A Fair Pretender

by Janet Woods

  * * * *

  Graine felt sick and dizzy when she came round. She was lying on a bunk.

  Her head was one big ache, and her face was swollen. The taste of stale blood filled her mouth. In a chair by the table, a man was seated. He turned when she groaned and tried to struggle to her feet. The man was Captain William Younger.

  ‘Ah, you’re awake, my dear,’ he said. Picking up a decanter, he filled a tumbler with brandy and brought it over to her. ‘Drink this. It will help speed your recovery.’

  Suspicious, she shook her head.

  He sat on the edge of the bunk and smiled. ‘Come Miss Seaton. There is nothing in it to harm you, and it will save me holding your nose and pouring it down your throat.’

  Believing his threat, she took the brandy and began to drink.

  ‘Faster,’ he said when she would have slowed down. When it was swallowed, he brought another. ‘You may drink this one more slowly, my dear, but drink it you will.’

  He was right; she did feel better. After a while her headache left her and she positively glowed. Her ears were buzzing as she gazed around the small cabin. ‘Where’s my uncle?’

  ‘He’s gone to see Mrs Harriet Lamartine, who has been kindly assisting him in your downfall.’

  Graine shuddered. How could Harriet be so evil? ‘He’s a bad man. The obeah have marked his soul,’ she said, and her nose twitched. ‘Can you smell smoke?’

  ‘Of course I can. There’s a vendor of smoked eels on the dockside. Are you hungry? I could send for some, for you? They’re oily, but would sit well in your stomach with the brandy.’

  She shuddered at the thought and shook her head.

  The captain smiled at her. ‘Well, you only have to say the word. As for Francis Seaton, he’s a fool to involve others in his schemes. I believe he wants you to write a letter to the Earl of Sedgley.’

  She smiled at the thought of Saville. ‘He’s going to be nettled when he finds out about this?’ She poked a finger through the air at him. ‘He’ll be after you, Captain, and Rebel will chew on your bones. You’ll probably end up like your son. I believe the obeah caused his death, for when the nature of it was described to me, it sounded exactly like the yaws. Have you ever known anyone outside of a tropical climate suffering from that before?’

  Younger scowled. ‘Shut your mouth, girl. The Earl doesn’t scare me. Do you know why, my dear?’

  ‘No.’ There was a warm glow in her stomach now.

  ‘It’s because he’ll never find out what happened to you. When we sail, I’m going to take you with me and throw you overboard.’

  ‘Hah!’ she said, but uneasily. ‘The sea doesn’t want me. It has thrown me back.’

  ‘I’ll make sure it takes you this time. I’ll tie a length of chain around your ankles.’

  Her face paled as she stared at him. ‘You wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘I most certainly would, my dear. However, I might allow you to work your passage.’

  Although she suspected that she suffered from intoxication already, because she was filled with a false bravado, she took a steadying gulp of the brandy. ‘I don’t know how to be a sailor.’

  She cried out when he leaned forward and roughly pinched her breasts. ‘I have all the crew I require. They’re in need of entertainment, though, for a satisfied man is a happy man. I shall be the first to have you, then, when I’m finished, the crew can take a turn. You will make a nice change from the slave girls.’

  She slapped his hands aside, her skin crawling. ‘I can understand my uncle’s motives, but why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?’

  ‘You helped to kill my son.’

  ‘I had nothing to do with your son’s death. He died from blood poisoning.’

  ‘If it hadn’t been for the interference of the earl in my legitimate business affairs, we would have not been on his land, and that dog of his would not have set about him.’

  What insane logic is this? The dog set about your son because he attacked me. Rebel was guarding me.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I lost my only son. Remember an eye for an eye, Miss Seaton. I’m taking you from the earl permanently, as my son was taken from me.’

  She laughed. ‘The earl will neither care, nor give me another thought. He despises me now he’s aware of my poor birth. I cannot say I blame him. I hate myself sometimes.’ She gave him a sly look. ‘You must know what it’s like to loathe yourself most of the time.’

  He smacked her across her swollen face. The brandy had made her reckless, though. Bunching her fingers into a fist she lashed out at him. He stopped her fist with his palm and squeezed, not releasing her until she screamed with pain.

  ‘That was a stupid thing to do,’ he ground out. Grabbing her by the hair he pulled her forcibly from the bunk to the desk, where he pushed her down on to the chair. There was a sharpened quill, a pot of ink and a clean sheet of parchment on the desk. He stood behind her, his hands digging into her neck where it joined her shoulders. ‘Write to the earl telling him to sign your inheritance over to your uncle at the bank. I shall send it by messenger. And be careful, for I shall inspect every word.’

  Knowing she was beaten, Graine picked up the pen.

  Chapter Sixteen

  My Lord,

  Now that my dearest sister, Evelyn Adams, is deceased, I will return to Antigua, to reside with my uncle, Francis Seaton.

  As my nearest relative, Mr Seaton is now appointed my legal guardian and will hold my inheritance in trust until I’m of age. From now on, he will be accountable for any further dealings on my behalf. I trust you will assist him in this matter promptly by contacting the bank, forthwith. The matter is of some urgency.

  Because I sail on the morrow, I’m unable to attend Evelyn’s funeral, but will mourn her in private. I beg you, Sir, please respect my wishes in this matter.

  I have the honor to remain,

  Your Lordship’s obedient servant,

  Graine Seaton.

  Saville scanned the letter, smiling to himself when he saw the darker print emphasizing some of the words. Francis Seaton––accountable––assist––promptly––beg you.

  She kept her wits about her. He should have known Graine would find some way of letting him know she was still alive, and informing him that those concerned in her abduction, believed Evelyn had died in the attack.

  ‘Who gave you the letter?’ he said to the messenger.

  ‘A sailor off one of the ships.’

  ‘Did you see which ship?’

  ‘No, but he smelt as though he came off a blackbirder, and there’s one in dock. You can’t mistake the stench of slavery, poor devils.’

  The Bristol Pride! Saville flicked the man a gold piece and asked him to alert the soldiers at the watch house. He then loaded a brace of pistols and strapped on his sword.

  John, who’d never known his cousin to be aggressive, placed a hand on his arm to caution him. ‘You must not go alone, Saville.’

  Saville threw an arm around his shoulders in a brief hug. ‘The soldiers will be alerted. Arm yourself then, John, for anyone who takes a woman from the safe haven of her own home and loved ones, has no scruples whatsoever. I’m not out to kill anyone, unless it is in self-defense.’

  ‘I wouldn’t know how to wield a sword, but I can shoot fairly straight, and have got a good punch on me when I’m pushed.’

  ‘I’ll be glad of somebody to watch my back. There’s no love lost between myself and the captain of The Bristol Pride.’ Saville called the male servants together and told them to detain Francis Seaton by any means they could, if the planter decided to pay him a visit.

  Within minutes, the Lamartine men were heading rapidly towards the dock.

  * * * *

  The first thing Graine did when she was alone, was to try the door to William Younger’s cabin. Not only was it locked, it was made of solid oak, so she couldn’t break through it.

  Rushing to the windows she threw them open and sighed with frus
tration. They were too small to wriggle through. How odd, she thought inconsequently, some half a dozen rats were running down the hawser tying the ship to the dock.

  She could still smell the smoke. It was stronger now and it had a tarry smell to it. Smoked eels, ugh! She resolved never to try them!

  She needed something to pick the lock with. All the cupboards and drawers proved to be locked. Thwarted, she gazed around the small cabin. There were charts on the table. When she shuffled through them a gleam of metal caught her eye. She stared intently at the sharp points on a navigational aid. She had picked the door on her cell at the orphanage with a similar utensil, on occasion. They just might do. Smiling, she picked the instrument up and inserted the pointed end into the keyhole.

  Wisps of smoke began to drift through the join in the window frame, to dissipate out into the open air.

  Graine’s concentration was absolute as she wriggled the instrument about, trying to get a purchase on the mechanism. The point caught on something and bent at an angle. There was resistance. Holding her breath she pushed, giving a satisfied grunt as a solid click reached her ears. She withdrew the dividers, keeping them in her hand to use as a weapon, if need be.

  The smell of eels was much stronger now, tickling at her throat.

  The darkness outside the cabin was thick with smoke. Good God! It wasn’t eels. There seemed to be a fire on the ship somewhere. Surely they hadn’t intended to burn her alive.

  Placing her hand across her mouth she made her way to where the ladder was located and crept up. She was more careful this time. No noise and no haste, though it was hard not to cough with the irritation of the smoke. The higher she got, the thinner the smoke became. A thrill of fear ran through her and she began to cough. When she looked below she could neither see nor hear any flames crackling, though the air around her had become extremely hot and she was perspiring.

  When she reached the top of the ladder, she eased the hatch aside and sucked a deep breath into her laboring lungs. She was extra cautious, sliding over the top on her belly, to reach the deck without a sound.

  Through the smoke she spied William Younger talking to a rough-looking man a little way off. A pistol was tucked in his belt. The pair had their backs to her, but they blocked her way to the gangplank.

  ‘We’ll take the girl with us, bosun. She’ll provide us with a bit of sport, and can be disposed of easily enough when we’re in open waters. I want the crew on board tonight, for we sail with the morning tide. If our passenger isn’t back, we’ll sail without him.’

  ‘Fire,’ Graine shouted at the top of her lungs. When the men turned and began to run towards the smoke, she headed frantically in the other direction. She could throw herself over the side if she had too.

  But the bosun changed tack, turning and running back the other way, so he had her trapped between them. At he reached out for her she stuck him in the neck with her lock picker. Blood spurted and he screamed and staggered backwards. She headed hastily for the gangplank.

  * * * *

  ‘Standing on the dock, Saville watched Graine make her bid for freedom. Heart in his mouth he leveled his pistol at the man coming up behind her. Graine caught her foot in her skirt and sprawled face down on the gangplank. Saville pulled the trigger, but Younger bent and the shot whistled over his shoulder. He snatched Graine upright and pulled her in front of him to use as a shield.

  ‘Don’t shoot,’ Saville yelled at the soldiers who had just arrived and had lined up on the dock with their rifles pointed at the ship. They bristled with authority and menace.

  William Younger dragged Graine back towards the hatch. She wasn’t going willingly. She had made herself a dead weight and her heels dragged across the deck.

  Suddenly, she dug those heels in and shot upwards, her head catching Younger under the chin and throwing him off-balance. She picked up her skirt and ran pell-mell for the gangplank, and had just gained a foothold when Younger had himself under control.

  Saville reached for his second pistol as Younger leveled his at Graine’s back. A dark hole appeared in the centre of the man’s forehead when Saville pulled the trigger. The ball must have whistled past her ear, for Graine threw herself sideways off the narrow planking. There was no splash, just a wet splat. Then, came an explosion as air rushed into the ship’s hatch to feed the flames. A ball of flame erupted upwards to consume the Younger’s fallen body.

  A few moments later, something brown, slimy and slim crawled from the mud of the Thames and heaved itself upright.

  The soldier’s rifles trained on it and bolts clicked.

  ‘Don’t shoot,’ Saville yelled frantically.

  The apparition, decidedly female, was in a fine temper. Her hands went to her hips and slid off, so she stamped her feet and gave a series of small, angry screams. Stinking mud flew everywhere when she shook herself like a dog. Finally a pair of irate tawny eyes were uncovered. She impaled him with one look, then yelped, ‘Look at the state of me, you clumsy oaf … My Lord.’ The afterthought was uttered in such an uncivil manner that, behind Saville, both John and the soldiers burst into laughter.

  As Graine stomped past him, Saville’s hand circled her wrist and swung her against him. He smiled as she gazed up at him, her eyes seething with indignation in her mud-caked face. ‘We must wash that mud off you.’

  Alarm came into her voice. ‘It must not be washed off, for my face is all battered and bruised and I am exceedingly ugly now. You will hate me.’

  He had never loved her more than at that moment. ‘I love you, Graine. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?’

  ‘Hah! Certainly not. At least … not until you explain to me about that actress,’ she scolded. ‘Why did you leave Charlotte’s dinner with her, sir?’

  He grinned. Of all the contrary women, this one had to be the worst. One minute she loved him, the next minute she didn’t. She was a disaster! She was uncertain of temper, attracted trouble and was too clever than a woman ought to be for a man’s comfort. However, he knew his life would be worth nothing without her.

  ‘Adrianna de Lisle is part of the movement to abolish slavery. Sometimes she and her acting troop smuggle the runaways abroad. They’d discovered a spy in the troop, sent through by William Younger. He believed he’d be killed by Younger and confessed all to her. She wanted me to interview him.’

  For a moment Graine stared at him, then she burst into tears. Small rivers of skin were uncovered, though her hair was hanging in slimy brown ropes and her aroma was growing more unattractive by the second.

  ‘I thought she was your mistress, and I hated you for loving her and not me.’

  ‘I have no mistress, and never will have. I love only you, Graine. I have done since the moment we met.’ He quirked a wry grin at her and, gently wrapping his cloak around her shivering body, pulled her muddy head against his chest and held her close. He waited to hear the answer he intended to have from her.

  Instead, she said in a tired voice. ‘All is not over yet. Francis Seaton was responsible for the death of both my parents, and of the attack on Evelyn. I’m sorry to have to tell you that Harriet Lamartine is also involved with him in some way. He has gone to visit her, so it’s possible she’ll be in grave danger.’

  Saville exchanged a glance with John over her head, who beckoned to the soldiers.

  ‘Take me home, Saville,’ Graine said to him, and he knew she meant Rushford House.

  * * * *

  Harriet was pleased with life. She’d won a fortune the night before at the card table. The gold was piled up in tidy columns on her table so she could admire it. Gold was such a pretty color.

  For some reason she had a craving for something sweet. She ate her way through a dish of bon-bon’s, carrying the sweetmeats back to her chair by the table and feeding tid-bits to the dogs.

  Tomorrow she was hosting the card game. She made a tiny indentation with the tip of a knife at the corner of the last one in the pack of cards. The little tricks she’d lear
ned of late were holding her in good stead, her winnings supplementing her income and buying her a few luxuries.

  Absently, she reached for the last bon-bon. It smelled of almonds and chocolate … her favourite flavors. Feeling paper rustle and something crunch between her fingers, she gazed at it. It wasn’t a bon-bon, but the charm the fortune-teller had given her. She thought she’d thrown it on the table near the the planter. Her servant must have retrieved it.

  An insatiable curiosity filled her. She loosened the ribbons and tipped the contents into her palm. It was the bones her fortune had been told with.

  As she stared at them they began to move. Her eyes widened with horror as they joined together to become one. Slowly, the snake lifted its head and gazed at her.

  Paralyzed with fear, now, she could only gazed at the loathsome thing as it began to slither upwards towards her chest. Then it struck. Clutching at her chest, Harriet fell sideways.

  Later than night the doctor reported that she’d succumbed to a severe attack of apoplexy.

  * * * *

  Later that night, Francis Seaton walked into the trap that John and the soldiers set for him. He was caught in the act of sneaking into Harriet’s house. Concealed in his sleeve were the knife he’d used to stab Evelyn with, and a thin wire garotte.

  With the knife tip already in Saville’s possession, there was not much doubt about Francis’s intention to kill Harriet.

  ‘God was kind by taking her by more natural means,’ John said of his mother, and Saville could only agree with him.

  Francis Seaton was charged with Graine’s abduction and with the attempted murder of Evelyn. Sentenced to death, he was still blaming obeah for the act when the final breath rattled from his body.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Autumn 1750

  It had been a glorious day. As the carriage turned into the gates of Rushford, Graine had a sense of coming home.

  Saville stopped the carriage and helped her out. The air was balmy and fragrant. The sun was molten gold. It poured over the treetops, lit the windows of the house and burst in fiery ripples across the lake. Her eyes and heart overflowed with its beauty as he sent the carriage rolling on without them.