The Captain's Lady Page 24

  “Don’t ask me, Tom. All I know is she didn’t use that rope of hers to go over the side. It fell apart in my hands. She could have been hiding under the bed when I went in. After we left she could easily have gone out.”

  “I’ll be damned,” murmured Tom.

  “That’s what we’ll all be if we don’t find her. Start checking all the cabins. We’ll work our way down. Don’t miss anything. The only point in our favor is she couldn’t have made it to the deck yet. Don’t let her get a chance.”

  Tom and Harry nodded and separated to begin the search. The undersides of bunks were checked. Locked cabins were opened. Trunks were lifted and the orlop scoured and there was no sign of Alexis. Harry was investigating a small storage compartment when he heard a noise above him. Alexis’s cabin, he thought. The captain must be searching for something there. He ignored the noise and started out of the cubicle when he bumped into Cloud.

  “Oh, Captain. I thought you were in her cabin. Did you find anything yet?”

  “Nothing.” He stepped into the compartment and heard footsteps. “Must be Landis,” he said looking up, drawn to the sound. He was beginning to think he had been wrong about Alexis. Perhaps she had gone over. If that was so they were wasting valuable time by remaining stationary. Still, if he was correct, they could not afford to have the search in the harbor. There were too many chances she might slip through their fingers. He was thinking this when his eyes caught a sliver of light in the ceiling. He moved directly below it, examining it more closely. He jumped and pushed at the wooden plank. He was not surprised when it moved.

  “Harry! Look at this. She pried these planks loose with that damn dagger of hers.” Cloud sighed heavily thinking he should have known Alexis would see the dagger not only as a weapon, but a tool. He and Harry quickly removed several of the planks that were part of Alexis’s deck. “Mr. Landis? Are you up there?”

  “Captain? Where are you?” The reply was muffled.

  “Below you!” Cloud turned to Harry. “What’s directly above us?”

  “Part of her nightstand. Maybe part of the bunk.”

  “Move out her bed, Mr. Landis! Then look for some loose boards!”

  Landis did as he was told and soon he was staring in the captain’s face. “Well, we know how she did it,” he offered, trying to hide his mirth.

  “Thank you, Mr. Landis. I was quite incapable of knowing that for myself. Harry, go on deck and tell about ten of the men to stay there and watch for her. Have the others join the search. They are to go over all the places we’ve been. I’ll find Tom and continue below.”

  Alexis shifted in her uncomfortable position and tried to stretch. The powder storage compartment had not proven itself to be much of a hiding place. The first moment when the Concord reached harbor, she had tried to get off the ship. She had wanted to go over the side then, but before she’d reached a cabin with a porthole large enough for her to get through the Concord was moving again and she realized they were putting out to sea to search for her. Once she found a place to hide she faced the problem of how long she could stay there while Cloud began a fruitless search of the vessels they passed. She had expected him to go out to sea again to look for her, but not so soon. All her thoughts were broken when she heard the sound of approaching voices. She moved behind a barrel, making a last effort to be as invisible as possible when she heard Cloud tell Tom to start checking the storage areas.

  Was Cloud being cautious or did he really know she hadn’t left the ship? She waited quietly as Cloud’s self-congratulatory stride neared her hiding place. She closed her eyes and allowed herself only to feel the motion of the Concord. When she interpreted what she felt her eyes opened wide in shock. Cloud knew! He knew! The Concord wasn’t moving any longer.

  He had put down anchor away from the harbor to do the search. A small moan of despair escaped her throat.

  She heard the movement of the door and she stood up. There was no escape for the moment. It would have to be later. The door swung open and Cloud stood at the threshold, holding a lantern. Alexis smiled as the soft light passed over her. She could see Cloud was smiling also.

  “Hello, Captain,” she said quietly.

  Cloud hung the lantern on a hook and shut the door behind him. Slowly he walked toward her and when he was directly in front of her he took her in his arms. Alexis did not attempt to pull away, rather she pressed herself closely to his warm, hard form and slid her arms around his neck.

  “You tried,” he whispered as his hand pulled tenderly at her braid, forcing her face to lift to his. Her eyes were soft, glistening with unshed tears of defeat. He kissed them gently. He felt her shudder in his hold and he tightened his arms around her. “I love you,” he said, pressing her head once more to his chest. They remained silent, oblivious to the commotion outside as the crew continued the search. Finally, carefully, he put her away from him. “Are you ready to go, Captain Danty?”

  “I am ready.”

  “You first,” he said, motioning her to step in front of him.

  Alexis opened the door and took a hesitant step into the passageway. It was empty. The men were still searching other cabins. As Cloud was calling that he had found her, Alexis pushed back against him, knocking him off balance and sending him into the storage compartment. Quickly she shut and bolted the door and ran down the companionway, heading for the deck. She heard Cloud’s laughter above the commotion and in spite of her situation she found herself smiling. She was just reaching the first landing when she felt strong arms around her waist. Struggling hard, she wrestled out of their grip only to find her progress blocked by Frank and Forrest. She looked up at them, holding her hands up in surrender, and then flashed them a bright smile. They each took an arm and turned her so she could see Cloud coming up the companionway, followed by Tom, who had rescued him. Harry was brushing himself off at her side.

  “You’re strong, Alex,” he muttered, a little embarrassed that she had been able to get away from him.

  Alexis shrugged her shoulders in response, and her movement caused the two men holding her to grip harder. She hid her wincing reaction.

  When Cloud reached them he was still laughing. “It was a good try, Captain.”

  “Not good enough.”

  “No, you’re right. It wasn’t good enough.” He turned his attention to his men. “Take her to the deck and bind her hands behind her. Tight. And if she makes one move before we get into the harbor again, tie her legs too.”

  “At least you’ve stopped laughing,” she said to Cloud as the cook and Frank forced her toward the hatch.

  “I never was laughing at you, Captain. Only at myself. I should have expected you would not come so easily and yet I didn’t.”

  Alexis ignored him. “Frank. Forrest. I am going to have your fingerprints branded on my arms if you don’t ease your grip. How is Mr. Madison going to like it when he finds out I’ve been treated so horribly?”

  Forrest guffawed loudly. “Won’t work. I’m not in any mood to face Little Jemmy and tell him I was party to your escaping.”

  Alexis sighed and twisted her head around to Cloud, who was chuckling softly to himself once again. “I don’t give up,” she said, grinning.

  Cloud nodded, but before he could make a reply they were on deck and Harry was reaching for a length of rope to tie her hands. Forrest pulled her hands behind her back while Harry looped the hemp around her wrists. She struggled briefly against her bonds and Cloud thought he detected fear in her eyes, but it passed quickly. He had no choice now. He knew she would do anything to get away.

  As Harry led Alexis over to the mast, Cloud gave the orders to sail. Alexis sat on the deck, leaning her back against the mast, Harry standing over her. Her fingers dug at the knots while she was momentarily forgotten in the activity of getting under way.

  “Alex,” Harry’s voice pleaded above her. “Don’t. I tied it tight. You’re going to make a mess of your wrists.”

  Alexis’s shoulders sagged and she qu
it her work. “You don’t miss much.”

  “Not much. Would you feel terribly slighted if I took the dagger from your boot?”

  Alexis laughed and stretched out her leg. “It’s yours, Harry. A bit dull now, but you can have it.”

  Harry bent down and retrieved the dagger. “I’ll sharpen it and just keep it for you, Captain Danty.”

  Alexis could only nod, her silence due to an effort to prevent the inevitable cracking of her voice. She tried desperately not to think of the only other time she had been bound, but visions of Travers appeared before her, unsummoned, unwanted. She lost all concept of time and place as she counted the strokes of the biting leather. Eyes closed, she pressed closer to the mainmast, her cheek against the pine. It became Pauley’s bloody back and she was unaware of the tears streaming down her face.

  Harry watched in confused silence, unsure of what was going through her mind. He heard her whisper a name, and then her tears ceased as suddenly as they had started. She lifted her head and glassy amber eyes stared at him helplessly. This was not a look he was used to seeing in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to cut away the rope binding her wrists.

  Alexis saw him finger the blade of her dagger delicately, and reading his thoughts she shook her head. “Don’t do it, Harry,” she said softly, hiding the trembling with low tones. “I’m all right now. Don’t do anything that endangers your own mission.”

  Harry knelt beside her. “If you ever need an extra man for your crew, Captain, I would like you to remember me.”

  She smiled weakly. “You wouldn’t leave Captain Cloud, would you?”

  “Never!” he said fiercely. “I mean when my service is up.”

  “Then I would be honored to have you on the Dark Lady.” Fresh tears threatened to spill over the rims of her eyes, and she blinked in rapid succession to hold them back. When she composed herself she spoke again. This time her voice was laced with renewed determination that had no regard for the bonds relegating her to prisoner status. “And I will have the Dark Lady again, Harry. Captain Travers will learn I do not make idle promises when I have him at the end of my sword.” The golden braid which had coiled around her neck was tossed to her back in a defiant gesture and she lifted her chin arrogantly to punctuate her statement.

  Harry grinned at her. “I would like to be there when it happens, Captain Danty. I surely would like to be there!”

  Alexis returned his slanted smile, remembering Harry also had his reasons for wanting to kill Travers. Her smile faded completely when she heard Cloud approaching. “Harry, wipe my cheeks!”

  He carried out her request immediately, using the scarf wrapped loosely about his neck. He tucked it into his pocket before Cloud was beside them, knowing Alexis had too much pride to let the captain see she had been crying. Alexis thanked him with a smile for helping her recover and got to her feet. She turned to Cloud, intending to look for some sign that he knew the depths of her recent despair, but he was not looking at her. Instead he was addressing Harry, ordering him to go ashore and get transportation for her. His words jolted her senses, making her realize they were already in the harbor and it would not be long before she was taken from the ship.

  After Harry left them Cloud glanced at Alexis. He noticed her controlled features, the tight mouth curved in a suggestion of a smile to hide the clenched teeth behind it. She held herself stiffly, proudly, her arrogant bearing a covering for the traces of fear he had glimpsed earlier.

  “If you will give me your word that you will not escape on the way to your quarters I will untie your hands,” he said.

  “No, Captain.”

  Cloud sighed, understanding her decision. “Very well then. We will be leaving shortly. You will be staying in my home until you see the President, which should be in a few days. Your decision then will determine whether your future quarters will be on board a ship or in jail.”

  “I understand.” She glanced around her and saw the men working at a frantic pace to secure Concord. They were as anxious to get off the ship as she. “It won’t be long now,” she added, watching Harry walk across the dock.

  Cloud also followed Harry’s movement until he disappeared. “I will have your things brought to you later today. Harry, Mr. Landis, and I will accompany you to my home. I must see Senator Howe afterward. You realize the men will be guarding the house.”

  “I expected it,” she said.

  Several minutes passed with no words between them. Alexis knew the futility of trying to escape at this moment and Cloud sensed she knew it. There was no way she could avoid the confrontation with the President, and Alexis thought she might even be able to look forward to it. It was going to be such a pleasure to tell them all to go to hell. She smiled, glancing up at Cloud when she heard his laughter.

  “I do not want to know what that smile means. It is enough for me to know it signifies trouble.”

  “Of course,” she said airily. Alexis stiffened involuntarily when she saw Harry approaching. She did not pull away from Cloud’s hand as he placed it on her elbow and led her toward the gangway. His hand did not force her movements, rather it was a grip of support and she allowed herself the benefit of his strength.

  Harry pointed to the wagon on the wharf. “It was the best I could do, Captain. Are you ready to go?”

  “Take Captain Danty down. I will be along in a few minutes. There are some details to attend to.”

  Harry nodded and Cloud released his hold on Alexis. She moved beside him and they walked toward the wagon together. She ignored the curious stares of the naval officers and sailors crowding the dock while Harry fended them off with a murderous look. She refused his help getting into the rear of the wagon, managing to do it gracefully.

  Cloud could not take his eyes from her as she walked away. Her steps were light, easy, and the braid at her back swung softly with her movement. As her long legs carried her with sure strides toward the wagon, she seemed oblivious to the men around her. He shook his head when she refused Harry’s help and chose to climb in the wagon herself. She sat stiffly on the hard bed, and as if she could feel his gaze at her back, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

  He had no smile in return. He hated what was happening to her now. He turned to his crew and saw that they were also staring after Alexis—not rudely, as the men on the wharf were doing, but with pride in their eyes, respect for her because she had been able to hold up so well against all they had done to her. Gradually they returned to their work, and Cloud went to his cabin and packed some of his belongings hardly aware of what he was doing. Tossing his bag over his shoulder, he went to the quarterdeck and gave his last commands. He ordered a skeleton crew to remain with the ship and stay alert for Quinton vessels.

  “Mike, you and Frank pick out a few others and come to my home at dusk. It will have to be guarded. Captain Danty is not cooperative in spite of her resignation at the moment.” He smiled when his statement brought a round of low chuckles from the men. “Not a word to anyone of who she is. The less known about her the better. Her crew will no doubt be looking for her—we’ve been fortunate so far—but it can’t last. Understood?” After he was assured that it was, Cloud headed for the wharf. Landis followed, seating himself beside Harry in front while Cloud chose to sit across from Alexis in the rear.

  The wagon had just gone from sight when the crew of the Concord was assailed by questions from the curious men on the dock.

  “Hey Garrison! Mike!” one of them yelled.

  Mike looked up from his work and saw an old friend standing among the group of dock workers. He waved and returned to his business, ignoring the questions and catcalls flying in his direction.

  “C’mon Mike! What the hell’s going on? You come in, you leave, you come in again. Since when do you take female prisoners?”

  Mike stood up and glanced in his friend’s direction. He was in no mood to reacquaint himself via tiresome explanations he had no right to give. “None of your business,” he answered gruffly.
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br />   He heard one of the men whistle and call out, “Sure wish I got orders to take on females! I wouldn’t mind beddin’ down with prisoners if they all looked like that!”

  All work stopped on board the Concord. They glared at the men on shore. Oblivious to the sudden cessation of activity, the men continued their taunts.

  “Who was she, Mike? The captain’s whore? Can’t he keep her in line without tying her?”

  Mike could not ignore the comments any longer. Glancing in Frank’s direction, he saw he was not alone. Before they moved toward the gangway they heard another voice call out.

  “If I knew being at war could have these kinds of rewards I would have started one on my own!”

  Mike stopped in his tracks. “At war?” he asked incredulously. “Since when?”

  “Where have you been? We’ve been at war since June eighteenth. I’m surprised you didn’t meet up with any of their ships. Isaac Hull already had a run in with the Guerrière. The Constitution won it too!”

  “You know it,” called another of the men, “but don’t worry about that! With the kind of cargo you’ve been carrying you probably didn’t have time to worry about the Brits!”

  Every man on the Concord knew the significance of June eighteenth. Anger swelled inside them as they realized they could have pursued the Follansbee themselves and Alexis would have had her revenge. They returned their attention to the men on shore. The anger they felt was demanding to be released and their targets were waiting on the dock.

  Mike and Frank moved down the plank carelessly, enjoying hiding their purpose a little longer, and approached the group of men.

  “Tell us, Mike,” one of them said. “About the woman. Where did they take her? Is Madame Carlton finally getting a few whores with class?”

  “I don’t think I heard what you said, sailor,” Mike said calmly.

  The young tar was unaware of the danger associated with Mike’s forced calm, or he would have backed down instead of foolishly repeating himself. He was barely through with the statement when Mike’s right fist made further speech impossible.