On their way out of his office, one hand placed securely within the crook of Devlin’s elbow, Eden hesitated. Over her shoulder she said, “A final suggestion, for future reference, Mr. Finster. A woman likes to feel precious to a man who courts her. That includes doting attention and small gifts to win her heart. Even if the lady in question appears to be a lonely spinster whom most people consider long past such fanciful dreams.”
She touched slender fingers to the comb in her hair and turned a loving gaze up to meet Devlin’s laughing black eyes. “Is that not so, Captain?”
“Aye. But I do hope you weren’t alluding to yourself when you mentioned spinsters, sweetling.” His fingers came up to cover hers on the comb, lingering to stroke her silken curls. “I prefer to think you were merely biding your time, awaiting my arrival before offering your heart.”
By the time they reached the street, Eden was nearly choking with mirth, and bursting with a dozen other emotions, not the least of which was a trembling desire conjured up by Devlin’s slight touch. She stood watching, saying not a word, as Devlin politely offered their carriage to Reverend Johnston.
“We’ve a bit of additional business to conduct yet,” he told the minister, “but we know how anxious you are to be off. If you would, please tell Mrs. Winters that we’ll be along shortly.”
“But your carriage, Captain,” the man objected.
“We’ll hire a conveyance.”
Thus it was that Eden found herself alone with Devlin. “What other business have we?” she inquired hesitantly. “Are we bound for the warehouse now?”
“Nay, wench.” He grinned down at her, his earring winking at her. “We’re not.” With that he sketched a bow and proposed merrily, “Would you care to stroll the lane with me, Miss Winters?”
She laughed back at him, the joyous sound rippling from her throat and attracting a few curious stares. “I would indeed, sir.”
Down the street they wandered, arm in arm, her parasol bobbing gaily over her head, a playful breeze tugging at her bright hair.
“What a milksop that Finster is!” Devlin said, shaking his head. “I can’t countenance your letting him court you. I am a much better catch.”
“The man did not court me, as I told all of you just minutes ago.” She sighed. “I am ever so glad Reverend Johnston was along with us today. Now he will tell Henrietta, and she will make certain everyone knows Finster is not my suitor.”
“Greedy little squirrel, isn’t he?” Devlin added.
“The man is a repulsive toad. I shall remain unwed till my dying day, and be thankful for it, if that is the best I am offered.”
“Why settle for codfish, when you can have oysters, duchess?” Devlin suggested with a wag of his brow. “I stand ready to serve you, and serve you well indeed— any time you decide to grace my bed.”
She declined his offer with a shake of her head and a dry smile. “I’m not that hungry, thank you. And I detest oysters.”
‘Tastes can change,” he countered smoothly. He gallantly steered her around a ladder which was propped against the front of a leather shop. “Eden, I think Finster may be behind all of your financial problems,” he said, turning their talk back to the accountant. “Something about him strikes me wrong, and I don’t think Tilton went running to him merely on the assumption that you and Finny were engaged. There is more to it, I’m sure.”
“Like the two of them being in league with each other from the outset? And Finster courting me more to get his grubby hands on the business than for any love of me?” she asked wryly.
He slanted her a solemn look. “Aye. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, but—”
“Oh, don’t gnash your teeth over it, Devlin. ’Tis not as if I didn’t wonder about it many times myself. Not the part about Tilton and Finster being aligned, of course,” she clarified. “The reason behind Finster’s attentions. I’m just glad it’s over and done with.”
“It may not be yet.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that I do not believe Finster will give up hope of owning the warehouse that easily. I expect we’ll be hearing more from him.”
“Gad!” she cursed. “You don’t think he’ll still attempt to court me, do you?”
Devlin shrugged. “Perhaps. Or maybe he’ll look for other ways to ruin your business, hoping you will then be forced to turn to him for another loan. Failing that, he might resort to nastier measures.”
“Such as?”
“Threats. Physical harm. Destroying your property or your credibility, or both.”
“Oh, I can’t believe he’d go that far,” she argued. “He’s a mean little weasel, but surely he would not risk darkening his own reputation merely to get back at me, or to gain my business.”
“No, he’d undoubtedly hire someone else, like Tilton, to do his dirty work for him and catch none of the blame himself,” Devlin hastened to point out. “Also, if he’s smart, he’ll try to shift the fault onto some other likely party, someone he deems a threat to him and his plans.”
“Someone like you,” she guessed. “Oh, Devlin, I’m beginning to think you have gotten the worst of our bargain.”
Her concern was touching, but he couldn’t let her burden herself unnecessarily. “No need to fret, fair lady. I’ve butted heads with far worse than Finster in my day, and am more than capable of taking care of myself— and you. However, ’twould be to our benefit to see that Finster continues to underestimate us. If he considers me a brutish dolt, let him keep on thinking so.”
Eden nodded. “And if he considers me a silly old maid, with her head in the clouds and not a lick of sense, then all the better for us. Am I catching your meaning correctly, Devlin?”
He grinned down at her. “For someone who can’t add two plus two, you are a very smart lady, Eden Winters.”
She chuckled. “From you, I will accept that as a compliment, but the credit really goes to my mother.”
“Partly,” he agreed. “You do take after her.”
Their wandering had taken them down by the docks after all. “Perhaps we ought to look in at the warehouse and see how Nate and the lads are bearing up under Tilton’s supervision,” Devlin mused.
Before they could act on his suggestion, a voice called out his name. “Kane! Over here!”
Turning, they scanned the crowds and finally spotted a man waving to them from outside a nearby eatery. He was a handsome young fellow, though dressed rather garishly in a brightly patterned calico shirt, with several large rings flashing on his fingers.
“Who is that?” Eden whispered, instinctively sidling closer to Devlin.
“That, my dear, is the one and only ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham,” Devlin informed her with droll humor. “Just our luck to encounter him. Not that he’s such a bad sort, as pirates go. ’Tis just that he no doubt wishes to bore me with exaggerated tales of his latest escapades. He’s a fair brigand, but a notorious braggart.”
By now Jack had caught up with them and was urging Devlin along with a hearty clap on the shoulder— dragging Eden with them, as she dared not let loose of Devlin’s arm. “Come join me in a mug or two, Kane. I’d heard the Gai Mer was in port, but no one could tell me where you’d gone off to.” Jack glanced to Devlin’s other side, winking lewdly at Eden. “Now I see why you’ve been makin’ yourself so scarce.”
As it turned out, Calico Jack was not alone. Awaiting them at the outdoor table was a pretty young lass with whom Eden was previously acquainted. Whether Anne Bonny or Eden was more surprised to see the other was anyone’s guess. “Eden Winters! Why, of all the people I’d least expect to see traversing the docks!”
“Oh, you two already know each other?” Jack put in. “Good.” Then, as Devlin politely held Eden’s chair for her, Jack proceeded to ignore the women altogether, content to bend Devlin’s ear.
“Hello, Anne,” Eden greeted her. “How have you been? I’ve not seen you at church for a while.”
“And not likely to any time soon,
either,” Anne replied tartly. “Bunch o’ goodies who wouldn’t help a body in need if their lives depended on it! I’m shocked no end that you’re willing to be seen talking to me.”
“Oh, surely not!” Eden protested, though there was more truth than fiction to Anne’s claim. The girl had always been wild, and when she had recently defied her rich father’s wishes and married a common sailor, he had promptly cut Anne off without a farthing to her name. Whereupon, it was rumored, her sailor had slipped away to sea, leaving poor Anne behind to handle the consequences of her rash actions alone.
Apparently, Anne was not spending her days mourning the loss of her bridegroom, nor trying overmuch to get back into her father’s good graces. If the bright color in her cheeks and the determined glint in her eyes was any indication, the girl was smitten with Calico Jack, and bound to see her affections returned.
“What are you doing roaming the dockside? You haven’t taken up the trade, have you?” Anne asked with a toothy grin.
Eden almost sputtered, doubly so when she felt Devlin’s hand tighten over her knee, sending a sensual tingle through her. She slid a glance in his direction, to find him smiling broadly at her. The infernal idiot! Trying not to draw too much attention to herself, she brushed at his hand as she would an insect. He simply shook his head at her, from which she determined that he was taking full advantage of the fact that they had to maintain contact, and had chosen this means to do it.
To Anne Bonny, Eden replied as calmly as she could, “I doubt I would make a credible doxy. As to my reason for being here, Captain Kane and I were on our way to my warehouse.”
“Oh.” The young woman gave a negligent shrug. “I’d forgotten you owned that property.” In the blink of an eye, she changed course and asked, “Is it true that you are going to marry that smug little wart of a moneylender?”
Eden could scarcely believe her ears! However, Anne had never been noted for diplomacy. “If you are referring to Dudley Finster, no. I am not going to many him, no matter what the man might be saying to the contrary.”
“Good. You’d do much better with this one.” Anne motioned toward Devlin. “He’s a damned sight betterlooking, for one thing, and I’d wager he’s a hell of a lot more virile.”
Eden didn’t need to look to know that Devlin wore a gloating smirk. She could feel it echoing between them like a living thing. Neither did she require a looking glass to know her face had turned as red as a boiled lobster.
“Now me,” Anne continued, blithely unaware of Eden’s discomfort, “I’m getting set to weigh anchor with Jackie here. We’re gonna sail the seas together and see the world.”
Eden didn’t know what to say. “Anne, are you serious?” At the woman’s nod, she hesitantly offered counsel, unsolicited though it was. “Hadn’t you better think this through more carefully, dear? What will your father say?”
“My father wouldn’t spit on me if my hair was on fire, and that’s the bare truth of it. You know it as well as I do. The entire town knows how he’s thrown me out to starve. At least Jackie pays me some mind. He’s my passage out of this stinking hole, and I’d be a fool to let him go.” Anne slid closer and winked conspiratorially. “Besides, he’s a handsome jackal, ain’t he? And a regular devil betwixt the sheets, if you take my meaning.”
At long last, Devlin took pity on Eden and made their excuses. With her face aflame, she bid Anne farewell.
“You too, honey,” Anne called out loudly. “And you stick with that dashing rogue of yours. He’ll have you out of those stiff old stays before you know what hit you. And I’m willin’ to bet you won’t regret it, either.”
“I already do.” Eden groaned, pulling her parasol down to cover her face and nearly tripping.
“But, honey,” Devlin mimicked on a husky laugh, “how could you? After all, I’m such a dashing, virile rogue!”
She glared at him from beneath three inches of pink parasol fringe and snarled, “If you don’t want to be an empty suit of clothes standing in the middle of the street, you’ll shut your miserable mouth this instant!”
Chapter 11
The next few days were only slightly more peaceful than the previous three. Though Jane now knew of Devlin’s presence in her home, it was still something of a trial to keep that startling fact from Dora, or anyone else who might chance to visit. And with the news of Jane’s miraculous recovery, well-wishers were arriving in droves.
To add to the confusion, there was Zeus to take into account. While Devlin swore the big bird was trained to obedience, Eden was not so easily convinced, most especially when she considered who had educated the falcon. She was simply waiting to see which of the two of them—Devlin or Zeus—would create the most havoc.
In order to escape the deluge of visitors in the house, and gain a bit more privacy, Devlin and Eden spent a good deal of time at the warehouse. There, they concentrated their efforts on finding discrepancies in the accounts which they might use as legal proof against Tilton and Finster. The work was tedious, with no results, which was vastly disappointing to Eden. She would have liked, if only for her own satisfaction, to have been able to prove that Tilton had been stealing from the warehouse for the past three years, and that Finster had somehow benefited from her failing business. For she doubted she’d ever see the return of one stolen pence.
After three days of fruitless searching through past accounts, Eden threw up her hands in despair. “I give up! If I keep at this much longer, I swear I’ll go blind! Or mad! Or both! If I were any good at figuring, I might see some sense in it, but—”
“Sweetling, if you were any good at figuring, you wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with,” Devlin put in bluntly.
Eden graced him with a sour smile. “Why, how gallantly phrased, Captain. And might I remind you that you seem to be faring just as badly? I thought pirates were supposed to be able to tally their stolen booty with the utmost ease and precision. What’s wrong, Devlin? Did you run out of toes and fingers upon which to count?”
He tweaked the end of her nose. “Fear not, my beauty. I’ve not lost my talent with numbers. The problem is that I do most of my own tabulating in my head, where no one can tamper with the figures. I’m not accustomed to dealing with ledgers, where sums can be manipulated to appear correct when they are not. Since you can find no inconsistencies, ’tis my guess that Tilton, most likely with Finster tutoring him, has only registered the figures he wanted you to see. In doing so, the accounts appear to balance perfectly with the receipts and expenses.”
“So what do we do now?”
“I suppose the next move would be to fire Tilton before he can cause any more harm. He doesn’t seem to be leading us toward a solution, as I’d hoped he would once he was aware that you might catch onto his game.”
“Did you honestly think he was going to confess all, Devlin?” Eden asked with an arched brow. “Merely on the suspicion that I could stumble across the truth?” He shrugged. “He might have. For that matter, he still could, given the proper incentive.”
“Such as?” she prompted.
“A few imaginative threats might do the trick, and have him squealing for mercy and naming Finster as his accomplice. Or a chance meeting in a dark alleyway with a few of my more bloodthirsty mates. They wouldn’t necessarily need to hurt him too badly. A couple of broken bones might make him willing to talk.” Eden gave a delicate shudder. “Why don’t we simply dismiss him first, and see what happens then? As much as I dislike the man and what he has done, I can’t see how roughing him up will regain my losses. I’ll simply have to content myself with preventing further failure of the business.”
“Are you sure, Eden?” Devlin questioned. “The man might have hidden the money somewhere, in which case you could see some of it returned to you. For all we know, he might be banking it.”
Eden snorted. “Where? The only banking institution in Charles Town belongs to Dudley Finster and his father, and if that is where Tilton has put it, you can rest assured ’twill
never be found by either of us. You could probably drag Tilton into Finster’s office by his ear, written confession in hand, and Dudley would deny all knowledge of wrong doing, or of any such account, if one exists.”
“All right, we’ll do it your way for now, since you are bent on being squeamish. Dismiss Tilton, and we’ll watch to see what their next move will be. But I can’t help thinking you’re wasting a fine opportunity to throttle the bastard. And asking for more trouble in the bargain.”
“Perhaps,” she agreed. “But as you pointed out at the start, ’tisn’t merely Tilton we want to net. If Finster is the mastermind, I want him squarely caught. I don’t want him to catch wind of this and cover his tracks before we can collect the proof we need against him.”
Devlin grinned. “Again you surprise me, duchess. You may not have a head for figures, but you’ve a fine mind for battle tactics.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Ah, wench, what a pair we would make, if only you were a man! Then I could take you sailing with me, and we’d really put your brain to good use.”
“A shame, to be sure, Captain. Were I a man, there are a great many things I could do that I cannot do now. I could travel the world at will, and most likely run this company more efficiently without everyone trying to cheat me out of it. Moreover,” she added with a wry smile, “I wouldn’t have Dudley Finster attempting to court me, or you sniffing at my skirts, would I? Indeed, life would be so much simpler, had I been born a man.”
Black eyes glittered into hers as he conceded the verbal contest to her. “Touché! You have shed light on my erroneous thinking. Upon further reflection, I can see that ’tis much better that you are a lass. For both of us.” With that, he bent and placed his arms on either side of the chair in which she sat, effectively trapping her there. Then, ever so slowly, as if to tantalize her with anticipation of his touch, he leaned forward until their lips were a mere whisper apart. “Have you been wondering when I would repay you for calling me other than Devlin? I haven’t forgotten, little one. Oh, no! Never think that I have. I’ve simply been biding my time, letting you dwell upon that moment when I would collect my due, savoring the thought of it in my mind. Have you been doing so as well, my sweet? Dreaming of it, perhaps, while you lie in your virginal bed with just one thin wall separating us? I’ve heard your restless stirrings in the night, you know.”
Splendor Page 12
