Chapter 6

Chapter Six

J emma woke to someone pounding on the door to her home. She rolled toward her window, where only part of the sun barely appeared above the horizon. She threw back the covers and went to her window that overlooked the front drive. She recognized the parish constable and feared they were there to question her about the previous night. She hurried to don a day dress before running a comb through her hair. She tied back her waist-length locks with a ribbon before she crept from her chamber. Raised voices greeted her as she made her way to the stairs. From the balustrade, she could see down to the foyer.

She smothered her gasp as she watched their family butler, Samson, usher the constable to the drawing room. The elderly Samson, with tufts of white hair and milky-blue eyes, was ready for retirement. But he’d been a member of her grandfather’s household. Her parents couldn’t bring themselves to force him from his position.

“Jemma, go to your chamber.” Vinita spoke softly behind her shoulder. “Let your father sort this out. I don’t want our guest seeing you.”

“Guest?” She hadn’t known someone visited.

“Lord Zachary Windsor-Clive appeared just as your father and Raj returned home. The Earl arrived and demanded we offer him a chamber for the night. Rather than disturb the entire household, your father admitted him. I suspect his battered face is the reason for the constable’s visit.”

“Did he summon the constable?”

“I don’t know. Hurry. I don’t trust the Earl. I don’t want him anywhere near you.” Vinita nodded down the corridor to Jemma’s chamber. The younger woman rushed to obey her mother, but she kept her door open a crack. When she heard Zachary’s voice along with her father’s belowstairs, she crept back to the landing. Once the drawing room door closed, she could no longer hear anything. She tiptoed down the stairs to the music room. The walls were thin, so she pressed her ear against it and could hear clearly next door.

“I demand to know why I was woken to answer questions when I am clearly the victim.” Zachary’s voice boomed through the wall.

“My lord, you were seen attacking a young woman on the path last night. The witnesses gave incontrovertible proof.”

“Who?” Zachary’s pitch notched up, and Jemma thought she heard his voice waver. Had he done something worse after she escaped, and Ben came looking for her?

“The men with you. They recounted how you threatened the man she was with and tried to take her. It explains your face.”

“That bloody bastard!”

“You will not use foul language in my home, my lord.” It was Theo who spoke up, his warning firm. It did not matter Zachary outranked him by several levels. Theo was twice the younger man’s size, his build similar to Ben’s. Zachary had a willowy physique, likely from fencing and riding, but he possessed no significant athleticism or strength. It was why he’d thought Charlie would make a fine target while she was a governess to his much younger half siblings.

“I did no such thing,” Zachary contested, not acknowledging Theo, but making his voice less strident.

“A dozen men, along with the one who reported you, say otherwise. My lord, I would rather avoid arresting you. I do not need the paperwork or the hassle of taking you to London. I suggest you be on your way, and we will forget anything happened.”

“I will not forget anything. It was that Pedrick man and his whore—” A gurgling sound carried.

“That’s my daughter, and well you know it. Think again before you speak about her like that. I may only be a baronet, but it doesn’t negate my wife being a princess. I will have you at the gallows if you touched my daughter.”

A crash boomed, and Jemma jumped back as though whatever it was might come through the partition. She wondered what piece of furniture broke from her father likely flinging Zachary halfway across the room. Theo was viciously protective of his wife and daughter, and her brothers followed suit. It was a foolish man who thought to impugn either woman’s reputation.

Jemma glanced toward the door as her mother entered, her expression conveying her displeasure. She said nothing to Jemma. Neither did she join her to eavesdrop. She merely gave her daughter an expression that only mothers mastered, especially one who had four sons and a precocious youngest and only daughter.

“My lord, I will escort you to the edge of the town. I suggest you do not return, as you have no business in this region.”

“You do not know my business,” Zachary countered as he argued now with the constable.

“You have no business.” Theo’s voice had an edge when the conversation began. Now it was purely deadly.

“Very well. For now. But this is hardly over. Pedrick will hang for attacking me. Your daughter’s reputation is mud, and I know what you’ve been doing, Sir Theodore. The secret is out, and you shall join Pedrick at the gallows. You will hang for treason.”

“And you have to make it out of Polruan. I think the odds are in my favor, my lord. Return and you shall find your fate is the same as your father’s.” Raj’s voice carried to Jemma, and she hadn’t realized her cousin was among the men.

A slamming door signaled the Earl’s departure before Theo stepped into the music room. He looked at his wife, then settled his attention on Jemma. He merely stood there, waiting for his daughter’s explanation. But he still, after twenty-three years, underestimated Jemma’s resolve.

“Jemma, I know Ben rode home with you. Raj told me while the magistrate amended the paperwork to end the warrant. I saw you leave together just before your cousin explained. If I hadn’t been busy with the bloody magistrate, I would have stopped you and insisted the four of us ride back together. Explain to me what happened.”

“The Earl stopped us. He had a dozen men with him, some with muskets. He spoke to us, making vulgar and insinuating comments, and tossed a coin at Ben to pay for a turn with me.”

“What?” Theo roared, spinning to the door.

“Theo, no.” Vinita stepped in front of him. “It will be you who the constable must arrest. Now is not the time.” She locked eyes with her husband of three decades. They communicated silently, and Theo relented. But she knew they had hardly settled the matter. It was more likely Zachary Windsor-Clive, Earl of Plymouth, would come to an untimely death before he arrived home to London.

“Father, Ben protected me. He kept the Earl and his men from getting to me and gave me a chance to run and hide. He fought Windsor-Clive, and that’s why he is so angry. Ben only had scratched knuckles. Once we were certain we were free of him, Ben brought me home and went to the summerhouse for the night.”

“What else happened?” Vinita's piercing stare tempted Jemma to confess to their kisses.

“Nothing.” Their kisses were far too private to share, and she feared it was her mother who would skelp Ben for their tryst if she admitted it happened. “He wanted to be away from the house in case the constable came looking and insisted upon searching the house. I don’t know what else happened.” It wasn’t all she knew, but it was what she would willingly share.

“If that’s the case, he must make it away from Lantic Bay in one piece.” Theo prayed Ben lived long enough marry his daughter. Zachary wouldn’t let this pass.

It was still dawn, the constable’s visit having come so early in the day, so Jemma figured Ben was likely still at the summerhouse. She switched her slippers to her boots and went to the stables. She knew she took her safety for granted, and last night proved it. But she would take one more risk. She needed to be certain Ben was safe since she was certain he hadn’t taken a direct route to the summerhouse, rather detouring to Lantic Bay first. She trusted Zachary not at all, and neither did she trust the constable. She knew him to be a man easily bought. That was likely how Ben made the man show up so early. She mounted her steed and squeezed her knees against the animal’s flanks. She hadn’t made it off her family’s land before Ben stepped onto the path.

“Why are you riding alone, Jemma?” Ben knew he sounded demanding, but Zachary had only ridden past him a quarter-of-an-hour earlier. He’d remained on the edge of the Rowes’ land all night rather than go to the summerhouse, unconvinced Jemma was safe once he saw his nemesis ride up the drive. He deduced Zachary demanded their hospitality, and he could only imagine what he intended to do. Ben left only long enough to bribe the constable, dangling a pretty penny and a bolt of satin for his wife, to come round. Ben had slipped back into his hiding place as the portly man rode to the house.

“I was going to look for you,” Jemma gasped. “What are you doing here? You look like you haven’t slept.”

“I haven’t. I saw Zachary approach. I watched, and when he didn’t leave, I stayed. I couldn’t leave knowing he was under the same roof as you. I was away only long enough to summon the constable.”

“Did the Earl leave?” Jemma looked around, suddenly feeling vulnerable. If Ben hid so close to her home, perhaps Zachary did the same.

“Yes. He and the constable rode toward Lantic Bay together.”

“You should leave Polruan, shouldn’t you?”

“Probably, but I’m not leaving, Jemma. Not until I speak to your father.”

“Not now. He’s still upset about Windsor-Clive. It’s not that I think he’ll blame. He’s not going anywhere.” Ben pursed his lips, hating the reminder Zachary was under the same roof as Jemma. “I’m supposed to meet Margaret this morning to help with the candies. That was my excuse if anyone asked. We can ride to the village together.”

Ben heard the hope in her voice, and it warmed him. He stepped forward and lifted Jemma from the saddle. He maneuvered them, so their horses shielded them from anyone’s view. He cupped her face and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. She wrapped her arms around his waist and returned the sentiment, matching him when the kiss grew passionate. His hands slid down her back and cupped her backside, lifting her onto her toes. Their hips rocked together, both understanding the need they shared. They were panting by the time they pulled apart. He helped her back into the saddle before mounting his own steed. They cantered to the edge of town but stopped short by the sight that greeted them.

Zachary stood issuing orders to the very men who’d allegedly betrayed him, so it was clear he’d already deduced the constable had lied. There were also the half-dozen excisemen from the night before. Zachary gestured toward Grandma Smith’s home, then down to the beach. He even pointed toward Penhallow House, Lord Pencarrow’s estate. Kent Pentarth stepped outside his small public stables. He held his hammer in his hand, his beefy arms crossed. His massive blacksmith’s forearms rippled with muscle. Neither Jemma nor Ben could hear Kent, but it was clear he refused to allow anyone into his workshop or stables. Ben prayed Pentarth could deter the officials and the earl.

Ben whispered to Jemma. “I found out when I got here to summon the constable that Father and Steven sent a cartful of gunpowder. It’s stored in the cellar.” It was a space that could be accessed from outside or from within the blacksmith’s workshop.

Ben and Jemma watched Kent and Zachary argue for a moment before they crept along another path and arrived at The Cock and Bull. There was a secret tunnel behind a cupboard in the basement. Once Zachary left, it would allow them to enter the warren of tunnels and reach Ben’s concealed store of gunpowder. They waited outside the tavern, hidden in the shadows. Ben scanned their surroundings, ensuring no one spied them.

Certain they were alone, he opened his arms. She stepped into his embrace and shut her eyes as her head came to rest against his chest. She listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. It soothed her fraught nerves, and when he ran his hand over her back, she thought she might melt. Feeling more at ease, she tilted her head back and parted her lips. Ben eagerly accepted the invitation. The kiss blocked out the world around them until they heard a crash, a gasp, and a goose squawk.

“Lady Jemma,” Margaret blurted. Jemma’s friend stared wide-eyed at the couple, a basket of apples at her feet. Beside her was the local healer and midwife, Emily Trindle. The geese belonged to the viscount but frequently roamed the village green. The gaggle observed the couple as attentively as Margaret and Emily. Jemma might have been able to convince the women not to say anything about what they saw, but the commotion summoned Grandma Smith. The woman was in everyone’s business, not just that of the smugglers.

“Lady Jemma.” Grandma Smith sounded far more scandalized than Margaret. Jemma looked up at Ben, who wished he could shield her like he had last night. But the sun was up, and a larger crowd was gathering. “Your father and mother will not approve of your wantonness. This will never do.”

Jemma and Ben watched the people whisper to one another. Their greater concern was whether Zachary remained near the stables and whether this would draw his attention. Ben sighed, knowing the gossip would carry throughout the village and to Polruan by midday. He’d already intended to make it public that they were courting, but now it would look like he said that because the villagers discovered them.

“Go home, Jemma. I’ll follow as soon as I speak to Kent. I need to ensure the barrels can remain a little longer. I don’t think I’m setting off soon.” They both knew the only place Ben would take gunpowder was to her uncle. William was just as entrenched in the smuggling ring as her father.

“Soon?” Jemma knew on a superficial level her uncle expected him in Dorset, but it hadn’t sunk in that Ben was really leaving until just that moment. She should have known the moment he told her a new shipment arrived. He’d said he wasn’t leaving when they met outside the manor gates, but there was no avoiding it if the shipment needed to reach her uncle. They’d finally accepted their feelings and were spending time together, but now he would depart again. She didn’t know when she would see him again since she doubted it would be before Christmas.

“Yes. But I can wait until tomorrow. Go home, Jemma. I’ll be there soon.” Ben kissed her forehead. This wasn’t how he’d imagined they would announce their intentions, but they’d been foolish to tryst in such a public place. She nodded and led her horse to the end of the building as the villagers stared. Ben followed, and they peered around the side, neither seeing Zachary. “Have a groom accompany you.”

Jemma nodded, neither saying anything more. Ben watched her talk to an adolescent, who soon saddled a horse and rode out with her. By the time she was gone, the people who’d bottlenecked to see what was amiss had returned to their day. Ben made his way to Kent, keeping their conversation brief. He was soon back on his horse and headed to Rowe House.

“Jemma,” Theo called to her from his study’s doorway as she entered the manor house. She sighed and took the path of least resistance. She approached her father and spied her mother sitting in a chair beside his desk. It was a position she often occupied when her father discussed estate matters. He’d always included Vinita when their sons were too young to be a part of the estate management. The habit continued.

“Mama, Papa,” Jemma greeted them as she walked past Theo. She eased into a seat in front of the desk and clasped her hands in her lap.

“You didn’t explain what occurred between you and Ben last night. Why were you at the cliffs?”

“We wished to look at where we met.”

“What else?

“We reminisced.”

“Windsor-Clive insinuated it was far more than that.” Vinita observed Jemma, seeing so much of herself in her daughter. The conversation was eerily like one she’d been part of thirty years ago, when she had been in Jemma’s position.

“I told you. We were remembering when we met. We regret our misunderstanding kept us apart for far too many years. My pride and his guilt kept us from talking when we could have put things straight a long time ago. We want to make out courtship public.” It was Jemma’s turn to lift an eyebrow to her parents.

“And when do you plan to do that?”

“Immediately.”

As if summoned by Jemma’s comment, a knock sounded at the door, and Samson ushered Ben into the study, where he found three sets of eyes boring into him.

“You wish to announce your intentions.” Theo saw no point in prevaricating. He gestured to the seat beside Jemma’s, but Ben remained standing next to her.

“I do.” Ben turned toward the older man, fighting the temptation to wrap his arm around Jemma and hold her possessively against his side. After what happened the night before, he didn’t like her being out of reach, but he didn’t need to worry Theo would separate them.

“Why now?” Theo suspected something else happened besides Zachary’s accusations.

“Because there’s no reason to prolong it. I’d make it public, so we can move forward.”

“Jemma?” Vinita cast her daughter a concerned mien. She recalled a similar conversation between her father, Maharaja Surat Singh, and Theo. There had been an instant and powerful connection between herself and Theo, but he’d harbored the same concerns as Ben. Had time not been so short before Theo was due to return to England, their courtship might have lasted longer. But she’d been determined to join him for the voyage back to England. They’d returned after their journey to England was complete, but neither she nor Theo had known they would. She was certain it also helped that her sister, Sarla, had fallen in love with Theo’s friend William. At the time, her older sister, Suniti, was newly married to the third member of the East Indiamen’s trio, Raj’s father.

“I’ve had seven years to figure out what I want. This is what’s right.” Jemma’s determination radiated from her posture and visage.

Ben’s cock threatened to come to life at the most inopportune time. The last thing he needed was for his attraction to their daughter to become clear for Theo and Vinita to see. He tried to think of anything that would distract him. Recalling Grandma Smith’s expression when she caught them made his arousal wane immediately.

“Mistress Smith, my lord,” Samson announced. No one heard a knock at the door, so all four turned to watch the elderly woman enter the study. It was as though Ben’s thought conjured the woman.

“So, you did the honorable thing, lad.” Grandma Smith narrowed her eyes at Ben, who turned to look at Theo and Vinita.

“I told you why I wish to make the courtship known. Mistress Smith came to tell you we have no choice but to marry.” Ben steeled himself for all of Theo’s goodwill and kindness to evaporate.

“What did you do?” Theo demanded.

Jemma slipped her arm around Ben’s waist. “I kissed him behind The Cock and Bull.”

“Aye. For the whole village to see them, they did.” Grandma Smith grinned, but Ben suspected it was at their expense. For a woman who kept so many secrets, she seemed determined to share this one.

“We’re already courting.” Jemma locked eyes with Grandma Smith, daring her to contradict her.

“And I came to tell you Father Hope is ready to read the banns this morning since it’s Sunday.” Grandma Smith held her hands clasped before her, appearing modest and deferential, but her eyes shone with defiance.

“Mistress Smith, you made a trip here for nothing.” Vinita said as she came to stand before the woman. “We already knew and intended to ask Father Hope to do just that this Sunday, but we can do that today.”

The older woman looked at the three Rowes and Ben. It always angered her the two men conducted any smuggling business without her as an intermediary. She wasn’t quick to forgive and forget. But neither were Ben nor Theo. They would recall the meddlesome woman’s intentions because it stole Ben’s change to propose. Vinita drew the former nanny and current ringleader away, her eyes boring into Jemma, who wisely followed without instruction.

“I suppose this was bound to happen since I couldn’t expect you to only see each other here.”

“I still would have preferred not to have the town crier interfere. This isn’t what I envisioned for Jemma.”

“I understand. At least we’ll be family in three weeks.”

Three weeks. Bloody hell. My family doesn’t even know how I feel about Jemma, let alone that I wish to marry her. That ruddy busybody. I thought to at least tell Mama and Father before posting the banns for the first time. Seems that’s not to be the case.

“You wish you could have told your parents first,” Theo surmised. Ben nodded his head, and Theo rested his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I understand. I married Lady Rowe before my missive explaining my intentions reached my parents. We arrived the same day as my missive announcing our marriage. It was delayed because a courier’s horse threw his shoe. I didn’t know my letter was aboard the same ship on which we traveled. My father was opening it just as we arrived.”

“I have no hesitation about marrying Jemma. I will gladly accept posting the banns today, but I don’t wish to hurt my mother.”

“Then you will need to leave for Dorset today, so you can be home before the wedding, and so you can invite your family.” Theo walked outside with Ben as the women boarded the family’s carriage. Theo and Ben rode their horses alongside the conveyance. He found Kent had already prepared his cart, so he attached his horse.

Ben greeted Charlie and Rajesh, quickly explaining what had occurred the night before and what they would witness at the end of the next Mass. They’d already set off for church with the girls, wanting to escape any chance Zachary might return. Charlie had remained hidden in their chamber while the miscreant was at Rowe House.

The service was over before Ben noticed, and he was soon standing on the church steps with Jemma listening to Father Hope ask if anyone knew of an impediment to their marriage. Stunned faces stared at them, with a few knowing smiles from people who’d spied them earlier. Since the damage was already done, Ben saw no point in much restraint. As soon as Father Hope nodded at the silence that followed his question, Ben drew Jemma in for a brief but hardly perfunctory kiss.

Ben brought his lips to Jemma’s ear. “Would you marry by special license rather than wait three weeks?”

“Yes. As soon as you return.” Jemma swallowed tears, knowing Grandma Smith ruined their plans for Christmas together. It was only three days away, so she doubted Ben would return before then.

“I’ll make sure it happens, sweetling.” With a whispered goodbye, he dropped a kiss on her nose and climbed onto his cart, pointing it east.