by Bobbi Smith
“Our plan succeeded!” He was jubilant.
“What did you hear?” Nathan asked excitedly.
“The Enterprise was totally destroyed…she burned after the explosion.”
“Did they get the gold?”
“Yes!” Wade smiled widely.
“Survivors…what about survivors?” Annabelle waited for the news she wanted to hear more than anything in the world.
“What few there were returned today.”
“And…”
“And Captain Jim Westlake was not among them.”
Annabelle felt a stabbing pain in her heart, but she ignored it. Her smile was victorious as she spoke. “I think this calls for a celebration. What about you?”
“Absolutely!”
Nathan led the way to his well-stocked liquor cabinet and poured them each a drink. “To the Confederacy. May she prosper.” When they had downed their liquor, he suddenly grew solemn. “There’s no chance that any of this can be traced back to us, is there?”
“No.” Wade was confident. “There were only two people who might have given us away…Martin Montgomery and Sam Wallace.”
“A n d? ”
“And I’ve taken care of them both.”
“Good. Will you join us for dinner tonight, Wade? We’ll make it a very special evening.”
“I’d be honored.”
As Wade started to leave, Nathan walked with him to the door for a moment of privacy. “Was it necessary to do away with Montgomery?”
Wade pinned him with a glacial stare. “Yes. The man was a fool. He knew too much and he was far too easily influenced.”
“But won’t he be missed?”
“No. His wife had thrown him out and he was leaving town. I just made sure that he’d never come back,” Wade told him confidently. “Don’t worry so much, Nathan. Everything has turned out better than we’d expected.”
“Yes.” Nathan paused. “Yes, it has. You’re right.” Clapping Wade on the back, he opened the front door for him. “We’ll see you tonight.”
Annabelle stood at the window and watched Wade ride away. So, it was over. Jim was dead. Her expression was pained as she remembered the time they’d had together and how much she’d desired him.
“Annabelle, darling, is something wrong?” Nathan came into the room unannounced and was surprised by the look on her face.
Quickly masking her feelings, she forced a smile. “Of course not. We’ve gotten everything we wanted.”
“Yes, we have, haven’t we?” Nathan returned her smile as they went back in to finish their lunch.
Annabelle sat next to Wade on the sofa in the parlor savoring an after-dinner brandy. Their meal had been a feast in celebration of the success of their venture, and they had eaten their fill of the sumptuous fare.
“Have you heard any more news of the explosion, Wade?” Nathan asked as he sat in a wing chair opposite them.
“Nothing substantial, but then I was off duty all afternoon.”
“Is it true the entire Union guard was killed?”
“Yes. A pity, isn’t it?” Wade sneered, smiling. “Even our dear Captain Clayton didn’t make it back.”
“I’m so glad our plan worked out,” Annabelle told him proudly. “What can we do next? Surely there is something more we can do to help….”
“We’d better lie low for now and play the part of concerned citizens.”
“It might do well for you to go to the Westlakes and offer your sympathies,” Nathan suggested.
Annabelle paused, thinking seriously about the possibility. “That would prove interesting…and as the ex-fiancée, I do have an interest—however obscure—in Jim. I think I just might do that tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even pay a call on Miss Delight de Vries. It would give me great pleasure to see her reaction to my sympathy call….”
“My dear, I didn’t know you could be so…” Wade paused, trying to think of the right word.
“So cruel? So vicious?” She gave him a smug look. “After what Jim Westlake and Delight de Vries did to me, I will take great pleasure in paying those calls.”
“Just be careful not to be too happy about it,” Nathan warned.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be suitably upset and definitely overcome by the tragedy of Jim’s death. You know how convincing I can be.” She gave him a mournful look. “Why it’s all so tragic….” Annabelle smiled again in anticipation of her visit with Jim’s family and fianceé. It would be interesting to witness the aftermath of all their careful plotting.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Marshall stood with Delight on the rickety front porch of the farm house, gazing out at the sun-drenched forest that surrounded them. Overnight, it seemed, the buds on the trees had burst forth, clouding the dark limbs and trunks in a haze of bright green. The grass, too, had come alive; its vibrant color was a lush contrast to the dull browns of yesterday.
“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?” she said with soft amazement.
“You sound so surprised…” he grinned at her.
“I am. Yesterday the woods seemed dark and foreboding, but today they seem so fresh, so new…there’s a certain feeling of serenity about it…”
“If you hadn’t been so worried and so wet yesterday, you would have noticed it then, too,” he teased.
“I guess,” Delight sighed. “You know, in a way, I wish we didn’t have to go back.”
“Why?”
“It’s idyllic here. You can almost let yourself forget…”
“You’re worrying about Jim?”
“Of course…you know he and Mark aren’t going to stop until they find out who was behind the whole thing.”
“They’re men, Delight. They have to know,” Marshall replied obliquely.
“Couldn’t they let the authorities do it?” Delight didn’t want them to put themselves in any further danger, for she had come too close to losing Jim this time.
“Somebody we know not only destroyed our best steamer but they also set Jim and Mark up to be attacked, robbed, and killed. Do you think we can just turn that over to the military or the sheriff and let them try to solve it?”
Delight realized that there was no use in protesting any further. Their course was set. Now the best thing she could do was to support them fully. “I understand,” she reluctantly agreed, realizing that Marshall was as determined as Jim and Mark.
“Good. I know it’s hard for you, but this is something we have to do.”
The sound of Jim’s call interrupted their conversation, and Delight went back inside to check on him.
“Where were you?” he asked as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.
“Just on the porch with Marshall. Here, let me help you.” She hurried to aid him in his struggle to brace himself against the wall.
“How long did I sleep?”
“A few hours. It’s almost four,” she told him as she straightened his covers. “Do you feel any better?”
“I think so. But I’ll let you know for sure after I sit here a while.”
“All right.” Delight started to step back, but he caught her wrist and drew her to him.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said quietly as his lips sought hers in a soft caress.
“So am I.” She returned his kiss with restraint, not wanting to chance hurting his leg.
“I thought that night on the Enterprise when Rose was in the next room was bad, but this is ridiculous,” Jim growled as he released her, his hand automatically going to his injured thigh.
“That bad?” She frowned in concern.
He nodded, grimacing, “It’s bound to get better, though, right?”
“I certainly hope so. We can’t have our honeymoon until it does,” she said saucily, hoping to distract Jim from the pain that was throbbing in his injured limb.
“With that to look forward to, there is no doubt in my mind that I’m going to make a miraculous recovery.” He grinned at her, and she was warmed by the heat of hi
s eyes upon her.
“I can hardly wait.” She leaned forward, resting lightly against his chest, and kissed him, this time with a slow, sensuous promise that stirred them both.
“Marry me?” he asked huskily.
“I already did,” she laughed, getting up before she gave in to the impulse to kiss him again. “Now, what can I do to make you more comfortable?” The question was innocently put.
Jim gave her a teasing, lecherous look, “Darling…”
“I’m talking about food or drink…”
“Oh.” He looked disappointed. “You’re sure?”
“I’m positive,” she told him firmly. “Are you hungry?”
“Only for you, sweetheart. But there’s not much I can do about that right now.” His tone was regretful. “Is there any whiskey left?”
Delight brought him what was left of the liquor.
“Thanks.” Jim was taking a swig out of the bottle when Marshall came back inside.
“Still hurts?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes.” Jim handed the bottle back to Delight.
“Let me take a look at it. I don’t want to risk moving you too soon.” Marshall turned back the blanket to expose his brother’s leg.
Jim grabbed Marshall’s arm, stopping him abruptly. Their eyes met in serious understanding. “You can’t get me out of here soon enough…”
“I know,” Marshall nodded, and, as Jim released his arm, he turned back to examine the wound.
When he stripped off the soft wrappings, the injured flesh looked vastly improved over the previous afternoon, and there was no sign of infection.
“How does it look?” Delight asked.
“Better, but he’s still going to have to take it easy. I don’t want him jarring it.” Marshall carefully replaced the bandages with the clean ones that Delight brought to him.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of taking any chances.” Jim told him. “The sooner I’m up and moving, the better.”
“Good.”
They passed the rest of the day quietly. Jim fell asleep at dusk, his afternoon of sitting up having sapped his energy, leaving Delight and Marshall sitting alone before the low-burning fire.
Delight glanced at Marshall. “How much do you think Martin really had to do with all of this?”
He looked at her quickly. “I wish I knew.” Pausing to think, he added. “After what you told me, I don’t believe his story at all, but how did he know?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
“Martin was involved in this?” Jim’s voice cut through the sudden silence, startling them.
“I didn’t know you were awake…”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Martin?”
“You’ve hardly been in condition to worry about it,” Marshall said calmly.
“What did he do?” Jim demanded.
“Thursday morning, he came to me with the news that your boat was going to be attacked.”
“He what?” Jim levered himself up on his elbow, his expression thunderous.
“He said that he’d overheard it being planned and that he wanted me to know…”
“Who did he hear it from?”
“He didn’t say. He was worried about getting out of town because they, supposedly, were after him.”
“The only person who would have been after him was me,” Jim snarled, lying back heavily on the bed. “He more than overheard the damn plot…he probably helped to arrange it!”
“But, Jim,” Delight spoke up. “How would he have found out about the gold unless he was involved with the spies? We never made mention of it in public. All he knew was that you were scheduled to leave Thursday morning.”
“When we get back, I’m going to start with Martin Montgomery. Maybe he’s the connection we need to unravel this whole damn thing!”
“Mark’s already on it,” Marshall informed him. “We told him everything before he left with Father this morning.”
Jim nodded, resting his arm across his forehead, “I hope Sam Wallace has shown up…”
“Sam? What does he have to do with this?”
“Mark hired him to keep an eye on Wade MacIntosh, but he never reported in with any information. We looked for him, but it was almost as if he’d disappeared from the face of the earth.”
Marshall frowned. “MacIntosh? Why was Mark having him followed?”
“He was working on a hunch…MacIntosh had told Dorrie that he’d served with Paul and a few other things that Mark later found out were lies. Something about him didn’t ring true, so Mark didn’t want to take any chances. Especially after Wade was promoted.”
“And you didn’t hear anything from Sam at all?”
“Nothing.”
“If MacIntosh is involved in this, we’ve got our work cut out for us.” Marshall considered the possibility that the spies had infiltrated the paymaster’s corps. They would know every move Mark was going to make before he made it.
“I know.” Jim agreed tiredly.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do right now. Let’s just try to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll be on our way back to town.”
Marshall stood up, drawing a curious look from Delight, “Where are you going?”
“I thought I’d sleep upstairs tonight.” He smiled at her tenderly. He knew Jim and Delight had had precious little time alone since they’d married, and he wanted to give them some privacy.
“But…” she started to protest, but he cut her off gently.
“Don’t worry. It’s not nearly as cold as it was last night.” He got his blanket and headed up the dilapidated steps.
“Thanks,” Jim called as his brother disappeared from view, and the only answer he got was a distant chuckle.
Delight stood in front of the fire, gazing after Marshall. “He didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but aren’t you glad that he did?” Jim teased, holding out a hand to her.
She wasted no time in going to him, but as she started to join him on the bed, he stopped her. “Wait…”
Delight looked at him questioningly.
“Undress for me. Tonight, I won’t have you sleeping on top of the covers,” he grinned.
Without hesitation, she stripped off her boy’s clothes and slipped easily under the blanket. The coolness of her slim body pressed so sweetly to the heat of his own sent a shudder through Jim, and his arm came possessively around her.
“That’s better,” he sighed raggedly as his hand rested on her rounded hip.
“I think so, too. You’re so nice and warm.” She cuddled instinctively against him.
Jim bit back a groan as he realized how impossible it was for him to hold her and still keep himself under restraint. With unsteady hands, he pulled her higher until she lay on his chest. “Kiss me.”
She purred in contentment as they ended the kiss, and she rested her head on his shoulder. “How’s your leg?” “It’s fine, don’t worry.” “Good,” she sighed. And sleep overtook them as they lay in each other’s arms.
It was mid afternoon when the rumbling sound of a wagon brought Delight and Marshall excitedly from the house.
“It’s about time you got back,” Marshall called out in greeting as George appeared at the end of the overgrown drive in a buckboard.
“These back roads aren’t exactly passable after the rain we just had,” George complained as he reined in at the hitching rail. “I got stuck twice on the way back.”
“How far of a ride to town is it?”
“By wagon, about six hours, if we don’t get stuck,” he told them as he stepped carefully up the stairs. His expression turned serious as he asked, “How’s Jimmy?”
“He’s doing fine,” Delight assured him. “He’s sleeping right now, but we changed his bandage this morning and his leg is healing nicely.”
“Good. I’d like to head back tomorrow morning.”
“He should be up to it,” Marshall agreed. “In fa
ct, I think we’d have trouble making him wait any longer.”
George noted the concern in his voice. “He’s not going to rest until he knows who was behind this, is he?”
“No.”
“I had thought as much. Mark’s the same way. He’s going to track down Sam Wallace as soon as he gets back to town. Did Jim tell you about that?”
Marshall nodded. “At least we’ve got two leads. Between Martin Montgomery and Sam Wallace we should be able to find out something.”
“I hope so.” Georg e’s eyes were cold at the thought of the death and destruction the spies had caused. They would find whoever was responsible, and, when they did, they were going to pay.
* * *
“What do you think, Father?” Annabelle asked as she modeled the dress she was going to wear to the Westlakes’.
“You’re a vision, darling.” He smiled indulgently. “I take it you’re going to pay your respects now?”
“I thought it would be appropriate…” Her eyes were alight with devious pleasure. “I’m sure they’re just beside themselves with grief…no Jim and no boat…”
“Remember what I told you.” He came to help her with her coat.
“I know. I’ll be very careful of what I say. No matter how much I’m enjoying myself.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
With a last quick glance in the hall mirror, Annabelle left the house and went to visit Renee and Martha. The maid answered her knock, and she swept into the hall of the Westlake home.
“Tell Renee that I’ve come, please,” she ordered regally as she handed the maid her coat.
“Yes ma’am, Miss Annabelle.”
Annabelle stood for a moment in the hall foyer before walking casually into the parlor.
Dorrie, who’d been at the back of the house, heard the door and went to investigate. She came face-to-face with Anna-belle before Renee came downstairs.
“Dorrie…my poor child.” Annabelle hugged her, leaving Dorrie totally stunned. “I’m so sorry to hear about your loss,” she claimed dramatically. “And I am just so upset…Jim…why did this have to happen to him?”
“Annabelle…” Dorrie tried to interrupt her to find out what she was talking about.
