The Lady's Second-Chance Suitor, Scott, Regina [e novels to read online .TXT] 📗

Before anyone else could comment, a door opened in the wallnear the smuggler, and Ike Bascom stepped out, fingers clutching a long-handledbrass warming pan. Hester’s heart sank. She shook her head at him, praying hewould understand and save himself, but he strolled up to the smuggler andnodded politely.

“Morning, Mr. Sharpless. Having some trouble, are we?”

Hester stared at him, but she thought she heard Rob growl.

The smuggler frowned at Ike but returned the nod. “You’reHenry Bascom’s boy. Are you working for Mr. Chalder now?”

“No,” Ike said, and he swung the warming pan hard. Itclanged against the smuggler’s grizzled head.

Hester took a step back as the fellow fell with a thud tothe carpet at her feet.

“Sorry, my lord,” Ike said to Rob as Mr. Donner hurriedforward to relieve their fallen foe of his weapons. “After walking thecorridors all night, I overslept, only to find this lot about. Where’s everyoneelse?”

Hester managed a breath as Rob moved to clap the youth onhis shoulder.

“Most of the staff is in the kitchen,” he explained, “beingwatched by another of these ruffians. Can you and Mr. Donner secure this fellowand then free them?”

Mr. Donner glanced up from where he’d crouched beside thesmuggler. “What do you intend to do, my lord?”

To Hester’s surprise, he looked to her. “What do you think ofour chances of reaching the village and bringing back help?”

She gathered her thoughts with difficulty. “I’ve heard there’sa path behind St. Andrew’s that leads up onto the Lodge headland. If we canfind it through the debris from the storm, we’ll come out at the church.”

“And the magistrate’s home is right next door,” Rob saidwith a grin. “Sounds like an adventure to me.”

It did to her too, but immediately she saw the problem. Howcould they make the journey and return in time to catch the smugglers? Mindsorting through options, she turned to Mr. Donner, who had risen to standbeside Ike, cutlass in his hand, while the smuggler lay at his feet.

“You mentioned a distraction, Mr. Donner,” she said. “Whatwe need is a delay.”

Ike nodded. “A good lander will have that ship cleared inless than an hour.”

“Only if he has a good crew,” Hester reasoned. “A crew thathas, apparently, been hiding in a shed for most of the night.”

“They’ll want food, water,” Rob pointed out.

Hester’s conviction grew. “If we lace it with something tomake them drowsy, that might slow their progress enough so we can return withaid.”

“Our physician in London prescribed laudanum for Elizabeth,”Rob offered. “Her maid, Kinsey, will know where to find it.”

“But how can we get them to eat it?” Donner protested. “Theyaren’t likely to trust us.”

“They’ll trust me,” Ike predicted. “That’s at least somethingto be said for being the son of a smuggler.”

“It’s decided then,” Rob said. “Good luck, gentlemen.Hester, I will follow your lead.”

Hester smiled. The smugglers of Grace-by-the-Sea had justmet their match.

Her optimism carried her out the front door. The sight thatmet her eyes brought her up short.

Two of the trees had fallen across the drive, their trunkssplintered by the crash, limbs twisted like fingers reaching for the sky.Branches broken from other trees and bushes lay here, there, everywhere. Afitful wind plucked at them and set them to rocking as if they sought to fleeas well. The tang of the sea hung in the air. Everything shouted at her to turnback.

She squared her shoulders. “This way.”

As if he had complete faith in her, Rob followed.

It took her a little while to thread her way through thedebris, every moment like a ticking clock in her head, but she managed tolocate the path to the village, and they started down. Below, she could seeover most of the rooftops of Grace-by-the-Sea. More than one was missingshingles. Even the thatched cottages looked battered, odd pieces sticking up,like brooding hens with ruffled feathers.

They reached the bottom of the path near St. Andrew’s, andRob gave her hand a tug. Together, they ran around the churchyard to the housenext to it and through its front garden to pound at the door. Hester’s heartleaped when the magistrate’s mother, Mrs. Howland, answered.

“Hester, Lord Peverell?” she said, blinking. “Have you comefrom the Lodge? Is everything all right?”

“No,” Hester said, stumbling into the warm front hall. “Weneed help.”

“Smugglers have overtaken the Lodge,” Rob explained. “We’vecome to alert the magistrate.”

Mrs. Howland gripped Hester’s arm as if she would keep herin place from sheer force of will. “He’s not here. He, the vicar, your brother,and all the men of the militia are out rescuing families from the aftermath ofthat storm. Trees came down on houses and shops. Two oaks fell to block theentrances to the castle. We wouldn’t have known if Miranda hadn’t shinniedthrough the wreckage and run to the village to tell us.”

Rob sagged. “Then we’ll never stop the smugglers in time.”

Hester raised her head. “Yes, we will. The magistrate andthe Men’s Militia aren’t the only valiant fighters in this area.Grace-by-the-Sea has a Women’s Militia, and I know who leads it. We must findAbigail Bennett.”

~~~

Rob had left the Lodge with Hester at his side, but hereturned with a veritable army at his back. Hester had located Abigail Bennettin the center of the village, directing the work of repairing some of the shopsthat had had windows blown in.

“We’ll call out the Women’s Militia,” the painter promisedafter Hester had told her what had happened at the Lodge. “Some are securingtheir homes, but I’m sure we can find enough to rout these brigands. Still, wemight want to ensure we have something to fall back on in case they reach theship and set sail.” She nodded to a woman who had been helping her. “Maisy—findCaptain St. Claire and tell him we have need of the Siren’s Call off thewest headland.”

In the end, Abigail; Mrs. Catchpole, the employment agencyowner; the Misses Pierce of the linens and trimmings shop; Mrs. Ellison, thewife of the baker; Mrs. Mance, Hester’s assistant teacher; three other ladiesof the village; Jesslyn Denby; and Mrs. Tully followed them up the headland.The women were armed with staves for the most part, though Abigail had a