Lady Star (26 page)

* * *

Early morning magic swept through the streets
of Rye, bringing it to life in quick stages. On Mermaid Street,
milkmaids were already making their rounds. Several of the popular
inns found their innkeepers up and about and making certain a
robust breakfast would be waiting for their guests.

Ally, one of Farley’s men, perhaps his
favorite watched the passing bustle of the morning scene, stopped
to look at the harbor. He loved looking at the boats. He should
have been a seaman, he often told himself. He shrugged and watched
a fisherman taking out his boat. There was an honest man, living an
honest man’s life.

He wished he could do the same. It had always
been his plan to squirrel enough ready away and do just that. He’d
been with Farley for more years than he cared to count. Perhaps it
was time to pull up stakes and do what he always dreamed of, taking
to the sea and making his living at it.

Suddenly he went dead still.

He watched Vern of Berkley and his friend
laughing as they boarded
The Vision’s
deck. His eyes
narrowed and his thoughts bumped into one another. Here was
something Farley should know about right away. Mayhap the little
sister was all alone? Mayhap this was how they could get enough
ready together?

Ally hurried up the sloping cobbled streets
and rushed into the inn like a man on fire. All he could think was
this was his last chance for a last job.

He found Farley sprawled out across the table
and took hold of the large man’s shoulder, grabbed at the material
of his coat and shook him. “Farley…eh Farley…”

Farley lifted his head and through the fuzz
in his mind he managed to recognize Ally and said on a slur,
“Whot’s that? What the devil are ye doing?”

* * *

Miles and Vern were in their shirtsleeves.
They both felt the anticipation of adventure. Miles grinned and
told his friend, “Buccaneers, that’s what we are…riding the high
seas, making our fortune.”

Vern laughed, “Grow up.”

“Why?” Miles bantered and sighed. “It is a
shame you let the decking get caught by the salt air. It will need
some sanding in places and a good polish.”

“Aye, but I won’t be the one having to do
it,” Vern said happily and tripped over the mainsail he was
attempting to stretch.

Miles burst out laughing and snickered, “Aye,
then mate,
ye need to get yer sea legs
on.”

Vern chuckled good-naturedly, “As though you
have them already.”

Miles bent and picked up the object that had
caught his eye and held it up, “What is this loose spar doing
here?”

Vern shrugged, “Didn’t know what to do with
it. It was one left over so I thought I’d keep it near till we
found where it goes.”

“One left over?” Miles cried righteously.
“Dunce. ‘Tis a good thing you sold this for you’ll never make a
sailor.” He set it in its rightful position and stopped short.

Vern followed his friend’s line of vision and
sighed to see a very pretty flowergirl passing by. He shook his
head as Miles made her a sweeping bow and hailed, “Hull-lo,
sweetheart.”

She looked up and rewarded him with an
inviting smile. His hand went to his heart and he cried out to her,
“I am won, I am yours…as soon as we return, I shall find you.”

She threw him a kiss and he caught it and
turned to Vern who was mumbling something incoherent. He grinned
and told him, “She has slain me with her eyes.”

“Aye, has she? Well, I mean to do one better
and slay you with my fist if ever you make eyes at m’sister again.
She is quite right. You are past redemption.”

Miles laughed and returned, “Aye, I fear I
wasn’t made for just one beauty.”

“Work the boom, fool,” Vern told him on a
short laugh.

“Giving your fair share of orders since we
got here,” Miles complained good-naturedly.

“Well and why not? I am the captain,” his
lordship smirked.

“That is another thing. Why are
you
the captain and I only the first mate? It should be the other way
around since you don’t know a lick about sailing?”

“Because this was m’father’s boat and I am
the captain. However, I mean to leave all the sailing matters to
you.” Vern grinned broadly as his friend made a fist and planted it
in his shoulder.

A great deal of high spirited name calling
ensued along with a great deal of mirth before they were finally
under way.

* * *

“Farley…sit up…we have to talk,” Ally said
pulling up a chair and straddling it.

“Why? What is wrong with ye?” Farley
grumbled.

“It queers me how ye can sleep loike a babe
when just outside the window at yer back the hawkers are shouting
enough to blow m’ears clean off,” Ally said shaking his head. “Now
give me yer full attention.”

“Lor’ bless ye, Ally boy,” Farley said,
yawning and stretching his arms high over his head. “Right, Oi’m
listening to ye.” He rubbed at his eyes. “So whot’s got ye all set
on fire?”

“Seen his lordship, Oi did…”

“Lor’ lad, is that why ye’ve been shaking me
till m’head aches?” Farley gave him an ugly frown.

Ally grimaced, “Oi am not such a blubberhead,
and ye know better. Farley…”

“Whot?” Farley shouted. “Spit it out and be
done with it.”

“He looked loike he might be going on a
little trip, he did. Had that finified friend with him. They was on
a ship…
The Vision
…his Oi think. They looked loike they were
about to set to…”

Farley’s buzzing head cleared enough to
digest this. “Eh, now, laddie, eh now? Oi suppose little sister is
up at Berkley all alone and unprotected?”

“Aye, so Oi thought meself,” Ally replied
nodding.

Farley’s eyes narrowed. Sir Edward had given
him a fair warning to stay away from the Berkleys. But, now, his
pockets were nearly empty, and no hope in sight of making a quick
sou. He grinned broadly and told Ally, “Whot then…think today is
the day?”

“Mayhap,” Ally agreed.

“Right then, laddie. This time we’ll make no
mistakes and it’ll be just you and me. That’s the ticket, just you
and me. We’ll manage this rig with none the wiser and when our
pockets are full, we’ll leave Rye behind us, we will. Sad to say
for Oi’ve grown accustomed to this place, but we don’t have much
choice, do we?”

“No, and Oi mean to take to the sea, Oi do,”
Ally said.

“Ye’ll have to, for Oi do think that flash
will hunt us down and we’ll have to leave without a trace, we
will.”

“Aye, but the lads…we could land in trouble
with them if we don’t include them and give them a share…” Ally
hesitated.

“’Tis no more than a lark we’ll tell ‘em.
But, ye and me, we’ll end up with a bundle we will.”

“Right then, Oi suppose we’ll do.”

“That we will,” Farley patted his stomach.
“Have ye eaten yet? We best have some breakfast…eat hearty, for we
‘ave a day’s work ahead of us, we do.”

They grinned at one another and Farley felt a
wave of satisfaction sweep through him. He wanted his revenge
against the flash, Sir Edward, and now was his chance.

Chapter Twenty-Four

FARLEY’S HORSE FIDGETED under him and he
slapped the gelding’s long sturdy neck with a harsh rebuke. “Hold
still, brute.”

He and Ally sat their horses hidden in the
woods bordering the Berkley drive, just behind the stables. His
horse’s antics might cause them to be noticed as they were closer
than he normally would have liked.

He allowed his horse to graze, if only to
keep him quiet as he turned to his companion and said with some
impatience, “Oi dunno, Ally, just walking up to the house and
scooping up a gentry mort, don’t seem clean to me.” He shook his
head. “Mayhap we should think on this a bit more?”

“Aye, has me fair shaking in m’breeches, it
does,” Ally agreed. “But what’s to do then?”

“Let’s give it a moment…mayhap somethin’ will
turn up,” Farley offered as he watched Jeffries walk out two horses
pulling an open gig. The day was growing warm, and he could feel
the beads of sweat drip down his forehead, over his nose, and
tasted the salt as it spilled over his crusty lips.

Ally murmured softly, “Ain’t that the little
lady? Do ye goggle what’s coming?”

“Aye…she’s getting into the gig, she is,”
Farley said with some excitement.

“Into the gig? The gig will be a problem,”
Ally said rubbing his stubbled chin.

“Aye, but we’ll do,” Farley said quietly.
“Ally, we’ll just watch which way she goes after she leaves her
drive and follow her till it feels right.”

“Seems wicked, it does, but we don’t have a
choice. Oi mean to start a new life, Oi do and this is the way to
it,” Ally said grimly.

“Right ye be, Ally. This is the way to it,
and it is going to be easier than we planned.” Farley grinned.
“Much easier.”

* * *

Star, feeling warm, took off her straw bonnet
and set it beside her on the leather upholstered bench of the
family gig and clucked to her chestnut geldings. They were of no
great size or flash, but had sweet dispositions and could be relied
upon to offer a quiet drive. Their ears moved in tune to the sound
of her voice and as they knew their job, they immediately began
their easy pace down the Berkley drive.

Star had been trying to bolster her blue mood
while she had prepared herself for this trip, but it had not been
easy and she was still feeling low. All she could think was Sir
Edward had betrayed them. Where was he? What was he doing? Where
had he gone? Would he even bother to come himself and tell them
what he had done?

She turned off Berkley drive and took the
fork in the road that led to a narrow country road that had been
used between Madison and Berkley for years.

A shiver traveled up her spine and she looked
around, tense. She frowned and told herself she was just being
fanciful and turned her attention back to the road. It wasn’t as
dry or dusty as usual because of the rain the day before, but even
so, the wheels of her gig churned up a fair amount of dust as they
proceeded forward.

All at once, her heart skipped a beat as she
saw two riders emerge from the woods lining the right side of the
road just ahead.

Star bit her lip as they angled their horses
so that they were blocking her way. It was broad daylight for
goodness sake, she thought worriedly. Were these highwaymen? Who
could they be? High tobys didn’t travel back roads.

Her hand moved ever so slightly and found the
small pistol holstered in the corner of her seat. As unobtrusively
as she could manage, she slid it into her right hand, and held the
reins with her free left hand, while she maneuvered the gun into
her lap beneath the folds of her light blue muslin gown.

Oh no,
she thought as she realized
that one of these men was Farley.

A sure trickle of fear sped through her. What
to do? Woods, thick woods lined both sides of the road. No one else
was about.

She stopped the horses and her mind worked
quickly. Perhaps she could climb down and rush for the forest? It
looked thick enough to keep them from making any progress on
horseback after her. Then she could backtrack toward Berkley and
scream for Jeffries. Would she make it? They could track her on
foot and then in the woods bring her down…two men…

Or she could hold her ground and shoot Farley
when he approached. Shooting him seemed a good and permanent
solution. However, she wasn’t sure she could shoot him and hoped
she could instead, escape through the thicket. She took up her gun
and started to clamor out of the gig.

Farley put away the short distance between
them and the flash mort. Ally was already off his horse and chasing
her down. He was on her and grabbed her arm to pull her back toward
her open carriage.

She managed to swing around and aim her gun
at Ally which made him stand and put his hands in the air. “Eh now,
missy…no need for that,” he said.

“Oh, but I think that there is,” Star said
sounding cooler than she felt. Her hands were shaking. Her body was
trembling, and she knew she was in grave trouble.

Farley laughed and pointed his horse gun at
her head, “Shoot him…go ahead. Ye see, Oi don’t care. Then…what
m’fine lady?”

“Eh, if that is yer plan, it is a bad one,”
Ally shouted.

“Go ahead, Miss Pretty, whot do Oi care? I’ll
shoot the gun out of yer hand as soon as ye pull the trigger and
then whot? Yer pretty little hand will be ruined for all time…aye,
that it will. What will ye get fer yer trouble?” He cocked his gun,
“Drop it, or ye will be sorry, Oi promise ye.”

Star knew that he would do it. Could she get
a shot off before he did? Could she do something to save herself?
The answer stared at her through the barrel of his gun. No. He had
this one over on her.

Ally reached out and yanked the gun from her
and then in a fury he slapped her hard with the back of his
hand.

Star went reeling backward and tripped over a
rock, landing hard on the ground and Farley growled, “Don’t be
damaging her yet. We still have a bit more to do.”

For a moment, Star was dazed and in shock.
She had never received such treatment before. Their ugly faces
seemed to fade in and out as she tried to pick herself up when the
man called Ally grabbed her by her upper arm and dragged her to her
feet. She knew logic would not work and yet, she tried it anywhere,
saying quietly, “Don’t you realize what you are doing? My brother
will have your heads for this.”

“Aw now, missy, ye know he wouldn’t be up to
such bobbery, seeing as it could land him in the same goal when Oi
tell them how he helped us rob his rich friends…” Farley laughed
over this and then cut himself off. “Ally, we best not waste
anymore time on the road here. Stick her in the back of the gig,
make certain she is trussed up fine, and cover her with this
blanket.” He handed over the blanket as Ally shoved her hard
against the side of the open carriage.