To Save a Fallen Angel (The Fallen Angels series Book 2)

by Julianna Hughes

  “Do you think this is the first time we have faced such odds? No! It. Is. Not. We have faced much worse than two lumbering barges. We are faster and more maneuverable than either of those frigates. They might outgun us. But they can’t match our speed or maneuverability. And under full sail, the Coral Sea can outrun most ships.”

  He hesitated, then muttered, “I didn’t know.”

  “No!” She yelled. “You didn’t know. You know nothing about sailing. Or about this ship. Or how a ship like this is run. It is why I told you to take me along. I could have prevented this disaster.”

  His eyebrows snapped together. “What disaster?”

  She took a step and stopped. It wasn’t a good idea to get too close to him right now. “How many times do I have to tell you this? This. Is. Not. And I repeat, this is not a merchant ship or a naval ship. The fifteen men on board this vessel are pirates. Seasoned and well-trained pirates. And pirates do not follow a captain that endangers their lives. And you have just brought the hangman into the midst of them. And have no doubt about it Lord Stoughton, on a pirate ship it is the men, the crew, who have the final say on who the captain is. If those men,” she waved her hand about, “lose confidence in the captain and officers of the ship, they WILL replace them. By mutiny if they must.”

  “Bloody ‘ell,” he said, his eyes wide open.

  “Yes. Bloody fuckin’ hell, Lord Stoughton. Joc is out there right now, tryin’ to convince the crew to not mutiny. To not kill every one of those men you brought on board my ship. Their ship. But if he can’t, they will take a vote of no-confidence, and there is nothing you, your bloody friend, those ten Royal Marines you allowed on board, or Joc or me can do to stop it. Nor would Joc or I try.”

  His brows drew together.

  “For the love of God, Lucien. What do you think would happen to us if we tried to stop them?” He looked contemplative, but did not reply.

  “Even if you and your Lieutenant Longfort managed to stop a mutiny, who do you think is goin’ to sail this ship with the entire crew in the hold? You? Your friend? Those flatfooted soldiers? No! My. . .” She eyed him and changed her comment. “Our mission would fail. Because there is no way in hell Chevalier is going to deal with a British officer and a crew of Royal Marines. You won’t get within a hundred miles of Chevalier or my father. No matter how much gold you offer him.”

  He hesitated then exhaled heavily. “What was I supposed to do?” he asked, frustrated.

  “You were supposed to trust me,” she snapped. “And find a way to make sure I was with you when you went to the Garland.”

  Chapter 30

  For three years Luc had infiltrated the French lines, living, working, and making love surrounded by the enemy. He had once compared it to being a fox hiding in the midst of a pack of hungry hounds, waiting for them to catch his scent and then pounce on him to tear him to shreds. After his last mission, Luc had sworn he would never do something like that again.

  But walking back to the quarterdeck after talking to Peggy had left him feeling just as he had the last time he had been in Paris. The fugitive glances from the crew had taken on a different meaning. Since he boarded the ship, most of the crew had treated him with contempt. But now he saw something more. Something more sinister. He could feel it in the air.

  He stopped and surreptitiously looked around the ship. Heads turned away one after another. But not before he saw burning hate in many of the men’s eyes. Even Edgar was giving him a wary look now, as if he had been betrayed.

  And then Luc spotted Rodney standing at the prow. He turned and headed toward the fo’c’sle. But he made it no farther than the main mast when he was intercepted by Joc.

  “Bo’ee, I wouldn’t be doin’ that if I was ye,” the first mate hissed under his breath.

  Luc stopped and glared up at the first mate. “Do what, Mr. Malveaux?”

  “The girl had her talk with ye, didn’t she?” Joc asked.

  Luc narrowed his eyes but refused to answer.

  Joc relaxed his stance, but not his vigilance. His eyes swept the decks forward and aft. “I’ve got most of zee crew convinced ye didn’t willingly bring those soldiers down on them. But if they see ye bein’ friendly with that mon,” he glanced toward the fo’c’sle, “then everything I’ve done will be for naught.”

  Luc snorted. “Are you telling me you don’t want to slit my throat? And the throat of every one of those men I brought on board yer ship?”

  The first mate turned to square off with Luc. His brown eyes looked black, and a muscle on the side of his face was pulsating. A large wave crashed over the bow and salty spray misted down on Luc.

  “I don’t like ye, English. But my girl has chosen ye. And as long as ye don’t hurt her, I’ll let ye live.” He looked away and seemed to be searching for something. “I’ve spent more than ten years of me life on this ship.”

  He looked back at Luc and something chilled his heart. “And in all that time, I’ve never killed someone who didn’t deserve it. But if this crew goes after those English dogs ye brought on board my ship, it’s goin’ to be a blood bath. And I lived through one of those in Paris, back in ’92, and I’ve got no stomach to live through another one. So ye keep clear of that Englishmon, Lord Stoughton. And ye just might live a little longer. So might he and his men.”

  It was the most the man had said to Luc since he came on board. And the most civil he had been toward Luc, and that scared him worse than what Peggy had said to him.

  Luc nodded and then headed back to the quarterdeck. He would have to find another time to warn Rodney. One that was away from the prying ears of the crew.

  The first signs of the rebellion Peggy and Joc had forewarned about began at the start of the dog watch, as men came down to eat. Four crewmen and five of the marines were withering in pain from tainted food by half past five. Resulting in more than half their food supplies being tossed overboard.

  By the start of the second dog watch, three of the sheets developed tears and had to be furled for repair, cutting the speed of the Coral Sea. And by dawn four more of the crew had come down with mysterious illnesses that kept them in hammocks and unable to report for duty.

  The Coral Sea could be manned with as few as seven men if necessary. But if they ran into trouble, there was no way to defend the ship with a skeleton crew. So by noon of their second day out of Portugal, they were reduced to a crew of eight men, forcing all of them into working long hours without rest, including Luc and Joc. It was a recipe for disaster. Or ripe for a full-blown mutiny.

  Luc never got the chance to talk to Lieutenant Longfort. The mutiny started as the ship’s bells began their ominous tolling at the stroke of midnight. And by the time all eight bells had tolled, the mutiny was all but over.

  Not that it had taken a great deal to do so. Of the eight crew men that had been too sick to attend to their duties during the day, four of them had had miraculous recoveries at the start of the First Watch. And the only ones still on duty at the time were Luc, Joc, the helmsman, and three seamen.

  The takeover began in the fo’c’sle with the crew that were actually ill from the tainted food. Three of the marines died in their sleep, another one during the initial fighting, and a fifth died later while being questioned. The rest were captured and subdued quickly. Including Lieutenant Longfort.

  So by the time Luc and Joc became aware of the mutiny, it was over, and Luc and Joc were looking down the barrel of a number of pistols. Three of the crew had taken hold of Joc and two more held Luc. Each had a cutlass or pistol pressed against them.

  Just then a man emerged from the hold, and Joc growled and began to charge toward the bosun. “Oh, please, Malveaux,” Thibeau sneered from the main deck. “I would love to finish what I started six months ago.”

  Joc stopped at the railing and glared down at the man. Luc could see his hands turning white from gripping the railing so tightly. “Ye killed Eddie?” Joc asked in a deadly soft voice.

  Thibeau laughed
and Joc started to leap over the railing, but was pulled back by his guards.

  “I wish,” Thibeau said, unaware how close to death he was. He flicked his hand. “I only took advantage of zee situation.”

  Luc stepped up and pulled Joc back an inch. “Not yet,” he whispered, then turned toward the bosun. “What do you mean, you took advantage of the situation?”

  Thibeau only glanced at Luc before returning his attention to the much larger Frenchman. Smart of him, Luc thought. “I was on zee dock when I see a man with a rifle. He was pointing it at zee ship, so I waited to see who he was aiming at. Then he shot le capitaine, then run off.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So I decided to get rid of the other two men who stood between me and bein’ the next capitaine, by killin’ Monsieur Malveaux and Monsieur Demont.” He grinned sardonically at Joc. “Unfortunately, Monsieur Malveaux, you were too far, and I missed yer heart.”

  He took a step closer and aimed his pistol right at Joc’s heart. “But no matter. I kill you now, no?”

  Luc and everyone else waited for the explosion. But it never came. Instead Thibeau began laughing, then took a step back.

  “I think no. You are worth more alive than dead. Yes? Monsieur Guerrant offer Capitaine Chevalier one hundred pieces of gold for you, my friend. I think I wait and sell you to ‘em. Yes?”

  A loud noise from the companionway drew all of their attention. Suddenly Peggy was shoved through the hatch with her hands bound in front of her and a gag in her mouth. This time there was no stopping Joc. He ripped free of the men holding him and vaulted over the railing. But before he could get to Thibeau or Peggy, the bosun had pressed his pistol against her forehead.

  “Ah, ah, no, Monsieur. I cannot miss ‘er this close, I think.”

  Joc stopped short and Luc could see his fist trembling from the temptation to rip the shorter man to pieces. Luc shrugged off the two men holding him and walked over to the stairs. “What do you want?” he asked to distract the bosun. He quickly slid down the stairs and joined Joc on the main deck. He wanted to go to Peggy, but knew Thibeau wouldn’t allow it.

  “Eez that not obvious, Monsieur Stoughton. I want zee ship. I am a pirate, yes? And when I sign on, I do so for the riches we will make.” He turned to glare at Joc. “But the Coral Sea, she is no ordinary pirate ship, eez it Monsieur Malveaux? We do not take prizez on the high sea, like most pirates. We sneak into port and steal it like common thieves. But no more, I think. From now on, we take fat prizez, like other pirates. And we become very rich men. Yes. And we start with the gold you have in the hold.”

  About half the crew grunted their approval or out and out cheered. The other half remained quiet, making Luc think not everyone on board wanted Thibeau to be the next captain.

  “Ye think Guerrant or Chevalier eez goin’ to let ye keep that gold?” Joc asked. “No. they will not.”

  Luc could see Thibeau thinking it over. Then he smiled and shrugged. “It matters not, my friend. I sell you. Then I sell your bitch of a daughter for another thousand pounds of gold to Monsieur Guerrant.” He looked at Luc and smirked, “And I think he might give me more money for this one, no? If not,” he grinned, “then I kill you, English.”

  He and several others laughed at his joke. Then Luc, Peggy, Joc, Jenkins, and Edgar, along with the four crewmen that had refused to join the mutiny were taken to the hold. The same four men that had been sickened by the tainted food. Luc, Joc, and Peggy were locked in the four-foot by six-foot iron cage that served as the brig while the others were chained to the port bulkhead. An hour later Lieutenant Longfort and the five remaining marines were tossed into the hold and then chained to the starboard bulkhead.

  Once the crewmen had left, Luc moved over to the bars. “I’m surprised you’re still alive,” he called out to Rodney.

  The lieutenant looked up and Luc winced, the man’s face was a bloody mess. “So am I,” Rodney said. “The new captain told me I can stay alive until we reach Tripoli. Then he intends to sell us to the highest bidder. And if he doesn’t like the price he is offered, then he will kill us.”

  “Nice bosun you have there,” Luc said to Joc.

  Joc snorted. “I hired him when our last one suddenly quit seven months ago.”

  Luc turned toward Joc. “The same time—“he glanced at Peggy then back, “-that Eddie was killed.”

  Joc eyed him, then nodded. “The month before.”

  During the war Luc had learned to be suspicious of coincidences. He could see from the look on Peggy’s and Joc’s faces that they were having similar thoughts. But that was for later.

  “For now, what we need to be doing is figuring a way out of here,” Luc said.

  Joc gave him a withering look, then turned away. “Oui, Lord Stoughton.”

  Chapter 31

  As the long days passed, the anger and resentment she had felt when Thibeau’s men broke into her cabin had cooled from a boiling rage to a seething simmer. As much as she wanted to tell Luc that she had told him so, she didn’t. And not for his sake, but for all of theirs.

  Four crewmen and Ensign Jenkins had refused to go along with the plan to take the ship away from her and Joc. And they didn’t need her anger or hysterics, they needed her calm, calculating mind at work on how to get them out of the mess her husband had caused.

  Aside from the eight members of the Coral Sea being held in the hold, there was also Luc’s friend, Lieutenant Longfort, and five Royal Marines. So if she could figure a way out of the brig, then they could take back the ship. If she could get out of the brig. And if they could get their hands on some weapons.

  Peggy hadn’t spent all her time just pondering the way to get out of the cage. She had also spent a great deal of time thinking about her feelings for her husband and the life they could have. And she was sure she was in love with the man. Despite his being a landlubber and a moron for bringing the British soldiers on board a pirate ship. No, not a moron or an idiot, as Eddie like to say, he was just ignorant, uneducated about the realities of the world.

  And despite that glaring fact about the man, she had gone and fallen in love with him anyway. Peggy just wished she knew how he felt about her now. She was terrified that he had changed his mind about loving her. But she was too afraid to ask him. Not in front of Joc and the others.

  Unfortunately, it left her adrift and not anchored as she had always assumed falling in love would feel. The real problem was what did she do about her father now? She still wanted – needed – to kill him for murdering Eddie. But Luc was sworn to save her father’s life. How did she explain to her husband that in order for her to live with herself, he had to fail in his mission to keep her father alive?

  By counting the bells, she knew they were only a day or less away from Tripoli. Providing Thibeau had set a true course and not altered their destination.

  “You need to distract the guards long enough for me to get the lock open,” she hissed to both Joc and Luc.

  “We’ve tried,” Luc hissed back. “But they won’t come close to the bars.” He threw Joc a withering look. “Not since Papa here tried to strangle one of them.”

  Thibeau wasn’t stupid. He had posted two guards in the hold and rotated them every two hours to keep them from going to sleep. And after Joc had nearly strangled one, they had been ordered to stay as far away from the prisoners as possible. So each time someone came down to feed them (which was only once a day), the guards would aim their rifles at Luc and Joc while the unfortunate seaman slid the plates under the bars.

  Just then she heard footsteps on the stairs and moved to the cell door. It was the usual time they were fed and the distraction she would need to pick the lock. Peggy hoped that the footsteps did not belonged to one of Thibeau’s new officers. Because if it was, then the guards would not relax their vigil, and she would lose the opportunity once again. And she knew there wouldn’t be too many more before they reached Tripoli.

  She turned around and leaned back against the bars. “Just keep their attention
on you for three seconds, and I’ll have the door unlocked.” She pulled out the short piece of metal Joc had ripped off one of the plates yesterday. She palmed it in her hand along with another piece Luc had managed to pilfer two days ago.

  They weren’t the best lock picks she had ever made, but they would do. All she needed was a few seconds and they would be free.

  A second set of footsteps joined the first one on the stairs and her hope fell. It probably wasn’t their dinner as it had always been just one man with a slop bucket and tin plates for their food. Then a third man joined the first two, and Peggy turned to see who was coming. It was probably Thibeau and his officers, Luther Shann, the new bosun, and Dixon Pegg, the new first mate. They were just as hateful and vindictive as Thibeau.

  But it wasn’t any of them. The cook, Grimes, was the first man down the ladder. He was carrying a large tray with covered plates on it.

  He chortled when he reached the deck. “The captain done sent ye yer last supper since we’s jist a few hours out of Tripoli.”

  The man behind him was Paul Milfort, a man who had sailed with them for the last five years. He was carrying what looked like a cask of rum. The last man to descend was Cole Yielding, another man who had sailed under Eddie for a number of years. Evidently he was there to relieve one of the guards early so he could have a tankard of rum while Cole took his place.

  “They don’t get no rum,” one of the guards snapped.

  “Captain’s orders,” Cole replied and handed one of the tankards to the man. “But not afore we get ours.”

  All of them began laughing as Cole filled both guards’ tankards. They then saluted one another and the guards took deep draughts.

  Even from across the dimly lit hold, Peggy could tell that Cole only pretended to take a drink. Intuitively, she knew what he had just done, he had drugged the grog with a powerful sleeping potion that she had used in the past.

  Cole took a step back and began talking to the two men, and Peggy began counting. When she reached thirty the man on the left stumbled and his head slumped.