Just then, a rifle shot rang through the air, and within seconds, the carriage came to a dead halt. Anna jumped in her seat, blinking awake with a frightened expression. Mrs. Crampton’s eyes were wide as color slowly left her face.
Emmie’s heart dropped. They were being attacked! She just knew it!
Chapter Fifteen
With a springin his step and a happy tune on his mind, Broderick hurried out of his room at the inn and downstairs. The journey to Brighton had mostly gone smoothly—except for those blasted snakes slithering in the road that he had to shoot, which, of course, startled everyone. But once they reached the town, he had registered everyone in a room under his name so that nobody knew Lady Sarah was in Brighton.
Uncle Henry was in the main room visiting with the innkeepers. When he saw Broderick, he motioned to come over.
Broderick glanced around the spacious area as he walked toward Henry, hoping to see Emiline and Lady Sarah, but they were not there. He stopped beside his uncle and smiled. “Good morning, Uncle Henry. I trust you slept well.”
“As well as could be expected.” Henry chuckled and turned his attention to the innkeepers. “Mr. Brownstone, please excuse me. My nephew and I need to leave now.”
The men bowed to each other before Uncle Henry led the way outside. Brighton’s weather was lovely so far this morning, with the promise of getting better as the day progressed. This would be the perfect time to take a stroll along the boardwalk with a beautiful lady. Emiline would just love it. But the question was… would he be able to spend time alone with her?
“Did you have something to speak with me about, Uncle?”
Henry shook his head. “Not anything really important. I thought you and I could walk through town this morning. After spending all time confined inside a coach yesterday with a daughter who complained about everything, I would rather be with my nephew for a little while.”
“I did hear how unhappy she was when I passed by your carriage a few times.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “Unhappy? No, she was worse than that.”
They both laughed.
As they walked, Henry talked about the weather and the town. Broderick agreed with everything and didn’t have much to add. In a way, he wished his uncle would discuss something more important, mainly so that he wouldn’t think about wanting to be back at the inn with Emiline.
Thankfully, the town was awake, and many people were doing their daily shopping. Soon, Henry’s name was called, and both Broderick and his uncle stopped. A friend of Henry’s came to greet them. From the introductions, Broderick realized the two friends hadn’t seen each other for several years.
He tried to act interested in the topic the two friends were discussing, but as Broderick swept his gaze up and down the street at the different buildings, the only thing going through his mind was taking Emiline here. She would fall in love with this town, he just knew it.
When he recognized a familiar face, his thoughts stopped. It was one of Captain Hawk’s crew members. Broderick acknowledged the man with a slight nod, not wanting to bring attention to either one of them. It was good to know the note Broderick had sent Phillip had been answered quickly. Now Broderick wondered where Phillip was holing up, or if his friend was even in Brighton yet.
Broderick turned back to his uncle and the other man and politely made his excuses. Uncle Henry gave him a curious stare, but Broderick just nodded and quickly left his relative’s side. As he headed up the street, a few more familiar faces came into view, and he gave them each a nod as well.
He stopped in front of a glass shop to admire the pieces of art through the shop window. Within seconds, eeriness crept over him, and he got the distinct feeling he was being watched. Slowly, he turned and glanced up and down the street, hoping to see the culprit that made him feel this way, but he couldn’t see anyone. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling.
He stepped away from the shop and slowly continued up the street, and when passing another window, he checked the reflection to see if anyone was following him. Finally, he noticed a man from across the street who had stopped when Broderick had. Out of curiosity, he continued. Once again, he slowed when passing another window, and the man was keeping Broderick’s pace. This time, he noticed the man glance his way.
The man wasn’t familiar, and he wasn’t dressed as a naval officer. But that didn’t mean anything. In these treacherous times, everyone was under suspicion.
As Broderick passed an alley, he quickly hurried toward the back of the building next to him. He turned the corner and took a quick glance to see if the man still followed. So far, the stranger hadn’t ventured into the alley. Broderick flattened himself against the wall and waited.
After a few minutes, he heard a noise. The small rocks in the dirt were being crunched by someone’s steps, and the uneven thuds let Broderick know the stranger was in a hurry.
When the other person came into view, Broderick grabbed the man. The reed-thin man gasped and jerked his head up to look at Broderick, his hat falling off in the process. Sweat beaded his forehead and the scalp shown by his thinning hair.
“What do you want with me?” Broderick asked with a growl.
“Nothin’, sir. I don’t even know ye.” The man struggled to get away.
“If you do not know me, then why are you following me?”
The man gulped noisily. “I’m… uh, I’m not, sir.”
The man continued pulling at Broderick’s arms, trying to free himself. “Then what reason do you have coming up this alley?” Broderick tightened his fingers around the man.
“I, uh… Well, sir, you see…”
