Beyond the Duke's Domain: Ducal Encounters Series 4 Book 4 Page 7

  ‘You make it sound as though I have somehow strong-armed him, but I assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.’

  ‘Strong-arming is not your way,’ Zach replied. ‘Coercion and applying to one’s conscience are more your style.’

  The dogs sat up and barked in tandem. Zach glanced at the French doors and noticed Frankie’s cat Pagan sitting immediately outside, washing his face, taunting the poor canines.

  ‘That cat is evil,’ Amos said, laughing.

  ‘Well named, too,’ Vince added.

  ‘Perhaps you are right about my methods, but don’t shoot the messenger.’ Clarence leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair, supporting the side of his face in his cupped hand and focusing a speculative gaze upon their visitor. ‘Have you had an opportunity to consider my proposal?’ he asked.

  ‘Steady on, Clarence,’ Amos said, raising a hand in protest. ‘Our guest only just got here. I dare say you have vitally important matters of Anglo-Spanish relations to resolve, but Raphael deserves a break.’

  ‘In normal circumstances, I would agree with you.’

  ‘When are the circumstances you become embroiled in ever normal?’ Zach asked.

  ‘True, but I only brought this particular issue to your door because it involves your family.’ Zach flexed a brow. ‘Amos in particular, I think.’

  ‘Then tell all,’ Amos replied, sharing a bemused look with his brothers.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Raphael said. ‘I have been considering…’

  His words trailed off when someone tapped at the door. Irritated by the timing but aware that no one would interrupt them unless it was important, Zach barked out an order to enter.

  Raph was the only man in the room who seemed unsurprised when Ariana walked in. She waved the gentlemen back into their seats when they stood up. Raph scowled at her, but she pretended not to notice and seated herself in the chair that the duke held out for her.

  ‘I apologise for the intrusion,’ she said, ‘but I do not trust Raphael to tell you what we agreed between ourselves last night.’

  ‘We didn’t agree to anything,’ Raph replied, an edge to his voice.

  ‘Which is precisely what I expected you to say, thus vindicating my intrusion.’

  ‘Would one of you please have the courtesy to explain?’ Lord Amos asked, fixing a narrow-eyed look of suspicion upon Ariana before transferring it to Lord Romsey.

  ‘I was not aware that you intended to enlighten your sister.’ There was no accusation in Romsey’s tone, but Raph was left in no doubt about his disapproval.

  ‘I wish someone would enlighten us.’ It was the duke who replied, and he appeared to be running out of patience.

  ‘The sea captain who…’ Raph paused to swallow down his anger. And guilt. ‘The man who duped my sisters into getting into his vessel is still plying his trade.’

  ‘What?’ The duke sent Lord Romsey a sharp look. ‘I thought we had dealt with St John. I was at the Assizes when he was sentenced to be transported. Fortescue got off more lightly because he told us everything he knew about the scheme, but was still sent to gaol and won’t be out for a very long time.’

  Raph shared a look with Ariana. He didn’t know all the particulars about the aftermath of that terrible situation, but was aware that St John was the brother of the duchess’s first husband. He had been out for revenge, which is why everyone assumed he had made his headquarters in this part of the world.

  ‘St John is no longer involved, Zach.’ Romsey waved a placating hand. ‘If I thought there was the slightest possibility of his somehow manipulating matters from the other side of the world then I would have discussed the matter with you immediately. I know your first thought is for Frankie’s wellbeing.’

  ‘I suspect,’ Lord Amos said, rubbing his chin as he paced the length of the room, ‘that such a lucrative operation is not that easy to close down. You cut off the head and it grows another, and the sea captain is a vital cog.’

  Lord Romsey nodded. ‘Precisely.’

  ‘Why foreign girls?’ Lord Vincent asked, which Raph thought to be a very good question. ‘After the war, everything across the Channel was in disarray and there were plenty of displaced people easy to exploit. But the war’s been over for more than a decade. Surely, if they require…’ He paused and glanced at Ariana, without completing his thought.

  ‘If they want untouched girls, there are plenty in this country,’ the duke finished briskly.

  ‘We know that they don’t want girls from the backstreets,’ Lord Romsey replied.

  ‘Why?’ Lord Amos asked. ‘Do they intend to engage in polite conversation?’

  ‘I can’t answer that question, Amos. I wish I could.’ Romsey stood and leaned one arm on the mantlepiece. ‘One assumes that girls from the middle classes or higher are easier to snatch or manipulate, as they did with Ariana and her sister, in a foreign country. If girls from that strata of society regularly disappeared in this country then the alarm would be raised.’

  The duke grunted. ‘Very likely.’

  ‘Are they still operating in this area, do you know, Clarence?’ Vince asked. ‘Who runs the operation now, come to that?’

  ‘They are still in the locality, I believe,’ Lord Romsey replied, frustration in his tone. ‘They are more cautious now, and slippery as eels. But they also get away with doing more or less as they please because they believe they are going about their business undetected.’

  ‘Where do the girls…’ The duke glanced at Ariana and his words trailed off.

  ‘It’s perfectly all right to speak freely in front of me, your grace,’ she replied calmly. ‘I am aware that Martina and I would have been sold off to a brothel, or to unscrupulous individuals, had not Lord Amos…’ She shuddered and looked unnaturally pale, increasing Raph’s feelings of culpability. He reached across and squeezed her hand. ‘We were made to parade ourselves in front of men like caged animals, wearing little more than our dignity.’

  ‘We know frustratingly little about the organisation, or who is behind it and why they have risked continuing to ply their trade through Winchester for that matter,’ Lord Romsey said, sending Ariana a sympathetic smile. ‘And we only know that much because the captain came to the notice of some of my colleagues in Whitehall. He is responsible for a large-scale smuggling operation—’

  ‘What does he bring in?’ Lord Vincent asked.

  ‘Gemstones were part of St John’s operation,’ the duke said before Lord Romsey could respond. ‘But I doubt whether a lowly sea captain would have the necessary contacts to continue in that line.’

  ‘Don’t underestimate the man, Zach,’ Lord Romsey advised. ‘He is very well connected. The human cargo he brings in is his main source of income, but there is also a good living to be made from wine, spirits, tobacco, lace and tea…’ He spread his hands. ‘That sort of thing. They are all products that are in great demand, no questions asked, especially tea. Were you aware that less than half of the tea drunk in this country is brought in legally?’

  ‘Given the high rate of taxation placed upon it, that’s not to be wondered at,’ Lord Amos said.

  ‘The revenue has been ordered by the prime minister to cut down the import of illegal goods,’ Lord Romsey explained.

  ‘Ha!’ The duke barked on a laugh. ‘How are they supposed to go about preventing such things? Smuggling is a way of life. Has been for centuries. Reduce taxation to increase income, that would be my suggestion. Put the smugglers out of business by not making it worth their while to risk it.’

  ‘Not my department, dear boy.’ Romsey offered a mirthless smile. ‘Anyway, orders have been given and the smugglers have come under increased scrutiny as a consequence, which is how Cutler’s activities came to the notice of the authorities. Cutler makes shore anywhere along the south coast when he has contraband to offload, but when he has human cargo he boldly sails into London docks and gets away with it. Or he has until now. Easier to get the girls into a wagon in a crowded docksid
e, one assumes.’

  ‘One also assumes that if the vessel is searched by honest customs men, of whom I hope we still have a few,’ Lord Amos mused, ‘then the girls hidden in the bowels of the ship are less likely to be detected.’

  Lord Romsey inclined his head. ‘One escaped from a wagon transporting them from a remote anchorage in Kent recently. We can only assume that Cutler somehow got word we were waiting for him in London and so he altered his landing place. Deviating from his routine probably meant that transportation had to be arranged in a hurry, thereby affording the fortunate girl the opportunity to escape. Purely by chance, she was rescued by an honest landowner, which is how we know the trade is still going on. She was lucky. The girl is Italian but spoke decent English and knew they were being taken to Winchester, because she heard their destination being discussed.’

  Raph watched the duke and his brothers exchange a concerned look.

  ‘But why?’ the duke asked, scratching his ear. ‘Why Winchester? I know why St John wanted to work in the district, but the reasoning behind this latest abomination is baffling.’

  ‘The last place anyone would think to look?’ Lord Amos suggested. ‘A distance from London, but not that far, and it’s easy to hide in a thriving city.’

  ‘Until we discover who has taken over the operation, we can but speculate,’ Lord Vincent pointed out.

  ‘Someone locally who has a position to maintain and is seriously short of blunt,’ the duke mused, standing also to pace as he thought the matter through, watched by his adoring dogs. ‘Someone who bears me a massive grudge.’

  He stopped dead in his tracks and turned abruptly to face his brothers.

  ‘Basingstoke!’ the three of them said together.

  ‘You suspected him all along,’ the duke said, sending a suspicious glance Lord Romsey’s way.

  ‘The possibility crossed my mind, but I have no way of being certain,’ the earl replied with an airy wave.

  The duke narrowed his eyes at his sister’s husband, clearly not convinced. Raph wasn’t surprised. All the spymasters he had dealt with had been similarly evasive, only revealing as much about any particular mission as they considered prudent—which was almost never everything they knew. Secrecy appeared to be an essential aspect of their particular line of work, even when it was unnecessary.

  ‘Please, your grace.’ Raphael’s voice cut through the tension and all heads turned in his direction. ‘Basingstoke is a town near here, is it not?’

  ‘It is also the name of an earl who lives close by. He and Zach do not see eye to eye, which Clarence knows full well.’ Amos sent Romsey a cutting look of his own. ‘Is he in dun territory again, Zach?’

  The duke shrugged. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me.’ He turned to face Raph. ‘Basingstoke’s behaviour doesn’t do anything to enhance the standing of the aristocracy. He is arrogant and thinks nothing of the fate of the ordinary man at this difficult time in our country’s history. That alone is enough to render him unpopular. He and I have always disagreed and have as little as possible to do with one another. Unfortunately, I cannot ignore him altogether because he is a neighbour and we are sometimes obliged to jointly decide upon matters peculiar to the district. We seldom agree, but thankfully most of the other influential men in the vicinity usually see my point of view.’

  ‘Basingstoke had hopes of marrying a wealthy lady who came to stay here once, but she decided in favour of the Irish portraitist who was also a guest at the time,’ Lord Amos went on to explain. ‘We suspected that he encouraged St John to bring Ariana and the others to this area in the hope of implicating Zach in his despicable trade. But he’s a canny individual and he was careful to distance himself, so nothing could be proven. Always supposing that he was the mastermind, that is, which I find easy to believe.’ He threw back his head and sighed. ‘Clearly, he hasn’t given up his thoughts of revenge.’

  ‘Perhaps his estate is a useful place to conceal the girls?’ Lord Vincent suggested.

  The duke shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t take the chance. He doesn’t pay his servants well enough to guarantee their loyalty. One of them would speak out.’

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Raph said. ‘Are we seeking to expose this Captain Cutler, or is it the downfall of Lord Basingstoke you hope to achieve?’

  ‘Why can we not do both?’ Lord Romsey asked with a benign smile.

  The duke sent Romsey a jaundiced look. ‘Finally, we get to the heart of your problem, Clarence. You expect Sanchez-Gomez here, and as many of us as you can rope in, to do your work for you.’

  ‘You will be wasting your time.’

  Ariana’s confident tone caused all the men in the room to look her way.

  ‘What do you mean?’ the duke asked.

  ‘Lord Basingstoke knows you despise him, and I would imagine he wants to draw you into a trap of some sort,’ Ariana replied. ‘He must be aware that Martina and I are safe and well, living beneath your protection and he must realise that you are fully aware of the method by which we were brought into this country. Perhaps he deliberately sought the services of Captain Cutler, aware that he would be recognised sooner or later and that you would be obliged to do something about it.’

  Lord Amos gave an admiring chuckle. ‘She’s right, Zach. We could be playing straight into their conniving hands.’

  The duke harrumphed. ‘In that case, I would welcome suggestions.’

  ‘We need to set a trap,’ Ariana said, tapping her index finger against her teeth. ‘Something they will never suspect.’

  ‘We do,’ Raph said sternly, ‘but you cannot be involved, Ariana. It’s too dangerous.’

  She smiled sweetly at Raph. ‘That’s as maybe,’ she replied. ‘But I don’t see what you can hope to achieve without my help. Captain Cutler is probably still smarting because Martina and I outwitted his co-conspirators and managed to escape. I dare say that given the opportunity to recoup his investment, he would not hesitate.’

  ‘No!’ every man in the room cried simultaneously, but Raph noticed that Lord Amos’s voice was the loudest of all.

  Chapter Six

  Ariana was conscious of every male face in the room turning towards her, and felt nervous about challenging such authoritative figures. Who was she to tell a duke and his powerful brothers—as well as Lord Romsey and an over-protective brother of her own—how to catch the mastermind behind the operation? Even so, she had to try, and subtlety was called for.

  She took a moment to clear her throat and gather her thoughts, aware of Amos’s unwavering gaze focused upon her and the forbidding frown that creased his brow. Clearly, it would not just be Raph who raised objections to the plan formulating inside her head.

  A warmth spread through her at this latest example of her employer’s concern for her welfare. Since Raph’s arrival he had closed himself off and kept a distance from her in ways so small that only she had noticed. She worried that he had ceded responsibility for her welfare, even though she had not asked him to assume it. More importantly, she worried that she had imagined the growing intimacy between them. Perhaps it would make things less complicated if she had, and that she had mistaken his gratitude for something more fundamental. She could never match up to his dead wife’s memory, and it was ridiculous even to allow the possibility to occasionally slip past her guard.

  Ariana decided that the blame for her speculations rested solely on Amos’s broad shoulders. He had no business giving her a valuable horse as a present and insisting upon riding with her every day. He shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to find Raph, making her think he had done so to please her. And he most definitely should not have kissed her, confusing her and making her forget her priorities.

  She should not have allowed him to do any of those things but given her time over would likely not change anything.

  ‘I have seen Lord Basingstoke once or twice in the local villages,’ she said, forcing her mind back to the present when she realised that she had lost herself in thought for a moment to
o long and that they were all sending her increasingly concerned looks. ‘I became aware of him watching me, and the duchess told me who he was.’ She shuddered. ‘Without speaking a word to him, I took him in instant dislike. Her grace told me something of his ill-feeling towards the duke, and I assumed that accounted for the hostility I sensed about him. So few people look at the duchess with anything other than the utmost respect, but Basingstoke scowled and deliberately turned his back on her.’

  ‘Frankie didn’t mention this,’ the duke muttered.

  ‘She probably didn’t want you to react to the slight,’ Lord Vince suggested.

  ‘Either way, in the light of what Lord Romsey has just told us, only now does it occur to me that he was perhaps fixated more upon me than the duchess.’

  ‘Go on,’ the duke said with an encouraging nod when Ariana hesitated.

  ‘I overheard him speaking to someone when we passed him in the street, and his voice was instantly familiar. I knew that I had heard it somewhere before. It made me shudder for reasons that were not apparent to me at the time. I put it from my mind and did not think of it again—until now.’ She fixed each of them in turn with a concentrated look. ‘This discussion has brought it all back to me.’

  ‘Where did you hear him speak before, Ariana?’ Amos asked softly.

  ‘When Martina and I were…’ She swallowed and allowed a brief pause while she got her emotions under control. As things stood, she would have an uphill struggle to get these formidable gentlemen to agree to her plan. They most definitely wouldn’t do so if they thought it was the product of a hysterical mind. ‘When we were being held captive, I told you that I thought the man holding us, whom we now know to have been St John, was in the adjoining room, watching us sometimes through a gap in the wall.’