At the Highwayman's Pleasure(36)

‘And the trick succeeded?'

She nodded.

‘It was only by the greatest good fortune that disaster was avoided. I  can take no credit for it. I knew Gideon's affection for me was  infatuation, that he would recover, and, thankfully, he fell in love  with his young bride. It was seeing them together that made me realise  what I wanted from my life. A home, good, loyal friends, perhaps even a  husband of my own.

‘I knew then I should break free from the hateful man who sought to  control me, and I did. I left London five years ago and vowed never to  return.' A flicker of mischief curved her lips. ‘At least, not as Agnes  Bennet. Perhaps one day I shall return under my own name.'

‘And did you mind, seeing the young man-Gideon-fall in love with another woman?'

‘Not in the least. I was only thankful that I had not caused him irrevocable harm.'

Ross's jealousy subsided and his heart swelled as he realised how hard  this confession was for her. She wanted no secrets between them: she was  laying her soul bare, the ultimate expression of her faith in him.

‘Why did you come to Allingford?' he asked her gently.

She gave an expressive little shrug. ‘I was tired of touring, of never  having a home of my own. I wanted to settle down, to find my real place  in the world.'

‘Perhaps that place is with Jenkin,' said Ross, determined to remove  even that one, lingering doubt. ‘He has done a good job of protecting  you thus far.'

‘He has been like a father to me, so much more so than my own unnatural  parent. But I fear Phineas has not done with me yet.' She met his eyes  with a steady, demanding look. ‘That is why I must know what he planned  for me, Ross. How can I protect myself if I do not know the truth?'                       
       
           



       

Blue eyes met black and held, a clashing of wills, both determined. Ross realised she had a right to know.

‘He...suggested...' He stopped, eventually saying through clenched teeth, ‘He did not want your safe return.'

She looked at him for a moment, uncomprehending, then with a little cry she dropped onto a chair.

‘Oh, dear heaven. Does he hate me so much that he would leave me to my  fate?' She gave a bitter little laugh. ‘Why should I be surprised? He  drove my mother to her grave, and my stepmama, spewing texts from the  Bible to justify his vicious actions. I warned you he would not lift a  finger to help me.'

‘True.' Ross walked across to the window and stood looking out. ‘But it  is worse than that. He offered to pay the ransom, as long as I saw to  it that you were not found alive.' He turned and came to stand over her,  fixing her with his brooding gaze. ‘Now do you see just how dangerous  it is for you to stay in Allingford? Phineas will seize any chance to  destroy you, and we know now he would go so far as to pay someone else  to do it for him.' He raised his eyes to the ceiling and exhaled  swiftly. ‘And he calls himself a man of God.'

‘He is a grasping, greedy hypocrite, and always has been.' She wrapped  her arms around herself again. ‘I will not run away. I have spent the  past thirteen years as a fugitive, living under a false name, afraid  that my father might one day catch up with me. But I am tired of living a  lie. For years I have had nightmares about Phineas-I will not live that  way any longer.' Suddenly the fight went out of her and her shoulders  slumped. ‘Perhaps I should not have come to Allingford, so close to my  old home, but it felt right; Hywel, the theatre and my friends there-I  thought I could ignore my father and that he could ignore me. If he was  still parson at Saltby then perhaps that would have been possible, but  he has wealth now, and power, and his self-importance is such that he  will seek to destroy what he cannot control.'

Ross's heart went out to her, this golden girl with the tortured eyes.  He wanted to take her in his arms and promise to look after her, but  that was not possible; he could only make things more dangerous. Instead  he pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

‘I have been trying to find a weakness, a way to discredit Weston, but  he is shrewd and careful. Perhaps I should put a bullet in him.'

‘But you are not a murderer, Ross.'

‘Not for my own sake, but for yours-'

Charity's initial horror at learning that her father wanted her dead  was fading and she was ever more grateful to Ross for refusing to  countenance his plan. She reached out to touch his hand and was  heartened when he did not pull away.

‘I would not have you commit such a heinous crime for me.' She jumped  up, exclaiming, ‘Oh, I will not give in! There must be some other way to  bring him down.' She began to pace the room, her brow furrowed. ‘I  remember when Hywel told me how rich Phineas had become I wondered how  that could be.'

‘Well, he has three thousand of my prize money for a start.'

She shook her head. ‘He came into funds before that. Hywel Jenkin said  he gave up the living at Saltby and bought his big house in Beringham  about five years ago. I remember the Saltby parish-it was not a rich  living and the previous one was even poorer. Mama had no money of her  own and although my stepmama had a modest dowry, even with the shrewdest  of investments that would not be enough to buy a grand house, let alone  to live in such luxury as Hywel described to me.'

‘Gambling, perhaps?'

Her lip curled. ‘Phineas thinks gambling even more of an abomination  than the theatre. No, I could more readily believe he is involved in  some dark deed.'

‘That is what I thought, too,' said Ross. ‘Which is why I have been  checking the mailbags to see if there are any letters for him, anything  that might give me some clue.' Her look of horror made his lip curl.  ‘Since I am already holding up the mail coach it seemed a logical step.'

‘And have you ever found anything?'

‘Nothing of any use, a few letters to other clergymen, more to his brother.'

Charity said absently, ‘Phineas does not have a brother.'

‘Of course he does-one Joseph Weston, who is presently living in Yarmouth....' Ross's words trailed off.

‘My father is an only child,' stated Charity, her face set hard. ‘It is  recorded in the front of the family Bible. Believe me, I opened that  book very often, since he made me copy out so many texts from it.' She  rolled her shoulders, recalling the sting of his riding crop whenever  she made an error. Forcing the memory away, she asked, ‘What is so  alarming about Yarmouth?'                       
       
           



       

‘The naval dockyards,' he said slowly. ‘And if I were First Lord of the  Admiralty, it's Yarmouth I would use to launch an attack on Bonaparte's  northern forces.'

‘And what does this brother say-have you read any of his letters?'

‘Of course,' said Ross, frowning. ‘There is nothing in them but family matters.'

She gave a bitter laugh.

‘My father was never one for family!'

‘Perhaps he is mellowing with age.'

Charity thought of their last meeting and shook her head.

‘I have not seen it. But perhaps I am wrong-after all, you have already told me he is making pilgrimages to Filey, too.'

‘And Filey is on the coast.' Ross sat up. ‘What if he is passing secrets to the French?'

Charity met and held his eyes.

‘I would as lief believe that as think him mellowing.'

‘There are rumours that Bonaparte is planning an alliance of sea power  in the north.' He began to pace the room. ‘Security must be tight at  Yarmouth, so if I wanted to get information out of England, I would send  it by a roundabout route-mayhap even to an innocuous little town like  Beringham, then to the coast, somewhere small, where a fishing smack  might cross to the Continent without notice.'

‘Such as Filey.'

‘Exactly. But why should Phineas help Bonaparte? It seems incredible to me that any true Englishman would do so.'

‘But Phineas might,' she said. ‘He told me Bonaparte was the... How did  he phrase it? "God's instrument...the scourge of the papists".' She  clasped her hands tightly. ‘If there is one thing my father hates above  all else, it is the Church of Rome. He would consider himself justified  in taking any action that helped to destroy it, even supporting the  French.'

‘Hell and damnation, then I have missed a trick!'

Ross's exclamation brought her eyes back to his face and he hastened to explain.

‘I held up the mail last night and there was another letter for Weston  from this "brother" of his. I did not even read it, just threw the  mailbag back at them and let them continue.'