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ers. They now work to investigate cases of pick-pocketing gangs, murders, and thefts. Usually, our work takes us into the seedier side of life, requires many hours of painstaking investigation, mainly undercover and, for the most part, is carried out in the dark. I think it is why Arthur wrote to me about his suspicions. He knew that I had connections to the War Office, and may have thought that I would be the person to help him – or know of a man who could.”
“So that’s who you work for now? The Star Elite?”
“Yes, we are run by the War Office. There are more and more men joining us. We now have smaller groups, at various locations around the country. They work on local issues alongside magistrates. However, we just haven’t had one set up in Derby before now.” He looked down at her a little ruefully. “I think we should have done.”
“So that is who your friends are? The Star Elite?”
“Yes. When Sir Hugo received your letter, he sent a rider to find them. They were the closest, and got here just in time to help you,” Charlie sighed.
“Do you think that a branch of the Star Elite will be set up once Meldrew is arrested?”
Charlie wasn’t entirely sure that Meldrew would be arrested. Men who had broken the law to his extent usually took their lives to evade the ‘justice’ they so eagerly imposed on their victims, but he didn’t say as much to Hetty.
“I think that Sir Hugo will insist on it. Especially given that neither Leicester, nor Derby will have proper magistrates.”
Hetty sighed. She wanted to ask him if he would be one of them, and intended to stay in the area so that they could be together but, for some reason, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to hear him if he said no.
“As soon as we can get to safety, we will make sure that Meldrew doesn’t have the opportunity to do anything like this to anyone else,” he assured her, completely unaware of the expectant way she was looking at him.
The steely tone of his voice made her shiver, in spite of the wonderful warmth beneath the cloak.
“What happened the night you were arrested?” she asked. If she was honest, she half expected him to tell her that he didn’t want to talk about it. “Simon told me that he was going to the tavern for a pint, and would be back within the hour. He didn’t come back. When we got up the next morning, we decided to go to your lodgings to see if you had gone there when you left the tavern. It was there that we heard you had been arrested for murdering Blagmire. If we hadn’t have gone to your lodgings, we wouldn’t have had any idea what had happened to you until the notice of executions was posted.”
“We were on our way back to the mill. I was going to sleep on the floor again,” he admitted with a frown. He had wanted to escort Simon home, if only to make sure that he got there in one piece. The fact that Hetty would be likely to open the door was a bonus that he had quite looked forward to. “We got to the outskirts of the village, just by the old woods, when we heard loud talking. It sounded like someone was struggling, or pleading, or something. We stupidly went to take a look, just in case someone needed help. There was nobody about, apart from the suddenly silent body.”
“You didn’t hear the gunfire?”
“Yes, but we were crashing through the undergrowth,” Charlie snorted in disgust. “God, now that I think about it, I am surprised we managed to get to the clearing without falling over and killing ourselves.”
“It was Blagmire.”
“Meldrew’s men suddenly appeared out of the trees, called us murderers, and carted us off to jail. We were the only people in the woods, Hetty, apart from Meldrew’s men, I am sure of it.”
“There was no proof that you didn’t do it, so it was perfect for Meldrew to point the finger in your direction.”
Charlie couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t been with Simon, or hadn’t gone into the woods to investigate.
For some reason, he rather suspected that neither of them would have made it to the mill house alive
Hetty seemed to be thinking along the same lines because he felt her go still. When she tipped her head back to look up at him, he looked down into her eyes.
“I think that we were next, to be honest with you. Me, because I was asking too many questions. Simon, because Meldrew wants money from your family,” Charlie declared sadly.
“God, that horrible man,” Hetty whispered.
He looked down at the shadows of her face. Even encased in weak moonlight she was beautiful, and he felt himself drawn to her by an invisible cord of silken promise that ensnared them both.
He slowly lowered his head.
The first brush of his lips across hers branded her. Her soft gasp sounded loud in the silence of the night. She couldn’t break away. She didn’t want this one special moment to end.
The soft hoot of an owl, accompanied by the gentle rustle of the leaves in the trees as they were teased by the wind all added to the almost hypnotic atmosphere that had captured them both. Neither of them could draw away.
Hetty sighed when his lips settled more firmly upon hers. She had never felt anything like this before; this closeness to another person; another man. She had been hugged by her brothers, of course, on many occasions and, as a child, had played roughly with them, but this was something different.
This was sweeter, enchanting almost, and it held her spellbound.
“Hetty,” he whispered.
