8. Voice in the Dark
Harriet Bolitho entered the room, her velvet gown noiseless against the door. For a few seconds she stood watching her son silhouetted against the fire, his hands outstretched towards the flames. Nearby, her youngest daughter Nancy sat on a rug, her knees drawn up to her chin as she watched him, as if willing him to speak.
Through another set of double doors she could hear the rumble of voices, blurred and indistinct. They had been in the old library for over an hour. Sir Henry Vyvyan, Colonel de Crespigny of the dragoons, and of course. Hugh.
As was often the case, the news of the ambush and the capture of a suspected smuggler had reached Falmouth overland long before the Avenger and her prize had anchored in the Roads.
She had been expecting something to happen, to go wrong. Hugh had always been headstrong, unwilling to take advice. His command, no matter how junior, had been the worst thing which could have happened. He needed a firm hand, like Richard's captain.
She straightened her back and crossed the room, smiling for him. They needed their father here and now more than anyone.
Richard looked up at her, his face lined with strain. `How long will they be?'
She shrugged. `The colonel has tried to explain why his men were not on the road. They were ordered to Bodmin at the last moment. Something to do with bullion being moved across the country. De Crespigny is making a full inquiry, and our squire has been sent for too.'
Bolitho looked at his hands. He was only feet from the fire but was still cold. His brother's hornets' nest was here, amongst them.
Like the dazed and bewildered survivors of the ambush, he had found himself hating the dragoons for not riding to their aid. But he had had time to think about it, and could see the colonel's dilemma. An unlikely scheme to catch some smugglers set against his rigid orders for escorting a fortune in gold was barely worth considering. He would also have assumed that Hugh would call off the attempt once he had been told about the change of circumstances.
He blurted out, `But what will they do about Martyn?'
She stood behind him and touched his hair.
`All they can, Richard. Poor boy, I keep thinking of him too.'
The library doors opened and the three men entered the room.
What an ill-assorted trio, Bolitho thought. His brother, tight-lipped, and shabby in his sea-going uniform. Vyvyan, massive and grim, his terrible scar adding to his appearance of strength, and the dragoons' colonel, as neat and as elegant as a King's guard. It was hard to believe he had ridden many miles without dismounting.
Harriet Bolitho's chin lifted. `Well, Sir Henry? What do you think about it?'
Vyvyan rubbed his chin. `I believe, ma'am, that these devils have taken young Dancer as hostage, so to speak. What for, I can't guess, but it looks bad, and we must face up to it.'
De Crespigny said, `Had I more men, another two troops of horses at least, I might do more, but…' He did not finish.
Bolitho watched them wearily. Each was protecting himself. Getting ready to lay the blame elsewhere _ when the real authorities heard what had happened. He looked at his brother. There was no doubt whose head would be on the block this time.
Nancy whispered, `I shall pray for him, Dick.'
He looked at her and smiled. She was holding Martyn's hat, drying it by the fire. Keeping it like a talisman.
Vyvyan continued, `It's no use acceptin' defeat. We'll have to put our ideas together.'
Voices murmured in the hallway, and moments later Mrs Tremayne peered into the room. Behind her Bolitho could see Pendrith, the gamekeeper, hovering with obvious impatience.
His mother asked, `What is it, Pendrith?'
Pendrith came into the room, smelling of damp and earth. He knuckled his forehead to the standing figures and nodded to Nancy.
He said in his harsh voice, `One of the colonel's men is outside with a message, ma'am.' As the colonel made his excuses and bustled outside, Pendrith added quickly, `An' I've got this, sir.' He thrust out his fist with a small roll of paper for Vyvyan to read.
Vyvyan's solitary eye scanned the crude handwriting and he exclaimed, `To whom it may concern… what the hell?' The eye moved more quickly and he said suddenly, `It's a demand. As I thought. They've taken young Dancer as hostage.'
Bolitho asked, `For what?' His heart was beating painfully and he could barely breathe.
Vyvyan handed the letter to Mrs Bolitho and said heavily, `The one wrecker that my men were able to capture. They want to exchange Dancer for him. Otherwise…' He looked away.
Hugh Bolitho stared at him. `Even. if we were allowed to bargain…' He got no further.
Vyvyan swung round, his shadow filling the room. `Allowed? What are you sayin', man? This is a life at stake. If we hang that rascal in chains at some crossroads gibbet they will kill young Dancer, and we all know it. They may do so anyway, but I think they will keep their word. A revenue man is one thing, a King's officer another.'
Hugh Bolitho met his gaze, his face stiff with resentment.
`He was doing his duty.'
Vyvyan took a few paces from the fire. He sounded impatient, exasperated.
`See it this way. We know the wrecker's identity. We may well catch him again, when there'll be no escape from the hangman. But Dancer's life is valuable, to his family and to his country.' He hardened his tone. `Besides which, it will look better.'
`I don't see that, sir.'
Hugh Bolitho was pale with tiredness but showed no sign of weakening.
`You don't, eh? Then let me explain it for you. How will it sound at a court of enquiry later on? A midshipman's loss is bad enough, the deaths of all those sailors and revenue officers hard to explain, let alone those damned muskets which are now in the wrong hands. But who got clean away without hurt? The Avenger's two officers, both of this family!'
For the first time Hugh Bolitho looked shocked.
`That was not how it was, sir. But for the schooner, we would have been well placed to assist, dragoons or no dragoons.'
The colonel entered at that moment and said quietly, `I have just had word that the schooner's crew are ashore and under close guard. They will be taken to Truro.'
Vyvyan handed him the crumpled letter and watched his face.
The colonel said savagely, `I guessed it would not end there, damn them V
Hugh Bolitho persisted stubbornly, `That schooner was carrying gold coin by the box-load. The crew are all American Colonists. I have no doubt they intended to use the money to buy muskets, here in Cornwall. Then they would likely transfer them to a larger vessel at some safe rendezvous elsewhere.'
The colonel eyed him coldly. `The schooner's master insists he is innocent. That he was lost, and that you fired on him without warning. He took you for a pirate.' He raised one hand wearily. `I know, Mr Bolitho, but it is what everyone will believe who wants to. You lost your muskets, failed to capture any of the smugglers, and several men have died for no good reason. I know there is talk of unrest in the American Colony, but it is only talk at present. What you have done is very real.'
Vyvyan said gruffly, `Be easy on him. We were all youngsters once. I told him we should agree to exchange our prisoners. After all, we have a good prize in the harbour, if the magistrates can prove she was after the guns. And when we get Dancer back safe and sound he might tell us more.' He gave a crooked smile. `What say you, Colonel?'
De Crespigny sighed. `It is no matter for a landowner or a young lieutenant to dabble with. Even I will need to be directed in this case.' He looked round to make certain that the gamekeeper had gone. `However, if your captured felon should escape, I see no reason to report it just yet, eh?'
Vyvyan grinned. `Spoken like a true soldier! Well done. I'll have my men deal with it.' His eye moved across the Bolitho family. `But if I am wrong, and they harm young Dancer, they will eventually be very sorry for what they have done.'
