Page 51 of Until My Last Breath

It was a quarter past ten when the great carriage with the Darcy crest left Lord Matlock’s house for its long and painful journey to Portsmouth.

And Darcy would not have it any other way.

~ ♥ ~

Riding through a sudden and relentless storm, wet and tired through to the bones, Richard and Captain Owen finally arrived in Portsmouth.

It was about four o’clock in the morning when they found the address of the local constable. Poor Mr Dayton, a fine and agreeable fellow in his mid-thirties, left the warmth of his bed to meet two soaked-through officers of His Majesty’s Army on his doorstep.

“I am deeply sorry to wake you at this ungodly hour, Constable, but our mission demands immediate action. I am sure you will agree as soon as you are familiar with the details.”

Mr Dayton was not surprised by the information, and quickly ushered the two men inside the house. After a pair of chairs not too fashionable to be ruined by their sloppy attire were provided, they shared their information about the smuggling ship, its supposed contents, and the possibility of such a ship being moored there at Portsmouth.

“Gentlemen, I have received a letter from London last night and was already planning a search in the area at first light. In the meantime, I recommend the Rose and Crown Inn for you to eat and rest. I promise to keep you informed of any news. Have your rest, that I am sure you must need, and meet me again here at eight o’clock. We should have some information by then.”

Richard was glad to see that the place Mr Dayton suggested was comfortable and the owner very attentive, despite the hour. After having eaten and rested until the time suggested, the officers met again at the entrance of the inn and headed towards Mr Dayton’s house to see what information he had.

Mrs Dayton was up now, and tea and fresh bread was served while they talked.

“Colonel, Captain,” Mr Dayton began, “I have conflicting information to share. We have found some small ships loaded with contraband and arrested some men, but there was no sign of any lady. Are you sure your informer is reliable?”

Richard rubbed his forehead. “Mr Duncan, a detective of Bow Street Runners, and my father, Lord Matlock, are the people who provided this information. I cannot believe they were mistaken. Perhaps we should widen our investigation in some other way.”

The three men remained silent for some time.

Mr Dayton stood up. “You are quite right, Colonel. I will request the manifests of all ships and boats moored at this port and we can see if there is anything suspicious. But that will prove to be a time-demanding task,” he said, rubbing his chin. Suddenly, his face lit up. “Ah. I believe I have the perfect solution for that. Maggie dear,” Mr Dayton called, leaving for the kitchen, returning some minutes later with his wife beside him. “Gentlemen, we need to go to church.”

Richard and Captain Owen exchanged surprised glances and hastened their pace to follow Mr Dayton out of the house. While they were on their way, a boy was sent to the port area with further instructions for his men to collect the manifests.

At the church, a group of women of all ages were already gathering. Mr Dayton explained that once a week all the ladies from their village were invited to the church to perform any kind of community service, and it was quite fortunate that this was the day for such an undertaking. His intention was to ask the ladies to read the manifests.

Despite the unorthodox approach, Richard could see the benefits of such a choice. The few men involved in keeping the law in the area were already engaged in searching the port, their task made more difficult by the inclement weather that had not abated since the early hours of that morning.

When the manifests finally arrived, Mr Dayton explained to the ladies what he expected from them, emphasising the great importance of pointing out anything unusual; even the slightest suspicion should be communicated to him personally.

Richard and Captain Owen were amused by the enthusiasm on the women’s faces. They agreed to help, and in no time were reading the papers provided. It did not take more than an hour for one of them to find what she considered to be a very unusual passenger list. Half of the names of the passengers on one of the ships were preceded by the titleMissorMrs.

The three men smiled. That was it. In this way, the kidnapped ladies were not cargo, but registered passengers — quite likely false names.

The boats and ships had already been inspected, so the remaining option was to go to the local houses, inns and hotels and look for the names that were on the list, claiming to solve some problems before they embarked.

Richard and Captain Owen took part in the searches and, although Portsmouth was not big, it took them half the day to discover that at least one third of the passengers were, in fact, the kidnapped ladies. They were found locked away, waiting to be transported to the ship, which would take them to their final destination.

But where?

It was hard and distressing work to invade houses, break down doorsand arrest people, and the sight of some of the young women rescued was heartbreaking; some of them had been kept in dreadful conditions for weeks. How had this business thrived so much under the nose of the authorities?

By midday, reinforcements arrived. Dozens of soldiers from the militia filled the surroundings of Portsmouth and the searches were re-established. More young women were discovered in the neighbourhood. Every house was meticulously searched. The women from the parish were very useful in encouraging their neighbours to open their houses and help with the search, enquiring about strangers in the region, or anything unusual. Dozens of men and women were arrested, letters were written and soon the town was beaming with the results.

But despite all their efforts, there was no sign of Wickham or Miss Elizabeth. If the information received from Lord Matlock was correct, tomorrow a ship would be leaving from a port, wherever it was. And that concerned Richard. Deeply.

Mr Dayton, on the other hand, was beyond satisfied. He was already dreaming about having his name included in the history books as ‘the constable who helped to disrupt a group of international pirates, smugglers and mercenaries in Portsmouth’. With all the twelveMissandMrsfrom the manifest list thoroughly checked, recovered and sent back to their families, he knew he had fulfilled his duty.

“Colonel, I will be forever grateful to you and Captain Owen for your invaluable help. God willing, we have finally put an end to this disgraceful chapter of our country’s history. I believe all outlaws involved, at least here in Portsmouth, were arrested. Thanks to you.”

“Indeed, Mr Dayton. And it is to your credit that we achieved such success,” Richard said thoughtfully. “But my mission is far from over. I am still looking for that particular young lady, and her captor.”

Neither Captain Owen nor Mr Dayton knew what to say. In the end, Mr Dayton offered them a decent hot meal at his home and a place to dry their clothes after many hours in the heavy rain. The invitation was gladly accepted. It was already getting dark when the three men were back at theconstable’s house.

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