‘Of what?’
‘Not even you can be so dense. Everything you know about St Margaret’s Bay. The location of any tunnels’ entrances and an outline of the system as far as you know them, where the signal lanterns are positioned and how the men working them get there and back, the places for those set to lookout for approaching trouble.’
‘Why should I?’
‘What do you think would happen if I handed you over to the men you kept prisoner, to do with whatever they like?’ Seeing the face pale, Brazier added, ‘Being of the same ilk as you, they would have a real interest in ensuring you could never exact retribution and there’s only one way to guarantee such a thing. The same would then be visited on Tombs, as long as I allowed it. A map, as detailed as you can make it.’
‘An’ if I don’t believe you after what went yesterday?’
Brazier stood and went to the door. ‘Beyond this point, I will not be responsible.’
Marker gave in as soon as his hand was on the knob, so Brazier returned to the table and sat in silence as the quill was taken and employed, the only sound the scratching of the nib, he resisting the temptation to go and look over the man’s shoulder. When Marker was done, the paper was slid over to be examined, this followed by a number of questions, which had Brazier making notations of his own.
‘Right, back to your confinement. With luck you’ll be free tomorrow.’
On the ride back there was much thinking and refining of what was yet an outline plan. But there was one obvious fact which struck him: he could not be in two places at once, or at least in the time frame he envisaged. He came back to find everyone sitting outdoors eating and talking; Bonnie was taken to the paddock, where he espied Hawker’s pair of packhorses, yet to be set free.
With these in his mind he turned to other possibilities, which had him, once he too had eaten, arranging to send Dutchy and Peddler to the farmhouse, more specifically to the barn with a list of items he wanted to be brought back. The requests that followed were comprehensive and detailed. A list of certain items which he required, as well as the means to transport them, finally the place they should meet later in the day.
‘And now I will go and make contact with a man desperate to meet with me.’
‘No too many o’ them in the world, your honour,’ said Cocky, with a grin.
‘Not even a bawd,’ was Peddler’s opinion.
The reception Henry received on entering his own house was frosty. There was no sign of Elisabeth or his aunt, but Dirley was waiting to talk. With a huge effort, he set out to be emollient, to give him the impression all matters were up for discussion and agreement. Yet knowing he would scarce be believed if he just gave way, it was necessary also to be firm on certain points.
‘Under no circumstances, and you, Uncle, should see what I’m driving at, can I agree to Elisabeth marrying Edward Brazier. And I can’t see how this can be prevented, if she is free to come and go as she pleases, while having use of the assets which were signed over to me.’
‘A fact she knew nothing about.’
‘Why would she, it’s her husband’s business?’
‘A marriage she wants annulled and to a fellow I have yet to meet. Where is this Spafford?’
In a moment of pure inspiration, Henry replied, ‘I’ve sent for him to be here tomorrow. You will be able be to cast your eyes over him and see the qualities I spotted on first acquaintance. Then we can sit and sort out the whole business.’
‘I look forward to it, Henry. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll go and talk to your sister.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Edward Brazier’s first port of call was the Navy Yard, which got him, as he rode through, a very jaundiced look from the hat-tipping gatekeeper. His first stop was the stables, to get Bonnie unsaddled and fed, then he went to the office of the captain who carried out the work for which Admiral Sir Clifton Braddock took the credit, he being the man who actually ran the Navy Yard establishment. There he examined one of several charts affixed to the wall, which showed the depth of water in the Channel between France and Kent, as well as the coastal features all the way round to the heights of Capel. Those germane to his intentions he took the trouble to memorise.
He requested and was given the local tide and timetables, which, when taken over the hours, indicated a vessel coming in as soon as it was dark, to beach at a near low tide, which would keep it stable for unloading. This complete, which must take many hours, if what he had been told was true, she could then float off on a tide now rising.
His next task, given what he had in mind, was to change his working uniform coat for his best, plus clean breeches, linen, stockings and best hat, the clothes he’d been wearing the night of the fire, thoroughly cleaned by Joe Lascelles and no longer smelling of smoke. So he made his way to the guest quarters he’d been allotted and, with a degree of care, prepared himself, which included the strapping on of the sword he’d rarely been without, prior to the fire and after his beating.
Thus, it was a post captain, in the full panoply of the rank, who emerged on foot to head for the Three Kings to find, for once, Garlick was not at his hatch. It took some time for him to respond to the ringing bell and, with eyes on stalks, he showed amazement at who was calling. He was even more thrown when Brazier, as hale as he’d ever seen him, ordered a room for himself as well as a message to be sent up to Mr Cottin’s room to ask if he was available.
‘Can I say it’s a sight to see you whole, your honour?’
‘And why would I not be, Mr Garlick?’
‘After Quebec House, and things,’ was suitably nebulous.
‘Mr Cottin, please. Ask him if it’s convenient to call.’
A maid was sent upstairs with the message, to quickly return and ask he proceed immediately. A look at the proprietor elicited the information it was the one he’d previously occupied.
‘I wish the room I have booked to have flowers, Mr Garlick, lots of them.’
He left Garlick wondering at how long it would be before the whole town knew Brazier had resurfaced and what would be the consequences. Another riot could see torches outside the Three Kings with no knowing how it would end.
The steps were taken two at a time and Brazier knocked on Cottin’s door, swiftly opened by a man who’d clearly been waiting for the sound, the pair standing looking at each other, as if it was inconceivable they should actually meet.
‘You are, I believe, the High Sheriff of Kent.’
‘While you, sir, are the most elusive fellow in creation.’
‘I don’t get your drift, sir.’
‘Don’t you? I have been seeking to meet with you and have some questions answered since I arrived in Deal.’
‘Am I to be invited to enter or am I required to converse on the landing?’
Cottin stood back and allowed Brazier in, the naval scraper being swept off his head as soon as he was through the door. ‘Can I ask to see your seals of office? I have only your word for who you say you are.’
‘One would hardly pretend to occupy such a position.’
‘Nevertheless.’
Cottin went to a small trunk and opened it, to reach in and produce a highly polished square wooden box with an engraved brass plaque. Opened, it revealed said seals, bearing the Invicta device of the county, surmounted by the royal coat of arms. There was a second, smaller version for the sealing of documents plus several scrolls, which no doubt also attested to his status.
‘You are the first person here to ask to see them.’
‘Be assured I have my reasons, sir. I’m told you’ve been enquiring into the death of poor Upton.’
This got Brazier a queer look: Cottin was wondering if he was the source of those cryptic notes but this had to be put aside. ‘Indeed I have.’
‘And you have uncovered?’
‘Enough,’ Cottin flustered, ‘to justify further enquiries.’
Brazier waited for elucidation but none was forthcoming, which told him exactly how
far the man had got.
‘There is also the matter of three dead men left in the cemetery of St George’s churchyard, all with wounds caused, I’m reliably told, by musket fire. Which prompts me to ask this, Captain Brazier. Can you fully account for your movements these last nine days?’
‘I’m at a loss to know why this would be of any interest.’
‘Surely the answer is obvious. There is a very strong chance the trio of men murdered were involved in setting fire to your house. It was a blaze in which you and your companions − and by the way where are your companions − could just as easily have perished.’
‘Am I to understand you would want to lay these deaths at my door?’
‘It has occurred to me.’
‘Then I wish you joy in seeking to establish it. As to my whereabouts, I have been investigating the extent of smuggling on this coast, which necessitated remaining out of sight.’
‘On behalf of the government, I daresay,’ was smugly delivered.
‘I cannot fathom what prompts you to say such a thing. It is criminality pure and simple.’
Then Brazier threw up his hat and pretended enlightenment, an emotion replicated on his face. ‘You refer to the rumour, which was being maliciously spread, intimating I was acting as a clandestine agent for Mr William Pitt.’
‘One I have heard expressed, Captain.’
‘One which is a totally false calumny, which I believe was responsible for the riot in which Upton lost his life. I have good reason to trust I have uncovered those who might have been the scoundrels to set the disturbance in motion, the same people who intend to land a cargo as soon as this very night, though this is yet to be established as a certainty.’
Cottin could hardly dispute the first part of the assertion, it being his own original opinion, while he was more than intrigued by the second and said so.
‘The reason I have come here today, sir, is to find out if you are willing to aid me in the apprehension of these villains.’
‘You think it possible, sir?’
‘I think it certain, if the correct steps are taken.’
‘Captain Brazier, it is remiss of me not to offer you to sit.’ This was accepted, with the host’s mind working overtime. ‘You will permit me some time to consider what you’re saying.’
‘Of course.’
‘Meanwhile can I offer refreshments?’
Coffee was requested and a bell rung to order it, with Cottin going to look out of the window and think. Brazier had agreed the riot had been sparked to prevent any discovery of smuggling. It was too early to say if he was innocent of those bodies in the graveyard, but what if he spoke the truth? Was it possible the trio, identified as carrying out the very trade, had fallen foul of the people who initiated the riot in order to cover their tracks?
It then occurred to him, the way Cavell and Sowerby had suggested Brazier must be the guilty party came over as damn convenient when looked at objectively. It could be an attempt to cover up for one or several of their own, by pinning the blame for everything on a stranger; if this was truly the case, he would hardly turn up and risk exposure. The possibility of Brazier’s guilt could not be put aside completely but, surely the way to proceed was to treat him as innocent and, if he was not, hope his arrogance, fully on display now, would trip him up.
Should he bring up once more the name of the aforementioned William Pitt? He had on his desk a letter from Walmer Castle acknowledging his correspondence and informing Cottin of his intention to take luncheon at the Three Kings on the morrow. The invitation to join him, if he felt so inclined, had set the Cottin blood racing. On balance he thought this a matter better kept to himself.
‘This smuggling of which you speak?’
Brazier put a finger to his lips to command silence. The creaking of the landing floorboards had alerted him to the presence of someone outside the door and so it proved. With the talk having ceased, the knock and request to enter produced none other than August Garlick himself, tray in hand, trying to look ingenuous and, as ever, creating more suspicion, not less.
‘Personal service, Mr Garlick?’ Brazier exclaimed, with an arch expression.
‘Only for guests I hold as valuable, Captain.’
‘Thank you, Mr Garlick,’ Cottin said, with a trace of astringency. ‘On the table, if you please.’
The tray was put down with the proprietor acting as if he had no idea what to do next. It took him some time added to a degree of hesitation to withdraw, with much smiling and nodding.
‘Insufferable man,’ Cottin whispered.
Brazier had to supress a smile. This one remark put the meeting and their conversation on an entirely different footing, the one he hoped would meet his needs.
‘Smuggling?’ was a little louder from Cottin, but not much.
Brazier stood, went to the door and hauled it open at speed. Garlick was too quick for him; forewarned by creaking floorboards he was out of sight. The door closed, Brazier moved to the table and poured himself some coffee, his enquiring look getting a nod from the owner of the room.
‘You imply you require my help,’ this said as he took and balanced the cup and saucer.
‘Please do not take it amiss when I say it’s your position which brings me to your door.’
‘I am proud of my office, sir.’
‘And so you should be. So let us sit and I will inform you of what I have uncovered up till now.’
As he spoke, he confirmed the very thoughts Cottin had harboured since he arrived in Deal: the whole town was steeped in criminality and he’d probably been face to face with it on the day he’d arrived. No names were vouchsafed to him, but the scale of the operation was outlined in detail, added to the knowledge he had of the likely landing place.
‘Then, sir, surely this information should go to the Excise, not to me?’
‘If you can guarantee, Mr Cottin, not one of their number is complicit in the trade, I will happily do so.’
‘You think them corrupt?’
‘It only takes one to be less than honest and with the profits at stake, the temptation is great.’
There was no need to add more, for Cottin nodded. ‘Any landings would be aborted.’
‘Or shifted to another location, of which I have no knowledge. The whole eight miles of coast could serve, it being so open.’
‘You said information you’d gleaned up till now, Captain Brazier?’
‘Sir, I am certain it is imminent, I know it will take place at night, my only area of ignorance revolves around which one. But my guess, given the tides, it will be tonight or tomorrow.’
He then went into detail, Cottin nodding sagely, with Brazier reckoning what he knew about tides could be scrawled on the back of a lottery ticket.
‘The only way to be sure is by observation, which presents for me a dilemma. My aim is the Excise should be told only once the landings are in progress, so even if they are penetrated, it will be too late for the alarm to be raised by anyone who might be untrustworthy. It is my intention to be the eyewitness.’
There was a pause for effect. ‘I must also say, sir, relations between the Excise and the navy are far from cordial. They see us as unhelpful in the execution of their duties.’
‘How so?’
‘We have many more vessels and a hundred times more men, not one of whom the admiralty will offer as a way to interdict the contraband trade. I cannot be in two places at once, seeking to ensure the landing is happening, then reporting it. I fear, even if I could get to Dover and the Excise in time for them to act, as a naval officer I’m far from sure they would shift on my word. But you, sir, with your seals of office to hand, could activate not only the Revenue, but perhaps the Dover garrison as well. In essence, you can guarantee what I can only hope for.’
Cottin was thinking a King’s First Minister would shift such bodies faster than he, unaware of how much trouble Pitt had experienced in getting any soldiers to do his bidding three years past. Nor did Brazier believ
e for a moment anyone would stir the Dover garrison to aid the Excise, but the ability to deploy such power must sound tempting.
‘I wish to engage you, sir, to act with me and clap a stopper on this trade for good and all.’
There was a moment when Brazier wondered if he was overdoing the outraged citizen performance, only to have it laid to rest as Cottin responded with commendable gravitas.
‘What is it you would have me do?’
‘You asked where my companions are. They are spread out between here and the heights above the village of Kingsdown, there to act as my signallers. You, I hope, will be sat in a carriage, ready to speed to Dover when the landing is confirmed. On your authority, you can instruct them to make for St Margaret’s Bay as fast as their feet will bear them, so able to catch the smugglers in the act and effect a mass arrest.’
Cottin was struggling to contain and keep hidden his growing excitement, even harder when Brazier added,
‘And who knows, in the taking up of these villains, it may reveal who commands such activity, even who was responsible for the death of Lionel Upton. Of the other bodies you mentioned, I have too little information to speculate, but there could be a connection.’
Cottin was glad he’d made no mention of William Pitt; even if the contraband was not landed tonight, he could, when he met with him, hint at knowledge of it happening soon. He could also put himself forward as the person who’d uncovered the whole conspiracy. Brazier might baulk at the claim, but Cottin knew one thing: he who got in first garnered the greatest credit. As a post captain Brazier was elevated enough not to require any further assistance. Survival alone would have him an admiral, whereas he had one year in office to make his mark and here was an opportunity, surely one never to be repeated.
‘You must go over the details again, Captain Brazier, so I know I have them right.’
‘You will first have to acquire a chaise and someone to drive it.’
‘I shall.’
‘The distance you must cover is just over four miles and will have to be undertaken before nightfall. The customs house is hard by the admiralty pier and there should be someone on duty who can rouse out the required strength, while you alert the Dover garrison. If not, they gather in the White Horse tavern to await any news of there being contraband run.’
Blood Will Out Page 30
