Sins of the Past (The Star Elite's Highwaymen Investigation Book 2)

by Rebecca King

  ‘I did.’

  ‘He must have heard about the robbery last night and come to see if you are all right,’ Bessie suggested.

  Zach opened his mouth to remind them that nobody should have heard about the robbery last night yet. The hour had only just passed nine o’clock in the morning. It was still far too early for anybody to make a house call upon anybody and spread gossip.

  But obviously there are exceptions for the vicar.

  ‘What would you prefer us to do? We can make ourselves scarce,’ Al offered.

  ‘He will have seen your horses outside by now,’ Clarissa warned. She sighed heavily when her father knocked again.

  Before she answered the door, Bessie threw a warning look at everyone in her hallway. They seemed such an eclectic group of people it was difficult to believe that they were all together in her house. With flapping hands, she waved them all back into the study.

  ‘Nora, go and get the rooms ready. The rest of you; don’t go into too much detail about last night. He is here because he has heard what happened, but nobody is to tell him anything,’ Bessie ordered.

  Stunned, Zach and his colleagues found themselves being ushered into the study to await the new arrival. What they didn’t expect was the problems the unwelcome visitor brought with him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘Was it you?’ Colin demanded, stomping into the house without being asked. He barely looked at Bessie who held the door open for him. Colin pierced his daughter with a dark scowl instead while he waited impatiently for her to answer.

  ‘Was what us?’ Clarissa asked, feigning ignorance. She crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped she didn’t look as guilty as she felt.

  ‘Have you not heard the news?’ Colin flicked a dark look between Bessie and Clarissa who looked at each other in silent warning.

  Clarissa could only hope that the Star Elite were prepared to lie to her father as well, or everyone in the house was going to suffer her father’s wrath before the house could return to the peaceful home it should be.

  ‘The highwaymen struck again last night. One of them was killed and found in Simmerton this morning.’ Colin turned to glare at Bessie as if his worry was all her fault.

  Before he could demand Bessie tell him the truth, Rosamund edged into the hallway. She had been trying to creep toward the stairs so she could avoid having to meet with him but the floorboard beneath her boot creaked. Colin spun around to face her. Rosamund mentally winced, but her face remained impassive as she found herself pinned beneath his somewhat spiteful glare. Unsurprisingly, he focused his annoyance on the person he considered the weakest of the three women.

  ‘Was it your carriage the highwaymen robbed last night?’ Colin demanded of her.

  Uncharacteristically, Rosamund squared her shoulders and glared back. Now that she knew she was going to leave just as soon as the Star Elite allowed her to go, she had no qualms about upsetting her employer’s brother. He was arrogant, rude, and extremely boorish despite being clergy. He also considered her someone he could bully with his demands because she was a servant, but Rosamund was not prepared to allow him to get away with it any longer. Rather than cower as she usually would, Rosamund stared back at him with eyes that were icy with all the contempt she felt.

  ‘I don’t know what you are talking about,’ she snapped with a scowl.

  ‘What in the Devil’s name is wrong? What do you think you are doing barging in here like this at this ungodly hour of the morning?’ Bessie demanded with an angry scowl on her face. ‘How dare you come marching in here as if you own the property like this? It would serve you right if I threw you out on your ear.’

  ‘Was it her?’ Colin demanded again.

  When Bessie didn’t reply, Colin stepped toward Clarissa, who was standing beside the study door, and realised then that the study was full of men. He blinked at them as if disbelieving of what he was seeing. ‘Who are you?’ he demanded without preamble as if he had every right to ask.

  Zach, who had remained beside the door just in case the latest arrival became physically aggressive, opened his mouth to reply to the impertinent question only for Bessie to step between them.

  ‘How dare you?’ Bessie snarled. ‘Might I remind you that this is not your house. How dare you charge in here with your arrogance. I demand that you leave this house at once, do you hear? At once!’

  ‘Who are they?’ Colin demanded without moving.

  ‘It doesn’t matter who they are. I demand that you leave this house at once,’ Bessie snapped. ‘Who happens to call upon me is nothing to do with you. Get out. Now.’

  Colin held his hands up in a placating gesture. ‘It is no good trying to hide behind social strictures now, Bessie. You have spent your entire life throwing them back in everyone’s faces. Look at you. You can hardly object to offending people when you go about dressed like that.’

  ‘Don’t start,’ Clarissa growled at him. ‘You are behaving like a bore, Colin.’ When he behaved the way he was, which was happening more often of late, Clarissa didn’t even deign to call him her father. Right now, she wished he weren’t.

  At least he has reminded me of why I couldn’t live at his house again.

  ‘What I choose to do in the privacy of my own home is nothing to do with you,’ Bessie snapped. ‘I haven’t offended anybody with my rude behaviour this morning. You, however, have.’

  Colin sighed and jabbed an angry hand through his thinning silver hair. ‘Am I to get an introduction, or do I have to guess what their names are?’ He pointed to the study.

  Through the open door, Clarissa gave Zach an apologetic look. He smiled and winked at her before ambling away. Now that he knew that the latest arrival was Clarissa’s father, he doubted that there was any physical danger to her and so went to join his bemused colleagues. It was clear from the fine hint of tension within the room that none of them liked the brazen Colin, and that was before they had even met him.

  ‘If you have to know, they are guests of Bessie’s,’ Clarissa snapped. ‘Seeing as this is her house, she doesn’t have to explain herself to you.’

  Behind Colin’s back, Rosamund blew out her cheeks and rolled her eyes with such disgust that Clarissa’s lips twitched, but her mirth quickly died when she caught Colin peering into the study again. Determined as ever, he wasn’t going to be deterred by either Bessie or Clarissa, and marched straight past them and into the room.

  Colin stood boldly before the men from the Star Elite and raked each man with a disparaging look that was scornful and arrogant. It was clear that he found them all sadly lacking. Their clothing, which was incidentally cut from the finest cloth, was still covered in a fine layer of dust from the many hours of riding they had endured throughout the night. Only a couple of them had managed to shave this morning, consequently the lower halves of most of their faces were covered in a day’s growth of stubble which gave them all a rough, dangerous look. They looked as dishevelled as the highwaymen had, and so completely out of place in Bessie’s luxurious study that it was obvious that the strange men weren’t merely guests. Colin doubted they could be highwaymen, though, because he didn’t think the robbers would be so brazen as to visit the home of their victims the morning after they had robbed them.

  ‘Am I to have an introduction?’ he demanded when he had finished raking Al with a dour look.

  Al removed his foot from the fender on the fireplace and turned to face the rude man. His cloak swished and swayed as he moved, and inadvertently revealed the large guns strapped to his hips. That gave Colin a moment’s pause. When the shorter man met Al’s gaze, Colin found the stranger’s eyes were hard, without rancour, almost threatening. It was enough to make Colin whirl to glare at his daughter again, as if silently seeking her support.

  ‘Well?’ he demanded.

  ‘They are not my guests,’ Clarissa retorted. ‘You are making a fool of yourself, Colin.’ Shaking her head chidingly at him, Clarissa threw an apologetic look at the Star Elite. ‘Ple
ase forgive him for his rudeness. He thinks that being a clergyman excuses his poor behaviour. He is far too used to preaching to people to consider minding his own manners.’

  ‘These are my friends, Colin,’ Bessie added. ‘They are not here to see Clarissa, or Rosamund, or you. They are here for me.’

  Colin seemed to realise then that Bessie’s statement was all the introduction he was going to get. He was incensed that nobody was telling him what he wanted to know, and that both Bessie and Clarissa were bold enough to chastise him in front of so many strangers. The only thing that stopped him from taking them to task over it was the sight of the guns on the men’s hips. These strangers were armed and therefore dangerous, so he daren’t offend them too much.

  ‘I demand to know what is going on. In all the years I have been coming here, I have never seen any of these men before.’

  ‘What do you mean, in all the years you have been coming here? You have always considered this place to be beneath you. You always say that I offend your delicate sensibilities and so only come here to preach to us, or if you want to try to force Clarissa to leave again,’ Bessie snorted. ‘Otherwise you avoid the place like we are not worth your godly time. How in the Hell would you know who visits me?’

  Colin turned his back on Bessie, and focused on Al. ‘I heard from one of my parishioners that the highwaymen struck again last night, and that whatever carriage they stopped was robbed of all valuables. The villagers heard gunfire and said they heard a woman screaming and shouting. The same villagers also said that someone was murdered last night.’

  Before anybody could answer him, Colin glanced around the study as if expecting to see him and asked: ‘Where is Frederick?’

  ‘He is not very well,’ Clarissa replied, hoping to change the subject, but Colin wasn’t going to be distracted that easily.

  ‘Well? Tell me the truth now. Was it you? Screaming at highwaymen sounds like something you would do,’ Colin murmured, raking Clarissa with an insulting look as if unsurprised that she would be so crass.

  ‘Really? How would you know what I would do if I was accosted by highwaymen?’ Clarissa demanded. She struggled to keep her face impassive. ‘Do you not think that anybody who is being robbed by a highwayman would shout, especially if one is pleading for one’s life? How do you know that it was the woman who screamed? Did your nosy parishioners tell you what was said?’

  Colin blinked at her. ‘I don’t need to know what was said.’

  ‘Well, how do you know whether the woman was pleading for her life or not?’ Clarissa demanded. ‘How do you know that it wasn’t a villager screaming at the highwaymen, or even one of the highwaymen who was screaming? You did say that one of them was murdered, didn’t you?’ She frowned as if confused.

  ‘No. Yes.’ Colin began to look even more agitated because he knew he couldn’t answer her questions.

  ‘Your parishioners heard what was happening, but didn’t go out to see who this woman was and try to help her?’ Clarissa muttered, shaking her head in disgust. ‘What kind of selfish parishioners do you have in your congregation?’

  ‘They didn’t say that they saw the woman,’ Colin countered.

  ‘No, they stayed hidden inside their houses where they were safe but listened intently to every word, that is what you are saying,’ Clarissa snorted. ‘And you think that these precious parishioners of yours are reliable, helpful even.’

  Colin scowled heavily but Clarissa wasn’t going to stop defending herself and fixed him with a hard glare. In reality, she was probing her father to find out what the villagers had seen because if someone had recognised her, Colin would discover the truth and realise she had been lying this morning. He would then be even more determined to get her to go to London.

  ‘I am just saying that they heard a woman yelling at the highwaymen,’ Colin persisted impatiently.

  ‘Yes, I am not doubting that, but if they didn’t go out to see who this woman was, how do you know that it was someone being robbed? How do you know that the woman screaming wasn’t one of the villagers objecting to the noise, or the injured highwayman as he lay dying?’ Clarissa folded her arms and glared accusingly at him. ‘Do you now understand how much of a fool you look bursting in here, demanding questions of everyone while you haven’t even bothered to get proper information off your supposed witnesses. From what you have just said your parishioners aren’t at all sure what they saw or heard, yet you see fit to come around here throwing accusations and insults at me as if I have done something wrong.’

  ‘I have just told you that they didn’t see this woman,’ Colin snapped.

  ‘And you want to put your faith in their account of what happened. These bold, brave people who listened intently to someone being robbed, and probably screaming for mercy, but who weren’t brave enough to leave their houses and go and help her,’ Clarissa snorted. ‘Yet you are brave enough to march in here and challenge this house’s occupants as if we have done something wrong.’ Clarissa sucked in a breath but was too angry to stop. ‘Now that you can see we are all perfectly hale and hearty, you need to go back to your parishioners, and your precious church, and maybe write a sermon on helping those in peril, eh? Until then, don’t come in here preaching to us. Your manners are deplorable. You are behaving like a brute, and you are being rude. If you cannot behave with more decorum, go home and stay there until God can show you a higher path to walk.’

  Colin stared at her as if he had never seen this side of Clarissa before. She was a little stunned by what she had just said to him as well, but she wasn’t sorry that she had said it. It was something she had longed to say to her father for years but had never had the confidence to be so bold. She was normally always worrying about how much he was going to try to pressure her to go to Aunt Carlotta’s to be so forthright with him. But, after last night, and with the presence of the Star Elite beside her, Clarissa refused to be cowed by Colin anymore. She wouldn’t allow him to upset her like this and be so vile to her for simply going about her life as she wanted to.

  Zach moved until he stood beside Clarissa. ‘Your daughter spent the evening with us last night. As soon as she arrived here, we spent time in the conservatory.’

  Clarissa was surprised that the man was prepared to try to protect her and looked at him as she added: ‘Once I had dined with you, Colin.’

  ‘Yes, it is odd that you didn’t see fit to mention to me that Bessie had guests,’ Colin murmured.

  ‘That is because they decided to call upon me while Clarissa was visiting you. And that is another thing, Colin, you knew that the highwaymen were robbing people, yet you insisted on Clarissa dining with you last night. She sent apologies, don’t forget, but then received your rather abrupt note demanding that she dine as planned. Why is that?’ Bessie lifted a condescending brow at him.

  Colin glared at her. ‘I don’t see why our plans should be thrown into disarray for a group of lawless bandits.’ As he said that, Colin turned to glare at Zach and raked him with a look that left Zach in no doubt he was considered one of the ‘lawless bandits.’

  ‘But you are prepared to put your daughter’s life at risk. It might have been her carriage that was robbed last night, and you would have been to blame for that given that you insisted on her calling upon you,’ Bessie snapped.

  ‘We spoke about this only last night. I have told her that I would come here next Thursday to spare her the journey to my house,’ Colin replied.

  ‘And I told you that it would solve nothing because your carriage could be robbed. Like we agreed last night, we are going to stop having dinner together on Thursdays for the time being. I don’t see the point of either of us putting ourselves directly in danger by going out after dark. You are a clergyman, so are less likely to be robbed if you travel on foot to see your parishioners.’

  ‘The rooms are ready, miss,’ Nora announced from the doorway.

  ‘Thank you, Nora.’ Bessie turned to look at the guests. ‘Please excuse us. I didn’t intend f
or you to be witnesses to such family discord. It isn’t fair or proper conduct in any house. If you are ready, I shall show you all to your rooms and leave you to settle in.’

  Clarissa sighed heavily because she knew that she was going to be left to deal with Colin alone. She looked at Zach, and suddenly regretted the loss of his solid presence beside her. It wasn’t that he had to say anything or do anything in particular, just having him beside her was enough to give her the courage she needed to deal with her father in ways that she hadn’t thought herself capable of – until now that is. Now that she had thrown her father’s brashness back in his face, Clarissa felt rather proud of herself. The problem was that now she also felt on edge. The peace of her normal harmonious life had been shattered, and she wanted it back.

  ‘Will you be all right?’ Zach asked her quietly.

  Clarissa felt her father watching them, and open his mouth to speak, but Clarissa interrupted him. ‘I am fine, thank you,’ she smiled gently. She turned to look at his colleagues. ‘As you know, Frederick isn’t very well, so I am afraid that you are going to have to stable your own horses. The barn is at the back. If you follow the side road around the house, you will see the stable block. Feel free to help yourself to everything you need. I will need to go out and see to Horace soon.’

  ‘Horace?’ Zach asked, lifting his brows. He hated the instinctive jolt of jealousy that surged to life the second the masculine name left her lips.

  ‘My horse. He is a huge sixteen hand bay. He is in the barn because he hates stables,’ Clarissa replied. ‘The carriage horses are in the barn as well. I need to turn them out into the back meadow.’

  ‘Leave it to us,’ Morgan replied. ‘We will look after the horses while Frederick recovers.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Bessie replied. ‘It would help if you could. Now, let’s get you to your rooms and then we will leave you to settle in.’