Anything but a Gentleman (17 page)

It seemed to be an age before they finally cast off but at last, with a flapping of sails and a creaking of timber, the ship began to move. Marianne felt its rolling progress as it made headway, rounding the coast and heading towards the Billingsdale estate.

Once the ship was moving, Marianne’s greatest fear was that Captain Gringe would retire to his cabin and by some mischance discover she had stowed away, but the night was fine, and he remained on deck.

So far, so good, she thought to herself.

It was not long before the ship’s regular motion ceased. She felt a lurch, and knew that the anchor had been dropped. They were just off the Billingsdale estate, then, and Lord Ravensford would soon be coming aboard.

As long as he, too, decided to remain on deck she should be safe from detection until she decided to make her presence known.

She had thought it through all day. Sooner or later she would have to let Lord Ravensford know that she was on board, for she could hardly tend to Kit’s wounds if no one knew she was there. But when to reveal herself? When they reached France? She shook her head. If she did that, Lord Ravensford’s anger may well delay the rescue of her brother. It must be sooner, then: soon enough to let Lord Ravensford recover from the shock of finding her on board before he had to set out in the rowing boat for France.

It would take all of her courage, but she knew that, as soon as it was too late for the ship to turn back, she must walk onto the deck. And be prepared to face the inevitable storm of disapproval that would greet her.

In the event, however, her hand was forced.

It was a still night, and after hearing Lord Ravensford's party climb on board Marianne felt the ship begin to move again. She re-settled herself in the cupboard, and after a while risked opening the door a crack. It relieved some of the stuffiness, and gave her a little light. It was too early to reveal her presence, so she ate a little more of the bread and fruit she had bought in the village. She was just wiping the crumbs from her skirt when there as a scuttling noise and she started up in horror: there was a rat. She hated rats. She backed out of the cupboard, shuddering, just as one of the crew came into the cabin, holding a lantern aloft. In the strange and ghostly light he saw Marianne and let out a cry. Marianne jumped, the crewman swore under his breath, and then, grabbing her by the arm, said, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

‘What’s taking you so long?’ came the Captain’s voice from above.

Pushing Marianne roughly in front of him, the crewman forced her up the stairs and on to the deck.

The moon was up, large and round, and the sky was lit with stars.

‘What the devil –’ exclaimed Lord Ravensford.

‘So.’ Captain Gringe’s voice was icily calm. ‘It seems we have a stowaway.’

‘Damn it, Marianne, I should have known you’d given in too easily,’ swore Lord Ravensford. He glared at her, then, looking at the Captain he said, ‘Turn the ship around.’

But a half-smile had appeared on the Captain’s face. Marianne felt some of the tension leave her. Captain Gringe had recognised her.

‘I said turn the ship around,’ said Lord Ravensford again.

‘I give the orders on my ship,’ said Captain Gringe politely, but with a voice of steel. ‘Now then, Miss Marianne, why don’t you tell me what you’re doing on
The Returner
? She hasn’t seen you for many a year.’

Marianne smiled in relief. His tone was friendly, and it was clear he remembered her with affection, as she remembered him.

‘You know where we are going?’ she asked.

He nodded thoughtfully. ‘I know where. But not why.’

‘That’s none of your business,’ growled Lord Ravensford.

‘If you want me to put Miss Marianne off the ship it is,’ he replied calmly.

‘We’re going to rescue Kit.’ Marianne’s words were simple, but conveyed a deep feeling nonetheless.

‘Ah.’ Captain Gringe was thoughtful. ‘So that’s it.’

‘These men are Kit’s friends,’ said Marianne. ‘But Kit is hurt and he may need medical attention. Which is why I need to be here when he comes on board.’

The Captain nodded thoughtfully.

‘Turn the ship around,’ said Lord Ravensford again. ‘France is no place for Mari – Miss Travis.’

Captain Gringe looked at him evenly. ‘I can’t do that.’

‘We’ve barely left England –’

‘But if we go back we’ll miss the tide.’

Marianne had the feeling that he was making an excuse, and that Captain Gringe was on her side. ‘Damn it, Gringe –’

‘Accept it, Luke,’ said Henri from the bow of the ship.

‘Like hell.’ He turned to Marianne. ‘You and I have some talking to do. But not here. Downstairs.’

Marianne almost refused. But then, knowing that an argument was to follow, decided she would rather not have it in front of the crew. ‘Very well.’

She turned and led the way down the wooden stairs and into the cabin. Lord Ravensford followed, hanging his lantern on the hook in the ceiling.

‘What the devil do you think you are doing?’ he demanded angrily. ‘Sneaking on board, stowing away. This isn’t some kind of game.’

‘I know that,’ she flashed.

‘Oh, do you?’ His face was grim.

She refused to answer him angrily. If she did that, the argument would escalate, and she didn’t want that to happen. Not with Captain Gringe and Henri and Figgs, to say nothing of the crew, only a few floorboards away. ‘I haven’t done this lightly,’ she said with forced calm, ‘but I had to do it. There was no other way you would have let me come on board.’

‘With good reason. You were told to –’

‘Told?’ she demanded, her good resolutions in danger of flying out of the door. ‘Told? My brother needs me. Do you seriously suppose that, in these circumstances, I am going to do as I am
told
?’

‘Damn it, Marianne –’

‘I love Kit,’ she declared. ‘I am not going to sit idly at home whilst he may be dying for need of medical care. If I could have sent a doctor on the expedition I would have done, but I don’t know any doctor who would have been prepared to come. I may not be a doctor, but I have a lot of experience of dealing with accidents and illnesses. I know how to clean Kit’s wounds if they have not already been properly cleaned, how to deal with fever, and how to build him up if he has lost a lot of  blood. Can you really expect me to do as I’m
told
?’

He looked at her for long seconds, then the vehemence left his eyes and there was only tenderness there instead.

Somehow, she was afraid of his tenderness, and had a premonition of what he was going to say. She felt an inward shudder.

‘Has it ever occurred to you,’ he said softly, ‘that Kit may already be dead?’

She closed her eyes, and her shoulders slumped. It had occurred to her, but she had refused to think about it. She could not afford to.

She felt his hand reaching out to her; strong and supportive. It gave her the courage to speak. ‘Yes. It has occurred to me.’

His strong fingers stroked her cheek, trailing across her chin. ‘I didn’t want you to come with us because of the danger, but also because I wanted to spare you the possible sight of Kit’s body.’

She swallowed. And then resolutely lifted her chin. ‘If Kit is dead, then it will not be any harder for me to see his body here that it would be to see it at Seaton Hall. In fact, in a way it will be easier. Because I will at least know that I did everything I possibly could to help him – even if, in the end, I couldn’t do anything.’

He nodded.

‘I’ve seen one of my brothers buried,’ she said, grateful to him for his understanding, ‘I couldn’t bear to bury another - not unless I know I’ve done everything in my power to prevent his death.’

She felt him push back one of her ringlets, which had come loose of its pins. She turned her head instinctively, rubbing her cheek against his hand.

‘I’ll bring him back, Marianne,’ he said. ‘If there’s any way of doing it, I’ll bring him safely home.’

As he looked deep into her eyes she felt a sense of oneness she had never known before. It was as if there was something joining them together; invisible and intangible; but none the less real for all that.

‘We had better be going back on deck. That is, unless you would rather stay in the cabin?’

‘No. I’m not a very good sailor. I prefer to be out in the fresh air.’

He stood aside to let her pass. Then suddenly, on instinct, he caught hold of her as she passed him and pulled her roughly towards him. His eyes, full of an emotion she could not begin to fathom, looked down into her own, and then he kissed her.

The kiss was like nothing Marianne had experienced before. It was deeper, slower and far more sensuous than the kiss he had given her before. That had been driven by physical desire; this was driven by something far more profound.

Her arms went round his neck and her fingers tangled themselves in his dark hair. So lightheaded did his kiss make her that it was only his strong arms around her, crushing her to him, that held her up.

At last he drew his mouth away from hers and reluctantly she took her arms from around his neck. Her hand trailed down his sleeve and when it reached his wrist they clasped hands for a moment. Then she turned and went up onto the deck.

Chapter Nine

The crew were going about their business when Marianne emerged from below. They were now well into their journey. It should not be too long before they reached France.

Lord Ravensford joined Captain Gringe at the bottom of the main mast, and the two men were soon deep in conversation. Marianne walked towards the prow and stood looking out over the dark waters. Somewhere on the other side of the channel was Kit, possibly hurt, possibly . . .

And what about Adèle?

Up until now she had scarcely thought of her friend. She had been too busy thinking of her brother to have any thought to spare for anyone else. But now that she had accomplished her goal of sailing to France she felt a mounting concern for Adèle.

She felt a presence behind her and, without turning, knew who it was.

‘I’ve brought you a cloak from below.’ Lord Ravensford put it round her shoulders. ‘It isn’t how I like to see you dressed,’ he said, referring to its tattered state, ‘but at least it will keep you warm. You are not dressed for a winter night.’

Marianne accepted the cloak gratefully, for it was indeed a cold night.

‘I thought of a cloak, but there was a limit to what I could bring. It would have looked odd if I had ridden out from the Hall in a riding habit
and
a cloak.’

‘Odd? Then you mean you didn’t tell your father where you were going?’

‘No. It would only have worried him.’

‘And he might have forbidden the scheme. Mind you, I’m surprised Trudie didn’t object. From what Henri has told me, I can't believe she let you embark on such a mission at all. I’d have thought she’d have thrown every obstacle in your way.’

‘She doesn’t know.’ Marianne felt a twinge of guilt as she admitted it. ‘I didn’t want to deceive her, but there was no choice,’ she explained. ‘If I’d told her where I was going she’d have done everything in her power to make me stay. And when I’d overridden her, she’d have fretted until she saw me safely home again.’

‘So you told her nothing?’ he asked incredulously.

‘No, of course not. I told her I was spending a few days with the Cosgroves.’

She felt him tense. ‘Marianne, have you thought about what will happen if we don’t return?’

‘I’ve taken precautions.’ She turned to face him, and explained that she had left her mare stabled with Jim Smith, and that Jim had promised to take her letter to the Hall if, by Friday, she had not returned. ‘The letter explains everything,’ she finished.

She turned back again to the ocean, and they stood silently for a few moments, each one of them unwillingly thinking of the possible consequences of the expedition.

Then Marianne said, ‘I didn’t hear everything when I overheard you, Henri and Figgs talking last night. I heard that it was Adèle who got a message out of France, but I didn’t hear anything more about her. Is she all right? Or is she, too, hurt?’

’As far as we know, she’s all right. But the message was brief and not very clear.’

‘And her family? Her mother and father, Marie-Anne and the Comte? Do you know anything about them?’

‘No. They may be with Adèle and Kit. We’ve no way of knowing.’

‘I hope they are.’ Marianne shivered, and Lord Ravensford, standing behind her, wrapped his arms round her. She leaned back against him, finding the warmth of his body comforting. ‘Some terrible things have happened in France.’

He kissed her softly on the top of her head. ‘We’ll get them out of there. At least, we will if there’s any chance.’

They stood together for some time, before Figgs coughed discreetly behind them. Lord Ravensford turned, his arms dropping to his sides. ‘All right, Figgs.’ To Marianne he said, ‘We have to study the map and choose the best place to land. It will be impossible to take the ship too close to the shore because we don’t want to run into any French patrols, so we’ll be going the final part of the way in the rowing boat.’

‘Do you know how long you’ll be?’

‘If all goes well, and depending on where we are finally able to put into shore, we should be able to reach the farmhouse within an hour of setting foot on dry land. After that, it will take at least another hour back again, perhaps two, if Kit is badly hurt.’

She nodded. Then, as Lord Ravensford was about to go down to the cabin with Figgs she caught his arm. ‘Don’t leave him. Even if he’s dead.’

He put his hand reassuringly over her own. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t.’

And then she was alone.

Wrapping the cloak more closely about her she stared out over the ocean swell. What did Lord Ravensford’s tenderness mean? she wondered, remembering the comforting feel of his arms around her. Was it proof that his feelings ran deep, as his kiss had led her to suppose? Or was it simply that, going into a dangerous situation, he had become unusually warm? She did not know; and until she was certain it would be better for her to keep her own feelings under control.