Exile for Dreamers

by Kathleen Baldwin

  “Our places.” She held my shoulders firmly. “And if he isn’t in there, you will waste a lifetime trying to prowl all those passages alone. No, we must approach this sensibly. Methodically. Rationally.”

  She gripped my shoulders tighter and leaned close, bearing down on me with her fierce hawk face. “Mark me, Tess. I’ll not have you dead. Do you hear me? I will not.”

  I yielded with a nod and she let go.

  “Have it your way.” I whistled for the wolf-dogs. “They’ll run him down.” When they didn’t come, I whistled again. “Where are those two beggars?”

  Normally Phobos would have galloped to me in less than a heartbeat. But that morning he came around the corner at a weak trot, much slower than usual. He stepped sideways and lurched slightly, almost stumbling. Tromos followed behind him at a dragging pace, head down, and her tail drooping at half-mast.

  My heart slowed almost to a stop. “No,” I whispered and knelt to greet them. Their glassy eyes confirmed my suspicions. “The bastard drugged them.”

  “Good heavens.” Miss Stranje stooped beside me, stroking Tromos’s neck. “It’s a mercy he didn’t give them enough poison to kill them.”

  “He may have thought he did.”

  “Poor Tromos.” She felt Tromos’s nose for moisture and heat. “I hope her pups weren’t harmed. Poor girl. She’s lost so many litters. I’d hoped this time her pups would make it.”

  “Sera, hand me that meat cloth. Let’s see if they can find him.” I held the soiled wrapping up to Phobos’s nose. He jerked away, recognizing the scent of the meat that had made him sick. “Find him,” I commanded. But Phobos sat down. I raised the bloody cloth to Tromos’s nose, hoping she would understand. “Hunt?” I asked.

  Tromos tilted her head and sniffed the cloth again.

  “That’s right. Good girl. Helfeydd. Hunt.” I used the old language. Her ears perked. “Find him. Darganfydd.” I pointed toward the secret panel.

  She put her nose to the ground, scanning from right to left, and followed the trail back to Daneska’s cell window. She yipped and pawed the glass. Phobos joined her then, and the two of them went to work sniffing Ghost’s path through our grounds.

  They increased speed and followed the scent away from the house and into the park. My heart clenched when both dogs seemed particularly interested in the tall brush next to where the trees gapped between Stranje House and Ravencross Manor.

  “There are more boot prints here.” Sera pointed to the soil next to the tall underbrush. “These impressions are fairly deep. He must’ve stood here for a long while.”

  I crossed my arms and pressed them tight against my middle, knowing exactly what Lucien had done. “He hid from this vantage point and yet he had a clear view of the guards making their rounds at Ravencross Manor.” I pictured him standing here, calculating when he might best sneak in and murder his brother. “I should go and see if Gabriel is all right.”

  “There’s no need.” Miss Stranje laid her hand on my forearm. “We’d have heard if he wasn’t. He’ll be arriving here in an hour or so. You must learn to trust him.”

  “It’s not him I don’t trust. It’s his brother.”

  “I understand. But do remember, Gabriel defeated Lucien once. He can do it again if the need arises.”

  Maybe.

  “Defeated him? They nearly killed each other. If he sees Ghost, the shock of seeing his brother alive might very well unnerve him. Lucien would not hesitate to use that advantage.”

  “Don’t underestimate Gabriel. Besides, you cannot worry every time he is out of your sight. Life is fraught with peril. The mind can conjecture any number of deadly scenarios. What if he should fall down the stairs, or his horse throws him, or his ship sinks? Such speculations do you no good. We must deal with trouble when it comes. Not before.”

  I turned away, realizing that every time Captain Grey left her, Miss Stranje didn’t know if he would return or not. She tugged me away from the spot where Lucien had skulked. “Come, the dogs are heading toward the road. It looks as though Ghost left and returned to whatever hole he is hiding in.”

  Phobos and Tromos stood at the gate, barking, wanting to get out and finish running him down. I patted them and assured them they’d done an excellent job. “You shall have extra bones today. And plenty of water to wash the poison away. I will see to it.” I scratched Tromos’s favorite spot behind her ears. “The bad man is gone.”

  But he’ll be back.

  Twenty-five

  TRAPS

  Miss Stranje spoke as if she read my mind. “We must carry on with our plan as if everything is normal. This may be our chance to trap him.” She hurried off to tell Captain Grey what had transpired.

  The rest of the day we worked on preparations for that evening’s celebration. Some of us labored on the warship, while others helped Cook prepare for the birthday feast. Jane insisted the cake be done to Mr. Sinclair’s specifications, and she made the frosting herself.

  That afternoon, after I’d taken my turn at guarding the corridors outside Daneska’s cell, Miss Stranje sent me to cut some roses for the table. Lord Ravencross insisted it was his duty to assist me in this onerous task.

  We strolled out to the roses and he watched the militia running through their drills. He chuckled at one point and shook his head. “They’re a motley bunch. Mac is on the verge of pulling his hair out trying to get them into shape. He’s determined to run them through twice as many practice formations as they did yesterday.”

  I studied him as he spoke and wondered if it wouldn’t be better for him to know the truth about his brother. Perhaps he could be persuaded to keep it a secret and go on as if he didn’t know. Except that would be dishonest. Gabriel would never keep the title knowing it still belonged to his brother. If he told the House of Lords the truth, he would be forced to surrender his lands and home, his tenants would be in peril of a new overseer, and Gabriel’s own loyalties might come into question. There could be a trial … and then his life would unravel.

  I sighed. Trapped by the truth on both sides.

  He carried the basket while I cut blooms from Miss Stranje’s towering rosebushes.

  “Smell.” He lifted a perfect white blossom to my nose.

  “Lovely,” I said, trying to look pleased.

  “You’re being awfully quiet. Are you well?” He stroked the soft petals against my cheek.

  I turned away to clip another rose. I’d asked Daneska that same question this morning. As it turned out, the same shadow hung over both of us. “Quite well, my lord. Worried, that’s all. So much lives or dies on today’s venture being a success.”

  “You worry too much,” he said flippantly.

  “Perhaps in this instance you are worrying too little.”

  He laid the rose in the basket. “How can I worry when I’m happier than I’ve ever been?”

  I caught my lip, unwilling to snatch that happiness away from him even though his brother could appear at any moment and shatter his joy to pieces.

  Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we …

  I hated the end of that blasted expression. So I refused to be merry, as if that might stave off death.

  A little too viciously, I cut another stem, ending another rose’s life. I consoled myself that even if I hadn’t cut it, the blossom would’ve died soon.

  “Tess.” He stilled my hand. “We’re alone. They’ve all gone inside.”

  I glanced around. The garden was empty. The militia had marched across to the far side of the field. “And what does that signify?”

  He set down the basket of roses. “I’ve had this idea that I can’t seem to escape. It’s the darnedest thing. I keep imagining you kissing me.”

  “I? Kiss you? Shouldn’t it be the other way round?”

  “Last time that’s how it was. I kissed you.” He came closer, trapping me between him and the rosebush.

  I jutted my chin. “Yes, and rather roughly as I recall.”

  “Exac
tly. I made a mess of it.”

  I wouldn’t say that. I was quite fond of that kiss.

  Heat flooded my cheeks. Unable to meet his gaze, I studied the weave of his linen shirt.

  “Now it’s your turn.”

  “Oh, but I already kissed you, a few days ago. Don’t tell me you have forgotten?”

  “I remember, on the cheek, after that stunning declaration. But I’ve been thinking about lips.”

  “You may think about them all you want, my lord,” I said, shaking my head and looking down. Afraid to meet his gaze. “I don’t think it would be wise.”

  “Wisdom is for old men.” I felt his breath on my forehead, warm and inviting.

  “But this isn’t the time. Nor the place. I’m quite certain Miss Stranje is up there with her telescope at this very minute, and she’ll have it trained directly…”

  He tilted my chin up, and when I met his gaze, my excuses faded. Gabriel’s eyes are soul-soothing brown, and his lips make me long for him in ways I should not. The sweet smell of summer roses wrapped us in a honeyed cloak of euphoria.

  “It will be all right,” he said, his voice husky with the promise of bliss.

  If only that were true.

  “But tomorrow, or the next day, or maybe the next, it won’t be all right,” I argued, trying to break free of his spell. “Any day Napoleon may…”

  He brushed his palm across my cheek, melting the last of my defenses. “I don’t know what the next day will bring, but so long as I have breath, I’ll not waste another minute without you. Tess, I—”

  I didn’t need to hear his professions of love. What good were words? I read the language of his soul and knew what he was about to say better than he did. I leaned up and pressed my lips against his.

  Gabriel pulled me to his chest and covered my mouth with his. He kissed me back, gently at first, but then his kiss deepened, filled with the hunger of a lifetime without affection. And that same devastating force that bends mighty trees in a hurricane and sparks lightning in the storm surged through us.

  I have never felt so weak as I did in that moment he held my mouth captive.

  Nor as powerful.

  When he let go, my legs wobbled and I clung to his arm.

  “Good Lord,” he said.

  At least he could speak. I could only smile.

  And I never smile.

  * * *

  Very late in the afternoon we all gathered down on the shore and prepared to launch the Mary Isabella. It turned out that Jane was needed to navigate after all, because it was decided that Captain Grey should row out ahead of them to place the targets for the bombs that Mr. Sinclair, Maya, and Georgie had designed.

  We stood onshore rehearsing who was to go aboard the Mary Isabella and who was to stay ashore. Lord Ravencross stood beside me, drumming with excitement. “This has the air of a momentous occasion. I believe I would like to sail out with them.”

  The dream I’d had of him drowning in dark gray water flashed before my eyes. “No!” I gulped down some of my fear and in a calmer voice advised him against it. “My lord, you must believe me, there are very good reasons why you must not go out on the water. Not tonight. In fact, we should both stay ashore. Both of us.”

  It must’ve been the desperation behind my plea because he looked askance at me and then relented. “Ah.” He pursed his lips and nodded gravely. “I wondered why you didn’t insist on going with them.” Then he had a sudden thought. “But the others, will they be all right?”

  I sighed and shifted uncomfortably, digging the toe of my shoe into the sand. “I don’t know. I told you these dreams are next to useless. I only know for certain that you and I did not fare well in the water at night.”

  There was no more time to discuss it. Mr. Sinclair gave the order, and we helped shove the Mary Isabella into the sea. The tide carried her out a short way from shore, and Lord Wyatt lit the furnace. At the first puff of smoke, we all cheered. A few moments later and the piston rod lurched into action, and the paddle wheel began to turn.

  “Huzzah!” The shout went up, both aboard ship and onshore.

  The wheel turned as if by magic, slapping the water with a soothing rhythm as it carried them farther from the beach. Georgie jumped up and down, clapping. Lord Wyatt tried to nudge her a little farther from the edge of the flat deck while she jumped. Maya waved merrily at us.

  Even Miss Stranje looked quite pleased. I couldn’t help but dance a little myself. Gabriel was right: if it weren’t for the terror of that dream, I would’ve very much liked to have been on that ship.

  Sera and I hugged each other with delight and waved back to the sailors aboard our very own little warship.

  “Come.” Sera tugged my arm. “From up on the cliffs we’ll be able to see when they fire the bombs at the targets.”

  The three of us dashed up the trail to the top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I pulled our telescope out of my pocket and trained it on the Mary Isabella, watching her chug out to sea.

  The evening was fine and fair as the sun lowered to the horizon, kissing a few scattered clouds with brilliant halos. Before the launch, Miss Stranje had instructed the servants to carry a table to the bluffs. Maya had spread a cloth over it, and the rest of us laid out plates of cheese and bread, bowls of early strawberries, and glasses for the wine Lord Ravencross contributed. Everything was perfectly assembled, so that we looked very much like a group of friends gathered for a perfectly innocent seaside picnic.

  One of Gabriel’s soldiers helped Captain Grey row out several furlongs, where they placed two buoyant slabs of wood. Then they lit two large Chinese lanterns, which lifted like glowing kites, and tethered them to the floating wood. Lanterns had been Madame Cho’s idea. She helped us construct them and told us how, when she was a child, she and her brothers used to make them out of papers dyed bright colors. Our white silken globes looked beautiful floating just above the waves. They glowed like giant fireflies in the early evening sky and created a perfect target for Miss Stranje to aim Sinclair’s bomb harpoon, as I’d taken to calling the ballista they built to fire their spears with explosive tips.

  Through the glass I watched Mr. Sinclair carefully lift from the munitions rack a spear rigged with the bomb he and Georgiana had constructed. They hadn’t been certain how volatile the bombs might be and had thought that for this test voyage, it would be prudent to bring aboard only two of the four bombs they’d constructed. I could tell from here Jane was nervous as she watched him carry it.

  He motioned with his head for her to move back. “Farther.” I saw him gesture. He steadied himself on the rocking ship and made each step with all the caution of a father holding a sleeping infant he was terrified of awakening. Not until he cradled the spears in the groove running down the center of the ballista did he step back and take a deep breath.

  “He’s loaded the arrow,” I told the Sera and Gabriel.

  “Let me see.” Gabriel wanted a turn with the spyglass, and I could tell by the way Sera strained up on her toes to see, so did she. He took a look and then handed the glass to her. “That ship is a marvel.”

  Lord Ravencross had dressed with care for the occasion, in a proper coat and everything. The effect on me was rather embarrassing. I could not keep from looking at him. He turned and caught me staring at him. I blushed and looked away, unable push from my thoughts the way he had kissed me. So I busied myself slicing cheddar, and if the ruddy knife would’ve stopped shaking I might’ve done a half-decent job of it.

  He strolled over and placed his hand atop mine. “I fear for the cheese.”

  I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Something I’m not accustomed to doing. Fortunately, just then a flock of curlews flew overhead. Their odd rippling song always sounded as if they were injured. Lucky for me, it covered the even more awkward bark of my laughter.

  “They’re getting ready to shoot the first one,” Sera shouted.

  Maya stood on the starboard deck holding aloft a large red swallowtail
signal flag, waving it back and forth to let Captain Grey know they were ready. Captain Grey replied by waving a white striped flag, giving them the go-ahead to discharge the explosives.

  “Miss Stranje is sighting the ballista.” Sera gave me a turn with the spyglass, and I focused it on our headmistress lining up the giant bow.

  Miss Stranje had insisted that she be the one to handle the weapon. “If Captain Grey is anywhere in the vicinity of your targets, I simply will not allow anyone but me to aim that thing. It’s too dangerous.” She’d taken several practice shots from shore using unarmed spears but ruminated on the fact that the weight of the bomb would have considerable effect on the trajectory.

  Captain Grey and the soldier were rowing mightily to get as far away from the target as possible. I swung the glass back to the Mary Isabella. Georgie was bouncing up and down on her toes. Lord Wyatt appeared to be leaning over Miss Stranje, giving her additional instructions. She shooed him away. Mr. Sinclair seemed to be concentrating on steering the rudder. And I knew from experience that in the middle of all that chaos, Maya would be humming softly to herself.

  With a snap and jolt, the arrow whizzed across the horizon. It raced across the sky faster than any gull, and when it dipped to go underwater, the sound of the explosion made me jump. We didn’t need the telescope to see the burst of flames as the bomb exploded and sent a fountain splashing up in the ocean.

  Gabriel whistled and took the telescope dangling from my fingertips. He adjusted it. “She missed the target. It won’t run through the water like we thought it might. That compression switch is too sensitive.”

  Gabriel put down the telescope. “Sinclair is reloading,” he apprised us. “I expect now they won’t try for a shot through the water.”

  Maya waved the red flag and Captain Grey responded with the all-clear signal. We were so preoccupied with the first explosion and anxious about the next test arrow that we failed to notice the gentleman walking out to join us on the cliffs until he hailed us.

  “Good evening!” Mr. Chadwick called.

  We all turned. All except Lord Ravencross, who was busy staring through the telescope.