Page 90 of The Gift of Patience
“I mean, she discovered Rupert’s diary, which appears he was holding thousands of pounds worth of debt over four men, and then she had her sister draw a picture of the man Billy had seen from the boy’s descriptions, and it just so happens that it’s Lord Singleton.” He realized what he’d said and looked apologetic. “Sorry, lass. I did not mean to steal your thunder.”
“It is quite all right. You were defending me quite brilliantly.”
Meanwhile, Ashley felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. Chum’s brother was a traitor.
CHAPTER 22
Ithank you for telling me, but you must get out of here. We do not know when the gang will arrive with the goods. There is no crew here for them, and I suspect they will be angry when they find there is no one to receive them. Perhaps you could row across to Taywards.”
Ashley pointed out which of the piers belonged to his brother, and the ferryman gave his acknowledgment. “If you wait there, we might have need of you. You will be paid handsomely for your time.”
“It’s yer coin, guv. I’m ’appy to oblige.”
The five stowaways covered themselves up again as the man released the ropes and began to push away from the pier. Ashley was hard-pressed not to laugh at the sight, but it was a very serious matter, and Chum had no idea what was about to occur. Ashley wished he could warn him.
The boat had not made it far at all when the sound of horse-drawn wagons approached. There was still no sign of a crew—or of Singleton. He listened as the wagons pulled to a stop and soft-stepped boots approached the yacht. Devil did not have to look very hard to realize no one was there.
He cursed under his breath, but Ashley heard it. He wished he could reveal himself and tell Devil to leave, that Singleton was likely setting him up to take the fall, but doing so would jeopardize everything.
One of the other men came forward. “What do we do? I don’t trust we’ll be paid if we just leave the goods on ’is boat.”
“No. We have to take them elsewhere.”
“What about the dock across the way where you been keepin’ lookout? We could wait and see from there.”
“Do you happen to have a barge in your back pocket?” Devil asked impatiently.
“I’ll find one,” Shorty said, then hurried away.
Now they were in a pickle. Ashley highly doubted that the others across the way would see them coming and move away in time. Why had nothing in this investigation gone according to plan? Hopefully, Renforth was having better fortune discovering where Singleton had gone and what his plans were. At the moment, Ashley was completely dependent on a gang leader to make quick decisions. He only hoped the hold they had over Devil was enough.
Somehow, Shorty managed to find a barge with a ferryman. Ashley did not how that had happened. Quickly and quietly they loaded the crates onto the barge.
“Take the wagons back to the warehouse, then return here and await my signal. I will wait across the way with the cargo.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Shorty said mockingly, then disappeared.
That was quick thinking. Only then did Ashley dare open the door a very small bit to try to speak to Devil who, on the alert, turned at the sound of the door creaking.
“Take the barge across to the Taywards dock, but beware, there is another one there. You may tell them what is happening.”
“Do you think the gent will come?”
“I cannot say. He took off towards London, and my commander followed.”
Devil cursed, echoing Ashley’s sentiments exactly.
“Beware. The excise men may be about.”
“Aye, and my men will be back soon.”
Where were Chum and Manners? They must be nearby. Had Chum yet realized this was his brother’s yacht?
“I feel like I need to find Chum and tell him first.” Ashley tried looking out the small window, but saw no hint of their hiding places.
“You have no idea where he is. It was one thing to whisper to Devil, but you do not know who’s about. What if Singleton is lying in wait?”
“Where the devil is he, and where is Renforth?”
