“There is nothing here,” Gus said, joining them. “Nothing anywhere. Not even a footprint in the dust.”
“It makes no sense, does it?” Anna said. “We all saw that light. It can’t just have appeared here by magic?”
“Someone must have crossed the room to do so, though,” Gus mused. “How else would we have seen it? We have looked in every room, on every floor – the light had to be coming from somewhere.”
“Maybe we didn’t see it on this floor at all. Maybe the night played tricks on us, and it came from the attic?” Georgina said, shrugging, though she didn’t think they could all have gotten it so wrong.
The trio climbed up the narrow staircase that led up to the attic. The east wing had a vast open space, the heavy beams of the roof arching up overhead.
To Georgina, it looked like any attic. A vast collection of boxes and trunks, broken furniture and old blankets were strewn everywhere.
But, right in the center of the attic was a large pile of brand new wooden crates.
“These weren’t here before,” Anna said, puzzled. “And there are so many of them!”
Gus moved towards them, and lifted one down from the stack.
“Want to know what is in them?” he asked her.
Anna nodded. Georgina moved to her friend’s side. Anna reached for her hand and clasped it tightly, as Gus moved swiftly to a box to his right and pulled out a large, rusty hammer. I his other hand he held a chisel. Placing the chisel just below the lid, he began to prize open the crate.
The lid came loose with a loud splintering sound. They all peered inside. They could see nothing but wood shavings. Gus shoved an arm deep into the crate, feeling around carefully. He pulled out a large bottle with a dark brown liquid inside it. He prized the stopper from the neck and sniffed.
“Rum,” he said. He continued to feel around in the crate. “There are twelve bottles in this case, so I can only assume that the same is in each and every one.”
“So, we have smugglers? Not ghosts?” Anna said, looking perplexed.
“In Clifton? Stashing their loot in Anna’s house? Oh, my.” Georgina laughed.
Gus nodded. “Bristol is awash with all manner of nefarious and underhanded dealings. Papa said that the customs men on the docks are so crooked that it was a wonder any of them could stand upright. Why wouldn’t they expand their activities up here where it is quiet and nobody would ever notice a thing. And, it is easy to land things a little further down, closer to the sea itself. But, it is finding safe places to store the booty that is the hardest part of smuggling. Whoever is doing this is very clever. Nobody would think of raiding the home of an Earl.”
“But why do they do it?” Anna asked.
“If the duties on things like alcohol weren’t so high, people wouldn’t feel the need to smuggle. I think most merchants would be happy to pay them, if they were simply more reasonable,” Gus said.
“But, the question now, is who is doing this?” Georgina asked.
“Papa must be involved somehow, or how would they be using our home?” Anna said logically.
“Where is your father?” Gus asked.
Georgina was impressed by her brother’s take-charge tone.
“I would imagine he is either in bed, or at his club in Bath. He has been spending more and more time there, of late.” Anna sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling in frustration. “I can only think that someone offered him a way to pay his debts. To put Mama and me in such danger, to let smugglers into our home…”
She broke off, and looked at her friends with wide eyes.
“Well, at least it wasn’t a ghost,” Georgina joked weakly. “We can’t do much about one of those, but I am sure that we can deal with smugglers. Papa is the local magistrate, we can tell him as soon as we get home. I am sure that he will know what to do next.”
“But, if your Papa is involved, mine will go to prison, maybe even face hanging,” Anna said, her face going white as a sheet. “Surely, we can try to find out what is really happening, before we involve your father?”
Gus nodded, and Georgina put an arm around Anna’s shoulders.
“Of course, we can,” they said, at the same time.
Chapter Six
Gus moved through the darkness, his eyes narrowed and focused on the woods in front of him. He could barely see Christopher as he approached and only knew it was him by the light of the lantern when he was close enough.
“We couldn’t have done this a bit earlier?” Christopher asked in a gruff voice. “If I fall and break my leg, you will be my nursemaid.”
Gus chuckled.
“First and foremost, that isn’t going to happen, you have the eyesight of a cat! And secondly, if we had set them in daylight, the smugglers might have been alerted to it somehow. They may even have eyes on us as we speak.”
“If I could convince some beauty to be my nursemaid, I would injure myself on purpose,” Christopher said, looking around them carefully. “But, I doubt anyone is foolish enough to be out given how cold it is tonight.”
Christopher pulled his coat tighter around his body, and grinned at Gus. Gus had to stifle a laugh. He held up the lantern so that he could see directly in front of him.
“Look. That would be a good place to set a trap. How many do you have?”
“Just three,” Christopher said, showing Gus the traps. “I feel a little uncomfortable with this whole thing. These are designed to catch badgers – not men. I know that if there are smugglers in the area we should be watchful, but…”
His voice faded as he left the rest of his thought unsaid.
Gus could see the lines furrowing his friend’s brow. He had been worried about confiding his plan to Chris, but he simply could not bear to leave Anna unprotected.
“We tracked their paths from the river this afternoon, and nobody round here would ever use those trails. You know they have been left to grow over for years. If there is any chance of danger, I have to do something,” Gus said.
“I understand. You are still carrying that torch for Anna, and always will do. I just hope that you know what you are doing, not going to your father about this. These won’t kill a man - not outright at least - but by the time anyone might come to their aid, anyone caught in them might bleed to death. There are other dangers to a man who would get caught in one of these things.”
“I know, Christopher. But what other choice do we have? Anna made me promise, that until we know who is behind all of this, that we would not say anything to anyone. She fears her papa would be taken to prison, or even hung. I hate to admit it, but she is right to be worried. Anyway, I would rather a rotten smuggler’s life be taken than them lay a hand on Anna, or her mama. They have nobody there to protect them – so hand one of those things to me, and help me with this. Yes?”
As they set the trap Christopher paused. “At least they will be safe whilst they are in London,” he said.
“You are right there,” Gus agreed. “But, London is a whole different nest of vipers she is walking into.”
“There are members of the Crawford family that certainly can be nasty animals,” Christopher said. “Though, Duncan and I were at school together. He was a decent sort of a chap. Their father was always known to be honest in his dealings, too.”
“The rest seem incapable of decency,” Gus said vehemently. “They are vile and vicious. It seems that Anna is the only person able to see past their wickedness and find something of merit in the lot of them.”
“And they took advantage of that kind nature immediately, I am certain.”
“Yes, I’m afraid they did,” Gus said. “I must speak frankly, my friend, I truly do not understand why she does not see them for who they are. Everyone else does. She is so very clever about everything else. Why not this?”
“Is it something, or someone, that might be causing her blind-eye in this situation?” Christopher asked. “I don’t want to anger you, Gus, but maybe she has… a desire for something she does n
ot have.”
Gus finished setting up the trap. Its teeth glinted menacingly in the lamplight. He stood up, nodding at Christopher, indicating that they should move further along the path to set the next one. Christopher knelt and set it expertly, taking much less time than Gus had.
“I still think that you should say something to Anna. Be forthright with her about how you feel.” Christopher looked up at him and shrugged.
“She knows how I feel.”
“Does she? Or do you just think she does?”
“I am certain of it. Hellfire, I almost kissed her just last night!”
Christopher stood and slapped Gus on the back.
“Well my friend, did she push you away, appalled that you should do such a thing?”
Gus thought for a moment, allowing the moment to run through his head once more.
“She didn’t pull away, and nor did she push me away. We were disturbed, by Georgie.”
“Then, your plight may not be as dire as you suspect. If you tell her, she may even wish to stay and actually let you kiss her next time.”
Both men laughed, and went about laying their final trap.
Gus doubted that the traps would be any use, really. He just wanted to feel like he was doing something. He hated that Anna and her mother were alone in that big, empty old house. He had been shocked by the sparseness of the place, not just the east wing. He doubted that Anna had even confided to Georgina just how bad things had become, but the patches of lighter paint where pictures had once hung, the faded tiles where carpets had once lain all told a story that it was clear Anna had been trying to keep to herself.
His heart went out to her and felt bad that she felt the need to hide the truth of her family’s circumstances.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Gus set off for Bath as dawn broke. He wanted to find the Earl of Havering. He liked the old man, and hoped that he had not taken such a despicable step as to put his family in danger. The ride was not overly long, at just thirteen miles, but Gus was glad to see the yellow stone of the grand buildings of the spa. He dismounted and handed the reins to a young lad in smart red livery.
“I’ll give you two ha’pennies if you can watch him whilst I go inside.” Gus indicated the door of an elegant townhouse on the other side of the street. The lad nodded eagerly.
“Yes, sir.” The lad continued to bob his head with a big smile. “I’ll even brush him down for you, sir.”
“In that case, I’ll double it.” Gus grinned at him and strode across the street.
Gus rapped on the shiny black door and waited. A small brass plaque to his right stated that he was on the doorstep of the Casterley Club, a private members club. Gus’s father had been a member for many years, and so he knew he would have no trouble gaining entrance.
A smartly dressed young man, with slicked back hair and a smart black suit opened the door and ushered him inside.
“Good day to you, Mr Smithwood,” he said. “May I take your coat and hat?”
“Thank you, Faversham.”
Gus peeled off his gloves and handed them to the manservant. He removed his hat and coat and gave them to Faversham, too, who directed him towards a large wood-panelled room, thick with cigar smoke.
“May I fetch you something to drink? The newspapers?”
“Is the Earl of Havering with you?” Gus asked.
Faversham nodded.
“By the fire, Sir.”
“Then a decanter of port and two glasses, though I know it is early.”
“Very good, Sir,” Faversham said, and disappeared.
The room was warm. A number of men were seated at small tables, reading newspapers or books. Some sat in groups at green baize-covered card tables, laughing over a game of piquet. The Earl of Havering sat in a high-backed leather chair, in front of the ornate marble-topped fireplace, staring gloomily into the flames. An empty glass sat on the table beside him.
Gus was not entirely surprised at the sight. The Earl of Havering had stopped worrying about the niceties of when he should, or should not, drink a long time ago.
“My Lord, may I take a seat?” Gus asked him politely, indicating the chair opposite.
“Mr Smithwood,” the Earl of Havering said, a look of surprise crossing his craggy features. He flapped ineffectually at the seat, and Gus got the feeling that he was gesturing that he should bring the chair closer. He did so, and sat down, barely a hands width away from the Earl. Gus couldn’t help but notice how old he had begun to look. He was no longer bothering to wear his smartly coiffured wigs, his hair had faded to grey, and it looked greasy and unkempt. “What brings you to Bath?”
“You do, sir. There is something occurring at Havering House, and I thought you should know of it.”
“Anna, and Margarethe are both well, are they not?” the Earl asked, his face a picture of concern.
Gus wondered how he could leave the two women he so obviously loved dearly alone, to spend his time here, lonely and unhappy.
“They are, but… I am not sure how to say this, so I will just say it straight,” Gus said. The Earl nodded, and waited for Gus to explain. “We think that smugglers are using the east wing to store their contraband rum.”
The Earl leapt to his feet, and if he was acting, Gus decided that he was very good at it. The fury and stunned surprise that was displayed so readily upon the man’s face could not have been feigned, Gus was sure of it.
“There are smugglers using my ancestral seat, to smuggle rum?” he exploded. “My boy we must return home immediately and tell your father. We must get the militia to patrol the entire estate and catch these brigands.”
Gus couldn’t help but feel relieved that the Earl was not involved, and he knew that Anna would be overjoyed. “Do you have a horse?” he asked as he stood up and followed the Earl back into the hallway.
“I do,” the Earl said, taking his hat and coat from Faversham, and waited impatiently as Gus retrieved his own. “I should never have left. Should have stayed and faced my ruin with them. But, I could not bear seeing my home that way. I have been weak and selfish and now my beloved wife and daughter are in danger.”
Outside, they crossed the street to the stable, and their boots clattering on the cobbled yard alerted the stable master to their presence. “My horse,” the Earl of Havering said. The man hurried off towards one of the stalls, clearly not wishing to upset a peer of the realm.
The lad Gus had left his mount with had hitched the stallion to one of the rings between the stalls, and using a pair of brushes was deftly grooming the animal so that his coat gleamed. He looked up in surprise when Gus reappeared so suddenly, his brushes still in his hands, a stripe of dust from Gus’s earlier ride still visible across the animal’s rump.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he gushed. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
“Neither was I,” Gus said with a smile as he pressed thruppence into the boy’s hand.
“Thank you, sir. This quite generous. More than you promised.”
The lad looked at Gus with wide eyes.
“I appreciate your help. Now, can you saddle him up again?” The lad grinned at him, and tucked the coin into his pocket, disappeared for a few moments, then reappeared with Gus’s saddle and bridle. They were gleaming. The lad had obviously given them a good deal of attention.
Gus watched as he expertly fastened the buckles and adjusted the stirrups, then he mounted up, and walked the horse out into the courtyard. The Earl and his stallion were by the mounting block, clearly waiting for Gus. They walked out of the yard together. As they reached the street, Gus turned and flicked another coin towards the young lad. He could hear the boys delight at receiving half a crown even as they broke into a trot along the bustling street.
Chapter Eight
Georgina sat in the carriage, staring out at the horizon, wondering what Anna would say when she suddenly showed up on the Havering’s doorstep. Gus had sent a message up to the house, that she should joi
n him, and the Earl of Havering, there. A bump in the road made Georgina jostle from side to side. She set her hand on the seat next to her to steady herself. But, the ruts left by days of rain meant that she had barely regained her composure when the carriage reared to the right, then juddered to a clattering halt.
“Whatever has happened,” she said, poking her head out of the window, and trying to see if Arthur, the coachman, was in sight.
“Sorry, miss,” he said, his west-country drawl even broader than usual. He was clearly very upset. “I didn’t mean to, but the roads are just so bad.”
“I know you didn’t, Arthur,” she said. “But, can we get out? I need to get to Anna’s immediately.”
“Miss Georgina, I don’t think so. The wheel’s come off, and I’ll need help to get the carriage out of all that mud.”
Georgina sighed and eased open the carriage door, climbing down and jumping across the worst of the mud, to land in the still slushy middle of the road. “I suppose I shall have to walk. I can’t not be there,” she said impatiently, looking down in disgust at the mud now caking her boots. Gus had said it was important.
The sound of hoofbeats behind them made her turn swiftly. The sun glared in her eyes, and it wasn’t until the rider was almost upon them that she could make out who it was.
“Good day to you, Mr Crawford,” she said wryly as Duncan’s broad shoulders came into view. Of all the people who might have been travelling along this road today, it had to be him. She looked in a dreadful state, with her mud-splattered gown and her hair hanging down her back in disarray.
“Miss Smithwood,” he said, grinning broadly. “You know, I have always wanted to be a knight in shining armour, to a beautiful damsel in distress.”
“Well, today is not your lucky day,” Georgina grumbled. “It is Arthur that will need your assistance, not me.”
She began to trudge along the road, trying to avoid the worst of the muddy ruts.
Love in the Moonlight: A Regency Romance All Hallows' Eve Collection: 7 Delightful Regency Romance All Hallows' Eve Stories (Regency Collections Book 6) Page 30
