The Captain's Lady Read online

  “What was he talking about?” asked Cloud.

  “He has some notion about me shaving my head to join a convent,” she replied. “Never mind.” Laughing, she slipped her arm through his.

  Alexis held Cloud’s elbow firmly as they were led by Davidson’s butler to the drawing room. On the threshold she dropped her hand, smiling grimly at him. When the door was opened and they were announced to the four men inside, her mien was gracious, suggesting the honor was hers.

  Cloud observed the astonished faces of the men and knew immediately why Alexis had responded as she did. Not one of these men believed the woman he had brought to them was Captain Alex Danty. Very well, he thought, it has begun.

  Robert Davidson was the first to recover from the vision Alexis presented in the doorway of his drawing room. He crossed the room and took her hand, kissing it lightly.

  “It is a pleasure to have you here, ah, Miss Danty,” he said as she withdrew her hand.

  “But how could I resist such an invitation as the one you sent?” she asked. Only Cloud heard the steely edge in her voice. “You went to a great deal of trouble to secure your pleasure.”

  Davidson smiled uncomfortably and introduced the others. Alexis greeted them all warmly, observing Richard Granger’s nervous, darting eyes; Senator Howe’s cold, appraising stare; Bennet Farthington’s flirtatious, almost hungry gaze. It was Bennet, handsome, well built, and obviously envious of Cloud, that she singled out to proceed with the deception.

  “Gentlemen,” she said, standing beside Bennet, brushing his tailored smoke gray trousers with the azure folds of her gown. “I believe someone is missing. I was told the President wished to meet me.”

  Howe offered the explanation. “The President has just informed us he cannot attend. You just missed his messenger.”

  An alarm, faint in sound and brief in duration, went off in Cloud’s head. He was hardly aware of its existence before it was gone and the senator was continuing to speak.

  “He has given us authority to present his views in his absence, Miss Danty. Rest assured, we will be speaking for Mr. Madison.”

  Alexis nodded, making a small moue. She glanced covertly at Cloud and her eyes seemed to say: this changes everything.

  “Let us not discuss business before dinner,” said Bennet, offering Alexis his arm. “I believe dinner will be the perfect occasion to determine the answer to the question which is plaguing all of us.” He had to say no more. They all wanted to put aside their business until they were satisfied as to the woman’s identity.

  Alexis was beginning to enjoy this situation immensely. Her rather confused smile convinced the others she understood none of what was said. Davidson led them into the large dining room. Bennet held out a chair for Alexis, then took a place beside her. Across from her, Cloud observed her game with wry amusement as she flirted with the others. He had only seen this side of her once, briefly, when he had first known her, and he had punished her for it. The coy coquette had returned. She even appeared to have won the senator over with her light, witty conversation. After dinner, while the table was being cleared by the servants, Alexis rose from her chair and walked to the large bay window at the end of the dining room. Cloud saw her tense stance as she stared out the window.

  Alexis sighed. How could they doubt who she was? How could they doubt Cloud? Nothing she had said or done this evening should have mattered if they trusted the man who was sent to bring her. She knew then that what she was prepared to do was as much for him as it was for her. Their pride demanded appeasement.

  Bennet went to stand beside Alexis. Over the voices surrounding him Cloud strained to hear her conversation with the aide to the Secretary of War.

  “It’s a lovely garden, isn’t it?” he asked, following her gaze.

  “Why, yes it is.”

  Cloud smiled at the brief pause she took before she answered. He knew she had not been looking at the garden, but the distance to it. She was seeing a path of escape, not a path of brightly colored flowers in the last of the evening light. He noticed, as he was sure she did, the window was bolted shut. He breathed easier. The terrace beyond was out of her reach. When she faced the room again he saw her looking for other exits, all the while carrying on a harmless discussion with Bennet.

  When the table was cleared and the servants were gone, Farthington escorted Alexis back to a chair. Cloud noticed she had asked Bennet for the seat closest to the window and farthest from him. He looked at the bolt again and saw she had not tampered with it.

  Those present seated themselves once more, each with a glass of wine except for Cloud and Alexis. Davidson reached for a box of cheroots. He hesitated when he saw Alexis wrinkle her nose slightly.

  “Do you mind if we smoke, Miss Danty?”

  “Not at all, if someone would be kind enough to open the window.” The senator moved to gallantly comply with her request.

  Cloud shifted uneasily as Howe slid the catch and swung the windows wide, creating an unobstructed entrance to the terrace and the lawn beyond. Soft August breezes filled the room. The scent of flowers from the garden smelled like freedom to Alexis and she inhaled deeply. The same scent smelled of danger to Cloud and he could scarcely breathe at all. Then the fragrance was all but obliterated by the overpowering cigar smoke.

  “Miss Danty,” Howe said pleasantly when he was seated again. “Before we can proceed we need to establish you are who Captain Cloud claims you to be. I am sure you must realize how difficult it is for us to imagine you as the captain described you to us. He mentioned how lovely you are, of course, but he hardly described you as you are now.”

  Alexis nodded and waited for Cloud to answer this blow to his credibility.

  “She is Captain Danty, Senator. Why do you think otherwise?” Cloud’s easy answer mocked the tension in his every muscle.

  “I know you were against this from the beginning, Captain. You also told me of an attempted escape. Perhaps you let the real Captain Danty go free and substituted her with this woman.”

  “Ask her yourself.”

  Howe leaned forward in his chair, folding his arms on the table and addressed Alexis. “Are you Captain Danty?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you prove that to us?”

  “What manner of proof do you require, Senator?” Her voice was laced with derision but Howe was oblivious to it. “Run you through with a sword, perhaps?”

  Richard Granger coughed uneasily. “Um, not that. Tell us something of your background.”

  Mechanically, as if she were reciting memorized material, Alexis told them of London and Tortola and her search for Travers. She described her escape from Hamilton but made no mention of Lafitte. She told them of her imprisonment on board Concord. At no time did she embellish the facts, instead she gave the information simply and honestly.

  Cloud listened to her lifeless recital as he watched the faces of the others. She told them no lies and yet she said it in such a way that not one of them believed her. When she was finished he said, “I trust Captain Danty has satisfied you.”

  “On the contrary,” Davidson answered, stubbing out his cheroot furiously. “She has told us nothing she could not have learned from you.”

  “I did not learn it from him,” Alexis objected adamantly, too adamantly for them to believe her.

  “What do you know Lafitte?” asked the senator sharply.

  Alexis’s eyes grew wide. “Why, Lafitte is a pirate. He is very well known.” Her expression and voice spoke of innocence and the others turned angrily on the captain they had trusted.

  “Did you forget to tell this impostor about Lafitte’s part in her story, Captain?” Bennet Farthington placed a comforting hand on Alexis’s bare arm. He had been right after all. Cloud could not bring in the real Captain Danty. The woman at his side, trembling beneath his hand, was far too naïve to take command of a ship, let alone make threats against a British commander. He had known it the moment he had seen her standing in the doorway. What man
would follow this woman anywhere but to bed?

  Alexis turned her face away from Farthington, his thoughts so openly displayed in his eyes she could not bear to look at him. He interpreted her action as a demure invitation to carry out his thoughts.

  Cloud smiled grimly. “I told her nothing. She is Alex Danty, Captain of the Dark Lady, the Diamond Maria, the Ariel, to name but a few of the titles she uses for her ship.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth before Alexis decided it was time to press her advantage. She covered her face with her hands to hide her disgust. What sounded like choked sobs to the others was in truth her bitter laughter.

  “Don’t blame Tanner! It’s not his fault I couldn’t remember everything!”

  Cloud was prepared for her. Now that the lies were going to be told, she would be believed. They had asked for this. Silently he applauded her, wishing he could truly help her with what she was working toward. The most she would be able to have was a brief moment to secure credibility for her performance.

  “Captain Danty, it won’t work. I know what you’re doing.” He scowled at her but Alexis saw he was saying, “Naughty child.”

  “What I’m doing?” she asked, covering her laughter. Her body trembled with delight at this dangerous game and Cloud’s half-hearted attempt to stop her. “What am I trying to do besides save our necks before this deceit goes on?” Not a truer statement had been uttered all evening but its real meaning was lost on everyone but Cloud.

  She stood, facing the four men who had arranged for her capture. She avoided Cloud but knew he was watching her more intently than any of the others.

  “I must apologize, gentlemen,” she said quietly, her voice tight. “It is not in my nature to lie. I have been part of a deception this evening and I had not the strength to escape it until now.” She paused to see if any of them realized the deception was their manner of approaching her: the false charges, treating her as a guest. They did not. She began to cry, her sense of shame immense as she continued. “Tanner has known me for many years—please don’t object, Tanner—I cannot bear it any longer. When he failed to hold Captain Danty aboard the Concord he came to me and asked for help. He thought I would serve because I have the same general coloring as the woman described to you. He requested I take her place at this dinner and do as you ask. After that it would be a simple matter to be lost at sea and you would never know you had the word of a pretender. I agreed because he is my dear friend, but I cannot stay and listen to these accusations any longer.”

  She collapsed in her chair, wiping away her tears with the handkerchief Bennet offered. She was forgotten as outraged faces and angry voices turned on Cloud.

  “Did you think you could get away with it?”

  “How stupid did you expect us to be?”

  “This is your commission!”

  “No wonder you asked that Captain Danty not be required to bring Lafitte!”

  “Treason! A violation of your orders!”

  Cloud scarcely knew who was saying what. He kept his eyes on his folded hands resting on the table. The men wanted no answers. They wanted proof, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Alexis stand and walk to the open window. How like her, he thought. She could walk out of this room, probably leading Bennet by the nose, and they would forgive her everything. But she wanted to give them the proof Howe had asked for when the meeting first began. Her pride demanded it. He heard her voice, clear and distinct above all the others. How could they not hear the commanding authority of her voice?

  “Gentlemen! It is senseless to lay blame upon Captain Cloud. You asked the impossible of him. He could not hold Captain Danty any more than any of you could.” She measured her steps to the terrace, leaning against the frame of the window. “Senator Howe.” She calculated the darkness beyond the well-lighted room and saw it would offer adequate protection. “I said I had been part of a deception”—she saw the street beyond beckoning her with comfortable shadows—“this evening and that I had not the strength to escape it….” She looked at the curious faces turned in her direction. They were drawn tight in anger at Cloud until they sagged suddenly with compassion for her. She wanted to retch. “What I should have said was that I was not given the opportunity until now.”

  As she ended her statement her body shuddered with sudden power and in a single, fluid motion she leaped over the terrace rail. She felt the thrill of freedom and thought the sensation was brought to life by the sound of Cloud’s laughter. She ran across the wide lawn, his laughter growing weaker, marking the distance she traveled from the oppressive house.

  Cloud saw the coiled tightness of her muscles before she jumped. The sky blue gown seemed to lift her and aid her flight over the rail. He could imagine her running, graceful and focused. His first impulse was to go after her. Instead he forced himself to remain seated and let her have her brief victory. His laughter, however, was not forced. He thoroughly enjoyed the sight of the apoplectic faces turned in his direction.

  “What the hell, Captain?” Farthington’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Is she or isn’t she Danty?”

  “I have already answered that, Bennet. I believe she has proved it.” He stopped laughing but his eyes continued to mock Farthington.

  Bennet’s jaw went slack, his face paled. He sank back in his chair, knowing he had been duped, a suspicion dawning on him that he had duped himself.

  There was a murmur of disbelief around the table. Cloud heard the words but paid no attention. He stretched out in his chair, arms folded casually across his chest, long legs before him.

  “She is quite a woman, Captain,” said Howe. “You warned us all but I had a hard time believing it until this moment.”

  “How can you say that?” Granger said, annoyed. “She lied to us. Came in here like she was a queen instead of a common pirate in league with Lafitte. Her gown was very nearly indecent!”

  “She did not lie to you until the very end,” Cloud said quietly. “You made it impossible for her to continue with the truth. Captain Danty is no fool. She took the only opportunity she’s had for days to escape. Right under all your noses.”

  “Under your nose too, Captain! If you knew what she was doing, you should have stopped her!” Davidson slammed his fist on the table to emphasize his point.

  “I knew.”

  “And you let her go!”

  “I did.”

  “Damn you, Captain! We want her back! Get her!”

  “I already have.” His words were greeted by stunned silence. He was the only one comfortable in it.

  “What do you mean?” asked the senator.

  “Just what I said. You will have Captain Danty back within the hour.” He did not move. He made no attempt to leave his chair and carry out his statement. He made it seem as if he could bring her back by the sheer force of his will. The truth was harder for him. He wanted to run from the room, from the house, stop Alexis, stop his men, and send her out of Washington himself. He did not want to see her again in this room, with these men. He remained still and did nothing. It had already been done.

  Farthington put down his cheroot and gulped his wine. “Captain, about your commission, I didn’t realize. I will not say anything to Dr. Eustis.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “You say she’ll be here within the hour?”

  “Yes.”

  Bennet stared at Cloud, hating him for his self-assurance, his concise, arrogant responses, and for knowing all along what the bitch had been about. Bennet smiled tightly, dropping his eyelids slightly, regarding Cloud through a hooded gaze. The tables would be turned. When she returned the captain would find he had done his work too well.

  “How can you be so sure?” asked Howe.

  “I know my men.” Cloud waited to be asked for more proof than this but the senator appeared satisfied. “While she is gone I would suggest you rethink your position concerning Captain Danty. Because of your treatment of her this evening she will be harder to convince than before. It w
ould be wise to end any notion you have about Lafitte.”

  The four men said nothing. They sat in stony silence, furtively glancing at one another, committing themselves to their original plan without one word passing between them.

  Cloud walked to the window and stared out at the garden. Don’t let them catch you! He turned suddenly to see if the others heard him; then he realized he had not said the words aloud.

  When Alexis was several blocks away from Davidson’s she paused for a moment to catch her breath and decide on the direction of the wharf. Then she moved swiftly, barely glancing at the shadowed faces of the people she passed. She listened for evidence of Cloud pursuing her, but he did not come. She was sure he had known what she was planning to do, possibly before the idea had settled firmly in her own mind.

  The evening had been worse than she’d expected. She looked down at her slippered feet and flowing gown as she ran. A soft shroud of blue. Was that all it took to hide the truth? How could they ever doubt Cloud? What was it about those men that made them suspicious of others?

  Outrage spurred her on. She saw the harbor in the distance. She knew she would not take a Quinton vessel. She would wheedle, lie, beg, cajole to secure passage on any ship but one of her own. She would allow none of her merchants to take the risk of having her aboard.

  She slowed her steps, forcing herself to be calm when she reached the waterfront. Then she stopped, held back by a force she could only identify as a tightening around her neck. Her hand went to the silver thread at her throat. She saw him and then realized it was not actually Cloud she saw. She saw his men. It was the presence of his command that she sensed.

  So this was why he hadn’t followed. She mocked herself with a slim smile. Four crewmen from the Concord were approaching her slowly. Not as predators. Merely as four men who knew a lady and wanted to act as her escort.

  She turned and ran. She heard their hurried footsteps mingle with her own lighter ones. She heard them plead with her to stop, to not make them run her down, but she was heedless of their entreaties. She ran harder, ignoring the searing pain in her legs and side, compelling herself to continue, to take one more step. The necklace seemed to cut off her breath and she wanted to tear it away. Instead she struggled harder to fill her lungs with air.