by Eva Andrews
The warehouse Jade had kept Genevieve and Michael prisoner in was located in close proximity of the Limehouse dock, she had chosen her location wisely, yet the downfall of being higher upstream would be her demise. Navigating the River Thames with a heavily loaded ship would be slow. They could make no quick escape, hence her reasoning for keeping Genevieve alive, she knew she’d need her to enter out into the open ocean and make a run for it. The Sea Witch was indeed fast, but the docking location was a severe disadvantage.
Luke’s personalized brigantine was long and sleek, armed with thirty cannons and rigged for top speeds, there were very few ships in the world as quick as his crown jewel of his shipping fleet, The Interceptor. It could handle over one hundred crewmen, but could be sailed with as few as twenty.
He had always kept a skeleton crew on his ship; twenty men were always in rotating shifts aboard his docked ship in the event they needed to disembark at any given time. The Interceptor had created a name for itself and Luke; the crew was renowned for their cunning ability and expert maneuvering capabilities.
During the war, Luke and his ship made many runs to deliver urgent correspondence between the War Office and the men on fighting on the fields. During the five years Gideon was at war, Luke had seen his brother a handful of times when he personally delivered him news from the Crown of England. His ship could outrun any warship it encountered; speed and stealth lead to the overall success of their missions.
Without a doubt, anyone who had heard of The Interceptor had heard of its dominance over the oceans, confident they could catch The Sea Witch easily. If they had to, they’d rig her up and pursue with intense discrimination.
Chapter 19
Flickering her eyes, Genevieve felt her body sway in a rumbling carriage, she could hear voices around her but was too lightheaded to focus on the conversation around her. So weak from refusing to eat, sleepless nights and the pain coursing through her body, she couldn’t even open her eyes. Her hands were bound in front of her, her wrists long raw from the constant bindings.
It felt like hours since Michael escaped their prison, worried he had been killed or lost. With her body wracked by such an assault, she was unable to control her attacks like she had been when she was first taken. They turned into being a blessing, she was able to feign passing out, which made Jade cease her torment for long periods of time.
Generally weak from lack of sleep and refusing to eat, she had faired well considering all things. The swelling in her eye receded allowing her to see clearly again, her wrists and ribs were the main cause of pain. She was certain she had at least a few broken or bruised ribs, the all consuming pain was apparent in her every move.
The constant jarring in the carriage made her cringe as they hit holes in the road at such a rapid speed. She had known they would be moving to the ship soon, the shipment had been fully loaded just this evening. She had overheard enough conversation these past few days to sort out the majority of Jade and Rossdale’s plans.
She knew in her heart that Luke was searching for her, and that he would never give up. She could feel a pull on her heart everyday; she could feel his presence searching relentlessly for her around the clock. She knew he would come; he would search to the ends of the earth for her. Jade and Rossdale would pay for what they had done, the horrible crimes they committed during the war, the kidnapping of an earl’s son and daughter, oh they would pay.
The thought of boarding a ship made her queasy, her stomach rolled with the very thought of being held captive in the brig for weeks on stormy seas in her condition. She wondered if she’d survive, she fully knew she was only needed for so long. After Jade and Rossdale arrived at their destination, they made it clear they’d have no use for her alive any longer.
Feeling the cold hands of a stranger shaking her, she strained to open her eyes.
Jade’s voice cut through the fog in Genevieve’s head, “Wake up woman! I have no time for your weaknesses now, wake up!”
Flickering her eyes, she saw Jade dressed in breeches with a crisp white shirt, she looked like a female pirate, complete with a large black leather brimmed hat upon her copper curls.
“Good to see you’re still alive, now get ready to walk you weakling, I will not have you carried aboard my ship.” Jade barked in an irritated voice as she sat across the dark bustling carriage.
Allowing her eyes to wander under lowered lids, she saw it was just she and Jade in this carriage. Rossdale wasn’t here, thankful that he wasn’t near her, she allowed herself to focus her fuzzy mind.
Hearing the telltale calls of seabirds, Genevieve knew they were approaching the docks. Soon she would vanish without a trace, and her chances of Luke finding her would drastically reduce. No amount of faith she had could stop her from imagining the possibility of a future without ever seeing Luke again. Trying to dash the thoughts from her mind, she concentrated on regaining control of her emotions.
Over the past days she had played the fainting victim perfectly, it was an excellent skill she soon adapted to get them to leave her alone. Thankful she hadn’t been raped or murdered, she knew that when they reached their destination, anything could happen. Rossdale teased relentlessly that he was going to sell her as a slave to a Sultan who had a taste for white women.
Feeling the carriage slow, Genevieve felt Jade wrap her vise like grip around her bound wrists, sucking in a deep breath she cringed at the stinging pain. As the carriage jerked to a stop, Jade kicked open the door and mercilessly pulled Genevieve out by her tied hands, pulling the jute rope deeper into her wounds.
Watching behind heavily guarded eyes, Genevieve followed Jade across the cobbled street and through the rusted Limehouse dock gates. Long known to be the least reputable dock of all among the River Thames, Genevieve had heard the whispers amongst the crowds of the murders and crime that lingered about this section of the Thames. Never in all her years had she ever seen this section of London. The stench was overwhelming, factories and slaughterhouses peppered this section of town. Burying her nose into her shoulder she tried to cover her nose so she wouldn’t vomit.
Passing into the dock, Genevieve saw many ships preparing for departure. Crews hustling above deck, rigging up sails and pulling in their ropes, the voices of hundreds of men aboard many ships overtook the howling wind. Tide was in, which meant that she didn’t have much time before she was on her way out of London.
Behind her she heard Rossdale’s voice, “Ship looks ready my queen, I can’t wait to put these wretched wet streets behind us!”
Looking over her shoulder, Jade smiled back at her accomplice, “Aye, we’ll never have to deal with this cold rain again my dear, nothing but sun and warmth in our future! Go check to make sure we are ready to leave, I want to leave as soon as possible.” Jade ordered, as Rossdale caught up with them on foot.
Nodding to Jade, completely ignoring Genevieve, Rossdale walked past the ladies and jogged up the gangplank onto the sleek ship, The Sea Witch.
The crew was bustling on the top deck, tossing ropes and prepping the large ship for departure. Genevieve watched as men scrambled on the decks of the ship, panic swept through her as she realized her future grew bleaker by the moment.
Using all her remaining strength Genevieve shouldered Jade with all her body weight, sending Jade screaming as she bounced on the wet dirt road. Running as quickly as she could, with her hands bound she raced away from the dock as quickly as possible. Hearing shouting behind her, Genevieve dodged men as she ran down the long dock towards the main street.
Her ribs screamed in pain as she ran as hard as she could, refusing to look behind her she bolted towards the still bustling street in search of anyone she could find to help her.
Hearing steps behind her, she felt someone slam into her with their full body weight. The shear impact sent her crumbling beneath the weight, screaming at the intense pain, her body tensing from the pain.
“Good try old gal, but we need you far too much to be letting you go just y
et,” picking her up like a rag doll, Rossdale threw her over his shoulders as he walked back to the ship. No one on the docks pretended to see what was happening, her screams went deaf upon their ears. Blind to anything they saw.
Digging his fingers into her sore ribs, Rossdale was less than gentle as he walked back onto the ship, dumping her on her ass in front of a fuming redheaded Irish woman.
Jade looked upon the crew standing on the deck, “We leave NOW!” the anger in her voice sent the men into action, within seconds, the ship began to float away from the London dock.
Setting her gaze back on Genevieve who silently cried at her feet, “It is about time you tried to escape, I was wondering if you had any courage at all.”
Spitting at Jade’s feet, “You know NOTHING of courage, you are a COWARD. You are a female, using another female to protect you! Some courageous villain you are! Hiding behind the skirts of another woman, you are nothing but a COWARD!”
Bending down beside her, Jade smiled as she pulled her hand back and slapped Genevieve full across her red cheeks, “Call me a coward again and I will kill you now.” Jade threatened with a sweet voice that sent chills down Genevieve’s back.
Rising, Jade watched as the ship sailed out of the dock and into the River Thames, the moon had finally broken free of the clouds, sitting high in the night sky, illuminating their path. Looking out across the vast river, many ships could be seen flowing out with the tide. “Tie her to the mast,” Jade ordered to a passing crewman.
The three of them arrived at the dock in a flurry of activity, the three men rushed onto the dock with guns drawn just to see the large ship entering the Thames.
“Fuck!” Luke shouted as he witnessed the ship slipping out of the channel and into the River Thames.
“To the Interceptor Luke, hurry!” Gideon ordered, sending all three men rushing back to the waiting carriage. Ordering the driver to the Royal Victoria Dock, the carriage whipped around and rushed off into the foggy London streets.
The Sea Witch would have to navigate miles of the River Thames before they reached the location where Luke’s ship was docked. In order to navigate to the English Canal and slip into the ocean, The Sea Witch would have to pass Luke’s dock.
Hoping to beat them, rig his ship, and slip into the River Thames to block The Sea Witch’s passage, the men prepared their plan of action as the carriage raced towards The Interceptor. Quickly arranging their battle plans, possible scenarios and talking through their plans, they stayed focused as the rumbling carriage sped through the dark streets of London.
Arriving at the Royal Victoria Dock, the men exited the carriage with all do haste, and darted towards Luke’s ship. Running towards his slip, Luke squinted as his ship came into view, fully rigged and prepped, his ship stood apart from the rest docked.
It was fully prepped for departure.
His entire crew stood waiting their captain, him.
On the deck, Luke made out a face that made him smile. Jasper, Helena’s older brother, the Earl of Dunmore stood at the helm of The Interceptor.
Jasper smiled after a brisk salute to his fast approaching friends.
Running up the plank, Luke was followed by Alastair and Gideon, pulling in the long wooden board, Luke shouted to his crew to depart immediately. Rushing up to the helm to greet his long time friend, “How the hell did you know Jasper?” He question, clearly shocked.
Shaking Luke’s hand and nodding to an equally surprised Alastair and Gideon, “Helena. I went to visit her tonight, the moment I arrived she was beside herself. She had one of her dreams again, ordered me to rouse your crew and prep your ship,” looking at Gideon, “I told your wife she was crazy, and she told me if I didn’t do exactly as she ordered I was disowned, so, I listened and did her bidding like a good brother,” shrugging his shoulders and smiling.
Shaking his head, Luke looked over his shoulder at his brother, “Your wife’s visions are becoming alarmingly accurate, that woman may have saved this entire mission, and Genevieve.”
“Apparently pregnancy makes her a clairvoyant, interesting indeed.” Gideon’s eyebrows shot up as he took his position on the deck.
Alastair joined the men at the helm, “that bloody Irish bitch doesn’t know whom she is messing with, there is no way she’ll slip past us.”
Nodding to his friend, Luke looked out along the passing buildings as they slipped quietly into the River Thames, “Clearly,” Luke agreed as he watched his expertly staffed crew man the sleek brigandine down the Thames.
Luke had counted on needing to prep and rig his ship with a skeleton crew, it could’ve taken a hefty chunk of time, with Jasper already having accomplished the task, and they’d be anchored in the Thames well before The Sea Witch came south down the river.
Jasper inquired, “What is the plan gentlemen?”
Gideon cleared his throat and filled Jasper in, “We are going to head towards the canal and set up just south of London, if we have to open fire upon The Sea Witch, we want to be away from the main population as much as possible.”
“We want to disable The Sea Witch to prevent her from leaving England at all costs, I foresee a battle indeed, Jade and Rossdale will not go down without a fight, they have far too much at stake.” Luke added.
Alastair reached into his pocket and pulled out his silver flask, taking a drink he passed it to Luke and said, “Luke, if we have to take aim upon the ship, how can we ensure Genevieve’s safety?” asking the difficult question he was sure all of them were thinking. They had to stop The Sea Witch from entering the English Channel; the only way was disabling the ship from sailing, which meant firing upon it.
Taking the flask from Alastair, he tipped it back; Luke took a bracing drink and shut his eyes. Opening them and passing the flask onto Gideon, he answered, “My men are expert shots with the mounted cannons, do not think I haven’t thought about the risk. It is all I can think of, but what choice do we have?” He asked, “They will fire upon us, there is no doubt, we can attempt a type of desperation unparalleled to anything we’ve seen. We are literally the only obstacle standing in the way of their freedom.”
The four men looked out on the open waters as they glided swiftly down the Thames, all of them wracking their brains for a solution to keep Genevieve safe as they opened fire upon The Sea Witch. They all knew without a doubt that they were well ahead of the oncoming ship; they had time to devise a plan. With the four military minds aboard the ship, thousands of strategies flew through their minds. If there were a way, the four men standing shoulder to shoulder on The Interceptor’s deck would make it happen.
Rubbing his face with both hands, Luke offered, “We bring the ship around and face all starboard guns her way, we aim low for the front hull. Since we do not know where they are keeping Genevieve we’ll have to adapt to the situation as we see it. We punch a hole in the hull, enough to stop them. We’ll have to board, with the entire crew present it shouldn’t be an issue.”
The other men nodded, they were comfortable with rolling with any situation, and making split decisions during missions were their specialty. The four men had known each other for years, if not their entire lives. They were used to each other’s fighting styles, their strengths and weaknesses. Over the years they had survived many battles on their keen intellect and lighting fast decisions.
“We’d like to keep the ship limping, we want to be able to transport the cargo back to the dock if possible, if the stories are true, there is a fortune aboard that ship.” Alastair stated, he knew the Crown’s coffers were low after the long war, they’d all love to see the treasure back in the hands of the English if possible, versus on the bottom of the River Thames.
“I’ll order the starboard weapons prepared, we’ll be in position soon, the spyglasses are over there,” tipping his head by the grappling hooks attached to the side of the ship, “with the full moon, we should be able to count the men on deck as the ship approaches, we’ll douse all of our lights, I doubt they have their
guns prepped while on the Thames.” Luke explained quickly before he walked off in search of his first hand man.
Forty minutes later The Interceptor was positioned so her entire starboard side was facing up the river, eight of her lower cannon doors were pulled wide open. The entire crew was battle ready, with their guns loaded, the men waited in the moonlight for The Sea Witch to appear.
Just south of main London, they put themselves in between the main entrance into the English Channel. In the distance they could see the glow of London in the night sky, the bright moon illuminated the river. With their lights doused, The Interceptor was anchored in the shadows of a thick forest; they were completely invisible to oncoming ships.
The men continued to look up river with the spyglasses, all waiting for the ship to appear. Out of the mists the men spotted her at the same time. Luke began counting men as soon as he could make out the figures on the deck when he heard Gideon’s deep voice; “My God, they’ve got her tide to the main mast.”
Swinging his glass around to verify Gideon’s statement, Luke saw her himself for the first time in days. The moonlight gave him enough radiance to see her shape and make out her identity. He saw the wind whip through her dark hair; she stood regally straight against the wooden mast of the ship. Her hands tied behind her back, circling the mast, facing him. She was alive, and within the hour she would be in his arms yet again.
They had chosen their defense well, but they weren’t counting on Luke’s skilled cannons.
