they entered the parlor.
"Forgive me, sir, I don't believe we have been introduced," Jack said politely, but he took Sophia's arm to maneuver her away.
Bristling mustaches aquiver, the man took a belligerent stance in front of the couple.
"Do not pretend you do not know me! Did we not face each other across swords only days past when you and your gang of pirates robbed my ship?"
Before Jack could respond, another voice cut in.
"Captain Burrell, Captain Suarez, is there a problem?"
The alcalde spoke accented English, and his smile was warm as he greeted Sophia, but less so as he confronted the two men.
"You gentlemen know how much I hate to have my evenings disturbed and the peace of my town disrupted."
"You must have this man arrested," Captain Suarez fumed, pointing at Jack. "He is the notorious pirate Lucky Jack! He robbed the Santa Inez and even now my men are taking it to Havana for repairs."
Sophia wondered if the slaver captain had avoided accompanying his crew so he wouldn't have to explain in person what happened to the gold from Amelia Island.
The alcalde took a puff on his cigar as he mulled this over.
"Captain John Burrell a notorious pirate? No, it is not possible," he said. "First of all, this gentleman's name is John, not Jack. Second, the pirate, Lucky Jack has only one eye. It is well known he wears an eyepatch. Captain Burrell has two good eyes.
"In addition, this Lucky Jack you speak of is a rake and a rogue, a scoundrel of the first order, a miscreant who will come to a bad end, a libertine and seducer with whom no respectable lady's virtue is safe..."
"Please, your honor, my wife..."
"A thousand apologies, Sefiora Burrell," the alcalde continued, "and that is another thing, Captain Suarez. The pirate Lucky Jack is a bachelor. Captain Burrell is a married man. No, clearly you are mistaken."
Captain Suarez's fists clenched, but without his crew to back him it was obvious he had no intention of taking on the alcalde, John Burrell or the pirate Lucky Jack by himself.
"I will get no satisfaction in this rustic backwater of Spain," he sneered. "I will take my case to the admiralty courts and then I will have justice!"
With a curt bow he excused himself and left the house.
The alcalde and the Burrells watched Captain Suarez leave, and the alcalde took another contemplative puff of his cigar.
"Imagine, mistaking you for the pirate Lucky Jack," he murmured.
"I am grateful for your support, your honor," Jack said.
"Think nothing of it," the alcalde said, waving his hanc dismissively. "Had I not been so distracted with trying to think how w« will get a new roof at our school I would have been here sooner."
"Ah," Jack said. "Perhaps I can help with that. I would not want the lads to have to take their lessons in the rain."
"Truly?" The alcalde, a tall, spare man with a gleam in his eye seized the opportunity. "I will expect you in my office tomorrow to discuss your generous contribution."
Jack's sigh was more felt than heard by Sophia.
"Of course, your honor. I will see you at five, after the siesta."
They excused themselves and walked off, Jack a bit quieter than he had been before his generous impulse overwhelmed him.
"Can Captain Suarez cause problems for you?"
"With the admiralty courts in Madrid? He will be lucky if his case is heard in the next ten years. No, that's more for show than effect, as he can tell his people there was no satisfaction to be had in St Augustine."
Sophia thought about the evening's events as they strolled back into the ballroom.
"At least I discovered why you wear an eyepatch. It's a disguise."
"No. That's not the reason. And if you think about it, that is not a good disguise."
Sophia chuckled. "No, you're right, it's not a good disguise, unless you are in good standing with the local authorities."
"What can I say?" Jack smiled and shrugged. "People like me."
"Especially when you show your generosity with new roofs. Will this cut into your funds for the journey?"
Jack sighed again. "Some, but since I have not yet dealt with the authorities in Cartagena, I think I can weather a schoolhouse roof without entering the poorhouse myself."
They finished the evening without incident, though Jack remarked Sophia was quieter than usual.
"It has been a long day, Captain, that is all," she said, avoiding his eye. She was finding it harder to lie to him, which was a complication she didn't need.
When she climbed into bed, she watched Jack putting out the lamps and preparing the mosquito netting for the night. When he got into bed and slid over until he was nestled up against her back, she stiffened, but all he said was, "Good night, Sophia. Sleep well." Soon she could hear his own even breathing, his arm draped loosely across her middle.
Another night she was spared her husband's attentions, but it was a long time before sleep finally claimed her.
CHAPTER 14Sophia awoke before Jack, gingerly disengaged herself from his embrace, and hunted down Rosa, the maid. Coins and a note were passed over, and when Sophia returned to the bedroom Jack was getting dressed.
"We will stroll around town again today, tour the fort—" Jack sighed. "Maybe something will come to us."
"Do not be discouraged, Jack. We know Captain Garvey wanted us to start here. I believe in the treasure, and I believe we will find what we need."
"You're right. We can't give up yet, when we've barely started looking."
After breakfast, they went out before the day's heat rose, Sophia shading her fair complexion with a pink parasol that complemented her light muslin day dress. Thank goodness she hadn't packed too many woolen dresses for this journey! Only the lightest of fabrics and underpinnings were comfortable in Florida's tropical climate, and she marveled at the Spanish nuns she saw who were draped in heavy robes, yet never broke out in a sweat.
A few coins got them into the Castillo de San Marcos, a pockmarked and mustachioed sergeant conducting a tour in such heavily accented English that at points she needed Jack to clarify what he was saying. Sergeant Colon described with relish how the coquina built fort had withstood all attacks, including those of the perfidious English heretics a century earlier. He pointed to the cannonballs imbedded in the walls, absorbed by the soft stone rather than shattering
it.
Sophia murmured appropriate noises during the presentation, but kept her eyes open for something that might bear connection to "a shipwright's dream," though it would have been unlikely inside the fort. Nothing presented itself, and afterward they walked down to the harbor, since, as Sophia said with some logic, the clue likely had something to do with ships.
"It was a good idea to visit the fort," she acknowledged, "because the clue says whatever we're looking for 'stands sentinel,' and the fort is the highest point in the town: 'A shipwright's dream in the Ancient City stands guard over the people. High above, the key is found to lead you to the next step.'"
Jack stopped in the street and Sophia gripped his arm to keep from stumbling.
"Say it again."
Sophia repeated the clue, watching Jack.
"A shipwright's dream...I'm an idiot, Sophia!"
"Oh, well, I usually do not go that far, Cap—"
"Come with me," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him, her parasol sailing behind her.
"Jack! Wait! I cannot keep up."
He slowed his steps, but practically quivered with impatience as he hurried her along down Charlotte Street until they were at the Plaza. Sophia perked up when she saw their lemonade seller beneath the oak, and Jack pulled her over there and then abruptly released her hand, peering up into the tree's branches.
"Do you want some lemon—"
He picked her up and twirled her about, dropping her parasol and making the lemonade seller smile a gap-toothed grin at their antics.
"A shipwright's dream, Sophia! A
nd here it's been looming over us this entire time!"
Sophia was afraid Jack had been out in the sun too long, and said
so.
"A shipwright's dream!" Jack said again, ignoring that last remark, and laughed aloud. "Sophia, do you know why the American frigate Constitution was called 'Old Ironsides' during the war?"
"The only American warship I recall is the Chesapeake, grandly defeated by the Royal Navy. We had a celebration in Portsmouth."
"Then pay attention, my little Tory landlubber: American ships are able to withstand battle and the Royal Navy because of their construction with live oak. It is so hard they say cannon balls bounce off of it, and it's greatly prized for building ships. This beauty in front of us," he gestured at the tree towering over them, "is good solid, live oak, 'the shipwright's dream.'"
Sophia shaded her eyes and looked up into the tree. It arched wide over the edge of the Plaza, Spanish moss festooning its branches and wafting in the breeze like a crone's graying locks.
"You think our clue is up there?"
"Yes. Remember, 'high above the key is found.'" He looked around them at the busy Plaza.
"We will attract too much attention if both of us are looking up into the tree. Go get us some lemonade, please. Your beauty would distract anyone."
He gave her a lopsided grin that made her heart stutter, and lightly kissed her on the lips, which made her flush and fumble for the parasol on the ground, not to smack him, but to hide her confusion. Jack's high spirits were contagious and she was caught up in the excitement of being this much closer to the treasure, but remembering what awaited her later in the day sobered her.
"Well done, Jack. You see what you can discover. I will be back in a few moments."
Sophia returned with the lemonade and they walked around the tree, trying to look casual about it. The tree was massive, nearly sixty feet high, but its gnarled trunk offered footholds for climbing.
"Look, my dear, a hawk's nest!" Jack pointed, then lowered his voice. "See that patch of red up to the northeast? I will wager our treasure that's the next clue. But how to get it down without attracting attention?"
"First of all, stop staring up at it like it's El Dorado," Sophia said in
exasperation. "Then come with me back to the house. I have a plan."
* * *
After wrangling over Sophia's plan, Jack finally agreed with her and rather grumpily joined her for lunch. He went to lie down afterward for the siesta, but Sophia was too wound up and worked instead on sewing in the shade of the patio, keeping an eye on the clock. As soon as Jack left for his meeting with the alcalde and turned the corner to Government House, Sophia grabbed the plain woolen shawl Rosa had left behind and pulled it over her head, hurrying out in the opposite
direction, following the instructions given her.
When Sophia entered the inn's common room the conversation stopped for a few heartbeats while she stood inside the doorway, letting her eyes adjust to the gloom after the bright afternoon sunshine. Once she saw where she needed to go, she threaded her way between the tables, keeping the shawl close around her face until she arrived at a quiet corner. A gentleman rose and pulled out a chair for her at a scarred table holding a jug of wine and two glasses.
She seated herself and gazed at the man seated across from her.
"You are looking well."
"It is good to see you, too, Sophia. It has been too long," said Lord Whitfield.
CHAPTER 15"I was concerned you would not receive my messages, Sophia," Whitfield said as he poured them both wine. He looked much as he had the last time Sophia saw him, an aging rouge who lived within, but on the fringes of Society. His lustrous head of white hair and polished demeanor made him a desirable escort for widows, but his younger followers were dropping away for other companions as his reputation spread like the stale air of a gambling parlor filled with too many nights of bad liquor and lost hopes.
Sophia did not allow herself to believe Whitfield had lost any of his cunning, for too many men—her father and Jack Burrell among them— had been taken in by the friendly air of the man in front of her.
"You have changed, Sophia," Whitfield continued, looking at her intently. "But you still look delightful, very much une jeune fille."
"We do not have time for idle chat," Sophia said. "I managed to get away from Captain Burrell, but I will not push my luck." She ignored the wine in front of her and kept her eyes on Whitfield.
"Luck..." mused Whitfield. "It is amazing how much of a force luck has played in our lives, Sophia, but let us talk now about something not dependent upon luck, but upon skill and cunning. Finding Garvey's Gold."
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. Their table had no one seated nearby, and Sophia suspected the innkeeper was paid well to allow them to keep their business private. She relaxed a fraction, but said nothing to this opening sally.
"I know you have the map, Sophia. What I have is incomplete. I do not know what you are doing with Jack Burrell, but I will reward you handsomely for your map."
"No," Sophia said simply.
This answer didn't anger the man across from her, but seemed to have the opposite effect. His eyes gleamed with a hint of respect.
"I might have suspected you would have your own game underway, my dear. You always were a downy one. Why are you allied with Captain Burrell?"
Sophia picked up the wine in front of her, sniffed it, then set it back down.
"Jack Burrell believes he is married to me. You do not need to know the circumstances, but as long as he believes I am his wife, it gives me an advantage in this search. I have a strong, complaisant, and not very bright man who will do what I need done. Best of all, he knows this area."
"When you find the treasure he will still be your husband."
"I can take care of that when the time comes, my lord. Do not worry about my future with Jack Burrell."
"You should reconsider joining me instead, Sophia. I can give you what Burrell cannot."
Sophia looked at the dissipated features and bloodshot eyes of the man in front of her and said nothing, and Whitfield laughed.
"I am sure I do not compare well in some ways to a young man like Jack Burrell," he said without rancor, "but I do have attractions of my own."
Whitfield reached into his pocket and pulled out a document, which he put on the table in front of her.
"I will give you the deed to your family home in England, my dear Sophia, if you will give me your map."
Sophia shook her head, and pushed the papers back to him.
"The house is no good to me without the money to restore it and the lands." She leaned forward. "I will find the treasure, and when I do, I will buy the property from you."
"Captain Burrell will allow this?"
She just smiled.
"I can see I have been underestimating you, my dear, swayed as I was by your youthful charms. Perhaps when this is over, you might see another attractive alternative. If you are unencumbered by Burrell and you marry me, you would become Lady Whitfield. I would not care if you lived in London or at your home after you provide me with an
heir."
"You would want to marry me after I have been living with Jack Burrell?"
Whitfield shrugged. "I am not a complete fool. I would wait a period of time to make sure there is no cuckoo in my nest, but I have always favored you, Sophia, and I feel we would do well together. You are strong. I admire that. You have always done what was needed to be done to survive. We are very much alike, you and I. I would be a complaisant husband, too, my dear, in my own fashion. You would have the added benefit of being Lady Whitfield, and our son would inherit my title. You would be able to move freely through London society. Jack Burrell cannot give you that."
He took a swallow of his own wine and smiled. "Fools like Burrell are our natural prey, my dear."
"We are scorpions," she said softly.
"I was thinking 'wolves,' but you get the idea. Jack Burrell is just
another sheep meeting his destiny."
Sophia turned her wine cup in her hands, thinking. "How do I contact you if we need to make arrangements after the treasure is found?"
"You can leave a message here. Frankly, I am not at all opposed to you and that American doing all the hard work, traipsing through the wilderness and spending your own funds." He looked at her and smiled. "I will have that treasure, dear Sophia. One way or another. I admire you well enough that I would share it with you, under the right circumstances. But accidents can be arranged for two people almost as easily as for one."
"I understand."
"I knew you would." Whitfield rose from the table and said, "I will be leaving for Savannah for a few days—I think it prudent Captain Burrell not run into me, and this is a small town. But I will have agents here, watching developments, just as I had men in Fernandina to meet you."
He took her hand and lightly kissed the air above her fingers, but then his fingers tightened on hers as he continued to watch her. She winced, but did not pull her hand away.
"Remember what I said, Sophia. I will have that gold, one way or another. Au revoir, my dear."
"You will be hearing from me," Sophia said expressionlessly.
Whitfield bowed and exited, and Sophia sat there for a few moments longer, making sure he was gone before pulling the shawl close around her head and leaving the tavern. She knew eyes followed her as she left, but she didn't know if it was the usual tavern layabouts, or Whitfield's men. No matter. Whitfield would do nothing while she
had the map and the treasure remained hidden.
* * *
"Are you feeling well?" Jack said when they took an after supper walk in the cooler air, her hand on his arm.
"I do have a slight headache. I am not yet used to this heat." "I wish I could say the heat will get better, but I can't. The summer isn't full on us yet. You should get to bed early, Sophia. You have not yet adjusted to this climate and we have a busy day tomorrow."
"You are being nice to me again, Jack. I am not sure I can deal with
it."
He looked at her sharply, but then shrugged. "You believe it is my nature, Sophia, and we must be true to who we are."
The Bride and the Buccaneer Page 16
