Less Than a Gentleman (13 page)

“Oh, no.” Jane pressed a hand to her chest. “What if my son returns now? This is terrible.”

“We must hope for the best.” Caroline studied the redcoats in the distance. “Now that I think about it, if there are officers living here, they might know a great deal. And there could be quite a few messages that pass through the house on the way to Cornwallis.”

“What are you saying?” Jane gave her a horrified look. “Are you suggesting we spy on them?”

Caroline swallowed hard. She’d merely been thinking out loud, but her thoughts were definitely leading her toward espionage. Did she dare?

Jane grabbed her arm. “You mustn’t. ’Tis far too dangerous.”

Caroline recognized Captain Hickman amongst the soldiers. He would make a likely target. “With a little flirtation, I might learn something important.”

Jane shook her head. “You’re frightening me.”

She was frightening herself. Caroline steeled her nerves. She could do this. Her sister had been successful as a spy in Boston. Haversham had said there were patriot soldiers in the area. Any useful information she gleaned could be passed on to them. “Don’t worry, Jane. I’ll be careful.”

C
HAP
TER
F
IFTEEN

M
atthias knew something was wrong the minute he rode into the stable. It was highly doubtful the new horses had arrived at Loblolly on their own.

He sprinted from the stable to the side of the kitchen, then peeked in the kitchen window. Only Dottie was inside. He edged to the corner of the building, his back pressed against the brick wall.

There was just enough moonlight to see the British foot soldier on patrol. Matthias waited for him to round the corner of the Great House, then he dashed into the kitchen and rolled a barrel against the door.

“How many redcoats are there?” he asked as he wolfed down a bowl of stew.

“Six.” Dottie poured him a mug of ale. “Captain Hickman and five soldiers. Three of them will be leaving in the morning.”

“But the captain is staying?” Matthias ripped a biscuit in two. “For how long?”

“Could be a long time.” With a sigh, Dottie sat across from him. “I considered putting something in the food as a welcoming present, but I didn’t want to make the ladies ill, too.”

Matthias snorted. “Have a care with your potions. We don’t want them angry with my mother. How is she doing?”

“She’s nervous. Thank goodness she’s already hidden most of the silver. Her greatest fear is that you’ll show up. She wants you to stay away from the Great House.”

Matthias munched on half the biscuit as he considered. The servants’ passageway would be safe enough, but hardly a decent place to sleep. “I could stay on the third floor.”

“No. The foot soldiers are rooming there.”

“Damn.” The redcoats were too bloody close to Caroline. “Can I sleep here tonight?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Dottie propped her feet up on a neighboring chair. “The soldiers come in every now and then for a nip of rum. The safest place for you is with your brother.”

Matthias tossed the last of his biscuit onto his plate. “I don’t have a brother.”

“Your half brother, then.”

“I’ll sleep in the henhouse if I have to.”

“Why are you so stubborn? Jacob is a good man. You should get to know him.”

Ignoring her, Matthias stood and stretched. “I need to bathe. Did you wash those clothes I left here before?”

“Yes.” Dottie scowled at him. “They’re in the cupboard in the bathing room.”

Aware that Dottie was continuing to glower at him, he carried water to the tub in the small adjoining room.

Dottie paced to her private room. “Why bother to bathe if you plan to sleep in a henhouse?” she muttered, then shut her door with more force than necessary.

As Matthias washed, he weighed the dangers of seeing Caroline. First he’d have to make it past the redcoats on the third floor. Then he’d have to deal with her sharp teeth. Would she be angry that he’d stayed away for so long?

Dressed in clean clothes, he located an oil lamp and lit it from the kitchen hearth. The lamplight would be too noticeable outside, so he draped a towel over it. He rolled the barrel away from the door, waited for the guard to pass by the kitchen, then dashed to the Great House.

The doors were not barred, probably so the guards could come and go. He slipped through the servants’ door, passed through the dining room, then entered the storeroom. When he removed the towel from the lamp, the flame leapt to life. China and crystal gleamed on the shelves, but gaps remained where his mother had once displayed her silver.

The door to the passageway was disguised to look like part of the wall, the latch embedded under a chair rail. He opened the door, wincing at the noise it made. The hinges needed to be oiled. With the lamp in hand, he entered the passageway.

It was filthy. His last visit had been in the dark, but now he could see the white walls were festooned with cobwebs. Footsteps from his last visit were still imprinted on the dusty floor.

He stopped at the entrance to the library and listened. Male voices rumbled inside, too muffled to decipher, but he would be able to hear if he opened the peephole.

Quietly, he set down the lamp and extinguished the flame. To keep his steps silent, he removed his shoes. In the dark, he located the peephole door at shoulder level and eased it open.

It squeaked.

“Did you hear that?” a voice asked with a colonial accent. “Check the door, Pugsley.”

Matthias heard footsteps. He hunched over to peer through the peephole, but the rectangular opening severely limited his view. He could see the desk, the settee across from it, and the window behind the settee. The curtains were drawn shut. A redcoat officer sat at the desk, his back visible to Matthias. This must be the Loyalist Captain Hickman. He wore a white-powdered wig with a red bow to match his uniform. He held a glass in a bony hand. The contents gleamed like liquid gold in the candlelight.

A door creaked. “There’s no one there.” Pugsley’s British-accented voice came from the direction of the door, out of Matthias’s view.

“I want a lock installed on that door in the morning,” the captain ordered. “I suspect some of the inhabitants of this house are Colonial sympathizers.”

“Yes, sir.” Pugsley wandered into Matthias’s view. He was a short, square man with a broad face. “Bloody Colonials. I wouldn’t trust any of them.”

The captain cleared his throat. “I trust you are not including Loyalists in that statement.”

Pugsley gulped. “Ah, no, sir. I was referring to the damned partisans who burned all the bridges and ferries.”

“They’re a pack of fools.” Hickman leaned back and propped his booted feet on the desk with a resounding thud. “If they hadn’t been so efficient in their destruction, we wouldn’t be here in this comfortable home, enjoying this fine brandy. Help yourself, Pugsley.”

“Thank you, sir.” Pugsley wandered out of Matthias’s sight, though he could hear the clunk of glass against the sideboard and swish of brandy being poured.

Matthias drew back from the peephole with a sick feeling in his gut. With the land routes destroyed, the only alternative was to use barges for the entire length of the river. He clenched his teeth. Why hadn’t he foreseen this? He had caused the British to take over his own home.

Now his mother, Caroline, and her family were all in danger. He rubbed his brow. The enemy was outmaneuvering him.

Dammit, you have to fight back
. He took a deep breath and steadied his nerves. The war wasn’t over yet. He bent over to watch the enemy through the peephole.

“I believe I’m going to enjoy my stay here.” Hickman finished his brandy. “The ladies are quite lovely.”

“Yes, sir.” Pugsley sipped from his glass. “You have your choice of pretty wenches—a redhead or a brunette.”

Matthias gritted his teeth. Of course they would be interested in Caroline. But luckily, he knew she wouldn’t encourage them. She had good reason to hate redcoats.

“Fill my glass again, won’t you?” Hickman passed his empty glass to the foot soldier. “I have to say Miss Munro’s behavior tonight came as quite a surprise.”

“How is that, sir?” Pugsley strode toward the sideboard.

“When I was last here, she hardly spoke to me. I could have sworn she was a rebel sympathizer, but now, I’m not so sure. She was practically in my lap at dinner.”

Matthias flinched. The lying swine! Caroline would never—

“Perhaps she’s come to her senses,” Pugsley said. “If she knows a shilling from a sixpence, she’ll realize the rebel cause is doomed.”

“I don’t care what she realizes as long as she does it in my bed, eh?” Hickman chuckled.

Matthias’s blood heated to a full boil. It raced to his head, screaming behind his ears. He flattened his palms against the wall and dug in his fingers.

Hickman accepted his filled glass from Pugsley and slid his booted feet off the desk. “For tonight, I’m taking this brandy to bed.” He stood, his glass in one hand and the candlestick in the other. “Check on the barges before you turn in.”

“Yes, sir.” Pugsley set down his glass and followed the captain toward the door.

They walked out of Matthias’s range of vision. As the door creaked shut, the light disappeared.

He was alone in the dark with only the sound of his breathing, fast and shallow. He rested his forehead against the wall, willing himself to think, but the image of Caroline climbing into Hickman’s bed circled in his head like a hawk hunting for its next kill.

“Damn it to hell,” he muttered. If he caught Hickman so much as touching her, he’d want to kill the scrawny bastard. Had she actually flirted with Hickman at dinner?

He turned and leaned his back against the wall. What a fool he was. He’d spent over two weeks in the swamp, convincing himself not to pursue her, when all along she was pursuing other men.

And it hurt. Damn her, she had the power to hurt him. How had he become so attached when he’d tried so hard to forget her?

God help him, he was hooked like a fish, and no matter how hard he squirmed, the hook remained snared in his heart.
Bloody hell
. As Richard enjoyed putting it—the mighty Matthias had finally fallen.

He’d leave in the morning without seeing her. In fact, he’d be sure never to see her again. After all, he had other matters to attend to. More important matters. For example, he ought to look at the captain’s papers on the desk. He twisted the latch to open the bookcase door. It swung back into the passageway.

Halfway to the desk, he heard the creak of a floorboard outside the library door. The redcoats must be returning.

He dashed back into the passageway and shut the bookcase door. Just in time, for he heard the library door open and shut. Through the peephole he saw a faint light. Whoever had entered the library had a candle.

The light grew in brightness as the person approached. Matthias caught a glimpse of white—a nightgown, shawl, and mobcap. The woman moved behind the desk, her back to him. The candlelight shimmered off her hair.
Red.

It was Caroline. His heartbeat quickened, and he chastised himself for growing excited. As far as he knew, she had come hoping to see Captain Hickman.

She set the candle on the desk and thumbed through the stack of papers. What the hell was she doing? If a redcoat found her doing this, she’d be in deep trouble.

She had to be stopped. He twisted the latch on the bookcase door. With the door opened an inch, he hesitated. Did he really want her to know about the secret passageway?

The floorboard outside the library creaked.

Caroline gasped and blew out the candle.

Matthias closed the bookcase door.
Damn!
He should have nabbed her when he had the chance. What if a redcoat found her?

The library door opened, and another light appeared. Someone was entering with another candlestick.

Matthias searched for Caroline through the peephole. She was nowhere in sight, but the curtains swayed ever so slightly. Hopefully, the second intruder wouldn’t notice. Another white nightgown moved into view, this one quite a bit larger.

It was Virginia. Just like her sister, she placed her candle on the desk and examined the stack of papers.

“Ginny,” Caroline whispered as she emerged from behind the curtains.

Virginia gasped. “Dear Lord, Caroline, you gave me such a fright. What are you doing here?”

Caroline strode to the desk. “What are
you
doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Since the redcoats are using this library as headquarters, I assumed there would be important information here.”

“You’re spying? Oh, no, Ginny. You mustn’t.”

“Why not?” Virginia asked.

Caroline planted her fists on her hips. “Because I’m spying.”

Matthias’s mouth dropped open.

“No, I should be the spy,” Virginia insisted. “I have more experience than you.”

“I know,” Caroline said. “You were excellent in Boston. But now, it is
my
turn.”

Matthias gulped. Virginia had spied before? And now Caroline wanted to?

“It is
my
husband who is fighting the British,” Virginia argued. “If this is the only way I can help him, then it is my duty.”

“Ginny, you’re in no condition to be spying.”

“I
hate
that! Just because I’m pregnant, everyone thinks I’ve become an incompetent dimwit.”

“I’m sorry.” Caroline touched her sister’s shoulder. “But you mustn’t take the risk. You have children who need you.”

Matthias groaned inwardly. Did they plan to discuss espionage all night? Didn’t they know a British soldier could come in at any moment? He had to put a stop to this. He reached for the door latch but hesitated. If the ladies knew about the secret passageway, they would definitely continue to spy.

Virginia adjusted her shawl around her shoulders. “Did you find anything?”

“No. Actually, I was hoping to avoid this sort of activity. I tried my best to learn something at dinner, but Captain Hickman droned on and on about his great military exploits. I didn’t believe a word of it.”

“I wondered why you were flirting so much. Thank God the children were in the kitchen. They would have been sorely confused.”

Caroline shuddered. “I could hardly eat, for his company turned my stomach.”

Matthias heaved a sigh of relief, then found himself grinning like a lovesick fool. Caroline was true. Caroline was constant. She wasn’t interested in Hickman. She didn’t even like the bastard. His smile faded. What the hell was she doing? If she continued flirting and spying, Hickman would either ravish her or arrest her as a traitor.

The floorboard creaked again. The women gasped.

Matthias gripped the door latch. He’d have to protect the women if necessary. And the only weapon he had was Greville’s knife.

Caroline blew out the candle. “Come hide in the curtains.”

“I’m too big,” Virginia answered.

Matthias heard a scuffle of feet and a thump like a sack of potatoes hitting the floor.

The door opened with another candle lighting the room. Footsteps approached the desk.

Edward?
Matthias gaped at the sight of the boy. Edward set down the candle and picked up the stack of papers.