“What in God’s name is going on, Arthur?” cries Percival.
“Somehow, the king has got wind of something. I guess the abduction of the countess and her daughter has thrown the fear of God into everybody. I’ve no idea how he found out about the shipment. I can only guess somebody in France has blown the whistle. You know, both the kings in France and in Spain have offered large rewards for information leading to the arrest of the culprits,” says Arthur.
His grace sighs, “I’ve sent my men to intercept the Sabriel Etienne and to go with them back to Calais. They’ll stay there until I get the all-clear. We’d better lay low for a while after this shipment.”
“We could all swing for this. God! I could lose everything,” cries Arthur.
“Why the bloody hell did they commandeer those ladies? I guess they intended to ransom them off for a small fortune. I have to get going, but as soon as I get the all-clear, I’ll come down.”
The loot lies hidden in Paris for a month before the all clear. In the meantime, Sam and his cohorts have returned under the guise of darkness. Next, in the chain of melodrama, Matilda shows up with the duke’s son Maurice in tow. The last thing his grace wants is outside interference, but he is more than happy with the budding romance. Two days later, another of the weekend’s celebrities showed up, Comte Francoios de Lorraine, wanting to date his eldest daughter. His lordship is walking on burning cinders.
The following week finds his grace in London at ‘Ye Olde Salisbury Inn’ in the company of the two dealers from London and their counterparts from Paris. Also gracing the tables is the Colonel and the Admiral, a veritable tour de force.
“That was a close call. It was somebody in Paris wanting to lay claim to the reward offered by the king. Apparently, it was one of the nobility who had lost a small fortune at the card tables and saw an easy win, but how he found out, I’ll never know. We’re completely foolproof. He won’t be any more trouble, though. His body was found floating in the Seine last week. Now to the matter at hand. The gold is leaving Calais on Thursday at six, so it should arrive sometime around nine o’clock. Admiral, for heaven's sake, make sure there is no military present in the area at the time, otherwise we’ll all join our friend in the River,” says the Duke.
“Sir, Arthur and I have never let you down, and we don’t intend to. Remember, the problem was not at our end,” cried Jonathan.
“I know, I know, but if we’re caught, we’ll all swing. King Louis wants no trouble with Spain. By the way, Jules and I will be here until the merchandise arrives in London,” says the duke.
At nine o’clock, Percival’s four aficionados spot their ship on the horizon and are out of the cave like a bat out of hell. They sail for about twenty minutes and come alongside the Sabriel Etienne.
