crossed to the opposite side of the street when she reached Peake’s warehouse, and was pressing through the shadows when a coach came along and stopped outside the building. Pausing, Beth watched three men alight from the coach. They looked around furtively, then dragged a man out of the coach and half-carried him into the warehouse.
Beth was instantly alerted. She had not been able to gather any details of the fourth man, but her immediate fear was that it was Adam. But surely he had not fallen foul of yet more of Peake’s men. She crossed the street and hurried to the warehouse door, found it ajar, and peered into the building.
There was a lantern burning just inside the door, and by its dim light she saw the three men carrying the fourth man towards the office. She almost gasped aloud when she saw that the fourth man was indeed Adam. He seemed to be unconscious, and she turned away quickly, aware that her only chance of help was by reaching Traherne Court.
Hurrying along the street, Beth turned off to avoid the port and crossed into the dark road that led to the outskirts of the town. She was breathless and tired, but the desperate thought of Adam being held by Peake’s men was sufficient to force her beyond her physical limit and she hastened on.
Reaching the cliff top on the southern side of Polgarron Bay, she hurried out into the open. Glancing out at the bay, she could see the torment of the sea. There was a ship riding at anchor in the comparative shelter of the bay, and at times it was almost completely submerged by the rolling waves thundering towards the shore.
An hour passed before she reached the grounds of Traherne Court. Lights were showing in several windows, and Beth had never seen a more welcome sight. She hurried along the drive despite her fatigue and struggled up the steps to the terrace. She fell against the front door of the house, hammered on the thick panels, then leaned against it while awaiting some answer. The door was opened by Jeremy himself, and he exclaimed loudly when he saw her. On the point of fainting with exhaustion, Beth fell into Jeremy’s arms. He lifted her over the doorstep and sat her down on a padded seat in the hall.
She blurted out a hesitant account of what had happened, and Jeremy cut her short after learning the salient points.
‘Stay here and rest while I gather the estate workers,’ he said. ‘We’ll go into town and enter Peake’s warehouse. I just hope we’ll not be too late.’
Beth struggled to her feet and moved to the door but Jeremy grasped her arm, forcing her to sit down again.
‘You’re all in,’ he observed. ‘I want you to stay here out of harm’s way. Go to the kitchen and make yourself a hot drink and eat some food.’
‘It will take you time to gather your men,’ she replied. ‘In the meantime, anything could happen to Adam. I’ve got to go back to town. I might be able to do something to help.’
Jeremy had no time to argue, and, while he was getting dressed, Beth dragged open the front door and departed, hastening back the way she had come. After an interminable period, she reached Polgarron and hurried through the deserted streets, concerned only with Adam’s plight.
A horse and cart was waiting outside the warehouse when Beth reached it, and, miraculously, the door of the building stood ajar. As she crept closer to the door it was jerked wide open from inside and two men appeared, carrying a large crate between them. Beth faded into the shadows and crouched like a hunted animal, her heart pounding.
The men put the crate on the cart and hurried back into the warehouse.
‘One more bale and we can be on our way,’ one of them said.
Beth eased forward, her pulses racing. She could hear the men talking, and peered around the door to see them dragging a large bale off the top of a nearby stack. There were two lanterns burning inside the warehouse, one close to the door and another over by the office. She sneaked into the
Beth was instantly alerted. She had not been able to gather any details of the fourth man, but her immediate fear was that it was Adam. But surely he had not fallen foul of yet more of Peake’s men. She crossed the street and hurried to the warehouse door, found it ajar, and peered into the building.
There was a lantern burning just inside the door, and by its dim light she saw the three men carrying the fourth man towards the office. She almost gasped aloud when she saw that the fourth man was indeed Adam. He seemed to be unconscious, and she turned away quickly, aware that her only chance of help was by reaching Traherne Court.
Hurrying along the street, Beth turned off to avoid the port and crossed into the dark road that led to the outskirts of the town. She was breathless and tired, but the desperate thought of Adam being held by Peake’s men was sufficient to force her beyond her physical limit and she hastened on.
Reaching the cliff top on the southern side of Polgarron Bay, she hurried out into the open. Glancing out at the bay, she could see the torment of the sea. There was a ship riding at anchor in the comparative shelter of the bay, and at times it was almost completely submerged by the rolling waves thundering towards the shore.
An hour passed before she reached the grounds of Traherne Court. Lights were showing in several windows, and Beth had never seen a more welcome sight. She hurried along the drive despite her fatigue and struggled up the steps to the terrace. She fell against the front door of the house, hammered on the thick panels, then leaned against it while awaiting some answer. The door was opened by Jeremy himself, and he exclaimed loudly when he saw her. On the point of fainting with exhaustion, Beth fell into Jeremy’s arms. He lifted her over the doorstep and sat her down on a padded seat in the hall.
She blurted out a hesitant account of what had happened, and Jeremy cut her short after learning the salient points.
‘Stay here and rest while I gather the estate workers,’ he said. ‘We’ll go into town and enter Peake’s warehouse. I just hope we’ll not be too late.’
Beth struggled to her feet and moved to the door but Jeremy grasped her arm, forcing her to sit down again.
‘You’re all in,’ he observed. ‘I want you to stay here out of harm’s way. Go to the kitchen and make yourself a hot drink and eat some food.’
‘It will take you time to gather your men,’ she replied. ‘In the meantime, anything could happen to Adam. I’ve got to go back to town. I might be able to do something to help.’
Jeremy had no time to argue, and, while he was getting dressed, Beth dragged open the front door and departed, hastening back the way she had come. After an interminable period, she reached Polgarron and hurried through the deserted streets, concerned only with Adam’s plight.
A horse and cart was waiting outside the warehouse when Beth reached it, and, miraculously, the door of the building stood ajar. As she crept closer to the door it was jerked wide open from inside and two men appeared, carrying a large crate between them. Beth faded into the shadows and crouched like a hunted animal, her heart pounding.
The men put the crate on the cart and hurried back into the warehouse.
‘One more bale and we can be on our way,’ one of them said.
Beth eased forward, her pulses racing. She could hear the men talking, and peered around the door to see them dragging a large bale off the top of a nearby stack. There were two lanterns burning inside the warehouse, one close to the door and another over by the office. She sneaked into the
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