by Rebecca King
Oliver stood in the shadows of the back hall and listened to the man walk into the room. As soon as the door opened a loud blast of ribald laughter spilled out of the room which was accentuated by Smidgley’s loud voice screeching at the damned man to hurry up because they were all thirsty. Oliver grinned because he didn’t doubt that Smidgley, having ordered enough drink to fell an elephant, would elaborately pour the drinks and hand them to his friends. Even the thugs on guard would get to sip some beverages, although they would drink the ale the inn keeper carried into the room on the second tray. Ale that Oliver has also drugged.
Folding his arms, Oliver settled his shoulders back against the wall. From his stance, he could see Rhys standing at the bar supping his ale. Their eyes met a time or two. Oliver nodded. Rhys’s lips twitched but it was the only outward sign of acknowledgement, and Oliver had to be looking closely to be able to see it. Minutes ticked by. The laughter within the room didn’t cease. The inn keeper returned to his bar, even though the tavern was nearly empty. While he waited, Oliver forced himself to keep his attention on the goings-on within the tavern. He refused to think about the woman who was standing outside, most probably freezing her delicate backside off by now. He wished Smidgley would hurry up; that there would be a dull thud or something of someone hitting the floor as they fell over, but there was nothing. The ribald laughter continued as the men continued to drink and gamble.
One hour passed, then another half. Rhys shook his head. Oliver shifted from one foot to another not least because he was stiff from having to stand still for so long. Even the inn keeper was starting to look concerned. Oliver eventually knew that he had to do something else to try to bring Smidgley down although he couldn’t see why the drugs hadn’t worked. When the inn keeper tried to pass him to go into the kitchen, Oliver stopped him.
“Go into the room and ask if they want any more drinks.”
“They usually send someone out for more,” the inn keeper warned.
Oliver shook his head. “We cannot wait all evening. Just use that as an excuse and see if everyone is still awake or if they are feeling sleepy.”
“What is in that stuff anyway?” the inn keeper asked.
Oliver shook his head. “Just go and see if anyone is awake. If they are, ask if they want more drinks. If not, tell me and we can get them out of there. Just make sure we have a clear route out back, eh?”
“He has two thugs in the stable yard. I delivered their ale earlier.”
“They didn’t drink from the mugs that were on the tray?” Oliver cursed when the inn keeper shook his head.
“Sorry, I forgot about them.”
“Get two more ales then and bring them to me.” Oliver dug around in his pocket while the inn keeper fetched the drinks. Because time was short, Oliver knew he had to put more of the drug into the drinks, so it worked faster. Minutes later, he watched the inn keeper disappear outside with the drugged ale. When he returned, Oliver nodded to the closed parlour door but suspected he already knew what the inn keeper would find. The room had, strangely, fallen quiet.
The inn keeper opened the door and entered the room. He paused and didn’t bother to close the door behind him as he usually would. Instead, he scratched his head and studied the snoring men scattered around the room like fallen skittles. One or two had slumped over the backs of chairs as the need to sleep had swiftly taken them over. Others had curled up on the floor. Smidgley was sprawled in a high-backed chair at the head of the long table positioned in the centre of the room, his head lolled back, his mouth wide open.
Oliver grinned when he sauntered into the room and met the inn keeper’s bemused look.
“Well, that worked,” the inn keeper muttered.
Oliver quietly placed a finger across his lips. He leaned back out of the door and winked at Rhys, who casually sauntered around the bar and came to join them. He then passed them and moved into the kitchen doorway whereupon he let out a strange whistle. With a wink at two giggling maids who saucily eyed him up, he then returned to Oliver and studied the sleeping occupants of the room.
“It’s done,” Harry whispered. He grinned at Emmeline. “Now it is time to go.”
“Where?” Emmeline asked.
“We have to get back onto our horses.”
Emmeline opened her mouth to ask where they were going next but suspected it was to the gaol. She was surprised when, after Rhys’s long low whistle, the rumble of carriage wheels broke the silence. Moments later, a black carriage rode eerily quietly into the yard. The driver was dressed entirely in black and was driving a huge black carriage pulled by two large, equally black horses. Together, they looked macabre; like visiting death waiting to capture any stragglers. She shivered and edged closer to Harry.
“It’s only Niall,” Harry whispered. “Not to worry, eh?”
Emmeline still felt unnerved as she watched Niall bring the carriage to a rumbling halt. Someone descended the carriage and hurried inside. Seconds later, they reappeared carrying what looked like several bottles and climbed aboard. However, the door to the carriage didn’t close. Rhys and Oliver carried out Smidgley and then someone else. The inn keeper and two very trustworthy patrons carried out two more men before they all disappeared back inside the tavern. Minutes later, they reappeared with two more unconscious captives until eight men were carried into the waiting carriage in all. As soon as the last one was inside, the inn keeper and patrons returned to their drinks and the carriage door was closed ever so quietly. Niall then smoothly guided the carriage out of the yard, and out onto the village street.
Emmeline had barely mounted her horse when Oliver appeared beside her. He winked broadly at her and nodded to the narrow trail which ran around the outskirts of the village, back to the safe house.
“Let’s go,” Harry whispered.
“There are two more in the barn,” Oliver warned.
“So I saw,” Harry replied, his voice hushed. “Let’s get moving. I don’t like standing around here like this.”
Oliver nodded. He watched Phillip and Jasper disappear into the barn and knew his colleagues were going to transport the additional thugs to the gaol, but via a different route. Harry was going to venture off on his own and check the area for observers leaving Oliver to escort Emmeline to the gaol to oversee the delivery of their new captives. When they were done, they were then going to be free to return via the long route, to the safe house.
“It is going to be a long night,” Oliver warned Emmeline softly. “Are you sure you are going to be all right?”
No. Emmeline wasn’t at all sure she was going to be all right, but she wouldn’t have missed this for the world. While she still didn’t understand everything the Star Elite had just done, she was stunned by how swift and silent they had been. Not a sound had been made, not even when they had carried the sleeping men out of the tavern. If the lights of the tavern hadn’t illuminated them, albeit briefly, Emmeline wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual was going on. The huge bulk of the carriage had blocked the majority of what was happening from prying eyes. It was stunning that something so dangerous could be done so swiftly and so silently, and in the middle of a sleeping village as well. Emmeline was full of questions, but then suspected it was better off if she didn’t know. She was terrified enough as it was and had to focus on staying on her horse because her bottom was so sore that she was certain she wasn’t going to ever be able to sit down again after tonight.
Bravely, she squared her shoulders and focused on the only benefit of her discomfort, that of being able to spend more time with Oliver.
“It’s for the best,” Oliver growled when he saw her worried frown.
“What is?” Emmeline asked thoughtfully.
“What we have just done.”
“It is cold comfort, really, isn’t it?” she replied.
“Why?”
“Because there isn’t just Ernest Smidgley to worry about. While it is comforting knowing that he is unable to hurt anybody else, there i
s still his brother to consider. Just how in the world do you intend to capture him?”
“Rupert is going to be frantically looking for his brother when he realises Ernest has vanished. When Ernest doesn’t turn up, Rupert will question the inn keeper, but he will deny having ever seen him. Thankfully, most of the patrons avoid the place on Thursdays, when Smidgley is there, so there are few witnesses to what has gone on tonight. The inn keeper doesn’t like the Smidgley brothers frequenting his tavern because it damages his trade from his local customers. He is prepared to lie to Smidgley and tell him that he has never seen Ernest; that neither he nor his friends turned up tonight. All trace of them having been there at all will be removed by both the inn keeper and my men. Of course, Smidgley is going to be worried that not only has his brother disappeared, but three of his friends have vanished as well, and four of their hired thugs. At the rate his associates keep vanishing, Smidgley is going to be a very worried man who has considerably fewer contacts. I doubt he will spend too much time, if any, throwing his weight around with the inn keeper.”
“The worst isn’t over yet, is it?” Emmeline said quietly when she heard the reticence in Oliver’s voice, and realised he wasn’t telling her the whole story.
Oliver heard the worry in her voice and hauled both horses to a stop. Without asking, he lifted her bodily onto his horse and settled her before him. He then wrapped his arms around her to stop her from sliding off and then pressed a kiss against her temple.
“We are hidden where we are. Now, so long as we stay out of sight, there is nothing to fear. Even if the inn keeper does tell Smidgley where his brother is, Rupert will be unable to get past the Head Gaoler, who hates not only Argent, the man who we suspect is the War Office’s traitor, but the Smidgleys as well.”
“What happens if Rupert uses his connections to get Ernest released?”
“He is going to be stone-walled,” Oliver replied. “There isn’t the time for Rupert to go to London, moan to someone he can trust, get that someone to contact the Head Gaoler because Rupert needs to make sure Ernest doesn’t talk. If anybody does enquire about Smidgley, the Head Gaoler is going to lie about having him in his cells anyway. Smidgley is going to be kept in solitary confinement. Only two people in that gaol are going to know he is there. Smidgley’s associates are going to be kept behind lock and key as well and, more importantly, kept apart and away from prying eyes, not that there are prying eyes in gaol. Once someone goes into gaol what happens to them happens behind bars.”
“Unless the Star Elite’s traitor turns up and demands Smidgley’s release,” Emmeline murmured.
“The traitor has to be careful. If they turn up and demand Smidgley is released, they have to explain how they know he is there. Nobody should be asking who is in gaol and who isn’t. Not even the magistrate has the right to that information. Rupert could turn up and ask, but what idiot criminal wants to walk into gaol of his own free will?” Oliver grinned at her.
“They will condemn themselves by trying to help Ernest,” Emmeline mused.
Oliver nodded.
“This has all been thought over very carefully, hasn’t it?”
“Everyone has gone over everything in fine detail,” Oliver assured her. “The only thing we cannot make allowances for us a surprise attack. We don’t know if someone will notice us, or happen to cross our path, or see something they should not see and decide to tell Smidgley about it. We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. It is best not to worry about that right now. It isn’t important until it happens.”
“What happens if we are followed now?”
“We cannot go back to the safe house. We will find somewhere new to hide and will wait for a few days. When it is safe, I will go out and find the men. They will be around somewhere,” Oliver replied knowingly. “We will then move on together and find a more secure safe house as a unit.”
“It is why you wanted me to come with you, isn’t it?” Emmeline squinted off into the distance but couldn’t see anything more than an inky blackness that was worrying.
“If the operation went wrong, or any of us are followed, we don’t need to return to the safe house to fetch anyone,” Oliver whispered. “At some point someone will go back and fetch our things, but they aren’t important. Not really. Our safety is.”
Emmeline understood then why they had been so insistent she stand out in the cold in the dead of night to watch what happened. “Why didn’t you tell me what the risks were in the safe house?”
“Would you have worried any less?”
Emmeline sighed. “No. I would have worried more, if I am honest.”
“There you go then.”
She shook her head at him.
“Don’t worry about it until it happens,” he warned her. “For now, try to rest for a bit.”
Emmeline dutifully rested her head against his shoulder and nestled into his arms, which tightened around her even more, not that she minded.
“I am glad it all went well,” she breathed eventually around a tired yawn.
Oliver grinned. “I gave them enough sleeping concoction to fell a horse. They are going to be out for hours.”
“What is that stuff anyway?”
“Medication to fell a horse,” he replied simply.
“A horse. You gave them animal medication.” Emmeline stared.
“Well, not exactly. I cannot tell you what it is. It is just something a very eminent doctor told me about one day. He was kind enough to let me have some. You know, in case of emergencies like these.”
Emmeline smiled. She knew she should feel bad but, given the misery the Smidgley brothers had caused other people, especially the poor women they had kidnapped, she truly couldn’t find it within herself to feel even a faint hint of regret. She hoped they suffered.
“They are having their lives snatched as well,” Oliver murmured, sensing her thoughts.
“How do you do that?”
Gently, he traced a finger down the deep ‘v’ of her brow. “Because I think the same. It isn’t fair that they should not face the same stress and worry as their victims. However, their torment will begin when they wake up and find themselves in prison. Their torment will continue because they will then have no contact with the outside world, no control over what they do with their day, no idea of what is going to happen to them, no help from anyone, and no way out of the mess they are in. Moreover, they will not be able to talk to their loved ones, explain to anyone what has happened to them, and they will most definitely not be getting any sympathy. They will have enough rations to keep alive and that is about all they will have in the way of luxury. Given the misery they have caused their innocent victims, I think their sufferance is fair, don’t you?”
Emmeline nodded. “Most definitely.”
“Don’t ever feel bad about them. They have brought this upon themselves. Nobody has the right to steal someone else’s life. They will have a trial; will have a chance to put their voice forward, but given it is the Star Elite who have arrested them and put them behind bars in the first place, there is little likelihood of them ever being found not-guilty. Tonight is the first night of a very long period of confinement none of them will be able to escape.”
There was such rich satisfaction in his voice that it made Emmeline look thoughtfully at him. “Do you know something? For the first time ever, I think I understand why you do the job you do,” she murmured. “It must be satisfying to be able to put someone behind bars and know they are no longer in a position to hurt anyone.”
“It is. It doesn’t always go to plan, but the Star Elite never give up. We always succeed, one way or another, and always will do because we work together as a team. We give as much as we take, and we protect each other. There is nobody on the team I wouldn’t trust with my life, and who I wouldn’t fight for. It is what we do. Our lives depend on each man doing their job to the best of their ability and having the same ethos. I cannot conceive of doing anything else.”
“Nor should you,” Emmeline replied fiercely. “It is who you are. I know that now.”
Oliver pursed his lips at her. When he looked down at her, though, there was a gentleness in his gaze that belied the fierceness of his stringent declaration.
“We are going to get through this,” he growled suddenly.
Emmeline wasn’t sure if he meant the investigation or their romantic entanglement. She had no idea what she could say, but then words weren’t necessary because Oliver captured her lips with his and gave in to the raw need that neither of them could deny now that they were alone.
Time passed in a blur as they rode through the night. Neither of them had any awareness of their surroundings despite Oliver knowing it was a dangerous thing to do. He was incapable of putting Emmeline back onto her horse. He needed her next to him. While he wouldn’t admit it to another soul, while he had been inside the tavern, keeping his mind off her had been damned impossible. It had been his need to return to her as swiftly as he could that had compelled him to be as quick as he could be and that, in turn, had brought the capture of Ernest Smidgley and his thuggish friends to fruition far faster than it usually would. Now that he had Emmeline in his arms at last, Oliver didn’t want to let her go. Thankfully, though, he didn’t have to – at least until they reached the gaol.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The following month was the strangest yet most wonderful of Emmeline’s life. While she missed home terribly, she did adapt to the new life the Star Elite afforded her with far more ease than she had expected. Living with the Star Elite gave her everything she could ever want, and more besides. She never had to light the fire, shop, or do any of the heavy chores. The men shared them between them as they came and went at all hours of the day and night. Given she was the one at home, but had the least to do, Emmeline undertook the task of providing the men with meals they could eat when the did appear at the safe house which, thus far at least, still hadn’t been located by Smidgley.
