She pushed away and gave him a hurt look. “What could be more important than being with me?”
“You have to trust me.”
“I can’t face this without you. Please don’t leave.”
He tipped her face up and kissed her soundly. “When you get to St. Mawes, we’ll already be there.”
Harriet saidgoodbye to Richard when Sidmouth’s carriage finally pulled up in front of Pearce’s Hotel, and the drivers took charge of both the dogs and the horses. She held him so close, she imagined she was drawing strength through his jacket, from the steady thump of his heart.
He kissed her once and then he was gone, disappearing into the shadows along the harbor-front.
Sidmouth gathered her and Lady Jane and walked toward the entrance. Harriet thought of one last thing and looked up to her cousin just before they walked inside. “What about Fleur and Max?”
Sidmouth gave her a broad smile. “Dogs? In a stable? They’ll be fine and rested by morning to go after their master. With any luck, maybe they’ll take a few choice pieces out of that pompous bastard, Julian.”
After he assured her his outriders would take turns staying outside their rooms until morning, Harriet dropped onto the bed with her blue riding dress still on. She thought she’d just lie there for a bit, but fell into a deep sleep until a light tapping at her door from one of the outriders alerted her to join Sidmouth and his duchess.
After Richard left Harriet,he found a group of officers from a ship anchored near the Black Condor, still carousing at a harbor-front tavern. He talked them into dropping him off back at theBlack Condoron their way to their ship in their shore boat. After he pulled himself up the boarding ladder and passed the night watch, he headed directly to Captain Neville’s cabin to wake him up. They had plans to make and not much time.
It was stillfull dark outside when Harriet joined Sidmouth and his duchess in a private dining room. He’d had a full breakfast of ham and sausages, biscuits, eggs, potatoes and cod provided for his men who had taken turns eating throughout the night in between guard duty outside their doors.
She helped herself to coffee and several pieces of cheese and toast from the sideboard before joining Sidmouth and his duchess at the table. The were all a bit bleary-eyed, but their faces reflected grim determination.
Lady Jane extended her hand across the table to Harriet. “I’m not going to ask you how you feel or offer any empty, trivial encouragement. But please know I’ve come to love your son as if he were my own.” Sidmouth’s head swiveled her way at that declaration. She clasped his hand with her other hand at her side. “We are with you all the way.”
“I’ve had theFalconbrought around to the quay down from the hotel.” Sidmouth inclined his head toward the harbor. “The crew is waiting. We should leave as soon as possible to make sure we reach the magistrate before Blandford and his men. With all our canvas up, we’ll make St. Mawes in less than half an hour.”
Harriet didn’t know if she could hold herself together in the face of all her cousin and his duchess had done to ensure her son was retrieved as safely as possible. Sidmouth must have moved heaven and earth to get the family yacht out of storage in the waning hours of the night, so that once Nicholas was back with her, they’d have privacy returning to Falmouth, and a place to stay as long as her son need to rest after his ordeal. The ducal family ship was like a floating, idyllic abode, with four comfortable cabins.
Harriet stoodat the bow of the Falcon, one of the yacht’s warm blue woolen blankets wrapped around her shoulders. She couldn’t bring herself to stay inside the pilot house with Sidmouth. After a few minutes, Lady Jane joined her.
No conversation was necessary. When they finally arrived at the St. Mawes quay, she had to restrain herself from jumping ashore before Sidmouth’s crew had secured all of the ship’s lines. As soon as the gangplank lowered, she shot across with Sidmouth and Jane close behind. Sidmouth restrained Max and Fleur with a tight hold on their leashes. The guards brought up the rear.
She stopped short, realizing she had no idea where the magistrate’s office might be. Merchant buildings and the private houses behind them dotted the terraced hills circling the tiny cove defining St. Mawes.
Sidmouth walked past her and squeezed her hand. He knew the way, so she fell in behind him with Jane.
The sun’s rays were just slanting over the rooftops as they climbed toward the magistrate’s office. She had to shade her eyes against the glare as they continued to climb. A bit of light fog had settled in the corners and alley ways, but was burning off quickly in the intense sunrise.
Out of the glare and fog, three figures marched toward them. She squinted hard in the glare but could not be sure of whether they were friends or foe. Sidmouth suddenly let the mastiffs go, and they made fond, whining howls.
As the three men marched closer, she saw Nicholas between two Royal Navy men in full uniform. He held tightly onto the hand of one of them while staring up at the other with a wide grin on his face. The dogs raced to their sides, nearly bowling over their master.
The two men halted briskly in front of Sidmouth and traded salutes. Harriet knelt down and reached for Nicholas but then stood quickly when she noticed the embarrassed look on his face.
Richard gave her a slow wink. “Captain George Neville and I, officers of His Majesty’s ship, theBlack Condor, were, um, called to stand by at the St. Mawes magistrate’s office overnight. There were suspicions that Lord Nicholas Blandford had been taken against his wishes and would appear there before morning.”
She couldn’t help herself. “What happened, Nicholas?” She could tell he was bursting to tell her, but wanted to draw out the suspense.
“M-my uncle told the magistrate that I was m-mentally incompetent and should be sent to an asylum.”
Harriet swiped furiously at a tear rolling down her cheek.
Captain Neville continued the tale. “We stood by in the office, even though Lord Julian Blandford demanded we leave.” He reached down and ruffled Nicholas’s wild shock of hair. “Turns out, Lady Blandford, your son did not need our help. He gave a clear, slow accounting of his full name and title, along with where he properly belongs and his mother’s name. Oh, and he warned Julian’s men his ‘Uncle Sid,’ the duke, would be along any minute to give them what for.”
Harriet raised her eyes to Lieutenant Bourne. “And then what happened?”
Richard tried to remain stern, but a quirk of a smile escaped. “The magistrate ordered Lord Julian out of his office, and his men fell all over each other trying to get away before ‘Uncle Sid’ arrived.”
