Chapter 24
The skinny little fellow reminded Burke of a weasel. He didn’t trust him from when first he laid eyes on him. He had dark, beady eyes and barely any hair, and he acted as if he expected someone to pounce on the scene at any moment.
“What are you afraid of?” Burke asked after being in his company for only a few minutes.
“Nothing, nothing,” the man said quickly, and kept turning his head from Burke to Philip.
“You have a name?”
“Names aren’t necessary,” the man said.
“But the coins are,” Burke confirmed.
“No coins, no information,” the man said with quivering bravery.
Burke withdrew several gold coins from his pocket and held them out in his palm.
The man went to grab them with thin, grimy fingers; Burke was faster and closed his fist.
“First the information and then you get paid. The prisoner’s name.”
“Cullen, a big fool of a man.”
“Why do you say that?” Burke asked.
The man gave a gruff laugh. “He was stupid to think that Lady Alaina could love him. He’s nothing but a peasant, not fit to be in her presence.”
“Lady Alaina didn’t return his love?” Burke asked, curious, since the tears that had welled in Lady Alaina’s eyes had told Burke a different story.
“Of course not. The earl has special plans for his daughter and it don’t involve the likes of a peasant.”
“So the reason this Cullen has been imprisoned is because he fell in love with the earl’s daughter?”
“And pay he will for his foolishness,” the man said with a sharp nod.
“And what price will that be?” Burke asked, intending full well that his brother would not suffer simply because he had fallen in love.
The man turned his head, his beady eyes searching the area, then whispered, “He’s being sent to Weighton.”
“That’s a harsh punishment for simply falling in love,” Philip said. “Why not just send him away or sell him into slavery in a far-off port?”
The man shrugged. “Don’t know. Only know that the earl is furious and intends for the man to pay for what he’s done.”
“Make him pay for falling in love?” Philip said with a shake of his head. “Makes no sense.”
The man shoved his hand out, palm open. “Don’t care if it does or it doesn’t. I told you what I know and now I want my money.”
“Is Cullen in Weighton now?” Burke asked.
“Arrived yesterday,” the man confirmed.
“How did you learn all this information?” Burke asked.
The man turned defensive. “What difference does that make?”
“Curious.” Burke shrugged.
“Curious can get you killed,” the man snapped.
“Not answering my question could get you penniless,” Burke said sternly.
The man kicked at the ground and answered reluctantly. “Me sister works at the earl’s manor house and accidentally overheard the earl talking with a man.”
“What man?” Burke asked.
He shook his head. “She don’t know, never saw him before, but soon after, the fellow Cullen was thrown in the earl’s prison. That’s it, that’s all I know. Now me coins.”
Burke held his closed hand over the man’s open palm. “One more thing. What does this Cullen look like?”
The man stared at him for a minute. “Like you, a lot like you.”
Burke dumped the coins into the man’s hand, and he greedily swallowed them up with a taut fist.
Burke watched the skinny man sprint off into the woods. He had a feeling the fellow wouldn’t stop running until he reached his destination.
“This isn’t good,” Philip said, shaking his head. “Come on, we need to meet up with Storm and William as planned.
Burke followed Philip and silently agreed it wasn’t good. Not if what he had been told about Weighton was true. If it was impregnable, then what chance did he have of getting his brother out of there?
He’d be damned if he had come this far to see his brother rot in a prison for the rest of his life. There had to be something he could do, and he had a feeling that buying his brother’s freedom was the only option left to him.
It didn’t take long for them to meet up with Storm and William.
“We need to keep moving,” Storm advised. “We don’t want to take any chances. We’ll talk when we stop for the night.”
All agreed with a nod and set a good pace through the woods. Burke was growing familiar with the area and knew that by tomorrow midday they’d reach the camp.
He would do anything to free Cullen. He had made a promise to his father, and he intended to keep it no matter what it took.
He often wondered if his father had amassed his wealth just in case he would need it someday to help Cullen.
And if that was necessary, he’d spend his last coin to see his brother free.
They found shelter for the night behind a large rock formation, and Storm deemed it safe for a small fire. William and Philip went to see if they could catch a fish or two from the nearby creek while dusk still provided a trace of light, and Burke and Storm got the fire going.
The dry, broken twigs had the fire burning fast enough, and it wasn’t long before Burke and Storm sat beside it warming their hands.
“The air holds an extra crispness tonight,” Storm said.
Burke nodded and rubbed his hands. “Don’t avoid it, Storm, tell me about Weighton.”
“It’s not penetrable,” she said.
He didn’t like the sound of defeat in her voice and he wasn’t ready to accept defeat. “There must be another way.”
“Possibly, but we’ll have to give it thought.”
“I’ve given it thought and look where it’s gotten my brother,” he argued and released a gruff sigh.
“I want Cullen safe and in front of me. I want to claim him as my brother and tell him all about our father and how hard he had searched for him all these years. I want him to know he has a home in America and money enough to ease his life. I want—” He shook his head. “I want this all to be done with.”
Storm reached out and covered his hand with hers. “I know how you feel.”
He was about to snap that she didn’t, how could she? Then he remembered her husband and knew that she understood exactly how he felt. Suddenly he was grateful she sat beside him.
“What do I do?” he asked, not only needing her help but wanting her help as well.
“I don’t know, but we’ll find a way to get Cullen out. I promise.”
“You can’t mean that,” Philip said, he and William joining them.
They held two fish cleaned and speared with sticks for roasting, which they set to the flames, and sat on the opposite side of the fire from Burke and Storm.
“Aye, you can’t,” William agreed. “It’s foolishness to think we can rescue anyone from Weighton.”
“You yourself insisted that if you were ever captured and taken to Weighton, no one was to attempt a rescue,” Philip said. “The American should know the truth. There is no escape from Weighton. His brother’s fate has been sealed.”
“I can’t accept that,” Burke said adamantly. “There must be something that can be done, even if I have to go to the Earl of Balford and buy my brother’s freedom.”
“That might work,” William said, turning the fish over the flames. “Maybe if you can convince the earl that your brother has some fancy title back in America, he might consider letting his daughter marry him.”
“That’s a good point, William,” Burke said. It just might prove to be the solution to his problem.
“You can’t be serious,” Storm said. “And besides, you told me there were no titled people in America.”
“I am a land baron,” Burke said with a grin.
“Baron Longton.” William smiled. “Sounds like a title to me.”
“I don’t know,” Philip said, shaking his head. “That fellow mentioned something about the earl having plans for his daughter.”
“Plans change all the time,” William said. “Just think of all the times Storm changed rescue plans.”
“Necessary changes,” Storm argued.
“I’d say these were necessary changes,” Burke said. “And there’s only one way to find out if it will work. I need to talk with the Earl of Balford.”
He had expected a resounding no from Storm, so her silence surprised him.
“It might be worth a try,” Philip said.
Still Storm said nothing, and he wondered what she thought. “What’s your opinion, Storm?”
“The Earl of Balford is not a man to be trusted,” she said. “I would feel better knowing what plans he intends for his daughter before rushing into this. But I can understand your reluctance to wait any longer in securing your brother’s release. Weighton is not known for its hospitality.”
Burke respected her opinion. She had proven time and again to be right in her approach to difficult situations, and given enough time, he wouldn’t be surprised if she devised a rescue plan for his brother. Time, however, was limited, and so was his patience.
“If that weasel of a fellow whose sister works at the Balford manor house didn’t know the earl’s plans for his daughter, how will we find out?” Burke asked.
Silence answered him.
“That’s what I thought,” Burke confirmed with a nod. “I have no other choice.”
“Perhaps you do,” Storm said, and all eyes stared at her.
“I’m listening,” Burke said, focusing on her deep blue eyes. He could tell much from the shifting blue colors of her eyes, and right now the deep color told him she was concerned for his plight.
“You have the advantage of having already met Lady Alaina. If there was some way you could speak with her privately and tell her that you’re Cullen’s brother, perhaps she would then confide in you. She could also possibly tell you whether her father would be agreeable to your offer.”
“That is an excellent suggestion,” Burke said, suddenly feeling that Cullen’s rescue could be closer at hand than he had thought.
“Storm’s a wise leader,” William boasted, and Philip agreed with an affirmative nod.
Later that evening, with William and Philip retired, Burke sat with Storm on her watch.
“You’re not upset with me?” Storm asked, leaning against him.
He slipped his arm around her, knowing she had to be chilled from the cold night air and pleased that she sought warmth from him without hesitation. He had intended to wrap his arms around her anyway. He had grown accustomed to holding her and missed her when she was gone too long from his arms.
“Why would I be upset with you?”
“I thought perhaps you felt that you wasted time by not speaking further with Lady Alaina when you had the opportunity.”
“No, it’s better this way. I’m now armed with more information that will probably prove helpful when I meet with her. I would have never known to ask of her father’s plans. I would have focused entirely on my brother and possibly ruined my chances of securing his release.”
“I do hope this proves successful for you and especially for your brother.”
“You don’t sound hopeful,” Burke said.
She gave a sad laugh. “Don’t mind me. My encounter with the Earl of Balford has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Perhaps it will be different for you.”
He snuggled her closer to him, wanting to protect her from her own painful memories. “You know what I wish?”
“That all goes well and you free your brother,” she said with a smile.
He shook his head before faintly brushing his lips across hers. “No, I wish you and I were on my ship in my cabin making love.”
He felt her reaction; her body startled in his arms.
“I want to make love to you, Storm. Actually, I ache to make love to you. The choice of course is yours, but I had hoped you would not delay your decision or deny your desire.”
“I won’t deny that I want you,” she admitted softly.
“Then there is no reason to delay.” He kissed her quick and sharp, stinging both their senses.
She shivered. “That you excite me is undeniable. It is the consequences I give thought to.”
“What consequences?”
She hesitated for more than a moment. “What if I fall in love with you?”
Her words were a direct hit to his gut and if he wasn’t sitting, he’d have fallen over from the sharp impact.
“You told me you would never love again.”
“You said that I might not love the same way but love was still possible,” she reminded him.
“I also said that fate would have the deciding hand in it.”
“My fate has been sealed,” she said sadly.
“If you are so certain, then why worry about falling in love with me?”
Her blue eyes glazed over with tears he was certain she would not shed. Her slight cough to clear her throat confirmed for him her battle to contain them.
“Because…” She hesitated and looked away from Burke. “Because if I did fall in love with you, I fear the pain of bidding you farewell when all of this is over.”