxiety.
“I won’t aggravate the situation,” Henry said quietly. “But it is only for you that I do it. I have history with Shambles that one day needs to be resolved. I won’t make this situation worse, though; I need to get you to safety before I tackle him.”
“A history that involves more than smuggling or being a traitor to the King?”
“Yes, much more.”
Milly did not press Henry when he offered no further explanation. It was his business, and he would tell her more when he was happy to do so.
*
The small portion of sky they could see was darkening before the door opened and Joshua Shambles walked in followed by Mack. Henry glared at both men but kept his word to Milly and did not say anything to Joshua.
Their captor looked delighted with the situation, a mocking smile on his damaged face. “Not so confident now, are we?”
Henry did not respond, but his fists clenched.
“Go on, take a swipe, and I’ll finish off what I should have done when I had you on the floor writhing in pain,” Joshua sneered.
Milly moved her hand and covered one of Henry’s.
“Aw, look at the little old maid, desperate to protect her Lord. It won’t do any good, you know; once I’ve used you both to get my pardon, I’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to him. One day he’ll be somewhere he shouldn’t, and I’ll be waiting.”
“Never one for doing anything open and above board are you Shambles?” Henry snapped.
“Ooo, has the little Lord been upset? I’m so sorry you don’t agree with my methods but, unless you’ve forgotten, we’re fighting a war.”
“You weren’t fighting a war when you lived in Ramsgate,” Henry said. His promise to Milly was costing him dearly; he wanted to rip Joshua apart, or at least die trying to.
“Ramsgate? What’s Ramsgate got to do with anything?” Joshua asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
“Your response shows just the type of man you are; you can’t even remember what you did to her. Did she mean absolutely nothing to you?” Henry’s voice was full of pain, an effect he would like to have hidden, but the feelings were too raw to conceal.
“Ramsgate?” Joshua muttered to himself and then his eyes lit up. “Of course! Lady Mabel! How could I have forgotten? She was the sweetest little thing and so smitten with me. A pity I was visited by her guardians and told to clear off.”
“You were tested and failed.”
“Tested? What young man wouldn’t swap one thousand pounds for the pleasures of one young lady? There was a country full of sweet little virgins to explore, especially with a pocket full of blunt.”
Henry dove at Joshua, his words too much for him to bear. Mack intervened and, with one swift punch, managed to knock Henry backwards, sending him reeling onto the bunk and hitting his head on the wall with a dull thud.
Milly winced but wondered if Henry would have been quite so easy to stop if he had not already taken a severe beating.
“Moves like that could get you killed,” Joshua responded quite happy with the way the situation had played out.
“If I took you with me, it would be worth it.”
“But if you didn’t, I might just enjoy your little spinster’s body before I killed her.”
Henry looked to move, but Milly moved once again to place her hand on his. “I’m not worth being killed for,” she said quietly.
“Let me be the judge of that,” Henry said gruffly but he relaxed back on the seat. He was no fool; Joshua would not touch him when he had Mack to do the dirty work, and Mack was in a far better condition than Henry was at the moment.
“Ah, shame,” Joshua sneered when it was clear that Henry was not going to respond. “We shall have to talk about Lady Mabel again soon. I wonder where she is now?”
Joshua and Mack left the room, leaving Henry and Milly staring at the closed door in silence. It was not long before Mack returned alone, his excuse: bringing another jug of beer.
When he had secured the door behind him he turned to Henry. “You might have a death wish, but think of her,” he said nodding towards Milly.
“I do, regularly,” Henry responded.
“You could have fooled me! Who’s Lady Mabel? Some sweetheart that Joshua stole from you?” Mack snapped, at the end of his tether with the foolish Lord.
“She was my sister.”
“Oh,” Mack responded. “I didn’t realise. What happened to her?”
“She was fifteen but had been ill, so was bundled off to Ramsgate for some sea air and recuperation. That snake discovered her and romanced her until she was besotted with him. Her guardians thought he was a fortune hunter and so offered him a thousand pounds in exchange to disappear from her life forever. I think if he’d have chosen her, they would have let them marry. Only he was as shallow as he is now and took the money.”
“She was probably better off without him,” Mack said, not unreasonably; he knew Joshua better than anyone.
“Not really. She was already with child but no one knew,” Henry said with anguish.
“I’m sorry. It can’t have been easy.”
“It was to be harder. She was so ashamed that one morning she just walked into the sea and didn’t stop moving out towards the open sea until it was too deep. She left a note, explaining about the baby and her shame at being taken in by him. She said that, although he didn’t love her, she couldn’t live without him. She couldn’t swim. I don’t need to go on do I?”
The room was quiet for a few moments while the occupants let Henry’s words sink in.
“I’m sorry,” Mack said, finally breaking the silence. “No wonder you hate him. I’m impressed you’ve been so restrained. I want to kill the weasel for you.”
“I won’t stop you,” Henry said with a small smile.
“I’ll return shortly,” Mack said before leaving the room.
Milly had been silent throughout the exchange, but tears had sparkled in her eyes as she had listened to the story. Henry turned to her and smiled a little, his own eyes unusually bright. “It’s a sad story isn’t it?” he asked quietly. “I think my heart broke that day and has never worked the same since. You did right in refusing to marry me, Milly; I’m damaged goods.”
Milly cupped his cheek in her hand. “You are a loving brother, nothing else.”
“But I let her down!” Henry said admitting the circumstance that haunted his every day.
“How did you do that?”
“I was living it up in London; it was my first season. While I was involved in all manner of debauchery, she was having her heart broken with no one to turn too.”
“I doubt she would have turned to an older brother even if you were nearby,” Milly reasoned. “And you were what – seventeen? Eighteen? Hardly capable of dealing with such a situation.”
“I should have been there for her.”
“It isn’t your fault. You had sent her to the seaside to recover. No one could have predicted that she would meet a fortune hunter. No one could have guessed that would happen in a place usually used for recuperation.”
“She was preyed on by someone with far more experience than she had, than I had.”
“Many are. That’s how the likes of Shambles get away with what they do. Look how he preyed on Charles; a young boy who doesn’t have a wicked bone in his body. Your sister wouldn’t want you to still be suffering by blaming yourself for so many years.”
Henry looked anguished. “Throughout the letter, she kept apologising to me, saying how sorry she was to have let me down.”
“She wouldn’t want you to get killed in trying to vindicate what happened to her, and you will if you try anything while we are in here.”
“I can’t let him escape again. I’ve accepted my fate, I just need to get you to safety first. I will not have your death on my conscience, too,” Henry said, touching Milly’s free hand.
“I can’t bear to think of you being killed,” Milly said honestly.
“You’re the only one who would miss me. I’m not held dear by many.”
“That’s because they haven’t seen what I have.”
“And yet you wouldn’t marry me. That’s not much of a recommendation is it?” Henry said, but he was smiling his teasing smile.
“I –“
The door opened and Mack returned with a roll of cloth. “I thought you a headstrong idiot. I apologise. Use these wisely and remember we need Joshua alive, or we won’t find out who the traitor higher in the ranks is. That has to be top priority.”
He threw the cloth at Henry who caught it deftly. Henry waited until Mack left the room before unravelling the cloth. In the middle were two knives and a small pistol.
“Thank you Mack,” Henry said quietly as he checked the gun. “Milly, you are going to be returning home soon.”