Less Than a Gentleman (19 page)

He frowned at her. To hell with her wish to cease their relationship. It was true the timing was wrong, but that didn’t mean he could simply extinguish his desire like blowing out a candle. If anything, the flame was burning hotter than ever.

“We’re not that far from the Great House and the guards,” he explained. “We have to be quiet.”

She huffed. “Do you think I’m dense, Thomas?”

No, he thought she was magnificent. The war wouldn’t last forever. He would wait. And never give up.

“Is Francis Marion coming?” Jacob leaned against a nearby peach tree, studying the men in the distance.

“No. ’Twill be my courier Richard and—” Matthias stopped when Caroline gasped.

“No squealing,” Matthias warned.

“My father?” She turned to Matthias. When he nodded, a smile blossomed on her face that stopped his heart for a second.

“Thank you!” She kissed his cheek, then dashed through the trees headed for her father.

Matthias sighed. She wouldn’t thank him when she realized his true purpose for inviting her here. He couldn’t make her stop spying, but her father could. One word from Major Munro and Caroline’s days of espionage would be over.

The huge Scotsman broke into a run. He caught his daughter in his arms and spun her about, her feet off the ground as if she were no older than Charlotte. With a laugh, Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight.

At first Matthias smiled, but slowly a hollow feeling seeped into his pores. Would he ever see his father again? If he did, it wouldn’t be a happy reunion like this. He couldn’t recall his father ever embracing him.

He glanced at Jacob. Had Father been affectionate with him? Had they laughed together on their stools, side by side, in the workroom?

Jacob observed the reunion in the distance, his face harsh with emotion. “In case you didn’t know, our father is dying.”

Matthias blinked. He waited for a sense of loss to affect him, willed it to happen like the dutiful son, but nothing. Nothing but cold, hard anger toward the man who had betrayed his wife and used his power as slave owner to force young maids to his bed. “I guess you’ll get your wish that he rots in prison.”

Jacob pushed away from the peach tree. “That’s all you have to say? Are you that eager to inherit the land? And the slaves? Hell, you could even own your own brother.”

Matthias gritted his teeth. He should have never come back to this godforsaken place. “What makes you think I want any of it?” Without another word, he strode toward his cousin.

“Are you all right?” Richard asked, slapping him on the shoulder.

Matthias winced. “I’m fine. Where are your horses?”

“Simon is nearby, guarding them in the woods.”

Matthias motioned to where Caroline stood, still in her father’s embrace. “May I introduce Caroline Munro?”

“I’m delighted to meet you, Miss Munro.” Richard bowed and flashed Matt a smile that conveyed his approval. “My cousin has been singing your praises.”

“Indeed?” Caroline wiped tears from her face. “Thomas is your cousin?”

Frowning at his cousin, Matthias shook his head. Then he extended a hand to Caroline’s father. “Thomas Haversham, sir. I am pleased to meet you.”

“Haversham, ye say?” Jamie Munro crushed Matt’s hand in a brutal handshake.

Matthias figured his smile looked more like a grimace. “Yes, sir.”

“And who is yer friend behind you?” Munro asked.

Matthias glanced over his shoulder, surprised that Jacob was still there.

“You must be Jacob.” With a smile, Richard shook Jacob’s hand. “I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

“You’re . . . Richard? The cousin?” Jacob asked.

“My parents would be happy to meet you,” Richard continued. “You should come for dinner.”

“I . . .” Jacob withdrew his hand. “I don’t usually leave the plantation.”

“Jacob, is it?” Jamie stretched out a hand. “I’m Major Munro, Caroline’s father.”

“How do you do?” Jacob shook his hand.

Matthias glanced at the sky. The last of the sunlight was fading away. “We should take care of business. Major, could I speak to you in private for a moment?”

Jamie Munro looped an arm around his daughter. “Why in private,
Haversham
? Ye wouldna be keeping secrets from my daughter now, would you?”

Matthias could feel the man’s eyes focused on him, sharp as daggers. He took a deep breath. Caroline would hate him for this, but he couldn’t allow her to jeopardize herself. “Your daughter has taken a foolish notion into her head, sir.”

Caroline gasped.

Matthias continued, “She believes she should be allowed to spy upon the British. I have forbidden it, of course, but she refuses to obey.”

“I see.” Major Munro tilted his head to look at his daughter. “Is this true, lass, that ye refused to obey such an order?”

Her gaze dropped to her feet. “Aye.”

“That’s my girl.” Jamie kissed the top of her head.

Matthias’s mouth fell open.

With a grin, Caroline hugged her father. “Thank you.”

“My daughters can make their own decisions,” Jamie announced.

Matthias found his voice. “Sir, it is far too dangerous.”

“Ye think my daughter doesna ken it is dangerous? Do ye think she’s lacking in intelligence, then?”

“No. But I will not allow her to endanger her life.”

“Ye know it is dangerous, lad, but ye do it all the same. Why should Caroline be any different?”

Matthias gritted his teeth. “She is a woman, sir.”

“Aye, and I’m certain ye’ve noticed it on more than one occasion.” Jamie released his daughter and moved closer. “A word of advice, laddie. Ye’re treadin’ on slippery ground here. Ye should start back steppin’ fast before ye drown yerself in a bog.”

Matthias lowered his voice. “Sir, I’m trying to take care of her.”

“Why?”

Why?
What did the major expect? An admission of love? A lump in Matt’s throat choked any hope of a response. God help him, he did love her.

Jamie leaned closer and whispered, “Are ye courting my daughter with a pack of lies, son?”

“I’m not courting her at all.” Matthias raised his voice so Caroline could hear. “Your daughter has made it clear that there will be no relationship between us other than friendship. Isn’t that so, Caroline?”

“Yes, it is,” she whispered.

Thank God he couldn’t see her expression in the dark. It was painful enough just to hear the words.

“Do you have any news to report, Ma— Mr. Haversham?” Richard asked.

“Yes,” Matthias replied. “A new shipment of supplies is scheduled to arrive by barge tomorrow. With the help of a few partisans, I believe we could lighten their load.”

“When do ye want to do it?” Jamie asked.

“ ’Twill have to be tomorrow night,” Matt replied. “They’ll leave the next morning.”

Richard muttered a curse. “Impossible.”

“Aye,” Jamie agreed. “Marion is taking half the group to Georgetown for a raid tomorrow night. Richard and I will be taking the rest to Lenuds Ferry on the Santee. We canna afford to lend you any men.”

Matthias paced away, dragging a hand through his hair. “I don’t see how I can do it on my own.”

“Ye’re no’ alone,” Jamie replied. “Ye have two good helpers right in front of you.”

Matthias spun around. “No! Caroline and Jacob will not take part.”

“I’ll be glad to help,” Caroline said.

“I will, too,” Jacob added.

“There. Ye have yer team.” Jamie extended a hand to Matthias. “Good luck.”

How had he lost complete control? Matthias shook the Scotsman’s hand in a daze. Jamie Munro hugged his daughter, then left with Richard.

“All right,” Caroline said in a breathy, excited voice. “What is the plan for tomorrow night?”

“You’ll be safe in your bed asleep.” Matthias stalked back toward Jacob’s house.

“No, I won’t,” she answered. “I’ll be helping you.”

Matthias picked up his pace, ignoring her.

Caroline snorted. “Who made you the leader, anyway? Jacob and I will do it together. Right, Jacob?”

“I believe we could.”

Matthias pivoted to face them. “You will not.”

Caroline edged around him and kept walking. “Did you hear something, Jacob?”

“Bloody hell.” Matthias clenched his fists and followed them to Jacob’s house.

C
HAPTER
T
W
ENTY-
T
HREE

Thursday, September 28, 1780

“I
f one of those soldiers touches her, I’ll kill him,” Matthias muttered as he squinted through the telescope. From his vantage point, across the river and high in the branches of an oak tree, he could see the entire scene.

Jacob waited at the base of the tree, hidden behind some bushes. As planned, they had spent the day building a raft and preparing a false cargo. Then they had sailed the laden raft across the river and hidden it behind a thick clump of cattails.

That afternoon, three British soldiers had arrived with the supply barge, increasing the number of soldiers at Loblolly to six. Captain Hickman would not be a problem. Thanks to Agatha Ludlow, he would not be venturing from his bedchamber tonight.

Still, the Loyalist captain was taking no chances. He had ordered all five of the remaining soldiers to stand guard throughout the night. As the sun slipped over the horizon, they built a fire.

Right on schedule, Caroline sauntered toward them, a jug of rum in each hand. The soldiers scrambled to their feet, and she smiled at them. The setting sun blazed off her red curls.

Matthias gripped the telescope tighter and cursed softly. “I should never have agreed to this.”

“ ’Twas an excellent notion, drugging them,” Jacob whispered from the base of the tree. “Much better than your plan to capture them all and tie them up.”

“We could have done it.” Matthias watched Caroline sit at the soldiers’ campfire. The men pushed and shoved, each vying for the honor of sitting next to her.

Jacob snorted. “They have us outnumbered. Besides, an overt attack would cause trouble for your mother. ’Tis much better to do this secretly.”

Matthias agreed in theory. The soldiers would never admit that they had fallen asleep while on duty. And the next morning, the supplies would appear untouched. The barge would continue its journey to Cornwallis, the soldiers unaware they had been robbed. Still, it was bloody annoying to watch Caroline flirting with the enemy.

The soldiers guzzled down the rum that Dottie had laced with her sleeping potion. One of them passed a jug to Caroline. Her laughter carried across the river, jolting his nerves. There were five of them. They could gang up on her.

She lifted the jug to her mouth. He hoped she wasn’t swallowing any of it. He had urged Dottie to make it very strong, hoping the soldiers would pass out quickly.

With the sunset, the pink-tinted clouds faded to murky gray, but the campfire lent enough light for him to see. The men continued to drink. Their voices drifted across the river as they entertained each other with bawdy songs. One by one, they toppled over.

Relieved, Matthias climbed down the tree. “Let’s go.”

They poled their raft across the river. As they tied off beside the larger barge, Caroline approached them on the pier.

“Here.” Matthias handed her the shuttered lantern. “Light this from the fire.”

They set straight to work. Matthias and Jacob pried off the tops of barrels and crates. Just as he suspected, the British were transporting food, muskets, and gunpowder—all items the militia sorely needed.

A simple robbery would not suffice. The British would know if crates and barrels were suddenly too light. So they planned to exchange the British cargo for their own worthless one.

The soldiers snored peacefully by the fire while Matthias and his team made the switch. When the raft had taken all the weight it could, they poled it downriver to the gristmill and unloaded the loot.

Matthias lifted a barrel of gunpowder. “I’ll be right back.” He ran to Jacob’s house, deposited the gunpowder on the back porch, then returned to find Caroline and Jacob still storing the stolen loot in the mill.

When they were done, they returned to the enemy camp for another load. Once the British barrels and crates were empty, they filled them with counterfeit cargo, then hammered the lids back on.

“Let’s go.” Matthias helped Caroline onto the raft. She settled on a burlap sack filled with flour. Jacob and Matthias poled the raft downstream.

They left the light of the campfire behind. A crescent moon hovered over them, partially concealed by wispy clouds. The mill clung to the riverbank, an immense black shadow, its huge wheel groaning as it slowly turned and slapped the water. They passed the load they had left at the mill, planning to come back for it later.

Caroline opened the shutters of the lantern completely. “It went well, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” Matthias swatted at a mosquito that buzzed by his ear. “You’re certain this cabin is deserted?”

“It was a few weeks ago. The partisans had burned the ferry, and the owner claimed he was ruined. He left . . . on our horse with all our belongings.”

“I see.” Matthias recalled burning the ferry himself.

“It shouldn’t be far.” Caroline yawned. “We were on foot and not moving very quickly.”

Soon, the lantern light picked out the remains of the burned ferry. Matthias and Jacob maneuvered the raft to the north riverbank, tied it off, then grabbed some items to carry to the cabin. Caroline accompanied them, carrying the lantern.

“Wait here.” Matthias dropped his sack outside the door and pulled the knife from his belt. He pushed the door open and peered inside. Empty. Almost. Four golden eyes stared down at him from a shelf. He set the lantern on a table. “We have a few uninvited guests.”

“There they are.” Caroline pointed. “Raccoons. The rascals will get into the food.” Stifling another yawn, she located a broom. “I’ll try to shoo them away.”

The men returned to the raft. Matthias came back with an armload of muskets.

“They’re gone!” Caroline announced with a smile. “I chased them out the back door.” Her smile faded as she stumbled back and steadied herself by leaning on the broom.

“Are you all right?” Matthias deposited the weapons on the floor.

She rubbed her brow. “I feel a little . . . tired.”

“I knew it.” Matthias grabbed her just as the broomstick clattered onto the floor. “You drank some rum, didn’t you?”

“I . . . didn’t mean to . . .” Her head rolled against his shoulder. Her body went limp.

“Damn.” He lifted her in his arms.

Jacob strode in with two buckets full of gunpowder. “What happened?”

“She’s out.” Matthias carried her to the narrow bed in the corner. “We’ll have to take her with us when we go back for the second load.” He adjusted her skirt to cover her ankles. “I’m not leaving her alone in this condition. She cannot protect herself.”

Jacob set the buckets down. “Why don’t you tell her the truth?”

“I wish I could, but I’m a wanted man. ’Tis safer for her not to know who I am.”

“I was referring to your feelings.”

Matthias crooked a finger in his neck cloth to loosen it. “She knows that I care about her. Come, we have a job to finish.”

Jacob followed him out the door. “If you care about her, then you should tell her the truth.”

Matthias groaned. Ever since the meeting in the orchard he had managed to maintain a business-like attitude around Caroline. And she had done likewise. “She doesn’t want to be involved with a spy. And she’s right. As long as I’m involved with the war, I shouldn’t court a woman.” He reached the raft. “Take the other end of this crate, will you?”

“You could do as she suggested and go away. The two of you.” Jacob lifted his side of the crate with a grunt. “And when the war is over, you could come back to live at Loblolly.”

Matthias trudged alongside Jacob, carrying the other end of the crate. “I’m not sure she could be happy at Loblolly. I’m not sure I could, but then, I don’t have a choice.”

Jacob gave him a surprised look. “Don’t you want to run the plantation like our father did?”

“No!” Matthias dropped the crate inside the cabin. “Not like Father.
Never
like him.”

Jacob’s eyes narrowed. “You have a problem with our father?”

“Of course I do. Don’t you? The man
owns
you.” Matthias stalked toward the raft. He hefted a burlap sack over his shoulder and paced back to the cabin.

Jacob grabbed a small crate and followed him. “I have good reason to be angry, but why would you resent Father? I used to watch you and Richard playing in the garden. You had the ideal childhood.”

Matthias dropped the sack on the floor of the cabin. Ideal childhood? He’d been plagued with nightmares and guilt. He’d felt ashamed of his father and grandfather, yet had tried in vain to gain their approval. “My father wanted nothing to do with me. He was happy to send me away for an education. But you, he taught you himself.”

With a snort, Jacob set down his crate. “You complain? I would have given anything to go to college like you.”

“I would have given anything if he had loved me. Or at least loved my mother.” Matthias strode out the door toward the raft.

“I get it,” Jacob said softly. “You’re jealous.”

“What?” Matthias spun around. “Are you crazed?”

“You’re jealous because he wanted my mother, not yours. He wanted to be with me, not you.”

Matthias clenched his fists. How dare the bastard throw that at his face? Jealous? No, he was furious. “Why would I want to spend any time with that sorry excuse of a father? He forced young maids into his bed. They couldn’t refuse him because he
owned
them. He was a bloody
rapist
!”

“Don’t talk about him like that!” Jacob stalked toward him, his hands fisted.

“He raped them,” Matthias hissed. “He raped your mother.”

“No!” Jacob grabbed Matt by his shirt and pulled him forward. His eyes blazed with anger as he raised a fist. “He loved my mother. And she loved him. He loved her long before he was ever forced to marry your mother.”

“You can defend him? He cheated on your mother. He cheated on mine.”

Jacob’s breathed heavily, his fist trembling in front of Matthias’s face. “Damn you.”

It suddenly struck Matthias that he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t the only son who had suffered from the sins of his father. “Are you going to hit me?”

Jacob pushed him away. “You can have a slave flogged for striking his master.”

“I am
not
your master!”

“You will be soon enough.”

Matthias closed his eyes. Why couldn’t his bastard of a father live forever? Loblolly was the last place on earth he wanted to inherit. Bloody hell, Richard was right. He was using the war as an excuse. It wasn’t the war that was keeping him from moving on with his life. It was his home.

He opened his eyes and studied the man before him. Tall, strong, determined, intelligent. And loyal. Jacob had cause to hate Father, but he defended him. And Father had loved Jacob more. Father had loved Jacob’s mother more. God help him, Matthias realized the truth. He
was
jealous.

He took a deep breath. “As soon as I can, I’ll free you.”

“What?”

Matthias bent over to pick up a crate. “You heard me.” He strode to the cabin.
Please don’t thank me.
It would be humiliating to be thanked for common decency. He plunked the crate down on the floor. When he turned, Jacob was standing in the doorway, his brown eyes glimmering with moisture.

“Free them all,” he said softly.

Matthias slipped past him, headed for the raft. “The plantation cannot survive without them.”

Jacob followed him. “There might be a way to manage it. I’ve given it a great deal of thought.”

“I have no choice.” Matthias picked up a sack and trudged toward the cabin. “I made a vow to my grandfather on his deathbed that I would continue his damned legacy.” Matthias dropped the sack on top of a crate. “I’m bloody well trapped. As trapped as any slave.”

Jacob snorted and plunked down his sack. “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”

“You don’t have to feel anything. You’ll be free to go. It will be
my
problem.” Matthias returned to the raft.

“I could help. We could come up with an alternative—”

“I am not freeing them. It would be the death of the plantation. Would you have my mother homeless? Have me break my vow to my grandfather?” He hefted the last sack on his shoulder.

“Is your vow more important than freedom? I thought you were fighting for freedom.”

Matthias adjusted the sack on his shoulder. “There’s nothing I can do.” He trudged toward the cabin. Trapped. Trapped in a life he didn’t want by a vow he hadn’t wanted to make. He dropped the sack on the table.

Jacob stopped beside him. “You’re not what I expected you to be.”

“Neither are you.” Matthias slid his hands under Caroline and scooped her into his arms. “Let’s go back for the second load.”

In silence, they returned to the raft. Matthias laid Caroline down on the planks, using his coat to cushion her head. They poled back to the mill.

“Why don’t you take her to my house?” Jacob suggested as they loaded the raft. “She’d be better off in a bed than being hauled about all night.”

Matthias shook his head. “I won’t leave her alone.”

“Then stay with her. I can take this load to the cabin. And I’ll guard it ’til the partisans come tomorrow to pick it up.”

Matthias swallowed hard. Spend the night alone with her? He’d certainly be able to protect her.

But who would protect her from him?