Devlin grimaced in mock dismay. “What a harridan you have for a daughter, Jane. I pity the poor man who actually weds her, for she’ll flay him alive with her tongue. Thankless wench! Especially when I return so victorious from my mission of mercy—one of the few I have ever ventured upon, I might add—and come bearing such a glorious trophy as this!” Reaching inside his shirt, he drew out a long, sodden black ropelike object and waved it before Eden’s nose.
It stank worse than Devlin’s bay-soaked clothes, and Eden backed away from it, her nostrils wrinkling in distaste. “Ugh! What, pray tell, is that horrid thing?”
Devlin laughed. “Why, ’tis a good portion of Teach’s beard, duchess. And I would soak my boots twice over just to see his face when that vain peacock views himself in the mirror this morn.”
Eden’s eyes widened. “Oh, my stars! Devlin, is that truly part of his beard?” She peered at it with careful awe, as if to judge for herself.
“ ’Tis, indeed,” he told her with an imperious nod. “Still plaited and tied up in its scarlet bow.”
Now that they’d been informed, both women recognized the limp red cloth dangling from the black strands for the ribbon it once was.
“Captain, you are a delightful rogue!” Jane pronounced gleefully. “Quite ingenious at your craft. You have my unfailing admiration.”
He sketched a bow, though she could not see it. “I thank you, ma’am. At least you can value the worth of a man’s work, even if your daughter does not.”
“Oh, but I do, Devlin,” Eden countered. “I beg your pardon if I’ve seemed ungrateful, when in fact, I am quite proud of you. You, and you alone, saved the lives of those unfortunate hostages, and hopefully more than the number you managed to free last evening. I just wish there were some way of letting everyone know what you have done, that they might also thank you and give credit where ’tis rightfully due.”
“I agree,” Jane said. “The citizenry should know what Devlin has done, and be properly beholden. The problem is how to manage it without confusing the matter with such triviality as ghosts.”
A light dawned in Eden’s eyes. “There may still be a way. Devlin, go change your clothes, and let me study the idea a bit more.”
“While you’re about your thinking, consider what I might wear to the breakfast table, if you will,” he suggested with droll humor. “Until my invisible clothing dries, anything I put on will be visible to Dora.”
“Oh, dear.” Jane frowned and tapped a fingernail at her lip. “This having but one set of clothing which cannot be seen is becoming more trouble by the day. Are you positive you have nothing else to wear? Perhaps a cloak?”
White teeth flashed in a taunting grin, for Eden’s eyes alone, as he shook his head. “Nay, madam. Nothing but a smile.”
Eden’s eyes glittered a scathing warning. “If you dare come to the table that way,,you will regret it for the remainder of your days. That I promise you.”
“What is it you threaten me with, Miss Propriety?” he teased. “A deluge of maidenly blushes? An outraged shriek or two?”
She offered him a gamine smile that made him wonder what she’d been like as a child, before she’d begun to be scorned by her playmates. “More than that, Devlin,” she pledged with such overdone sincerity that he was made immediately leery. “Don’t forget that while I may not be as well-traveled as you, I am well-read. By any chance, have you ever heard of a eunuch?”
Devlin’s mouth flew wide in surprise that she’d even heard of such a thing, let alone uttered the word. Before he could think how to reply, Jane spoke up. “Oh, yes, Eden dear. I’m certain he has. I’m also certain that, between the two of us, we could render him just as unmanned. Of course, since I can’t see him, you would have to wield the scissors, and ’tis bound to be a bit gruesome, but we could manage it somehow.”
Devlin cast the pair of them a horrified look, not entirely sure that either was simply jesting. With squishy, mincing steps, he edged past them, bound for his room. “Just bring a plate upstairs to me. I’ll eat where Dora can’t see me.”
“I’m not your serving girl,” Eden called after him, sharing a grin with her mother behind his fleeing back. “And get those wet boots off this very instant, before you track up the entire house!”
Half an hour later, wearing a sheepish scowl and a change of clothes, Devlin sat at Eden’s side, their shoes touching beneath the dining table. Eden had come upstairs to fetch him, silently and pompously escorted him to the front door, waited as he pretended to knock, then presented him to Dora and her mother as their breakfast guest—thus solving his predicament, if not his embarrassment at having been so successfully cowed by two women. Blast! If any of his men ever got wind of this, he’d never live it down!
Within the space of the meal, Eden also resolved the problem of how to gain Devlin credit for the safe release of Blackbeard’s hostages. “We’ll simply have to involve ourselves in the exchange,” she told him. “To be there when the medicine is handed over to Black-beard.”
“We?” he questioned. “Have I a mouse in my pocket, Eden? If not, there is no we to it. I will not have you near that unconscionable madman. And since I cannot ‘appear’ without you, there you have it. End of plan.” He offered a shrug, palms outspread, not at all apologetic at having shot holes in her newest plot. It mattered little to him whether the townspeople ever knew of his part in freeing the hostages. He did not need their acclaim, regardless of what Eden might believe, though he did see her reasoning. The better they thought of him, the better it would be for her, as they were in such constant association with one another.
“Mayhap not the end at all,” she said with a sly smile. “If you would be willing to part with the prize you collected last evening, there may still be a way to remind Blackbeard of his demonic visitor’s threat and ensure his compliance.”
Now she had hit upon his true worry, though he was baffled to find himself so concerned with the lives of a few people he didn’t even know. Still, it was not in his nature to stand by and watch as women and children were brutally slain. If there were any way to make certain that Blackbeard spared the remaining hostages, he was willing to try, for he was not positive that his solitary ghost act would entirely do the trick.
A short time later, Devlin found himself accompanying Eden, Jane, and Reverend Johnston into council chambers, where Governor Johnson and several of the most prominent citizens of Charles Town were gathered. Their appearance, obviously considered an ill-timed intrusion, was met by glowers all around.
“Pardon our presumptuousness, sirs,” Reverend Johnston began, “but we believe we may be of some assistance to you. May I present Captain Devlin Kane of the Gai Mer, with whom some of you may not yet be acquainted?” >
“His reputation as a pirate precedes him,” one council member stated baldly, glaring first at Devlin, then at the rest of the small party. “To what do we owe the, er, pleasure?” As though the air in the room had suddenly become foul, he brought a scented handkerchief to his nostrils.
“If you’d get the snuff out of your nose long enough to clear your head, John Longstreet, mayhap you’d see that Captain Kane has come with an offer of aid to you and the town,” Jane said haughtily.
“How so?” the governor queried. “And by what authority?”
“By the authority of knowing Blackbeard personally, and having spoken with him recently,” Devlin said, stepping forward. His abrupt movement caught Eden unaware, and she nearly lost hold of his coat sleeve as she scurried forward with him.
“Did he send you with more demands of us?” the local physician asked. “What more could the man want that he has not already taken by force?”
“Nay, I’m not his man. He does not command me. On the contrary, ’tis I who may be able to direct him, to some extent. If you will allow me, I should first like to ask a question of you gentlemen.” His dark gaze included all of the men present at the meeting. When none objected, Devlin went on. “From your communications wi
th Teach, what is your opinion of his intentions? Do you truly believe that he will release his prisoners unharmed, should you turn over the medicines he has requested? Or do you think he will abscond with the chest and commit further atrocities upon those unfortunate victims?”
“Why should we tell you what we think?” one fellow asked belligerently.
Devlin’s brow rose in silent rejoinder, as if berating the man for his supreme stupidity. After a lengthy silence, he answered, “Because I know Blackbeard better than any of you possibly could. I know he is mad as a March hare, utterly without conscience, and thrives on spilling blood. There is very little the man fears. However, he does have a few weak points in his armor. I’ve thwarted him before, and know where best to strike at him.”
“Forgive me, but would you be doing this yourself, or would you require help?” the governor inserted dryly, gaining a few weak laughs for his effort. “After all, the man has an army of brigands behind him.”
“So did Goliath, but David felled him nonetheless, with naught but a stone.”
“So you would meet with him, one man against the other?”
“Nay, I did not say such, did I? The moral of the tale lies not in the might of the warriors, as the good reverend could tell you, but in God’s intervention. However, as the Lord seems to have left us to our own devices in this matter, a well-planned strategy may do nearly as well. Therefore, if you are done with pricking me with your puny thorns, mayhap you are now ready to listen to reason.”
“ ’Twouldn’t hurt just to listen, would it?” a merchant suggested. “Heaven knows, we haven’t come up with a workable plan betwixt the lot of us.”
Privately, Eden thought if brains were gunpowder, this group didn’t claim enough collectively to clear the wax from their ears.
“Fine. We’ll listen,” the governor decided reluctantly. “But do get on with it, if you please, Captain. The noon deadline which Blackbeard has set for us is fast approaching, and that leaves us very little time to execute any plan you might suggest.”
“ ’Tis time enough for what I have in mind,” Devlin told him with a cocky nod. From beneath his coat, he withdrew the hank of beard. “This, gentlemen, is a length of Teach’s beard, which I cut from his face with my own blade not long ago. I hold the distinction of being the only man ever to have relieved Blackbeard of such a treasure. ’Tis my hope—nay, my belief—that when he sees this, he will reconsider whatever treachery he has further planned.”
“And which brave soul gets the privilege of presenting it to him?” Longstreet asked snidely. “You know what too often happens to the bearer of bad news.”
“Are you volunteering, John?” Jane queried jeeringly. She paused for effect, then continued thoughtfully, “Wasn’t it you who ran screaming from your cellar just last week, when you chanced upon a den of harmless black snakes?”
Her comment sent sniggers echoing through the room, and high color flooding Longstreet’s face. “ ’Twas an honest mistake, Widow Winters. The cellar was dark, and the snakes were nestled in dry leaves. The rustling noise they made led me to believe they were rattlesnakes.”
Bound to keep the peace, Reverend Johnston inserted, “ ’Tis quite understandable, John. But let’s do get back to the business at hand, if we may. I believe Captain Kane was about to enlighten us further.”
“Contrary to what Mr. Longstreet thinks, none of you need imperil yourselves more. I am only suggesting that this plait from Teach’s beard be placed in the chest, atop the medicine. Thus, when he opens the lid, ’twill be the first thing he sees—a blatant reminder of the man who stole it from his person and what I might do to him next, should he think to go back on his bargain with you.”
“Is it not extremely vain of you, to imagine he fears you so much that the mere sight of his missing locks would send him running with his tail tucked betwixt his legs?” Governor Johnson asked. “My God, man! There are people’s lives at stake here! Women! Children! And you come to us with this outrageous proposal? We have more important tasks at hand than to consider childish pranks such as this!”
Before matters got too far out of hand, Eden interceded. “Mayhap you would do well to consider who knocked the guard unconscious aboard Blackbeard’s ship last eve, gentlemen. And who unlocked the cell to free those fortunate souls who escaped Blackbeard’s clutches. And who left his own dinghy available for their safe conveyance to shore, and himself swam the entire way back. Need I tell you who this brave man was, who put his own life in peril to release the others?”
“Kane?” the doctor questioned incredulously. “Well, why didn’t he say so at the start?”
“And why didn’t you show yourself last night, or lay claim to the fact before now?” another asked.
“Some men have no need to flaunt their achievements for their own glorification,” Reverend Johnston answered quietly, shaming several of the men. “Good deeds do not go unrewarded, but neither must they be proclaimed from the rooftops.”
An imperious knock at the door, followed by a rough demand, brought the meeting to an abrupt halt. All eyes now turned to Devlin. His remained locked with those of the governor. “Have you anything better to propose?” Devlin asked simply.
“Put the hair in the chest,” the governor commanded dourly. “And may God be merciful.”
Within minutes, the chest of medicine was being carted away by three of Blackbeard’s crewmen, on its way to Teach. In the midst of the excitement, Eden and Devlin slipped away unnoticed.
They raced their carriage through the streets, careening around corners in their mad return to the Winters’s house. There, Devlin quickly changed back into his wet clothes, wincing as his every step brought a loud squish. “Damn Teach for a fool if he doesn’t hear me coming this time,” he muttered.
“Mayhap ’twould be better not to chance it, Devlin,” Eden said, casting a worried gaze at him.
His laugh was pure deviltry, as was the gleam in his black eyes. “What? And miss seeing the fright on his face when he opens that chest? Never!”
From the warehouse dock, Devlin commandeered a dinghy and several of his own crewmen to row him out to Blackbeard’s ship. “And how did ye get out here last night, if not on yer own?” Nate grumbled, hauling hard on an oar.
“This is faster,” Devlin countered cheekily. “Besides, ’twould look a mite queer, a boat rowing itself in broad daylight, now mightn’t it?”
“And I suppose after doin’ all the labor, we get to sit below and miss all the fun?”
“Now, Nate, old chap, you wouldn’t want to throw a Jonah to the plan, would you? There’s a good fellow.”
“Good fellow, my bloomin’ arse!”
Devlin arrived aboard just in time to make his way to Blackbeard’s side as the man lifted the lid of the chest. Only those nearest to him heard the pirate’s slight gasp upon seeing the plait of hair atop the medicine. Teach’s eyes seemed to bulge from his face, his neck and cheeks growing suddenly mottled as if with a raging fever. His shaking fingers rose to his chin, seeking out the very spot from which that braid had been cut.
When he made no comment, a crewman called out loudly, “Well, what’s it to be, Cap’n? Do we run ’em through now, like ye said?” He gestured toward the fearful hostages, bound and lined up along the deck.
Beneath the cover of the babble of excited voices, Devlin leaned close. His breath was hot against Teach’s ear as he whispered in an eerie voice, “Don’t do it, pirate. I warned you what would happen. Last night. Remember?”
Teach crouched there as if frozen. Slowly, as if fearing what he might see—or worse, what he would not— he turned his head toward the voice. “I was sure ’twas a dream,” he murmured at last. “Naught but a dream.”
Devlin changed sides, leaning to speak into Teach’s other ear with an evil hiss, causing the man to swivel about so abruptly that Devlin barely pulled his nose back in time to avoid a nasty bump. “Nay, Teach. ’Twas I. The Devil come to haunt you. Defy me now, and you won’t
live to draw another breath.” As if to prove the truth of his words, Devlin plied the blade of his knife along Teach’s bushy chin, deftly severing more strands of hair. They drifted to the deck where they lay like black omens.
“Cap’n?” his second in command questioned. “What’s yer orders?” -
“What’s it to be, Blackbeard?” Devlin taunted softly, boldly, swearing to himself and sweating profusely as he played his final card in this fatal game of trickery. “Their death brings yours as well.”
After what seemed an eternity, Blackbeard shouted, “Release the prisoners! Strip ’em of their finery and set ’em adrift in a smallboat—the One with the leak in it. And be quick about it. We sail b’fore the tide changes.”
“But, Cap’n, we’ve a handful of men still ashore, and the tide be changin’ any minute.”
“Then they’d best be gettin’ their lazy carcasses back aboard ship, if they have to sprout wings to do it, b’cause I say we’re weighin’ anchor, with or without ’em. I’ve done with this stink-hole they call Charles Town. And if I never set eyes on it again, ’twill be too soon.”
One crewman dared to risk ’s ire for one last question. “Should we give the prisoners oars when we set ’em loose?”
Blackbeard answered with a mighty roar that threatened to set the masts quivering. “Nay, ye daft bilge scum! When I say adrift, I mean adrift! Let their fine townspeople come to their rescue—or let the Devil take ’em! Though why he wants the likes o’ them I fail to see.
Chapter 15
Following Blackbeard’s departure, Charles Town was divided in its opinion of Devlin. While most of the residents were extremely grateful to him for aiding in the rescue of the hostages, there were still a number who were so set against pirates of any sort that they would not be easily won over. It was to this group of citizens that Dudley Finster played his tune of discontent, targeting Devlin as a perfidious villain who might turn on them at any moment.
Splendor Page 17
