Dunham

Chapter 24

24

April, 1780

Tavendish Grange

Northumberland, England

It took Elliott five hours longer to get home than it should have, thanks to a sudden gale. He had set Old Ben ashore in Gravesend with a five share of gold and a letter of introduction to Niall and Sandy, who resided year-round in the family's London townhome. Elliott was not as efficient at reading the weather or navigating as Old Ben (or Fury) and thus, made several rather inconsequential missteps that frustrated him more than he already was.

Accompanying Old Ben, Elliott had dropped a handful of other seamen ashore, officers beyond their prime, who were happier to settle down as Elliott's well-compensated retainers than seek another fortune at sea under someone else's command. Neither Niall nor Sandy would likely notice the increase in household staff, which was just as well.

Now, thirty-six hours later, he was approaching Berwick-upon-Tweed, and just beyond that, the bay where he could moor his cutter, Penance, unmolested by both smugglers (for he was the only smuggler for one hundred miles in any direction) and the Navy (which thought he kept the coast clear of smugglers as penance for his unpunished crimes against the Crown).

He breathed a sigh of relief when the anchor was dropped and the dinghies lowered.

It took them another hour to secure the ship within clear sight of the manor, row into the well-hidden caves, stow the dinghies, and find their way through the maze of water-hewn tunnels before the tide rolled in. He looked around to see the tops of the sunken barrels in which the gold was hidden.

In Rotterdam, after he had paid and dismissed that portion of his crew who did not know his identity, Fury, the Hollander, and their crews had helped him and what remained of his crew to offload the gold, repack it in barrels of tobacco (which would be rendered worthless in these caves), then load it onto the Penance, the Mad Hangman, and the Thunderstorm.

Captain Bull, commanding his own ship renamed Black Demon, set sail to deposit George's parents somewhere along the coast of England, and would then make his way back to America to continue the trade Fury had taught him.

Lieutenant Yeardley, at the helm of the Mad Hangman, and Lieutenant Smith sailing the Thunderstorm, had helped Elliott transport the barrels from Holland to Northumberland whilst the Hollander took Fury, her mother, and George to London for reasons Fury would not disclose and Elliott could not fathom.

He could never repay them for their service to him, which they had done for no reason he could name, as they did not seem to be as avaricious as pirates should. Fury had refused her share, though her crew hadn't. Nor had the Hollander or Bull. If the Thunderstorm and Mad Hangman hadn't accompanied him and seen the gold through to its penultimate destination, it would have been far more difficult for him to put down the mutiny he had expected.

It had happened not quite one week after Fury had summoned the wind and they had set sail, Fury close to larboard and the Hollander close to starboard. Tensions had been mounting. Elliott could feel it in his bones and had signaled both ships and his officers to be ready. Even though he knew they were making battle preparations, he had not been able to discern it.

The dozen leaders, a mix of soldiers and sailors, had drawn their swords and charged the quarterdeck, dozens more men following—

Only to be killed by shots coming from the ships on either side of the Silver Shilling.