by Kim Allred
Beckworth closed his eyes and dropped his head into the pillow. Damn that woman. "I have no funds and no way to get to England."
"Now you're beginning to understand the full weight of your predicament." When he offered Beckworth the mug again, he took it.
"So how long do you plan on keeping me drugged and compliant?" He sipped the tea, which smelled of mint, but there was an earthy aftertaste. Valerian root mixed with some type of mint and a bit of honey. At least he was familiar with the effects.
Sebastian patted his arm. "One more evening of the tea. You'll need to regain your strength. In the morning, we'll remove your restraints so you can take a few steps. I'll warn you now, it will take some time before you'll have full mobility in your arm."
"You want me to gain my strength?"
"I may just be a monk, but I have many duties and can't keep nursing you."
Beckworth ate his stew and drank his tea as he considered his situation. He needed to get to England. He was forgetting something. Murphy and Hughes had been ranting about something while they beat him. What was it? Maire. Something about her being kidnapped again. That would mean AJ would want to get to England. He groaned. Would he be forever plagued by her?
Once he finished eating the stew, his stomach gurgled, but he felt better. The tea was already having an effect, so he meekly settled back down as the monk picked up the tray.
"You should have a peaceful sleep. We'll discuss your situation in the morning."
Before he lost consciousness, Beckworth returned to his earlier thoughts. Maire was missing. When had Hughes returned to the future? Hughes had been here with Maire when he'd been caught in the fog with Murphy and AJ. Had Ethan traveled to the future because Maire had gone missing? What would that accomplish? Unless he wanted to bring Murphy back to hunt for her. He snorted. Maire probably just wanted to get away from the insufferable bore.
His eyes drooped. If AJ wanted to get to England, that was a good thing, right? His thoughts grew fuzzy, yet something else nagged. Why would someone kidnap Maire if the duke was dead? If only he could get his thoughts in order, but the monk's tea was working faster than he expected. Her disappearance must have something to do with those damned stones. Everything came back to them, and he wished, not for the first time, he'd never heard of them.
Another thought, darker than the rest, flitted across his groggy consciousness. Dugan had gotten away from the battle at the monastery. If Beckworth wasn't already pale from his injury, the color would have surely drained from his face at his next thought. There was a slim possibility. No. Dugan wouldn't do that, or had the duke set something in motion before his death? Dugan was fanatically loyal to the duke's family. Well, most of them. His ugly laugh was no more than a puff of air and spittle on his lips. If Dugan had fled to Austria, then the game had definitely changed.
5
AJ stretched her muscles, closed Maire's journal, and stared out the window to the sea beyond. She'd missed a day of fresh air while bent over her sewing. AJ had watched Maire perform minor mending while they'd gotten to know each other at Waverly, and she'd been the inspiration for AJ's pouches. Maire's luggage had hidden compartments everywhere, and AJ had watched Maire repair one. She laughed. She'd even watched Finn mend the sails.
The laughter died, and a deep, mournful ache filled her. Where are you? It had been over a day since she'd arrived and not a word from him or Ethan. They would have followed, but where—and when—had they landed? The urge to reach for her cell phone added to her deep frustration. She would have to renew her patience for the slow communication in this century.
She ran a hand through her hair. Unable to cope with wondering where her husband was, she stood and gazed around the small chamber. Sebastian had left her there to read while he finished other business. She brushed her fingers over her dress. Without reaching into the pocket, she couldn't feel the Heart Stone or her wedding ring through the thickness of the fabric, but it calmed her to know they were close.
Sebastian had given her Maire's journal to read. She hadn't learned anything new about The Book of Stones. However, there were several portions of text that caught her attention. AJ confirmed her suspicion that Maire believed specific information about the incantations had purposely been left out of the book. Maire had also marked her single reference to the torc with a question mark in the margin. What it meant, AJ had no idea.
The most intriguing part of Maire's journal was her sparse references to a second book. Maire never called it by name nor mentioned it being written by a druid. If she knew Maire half as well as she thought, she'd have to admit that Maire hadn't been truthful in her journal. No. That wasn't right. She'd been more secretive than untruthful. Her friend had become as skittish as the druids—unwilling to leave too much in writing.
AJ left the room, journal in hand, and wandered down the hall to stretch her legs. Sebastian found her after her second wrong turn.
"Ah, there you are. I'm sorry I took so long." Sebastian wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "Without proper stewardship, I'm afraid the running of the monastery has fallen on me."
"It's nice to see you have other monks here."
Sebastian smiled. "All we've ever wanted was to get back to our mission. Though I'm not sure it will ever be the same."
She followed him but was disappointed when it appeared they were going back toward the basement.
"I thought you might want to stretch your legs after being cooped up in your room all day."
Her spirits rose, thinking he would take her to the courtyard. "I thought you wanted to keep us hidden from the troops."
He gave her a sly grin. "I was thinking more of an underground stroll."
Her shoulders slumped, but she dutifully followed him back toward the door that led downstairs. She remained quiet as he passed the cell where Finn had been tortured, and she sighed when she noticed they were heading to his secret room. The room where Sebastian had first shown Maire and her The Book of Stones. Maire had spent weeks and eventually months transcribing the book from there. When she saw the statue that hid the entrance, a wave of nostalgia overcame her. She could almost hear Finn's raspy voice and feel his arm around her when she helped his broken body stumble from the room. She'd been so afraid, not for the battle raging upstairs with the duke's men, but for Finn and whether he'd heal. At the time, she'd thought she'd have to leave him. Now she was back but without him.
Sebastian stopped long enough to take Maire's journal from her and deposit it in his room. Then he took her elbow and steered her left down another hallway. After two more turns, she recognized the path. By the next right turn, dampness seeped into her bones, and the smell of wet earth grew stronger. This passage led to the outer iron door. The door that opened to a small landing and a cliff that stretched down to the rocky ocean below and up a path to the main road. Maybe she'd get some fresh air after all.
Sebastian stopped at an intersection of stone corridors. His torch was a blessing, but she still wrapped her arms around her to ward off the quickly chilling air. She should have asked Sofi to buy her a shawl.
"If you remember," Sebastian began as he pointed with the torch, "To go to the outer door, you would make a right here."
AJ nodded, refusing to stare at the menacing shadow the torchlight created behind Sebastian. The tunnels had always creeped her out, even with Sebastian at her side.
"If you were to go straight, there are a number of smaller chambers, but the passage ends about a hundred yards farther up. We're going to the left."
That raised AJ's curiosity. What was he up to? Not that she didn't enjoy the walk, but hustling down dark passages didn't compare to a stroll through scented gardens. The rocky ledge outside the iron door would be preferable. They couldn't have walked more than fifty feet before Sebastian came to an alcove with a simple stone bench. It seemed an odd place to put a bench. Maybe it was meant for someone to rest after walking for hours, lost in the tunnels. She grimaced at the thought.
Sebastian reache
d beyond the bench to a stone motif on the wall. He ran his hand below it to the third stone and pushed in. A rush of air blew out from her right where part of the wall had been pushed in a bare inch. Sebastian and his secret doors.
She followed him through the doorway, and Sebastian lit several candles. This room was larger than his personal secret chamber, but sparser. A wooden table dominated the room, running its entire length. Over a dozen chairs fit around the table and a long sideboard occupied one wall. Several sconces lined the walls, but they were empty except for two unlit torches. The only light came from Sebastian's torch and the candles on the table.
"This is where the syndicate meets."
AJ wasn't sure she'd heard that right. "The syndicate?"
Sebastian pulled on the bottom of his ear, seeming to select his words carefully. "I imagine there's a better way to say it, but it's easier to just get to the point." He stared at up her. "The syndicate is a network of smugglers."
She laughed. "Smugglers?" When he responded with a simple grin, she sank to one of the chairs. There were dozens of rooms that ran throughout the tunnels, including the floor beneath them. When she'd been here the last time, Sebastian told her of the cargo and political refugees that had been hidden in the rooms. But that had been decades, even centuries earlier.
"I'll tell you the rest of it over a cup of tea, but I wanted you to be aware of this room in case you required another place to hide."
"Why don't you use your own chamber?"
His jovial laugh filled the room. "My dear, they're smugglers. You don't think I'd give them access to the treasures of the monastery."
AJ wasn't sure whether to laugh with him or question his sanity. When he touched her shoulder, she stood and followed him from the room and back to the intersection. Instead of turning to go back to the monastery, Sebastian continued straight toward the outer door. They walked to what she remembered as being the halfway point. Sebastian stopped in front of an aged, wooden door and reached into his pocket, retrieving an iron ring filled with skeleton keys. It took only a moment for him to find the correct key to unlock the door. When she stood on tiptoes to look over his shoulder, her eyes widened at the number of crates stacked within.
"There are several rooms filled with crates like this. We're expecting a ship in the next day or so."
"I don't understand."
"This is how you'll get to England."
Once back in Sebastian's room, AJ stared at the bookshelf that once held The Book of Stones. Sebastian had since disassembled it and hidden it deeper within the monastery. The monk set a cup of tea in front of her and placed a knitted wrap around her shoulders. The chills had begun somewhere in the tunnels, and she'd been visibly shaking by the time they reached his secret room.
"You're telling me Jamie is on his way here with the Daphne Marie?" AJ asked the question once her teeth stopped chattering. The temperature in the tunnels had been cold enough to store food, but reality settled in at the mention of her old friend and Finn's ship. She was really here, and this was all really happening. And now smuggling.
Sebastian sat next to her, a mug of tea in his hands. "Not long after the war started, word spread of smugglers transporting goods between England and France. It hadn't taken long for merchants to feel the squeeze of the war on their own profits. The French patrols are persistent, and the Royal Navy retains a large presence, but the channel is vast. Talk in the taverns mentioned myriad routes and ports used for running the blockade."
AJ nodded. "That makes sense. Each side stays focused on their enemy. If a smuggler runs into their path, that's one thing, but I doubt they'd be actively pursued."
"The traffic has only increased." Sebastian opened a ledger. "These are the stores that have run through the monastery over the last several months."
He'd been busy. AJ recognized Sebastian's concise writing over several pages of inventory. "All of that ran through here? But how? The stairs to the sea were destroyed by weather."
"We've restored them. From the road as well as to the sea."
"Why would you take such risks? And right under the nose of the French army."
"The war has a long reach, and already many suffer, whether you're a soldier or a farmer trying to put food on the table and clothes on your children." He flipped through the pages. "For every crate that goes through the monastery, the village benefits. Either from trading their own goods or by earning wages through labor—building the stairs, moving the crates, and so forth."
She laughed, sitting up to get a better look at the list of goods. The chills had been replaced by excitement at finding a way to England. "Most of these items aren't made or grown locally."
The monk shook his head. "No. Some of our local products are included in shipments to England, but most move through trade routes established throughout France, including Paris. We move perishables first and then the hardened goods. Most are smuggled within carts filled with other stores. The townspeople make good money, but we're very careful to not overspend. While the troops stationed here might be drunk more often than sober, they're not complete dolts. However, with them stationed at the port, we have an advantage."
"How often do ships come through here?"
"About once a month. We have a strong syndicate with quite a lot of cargo coming and going. We have to be careful to not draw attention with the number of carts that travel back and forth from the monastery. We use the route that bypasses the town as often as we can, but the roads can be difficult for the carts."
"I don't understand why Jamie would go through this risk."
"Jamie works for Mr. Hensley."
The mention of Hensley brought a new wave of mixed emotions. She'd spent her first night in England with Finn at Hensley's estate. His wife, Mary, was a perfect match for him. The couple was warm, welcoming, and they were complete chatterboxes. But it had been in Hensley's library, eavesdropping on Finn and Hensley that she'd gotten her first whiff of a larger mission. She'd discovered that Finn had a secret, and her blundering into that knowledge had put their relationship at risk. She'd been foolish, and the fresh pain stabbed her heart. She noticed Sebastian's glance. While this all happened in 1802, almost two years ago in this timeline, for her, it was a mere five months ago. So much had happened since.
She shook her head and grasped Sebastian's hand. "It seems our Mr. Hensley always has his fingers in something."
Sebastian patted her hand in turn. "More than you can know, my dear." He scratched his head and stood to refill their cups. "So now, you must make a decision."
AJ knew what was coming. "How often does Jaime come here?"
"About every two months, if the weather and blockades permit. He's one of our main contacts with England. Most of the syndicate moves cargo through the rest of the continent."
Two months. Could she wait that long? It had barely been two days, and she itched to move on. Finn and Ethan should have caught up by now. If they'd followed in her wake from the fog, they should have arrived within hours of her jump. That's if she followed Ethan's logic. He'd recounted that when she and Finn had been taken by the fog the first time in Baywood, he'd been swept up soon after. Information gleaned from Beckworth's interrogation at the inn supported that theory. Beckworth had been swallowed up by their jump back home and had been in Baywood almost three months, the same amount of time she and Finn had been back. It made sense that Finn and Ethan should have followed her through the mist.
But they may have landed miles away. Still. How long should she wait?
Damn. What a choice.
"So, I either leave with Jaime when he returns to England, or take my chances and wait two months for his return?"
Sebastian pulled at his ear. "There are other ships, but none that I would trust more with your safety."
A sentiment she agreed with.
"Then let's hope Jamie is late. I need time."
6
The next morning, AJ woke tired and cranky. She'd tossed the entire evening, con
sidering the decision she'd need to make. The question was simple. Should she wait for Finn or leave without him? She knew the answer. She just didn't like it.
After pacing her room, she decided to chance that dawn had long passed. She scoured the rooms in the basement in search of Sebastian but came up empty. The kitchen was her last option.
"Ah, you just missed him." Jeanne rolled out dough and stopped to rub her arm across her forehead. "He's gone to town and will be gone most of the day."
AJ found a corner to munch on bread and cheese, needing something to settle her rumbling stomach. The kitchen was busier than she would have anticipated for the breakfast meal. A group of young women, baskets swinging from their arms, scurried on their way to the gardens. She realized the staff had been wrapping and packing food to place in the baskets. AJ set down the last of her breakfast to investigate.
Jeanne noticed her inquisitive perusal of the group. "We sometimes have a surplus of food, so we make up baskets. There are families that live farther away from town that struggle more with the war." She placed a flattened piece of dough into a pan then began rolling out more dough. "One of our missions is to help those in need."
AJ nodded toward two more girls collecting baskets. "Do they need help?"
The cook studied her with an odd expression. "I think Sebastian would want you to stay close to the monastery."
AJ moped back to her chair and stared out the window. If she didn't find something to get her mind off her problems, she'd end up biting someone's head off.
"Although…" Jeanne mumbled. "There's a small group of kinsmen south of town. They keep to themselves because of their English ancestry. They don't want trouble from the soldiers."
"Why would the soldiers even know to bother them?"
The cook clucked her tongue. "Some of those so-called soldiers are nothing more than mercenaries with too much time on their hands. There isn't any fighting up this way, and the English know to stay away from port. The soldiers have nothing else to do but travel the countryside and steal from the farmers." She scowled, and AJ couldn't be sure but thought Jeanne might be rolling the dough harder. "They usually just steal bread and cheese, maybe some dried meat and a jug of wine if they find it. But some have gotten bolder and take sheep or goats." She almost growled. "They care not for a family's livelihood, and anyone the soldiers suspect of English descent become easy game." She heaved out a sigh and laid her roller to the side. "We try to make sure those families get more food when we have any to spare."
