The Gallows Bride (27 page)

“
I will not leave my cat to fend for himself!” Harriett
snapped, her eyes burning orbs of temper as she glared at him in
outrage.

“
Do you have a box or something for him?” Edward asked,
wondering if they could squeeze the huge beast into the small box
the papers had been kept in.

“
Harrold doesn’t like tight spaces,” Harriett
replied.

“
That rules out a grave then,” Hugo growled, ignoring her
glare of contempt. Right now he didn’t care if she put a hex on
him; he had to get her to leave the cottage.

“
We’ll have to carry him,” Eliza suggested, looking at the
group for a volunteer.

That was
enough for Hugo, who snorted rudely and stomped out, slamming the
door behind him.

Peter
chuckled and watched him go, then turned to look questioningly at
Edward who shook his head, his hands held out defensively as he
backed toward the door.

“
Not in this lifetime,” Edward snapped, shooting Harriett an
apologetic glance. “I know he is your pet, but he’s feral and that
makes him dangerous.”

Harriett
couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to get acquainted with
Harrold; he hadn’t really shown himself in a good light, after all.
But he was still Harriett’s pet and only companion, and she simply
couldn’t leave him behind.

“
Can we go now?” Hugo snapped, having shoved his head back
through the door to glare at everyone. “We will be arrested if we
don’t get going.”

Peter
rolled his eyes and shook his head ruefully at Jemima. “The things
I do for you,” he grumbled, moving to the front of the cottage to
the small bedroom in which he had deposited the cat earlier. The
feral beast sat waiting patiently as Peter walked across the room.
He didn’t give the cat the opportunity to move before swinging him
into his arms and marching back through the cottage.

“
Let’s go,” he ordered the ladies, sweeping past a
started-looking Edward with an arrogant look.

“
What the -?” Hugo’s brows shot skyward as he caught sight of
the black bundle sitting calmly in Peter’s arms. “How?”

“
You will never know,” Peter announced smugly, holding out the
cat for Hugo to take, only for the other man to back away
warily.

“
I’m busy,” Hugo argued, moving to the front of the group and
pausing long enough to study the landscape carefully from the
protection of the cottage walls. After a few moments he signalled
to Edward, who was walking alongside the ladies as they slowly made
their way along the short road leading away from the
cottage.

As they
left, Harriett seemed to have lost all her anger, and had withdrawn
into a worried silence.

“
Are you all right Peter?” she asked, staring in surprise at
Harrold, who was now purring contentedly in his arms. “I didn’t
even know he could purr,” she muttered eyeing her one-time
protector balefully, and Peter with a wary respect.

Jemima
watched him absently stroke the thick fur at the back of the cat’s
neck as he strode along, and wondered at the depth of his capacity
to care for others. He had given everything for her: risked his
reputation, his life, his fortune to keep his promises and protect
her from harm, asking for very little in return other than her
trust. Despite his reluctance to go to Padstow, he had nevertheless
gone along with the plans and accompanied her without protest,
enduring fights, a carriage accident, fear and worry along the way
in order to protect her.

Now, he
had even managed to tame a feral beast in an attempt to ease the
worries of a woman he didn’t even know, purely because she was
Jemima’s friend.

She
loved him more than ever and felt certain that her future lay with
him, wherever he chose to live. If she was honest, although it was
wonderful to be back in her home town again, she longed for the
easy-going close-knit village of her youth. The Padstow it had
become was foreign to her, and she would be glad to leave it
behind.

She
wondered if Eliza felt the same way, and watched her sister as she
walked alongside Edward. To look at her, so relaxed and carefree,
she could be out for a Sunday afternoon stroll rather than
outrunning a skirmish between smugglers and Redcoats.

It was
as though Harriett had read her mind.

“
Do you think we will ever have the old Padstow back?”
Harriett paused, and looked back for a moment to study the village
she had once considered home.

“
I think it will take a while to heal, for locals to resume
their lives, and people who have been forced out to understand that
it is perfectly safe to return, but I am sure that their own love
for the village will make them come back at some point,” Jemima
replied gently. If she was honest, she wasn’t sure that the Padstow
they had grown up in wasn’t already gone for good.

“
I think smuggling has had its day,” Edward added from beside
them. “After today, I think the memories of what could befall them
will stop even the most determined fisherman from smuggling
anything.”

“
This way.” Hugo paused beside a gap in the hedgerow and waved
everyone through into the field beyond.

“
Wait!” Peter whispered suddenly, frowning as he studied the
hedgerow surrounding the field. Every hair on his body stood on
end, his senses screaming that something was amiss. Harrold began
to squirm in his arms, his hackles rising as he glanced toward the
same corner of the field in which Peter had detected
movement.

“
What is it, boy? Do you sense it too?” Peter murmured,
rubbing the cat’s ears.

Although
everything looked still and quiet, he had the distinct feeling they
were being watched, and he was clearly not alone. Harrold’s steady
yellow gaze was locked firmly on the hedgerow only a few feet
away.

Hugo
moved to stand by him, sensing Peter’s concern. He knew that Peter
had a very long service history, having earned many medals for
bravery during his time in the army, and that was enough for Hugo.
If Peter decided something was amiss, they all needed to pay
attention.

“
We’re being watched,” Peter muttered directly into Hugo’s ear
before turning and gently placing Harrold in Harriett’s
arms.

“
Stay with the ladies,” Hugo ordered Edward, not waiting for
his agreement before Peter scurried off in one direction and Hugo
the other. They circled the field, disappearing through the thicket
as silently as the gentle breeze that teased them.

Tension
and fear hovered over the group as they waited, cowering against
the meagre protection of the bushes.

Jemima
sighed with relief when Peter eventually reappeared through the
thicket a few feet ahead of them, a frown on his face. Hugo joined
them from the opposite direction.

“
We are being followed,” Hugo whispered softly. “He isn’t one
of Scraggan’s men as far as I am aware, but we have got to get
moving.”

“
Who is he?” Jemima asked, shooting Peter a worried frown.
Immediately her thoughts turned to the wheel on the cart that had
nearly killed them.

Peter
knew what she was thinking and hastened to offer her some
reassurance, even if he wasn’t entirely convinced
himself.

“
We don’t know at the moment, it could just be someone being
nosy. But we can’t take risks. The sooner we are through the line
of Redcoats the better.” Hugo shook his head, wishing he had more
men. He motioned for everyone to start moving, quietly moving to
walk beside Harriett, while Peter moved to Jemima’s side and Edward
walked with his arm around Eliza.

They
were tense as they stumbled through field after field before
eventually breaking out onto a coastal path. Although clearly
visible, they couldn’t see Padstow anymore and felt relatively safe
that, as long as they stuck to the path they could see all around
them, and notice anyone approaching before they actually got close
enough to pose a threat.

As they
crested the brow of a small hill, Jemima gasped at the sight that
met her eyes. Directly ahead lay a group of at least fifty
Redcoats, fully armed and formed in a line that stretched as far as
she could see. Jemima had never seen so many soldiers in her life,
much less in such stunning display.

“
Oh lordy,” Harriett whispered, drawing to a halt and staring
openly at them.

“
Wait here,” Hugo ordered, leaving them for a moment and
approaching a man in an officer’s uniform. From their position on
the path they couldn’t hear what was being said, but Jemima watched
as the officer glanced across the fields toward Padstow before
nodding.

Then
Hugo beckoned them to walk between two of the soldiers, who made no
attempt to break ranks or even glance at them as they
passed.

Their
unblinking stares as they stood to attention, accompanied by the
huge guns they carried, scared Jemima, and she instinctively sought
Peter’s comfort. Moving to him, she didn’t hesitate to clasp hold
of his hand and sidle close to him as they walked past. Peter
glanced down at her, sensing her disquiet, and immediately curled
an arm around her waist as they walked. Once again, the shadows
were in her eyes, and he hated it.

As they
passed him, Hugo studied the blatant fear in Harriett’s face. To
him, the sight of the men was commendable. Despite their basic
accommodation, each man was highly polished, each gun glistening
with readiness. An air of expectancy hung over the men as they
waited for the conflict for which they had trained so hard. To
anyone who wasn’t used to such a sight, it was terrifying and
overwhelming. Glancing sympathetically at Harriett, he slowed down
to walk silently alongside her.

They had
gone only a few feet when a loud crack directly behind them made
the ladies gasp in alarm. Harriett spun on her heel in fear, her
round eyes staring in shock as she struggled to absorb what she was
seeing.

The
soldiers had snapped to attention and, as one, positioned their
weapons. Under the orders of the sergeant, they began to move
forward.

Their
mission, it appeared, had begun.

Harriett
turned worried eyes to Hugo, who stood watching them silently for
several moments.

“
Sorry they frightened you.” He offered her a gentle smile. “I
didn’t think to forewarn anyone what they were going to do. Edward
and Peter have been soldiers, so knew what to expect. I forgot you
ladies wouldn’t be used to the ways of the army.”

“
It’s all right,” Harriett murmured, staring at the rapidly
retreating backs of the Redcoats with something like fear in her
eyes.

“
What is it?” Hugo asked with a frown. Something about her
behaviour hinted that she wasn’t being entirely honest with them.
Was there someone in the village she was worried about? Was her
informant really a smuggler? “Worried about someone?”

Harriett
jolted suddenly, snapping out of her thoughts. Quickly shaking her
head, she turned away from the forbidding sight of the soldiers
with a shudder and followed the others along the path, aware that
Hugo was still watching her and waiting for an answer.

“
I’m fine,” she whispered, refusing to meet his gaze for fear
of revealing the truth.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Although
they had continued to walk, Jemima couldn’t forget the forbidding
line of soldiers moving toward the small fishing port of Padstow.
It seemed that Harriett and Eliza were equally disturbed by the
sight they had just witnessed.

“
Hugo,” Harriett hesitated to ask the man anything, but wanted
answers before they moved too far away from her house. “When they
sweep through the village, will they do any damage?”

“
They are under instructions to check every house thoroughly.
Unfortunately, that will include your house, but the captain -” he
glanced at Harriett, wondering if she knew he had been speaking to
the captain a moment earlier, “the captain is under strict
instructions to ensure that any damage caused by their forced entry
into your house is repaired and the house secured before they leave
it. He knows and understands he will be severely reprimanded if he
doesn’t ensure it is done.” His voice left everyone without doubt
that he meant every word.

Jemima
felt sorry for the captain, and hoped he succeeded in his
mission.

“
Do you think they will catch the person who has been
following us?” Jemima asked after several moments of
silence.

Hugo
smiled at her. “Oh, most definitely. He will be rounded up and
questioned along with everyone else.”

“
He?” Harriett’s voice was sharp as she stared at Hugo.
Realising everyone was staring at her, she flicked Jemima a quick
smile before turning toward Hugo. It took a lot of effort to appear
relaxed and mildly curious about his answer. “What makes you think
it is a man?”

“
Because no woman would be hiding in bushes,” Peter replied.
Although he had nothing against Jemima’s friend, there was
something about the woman that warned him that she wasn’t being
totally honest with them.