The Captain's Lady Read online

  A heavy hand grasped her wrist and she started to fall. The hand shifted, catching her waist, preventing her downward motion.

  “I’m sorry, Cap’n Danty,” Tom drawled breathlessly.

  Alexis looked up at his grim face. The pale moonlight gave it a grayish cast and his eyes were narrowed, his sadness evident in his tight, bitter smile. He dropped his arm from her waist.

  “How did you know I would come here?” she asked when she caught her own breath. The other men surrounded her but not closely. They were not happy to have found her.

  “I didn’t know. None of us did. Some are down by the Concord; others are stationed at different piers. You just happened to come down to ours.”

  It was obvious he wished she hadn’t.

  “Is Mr. Landis here?” She remembered the Arthurian legend and suddenly it was important that he did not see her now.

  “He is somewhere around. He wanted to stay at the house but the captain said it would be the last place you would go.”

  “Well, Captain Cloud was wrong. That is precisely where I want to go. Right now. Before you take me to him.”

  “We can’t, Captain Danty,” one of the others objected. “We have orders to take you back to Davidson’s immediately.”

  She persisted. “I want you to take me to his house—then I’ll go with you.”

  Tom shrugged. “What do you say, mates? It couldn’t hurt. What do you want at the house, Captain?”

  “You’ll see,” Alexis said quietly. “You’ll all see.”

  Alexis broke through the circle of men and walked boldly toward Cloud’s home. They followed her. They knew she would go with them when she had taken care of whatever was drawing her toward the house. Her features revealed the anger she couldn’t quite swallow. They could not know it was directed solely at the men arguing at that moment with Cloud.

  Breathless, Alexis reached the front door. She twisted the knob and found it locked. “Find an open window,” she told them. “I’m not leaving until I’ve been inside.”

  Two of the men stayed with her while Tom and another walked around the building. They returned in a few minutes.

  “Nothing open on the first floor, Captain Danty. There is a window open in Landis’s room, upstairs. The lattice might hold me,” Tom suggested. “I don’t want to break down the captain’s door.”

  “Lead me to it, Tom. I’ll climb.”

  “But your gown,” he protested.

  She ignored his caution. “Show me that lattice.” She did not know her eyes were as bright as sparklers or that a muscle jumped in her cheek. She only knew that whatever they saw in her face prompted them to action.

  She followed Tom to the back of the house and tested the strength of the lattice. “It will hold me,” she said certainly. She threw off her slippers. She put the hem of her gown in her teeth and began climbing, oblivious to the thorns and briars scratching her arms and legs. She imagined fleetingly she was on the rigging of her ship.

  She slid into the opening headfirst. When she was on her feet she called down to the others, telling them to wait at the front door. She ignored their protests and demands for entry, leaving them gaping on the ground below.

  She went to her room and began digging furiously through her clothes. She practically ripped the gown and undergarments from her body. She pulled on her black trousers and shirt, tied the crimson sash around her waist. After jerking on her high black boots she yanked the remaining pins from her hair, letting it fall to her waist. She tied her scarf over the top of her head and knotted it in the back, not bothering to take the time to hide her hair. She was almost out of the room when she stopped and turned back to look at the crumpled gown lying on the floor in a careless heap.

  She walked back, slowly bending to pick it up. She smoothed out the folds and carefully placed it on the bed.

  Don’t damn the gown. Don’t damn the man who gave it to her. Damn those who can’t see beyond the gown or into the man. Damn them for not seeing the truth.

  She turned, running out of the room and down the stairs. She opened the door, propelling herself across the porch and down the steps. She knew the others were following her, but she did not acknowledge them. Her legs led her swiftly and surely to their destination.

  Tom and the others had stared at her for a moment before finding their wits to follow. Seeing her now, in her midnight attire, they understood how she could evoke fear in an otherwise fearless man. They had never seen her dressed this way before. It was an outfit she only used against the enemy. They had imagined from the stories they heard what she would look like. They had not been able to imagine this.

  She was incredibly feline, a stalking night creature. She did not appear to be walking; prowling was the word her movement suggested. When she glanced over her shoulder at them they saw brilliant yellow eyes catch the moon’s light and shoot it in their direction. They were glad her fierceness was not aimed at them.

  Tom escorted Alexis to the house. She permitted him at her side only to gain entry past the surprised butler. Tom stood at the entrance to the dining room, frowning at his captain while Alexis stared intently at the others with angry amber eyes.

  For the first time, Cloud saw Alexis as he imagined she must look boarding a British frigate. There was energy in every part of her body He realized with some shock that she was standing motionless. The energy was in her eyes and the faint tightening of her facial muscles as she worked her jaw. The black outfit she wore stressed her power, and the crimson sash was her commitment to revenge. He got to his feet, dismissing Tom, and offered Alexis his arm. She accepted it, calmly taking the seat he offered her.

  Howe got up from his chair and shut the window, bolting it securely. Alexis’s laughter filled the room. “You seem to be taking me more seriously, Senator.”

  “They all do, Captain Danty,” answered Cloud, taking his seat across from her.

  “As you always have. Thank you for the reception at the pier. I should have known.”

  “I warned you.”

  “Yes, you did. I was expecting you to do it personally.”

  “How did you manage to get back to the house? If memory serves, I believe you were dressed in blue.” His green eyes were bright with laughter. It was as if only the two of them were in the room.

  She smiled. “I simply told Tom and his mates that we were going back to the house. I climbed the lattice to the upper floor, changed my clothes, and have returned like a child, filled with remorse and guilt for having run away.”

  “That is hard to believe, Captain Danty,” said Granger, deciding he had had enough of their self-congratulatory conversation.

  “What do you find difficult to believe?” she asked with wide-eyed innocence. “That I climbed the lattice? That I changed my clothes? Or that I am filled with remorse and guilt?”

  “The last, Captain,” he said, agitated.

  “Good,” she said sharply. “I see there has been some progress made in this room since I was here last.” She paused, absorbing their altered expressions. “Now. What do you want?”

  They told her, ignoring her objections.

  They told her they would give her a ship. A frigate. A war sloop. Whatever she wanted.

  “I have the ship I want.”

  They told her they would give her an unprecedented honorary commission.

  “I am a captain.”

  They offered her the finest crew available. She could choose among the ranks.

  “I have the men I want.”

  They said they would pardon her.

  “I ask no pardon. I have committed no crime against you.”

  They told her the price of what they offered—she would have to give them information on British movements.

  “I am aware of the movements of only one man.”

  They told her that Lafitte could be an additional asset to their fight.

  “Yes. He could be.”

  They explained why the pirate would not let an American officer a
pproach him.

  “I would not allow a British officer to approach me.”

  And they told her she would take to Lafitte the terms of his pardon. His help for his life. The agreement to be completed in Washington.

  “I will not.”

  Throughout the discussion Cloud’s eyes never left Alexis while she focused on everyone but him. She sat at some distance from the table, one slender arm stretched out from her shoulder in a straight dark line. Only her fingertips touched the edge of the table, as if any more contact would contaminate her. The arm was unyielding, never bending. Her other arm was bent at the elbow, her hand in her lap. It was this arm he expected to see unfold suddenly and slash out at their faces.

  He studied her face as she refused their offers. Her eyes were devoid of any expression save disgust, including disgust at herself for bothering to answer their questions. Her cheeks were smooth and soft; her chin lifted at an arrogant angle.

  Her sun-kissed skin, glowing in the room’s lamplight, seemed especially bright against the dark background of her clothing. In contrast to the golden flesh of her throat was the silver necklace. It captured the light, held it, then scattered it in quick, sharp flashes whenever she lifted her head defiantly.

  He could only think in terms of love and hate. He hated them for forcing this on her. He loved her for throwing it back in their faces.

  “I will not take to Lafitte any terms which you propose,” she said.

  Exasperated, Bennet shook his head, running his fingers through his wheat-colored hair. “Why not?”

  Alexis stood, placing both hands on the table for support. She explained clearly and accurately why Lafitte would not help them at this time. She spoke precisely as she had earlier to Cloud. “Wait,” she finished. “He will come to you. He will offer his assistance. Don’t be too stubborn to accept it.”

  Richard Granger leaned forward angrily in his chair, a brandy in hand. “Are you saying this because he helped you return home and even now is helping your shipping firm establish itself while other businesses flounder? Are you saying this because he is your friend?”

  “No. I say it because it’s true.”

  “But he is your friend.”

  “That has nothing to do with what I’m telling you.”

  Howe took another square-cut cigar and lit it. “Do you realize what will happen if you refuse to help us?”

  “I have not refused you—yet,” she corrected him. “But under no circumstances will I consider Lafitte a part of any assistance I could give you.” She walked around her chair and put her hands on its high leather back.

  “It is everything or nothing,” Howe objected.

  “Dammit, Senator!” Cloud said, clenching his teeth. He saw Alexis jerk at the sound of his voice. “Let her speak. Let her tell you what she is willing to do!”

  “I wondered when you would come to her defense, Captain.”

  “I am not defending her. She doesn’t need my defense. What she deserves is an opportunity to state her terms.” His eyes glinted angrily, daring anyone to raise further objection.

  Alexis latched on to the silence provided as if it were as tangible as the chair beneath her fingers. “Senator Howe, I am willing to offer my services in any manner you wish, with the exception of Lafitte. I could do nothing for you there. I will help you as soon as I have found Captain Travers. This is what I want. It is the only thing I am willing to accept. If your refusal means proceeding with your absurd charges, then do so. But understand that it is you who have refused me. You may put me in jail, and you will fight your war without any assistance from me.”

  The room erupted into objections. Voice overrode voice until complete sentences could not be distinguished. The two captains viewed each other solemnly. Cloud saw the brightness in her eyes fade. She smiled faintly, a smile of acceptance of something she had never accepted before in her life: defeat. She turned her head away from him, certain her defeat meant losing him-—not just for now, but forever. He willed her to face him again so he could tell her it was not true but she would not turn her head.

  Mechanically, Alexis took her seat. She heard little of what was being said, wondering what it would be like in prison, then refusing to think about it. Her eyes focused on a flickering shadow on the opposite wall, and she made herself listen to parts of the conversation.

  “Lafitte. She must bring us Lafitte.”

  “She’ll change her mind once she realizes we are serious about these charges.”

  “A few months waiting for trial will make her see she must cooperate.”

  A dull, lifeless voice—she did not know whose—said she would be kept in Davidson’s home under guard until the following evening when the charges would be processed and other arrangements could be made. She felt a hand take her by the arm and help her to her feet. The hand was cold, clammy—or perhaps it was her own flesh that felt that way.

  She did not turn back. She walked out of the room concentrating solely on the command from her brain to her feet.

  Cloud stood, his face calm, a trace of a smile on his lips.

  “Gentlemen, you have been very hard on Captain Danty this evening. I believe I can convince her tomorrow to see things my way, if you would permit me to speak with her. I will bring her belongings with me in case she chooses to disregard what I have to say.”

  “What can you say to her that we haven’t said already, Captain?” Farthington asked.

  Cloud smiled enigmatically. “If I could have a few hours alone with her I believe I can persuade her to do anything.”

  Howe raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Oh, I see. Well, there will still have to be a guard at the door, but it can be arranged so no one will disturb you.”

  “I understand. Any arrangements will be satisfactory. I will leave word of her decision with the guard.”

  “Make her understand we do not want to press charges. She is forcing us to do it,” Granger said anxiously. “Can you make her see that?”

  “I can make her understand what she must do.” Cloud stepped to the door. “If there is nothing else, gentlemen, I will be leaving now. This evening has been most instructive.”

  As Cloud was leaving the house, Davidson returned to the dining room, slamming the door behind him. He pulled his chair out roughly and sat down. “Well, Senator?” he asked. “She is locked in the guest room with one of your men at the door. I can’t keep her there forever. Imagine the scandal if someone finds out she’s here. And I can’t very well tell anyone precisely who she is. What the hell are we going to do with her?”

  “Do with her?” Howe asked, unconcerned. “Why we are going to do what we always planned. She is just as valuable as Lafitte. We’ll find another way to approach him if the captain is unsuccessful in convincing her.”

  “You should have heard our dear captain, Robert,” Bennet said, fixing himself another drink. “‘A few hours alone and I believe I can persuade her to do anything,’ he says. That bastard! You’d think the sun rises and sets because he commands it to.”

  “Shut up, Bennet,” Howe said pointedly, riveting his cold gray eyes on the young man. “You’re getting ugly.”

  “I don’t think he should be allowed to see her tomorrow.”

  “I disagree. He did not realize how serious we were until this evening. He will do everything he can to keep her out of prison, and that means convincing her to bring Lafitte. If he fails, then we still have her.”

  “All right, Senator,” Bennet sighed. “We’ll do it your way. It will serve that arrogant son of a bitch right if he does persuade her.”

  Chapter 13

  When Cloud arrived at his home Tom Daniels had already spread the word that Alexis had been taken back to Davidson’s. As a result, Cloud found more men waiting impatiently in his drawing room than he would have liked.

  Cloud paused at the entrance, long enough to let them see he was in no mood to make any explanations. Then he strode past them to the other side of the room to pour himself a glass
of brandy. No one said a word.

  “Captain Danty has refused to meet their demands,” Cloud said at last. “The charges will be processed against her and a trial will probably be held in the near future.”

  “Those bastards!” Harry swore. “Who’d have thought they’d go ahead with prosecuting her?”

  “Captain Danty did,” answered Cloud.

  “Did Mr. Madison-—-” Forrest was cut off before he could complete his thought aloud.

  “The President was not there. The others acted according to his wishes.”

  “Damnation! Where are they keeping her?” Mike pounded his fist against the arm of his chair.

  “It would be better for all of you if you didn’t know.”

  “But Captain!” Tom protested. “We can’t leave her! We’ve got to do something!”

  “Aye, sir,” agreed Harry. He was joined by a round of approval from the others, giving him courage. He missed the bright flare of anger burning in Cloud’s eyes. “She’s a heroine, Captain! She’s special to all of—”

  “She is nothing! All of you! She is nothing!” The harshness of his voice cut through the room. Then he sent his brandy glass flying toward the brick fireplace. “None of you are to attempt to find out where they’ve taken her. You’d be court-martialed for helping her. No man under my command is going to face that charge. She has accepted what has happened. You do the same.” He never thought he would see the day when their anger would turn on him. Yet he refused to tell them he had one more chance to make Alexis do what she should have done in the beginning. He did not want all his men to cling to that slender thread of hope. “There is no need for any of you to remain here this evening. Go find yourself a bottle and a woman and forget you ever knew her.”

  He left the room without looking back at their incredulous faces.

  There was a brief silence. “He couldn’t have meant it…could he?” Mike’s voice was firm at first, then anxiously quiet.