by Rebecca King
“I think you need to consider all the risks here, boy,” Noah sighed. “The traitor might not be any of the men you work with, Barnaby. He might be someone at the War Office. Someone who divulged the locations of the safe houses you would be likely to take witnesses to-”
“Nobody at the War Office knows about them. Why, I don’t think even Sir Hugo knows about the ones we use,” Barnaby interrupted.
“It is true, and we move them around occasionally so only the men who are actively working are likely to know about them,” Ben added.
“Yes, but people talk when they are in their cups. The men drink, you know they do,” Noah argued. “If drunk, a man could divulge anything and not remember he had done so come morning.”
Barnaby still couldn’t see that any of the men from the Star Elite would be that stupid. They all put their lives on the line far too often to be so foolish and reckless with such valuable information. He shook his head but didn’t argue any further. Instead, he mulled over the possibility that someone from the War Office was Sayers’ spy.
“Who gave you the order to come here?” Ben asked.
Barnaby looked at him. “Sir Hugo.”
“Sir Hugo can’t be the traitor,” Reg snapped. “Why, it is preposterous.”
“Nor can it be Simon Ambrose. He mainly works out of Norfolk now,” Ben sighed.
Noah snorted. “It isn’t either of them. They would never do something like this.”
“As far as I am aware there haven’t been any rumours that Mainton is in Portsmouth,” Barnaby murmured.
“So why are you here?” Ben asked.
Barnaby looked at him but couldn’t be angry with the man for asking if he was the spy.
“I was meeting with a contact of mine to try to find out if Mainton had been seen. I heard the week before I left London that Mainton had headed south, to Cornwall or Devon, but that was all I heard. Nobody knew for definite so I decided to come down here myself and meet with the man,” Barnaby explained.
“Is your contact still alive?” Reg asked.
Barnaby nodded and hoped that was still the case. “The last time I saw him he was.”
“Well, if there is a traitor in London, we can’t take you there,” Noah warned. “Sir Hugo says that under no circumstances should any of you show your faces there until the spy is found. He wants you to make your way up north but stay away from the safe houses.”
“How are we going to uncover the spy if we go to Scotland and hide?” Barnaby snapped. Barnaby considered it but, regardless of what Sir Hugo wanted, he knew he would never go along with that particular order.
“I didn’t say it was an order,” Noah grinned.
“Good, because I refuse,” Barnaby snapped.
“You have Rose to think about,” Ben reminded him. “You can’t put her in danger, or simply abandon her once we are in Scotland to head off to London. Once we are in Scotland, even if one of us stays with her, by the time we get back here, Chadwick and his men will have gone.”
“Is there any sign of them trying to follow us at sea?” Barnaby asked Noah.
Noah shook his head. “I have men in the crow’s nest keeping watch but so far we are the only ones out here. We are going to stay well away from all other traffic out here so I don’t expect to see anyone else. In a way, this is a test.”
“How?” All three men demanded at once.
“Sir Hugo gave me my orders in the War Office. There were only a handful of people who could overhear us. If we are intercepted once we reach Edinburgh then we can narrow down the possible culprits to five people, all of whom work out of the War Office,” Noah explained. “Sir Hugo is waiting to find out what awaits us.”
“Is everyone armed?” Barnaby asked suddenly.
Reg and Ben both nodded.
“Sir Hugo sent reinforcements up to wait for us. Their orders were delivered by Simon Ambrose so the likelihood of any of them being identified and waylaid is remote,” Noah added as he left the table. “Leave it to Sir Hugo. He can deal with flushing the spy out. You concentrate on keeping that woman safe.”
Ben sighed. “I think we need to expect the worst. If everyone is there, and Sayers’ men aren’t, then we need to look at how much has gone wrong and get a proper idea of whether someone is double crossing us or whether it is a run of bad luck. I have to confess that I just don’t see one of the men in the field selling us out.”
Reg looked at him. “It depends on how much money Sayers offers. For the right price, if someone hates this life enough but has no other way out without losing his income then it might be possible that Sayers could buy his knowledge. I wouldn’t stand the cretin’s chances if he double-crossed Sayers, or the Star Elite got hold of him, but we all know we can survive in the most testing of times.”
“It would be the mother of all battles of wits,” Barnaby sighed. He hated to even contemplate having to cut one of his colleagues down but if it meant saving the lives of the wider group of men, then he would. He just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“Whatever happens with the traitor, we need to decide on what to do once we reach Edinburgh. You have an extremely valuable witness who needs to be protected from someone within the Star Elite as well as Chadwick and Sayers. We need to make a plan, gentlemen,” Noah declared as he refilled everyone’s rum. “For now, Sir Hugo wants everything kept away from the War Office. We are to trust nobody but the immediate circle here. Everyone else is to be persona non grata for the time being and has to stay that way.”
“Unfortunately, that also means we have to avoid the men waiting for us in Edinburgh,” Barnaby warned.
“How so?” Ben asked, his brows lifted.
Rather than answer, Barnaby looked at Noah. “Where else can we dock? We need to end this journey before Edinburgh and not rely on any other member of the Star Elite. If we don’t turn up, they will come looking for us but we will remain safe. If there is a traitor in the Star Elite, they won’t know where we have gone and will not be in a position to tip Sayers or Chadwick off.”
Everyone nodded. Noah went to fetch a map.
“The coast line is rugged around that area,” he said, pointing to a particular bit of coastline that was marked with beaches. “Basically, gentlemen, pick your area. As long as the place we stop has a beach we can row you to shore on the rowing boat we have strapped to the ship. It is not a problem. Of course, I cannot help you beyond that because once you hit land you will have to find your own transport and accommodation from then on.”
“We can’t use the safe house in Rostermire,” Reg warned thinking of the old hunting house in the foothills of the mountains the men recently acquired.
“I know of somewhere,” Barnaby sighed. “However, it is remote. It is not possible to stay there for the several months it might take to flush out our traitor.” He didn’t add that he couldn’t bring himself to just sit in the remote mountains of Scotland, even with someone as delightfully seductive as Rose, while his colleagues fought to identify the spy. He had to do something to help or he would go quietly out of his mind.
“I know of somewhere, but it is closer to Edinburgh than you might like,” Reg warned. “It will put you in the centre of the action for a while but at least you can help us find out if we have a traitor in our midst.”
Barnaby threw him a grateful look. “I cannot go after Chadwick and look after Rose, though, so we will have to take turns keeping watch.”
“In that case, why don’t you leave her on board here? We can drop anchor out at sea for a while and wait for you. As soon as you have dealt with anyone on the docks waiting for you that shouldn’t know to be there, you can come out to us,” Noah suggested. When Barnaby looked at him, he shrugged. “There are thirty men on board this ship. Nobody is going to get through them to your lady friend, Barnaby. I can promise you that much.”
Barnaby nodded gratefully. “I know she won’t like it but to take her ashore right now feels like asking her to commit suicide. I cannot ask her
to put herself in that much danger. She didn’t ask for any of this, and shouldn’t be put right in the centre of any of our battles.”
“So staying on board while we go ashore is the plan, right?” Reg murmured lifting his brows at each man in turn.
“Right,” Ben muttered, a hard glint in his eye.
“I think it is best,” Noah warned.
“Me too,” Reg added with a firm nod.
Everyone looked at Barnaby.
He reluctantly nodded. He hated to be the one to have to tell her. He couldn’t quite shake off the feeling that he was abandoning her. But, if he had to leave her with anyone it would be Noah, one of the true stalwarts of the Star Elite.
“Right,” Barnaby sighed deeply.
Reg clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck,” his colleague said solemnly.
Strangely, Barnaby knew that Reg wasn’t offering him support in finding the spy. He was commiserating with Barnaby for having to tell Rose their new plan.
Nodding, he turned to Noah. “So, what about London?”
“Sir Hugo won’t say what he is up to but is in London keeping his eye on things. He will unearth the spy if it is someone in those hallowed walls,” Noah reported.
“I don’t envy them when they are found,” Reg warned.
“I have no sympathy for him,” Barnaby snapped. “As far as I am concerned they will get everything they deserve.”
“Here, here,” the men all chorused as they drank their rum and began to plan what they were going to do next.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
With the ship’s surgeon dispatched to check on Rose, and Reg and Ben discussing which route to take to get to the new safe house without being detected, Barnaby took a few moments to gather his thoughts.
“Trouble ahead,” Noah murmured suddenly from the doorway.
The men looked at each other as they hurried after Noah and followed him out onto the deck.
“Over there, look. It has been tailing us for the last ten minutes. It isn’t getting any closer, just following,” Noah warned darkly. “I saw that rig in the harbour at Portsmouth.”
“Is it likely to be on its way somewhere but following our path?” Ben asked hopefully.
Noah sighed. “We will have to wait and see. As long as it doesn’t come any closer we will be alright. We could try to outrun it but I wouldn’t recommend it in rough seas like this.”
“Let us just wait and see what it does for now. If it does try to catch up, we need to take evasive action. If it keeps its distance but follows us for a while then we need to decide what to do,” Barnaby murmured. “As soon as we try to dock somewhere, they will be on us.”
Noah shouted several orders to his crewmen who hauled themselves up the huge sails and began to move the ropes.
“I’ll report back in an hour,” he said when he turned back to Barnaby.
Barnaby nodded. He threw one last glare at the ship on the horizon then made his way below deck. He went straight to the cabin Rose had been allocated and tapped discretely on the door. The ship’s surgeon answered.
“Is she alright?” Barnaby demanded as he stomped through the door.
“I have just cleaned her wound for her. It shouldn’t need stitching,” the surgeon replied.
Rose was sitting upright on the bed looking paler than Barnaby had ever seen her. Barnaby hurried cross the room.
“How bad is it? Do you feel sick?” he demanded.
Rose looked at him and shook her head. “My head hurts, that’s all. I don’t feel sick. I need to lie down a little,” she whispered when the room began to swirl.
Barnaby glared at the surgeon.
“It is perfectly normal. She has a goose egg on the back of her head that will be worse than the cut for a few days but she will recover,” the surgeon reported unconcernedly before he left.
“How is everything?” Rose asked feeling slightly awkward at having to talk to him while lying down.
“It is fine,” Barnaby assured her as he covered her over with a blanket and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Good,” Rose said softly.
“We will have dinner soon. Noah is just altering our course. As soon as the sails are set, we will eat. Are you hungry?” He quirked a brow at her and smiled when her stomach rumbled in response.
“Don’t go,” she whispered when she saw him glance at the door. “I am sorry, I know I am being foolish but I don’t want to be alone at the moment.”
Barnaby knew what she was asking and doubted there could be any harm in it. Quickly locking the door, he re-joined her on the narrow cot but, this time, he lay down and gathered her gently into his arms.
It felt strange and a little uncomfortable to lie with her head resting on his shoulder, but Barnaby didn’t seem to mind. In fact, as soon as she was settled against him, he sighed deeply and tucked a hand behind his head as he studied the rain splattered porthole.
The silence that settled over them could only be described as companionable. There was nothing of the previous awkwardness they had shared. In fact it was soothing to both of them. Before long, Rose felt her eyelids droop as his warmth seeped into her chilled skin and began to relax her.
Barnaby rested his head against hers and felt tiredness sweep over him. He woke enough to watch Rose tug the blanket they shared over him too and smiled gently at the ceiling as he settled back down again.
Relaxed, content, and safe in each other’s arms, Barnaby and Rose finally slept.
When Barnaby awoke it was night outside. The stars visible through the porthole confirmed that the storm had dissipated. The boat no longer rocked as severely. It merely creaked and moaned as it forged its path through the ocean currents. Rose was tucked tightly against his side, which is where he wanted her to be. For a few precious moments everything was right in his world - until the reality of the situation they were in them slammed into his consciousness. He hated to have to let it in and turned his thoughts to what they needed to do next. He had to tackle telling Rose about their new plans but struggled to find a way to get her to go along with everything and be content to wait here without him. Before he could decide on what to tell her, a discrete knock on the door shattered the silence. Easing carefully away from her, Barnaby went to answer the door.
“Problem,” Noah murmured. He glanced furtively up and down the corridor.
Aware of the dull murmur of voices, Rose pushed her hair out of her eyes and sat up. Her stomach dropped when she saw the look on the captain’s face, and waited with nervous trepidation for him to speak.
“The ship that was tailing us is trying to catch up now that the storm has gone, and doing a credible job of it. Now the seas are calmer we can try to outrun it but the other rig is equally matched. We aren’t likely to make much headway. We need to make another plan,” Noah reported. He looked warily at Rose. “I know you won’t like it, but I have a suggestion.”
“Go on,” Barnaby said, holding his arm out when Rose crossed the room.
Rose didn’t think about how instinctive it was to move to his side and lean against him, or the tender way he slid an arm around her waist to hold her close. She was too busy mulling over what the captain had just said.
“Who are they?”
Barnaby looked at her. “Chadwick’s men, we think.”
“At sea?” She asked with a frown. “I thought they were from London’s underworld?”
Barnaby nodded. “They are.”
The speed in which they had managed to get hold of a vessel was odd to him too. He needed to give it more thought.
“They started to follow us not long after we left harbour. We can only assume that once they realised we had set sail, they commandeered a ship of their own and decided to give chase.”
“We can’t outrun them, ma’am. We need to get you off this ship without stopping or having to pull into harbour.”
“Can we?” Barnaby knew they could but looked warily down at Rose’s dress.
It was highly inappropri
ate attire for a journey on a working ship like this. He didn’t know what Reg had been thinking when he had brought it for her. It was now posing more problems than Chadwick’s men.
“Under the cover of darkness they are not likely to see you rowing to shore if we drop you over the side. We can keep an eye out for a suitable strip of beach for you to land on. As long as the moon has been covered by the clouds they are not likely to be able to see you. We can manoeuvre ourselves around so we block their view of you just in case the moon does come out. You can row to shore and hide out. As soon as you reach shore, you are on your own I am afraid.”
Noah he gave Barnaby a meaningful look to which Barnaby nodded his understanding. Neither man needed to discuss the dangers they faced. The sea was still a little rough because the winds were high, and they had a boat full of gunmen not far behind. It was a difficult situation for anybody even without Rose to take into consideration.
“Alright. Let’s see if we can find a suitable strip of beach we can row to. Have you told Reg and Ben?”
Noah nodded. “They are all ready. My men will lower the boat when we find somewhere you can reach shore, and I can manoeuvre the boat into position so you stay hidden for as long as possible.”
“How far away from Edinburgh are we?”
“As the crow flies? About three hours. If you go ashore in the next hour, you should get there by early morning if you keep moving,” Noah replied.
Barnaby wrinkled his nose up. It was the worst scenario to reach Edinburgh’s crowded streets in the middle of the morning. Still, he was relieved that he had decided to keep Rose with him. He was beginning to suspect that there was nobody more trustworthy to protect her than himself. Not least because he now had a vested interest in keeping her alive; his future happiness depended on it.
Again he studied Rose’s dress before his lips curved into a grin. He looked at Noah slyly. “It is alright, Noah,” he said heartily. “Just pick a spot on the beach and leave it to us.”
“What are your plans?” Noah asked with a squint.
