A scraping rasp heralded the culprit’s arrival on shore. Henry observed the figure dragging the boat a short way up, so it would not float away of its own accord. He tried to get a closer look of the man, but the cretin wore a dark, hooded cloak to conceal his face.
“Boy?” the figure hissed, as he crept toward the cave where David was hiding.
Following the procedure that had previously been arranged, David poked his head out of the gaping hole. His body followed, revealing the threadbare clothes that he had been wearing earlier. Arabella had gifted him new ones, but he was told not to wear them until after this confrontation had come to an end.
“I thought I told you to greet the boat when I rowed in?” the hooded man said sharply, but the boy merely shrugged.
“I don’t remember you sayin’ that, Master. All I remember is you tellin’ me to stay hidden until you called for me, which you’re doin’ now.” David walked further along the stony beach and perched on the edge of the boulder that looked like a chaise-longue. Henry held his breath, for it could not have been more than twelve paces away from where he crouched in readiness.
The moment is almost upon us, men. Brace yourselves.He braced himself in kind, wrapping his fingers around the handle of his pistol—already loaded with black powder. He did not want to use it, but that would depend on how this cretin behaved.
The hooded man followed David. “Is it done?”
“I thought that’s why you wanted to meet me here?” David took a strip of dried meat out of his pocket and chewed on it. “Didn’t you see well enough for yourself? It’s ruined, like you asked. No one will be livin’ in there for a long while.”
The hooded man let out a quiet, cold laugh. “It was fortuitous that I happened upon you when I did, David. You are as skilled with a flame as you said you were.” He paused. “What of the vineyards? Did you destroy them?”
“Part of them, aye.” David continued to chew. “The wind was all wrong, though. It didn’t take. Still, if you think you’re goin’ to rob me of what I’m owed for that, you can think again. I did what you asked, now give over what’s mine.”
The hooded man harrumphed. “Then, you have not done what I asked. You have done part of what I asked, and that deserves part of what you are owed.” He reached into his hood and drew out a coin purse. “Two-thirds of the fee that was agreed, and not a coin more.”
As the man counted out the coins, Henry seized his opportunity. He lunged out of the cave, bellowing, “Now!”
Driven by the sheer power of his anger, Henry charged at the hooded wretch and tackled him to the ground in one swift movement. It took half a second for the wretch to begin fighting back, tussling with Henry in a tense wrestling match. They rolled across the uneven shingle, Henry trying to feint the cretin’s flailing blows, while also attempting to lodge his knee in the hooded man’s chest to keep him pinned down.
Why is this so familiar?Henry frowned as he ducked another blow a moment too late. Knuckles skimmed across his jaw, making him wince as pain skidded up the side of his face.
Recovering swiftly from the marginal knock, Henry noticed something glint beneath the fold of the other man’s cloak. A pistol. A familiar one. One his mind recognized, as if in a dream.
Just then, the other men came running and at lightning speed, they grabbed the hooded man’s arms and dragged him out from under Henry. Henry staggered back as he got to his feet, disoriented by the pain ricocheting up his cheek and into his skull, bouncing between his temples.
The stablemaster, Tom Wiggins, could have held the fellow on his own without any fear of letting him get away, but two footmen clearly wanted some of the victory for themselves. So, they took an arm each, gripping tight as Tom held the cretin around his middle, ignoring the desperate kicks backward that collided with strong shins.
“Can I go to the Miss now?” David looked to Henry for permission.
Henry nodded stiffly. “Tell her the wretch is caught, but do not allow her to come down here yet.”
“Aye, M’Lord.” David hurried off, unbothered by the fact that he would not receive what was owed. Arabella had already promised to pay him the sum, while Henry had promised to gain him a position on a ship leaving England, on the proviso that he did not return permanently. The boy had readily accepted the terms and continued to seem rather pleased by the turn of fate.
Hearing the boy’s footsteps dislodging small stones as he ascended, Henry approached the captive. “Itwasfortuitous that you happened on a young man such as him, for it appears he had more conscience than you anticipated. That has worked, as you can see, in our favor.” He wrenched the fellow’s hood back and froze.
Now, he understood why the earlier tussle had seemed so familiar.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“M’Lord said you weren’t to go down there!” David yelled, sprinting after Arabella, who had broken free of the tree line and was running, full pelt, toward the cliff edge. Rain slanted down into her face, blurring her vision, but she did not care. She had every right to see the wretch’s unveiling after all he had done to her, and to those she cared for.
Cassie gave chase, too, hiking up her skirts so she might run faster. “Get back here, Milady! It’s not safe! You’re making me old before my time!”
Unable to heed their pleas, for a far greater force was driving Arabella’s legs onward, she made it to the top of the stone steps. They had grown slippery beneath the driving rain, giving her cause for hesitation. She did not want Cassie following her down here, in case her dear friend lost her footing.
“Milady, please!” Cassie howled.
“I must do this, Cassie. He almost took us from one another! I would look such a villain in the eye!” With an apologetic glance back, Arabella sat down and shuffled her way down the steps. It was the only way to achieve a descent without risking a broken neck, regardless of how foolish she must have looked.
To her relief, Cassie copied the motion, bouncing down the steps on her behind. They made a comical pair, but the fire-starting culprit, whoever he was, would not have cause to laugh once Arabella was finished with him. She had been practicing a scathing speech in the trees and would not rest until he had heard every word.
Landing with an ungainly thud on the bottom step, Arabella was up on her feet and running toward the cluster of men within seconds. Her mouth was already half open, preparing to unleash her vitriol, when the sight of a man reflected in the glow of a lantern made her come to an abrupt stop.
