My Lord Deceived (17 page)

Kat nodded and
watched him effortlessly settle his uncle in his favourite chair
before the window. She took the cup of tea he held out to her and
settled in the window seat to wait while Bruce drank and handed his
cup back to Jonathan. She waited until Jonathan had left before she
began to read.

An hour later,
a flurry of movement outside drew her attention and she glanced up.
Bruce was fast asleep. Outside, Billy sat astride a small pony and
ambled along beside Jonathan who walked them around in a small
circle on the front lawn.

“You know
something, Billy? You are a natural at riding,” Jonathan drawled.
He tried not to look at the window in which Kat was sitting, but
knew from his last hundred or so glances that she looked radiant in
the afternoon sunlight. He wished that he was up there with her,
but knew that the boy beside him needed him more.

“Do you think
so? I have wanted to ride for so long now, but mother said I
couldn’t.”

“Why?” Jonathan
frowned. He wondered why on earth any mother would not want her son
to be able to ride. Riding was the primary source of transport in
the country. “Do you not ride Molly?”

“Oh, yes, we
ride her back to the field, but she doesn’t take a saddle. Even if
we could afford one, we always take the cart when we need to go
anywhere.”

Jonathan lapsed
into silence and frowned. “Does Kat ride bareback too?”

“Yes, although
mother has a fit when she catches her because her skirts ride up
above her knees – what’s that word?” He scowled down at his booted
feet while he tried to remember.

“Wantonly?”
Jonathan offered and shared a smile with the boy.

“Yep, that’s
it. She says Kat behaves wantonly when she rides bare back, and
always warns her that it will raise all manner of gossip, but Kat
never listens.”

Jonathan
smothered a smile at the youthful innocence and wondered what Kat’s
reaction would be if she knew her brother had imparted such
indelicate news. He liked Billy a lot. There were already the first
hints of a young man breaking through the youthful innocence, and
he knew that with the right guidance, Billy would turn out to be a
very fine man indeed.

“Did you hear
what happened to Kat outside the tavern yesterday?” He asked
conspiratorially. He turned the pony around and led him in the
opposite direction.

“Yes, I heard
Kat when she told mother about it this morning over breakfast.”

“Then you know
that Brian Meldrew and his friends are trouble?” Jonathan studied
the area around them and made a mental note to ask Kat which
flowers she liked. The rolling hills around them were a brilliant
emerald green and lush with green foliage, but he had never noticed
until now just how devoid of flowers they were. If the house was to
become the residence of the new Lady Dentham, then it should be
bedecked with beautiful flowers that befitted a member of the
aristocracy.

He knew that if
he had any chance of getting Kat to even consider becoming the
future Lady Dentham, he had to start to make her feel more at home
at the large stately house. To do that, he had to start to include
her and her family in what was going on in and around the house.
She already read to his uncle, thankfully and felt confident enough
to come and go as she pleased. That helped. Being able to teach
Billy to ride would ensure that the boy looked upon Dentham as a
good place to be. That only left one problem: Agnes. He had no idea
what to do about her.

“They are just
bored,” Billy replied, his eyes far wiser than they should be for a
boy of his age.

“Bored or not,
Billy, they are in deep trouble. They will have a visit from the
magistrate today to warn them about the implications of their
abhorrent behaviour last night. Kat could have fared a lot worse if
I hadn’t happened by when I did. You would do best to steer away
from all of them. They could be involved in the smuggling that is
going on in the area.”

He watched the
boy carefully and caught the startled look of wariness that flashed
across his face. His eyes met and held Billy’s for a moment before
the young boy looked away.

“Do you know if
it is them, or someone else?” Jonathan hoped he would say Brian,
and felt strangely disappointed at the answer he received.

“I don’t know
of any smuggling,” Billy replied. He recited the words exactly as
Kat and mother had told him to.

“But Andrew
Ransley was arrested for smuggling by the Excise men only a few
weeks ago. It must be the talk of the village.”

“I don’t know,”
Billy replied. “I am busy with the stall. I don’t get time to play
or gossip.” He frowned into the distance as though he needed to
think carefully about something.

Jonathan
wondered briefly if he should continue to probe, but reluctantly
let the matter drop. There was a vagueness about the boy that
alarmed him. It was as though he had closed off from the
conversation, and all Jonathan was going to get was recited lines.
He frowned and studied the young boy carefully. He had the distinct
impression that Billy knew more than was letting on. The urge to
continue to question until he got what he wanted was strong but, in
the end, he sighed at the slight belligerent look in Billy’s eyes
and accepted defeat. Anything else he intended to say was abruptly
interrupted by the arrival of Kat who, by the look of it, was not
very happy.

“Is Bruce
alright?”

“Pardon?” Kat
snapped and tore her eyes away from the sight of Billy, who was
perched regally on a small, dappled pony. She read the concern in
Jonathan’s eyes and sighed. “Oh, yes he is fine. He is having an
afternoon nap.” She eyed the small pony warily and was alarmed at
the sheer joy that twinkled in Billy’s eyes.

Trust him
not to be scared,
she thought ruefully. The pony looked
soulfully at her with large, doe-brown eyes, as though it too was
silently pleading with her not to be cross, and she felt the fight
drain out of her.

“Jonathan says
I am a natural rider,” Billy boasted and puffed out his chest
importantly.

“You most
certainly are, but it is time to go home now. Mother will have tea
on already and we are late.”

“But, can’t I
stay and ride just a little longer?” Billy’s pleaded in a voice
that almost undid her, especially after the harshness of last
night.

“I am afraid
that if it is time to go, then it is time to go. I will put Percy
back into his stable. He must be tired by now.” Percy was by far
the most docile horse Jonathan had ever owned. He was so old that
even Jonathan had lost count with how many years he had owned the
horse.

“Can’t I ride
him just a little bit more?” Billy whined and leaned forward to
reverently stroke the horse’s neck.

“Billy, it is
time to go now,” Kat sighed impatiently.

She watched as
Billy slowly dismounted under close supervision from Jonathan, who
explained how to gather the reins up in one hand and lead the horse
back to the stable. Once or twice as they walked, Jonathan moved
Billy’s fingers and edged him further away from the neck of the
horse. Billy showed no fear, most probably because he was used to
Molly, but she had never seen him this intent before. Molly had
been with them for many years and was very loving and friendly, as
long as you had plenty of carrots to keep her occupied. Still,
Billy held the leather straps of the reins in gentle fingers as he
concentrated on the instructions Jonathan gave him.

At the stables,
she watched as he reluctantly handed the reins to a stable hand and
waited until Percy disappeared from sight. It bothered Kat
enormously to see the sadness on Billy’s face as he turned away.
She didn’t want him to get too involved in things going on in the
Hall. She wondered if Jonathan wanted Billy to join the staff when
he was older. Although she couldn’t see any problem with him doing
that; it would be a wonderfully secure job that paid well and would
ensure that he could live locally while at work. It was the thought
of being in contact with Jonathan when he finally settled down to
someone of his own ilk, and had children with them that made her
hesitate.

She quickly
closed the thought out and turned to her brother, who thanked
Jonathan for the impromptu riding lesson.

“Thank you,”
Kat murmured respectfully.

Jonathan
frowned at the politeness on Kat’s face and wondered what he had
done to incur her annoyance this time. He had the distinct
impression that she was displeased about something but had no idea
what he had done wrong. She had a horse, and Billy had already
admitted that they both rode it, so it couldn’t be that. Was there
something else?

“Have you seen
anything of Brian today?”

Kat shook her
head. “Nothing, thankfully. I think they have gone to ground while
the gossips do their worst,” she replied ruefully.

“I am sure that
the gossips will have turned them all into quivering wrecks by now.
Mr Hamilton-Smythe and I will pay them a visit later to put forward
the bargain.”

“I cannot see
any possibility of you getting their agreement,” Kat sighed. She
wished they would allow wisdom to make their decision for them but
doubted that Brian’s ego would allow him to give in without further
provocation.

Jonathan merely
smiled. “We will see. Thank you for coming to read to uncle. Are
you available to read tomorrow?”

“I think so.
Your uncle wants to get to the end of the next chapter
apparently.”

“Good.” He
turned to Billy. “If you come back with Kat, I will give you
another riding lesson on Percy.”

He smiled when
Billy began to hop up and down with excitement. The scolding on
Kat’s lips remained unspoken as she watched Billy’s reaction to the
offer. She hated to see the seriousness return. The Billy who stood
before her now was the same young boy he had been prior to their
father’s death. It was wonderful to have him back. Rather than put
him off the idea, she clapped him on the shoulder she steered him
firmly toward the driveway.

“Thank you,”
she murmured quietly to Jonathan. The smile they shared shook her
to her very foundations.

She still
quivered when they arrived home, and found their mother in a state
of agitated nervousness while the Excise men scoured the house.

CHAPTER
TEN

Kat paused just
inside the doorway and stared at the mess that was their sitting
room. Chairs had been tipped on their sides, floor boards tugged
up. She watched as two Excise men began to rifle through the
contents of the cupboard in the kitchen.

“Are you
alright?”

Agnes was
clearly shaken and barely answered her. They moved across the room,
through the kitchen and stood to watch Harrison and his associate,
rummage through the storage room next to Molly’s stable. Kat’s
temper surged when their belongings started to be thrown out of the
stable into a haphazard pile in the middle of the garden.

“Hey!” Kat
shouted. She glared angrily at Harrison as she stalked across the
yard. “I am going to be report you to Hamilton-Smythe, if you carry
on with this. I can understand you need to search, but I am damned
if I will let even you destroy our personal property.”

Harrison turned
toward her, his face twisted in a rage. “You will stand back and
allow us to go about our
government
business. Hinder us and
I will put you behind bars.”

“I have no
intention of trying to hinder you, I am just saying that you don’t
need to break everything you touch,” she snapped. She refused to be
perturbed by the ruthless intent on his face.

She knew for
certain now that the man had received information about when the
smuggled cargo was due to arrive. For some reason he was determined
to be the first to get his hands on the goods. A small tendril of
suspicion began to unfurl in her mind and she watched as Harrison
and his colleague slammed the stable door closed with a disgusted
sigh. They shared a look and turned to Kat.

“Tell me where
it is,” Harrison murmured in a silken voice that belied the hard
glitter in his eyes. “We know you have the goods here somewhere. If
you think for one moment that you are going to outsmart us then you
can think again. We are perfectly at liberty to turn up whenever we
choose: day or night, and you would do well to remember that. If
you are caught with anything you shouldn’t have, or are implicated
in the smuggling that we know is going on around these parts, then
I will ensure that you receive the full weight of justice.”

Kat stared
dispassionately at him and feigned boredom with a deep sigh. “I
suggest you issue your threats to someone who deserves them. I am
going to report your heavy handed tactics to Hamilton-Smythe. I am
certain that nowhere in your duties does it say that you are at
liberty to destroy innocent people’s property. Come into my house
like this again and damage any of our belongings and I can assure
you
that
you
will be on the receiving end of justice
for once. We know what you are up to, Harrison,” Kat warned coldly.
“You will not get away with it.”

She watched as
the man paused and turned to stare at her. She knew then that her
suspicions were on the right track. The man was definitely up to
something and she was fairly certain it had nothing to do with his
need to bring smugglers to justice.

Her thoughts
immediately turned to Brian Meldrew. He undoubtedly knew that she
and her family had taken their fair share of smuggled goods. Was he
the one who gave Harrison information about when the cargo had
arrived? If so, why? Why would he betray the entire village?
Alright, he was a little rodent who thrived on trouble, and always
seemed to get away with his misdeeds. His behaviour had never been
brought to the attention of the magistrate. Was that because
Harrison had agreed to protect him from the magistrate in exchange
for information? She frowned and considered the man before her for
a moment. He was certainly furtive and persistent enough. But was
he looking for smuggled goods, or something else?