Page 50 of The Swan Syndicate
Fitz nodded. “So, I sent Lane back to report while I waited in case Beckworth and Michelson moved to another pub. Lane made it back to tell me Jamie was lowering a boat. That’s whenMichelson came out alone. I waited, expecting Beckworth to come find me.”
“I almost stabbed you with a dagger when you pulled me into the alley.” Beckworth swallowed the whiskey and grimaced as it went down.
“What made you stop?” Fitz asked.
Beckworth grinned. “That sweet scent from your pipe. It could have been anybody, but I decided it best to confirm.”
Fitz chuckled and rubbed his belly. “I appreciate your caution.” He glanced around. “Did Cook leave anything to eat?”
Stella immediately stood. “There should be some cheese and bread handy.” She didn’t want to miss the conversation but needed time to pull her rollercoaster emotions together. Excitement, fear, and worry for Beckworth made her stomach upset again. Maybe some bread would settle it. She didn’t have to go far to find something. Cook kept a spot in the front of the pantry where he kept cheese, rolls, dried meat, and fruit—when they had it—in case someone needed a quick meal. She was surprised to find a handful of meat pies left over so she grabbed those too.
With no one else in the galley, it was easy to listen as the men continued their discussion.
“We rowed the jolly boat out to the ship moored at the mouth of the bay,” Beckworth started.
Then Fitz took over. “We needed the name, but it wasn’t easy. We counted three watchmen, but no one sounded an alarm.”
“They probably assumed if anyone was interested they’d come directly from the docks.” Beckworth rolled his shoulder. “I can’t remember a time I rowed so much in two days.”
“We decided to approach straight out of the bay from theDaphne, then turn to come in from behind the ship.” Fitz chuckled. “Any closer to the sea and we might have gotten sucked out with the tide.”
Stella shivered at the thought as she set a platter on the table. “Does anyone want coffee?”
They all shook their heads, so she returned to her seat and smiled. The scene reminded her of being in Baywood with everyone sitting around the kitchen table at the inn, working out their troubles over the Mórdha stones. Before she’d been kidnapped, she never had anything to add to the topic, though she listened and asked the occasional question. For some reason, perhaps because she had nothing to contribute, she needed something to keep her busy, especially hearing the precarious situations AJ found herself in. So, she became the hostess in their home. It appeared she was picking up her old habits aboard theDaphne.
“We took down names of other ships moored in the bay, but none were familiar to us,” Beckworth continued since Fitz was eating. “We rowed back toward theDaphneand waited to see if MacDuff’s boat would return to one of the ships. We didn’t wait long. As we suspected, a boat with three men rowed out to the ship.”
“So, we have the name of the ship?” Jamie pulled the letter he’d written closer and opened the inkpot.
“TheGrey Ghost.”
“Apropos,” Lando grunted.
Jamie scratched out a few words. “What was your impression? Was the meeting of the two men coincidental or planned?”
Beckworth glanced at Michelson. “No question in my mind it was planned. MacDuff walked in and barely scanned the room before walking straight to Cheval.”
“I agree.” Michelson picked at a biscuit. “If it was by chance, I don’t think he would have done anything more than nod or perhaps stop to give their regards before going to their own table. The men at the table seemed to have expected them.”
Beckworth nodded when Jamie looked at him.
“This complicates our mission.” Lando frowned and stood but didn’t go far, deciding to sit on the edge of a table.
Jamie sat back, nursing his whiskey. He flicked a finger at the letter he’d written. “I have Simmons riding to Waverly in the morning. But even if Barrington sends the manor’s fastest horse, it will be several days before we get a response. We can consider our options, but until we hear back from Hensley, we stick with our mission. We’ll stay in port long enough to see which direction MacDuff goes, then we’ll head for Gowerton.”
“Even if MacDuff turns south? Or what if he sails for Ireland?” Stella asked.
“Ireland is always an option, but I think he’ll stick to the English coast unless British patrols come up this way. Gowerton is where we expect Hensley’s first response, and it’s where we’ll wait for the next one. As long as we know which direction MacDuff sailed, we’ll find him.”
Stella rolled over as the first scent of coffee tickled her nose. She opened an eye, blinked to refocus, then smiled at the scene. Beckworth sat at the table studying a chart. A pot of coffee was on the table along with a plate of biscuits and jam. He dipped a quill and made notes on a sheet of paper, pausing to sip coffee before returning his attention to the map.
Curiosity poked at her, but she pushed it away, preferring to watch him. After Jamie’s decision to continue on to Gowerton, she’d returned to the cabin with Beckworth where they’d fallen into bed exhausted from the day’s events. He’d kissed her and spooned her, and she’d felt the tension roll off him. It might have been that he was tired. It might have been the rapidly changingmission he had no control over. But at the heart of it, he was most likely irritated that she’d come along. Maybe irritated wasn’t the best word, though she’d understand if it was part of it.
This was supposed to be surveillance, but it was becoming increasingly something more.
He was worried about her. It was why he hadn’t wanted her to come in the first place, and just as AJ had predicted, Beckworth was becoming the viscount. His need to protect her was mounting.
And she had no idea how to deal with that.
