A Stranger's Touch

by Anne Herries

  ‘I thought it might belong to a survivor and I wanted to keep it safe for him or her.’

  ‘I should like to believe you, but it is not easy.’ Rupert’s lips curved in a sneer. ‘So why was your brother signalling?’

  ‘Because it was too dangerous for the—’ She broke off, knowing that if she tried to clear her brothers of one crime she would brand them as smugglers and perhaps worse. ‘If Michael signaled, it would be to warn a ship the cove was not safe on such a night.’

  ‘I know your brothers are involved in smuggling and perhaps worse. If I could prove they were the traitors I believe them to be, I would show >no mercy—but I owe you something for saving my life. Give me the chest and I’ll take it to the proper authorities. As for your brothers, they would do better to stick to fishing. You may tell Michael to take great care for he is venturing into dangerous waters.’

  ‘What do you mean? What do you know that I do not?’ Her eyes flashed with pride. ‘It’s the reason you came here, isn’t it?’

  ‘I cannot tell you that, Morwenna.’

  ‘You lied to me. You’re a spy,’ Morwenna accused. ‘I loved—’ She broke off, turning away to pull out the small chest. ‘Take it. I never meant to keep it, whatever you think. Now go away. I never want to see you again.’

  ‘Morwenna …’ Rupert hesitated, then his expression hardened. ‘I’ve warned you this time; the debt is paid. Next time your brothers will hang for their crimes against the State.’

  ‘Go away,’ she said, her face pale. ‘I hate you, do you hear me? I wish I’d never seen you—never brought you here.’

  ‘Your brothers might already be dead if it were not for that,’ Rupert said harshly. ‘Michael is a fool if he thinks he can get away with being a traitor to his King and country. Tell him that because next time he won’t be allowed to slip away.’

  Morwenna stared at him, but made no reply. Her throat was tight and her chest was hurting. She felt as if he had thrust a knife into her breast and it was all she could do to keep the tears from falling as he went out.

  ‘I warned you not to trust him,’ Bess said as the door closed behind him. ‘It’s him that’s sprung the trap on your brothers, girl.’

  ‘You do not know that for certain,’ Morwenna said. ‘He came here to warn us. You mustn’t tell Michael, please.’ Tears were trickling down her cheeks and into her mouth. She could taste their salt. ‘I think Michael knows he has a powerful enemy. He will lay low for a while. Besides, it isn’t the smuggling …’

  ‘Your brother is a law unto himself,’ Bess told her. ‘Be careful, my love, or you may lose everything.’

  ‘I’ll talk to Michael,’ Morwenna said. ‘But you mustn’t tell him that … Rupert was here this evening. Promise me.’

  Rupert Melford! His name was Rupert. It suited him well, better than the name he’d chosen, which she’d known was false. Had he lied to her all the time? Could she believe him when he claimed to have lost his memory for a time? Did what they’d shared in the caves mean nothing to him?

  She wanted to howl and weep with her pain, but held it inside. ‘Promise me, Bess.’

  ‘I know when to keep my mouth shut. Michael would blame you for bringing him here. He’ll work things out for himself—but ‘tis you I’m concerned for. What have you done, girl?’

  ‘What do you mean? I’ve done nothing,’ Morwenna said. Her head was up, her expression proud, but she felt hot all over. Could her friend see the change in her?

  Bess had warned her against the stranger, but she’d let her loneliness and her heart rule her head. She had allowed the stranger to seduce her and now he’d shown her what a fool she was to think he cared one jot for her. She’d thrown away her honour and her self-respect for a few hours in his arms.

  Rupert Melford—the name was now burned into her mind in letters of fire. He’d known who he was all the time. Surely he must have. He’d lied to her and deceived her—and now she was ruined, but for the moment none of that mattered. She could only pray that Michael’s luck would hold and once again her brothers would escape a terrible fate.

  * * *

  The militiamen came about an hour or so later, hammering at the door as if they would waken the dead. Morwenna took her time getting dressed and went down to the kitchen just as Bess was pulling the bolts, her grey-streaked hair hanging down her back.

  ‘All right, all right,’ Bess grumbled. ‘It’s enough to waken the dead. I’m moving as fast as I can. Dragging a decent body from her bed at this hour of the night …’

  ‘We’ve come to arrest the Morgan brothers for the crime of wrecking,’ an officer Morwenna had never seen before announced. ‘They were seen on the beach earlier—and Michael Morgan was seen to signal to a ship in the bay.’

  ‘My brothers are away down the coast fishing,’ Morwenna replied, lifting her head high. ‘Besides, they would never do such a thing. If they returned to the cove and saw a ship in trouble, they would help save the crew.’

  ‘We intend to search the house, mistress.’

  ‘If that is your wish you may do so, but we are alone here. In case you think to take advantage, I must tell you that Captain Bird knows me and would not take kindly if you abused me or my home.’

  ‘Captain Bird has been relieved of his post. He has failed to stop the rampant smuggling that goes on in this cove. I am in charge here and my name is Captain Richmond.’

  ‘Well, Captain Richmond, you may search my home, but you will not find either contraband or my brothers.’

  Morwenna knew that any smuggled brandy Michael might have brought in was well hidden in the deep cellars that ran beneath the house and were impossible for a stranger to find. She nodded to Bess as the old woman looked at her anxiously.

  ‘I think we shall warm a little ale and drink it. Perhaps the men would like a drink, too, for ‘tis a cold night?’

  ‘My men do not consort with smugglers and wreckers.’

  ‘You accuse us, but what proof have you?’

  ‘Your brothers were seen at the scene. They were pulling a line in before we arrived.’

  ‘Whoever told you that must know that if they were there they were saving lives. You have only to ask the many men and women we have saved from the sea. I’m sure Sir George Arnley will vouch for us as a family. We saved his son from a shipwreck last winter and there are others who will testify that we do not condone wrecking here. My brothers are fishermen, nothing more.’

  Captain Richmond looked uncertain, then glared at her. ‘I know my duty, Mistress Morgan. I intend to make a thorough search of the house and if I find anything I shall arrest both you and your brothers.’

  ‘Please search as much as you wish,’ Morwenna replied. ‘I have nothing to hide.’

  He inclined his head and then detailed his men to search the house thoroughly. Morwenna busied herself making hot spiced ale. She saw his men look at it, their faces revealing the longing the aroma set up on their tastebuds. Captain Bird would have let her serve them all warm ale and gone away after a perfunctory search, but she understood that their new captain intended to turn the house upside down.

  Ignoring the sounds of the rooms upstairs being turned over, Morwenna concentrated on making the warming drink. She had filled a jug and set out beakers on the table, then she and Bess sat down to drink their own ale. One by one the men drifted back to the kitchen, and after looking over their shoulders, to make sure their zealous captain was not watching, accepted a cup of ale and drank it.

  ‘Tis well known your family are not wreckers,’ one of them told her. ‘But there were wreckers in the bay this night—strangers, so I’ve heard, and a French ship out in the bay. I think they may have got away, but the Revenue went after them and the night was too dark to see the outcome.’

  ‘It is surely no crime for a French merchantman to visit these shores?’ Morwenna said. ‘I fear your information was false and you may be reprimanded from London for causing an incident with a friendly ship.’

 
‘We just obey orders, mistress,’ the soldier said and hid his cup behind a pot as Captain Richmond returned.

  ‘There is ale still warming if you’ve a mind for it, sir.’

  The young captain scowled at her. ‘You’ll go too far one of these days, Mistress Morgan. We know what your brothers get up to and we shall be watching closely in future.’

  ‘I did not know it was a crime to go fishing, sir.’

  ‘Fishing be damned. That Frenchie was bringing in silk and brandywine and if they catch the vessel, we’ll have the proof we need. Then we shall be back and we’ll arrest the lot of you.’

  ‘I hope you discover your mistake, sir. My brothers are merely fishermen. Occasionally they take their wares and the catch of others to the markets and they may purchase produce to bring back for others, but they are honest men.’

  ‘You’re as bad as the rest of them,’ the captain said. ‘Take care, Mistress Morgan. I do not think you would like a taste of his Majesty’s prison.’

  Morwenna resisted replying again. She had defended her brothers, as always, but this man was very different from Captain Bird. Instead of admiration there was only scorn in his eyes—the scorn she’d seen earlier in the eyes of Rupert Melford.

  Her pain almost overwhelmed her, but she kept her head high until the soldiers had gone. Sitting down at the table, she discovered that she was shaking.

  ‘‘Tis time Michael changed his arrangements,’ Bess said. ‘If he continues, he will bring ruin on this family.’

  ‘I do not think it is just the smuggling,’ Morwenna said. ‘He is mixed up in something worse. I do not know what it may be, but he will not tell me more if I ask.’

  She blinked back her tears. Her life here was almost impossible. She would have to go to her aunt’s house in London.

  ‘You did well, as always,’ Michael said and frowned. ‘If they’ve replaced Captain Bird, they mean business, which means I shall have to be more careful. I intended to change the venue and this makes it imperative.’

  ‘Why do you need to continue with the smuggling?’ Morwenna asked. ‘You have your ship and could use it for honest trading and Jacques might find other employment if he tried.’

  ‘What of you if we go our separate ways?’

  ‘Perhaps I shall go to my mother’s sister.’

  ‘You visited once and came home within a week. What makes you think you would do better this time?’ His gaze hardened. ‘Bird helped delay them last night to give us time to get away. He met me in the village this morning and told me to be careful for a while. He wants to pay his respects to you, Morwenna. He would marry you if you threw him the occasional smile.’

  ‘I would rather take my chances with my aunt.’

  ‘I’ve given him my permission to talk to you. I owe him for helping me in the past,’ her brother said. ‘I’m going away to France and taking Jacques with me. I’ll be gone at least three weeks, perhaps more. You have until then to decide. It isn’t safe for you here any longer, Sister. When I come back I want an answer. We may have to leave this house quickly and I do not want to be worrying about you.’

  ‘What are you doing, Michael? It isn’t just smuggling. It’s serious—dangerous.’

  ‘Mayhap. Whatever, it’s my business. I’ve let you have your own way long enough, but I’ve made up my mind. When I return it’s marriage for you—or you’ll go to your aunt. The choice is yours.’

  Morwenna stared at the door as Michael left. She felt cold all over and yet she had known this was coming soon. The idea of marrying a man she disliked made her feel sick. Besides, Captain Bird wasn’t a fool. He would know he’d been cheated of her virginity and she suspected he had a temper if it was roused.

  Rupert, as Adam, had promised to take her with him, but he despised her now. She recalled his tenderness as he’d held her in his arms and loved her. She’d known such happiness, but it had all been a lie. He cared nothing for her.

  She wanted to go away, somewhere that no one knew her. Yet if she left this house alone she would have to fend for herself. It wouldn’t be easy to find work, but she would have to try.

  Tears were burning behind her eyes, but her pride would not let them fall. She would not admit that her heart had been broken or wish that she could go back to the night she’d found Rupert Melford on the beach. She had a few days in which to make up her mind, though as far as she could see there was nothing to save her. She could not marry Captain Bird and so she must make up her mind to leave this house, though she was not sure where she would go.

  ‘Walk to the village and fetch me some flour,’ Bess said as Morwenna entered the kitchen two days later. ‘I need to bake and—’ She broke off as they heard someone at the door, looking at each other in dismay. ‘Are they here again?’

  Morwenna took a deep breath and then went to the door. Opening it, she discovered that Captain Bird had come visiting. He was dressed in a smart scarlet coat and his boots were polished to a high gloss. Realising that he’d come for personal reasons, she hesitated, then stepped back, allowing him to enter the kitchen.

  ‘To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit, sir?’

  ‘I would speak with you alone, Mistress Morgan.’

  ‘I think you may say anything you have to say in front of Bess, Captain.’

  ‘I would prefer to be alone with you.’

  ‘I do not wish it.’ Morwenna raised her head. ‘Please speak plainly, for I have work to do.’

  ‘Very well, since you will have it—I have come to ask you to be my wife. You know that I care for you. I have long wanted to ask you, but your brother refused me—now he has given his permission.’

  ‘My brother does not own me, sir. I am my own mistress and I have no wish to marry.’

  Captain Bird’s mouth thinned. ‘Yet I think you will change your mind, Morwenna, unless you wish to see your brother hang for treason.’

  Morwenna gasped, staring at him in horror. ‘What do you mean? What are you accusing Michael of?’

  ‘I know that he is involved with traitors. Michael is too clever to be taken for a smuggler—but I know about the men he smuggled away to France and what they plan,’ Captain Bird said. ‘Michael is a fool, but his recklessness has given me the power I need. You will be mine, Morwenna—or Michael hangs.’

  ‘You wouldn’t!’

  ‘Only if you force me to it.’

  ‘I do not believe you. How do I know that what you say is true? You have no proof.’

  ‘I need no proof. Your brother is suspected of treason and if I tell what I know the traitors will all be taken.’ He smiled at her. ‘Come, give me your promise and we shall forget this conversation.’

  ‘I do not know.’ Morwenna’s thoughts whirled in confusion. ‘Give me a little time to think.’

  ‘I shall give you until Michael returns from France, where I know him to be consorting with other plotters—and then I shall have your answer.’

  Unable to speak, Morwenna nodded numbly.

  ‘Remember that you belong to me. I want you and I intend to have you, Morwenna.’

  Morwenna felt the gorge rise in her throat as he turned and went out, closing the solid oak door with a resounding bang. Then she dashed to the side door and went out, vomiting in the yard. For a moment she breathed in the cold air and then returned to the kitchen. Bess looked at her, her eyebrows raised.

  ‘He disgusts me,’ she said and wiped her mouth with a cloth. ‘I can never wed him.’

  ‘Then you must run away.’

  ‘What of Michael? You heard what he threatened.’

  ‘Your brothers are men and can look after themselves. You should go to your aunt while you can, girl.’

  ‘Yes, I fear that is my only choice.’ Morwenna turned away to hide the tears that stung her eyes. She had hoped to leave with the man she loved, but that dream was ended. His expression that last night had shown his disgust for the woman that he believed her to be.

  No, she would not weep for him, but neither wo
uld she marry a man she disliked.

  ‘I will fetch the flour you need,’ she said and reached for her shawl from its peg behind the door.

  A week later Morwenna was still undecided. What was she going to do? Michael would show no sympathy for her if his own safety was at risk. When he returned Michael would force her to marry Captain Bird. Now that the militiaman was threatening to betray him she would no longer have a choice.

  Michael had always been able to escape from the militia by using the caves and tunnels that only he and his men knew of—but if he was mixed up in some kind of plot against the King he would never be able to rest. He could not return to his home and must for ever be a fugitive—and perhaps Jacques, too, would be branded as a traitor.

  Morwenna would hate it if she could never see Jacques again. She did not wish either of her brothers to hang, but she could not live as that man Bird’s wife. She would rather die.

  She must disappear before her brothers returned. Looking about her bedchamber, Morwenna decided to take only what she could carry. She had a little money, which she’d saved from the housekeeping, also a string of pearls her mother had given her and a small ruby ring her father had purchased for her before he died. She would hate to part with either, but if she wanted to try to start a new life in London, perhaps even as a seamstress, she would need money to live on for a while.

  The only talent that Morwenna possessed besides her sewing and her cooking was her singing voice. She had sung in the church choir when she was a child, but as she grew up her brother had forbidden her to waste her time in such frivolities.

  She would like to sing for her living, but women were forbidden from appearing on the stage and the travelling players used young boys to act the female roles.

  If she could not sing on the stage, what else might she do?

  Working in a tavern as a chambermaid would be hard and not much of a change from her life here—but she might be forced to accept such work.