The Illegitimate Montague

‘That is very good of you, Mrs Stratton,’ said Mr Everett. He turned to Adam. ‘I am going that way now if you would care to come and look?’

‘I will,’ said Adam. He drained his tankard and set it back on the table.

‘P’raps Mr Everett can find you some work on the estate.’ Coyle grinned. ‘By the looks of you, a few extra pennies wouldn’t go amiss.’

Adam smiled. If only they knew!

‘Don’t worry,’ he said mildly, ‘I’ll manage.’

Hannah’s chair scraped back. She said brusquely, ‘It

is time we were all back at work. Daisy, clear away, will you?’

Thus dismissed, the servants quickly went about their business.

Hannah put her hand on her son’s arm.

‘Will you come back later, for dinner?’

‘Of course. First I am going to see my temporary quarters.’ He grinned. ‘And then I think I will ride into Castonbury and find myself a new coat!’

Chapter Four

‘And there’s another two customers have closed their accounts.’

Frederick’s tone was as dismal as the gloom at the back of the shop. Amber rubbed a hand across her eyes.

‘They live near Hatherton, Fred. I am not surprised that they prefer to buy their cloth from Matthew Parwich.’

‘And what about Mrs Finch, when you tell her the block-printed cotton she ordered is ruined?’

Amber drew a breath, fighting back her anger.

‘It is not ruined, Fred, it has a few watermarks where it was dumped in the river. I will see how it looks once the washerwoman has done with it, and offer it to Mrs Finch at a reduced rate.’

It would wipe out any profit she had hoped to make, but if her customer was satisfied, then that was all she could hope for.

‘And then there’s the cloth for Castonbury Park—’

‘Most of that was undamaged.’ Her hold on her temper was slipping and she waved her hand at her clerk. ‘I will finish going through the order book, Fred. Please go and fetch a taper to light the lamps, or our customers will not be able to find their way in.’

She waited until he had left the room, then dropped her head in her hands.

Poor Fred, he was worried about the business, but he had a propensity to gloom and it would do no good to let him see her own anxiety. The attack yesterday must have shaken her more than she thought, for she was not usually so low. The tinkle of the shop doorbell brought her to her feet in an instant, the order book laid aside. Two young men entered. Their clothing was rough, and there was a certain swagger about them that immediately made her wary, especially with the daylight fading. She greeted them as she would any other potential customer, but remained behind the counter.

‘We wants some ribbons,’ said the taller one, looking about him with an insolence that made her want to order him from the premises.

‘Aye,’ sniggered the second, a spotty youth with ginger hair, ‘for our lady-loves.’

‘They are all there, by the window.’ She pointed to the display, the colours glowing in the last rays of the setting sun.

The young men walked across to the window.

‘Just these?’ The ginger-haired youth sniffed. ‘We came all the way from Hatherton and this is all you got? That ain’t good enough.’

‘Then I suggest you go back to Hatherton and buy your ribbons there,’ she retorted. She wished Fred would hurry up and return.

The taller of the two approached her.

‘Now that ain’t very good business talk, is it? What about this piece here?’ He picked up a length of scarlet ribbon from the counter and held it up. He pointed behind her. ‘And we’ll take a look in those drawers back there—’

He broke off as the bell tinkled again and Amber looked past him. She could not prevent the smile of relief at the sight of Adam Stratton in the doorway.

His quick gaze summed up the situation instantly and he stepped up, eyeing the two youths as he drew off his gloves.

‘Good day, Mrs Hall. You have customers, I see. Pray do not fret over me. I shall amuse myself while you deal with them.’

‘We was just going, wasn’t we, Tom?’ The ginger-haired youth began to sidle towards the door.

‘Aye, we are—’

‘Just a moment!’

The authority in Adam’s voice brought both men to a halt. Adam pointed to the ribbon on the counter. ‘You were going to buy that, I think?’

Amber held her breath. The lanky youth looked as if he wanted to deny it, but the silky menace in Adam’s tone was unmistakable. She saw the young man swallow and look at his companion, but there was no support there.

‘Um, well, I—’

‘That particular ribbon is one of the most popular,’ said Amber. ‘It would delight any young lady.’ She added kindly, ‘Since it is the last of the roll you can have it for tuppence.’

‘A bargain,’ agreed Adam, his eyes like steel, despite his smile. ‘Well, sir?’

The lad swallowed again, dug into his pocket and pulled out two coins.

‘A-all right,’ he stammered. ‘There you are.’

He slammed the coins down on the counter, picked up the ribbon and lounged out of the shop, his companion hot on his heels. Adam followed them to the door and watched them hurry away before turning back to face Amber.

‘I hope those two are not typical of your customers.’

‘Thankfully, no.’ She tried to speak normally.

‘I arrived just in time, I think.’

She raised her chin.

‘I am grateful, naturally, but I was never in any danger.’ His sceptical look told her he thought differently. She reached beneath the counter and pulled out an elegant pistol. ‘I am prepared for these occasions.’