The Captain's Lady Read online

“Didn’t say I did. The kid could have read it.”

  “Then give us the boy so we can turn him over to the constable,” Allison said. Jordan and Peach tensed, waiting for the guard’s reply. They were prepared for either a yes or a no. No would be easier.

  “No. You have the watch back,” said the guard. “If you two hadn’t been drinking so much he wouldn’t have been able to take it.” It was obvious to him now the men had just come from a tavern. They reeked of ale ten paces off. “Get out of here and don’t come back. You’re lucky you weren’t shot.”

  “What are you going to do with the brat?” asked Jordan.

  “I’ll send him on his way when I know you’re not waiting to grab him.”

  “Have it your way.” Allison turned to go. “Hope he doesn’t pick your pocket.”

  When Jordan and Allison were out of sight the guard released Peach. “That was a stupid thing to do.”

  “I’m telling you the timepiece belongs to my sister, sir,” Peach said, wiping his tear-stained face. “She was furious when they took it. Says the streets aren’t safe for anyone these days.”

  “How long ago did this supposedly happen?”

  “A few hours ago. We were on our way home and she was checking the time and all of a sudden she didn’t have it any more. They grabbed it right out of her hand! I told her I was going to get it back. She begged me not to.”

  “You didn’t listen very well.” He was beginning to believe there was some truth to the boy’s story.

  “I know. I hope she doesn’t come looking for me. If she sees those men she’ll scratch their eyes out.”

  “You make your sister sound like quite a tiger.”

  Peach laughed, enjoying himself. “She is. Blazing golden eyes and—”

  He never finished. The guards all jolted to attention as Alexis’s piercing scream reached their ears.

  “That’s her! That’s my sister!” Peach was frantic. “She must have seen me leave the house!” He started to bolt in the direction of the screams but he was stopped.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I have to go after her. They might hurt her.”

  “C’mon, Davis. John. It seems tiger lady got herself in a bit of trouble.” He turned back to Peach. “What’s your name, son?”

  “Peach. Albert, really, but everyone calls me Peach.”

  “Well, Peach, we’ll help your sister. You wait inside. Matt’s in there. Tell him where we’re going. We’ll have your sister back in no time at all.”

  “And what belongs to her,” Peach called as he ran past them into the building.

  The three men started running toward the screams. They were joined by two more guards who heard the same thing. In the darkness they almost stumbled over Alexis who had ceased her cries and was now sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. The five men circled around her and she looked up. She tried to move away, her eyes filled with terror.

  The three guards who heard Peach’s story were immediately certain he had spoken the truth. Even at night those eyes flashed flecks of gold.

  “We are not going to hurt you, miss. My name is Richards. Greg Richards. Those men…where?…”

  “They’re gone,” Alexis said quietly, her voice trembling. She looked down at her torn bodice and thought what a nice effect it was. She went on. “They tried to…tried to…”

  Richards held out his hand but Alexis pushed it aside. “You’re Francine, aren’t you?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Your brother is back at the prison. He told us about you. Why don’t you come back with us? He’ll want to know that you’re safe.” His voice was soothing and Alexis almost wished he wouldn’t show quite so much kindness.

  “Not just yet,” she answered. “I don’t want to move. Those men, they knocked the wind out of me.”

  Richards nodded. “Davis, you stay with me. John, you better go back and tell the boy his sister is all right.” He motioned to the other two. “Go back to your posts as well.”

  “Oh, no!” she pleaded. “Don’t any of you go. What if they come back?”

  “And don’t you think the two of us can handle them? That doesn’t say very much for us, does it?”

  Alexis knew her men needed more time to get ready. “It’s not that,” she answered. “I just feel safer with all of you around.”

  Richards grinned. “You’ll be fine. These men have to get back. We have an important prisoner to watch.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when he felt a sharp pain creasing his skull. He did not know the others, so captivated by Alexis’s soft voice and appearance were experiencing the same pain.

  Alexis pushed Richards’s body off her own and stood, brushing herself off. She smiled at her men, Jordan and Allison among them. “It doesn’t say much for my ability to hold a man’s attention when they all wanted to go back to their posts.”

  “Don’t know about that, Captain,” Allison said. “They were so busy looking at you they didn’t hear us come up on them.”

  Alexis glanced down at the bodies. “I’d say you did your work pretty well. I don’t think we’ll waste time tying them. Let’s get rid of the walking patrols next. The fire will take care of anyone else who might see Peach and Cloud leave.”

  As Alexis was leading her men to the next post, Peach was lifting the butt of a pistol Matt was kind enough to show him high over the guard’s turned head. He brought it down sharply and watched in fascination as Matt slumped forward in his chair. Peach did not waste any more time. He thought he’d lost too much already winning the guard’s confidence. He quickly grabbed the ring of keys from their place on the wall and he opened the door that led to the cells.

  He found Cloud in the next to the last cell, sleeping peacefully. Peach wondered how a man who was supposed to die could possibly sleep. He slipped the key into the gate and opened the door. The captain still did not move. Peach drew closer to the cot. He was in the process of reaching out to touch Cloud when the captain suddenly shot forward, knocking Peach to the ground.

  “My God! It’s you!” Cloud could hardly believe he saw the small boy sprawled out on the floor in front of him. The boy was glaring at him. He smiled, remembering these were the eyes he had once accused of being lovesick for Alexis. Love was no part of anything they were expressing at the moment.

  Peach continued to glare as he got to his feet. “You have a strange way of saying thank you.”

  Cloud realized the boy was angrier for being taken off guard than anything else. “I’ll make it up to you later,” he replied, grinning.

  Peach ignored him. “Come on. We have to go out front. Be ready to move quickly when the time comes.”

  “Where is your captain?” asked Cloud as he followed the boy to the front room.

  “She’ll be waiting for us,” he answered tersely.

  Cloud pointed to the unconscious guard. “You did that?” His voice held the proper amount of admiration and Peach responded in a friendlier manner, assuring Cloud that he had. “What about the others?”

  “They’re being taken care of.” Peach kept his eyes trained on where he knew the lumber pile should be, although he couldn’t make it out in the dark. Occasionally he glanced away from the window and looked at Cloud, who was confiscating Matt’s weapon for his own.

  “What are you waiting for? Why aren’t we leaving now?”

  “It’s a good thing Captain Danty is planning this. You’d get us both killed. Did you really expect to get out of here after you knocked one guard out?” Peach’s tone left Cloud no doubt the boy was unimpressed by his actions back in the cell.

  “When you have been assured your death is inevitable you take almost any chance.”

  Peach shrugged. “I suppose. Still, it’s better Captain Danty is in charge.”

  Cloud laughed. “You’re probably right. Now, why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for so I can watch too.”

  Peach did not have to answer. Flames shot up in the
distance, outlining the piles of lumber. “That’s it. No, don’t go yet,” he said as Cloud started toward the door. “Wait. I’m supposed to make sure most of the guards head in that direction.” The flames were bright enough now to let Peach see figures flurrying toward their origin. “Okay. Now we go.”

  Cloud stepped aside and let the cabin boy, who had the presence of an admiral, lead the way. When Peach started running for a house in the distance Cloud stayed right behind him. Peach reached the far side of the house and caught his breath. They both stiffened when they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Peach put a hand on Cloud’s pistol, signaling him not to be hasty.

  “Peach? Captain Cloud?” It was Peters.

  “Over here,” answered Peach. Peters and Wilkes joined them. Both men towered over Peach and even Cloud found himself having to look up, something he was not used to doing. Peach turned to face Cloud. “These men will take you to the ship. Captain Danty says you are to go with them.”

  Cloud shook his head. “Where is your captain? You said she’d be waiting for us.”

  “She’s waiting for me. I have to circle around and let her know you’re all right.”

  “Damn! Do you mean she’s out there by the fire?”

  “Yes, and don’t argue. Go with these men.”

  “I’m going with you,” Cloud corrected. The boy was becoming just a little too authoritarian. “I won’t leave until I know she’s safe.”

  Peach looked at Peters, who was becoming restless. He looked back at Cloud. “Captain Danty said you might not obey orders. She’s taken care of that too. Peters. You know what you have to do.”

  Cloud realized too late what was going to happen. Peter’s fist connected with the side of his head and he was knocked against the wall of the house. He struggled to his feet in time to see Peach running to his rendezvous with Alexis. As he lunged at Peters his only thought was to get away from her men and make sure she was safe. It was his last thought as Wilkes finished off the job Peters had initiated.

  They carried Cloud to the waiting wagon and headed for the ship.

  Alexis watched from her hiding place as Davie Brandon and his helpers escaped the flames they had just started. The grounds were in chaos as guards moved in to fight the fire. Alexis and her men had little time to enjoy the sight. They ran toward the place designated to meet Peach.

  The flames rose higher and higher, casting their light in sharp, jagged patches across the compound. Away from the light, in their hiding place amidst some straggly shrubbery, Alexis and her crew waited to discover if Peach had been successful. It was not long before they realized their diversion was bringing them an unexpected piece of luck. People from nearby homes, seeing the flames, were hastening to the area.

  “They’ll be helpful,” Jordan observed dryly “They’re bound to get in the way.”

  “As long as they don’t get in our way,” Brandon answered. “Where the hell is that boy? I hope he took advantage of that magnificent fire.”

  Alexis shifted her position to get a better look in the direction Peach was supposed to come from. “He’ll be here, Davey,” she assured him as well as herself. She focused her attention on the people hurrying past them on the way to the fire. “Oh my God!” she gasped, clutching Jordan’s arm.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Alexis pulled the hood of her cape over her head, released Jordan’s arm, and slipped further back into the shadows. She pointed to a man on horseback not more than twenty feet from them. He was staring intently at the fire. Occasionally the light flickered across his face and his wheat-colored hair.

  “That’s Bennet Farthington,” she whispered to her men. “He’ll suspect something!”

  “C’mon, Peach!” It was a reverent prayer the way Ned Allison said the words.

  A few tense moments passed then Farthington made them realize their worst fears. He jerked the reins of his horse and pressed heels into his mount’s flanks. He muttered a few curses and galloped in the direction of the prison.

  “Damn him! He knows!” Alexis groaned as she watched him ride off.

  “It’s Peach!” cried Allison, clapping Davey Brandon on the back.

  Alexis turned and saw Peach mingling with the crowd, trying to get to them. She was on her feet immediately. “Ned! Get him! The rest of you, follow me!”

  Allison singled out Peach and grabbed him tightly by the wrist. “This way, you little pickpocket!” he said, chuckling. “You did get what you came for, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” the boy answered proudly.

  Peach and Ned met the others on the far side of the compound. After Alexis made sure that Peach had been successful she held back her questions and praise. A shot originating from the area of the prison halted their short celebration. The men needed no encouragement to follow her as she lifted her dress and began running. She smiled when she passed familiar faces as she ran through the streets and alleys—familiar faces that seemed to shout their thanks and encouragement though they remained silent, as if they were oblivious to everything but their drunken camaraderie.

  As they raced up the gangway of the Dark Lady, Alexis gave the order to sail. The task was undertaken more quickly than she had ever dreamed possible. She strained to hear above the voices of her men, intent on learning how closely they were going to be pursued. But the docks remained quiet. There was no unusual commotion from the harbor as Dark Lady slipped away.

  Jordan stepped to the rail beside her. He was also listening for the sounds that would mean a pursuit. “I think Captain Cloud’s men kept their word,” he said at last. “We’re not going to be followed.”

  Now that they were safely out of the harbor, Alexis felt the tension slowly ebb from her body. She placed her arms stiffly on the rail, leaned her body forward, and raised her head in a way that signaled her victory. The men who saw her pose were reminded of a figurehead at the bow of a ship. They smiled to themselves, thinking this was how they always saw her, though never so clearly as they did in this moment.

  “We did it,” she said solemnly, speaking to the water, the retreating shoreline, and the brisk night air. She turned to Jordan who was watching her intently, an understanding smile on his rugged face. “We did it, Mr. Jordan!” she shouted as if she had just accepted the fact and all it meant. “Peach! You did it! We all did it!”

  A cheer rose up from the crew and Alexis felt herself being lifted into the air on the firm, muscular shoulders of Jordan and Allison.

  “Put me down!” she cried, smiling, not caring if they obeyed her or not. She felt light and slightly dizzy when the two men finally decided it wise to set her on the deck. “Where’s Peach?” she asked, holding Jordan’s arm to steady herself.

  “Here, Captain!” Peach called as he worked his way through the men surrounding her.

  She pulled him toward her, placing an arm around his shoulders. “Here’s the man we have to thank for the success of tonight’s venture!” The crew loudly sounded their approval, and Alexis could feel his shoulders straighten as he proudly accepted their praise. “And what have you done with the captain, Peach? I thought he would be on deck to celebrate.” This statement brought some laughter from Peters and Wilkes. Alexis could guess what had happened.

  “That man is awfully stubborn,” the cabin boy answered. “I gave him every chance to go with Peters but—”

  “But he had to be persuaded,” Alexis said. “It seems the captain and I expend a lot of energy trying to persuade one another. Where is he now, Wilkes? Were you very rough on him?”

  “He’s in your cabin sleeping it off.”

  Alexis laughed. “He should learn to follow orders. Peach, go see to the captain. Let me know when he wakes up.”

  Peach nodded and hurried away, eager to see Cloud and face his anger when he woke.

  Alexis set their course for New Orleans after the men assured her they were more anxious to get Travers than see Roadtown. Satisfied that everything was functioning smoothly in the han
ds of her crew, she assigned watch duty then spent the next hour with Jordan, acquainting herself with everything that had happened during her absence.

  They had just concluded their discussion when she saw Peach motioning to her. She excused herself and went to stand beside him.

  “Is it the captain?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. He’s awake and he’s furious.”

  “What did he say to you?”

  “First he grumbled about his head hurting and then he realized where he was and told me to get you. Said if you weren’t all right I’d better never show my face around him again. Told me to tell Peters and Wilkes the same thing.”

  “Then I’d better see him,” she said. “So you don’t have to worry about being in his way.”

  “He doesn’t scare me!” Peach assured her loudly. More softly he added, “But do you think you should see him just yet? He’s really angry about what Peters and Wilkes did.”

  “Then I’ll have to inform him they were following my instructions.”

  “Do you think you should?” he asked warily.

  “You did a good job tonight, Peach. We could not have been successful without you. But as I recall you still cannot manage to give me a hot bath when I want one.”

  In a perfect imitation of Jordan when he was exasperated, Peach pulled his shoulders straight, folded his lanky arms across his chest, and shook his head slowly. “Why do I worry?” he asked as he rolled his eyes heavenward.

  Alexis threw her arms up in despair. “He’s corrupted you!”

  Peach laughed as his captain walked away.

  Chapter 15

  Alexis paused outside the door to her quarters, bracing herself for Cloud’s fury, certain she knew the form it would take.

  Her cabin was dark, throwing all her possessions into a shadowy netherworld. Only one thing seemed real—his presence and she could sense it as clearly as if she were seeing him in the full light of day. She shut the door quietly. Cloud would want the commander to pay.

  She tensed, listening to the sound of his even breathing only a few feet in front of her. She noticed her own breathing was ragged and she tried unsuccessfully to still it. She was aware he was coming closer but when his arm brushed her as he reached to lock the door, her gasp mingled with the sound of metal scraping against metal.