Everyone waited in nervous anticipation for what seemed an age before the first shadows of the boats began to form into solid shapes as they drew closer to the shore. They seemed to have battled with the tides for hours. Jonathan wondered how long they would try before they finally surrendered to the powers of the ocean. Even from several feet away, he could hear their grunts and shouts as the crew tried to row in unison against the oceanic fury.
All at once, a huge wave appeared to rumble toward them. The rolled top broke into white caps that grew and grew with menacing intent as it rolled further inland. Cries and shouts were quashed by the wave as it landed directly onto the boats and obliterated them from view.
“God, they are all gone,” Harry cried. He lifted his lantern to try to see better and didn’t notice that the tide had risen onto the beach to soak his boots. Everyone remained perfectly still and stared at the spot where the boats had disappeared. Barrels and boxes began to bob to the surface, some of which began to slowly move closer to the smugglers while others were dragged back out to sea.
“We have to save them,” Charlie shouted. Several of the rowers bobbed about on the water. Their arms waved desperately as they tried to shout for help. Despite the foreign language, their cries for mercy were unmistakeable to everyone. Immediately, half of the smugglers formed a human chain and started to battle the surf in a desperate attempt at a rescue. The other half tried to grab the cargo that floated to stop it hitting the men in the water. Eventually, three of the Frenchmen were caught and hauled to safety, but the smugglers weren’t fast enough to save the other two, who disappeared into the darkness. Their cries grew weaker and weaker, and disappeared altogether within minutes. As soon as they had hauled the last two sailors ashore, they turned their attention to recovering whatever cargo they could get hold of.
Kat was exhausted. She struggled to gain her feet against the strong currents that shifted the sand beneath her feet. Once or twice she stumbled, and was helped upright by a hand on her elbow.
Jonathan flicked a signal and lunged to his feet. He didn’t need to glance at the flurry of movement further down the beach to know that Simon had broken his cover. Archie would ensure that the path off the beach was blocked while Stephen moved forward to ensure that the horses didn’t leave.
Together, in spite of the fact that they were going against their operational orders, Simon and Jonathan waded into the sea to help bring everything home. The sooner everyone got to safety, the less likelihood there would be of a death tonight.
Rain pelted down around them. He watched the hat fly off and disappear on a tide of darkness. The sight of Kat’s wild mane of hair was all he needed to see. He cursed fluidly when she began to be dragged backward as the wave returned to the sea. He ran the last few steps to get to her before she disappeared into the darkness after her hat. With a curse, he grabbed the collar of her jumper in a fierce grip and hauled her to her feet.
Kat gasped and coughed against the sea water that stung her throat. She realised that she was standing on tip-toe and shook sea water out of her eyes only to freeze in horror as she stared directly into Jonathan’s stark face.
“What are you doing here?”
“Saving your miserable backside, woman,” Jonathan snarled and hauled into her arms. He ignored her protests and snarled at two of the smugglers who tried to intervene when he started to drag her unceremoniously out of the sea. He didn’t stop until she was on dry sand. Once there, he dropped her and watched her stagger as she tried to gain her footing, but made no move to help her.
He was so furious right now that he struggled to contain the urge to thump something. He turned to watch Archie pound down the beach toward them to join in the chain that struggled to bring the cargo to shore. While they each had their duties to perform, tonight’s rough seas meant that this had turned into a battle for survival. The chain of men stretched further out to sea than was wise but they were too far out to be told to return. The noise of the waves drowned out even the loudest shout. Everyone resorted to measured looks and hand gestures that were barely visible through the gloom.
A faint cry from the far end of the chain drew everyone’s attention and they all stared at the sight of arms far out in the sea as the man was dragged relentlessly toward his death. The chain of people stretched as far as possible and, at the last moment, managed to capture the man’s arm to haul him to safety.
Jonathan decided that enough was enough and drew his gun. He pointed it into the air and released a shot. Everyone turned to stare at him, and he waved his arms to order everyone out of the sea. Simon and Archie moved to stand on either side of the group, and were prepared to block anyone who tried to run for freedom.
Eventually, the last man broke free of the surf and staggered to join the group. Everyone was soaked and completely miserable. One or two of the smugglers tried to object and waved toward the valuable cargo that slowly but surely disappeared into the sea. Their objections were soon quashed by the rest of the group though, who stood in bedraggled silence and stared at Jonathan.
“It’s not worth dying for,” Jonathan warned. He waved his gun meaningfully at one man who eyed one of the brandy barrels with too much interest.
“It’s worth a lot of money to us.”
“Move it and you are going to jail,” Simon snarled as he shoved the man roughly back into the group.
Kat remained silent and stared at Jonathan. She had never felt so sick or frightened in her entire life. A wave of shame swept through her. She wished that the sand would open up and swallow her whole. He had yet to speak to her, but she could sense the unmitigated fury that positively radiated from him.
Rupert appeared in the pathway. He signalled that the pathway was secure. Seconds later, Stephen appeared on the main pathway and gave Jonathan the same gesture. Jonathan had no idea what he had done with Brian and his friends but, at that moment, didn’t really care. Right now he still battled with the image of Kat, waist deep in the sea. She could so easily have drowned. He was livid.
“Right, you are all smugglers, and as such have to be dealt with accordingly.”
“Are you going to arrest us?”
“Move,” Simon growled. He waved the group toward the tavern.
With a sigh, the group shuffled in that direction. Despite their curiosity, nobody spoke as they left the beach and headed toward the town in the single file that Archie and Simon insisted on. At the far end of the beach, Stephen took over the horses and led them toward the cliff. He would circle them around and take them back through the town. Jonathan studied Kat’s back as she walked before him. He shook his head and wondered if his plan had been such a good idea after all.
It was only the sight of the guns that Jonathan and his men held that kept everyone quiet. They all knew that their situation was dire. Were they going to be held in the tavern before they were carted off to jail?
Kat swallowed and thought of her brother and mother back at home. She sent them a mental apology and felt the sting of tears that mingled with the sea salt on her lashes. There was nothing she could say to Jonathan, and didn’t blame him for his anger. Her humiliation was complete, and there was not much that she could say to excuse her behaviour. The fact that this would be the last time she was involved in smuggling could not be proven, and would hold no weight in court when she appeared for her trial. They had been caught red handed, and there was nothing any one of them could say to excuse that fact.
Once in the tavern, everyone took a seat and waited for Jonathan to lock the main doors. Stephen and Archie stood beside the bar. With a glance at Jonathan, Harry moved behind the bar and poured everyone a liberal measure of rum which Simon handed out to the group. Once everyone was settled, they all turned to Jonathan. Nobody made any attempt to escape, or ask any questions, or even excuse their behaviour. They knew that at this point, there was little any of them could say or do to make situations any different; or their futures any brighter.
Kat couldn’t bring herself to look at Jonathan and, thankfully, he made no attempt to speak to her. She studied her soggy boots instead, but was acutely aware of him as he moved to stand at the bar. He turned to face them and studied each person in turn.
“You all know what you have been doing is highly illegal.” He didn’t bother to hide the disgust in his voice. His eyes locked on Kat, and he wondered what was going through her mind. Was she worried? Was she scared? He hoped so.
“What are you going to do with us?” Charlie called from his habitual seat at the end of the bar.
“He is going to send us to jail, you idiot,” someone replied dourly.
“You are smugglers. You deserve to go to prison,” Simon announced. He crossed his arms and leaned his hips against the bar in a casual pose that belied the tension in the air.
“We are only trying to earn a living,” someone else argued. “With the taxes so high it is hard to even put food on the table.”
“You wouldn’t understand that. You are a nabob from a wealthy family,” a woman cried from her stool. She glanced around her and nodded at the rumbles of agreement that swept over the crowd.
“We have children to feed. Please don’t send us to jail,” another woman pleaded, and began to sob quietly into her apron. Jonathan studied her for a moment before he turned his gaze to Simon.
“We work for His Majesty’s government. We are here to rid the coast of smugglers and protect the coastline from French invasion,” Simon sighed.
“We haven’t seen any Frenchies,” Harry replied in horror. “We don’t smuggle people.”
“Not yet, but how long do you think it will be before they realise that smugglers work this part of the coast and decide to send a Frenchman or two for you to help ashore? What then? Serving a prison sentence for smuggling is considerably better than being hung for treason.”
“We haven’t smuggled any Frenchmen,” Harry replied. “It’s just brandy, sugar, tea and cloth mainly, most of which we use ourselves. We struggle to put food on the table without the extra money the smuggling brings us. Show us some mercy, my lord.” His plea was chorused with cries of ‘here here’ and ‘aye’.
Jonathan waited until silence settled over the anxious crowd again. “I am prepared to strike a bargain with you.” He knew he could offer them a deal because he had received a missive from Hugo before everyone had left Dentham Hall. It gave Jonathan permission to deal with the villagers in any way he deemed appropriate. In return, Hugo asked for Harrison to be sent down to Bodmin for questioning. He hadn’t explained why, but Jonathan suspected that Harrison was involved in illegal activities that went far beyond Bentney on Sea, or a few stolen barrels of brandy. Some of his activities must have strayed onto the Star Elite’s remit if Hugo knew about him and wanted to see him personally.
“Why should we strike a deal with you?” Charlie demanded.
“Because we can stop you from getting arrested,” Simon drawled.
Jonathan moved a stool and sat beside Kat. Although he made no attempt to touch her, or even look at her, his presence beside her left her feeling scared and off-kilter. His actions made it clear that she was under the protection of the Star Elite.
Kat could feel the curious gazes of the rest of the smugglers on her but daren’t look up.
“You betrayed us?” Norman cried with a mixture of disbelief and anger on his face.
“No, she didn’t,” Jonathan replied and glared at Norman. “She has denied all knowledge of smuggling and has lied to protect you. We have been in the area to investigate Harrison from Excise.”
Rumblings went through everyone.
“He is a scoundrel, that one,” Norman replied, somewhat mollified that Kat had played her part. Although Kat could still feel everyone’s curiosity, she knew that they were still unsure of her involvement with Jonathan.
“What do you want us for?”
“We want to offer you a bargain,” Simon drawled. “We will spare you jail, if you do something for us in return.”
“If we don’t?” Harry demanded. He stared at each member of the Star Elite in turn.
“You go to jail and face the consequences,” Jonathan snapped.
He was aware of Kat as she sniffed and shivered beside him, but couldn’t take his eyes off the restless crowd. The tension within the tavern had risen tenfold to the point that at any moment he could have anarchy on his hands, and then they would all be in a mess because there weren’t enough of the Star Elite to contain the angry smugglers. He was fairly certain that they could be withheld through gunfire, but that would draw the attention of the rest of the villagers, and Harrison if he was in the area, and the last thing Jonathan needed was Excise turning up.
“What happens if we do help you? What do you want us to do?”
“You help to capture Harrison and, as long as you cease all smuggling activities with immediate effect, you are free to go about your way,” Jonathan replied firmly.
“You won’t report us to the authorities?”
“We are the authorities,” Archie growled. “We will arrest you and ensure that you are all transported to Bodmin if you don’t comply.” His tone was so matter of fact that he could have been discussing the weather, but it was his direct gaze that commanded everyone’s attention.
“As long as your daily business doesn’t include receiving or selling smuggled cargo, then you can forget all about tonight and any potential repercussions,” Simon added dourly.
“I strongly advise you all to find something legal to replenish your purses because I promise you now that I will be continually on the look-out for smuggling about these parts from now on. If I find any one of you involved in any way, you will be off to Bodmin faster than you can spit,” Jonathan assured them.
“What do you want us to do?” Harry sighed.
“Firstly, who is the person who organises the drops?”
Silence settled for a moment. Everyone looked at each other before a bearded man stepped forward. “It is Nigel Hawkshurst.” Everyone gasped and twittered. The Hawkshurst family were notorious throughout Cornwall for their illegal activities. “I don’t know where he gets his information from, but he approached us to tell us that a ship was nearby and had this cargo. I got some people together and we decided to accept the shipment. It arrived at the time stated with all of the goods intact. It has evolved over the last two years.”
“Everyone in the village has some of the cargo?” Simon demanded.
“Nearly everyone is involved but not everyone can afford to take part. We help them with the proceeds as much as we can though.”
“You pay Hawkshurst?” Jonathan demanded.
“Aye, we do. A flat rate that is barely a third of what we can sell it for.”
“Where does Harrison come into it?” Norman asked with a frown.
“We think that Harrison has been given information on when the shipments are due by Brian Meldrew,” Jonathan announced flatly. It was either Brian Meldrew, or Hawkshurst.
“Harrison has appeared in the village to search the day after the deliveries just lately.”
“Yes, but he cannot find the goods. If he has found anything, he hasn’t reported them on an inventory, which is what he should do,” Jonathan replied. “I need to know if he has found anything from anyone’s houses that you know about.”
Everyone shook their heads. “We are too clever for the likes of him,” an old sailor scoffed from the back of the tavern. Ribald titters settled over the nervous group, who turned to Jonathan expectantly.
“We are better than Harrison, and can outsmart him any day of the week,” one man boasted from the middle of the group.
“What about the other villagers? Have you heard any rumours about any of their goods going missing?”
“You mean stolen?”
Everyone stared at each other before they shook their heads. Jonathan sighed. It was going to be far harder to capture Harrison than he had realised. Still, the Star Elite weren’t men to give in easily.
“Brian is the reason why Harrison has been ripping the village apart?” Charlie snorted in disgust. A ripple of anger swept over the group and Jonathan shook his head warningly.
“Does Hawkshurst have the main bulk of the cargo?” He demanded with a quick glance at the clock. With any luck they may be able to get to bed before dawn but, if Jonathan didn’t move things along a bit, they would still be in the tavern when Harrison arrived in the morning.
“We have no idea who fetches it. By the time we have taken our cargo home and returned to the beach, all of it has gone.”
“As quickly as that? It’s a hell of a lot of cargo to move that quickly. Is there nobody else around?” Jonathan demanded with a frown. His thoughts turned toward Brian Meldrew, and he wondered just what the boy was up to. “Who do the horses belong to then?”
“They would be the farmers. He uses his cart to take the heavy barrels off the beach and takes them to places in the churchyard and around the farm. We pick them up from our allotted places when we have taken the smaller stuff home,” Harry replied with a frown at a solemn Kat. In all of the years he had know her, he had never seen her this quiet before.
“Has he ever seen anyone else on the beach?”
“I haven’t seen anything or anyone,” the farmer replied with a disgruntled snort. “I usually leave when everyone else does.”
Jonathan knew that Rupert had been tasked with keeping an eye on the main cargo to see who collected it, and would be able to furnish them with more information later.
“Forget the cargo on the beach,” Jonathan ordered. “It is government property now and, as such, is part of our investigation.”
“We have lost nearly all of our stock tonight. You want us to lose the bits we left on the beach too?” Harry growled. He knew that Jonathan was a lord and probably the least likely of everyone to double cross his own villagers, but he still felt driven to ask.
“We have been tasked by the War Office to close the door on all illegal smuggling along the coast, and that includes here. If you don’t comply, I will send you all to jail for a considerable length of time.” Jonathan’s voice was cold and hard. He turned to look at the woman beside him and wondered if she was ill. He wanted to ask her if she was alright, but she looked so lost and forlorn that all he wanted to do was sweep her into his arms for a hug.
“Are all of the stolen smuggled goods the government’s property?” The question came from the back of the room.
“All goods brought into the country illegally that are seized by Excise officers, or any other government official for that matter, immediately becomes the property of the government. It is illegal for anyone to help themselves once the goods transfer into the government’s hands,” Simon sighed and tried not to squirm against the feel of his wet clothes as they clung to his chilled skin.
“So what do you want us to do? Watch to see who collects what’s left?”
“No, the cargo that has arrived tonight is completely lost to you. Under no circumstances must any of you touch it or go anywhere near it. We are His Majesty’s government and have significantly more seniority than Harrison. It is in our possession and, as such, is seized cargo. Touch it now and I will throw you behind bars.” Jonathan replied. “What I want is for you all to pretend that you know nothing about it. From this day on there will be no further smuggling in this village. We will deal with Hawkshurst and anyone else he is connected with. Until we do, all of you must keep your mouths shut about what has happened here tonight.”
That last comment made everyone’s brows rise and they nodded with approval. Now that the initial fear and shock had worn off, the reality that Jonathan was being honest in his offer to keep them out of jail had sunk in. They seemed to realise just how close they had all come to destruction, twice in one night, and a sense of relief settled over everyone.
“Well, you can count on my help,” Harry sighed with a nod at Jonathan. He glanced at Kat again with a frown.
“Aye,” Norman replied with a nod that matched Charlie’s beside him. A rumble of acknowledgements drifted around the room.
The only person who didn’t speak was Kat; who couldn’t get anything past the lump of tears that were very firmly lodged in her throat.
“Well, I don’t know about everyone else but I am going to go home,” Harry sighed, and glanced hesitantly at Jonathan. “Unless you are going to keep us here all night?”
“Wait a minute!” One man called from the back of the room. He stood up and hesitated nervously when everyone turned to look at him. “I don’t know about everyone else but I think we all deserve to have a share in the cargo on the beach. We struggled to get that stuff to the shore. Why should we sit back and allow an unnamed smuggler to have it all?”
“Because I want to stay out of jail,” Harry snapped and turned to glare at the man with his hands on his hips. “We have been given the opportunity to stay out of jail and rid this village of Harrison once and for all. I don’t know about everyone else, but I think we should take the chance that Jonathan has given us. If we don’t accept any more cargo, we don’t need to worry when the Excise come knocking on our doors.”
“But you had decided to quit anyway, Harry. You and Kat had already said you had no intention of smuggling anymore. You have nothing to lose if we leave the goods there. We do. We have purchases ready to buy them,” the man argued.
“Yes, but you are free. You will be no good to your wife or children if you are behind bars. It is time to call it a day.”
Jonathan barely heard the argument that broke out. His gaze was firmly locked on Kat, who remained perfectly still. She had decided to quit? Was tonight her last operation? He glanced back at Harry who watched Kat closely.
“You had already decided to quit?”
“Aye,” Harry nodded. “Kat had enough weeks ago, but we persuaded her to carry on once Andrew Ransley was arrested. Then wanted to quit again only for Mr Barnaby to die. We desperately needed her help.”
“Will you lot shut up?” Norman bellowed. He glared at everyone until they quietened down. Once silence had settled over them once more, he turned toward the group. “There isn’t any choice,” he announced flatly. “I don’t know about you lot but I am too blasted old to go to jail. We have got this far but now it is time to call it a day. These men are going to send us to jail if we don’t co-operate. We are going to have to quit at some point. This cannot carry on forever; we all know that. The money we have made has been great, but it isn’t worth dying for, or spending the rest of our lives in jail. We have families, children and people who rely on us to be there in the morning. We will be no use to anyone in jail, and that is where we will be headed. I am not going to be dragged into smuggling Frenchmen into the blasted country. I do draw the line at that.” He turned back toward Jonathan. “I think it is safe to say that Kat, Harry, and I are all in,” he announced and stood shoulder to shoulder with Harry, who nodded emphatically.
“Me too,” someone else cried. He stepped forward to stand behind Norman.
“Count me in.”
The calls went on until everyone agreed to join in.
“We will leave the cargo on the beach. Do you want us to bring it further onto the shore so the sea doesn’t take it?”
“No, leave the stuff where it is. As long as you all promise to stop then everyone is free to go. I warn you again though, I do not expect to see or hear of any of you being involved with smuggling again. There are other gangs up and down the coast, and they will be brought to a stop as well. Anyone smuggling around these parts from this moment on will meet with the full weight of justice. Is that clear?”
There were murmurings as people reluctantly agreed. Although some of them really did need the money, they weren’t prepared to risk jail or death to put an extra loaf of bread on the table. The luxuries of tea and sugar they could do without, as long as they were at home to break bread with their families.
They all shuffled out of the door. Kat seemed to snap out of her daze and stood. Her world rocked at the look of cool aloofness on Jonathan’s face. She knew that she deserved his anger, and wished that he would simply shout at her and get it over with. She hated the icy indifference. Still, there was little she could do about it now.
As she quietly made her way out of the tavern, a part of her waited for him to call her back and demand answers, or at least tell her off, but she left nothing but silence in her wake.
“Are you going after her?” Simon asked as he studied the worry on his friend’s face.
“I have never seen her like that. It is as though the fight as gone out of her,” Harry added with a scowl at the door.
“No, I am not going after her. She needs to get some rest tonight, especially after her close call. I will go and see her tomorrow.”
Jonathan watched her move past the window and wondered if he should at least escort her home, but then decided against it. There were enough Star Elite on watch over the village to ensure that she would get home safely. He had to focus on his job and get the cargo dealt with before he could consider his future.