The Captain

by Lynn Collum

  “Trust no one, child. Someone you least suspect might wish you harm. Promise me you will trust no one until the truth is revealed.” Jacinda stiffened her spine. She mustn’t let down her guard with Andrew Morrow or anyone else until the murder was solved.

  The gentleman’s reply interrupted her thoughts. “Yes, but then I would guess most young men disappoint their fathers at some point in time.” The captain stared into his cup a moment in a brown study, then seemed to shake off his melancholy. “I made a dreadful mistake and I’m hoping he will forgive me. But you can have little interest in my problems.” He stood. “I must be going. Is there anything I can do for you lads to repay my debt?”

  He was about to leave Jacinda with even more questions than when he’d come. A strong need to know what mistake he’d made filled Jacinda. How could she allow him to walk away from them without knowing, without asking ... but that would reveal her true identity. She needed more time. A sudden inspiration filled her. The only way to find out the truth was to go back and face her enemy, whoever that might be. She’d decided to return to Chettwood earlier that evening, but here was an opportunity that was even better: to return to the county in her new guise.

  “I need employment, sir, and we were thinking of returning home.” She saw the surprise in Ben’s face but he kept silent as she continued. “If you are going to Somerset, would you take us with you?”

  The gentleman eyed the two lads a moment, then smiled. “Do either of you know anything about horses or farming?”

  Ben jumped to his feet. “I do, sir. The Smithy just beyond the Pear Tree pays me to groom the prads stabled there that are used at the warehouses.”

  “What about you, Jack? What skills do you possess?” Captain Morrow quirked a brow at Jacinda.

  “I can read, sir. ” Seeing the surprise in his eyes, she added, “My mother was a nursery maid and learned the words with her charges.” Since coming to London she’d used that explanation often to explain her ability in this world of poverty and illiteracy, often praying that her lady mother would forgive her for such a fabrication.

  The gentleman nodded. “Then I’m certain we can find something for you to do at my father’s estate. If nothing else I’ll hire you on to the Flying Dragon once I move it to Bristol.” He looked uncertain for a moment, and Jacinda suspected he didn’t know what kind of welcome he would receive on his own, much less bringing servants along. But the uncertainty disappeared from his eyes and he ruffled Ben’s hair. “I shall be here at ten o’clock sharp in the morning. Be ready to go.” He tested his ankle. It seemed improved. Ben hurried to the first floor to wake Harry Nicks, who owned the hackney.

  Some ten minutes later, a sleepy Harry arrived in front of the tenement house with his cab and the captain again thanked Jacinda and Ben for saving him. He climbed in and said good-bye. As the hackney disappeared into the night, Ben turned to Jacinda, placing his arms akimbo. “Why are we going to Somerset? If it’s about my gettin’ caught by the Pressmen, I swear I won’t go—”

  Jacinda put her hand on his shoulder, to stop a promise that he would never be able to keep. “It’s time I began the search for my father’s murderer, and it just so happens Chettwood is next door to the captain’s home.”

  Before Ben could comment, a very tired Lili came out of the darkness on Ratcliffe Road. Jacinda hugged the large woman and urged her to their room for something to drink. It was only after Ben had finally crawled into bed that Jacinda informed their friend of the plan to return to Somerset.

  “So you’ve decided to go home at last.” There was sadness in Lili’s voice. “It’s a good thing, child, even though I shall miss ye. Ye’ve no business here in the slums of London.”

  Jacinda put a hand over her friend’s. “I’ll send for you as soon as I’m able.”

  “Nonsense, child, I’ve no more business living in the wilds of Somerset than ye have in this squalor of Wapping.”

  “But I want to do something to help you as you have helped Ben and me.”

  Lili grinned “I did very little ... but I wouldn’t take exception to a bit of help with opening a little sewing shop in say, Deptford or Shadwell.” Her eyes twinkled at the idea of having her own place.

  “I promise, as soon as I may, I shall buy you a place but it cannot be until I come of age.” A strained look passed over Jacinda’s face. “If I manage to survive until then.”

  Lili hugged Jacinda. “I’m certain ye can do anything ye set your mind to child. Look what ye’ve done raising Ben alone in one of the roughest parts of London. Besides, ye’ll have an advantage of that disguise and our Ben to watch out for ye. He can be quite fierce when needs be.” Lili walked to the door, about to depart. “I’ll see ye off in the morning and remember, if ye need me, I’ll come at once.” With that she said good night and left Jacinda.

  She walked to the window and looked out. Lil was right. She could do this. Still, an uncomfortable fear swirled in her stomach as she thought about facing Andrew Morrow in the morning. What if he remembered who she was? Then she reminded herself that he’d met her only once, in the great hall at Chettwood. There was little likelihood of him connecting a scrawny girl from Westbury with a grown lad from London. Feeling more confident about what she intended to do, she went to bed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Two days later on a warm June afternoon, Drew tooled his newly procured curricle and four along the road from Wells. Given the little amount of time he’d had, the vehicle was superbly sprung and the cattle excellent goers. The journey from London had been easy and the weather fine.

  The Mendip Hills loomed to the north, the Somerset Levels spread out to the south, their fields abundant with the coming harvest. Since entering Somerset, they’d passed numerous orchards with trees heavy with apples to make the cider for which the county was famous. The thought of a tankard of cider and a wedge of cheese from Cheddar Gorge made Drew’s mouth water. He’d spent many a summer afternoon on these very roads.

  Beside him, Jack sat in silence watching the passing countryside and Ben rode on the back strap, acting as tiger. Drew had discovered that the two brothers were as opposite as could be, and not just physically. Having crewed on many a ship with lads of the same age, Drew was used to dealing with them. But Jack was a complete enigma to the captain. Unlike the boys at sea, Jack had a quiet reserve about him that was rare. There was some mystery there, or some hurt, in Drew’s opinion. As they drew closer to the end of their travels, Jack grew quieter and more remote while Ben was as lively as ever, wanting to see everything and asking a multitude of questions about their journey and about Drew’s life in Calcutta.

  As Drew pondered the boys’ differences, he wondered if it might be usual for brothers to be different despite common parents. He wouldn’t know, for his had been a lonely upbringing. Still, he felt there was some secret behind Jack’s hazel eyes and he hoped that someday the boy would be comfortable enough to confide in him.

  He put the Trudeau brothers’ quirks from his mind as the curricle topped a rise. The villages of Westbury and Wookey came into view together, being only miles apart. He reined his vehicle to a halt on a little stone bridge with a small creek flowing gently beneath. His mind filled with long-ago memories of a time when he had cavorted in the hills and gorges of the land around Rowland with his friends from the villages, a rough and rowdy lot of whom his father had disapproved. But that was long ago. He was no longer that callow youth who’d given little thought to anything but pleasure. It was good to be home, even in such strained circumstances.

  From behind him Ben called, “What are we stopped for, sir?”

  “I was just envisioning the adventures of my childhood, lad. Riding to the hounds in the autumn, drinking cool cider by the River Axe on a hot summer afternoons, exploring the warm caves and grottos in Cheddar Gorge in the winter ...” he chuckled before he added, “searching for the Witch of Wookey Cave—”

  “A witch?” Ben’s eyes lit with excitement. “Jack, you never tol
d me there was a witch nearby.”

  “Because it’s only a pile of old rocks in a very deep cave that looks like a witch,” Jack said, more interested in surveying the vista than in the legend of the monk who’d turned a witch to stone.

  Drew’s brows rose. “You know of our witch? I wouldn’t have thought our mythical old crone would be so well-known in Bristol.” Jack flashed a glance his way and the captain could almost swear there was a moment of anxiety in the boy’s face.

  A strange thought entered Drew’s mind: It was a shame that such lovely eyes were wasted on a lad, for any young girl would relish those thick, long lashes. Drew’s attention dropped to the small mole at Jack’s mouth and familiarity niggled at him. No doubt it reminded him of someone of little import or he would remember.

  Jack’s husky voice interrupted his reflections. “Every child in Somerset knows the Legend of the Wookey Witch, sir.”

  The lad shifted in the seat and Drew suspected Jack was deliberately avoiding his gaze. Was he scared of the legend and didn’t want to admit being so? He didn’t want to pursue the subject for fear they might decide to go to the very cave and look? Drew wouldn’t embarrass him by pressing the matter.

  Before he could change the subject, a man and a woman cantered out of the nearby woods. The horses were mediocre stock but the clothes of the riders were stylish and well cut. The faces were vaguely familiar, but Drew couldn’t place their names.

  The pair spotted the stopped carriage, then halted to have a brief, whispered conversation. A small tiff seemed to be brewing, then reluctantly, the young man approached, clearly at the female’s urging. “Have you lost your way, sir?”

  There was a sudden gasp by Jacinda. Drew turned to look at her, but she had covered her nose and mouth as if she meant to sneeze and turned her head aside.

  The captain hoped the lad wasn’t coming down with something, for the baron’s health was rumored to be indifferent at best. Drew turned his attention back to the young gentleman. “Not lost, sir. I’d merely stopped to gaze once again on the countryside of my youth. But thank you for your query.”

  The elegant woman with the fiery locks beneath a black low crown beaver hat trotted up to them. Her fashionable green riding habit was done in the military style and suited her lush figure well. Her curious gaze was fixed on Drew as she spoke softly to the plump young man. “Do remember your manners and present yourself, brother.”

  The man shot her an annoyed look but dutifully stood in his irons. “Giles Devere at your service, sir. May I present my sister, the Widow Tyne.”

  The captain skillfully stood without so much as disturbing his team and doffed his black beaver hat, which he’d purchased to come into the country. “Captain Drew Morrow, ma’am, sir, on my way to Rowland Park for a long-overdue reunion with my father. I believe we met some years ago in Westbury.” He resettled both his hat and position.

  Shock registered on both the brother’s and sister’s faces. They exchanged a look before Mr. Devere sputtered out, “The baron’s heir? But we heard ... that is ...”

  Drew arched one brow. “You heard that I had murdered old Blanchett, then run away to sea and died a tragic death as my just end?” Drew had decided that he would face the rumors head on.

  Stunned silence reigned for a moment, then Mrs. Tyne tittered. “Good heavens, Captain, as if we ever believed that you had anything to do with our uncle’s death. I have said all along that it was some low person who preys on travelers and it was the old gentleman’s unfortunate luck to be robbed that night. Have no fear that you won’t be welcomed back to our community, Captain Morrow. Why, I should like to issue an invitation to take tea at Blanchett Manor at your earliest convenience.” She looked coyly at him through her lashes.

  Giles Devere nodded his agreement as he took stock of the gentleman’s equipage and well-bred cattle, which bespoke a sufficiency of funds not generally associated with the Morrow name. “As my sister said, it was just a great deal of gossip by the locals, sir. I do believe even Prudence and I were mentioned as suspects, along with everyone else who ever came in contact with the old gentleman. I assure you I never believe a word of it. You are most welcome at the manor any day.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched his sister flutter her lashes at the captain.

  “Thank you. I should welcome an invitation.” It was a visit he intended all along in the hopes of hearing news about the little lost heiress. But he didn’t mention the matter at present, for it might be a painful subject for her relatives. He would inquire of the girl later.

  “Then it’s settled,” Mrs. Tyne rushed to accept. “Tea, say, Friday afternoon at two.” Good-byes were said and the pair rode away but not before the widow slyly added, “I look forward to our next meeting, sir.”

  Beside the captain, Jacinda had quaked in fear during the entire five-minute conversation. But she needn’t have concerned herself, for neither of her cousins had so much as given her or Ben a second glance. Servants were nonentities to the likes of them except as those who did their bidding. For that, Jacinda was thankful. Considering the matter, she wasn’t certain they would have recognized her as their cousin anyway since she was much changed. Gone were the pallor, the gaunt features, and the lank long hair. Perhaps what would be most surprising for Giles and Prudence in Jacinda’s opinion would be her loss of timidity. Life in the ranks of the common man had taught her to stand up for herself and what she believed.

  Perhaps the only thing that had struck her as strange about their inadvertent encounter was her reaction to her cousin’s flirting with Captain Morrow. A peculiar anger had settled in her. Why should she care if the girl was making a cake of herself? She could only think her dislike of it was because Prudence must know the gentleman was all but betrothed to Jacinda. What could her cousin have been thinking to behave in such a fast manner? Jacinda’s gaze drifted to the captain. He was very handsome.

  Unaware of his companion’s scrutiny, the captain urged his team to a trot. The carriage moved toward Rowland Park and, Jacinda hoped, for the truth. The next few weeks were going to be difficult, perhaps even dangerous. Discovery of her true identity might prove fatal. A tremor of fear raced up her spine as she remembered that night when those masked men had searched the rocks for her. Someone had wanted her dead and she must never forget that. She glanced at the man beside her. His strong profile was set into a frown. He appeared just as apprehensive about returning home ... but what could he have to fear? All he faced was the welcome of the heir once again where he belonged. Doubts about him resurfaced. Had he been involved in her father’s death? But she didn’t truly believe that. The more time she spent with him, the less she feared him, but she promised herself not to let her guard down until the truth was known.

  Rowland Park was little changed since either of the carriage’s occupants had last seen the old manor house eight years earlier. Like a man-made mountain, it had withstood the progress of time as well as could be expected. The timbered surface would likely stand another hundred years without much change, but the whitewashed stucco had yellowed and cracked in places. The board that covered the broken front window remained as it had been so long ago, but was now weathered to a pale gray color. The grounds were more overgrown, the lawn gone to seed, and the only flowers were wild ones that had taken root in the once lovely gardens.

  A sad look came over the captain’s countenance at the evidence of neglect everywhere and he shook his head. “There’s a great deal of work to do, lads.” They traveled slowly up a gravel driveway where weeds had taken root and potholes were to be avoided. The gentleman halted his carriage in front of the old oak entry and Ben scrambled to the horses’ heads.

  “Jack, come with me and I shall present you to my father’s housekeeper. Hopefully there will be a place for you on the staff.” He called to Ben, “Walk the horses until I see if my father shall welcome me home.” The gentleman climbed down and Jacinda scrambled after him, but he stood and looked up at the manor a moment. If his furrowed
brows and fisted hand were any indication, he was reliving his last memories here and they weren’t pleasant. Finally he went up the stone steps and rapped the knocker. There were three more tries with the lion head knocker before an ancient butler with a shock of white hair pulled the door open.

  “May I—” He froze and his eyes widened. “I-is it truly you, Master Andrew?”

  A grin lit the captain’s face at the juvenile address. “Hodges, I’m home. Let us hope I shall be welcomed back.”

  The old man grew teary-eyed. “Let there be no doubt about that, sir.”

  “Is there a groom that can show young Ben the ropes in the stables?” The captain gestured to where the lad walked the horses down the drive.

  The old servant peered at the curricle and four, and his brows rose at the sight of such prime stock. “There’s been little need for any grooms since Lady Rowland sold your father’s hunter this spring. There’s only old Rosie that we use to bring supplies from town and to take her ladyship to church on Sunday. Seth, Cook’s father, takes care of the mare.”

  Captain Morrow’s brow wrinkled “The slow one who used to sleep in the pantry?” When Hodges nodded, the gentleman asked, “Are my father’s circumstances that bleak?”

  “Aye, sir, things are bad, and not just with the funds as you’ll soon see.” The butler shook his head. He glanced over his shoulder before he continue in a lowered tone. “The old gentleman’s in a bad way what with the injuries from the fall he took and her ladyship always at him.” He shrugged before he added, “But then, I’d guess that some think she’s the one what got the bad bargain.”

  The captain didn’t continue to discuss his father’s circumstances with the old family retainer on the door stoop. He gestured at Jacinda. “I’ve brought two lads with me. Ben will lend a hand in the stables and I’m hoping there is something Jack can do here at the house. An under footman perhaps?”