Chapter 8
Not being a frequenter of taverns, Rachel labored under no expectations of what she should expect of the Anglers’ Arms. She was not left disappointed. The low ceilings and brine-stained windows made the room seem small and dingy. At least the thick walls stopped the howl of the wind outside.
But still, the crackle of the fire in the hearth added warmth as well as cheer, although there were no customers to take advantage of it.
Rachel set the heavy basket of goods on the table.
The innkeeper, a burly man with graying whiskers across grizzled cheeks, looked up from polishing tankards.
“You made good time from Normanton. And you’ve brought company,” the man said gruffly.
Justin smiled faintly. “I’ll do the introductions, I suppose. May I present Miss Rachel Pendleton? Miss Pendleton, this is George Blunt, proprietor of the Angler’s Arms and a man who brews an ale strong enough to rouse the dead.”
Rachel bobbed her head. “A pleasure, Mr. Blunt.”
The man’s demeanor softened.
“You do me an honor, Miss—especially since you’re here to protect my daughter.”
At that, the curtain that covered a doorway parted. Entering the taproom was a pretty-looking girl with light brown hair, aged about fifteen, drying her hands on her apron.
“This is my daughter, Mary. With her mother gone, she means the world to me.”
The girl echoed her father. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss.”
Rachel looked to Justin, unsure what to do next, but he was studying the view outside the window.
“We were followed.”
Rachel started.
“Followed? By whom?”
Justin shook his head.
“Didn’t get a clear look. Just the sense of a rider keeping to the trees. I didn’t want to worry you—until I had reason.”
Blunt frowned. “You’re safe under my roof. No one causes trouble here uninvited. Mary, go make our guests some tea.”
The girl nodded and disappeared into the backroom.
“Uninvited is just the problem, isn't it?” Justin muttered.
Rachel sensed the mood of the room change. She felt the prickles of unease in the air like the charge in the air of a looming thunderstorm.
Blunt dropped his head.
“Hall was in here last night. The shipment’s coming in with tonight’s high tide. I want Mary well away from here. Well away from him.”
Justin’s face hardened. “Then Captain Moonlight has to ride tonight.”
Alarm clamored in Rachel’s chest.
Robin was expected at a dinner party tonight at Normanton House. He couldn’t be in two places at once.
She caught Justin’s eye and whispered.
“He’ll be missed.”
The lieutenant offered a small smile of reassurance.
“There is another way,” he said softly, then louder to Blunt.
“I need to see the cellar. And the way down to the caves below the headland.”
Blunt’s surprise was apparent on his lined face.
“You know about the caves?”
“We were naval officers, Blunt. We learned to read the land, and the smuggler’s paths haven’t changed much in fifty years.”
After a beat, Blunt nodded.
“Come with me. Bring a lantern. I’ll show you the way.”
Rachel followed the two men into the room behind the bar. It was a kitchen with two doors leading off the room. One, painted black, she suspected went to a parlor and bedrooms beyond. The other door, unpainted but darkened by age, must lead to the cellar.
It was that one that Blunt unlocked.
Justin glanced back at her, and his silent message was clear.
Stay there with Mary.
Rachel nodded her understanding. When she turned to Mary, who was pouring the tea, the small pot was shaking in her hand.
“Mary… you’re trembling. What is it?”
“It’s Hall. He frightens me, Miss Pendleton. The way he looks at me… like I’m something he’s already claimed. He’s a bully, and worse when he’s been drinking.”
With more confidence than she felt, Rachel sought to reassure the girl.
“You’re safe now. You have my word.”
“He frightens my father, and that scares me most of all. Captain Moonlight has to stop Hall tonight. If he doesn’t, Hall will have power over everyone from here to Brighton.”
Rachel reached out and squeezed Mary’s hand, her voice steady despite her racing heart.
“Then he won’t get it. Not tonight. Not while we still have friends willing to ride under the moon.”
Their conversation ended in silence save for the crackling of the fire. After fifteen minutes or so the large cellar door opened, hinges groaning. Justin and Blunt stepped back into the room, boots damp with salt air and lantern light flickering over their faces.
“We’ve got our route,” said Justin briskly. “The caves are sound. But we need a distraction… and I have one in mind.”
He addressed Rachel, his tone gentle but firm. “I need you to take the cart back to Normanton.”
Rachel was startled. “Why? Where are you going?”
“I’m going out to sea to enlist some help. If Hall’s men are watching, they’ll expect to see a man and a woman returning to town. That’s what we’ll give them.”
He looked to Mary, then back to her.
“Mary will wear your clothes, bonnet and all. At a distance, she’ll pass for you. You,” he said, nodding at her plain riding coat, “you’re nearer to my size. If you wear my greatcoat and hat, with your hair tucked up, you’ll pass for me.”
Rachel nodded slowly. “And once we reach the village?”
“Take Mary straight to my cottage. Remember, not the vicarage—it’s too exposed,” he said. “You’ll be safer there. Bar the door, let no one in. Then send word to Robin. Tell him the shipment is tonight, Hall’s involved, and that Captain Moonlight is needed tonight—urgently.”
Mary looked alarmed, gripping the hem of her apron.
“But what if Hall knows? I’ve never done anything like this…”
Rachel reached across and squeezed the girl’s other hand. “You won’t be alone. I’ll be with you every step until we reach the village.”
Blunt nodded sharply. The man looked worried. “It’ll have to do. Some plan is better than none. Go with Miss Pendleton, Mary.”
Rachel nodded.
“Take the basket that I brought in and put your things in there,” she instructed. “We will start as we mean to go on.”
Father and daughter left the kitchen. Justin turned to Rachel and spoke softly.
“I wouldn’t ask this of you if there were another way. But if we can deceive Hall and buy ourselves some time, we’ll have a chance to intercept him before the goods change hands. And before he thinks to take Mary.”
Rachel straightened her shoulders, fully resolved.
“Then we’d best get changed. We’ve a moon to ride before he does.”
Justin nodded once, a flicker of admiration in his expression.
“Godspeed, Rachel. I’ll see you at dawn.”