When the gang was not receiving shipments, they were acting as Tubmen, and carrying goods from their hidden stores to supply customers as far away as Newcastle and Durham. Mattie and Bart were expected any day now with their shipment of whisky from Scotland. They were also stopping off to collect some salt from Boulmer, another commodity that was heavily taxed and on which they made a tidy profit. When they returned the whole cycle would start again. There was no doubt that Rosie lived on the edge, but she was a wise old bird and an expert at what she did. Her men respected her and up to now, she had been successful, but she just had to make one mistake and Nat was becoming very uneasy.
Nat was not worried for himself, but he must persuade his mistress to return to her aunt in London and take Hannah with her to resume her duties as lady's maid, even if she had to sell one of her precious stallions to fund the trip. This was no place for Lady Winterbourne, but persuading her was going to be a difficult task. Perhaps, Lord Lyndhurst would have more success in doing so.
Much to Nat’s relief, the retrieval of the sunken tubs went without a hitch. They had lost a batch of tobacco and a batch of tea because of leaking oilskins, but overall, they were still set to make a tidy profit.
Chapter 17
Captain Blackmore, who had skulked away empty handed and with his tail between his legs, paid Jem a visit to find out exactly where Penelope’s ‘Aunt’ lived. If he could find Rosie, he would find Penelope, and his wayward wife would soon discover just what it was to cross him.
On leaving Jem’s home, he was in high gig, for he had learned much more than Penelope’s whereabouts. Jem had told him that Penelope had been seen in the company of Lord Lyndhurst more than once. If Lord Lyndhurst was sweet on Lady Winterbourne, so much the better. He would be able to extort much more money from the Earl than he would ever have dreamed of demanding from her ‘Aunt’ Rosie.
Captain Blackmore raised his hand to his left cheek and grimaced. The wound that Lord Lyndhurst had inflicted a few weeks ago had left an angry scar and was still tender to the touch. He also remembered the Earl’s warning never to approach Lady Winterbourne, so if he were to proceed with his plans, he would have to be cautious. Lord Lyndhurst was not a man to cross without careful planning in order to minimise the risk of reprisals. He would wait until he could catch Penelope alone and completely helpless. The collection of the ransom would be the tricky part, but if he arranged everything meticulously, he may never need set eyes on Lord Lyndhurst.
Captain Blackmore did not have long to wait. Nat had taken Rosie and Hannah to Sunderland on a shopping trip and Penelope sat alone in Rosie’s Kitchen with only Jorgie for company. She had woken up with a headache that morning and decided to stay at home, so that she could finish sewing a white, cotton gown she was making for Daniel’s baby. She was wrapping it in a brown paper parcel when she had the sudden idea of delivering it personally. Penelope had nothing else to do, and it was just the tonic she needed to clear away the remnants of her headache. Daniel’s farmstead was just a mile down the Lane towards Marsden, and as it was a fine day, Penelope decided to walk the short distance.
Mindful of the fact that Captain Blackmore may still be in the area, Penelope took the scabbard containing her sword and tied it to her side, and made her preparations to leave. She left a note for Rosie to tell her where she was going, and that if she were not back before them, she would not be very long. Jorgie, lying by the fire watched her lazily with one eye open, and as she donned her cloak, he jumped up in anticipation. Cloak meant walk, and walk meant chasing rabbits, pigeons, and crows. He padded over to her excitedly and she bent down to stroke his head. ‘Not today, Jorgie,’ she said. ‘I am going to visit Zoe and you are much too boisterous for such a small baby, and as much as I would like to take you, I do not think you will like to be tied up to a fence in a smelly old farmyard for two whole hours.’ Jorgie, not understanding her words, but understanding her tone perfectly, whined and looked up piteously, and she had to laugh. ‘I would like to take you Jorgie, really I would. You make an excellent guard dog when you’re not distracted by rabbits, but really you would just get in the way.’
Penelope carefully slipped out leaving Jorgie scratching at the door with his paw. She felt guilty leaving him, but he was much too energetic company for a small baby and would bark incessantly if left tied up in the yard. He would have made an excellent guard dog, but it had been well over a week since her encounter with the Captain on the beach, and she was not anticipating any difficulties at all. She had even begun to think that he had not recognised her after all, but better safe than sorry she thought as she patted the sword hidden under her cloak.
Penelope had completed half of the journey when she heard a loan horseman cantering up from behind. She stepped aside to let him pass, but the horseman pulled up in front of her and dismounted. To her dismay it was Captain Blackmore, and what was more, he was pointing a flintlock pistol directly at her. He gave her an unearthly smile and spoke lazily. ‘So I was correct all along. I did not recognise you at first dressed in breeches, but I was sure I had seen that servant of yours before. You, My Lady, are coming with me. I know a certain gentleman who would pay a fortune to have you back.’ She glanced around desperately, quickly summing up her options. There was nowhere to go and besides, she knew she could not outrun a horse, neither could a sword argue with a gun. She would have to use all her ingenuity to talk her way out of this one.
‘I think you must be mistaken,’ she replied. ‘If it is ransom money you are after, you will be sadly disappointed. You must be aware that my friends do not have the kind of money you would be demanding, and I am estranged from my parents.’
Still holding the flintlock in his right hand, he stretched out with his left hand to grab her wrist, but she stepped back out of his reach. ‘Do you think I am a fool?’ he snapped, knitting his black brows in a scowl. ‘I know that Lord Lyndhurst is in the area courting your attentions? I was not born yesterday.’
‘Why would Lord Lyndhurst pay a ransom for me,’ she encountered desperately. ‘I am hardly his responsibility. He would more than likely wash his hands of the whole affair and leave it to the authorities.’
Captain Blackmore laughed. ‘Oh, I do not think so, My Lady. Why else would he go to all that trouble to gain the evidence to annul our marriage if he has no interest in you? I do not think he did it out of altruism, do you?’ He raised his hand to his left cheek. ‘Besides, I need to repay him for this little beauty, and I cannot think of a better way to do it than make him part with his purse.’
Penelope looked aghast. The disclosure that Lord Lyndhurst had gained the evidence needed to achieve her annulment was news to her. She hardly had time to absorb this information. She had of course noticed the scar on Captain Blackmore’s face; after all, a person could hardly miss it. He did not have it when she married him, but she could never have guessed that Lord Lyndhurst had inflicted it. She looked intently at Captain Blackmore, keeping an eye on him in case he made a sudden move. ‘Lord Lyndhurst did that to you?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Aye, and how else did you think he would extract a written confession from me?’ he scowled. ‘The man plays dirty and had an army with him,’ he lied, not eager to impart the true details of the encounter. He tried to reach for her again, but again she retreated. ‘Come wife!’ he demanded, ‘if you do not wish to get hurt.’
Penelope’s situation seemed hopeless. If he had confronted her with his sword she may have stood a chance, but a pistol was another thing entirely. If only she had brought the flintlock, but Nat had it with him. She eyed Captain Blackmore’s sword sheathed beside his saddle. She was not ready to surrender yet.
‘Do not dare call me, wife!’ she retorted. ‘I never was. I am Lady Winterbourne to you. I kept my first husband’s name, and you are not even fit to lick his boots. Do you not know that a marriage performed through deceit is illegal? I am not your wife and you are not my husband. Why, I do not know how you can even call yourself a
man!’
Captain Blackmore was infuriated at her slur on his masculinity and waved his gun menacingly. ‘Man enough for you, dear. Now are you going to come quietly or do I have to fetch you?’ he hissed savagely.
Penelope dropped her cloak and ignoring his pistol, pulled out her sword from its scabbard. She pointed to his own sword sheathed beside his horse’s saddle. ‘If you are a man, fight like a man,’ she taunted, ‘since I am not going to come willingly.’
Captain Blackmore was indeed infuriated. He had not expected so much resistance. This was hardly the woman he had known and married in Newcastle. This Lady Winterbourne had a confidence that was lacking a few months ago when he had taken advantage of her good nature and tricked her into marriage. As far as he was aware, his wife did not even own a sword, let alone know how to use one.
Captain Blackmore took the bait and pocketing the pistol, took his sword from its resting place. He glanced at the sword in her hand. ‘You are not going to pretend that you know how to use that, are you?’ he smirked contemptuously.
Penelope stood on guard. ‘Taught at the academy of the great Henry Angelo himself. Try me,’ she taunted.
Captain Blackmore just laughed. Now he knew she was jesting. What woman would get past the threshold of Angelos, let alone acquire lessons? Captain Blackmore was no expert swordsman, but he knew that he was good enough to defeat her.
Captain Blackmore advanced to the attack straight away, but to his astonishment, she parried with an expertise that surprised him. After a few aggressive onslaughts, which she deflected effectively, he began to revise his play. She was more skilled than he had anticipated, and her advanced swordplay more than made up for her strength of arm.
Penelope could not afford to let her guard down either. Captain Blackmore was adequately proficient, but he was no Lord Lyndhurst or Viscount Drysdale, and as the fight progressed, she could see him getting more frustrated. All she needed to do was keep him at bay until he made a mistake. As long as she did not let him close enough to overpower her, she may just be able to extricate herself from this predicament, or hopefully, last out until someone came along.
Penelope was not to be so fortunate as no one else ventured along the lane, and she had been battling for twenty minutes. Her sword arm was weak and she was getting tired, but the desire for self-preservation kept her going. As she continued to parry the Captain’s lunges, she noticed that his frustration was turning to anger, and that was to be his undoing. In a momentary lack of concentration, Captain Blackmore let down his guard and Penelope followed through with a stab, striking him in the right upper arm. He staggered back bringing up his left hand to the wound. His jacket was ripped and blood trickled slowly down his sleeve, with small droplets dripping on the path.
He looked up in sheer anger. Penelope stood alert and waiting with his blood smeared on the tip of her sword.
‘Why you dam meddling wench,’ he cursed vindictively, as he sheathed his sword and removed his cravat to tie roughly around his wound. Penelope still stood defensively, sword in hand, praying fervently that he would retreat, but Captain Blackmore was not to be beaten. He reached into his pocket, drew out the flintlock, and aimed it at her legs. ‘Drop the sword,’ he commanded, ‘if you do not wish a bullet in you. Oh, I will not shoot to kill. I want you alive, but if you wish to walk again, I would do as you are bid.’
Penelope had no doubt that the Captain was serious and dropped her sword on the ground. He waved his pistol, directed her toward his horse, and then instructed her to mount. Still aiming his pistol, he climbed up behind her grasping her roughly around the waist. ‘I suggest you make no false moves,’ he advised. ‘If you try to warn any passersby it will not be you who suffers. I will kill them. Do you understand?’
Penelope nodded her understanding. The man was truly wicked and she had no doubt that he meant every word he said. She would just have to bide her time and hope that she would have an opportunity to escape his clutches. Oh, how could she have been so foolish as to venture out alone? Perhaps she should have brought Jorgie along after all, but on reflection, she realised that it would not have served. Captain Blackmore would not have hesitated to shoot him, and by leaving Jorgie at home, she had no doubt that she had had just saved his life.
*****
Lord Lyndhurst returned to Whitburn sooner than anticipated and took his usual room at the Swan. Pat welcomed him like a long lost son. It did not escape her that having a real life Lord in residence was good for business, as people wandered into her tap just to catch a sight of him, but she had developed a motherly fondness for him and gave him a genuine welcome.
Although Pat made him comfortable and would have kept him there forever if she could, he hoped his stay would not be too long, only long enough to persuade Penelope to marry him. It was early evening when he arrived and he decided to go to the farmhouse to pay them all a surprise visit.
He arrived at Rosie’s to find her pacing the floor with Penelope’s note in her hand, and Hannah in a high state of agitation. Penelope should have been back hours ago and they were worried. They had arrived back from Sunderland and found Penelope’s note and at first they were unconcerned, but as the hours past and there was still no sign of her, Rosie became alarmed.
Lord Lyndhurst tried to put her mind at rest. ‘Do not worry, Rosie. I am sure she has just stayed with Daniel for a little longer than she intended. More than likely they have invited her to stay and dine with them, and she is probably spending a little extra time with the baby.’
‘I hope so.’ Rosie replied. ‘Nat went out five minutes ago to fetch her. It is not like Miss Penny to be so late, and what, with Captain Blackmore in the vicinity, it is worrying.’
Lord Lyndhurst straightened to attention. ‘Captain Blackmore? Did you say that Captain Blackmore was still around these parts? No one has mentioned anything about this to me.’ The Earl stood up and walked across to the window suddenly feeling less confident than he did a moment ago. ‘We will wait until Nat gets back, and if Penelope is not with him we will have to send out a search party.’
It was twenty minutes later when Nat, accompanied by Daniel, rode into the farmyard. Penelope was not with him, but he carried her cloak, her sword and the package containing the little dress Penelope had made. They all rushed out to meet them, and the troubled look on Nat’s face brought no comfort. ‘She never arrived at Daniels,’ he said grimly as he dismounted, but I found her sword and cloak dropped in the Lane. There were signs of a scuffle and there is a small splattering of blood on the path. Miss Penny is obviously in trouble.’
Lord Lyndhurst examined the sword. Penelope had clearly tried to defend herself for it had dried blood on it. He could only hope that it was not hers. He turned to Nat. ‘Rosie tells me that Captain Blackmore is in the area. That must be the only explanation. You must tell me exactly what is going on around here. If we are to find Penelope, I need all the facts at my fingertips.’
They all entered Rosie’s kitchen and Lord Lyndhurst looked at them sternly. He particularly looked at Rosie. ‘Rosie, I can guess what is going on around here. It is not my concern and I have no desire to upset your operation. I tell you this to assure you of my confidence, because I need you to tell me everything. There may be some small clue to help us find Penelope.’
Rosie realised that she had no choice but to trust Lord Lyndhurst and within half an hour, he was in receipt of all the facts. ‘Oh, by the way,’ Rosie added, walking over to the fireplace and collecting a letter from off the mantel. ‘This came for you today; it was here when we arrived back from Sunderland.’
Lord Lyndhurst was puzzled as to why a letter addressed to him should arrive at Rosie’s farmstead and he was suspicious. He quickly broke the seal and perused its contents. He handed it to Nat to read. It was a ransom note from Captain Blackmore, demanding twenty thousand pounds for the return of Lady Winterbourne and leaving instructions for payment. Lord Lyndhurst was furious and paced the floor.
‘What a
re you going to do?’ Rosie asked pensively, as she watched Lord Lyndhurst gather his thoughts.
‘What am I going to do!’ he repeated wrathfully. ‘I am going to find the Blackguard and string him up on the nearest gibbet. He is going to rue the day he interfered with me.’ He leaned up against the mantle. ‘Tell me more about this Jem person, Rosie. He seems to be in the confidence of Blackmore. He may just give us the lead we need.’
Half an hour later, Lord Lyndhurst, accompanied by Nat and Daniel, made his way to Whitburn Village to pay Jem a visit. Andy had returned home to his cottage and they stopped to pick him up on the way. Jem was not at home, but they found him in the churchyard digging a new grave. Lord Lyndhurst dismounted and looked down into the cavernous hole. ‘Am I addressing Jeremiah Jones?’ he asked casually.
Jem looked up from the six-foot pit. He recognised Lord Lyndhurst because he had seen him in the area and had heard the gossip that he was staying at the Swan Inn in Cleadon ‘Aye, you are at that, Your Lordship, and what can I be doing for you?’
‘I am looking for a gentleman that goes by the name of Captain Blackmore. I believe he is a friend of yours, and I was wondering if you could tell me where I will find him?’ he replied with deceptive charm.
Jem suddenly grew suspicious and altered his demeanour. He had been instructed by the Captain not to divulge his direction to anyone, and he suspected that Lord Lyndhurst was no friend. He decided that it was best to claim ignorance.
‘I know the gentleman you speak of, but I have no idea where he is staying. He moves about a lot,’ he replied. Throwing the shovel up ahead of him, Jem climbed up out of the grave, only to see Andy, Daniel and Nat standing to the rear holding the horse’s bridles. He had not expected to see them there and gave a start. Before Jem was aware, Lord Lyndhurst took him by the arm and pushed him back into the gaping chasm. ‘I do not believe you,’ he retorted. He took the shovel, and using the mound of soil heaped up at the side of the grave, he began to shovel it in. ‘I have no time to play games. Tell me where Captain Blackmore is and I will cease shovelling.’
Lady Winterbourne's Entanglement: A Romantic Regency Adventure Page 18
