Rumors Among the Heather (17 page)

Geoffrey Hamilton
swaggered over to Matthew’s cell and ran one long slender finger
slowly across the bars until he came to a halt at the left wall. He
stepped back a couple of steps, and the two adversaries stared at
each other like two rutting elk.

Hamilton arrogantly
sneered. Matthew met his stare with one of white-hot anger and cold
contempt.

“As you’ve probably
guessed, Lord Bonnleigh, you’ll be going to London to stand before
King George, where you’ll be sentenced to hang, no doubt. I shall
personally deliver you to the king himself,” he said while
examining his fingernails.

Matthew said nothing.
Geoffrey cleared his throat and continued, “You’ll be served bread
and water once a day. It’ll be enough to sustain you, but not
enough to give you the strength you’ll need to cause trouble on the
way to London. And in case you didn’t know it, I feel I should tell
you that you’re my ticket to a knighthood and possibly an
appointment as the king’s physician. Put all thoughts of escape out
of your mind. I’m not about to let you slip through my fingers.
You’ll be under constant guard. None of my men would hesitate to
shoot you. You’re wanted dead or alive. Either way I get my
share.”

“Your high-minded
patriotism to the king overwhelms me,” Matthew mocked through
clenched teeth.

Geoffrey seemingly
ignored his remark before opening his mouth to speak. “When I set
up my practice in London, I shall, of course, have Julie with me.
You needn’t worry about her. I’ll take excellent care of her. With
her to warm my bed, I need never be at a loss for amusement.”

Geoffrey’s barb hit
its mark within Matthew. He could barely contain his rage. “Aren’t
you married, Hamilton? What does your wife think about this
addition to your household?”

“She doesn’t know
about my plans for Julie yet, but I will be discreet. Julie and I
were once engaged. Did you know that? She wouldn’t have told you, I
don’t suppose. My good luck to meet her here. Of course, I couldn’t
afford her then, but after I deliver you, there can be no stopping
us. A fancy piece like her will be expensive, but I’ll soon have
the brass, thanks to you,” he finished with an ugly sneer.

Matthew thought,
So
it comes down to money in the end. Why am I surprised? Why did I
think she would be different? The older I get the more of a fool I
become!

“Does she know about
your plans for her?” he asked out loud.

“Who do you think
helped me set this all up? Women being what they are, she’ll warm
my bed with you gone.” He threw this last barb at Matthew and left
the cell area laughing.

Anger and frustration
built within Matthew to dangerous levels. If Julie had been within
reach, he would have strangled her, but instead he beat his fist
against the wall of his cell until he drew blood. His anger spent
and his strength sapped, he collapsed on his worthless bed and
remained motionless, staring at the ceiling.

He only bestirred
himself when his meager meal of bread and water arrived. Matthew
picked it up to throw it at his jailer, but stopped. He needed his
strength to escape, and escape he would. He had a score to
settle—not only with Hamilton but also with Julie. Retribution
would keep him focused.

* * *

Julie and Ian set out
on their way to Leddie’s Crag. She tried to think how to tell Ian
she would be leaving soon, but she could not choose the right words
to say. In the time she had spent with him, she had become very
attached to him and he to her. She did not want him to feel
deserted again. She did not want her leaving to affect him the way
the deaths of his parents had. They had come a long way since she
first came to the island, and she did not want their progress to be
in vain.

“Are you worried about
tonight, Miss Hastings?” Ian looked at her with a worried look of
his own.

“Yes, a little. That’s
one of my worries, but the other worry is something else entirely.
You know, Ian, when you meet someone you care about, it’s hard to
say good-bye. Sometimes things are beyond our control, and we have
to leave whether we want to or not. Do you understand what I’m
trying to say?”

“You’re leaving,” he
said with resignation. “At least you stayed longer than the
others.”

Suddenly, he looked
old again as he had when she first met him. Her heart bursting,
tears came to her eyes as she reached out to him. She pulled him to
her and held him close. She felt him tremble as his arms went
around her neck.

“Please don’t go, Miss
Hastings. Please don’t.”

“I have no choice in
the matter. If I could, you know I would stay. I can’t explain why,
but when you’re older, you’ll understand, and you won’t hate me for
going. I’ll always be your friend. Mrs. Parsons is also your
friend. I’m sure she would love for you to come to her when you
need something. I don’t know where I’m going just yet, but when I
do, I’ll write to Mrs. Parsons and tell her and she can tell you.
So if you need me, you can always get word to me, and I’ll come and
do what I can for you,” Julie offered as she dabbed at her
eyes.

“Does Uncle Matthew
know you’re leaving?”

“No. He doesn’t, and
you mustn’t tell him until I’m gone. And it would be best if you do
not tell him I helped with his escape either. He wouldn’t like it,”
Julie said hurriedly.

She took Ian’s hand
and began to walk faster toward Leddie’s Crag.

“Are you in love with Uncle Matthew?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Everybody thinks I’m
just a child, but I watch people, and I see things. I could tell by
the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. Just like my
parents used to look at each other. It’s why you’re leaving, isn’t
it?”

“Don’t be silly, Ian.
You shouldn’t let your imagination run away with you.”

Their conversation
lagged and soon they met up with Ribble. She had never been happier
to see anyone. The talk with Ian had been hard enough, but now her
thoughts had been turned to Matthew and the despair at their
upcoming departure. She would be leaving as soon as she could get
away from Geoffrey.

“I delivered your
message and waited for the reply,” Ribble said. He handed Julie the
message.

I would be pleased
to entertain you tonight around nine
. It was signed GH.

The first steps were
taken. Julie trembled, holding the sheet of paper in her hands. She
felt her panic draw a knot in the pit of her stomach. Their quickly
devised plan had not seemed real until this moment. The wheels were
set in motion and the time to turn back had passed. Matthew’s life
depended on her keeping her head and succeeding.

“I don’t like the idea
of you going to see Hamilton. I’ve seen men like Hamilton before,
and I know what it might cost you. We can think of somethin’ else.
Ye dinnae have to go. Now that I think about it, I think it’s too
dangerous.”

“No, Ribble, you were
right in the first place. ’Tis the only way we can succeed. I’ll do
it. I must,” she said firmly.

“Then best if we go
over our plan. Tonight I’ll deposit Ian at the foot of the cliffs.
Then I’ll take you to Hamilton at the gaol. You get him to drink a
bottle of wine I’ve prepared for him. I’ll wait outside underneath
his window until you can get the key from him.” Ribble paced as he
talked. “With the key, I’ll rush back to the beach where Ian is
waiting, and we’ll climb up the cliff. Ian will go through the
window and unlock Lord Bonnleigh’s cell, and then hand the key off
to me. I’ll come back down the cliff and deliver the key back to
you. Ian will go with his lordship. You’ll come outside, where you
and I’ll get into a fracas. The guards will come to investigate,
and Ian and his lordship will go over the wall at the back of the
stairs and escape in the boat we brought across. You and I will
then go down to the beach and take the boat I already have hidden
there. Anything else?” Ribble asked.

“I guess that’s about
it. It seems like it’s the only thing we can do. Do you have any
questions about what you’re to do, Ian?” Julie asked. Ian shook his
head. “Good! We’ll go back to the castle separately as we came. We
must each get some rest, so we’ll be ready for tonight. We’ll meet
on the beach at seven-thirty,” Julie said with false cheer, as if
they had been planning a picnic instead of a rescue for a traitor
to the crown and a patriot of the cause.

Back at the castle,
Julie finished packing her trunk and took out the beautiful crimson
velvet dress Ian had smuggled into her room. The dress was cut
square and low, revealing the swell of her breasts. Silver lace
edged the sleeves and the hem of the garment. The flared skirt made
her expanding waist look slimmer.

Julie sighed as she
continued to look in the mirror.
This is the last time I’ll look
like this
. She patted her stomach, thinking of the baby. She
knew it would not be long before her secret would be out. She had
been barely able to fasten the dress at the waist.

She piled her hair
high upon her head and kept it in place with pearl hairpins. She
would need to pack her pearl and diamond earrings and pearl
necklace. Next, she dabbed the scent of jasmine behind her ears and
between her breasts.

Julie packed her
bandbox with the few necessities she would need for her trip. It
was her chance, and she had to take it. She realized if tonight did
not work out, then this trip would be unnecessary and her problems
would be solved for her. She would be hung along with her fellow
conspirators.

Together, she and Ian
walked down the back steps and hurried away from the castle. They
were to meet Ribble in a hidden cove a mile or so away. Ribble had
let it be known he would be fishing for a couple of days with some
old friends.

Without speaking, they
got into the boat, and Ribble pushed off. He rowed until they were
a long way from the shore. Once they were out of sight of anyone on
shore, he hoisted a black sail, and the little boat began to move
faster in the stiff breeze toward their rendezvous and possibly a
hangman’s noose.

“Homer said, ‘’Tis
man’s to fight, but Heaven’s to give success.’ I hope our luck
holds and we are looked down upon with favor. It will take a
miracle for us to pull this off tonight,” Ribble said and shook his
head.

“Ribble, Ian, I just
want you to know I count you my friends. I will not look back on
this night with anything but a sense of pride,” Julie said.

“Aye, lass,” Ribble
said, nodding in agreement.

“Yes, Miss Hastings.”
Ian also nodded.

A rogue breeze picked
up significantly as the clandestine ensemble neared the mainland.
Julie and Ribble struggled with an out of control sail in the
mounting draft. Before they could lower the cloth, their boat
catapulted upon the sandy shore. They came to an abrupt halt in
front of a large sand dune. Ian lost his grip, fell out of the
boat, and skidded across the beach like a rock skipping across the
smooth surface of a pond. He continued sliding until a piece of
driftwood in his path stopped him. Ribble quickly picked him up and
brushed him off. One arm was scraped, and there was some bruising,
as well as a small cut over his right eye. But all things
considered, he was not seriously hurt. Undeterred by their shaky
beginning, and praying this unforeseen accident would not mark the
rest of the night, Julie and Ribble moved forward with their
plan.

Ribble worked to hide
the boat as best he could by placing it among an outcropping of
rocks and covering it with the black sail. They left Ian concealed
in the boat to recover and wait for Ribble’s return. Julie made one
quick glance back at him to reassure herself. Ian waved to her and
she hurried on, trying to keep pace with Ribble. They slipped
inside an old fisherman’s shack before entering the town. Ribble
handed Julie the bandbox before stepping back outside to keep watch
and complete his own disguise. Julie straightened her hair and put
the finishing touches on her appearance. Satisfied, she stepped
back onto the walkway, and Ribble escorted her into town—past the
waterfront shops, small white cottages with candles in their
windows, past the guards, until they had almost reached the gaol.
They made a strange couple. One looked like a disreputable sailor
on a much needed shore leave and the other a lady of quality.

“’Tis an awful chance
yer takin’. Suppose he wants somethin’ more before ye’ve had a
chance to drug him? I dinnae like it,” he said, shaking his head
sternly in disapproval.

Julie reached up and
touched his weather-beaten cheek lightly. “Thank you, my friend,
but it’s a chance I have to take.” She finished with a sigh. “My
honor can’t suffer any more than it already has.” She tried hard to
manage a smile of reassurance for him. “Since we decided on this
plan, I’ve thought of nothing else. I’ve run it through my mind a
thousand times, and it always works out the same. I don’t see how
it could work any other way. We have to get the key and buy as much
time as possible before they find Matthew gone. I’m scared, but I
have no regrets. Regrets are a waste of time,” she said, holding
her head high. “Don’t worry, we’ll come through this. If not, then
there is no hope for us, but I will not regret this night.”

Ribble walked beside
her and remained silent.

An involuntary shudder
ran through her body as they neared the compound. She held her
hands up in the moonlight, and they were steady. She looked up and
saw the light coming from Geoffrey’s lodgings. The balcony scene
from
Romeo and Juliet
fluttered across her mind and just as
quickly vanished. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A
gradual calm settled over her, one that sprang from deep within her
soul. It felt almost as if she were an observer and could watch
herself walk down the path and up the stairs to Geoffrey’s
quarters. Any illusions she may have had about him had been laid to
rest that night on the beach. She had no sentimentality left in
her, only strength of purpose.