After they had been turned away from Lord Slate’s home, Henry had not stopped thinking of Jacintha. Even though he had been a part of the discussion over what the men had discovered in the caves, they could not exactly mount an attack on Lord Slate’s home without finding evidence of the supposed contraband. There had to be a way to link Lord Slate to the smuggling, otherwise, their entire operation would be utterly useless. Yes, they had one smuggler in custody but that meant nothing if they couldn’t catch Lord Slate. Were he to get away with what he had done, then Henry would be more than angry, especially if he still had Jacintha by his side. A man ought to pay for his crimes.

Even though his uncle had insisted that he rest before going out on patrol in the hope the smugglers might place more contraband in Lord Slate’s tunnel, Henry had tossed and turned, his mind caught up with thoughts of Jacintha. He had walked under the stars, looking over at the manor house and wondering if the flickering lights within came from her room. Was she safe? Was she still as sure about Lord Slate as she had been before? Over and over, he had cursed his lack of clarity when he had been in London. If only he had seen her for what she was back then, if only he had stopped himself from becoming the cad and the rogue he had been, then things might have worked out very differently.

“Here.”

Looking up from where he sat, Henry saw his uncle standing beside him, handing him a roll filled with something that smelled delicious.

“One of the men is a baker,” Roderick explained, coming to sit down beside Henry, who was leaning heavily against a tree trunk. “He saw that you’ve been out for most of the night and didn’t intend to go home.”

“I need to watch the house,” Henry muttered, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t let Lord Slate get away with this.”

Roderick let out a long sigh. “The men didn’t find anything.”

“Nothing?”

He shook his head. “No, nothing. The tunnel was empty.”

“So we have no proof,” Henry muttered, before biting into the roll, his stomach growling appreciatively.

Roderick sighed heavily. “Nothing yet. But we will. Eventually. There are men on patrol day and night, even though you might not always see them.”

“Getting Lord Slate eventually isn’t good enough,” Henry replied at once, gesturing towards the manor house. “I cannot wait around for him to allow me to see Jacintha! She might be in danger.”

“I agree,” Roderick replied, heavily. “However, short of barging in and demanding to see her, which would only alert him to how close we are to catching him, I think the only thing we can do is wait.”

Henry’s lip curled, his jaw clenching. “I don’t like it, Uncle.”

“I can tell,” Roderick replied, his words tainted with good humor. “But she is there with her sister and her father, what could Lord Slate possibly do to her under those circumstances?”

Shrugging, Henry finished the last of his roll, thinking hard. “I’m not sure, uncle. I don’t want to speculate but I get the feeling that all is not well with Jacintha under his roof.”

There was a short silence, with both pairs of eyes looking over at the manor house, the sound of the ocean waves lapping at the shore the only sound.

“Well, at least you’re well-hidden here,” Roderick replied, getting to his feet and gesturing to the tree Henry was sitting under, which was surrounded by the tall waving beach grasses. “If I hadn’t known you were sitting here then I wouldn’t have seen you.”

“Good,” Henry muttered, his gaze narrowing as he saw some movement at the manor house. “That is just what I was hoping for.”

“Are you going to sit out here all day?”

“If I have to,” Henry said, firmly. “I’ll be along to the house if I see anything.”

“Very good,” Roderick replied, with a quick smile. “Try not to worry too much, Henry. And, if you see anything, for heaven’s sake don’t take it on yourself!”

Henry nodded, watching his uncle walk away before returning his gaze to the manor house. Whilst he did want to watch what was going on at the house, his ultimate goal was Jacintha. If Lord Slate left, then he would simply make his way to the house to call on her, even without Lord Slate’s permission to enter his home.

He wasn’t quite sure how long he sat there, glad that the sun was already warming his chilled bones. The night had been cool, with the sea air adding to the chill. Now, at least, he was warm and not as hungry as he had been before.

A sudden movement caught his eye, making him sit up straight. A horse was making its way from the manor house towards the gate and Henry was sure he knew who it was.

It could only be Lord Slate.

The man was riding at a gallop, coming out towards the shore. Henry held his breath, remaining exactly where he was. He wondered if Lord Slate might make his way towards the caves, only to realize that the man would not be that stupid nor that obvious. Besides, the tide had turned some time ago, which meant that some of the caves would not be accessible in anything other than a boat very soon.

Watching closely, Henry saw Lord Slate take a turn up towards the village, his horse’s hooves digging into the sand. Torn between a desire to follow him and to find Jacintha, he paused for a moment before getting to his feet, knowing that he needed to talk to Jacintha. His uncle could deal with Lord Slate and he was sure there were other men watching, just like his uncle had said.

Wishing he had thought to bring a horse, Henry tramped his way towards Slate’s home, his heart thundering wildly as he thought about Jacintha. She would be willing to see him, would she not? He couldn’t bear it if she had turned her back on him now, aligning herself with Lord Slate.

Then he remembered how she had looked at him through the window and hope burst to life within his heart. She was waiting for him, wanted to speak to him. He had to believe it.

“Open up!”

Henry thundered on the door, his hand beginning to pain him as he banged on it again and again.

No-one answered.

He had been knocking on the door for a good few minutes now and still, no-one came to answer him. He had no idea where Lord Slate’s staff had gone, wondering whether or not Jacintha and her family still remained inside or if they had left without his knowledge. Surely they could not have returned to London without him seeing, given that he had watched the house all day? His heart began to thud wildly in his chest, anxiety rising with every breath he took.

“Henry?”

“Jacintha?” he shouted, as the door handle turned underneath his hand. “Is that you?”

It was none other than Harmonia who stood there, her eyes wide and cheeks pale. “Henry! Whatever is the matter?”

“Jacintha,” he said, stepping inside. “Where is she?”

“I – I don’t know,” Harmonia replied, looking about rather helplessly. “I don’t even know where the staff has gone. I heard you knocking and tried to ring for the butler or the maid but no-one came. What is going on?”

Henry grasped her hands, seeing her white face. “Is your father here?”

“He has been unwell almost since the day we arrived,” Harmonia replied, shivering just a little. “Lord Slate has been….he has not treated Jacintha well, Henry. I am afraid of him, just as she is. He is not the man we thought.”

“I know that,” Henry said, firmly, trying not to let his own concern show. “Now listen, Harmonia, where is Jacintha? We must find her and prepare to leave this place at once.”

“We have been packing,” Harmonia replied, hurrying towards the staircase and gesturing for him to follow. “Jacintha told father everything this morning and, given that he is now well enough to travel, we were to leave as soon as possible.”

“Then we must fetch her,” Henry replied at once, filled with a deep sense of happiness that Jacintha was not to wed Lord Slate. “I must know that she is well. There is more to Lord Slate than even she knows.”

Harmonia knocked on the door of the bedchamber before turning the handle and stepping inside – only to stop dead. Henry, forced to step back in order not to bump into her, tried to look past her shoulder.

“She’s not here,” Harmonia whispered, turning around slowly to face him. “I – I don’t know where she would have gone.”

“Would she be somewhere else in the house?” Henry asked, a slow rising panic growing in his chest. “Is there anywhere else she might have gone?”

Harmonia shook her head, her eyes wide with fright. “No, she was afraid of Lord Slate and even though we knew he had gone, Jacintha was determined to stay in her room with the door locked. She wanted to ensure her packing was going smoothly.”

Henry put his hand on the doorframe to steady himself, his mind scrambling to think of where Jacintha might be.

“I saw Lord Slate leaving,” he said, looking over at Harmonia. “Do you know where he went? Has he returned?”

A deep sense of foreboding filled him as Harmonia shook her head, her hands clutching his arm. The fact that Lord Slate’s staff appeared to be entirely absent only added to his concern.

“Go and care for your father,” he said, trying to smile at her. “You need not worry. I will find Jacintha. Do not tell your father if you think it will only make him worse. Resume your packing. Once I return with her, I shall take you all to my uncle’s home. Trust me, Harmonia. I will return with her.”

She nodded, her eyes wide and filled with fright. “Thank you, Henry,” she whispered, clearly struggling to keep her composure. “Godspeed.”

He hated leaving her when she appeared so pale and wane, but having no other choice, he clattered down the stairs and raced back outside, running to the stables to find a horse. Within minutes, he was riding flat out across the sands, coming to a sudden stop when his uncle appeared at the other end of the beach, waving to him frantically.

“Where have you been?” his uncle demanded, as Henry jumped down from his horse. “I’ve been looking for you!”

“Lord Slate left so I went in search of Jacintha,” Henry gasped, his heart racing. “Why? What’s happened?”

“One of the men came to find me,” his uncle replied, glancing behind him as some men rushed past towards the shore. “They saw a figure walk out into the waves towards a small boat with two men in it. They picked him up before heading towards the caves.”

“The cave with the tunnel?” Henry asked, his body growing taut with tension.

“Yes, the very one,” his uncle replied. “There are two boats being prepared. One of the scouts informed me that there is a larger ship waiting around the headland.” He paused and put one hand on Henry’s arm. “Only a few minutes ago, we saw that boat leaving the cave – just as you rode towards us. They had one more person on board than when they entered.”

Henry looked at his uncle, a slow dawning realization coming over him. “You think that extra person is Jacintha.”

“I do,” his uncle replied, leading him towards the shoreline. “Hurry now. The boats are being prepared.”

Henry felt sick to his stomach, a knot of fear tightening in his gut. Lord Slate had taken Jacintha through the tunnel and onto the boat, evidently determined to marry her whatever it took. He couldn’t think of what to do, the anger he felt over Lord Slate’s cruelty making his hands curl slowly into fists.

Looking out across the sea, he saw the boat moving away from them, urgency filling him.

“Quickly now!” he called, springing into action and hurrying towards the boats. “We cannot lose them!”

“And we won’t,” his uncle assured him, stepping into one of the boats and gesturing for Henry to climb into the other. “Don’t worry, Henry. This all comes to an end today.”

The boat rocked on the waves and, as the other men climbed aboard, Henry grasped the oars firmly, pulling them through the water with as much strength as he could muster. The oars dug deeply into the water and, within a few minutes, they were away from the beach and heading towards the ship. Henry twisted his head around to see the smaller boat already beside the larger ship, hearing the sound of faint shouts coming across the waves.

He couldn’t lose her, not when he was so close. If that ship made headway, then they’d never catch it. Despite his uncle’s promises, Henry knew that there was a chance Lord Slate might just slip through their fingers. They had to reach the ship before it weighed anchor. He had to get to Jacintha in time.