The Redemption of Sir Edward Denham - A Return to Sanditon Novella

Fifteen

Folkestone

The following morning, Kit had been despatched to London with the journals while Edward and Jack departed the inn to await the arrival of the shipment of cargo. Only one ship was expected in port that day, and they hoped to be ready as it came into harbour. As luck would have it, they didn't have to wait long. They had already observed the two boatmen loitering, as a vessel made its slow progress towards land.

They watched the disembarkation with interest and Denham pointed out several men that he confirmed were part of the reformist contingent. The hold of the ship was emptied, and they noted that somewhere in the region of thirty barrels were loaded onto a cart and covered with oilskin to protect the contents from the early morning drizzle.

Jack left Edward concealed in an alleyway and ventured onto the dock, alongside the laden cart. Two of the men were securing ropes around the cargo and were conversing quietly, but he heard one word, "Wapping," as he passed by. Their suspicions had been correct.

As Jack sauntered along the dock, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Instinct was never dismissed in this game, and he knew without question that he was being followed. He turned down beside a mountain of timber crates and waited.

A few moments went by before an unkempt man dressed in an old tattered worsted jacket and breeches that had seen better days, came into sight. His hair and beard were overlong and a dingy, dirty blond colour. He had a cap pulled low, covering his eyes. The man stopped for a fraction of a second and studied his surroundings, before turning abruptly to face Jack.

"Good God, man, you're losing your touch." He grinned. "I recognised you immediately. You've been out of fieldwork too long."

"Carlisle!" Jack exclaimed before dropping his voice to a more discreet tone. "What in blazes are you doing here? Denham said you had left for Lille?"

"Plans change. You got the papers?" Sam Carlisle moved to join Jack behind the hoard of wooden crates. "The reformists are here. I followed them from Dunkirk. Whatever they are planning will happen soon."

"Aye, we surmised as much. Denham overheard talk of the shipment and its destination. We aim to follow its progress from here to the warehouse, which we believe is in Wapping." Jack quickly apprised Sam before motioning to the docks, "We must make our way back. The cart is laden and will be on its way any moment."

Carefully making their way back to join Edward, they noted the cart begin to roll off in the direction of the river. The progress would be slow. The draught horses were strong beasts, but thirty-odd barrels of powder was a considerable weight. Stopping by the inn to collect their belongings and to hire hacks, they set off some ten minutes later. They caught sight of the cart again as it rolled alongside the waterway, stopping just short of the jetty, where a flat-hulled riverboat was tethered. Concealing themselves, they watched as several of the reformists, accompanied by the boatmen, hauled the barrels onto the craft.

Within an hour, the low, lumbering vessel was underway. Keeping their distance, they watched the slow progress of the riverboat, until several hours later, they saw the first signs of industry. They peered out across the expanse of water and tracked the shipment as it made its way towards one of the jetties on the far side of the river. From his pocket, Carlisle withdrew a spyglass and tried to read the proprietor's names painted onto the side of the nearest warehouses.

"Smith & Smith: Vintners, Arkwright Feed Merchants and ah, that looks promising." He handed the glass to Jack, who nodded.

"Well? What is it?" asked Edward impatiently. He was bone-weary and desperate to get out of the saddle. Jack passed him the glass, and he peered at each building in turn until he came across the last one. "Armitage Pyrotechnic Displays."

Jack turned his mount and led the way through the trees that had concealed their surveillance. "We must ride for town. There is much to do, including setting a watch on these premises as a matter of priority."

Edward frowned. "Can you not send in the militia to seize the shipment?"

Jack shook his head. "Although it would be infinitely easier to do so, we need to catch them in the act. Currently, a manufacturer of fireworks has a legitimate reason for storing black powder. Should that powder find its way into explosives, we then have grounds to try them for crimes against the state."

"And if we don't stop them?" Edward inquired dubiously.

"Then parliament will fall, and it will be our heads on the block." Replied Jack frowning as he rode on.