Chloe looked for something to defend herself with, but Nigel had taken his wooden oar with him. She could see it floating in the water, but it was too far away to reach. There were several people currently vying to pull themselves inside the bobbing vessel. The entire lot of men pulling up on the sides were wet and impossible to distinguish. Was one of them Nigel? Who was friend, and who was foe?
Her blue eyes locked on the man who stood over Smiley with an evil grin on his face. He was the enemy; she knew that. Smiley, lying on the bottom, was moaning, his good leg twisted in an odd angle and his wooden one, made with the socket used to hold it in place coming loose. Grabbing it between her shaking hands, she stood up and worked to gain her balance. Nigel took a step toward her.
“Touch her, and I’ll kill you.” Ghost’s voice! Chloe looked up joyfully to see him inside the boat now.
Nigel turned to face him and raised the oar. But Ghost glanced up and shouted, “Chubs! Put the shotgun down! You’ll hit one of us.”
Chloe looked up. Chubs had handed off the shotgun and jumped into the water. She grasped Smiley’s wooden leg tightly in her hands, preparing to smack Basil over the head just as she heard another shout from above and looked up to see a comical sight.
“Don’t ye worry, Sassy, I’ll save ye.” Woody was standing on the railing of the ship she had been kidnapped from, his skinny arms flapping wildly as he jumped feet first into the water. This gallant gesture was marred only by his lack of swimming skills. Chubs, who had been making gains on trying to get into the boat, was forced to abandon his efforts. He moved off to save his drowning friend.
Basil’s body landed on top of Smiley’s right in front of her, with the oar between them, and Chloe heard her husband’s voice speak gently. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“Yes—but Smiley—” She stopped as she heard a sputter behind her and turned to see Tiny, holding onto the side. Ghost stepped forward carefully and reached down for Tiny’s hands, tugging him upward.
The boat seemed to be sinking under Tiny’s weight.
“Send a rope down!” Ghost shouted upward. Together, they worked to pull Chubs and Smiley into the small boat. Ghost reached the rope as it was thrown down and pulled it over to Chloe.
But she shook her head. “No. I won’t leave you.”
His scowl was ferocious. “Chloe, obey me. Now.”
She took hold of the ladder and stood up in the boat, but instead of climbing it, she put it into Tiny’s hands and motioned him upward.
“Go, Tiny! I’m sorry, but it will lighten the boat the most.” Her eyes were pleading, and he nodded. The boat rose out of the water several inches as he began his climb. But when she turned to see her husband’s face, it was furious.
She gasped. Basil was pushing himself upward now and had grabbed the oar he’d fallen on. Swinging her arm back, she used all her might to bring the wooden leg down on the head of the man attacking Ghost. But Basil lost balance and bent down unexpectedly, and she ended up sending her own, dear love back into the water with a hard smack on the forehead.
Ghost’s expression as he saw her wielding the wooden piece was the same look he had worn on the Charlotte, when he’d looked up to see her shoving the crate of apples down over him. Shocked, surprised, and, this time, betrayed, his eyes stayed locked on hers as he fell back under the surface of the water.
“Oh, dear God! Oh, my Ghost—I’ve killed him!” She screamed in horror as her husband sank beneath the murky surface. If he wasn’t dead from the injury she gave him, he would surely drown. Chloe started to dive into the water despite her inability to swim but felt herself grabbed from behind.
“Can’t have you drowning now, can we?” The sneer in Basil’s voice made her struggle even more. She used her fingernails to rake angry marks down the arm of his torn shirt.
His yelled curse was followed by hauling back his hand and slapping her hard across the face.
Chloe fell backwards, stunned, as a scraggly, wet figure stood up in the boat. A loud, primal scream from Woody rent the air. “He hit her!” he bellowed. Advancing on the villain, he started beating the devil out of the taller, heavier man. Basil had no time to do anything but put out his hands in self-defense, trying to shield his face.
Chloe managed to pull herself up and rushed to edge of the boat where Ghost was last seen. Tears were streaming; she could barely see as she peered into the dark waters. “Ghost…oh, Ghost,” she whispered.
A large hand clapped over hers suddenly on the side of the boat, and she screamed. Right before her, two heads surfaced. Gregory’s, she saw first. Then she saw him bring up Ghost’s beloved face above the water. “Oh, God,” she prayed. “Oh, God! Thank you! Captain—here!” She was laughing and crying at the same time as they brought her husband into the boat.
The rowboat was vastly overcrowded. Tiny was back up on the ship now, but everyone else was watching silently as their leader began to bring up mouthfuls of water, coughing with each breath. Woody, in the middle, was still punching Basil with his bony little fists. Finally, Basil put up his hands to guard his face in the rowboat.
The sound of a wail made her look up. Woody had dispatched his opponent with a hard right cross, and the man disappeared the way of Nigel.
The sound of Ghost’s voice caught Chloe’s attention, between coughing. “Chloe? Where is that little brat?” he said in a blazing voice.
She stood, ruefully meeting his eyes for a moment, then reached up to touch his cheek. When he blinked, she feared he might pass out, and she gently brought her husband’s head onto her lap and examined his wound. Not too bad, she decided, but he would no doubt have a nasty knot and a bruise above his eyebrow.
Ghost’s cough, from her lap, brought her eyes down to his face.
“My love,” she said softly. “My dearest love.” A kiss to the growing knot on his forehead brought a groan from him.
Suddenly, he squinted up at her. “What happened?” he asked, his hand going up to finger the sore spot on his head. “Here I am, trying to save your neck, and you slugged me in the head with my own man’s wooden leg? Bloody hell, young woman!”
Chloe’s response was to lean down and kiss him again, on the lips, this time.
“Tsk tsk,” she said softly. “Language, Ghost.”
Chapter 17
Fitting the pieces together…
The crew was once again assembled on the dock. Ghost studied his crew as the medic came down to give him a report.
“I believe Asa will be all right, sir. There doesn’t seem to be anything vital injured, and I’ll take him to the clinic, myself, to see about him. Smiley’s wound is superficial. Head wounds bleed badly. He’ll heal before he regains his good nature.” He was grinning now. “You need to watch for signs of nausea or double vision. That’s quite a shiner she gave you. And everyone else is all right. The bodies of Nigel and Basil will be taken the clinic, as well. The doc will have to notify families, if there are any.”
“Do whatever Asa needs,” Ghost answered. “I’ll take responsibility for his care, and we’ll stop by before we leave Liverpool.” He watched, frowning, as they put his old friend into the baron’s carriage, promising to bring it back. The baron had protested, at first, but eventually conceded. Gregory had listened to his father-in-law’s confession, from start to finish.
They had stayed on the dock until almost sundown. Finally, Ghost turned to them. He’d put Chloe into the carriage and refused to allow her to get out, although he did allow the door to be open so she could hear what was going on.
“So, everyone is accounted for, gentlemen? I don’t know about you, but we’re all wet and cold, and the sooner we get back to Hartwycke for some hot food and hot tea, the better off we’ll be. Carlson, Smythe, you two are welcome to come. I must admit I’m in need of the information you possess, and so is my wife.”
“My father-in-law will want to go back to York, I believe.”
The baron’s face fell. “I completely understand y
our feelings. As soon as I’m in possession of my carriage and we take the others back to the ship, I believe I shall take my leave. After a night’s rest in a hotel, I shall return to my wife and my home. Gregory knows all; I have told him. I can only say I’m sorry for the problems I’ve caused and bid you good day.”
Everyone stared toward the baron, and he looked away. His face, when he moved into the carriage, was full of sadness. “Please give your wife my deepest apologies, sir,” he said to Ghost, before turning away.
Ghost watched him but only nodded. When the baron turned his back and moved away from him, he looked back to the crew surrounding him. They were awaiting orders .
“Captain? Further orders?”
Ghost nodded. “It’s a wonderful sight to have you all here around me and to know you will all recover. My orders? Rest, my friends, for a few days. Remain at ready. I want to make sure Asa’s completely recovered before we leave, but we’ll make our journey soon. Use the supplies as you need. They’ll be replenished before we leave. This time, it won’t be an escape. It’ll be a complete merchant voyage to the Carolinas.”
Chloe’s excited voice joined the cheers of the men who stood behind him. When he turned to look down, she had gotten out of the coach and stood with her arms as far around him as she could reach. He lifted her off her feet and into his arms.
Tiny stood at his elbow when he turned toward the carriage, and Ghost saw, for the first time, the horses of the Davies brothers behind him.
“The beasts of the dead men, Ghost,” Tiny said quietly. “They wish to know what they’re to do now.”
Ghost looked at the horses, whose owners were now dead. They were nearly as scrawny as Woody, only from neglect and poor feeding. He leaned toward Tiny, grinning. “Tell them if they want to be well fed and well-cared for, they can come home with us. You’ll see to that.”
Chloe was grinning up at him as they watched Tiny turn to the horses.
A moment later, he turned back. “Right agreeable, they be. They’ll follow.”
Gregory and Carlson glanced toward each other as they got into the coach. Ghost and Chloe approached the carriage before they closed the door.
“You might think he’s crazy, but we don’t,” Chloe said with a giggle. “Just watch. If they told Tiny they’ll follow behind, that’s exactly what they’ll do.”
Gregory chuckled. “We’ll follow you.”
Ghost nodded. He guided Chloe to the coach where Tiny and Chubs sat topside and put her inside with a hard smack to her bottom. When her eyes grew wide and she rubbed the spot, he raised a brow and gave her a look of warning. “That, young lady, was for getting out of the coach without permission. Did you think I’d forget?”
“Ow,” was all she said.
Only three coaches made the trip back to Hartwycke this time, all at a leisurely pace. Chloe kept peeking out the window to look back and see how the horses bringing up the rear of the procession were doing and reporting to her husband. She kept watch on him, as well. He gave an occasional cough, but other than that, he seemed as fit as ever. The moon had come out, and there was almost light enough to read by. Tiny kept an eye out for the horses, which stayed behind. He had fed and watered them before leaving, and their pace indicated they were full of vigor.
As soon as they reached home, Chubs scrambled down off the coach and ran to the door. Straightening his eye-patch and his waistcoat, he stood up straight and cleared his throat as Chloe and Ezra approached. Chubs looked toward him as if needing permission to announce, and Ezra grinned.
“Right,” he said. “Put them in the drawing room, please, Chubs, and I’ll call for Gates.”
“Announcing the Honorable Mr. Ghost,” he called loudly. “And Lady Ghost.” With a bow, he held out his arm and brought Chloe to the door of the drawing room.
She immediately decided she would run upstairs to freshen up, but before she left the door of the room, she peeked inside. The vicar was in the same chair they’d left him in earlier, when he’d passed out, with Purr curled up on his head. The cat opened one eye, acknowledging Chloe, and closed it again.
“Announcing the Honorable Captain Smythe,” Chubs said proudly, behind her.
Althea put her head around the corner, two seconds later, from the kitchen.
“No,” she said.
Chubs stared at her blankly, his mouth determined. “Ghost said I could,” he declared.
Chloe heard Althea muttering under her breath as she disappeared around the corner, and she chuckled, hurrying up the stairs.
Another moment passed before his voice was heard again. “Announcing the Honorable Mr. Emery Carlson.”
Upstairs, Chloe giggled. Chubs was in his element now. She had reached her bedroom and lit the lamp, looking around her. It appeared different. The washstand was empty. She stood, staring at its bleakness. It seemed totally unwelcoming now.
Suddenly, the realization that this was not her room any longer dawned. She would be in Ghost’s room now. She caught sight of herself in the mirror of the vanity and began to smile.
You are Mrs. Ezra Miller now, said a little voice inside her head. “You belong downstairs with him. You belong here, at Hartwycke.”
You belong…
Tears of joy began to creep down her cheeks, and a wide smile made its way across her lips. She turned, closing the door softly behind her.
She’d reached the ground floor again, when Chubs announced Smiley’s name. Half expecting the cook to grouse in return, she was surprised. Smiley only shook his head and passed him, limping slightly. But when Chubs clicked his heels together and announced, “Bob,” the gardener leaned forward and glared into his only remaining eye.
“If ye fancy keepin’ the one ye got left, Chubs, do it right. Name’s “Woody.”
Another click, and a crisp announcement of, “The Honorable Mr. Woody.” Chubs leaned forward and peeked out the door. “Where’s Tiny?”
“Settlin’ in the horses,” Smiley answered. “I’ll be back in a might—going to see what’s in the kitchen to fix for a meal, since Althea can’t cook worth a damn.”
Chloe moved down the hallway, realizing she was unsure exactly which room belonged to her husband. But she found it and crept in quietly, grinning when she saw a set of her jeweled combs on one side of the bedside tables. She approached the mirror and quickly put them in, straightening her gown. It was still damp from the sloshing of the boat in Liverpool, but it would have to do. She closed the door with a click and went back down the hallway toward the drawing room.
The fire was blazing, and she moved over to stand next to it, rubbing her hands together. She watched as Ghost entered the room, a moment later, and smiled at her handsome husband as he looked over the room. Purr opened one eye and glanced around, pausing to rest her gaze on both Carlson and then Gregory. As if she remembered him, she hopped off the vicar’s head and pranced across the room, jumping into Gregory’s lap.
Making the pieces fit…
Ghost watched as the feline claimed the captain’s lap and chuckled. “You’re officially welcomed, Captain. The cat likes you. That’s more than she does me.”
But as if Purr understood exactly what he’d said, she jumped from the captain’s lap into Ghost’s. Master of the house and cat eyed each other warily, until, finally, Purr curled up in his lap and closed her eyes.
Chloe giggled from the hearth, watching them.
“Man and beast have, at last, decided to make peace,” she said softly.
At the sound of her voice, her husband looked up and crooked a finger at her. She went immediately to him.
“Sit, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her into his lap. Purr, unhappy at having to move, crawled into Chloe’s lap and relaxed.
Tiny and Chubs were seated now, and Althea brought in the tray of tea and scones.
“Who are we missing?” Tiny reached over and took two from the tray.
“Gates. We’ll wait,” Ghost said emphatically.
“Here, sir
,” said a voice. Gates was in the doorway.
Chubs flew to his feet. “Announcing the Honorable Mr. Gates,” he said.
Althea gave him a withering glance. “Chubs? Sit down and be quiet.”
First, he gave her a smug glare and then smiled. Everyone was announced now.
Gates brought two chairs from the dining room—one for Althea, one for himself. A moment later, everyone was seated in a circle, waiting.
Ghost looked around the room. “Now, gentlemen. And ladies. I wish to know what’s going on here. Captain Smythe? Would you like to begin?”
“Ah, I would, Miller, but the one who knows more about this than anyone is Carlson.”
Carlson stood and took out the portfolio no one had even noticed him bringing until now.
“Gentleman,” he said, then turned graciously toward Chloe and Althea. “Ladies, I’ll take it from the beginning. My company received notice from our investigator in London, regarding the will of a Mr. Sean Cates. When he brought his wife, Chloe, and the rest of the children to England to evade the dangers in France, Mr. Cates made his will. A small part of it was in the form of an insurance policy that he had taken out. The majority of it was put into a trust for Chloe and entrusted to his solicitor in London until such time as she turned eighteen.”
Ghost looked down into the wide eyes of his wife. Obviously, she was unaware of any of this.
Carlson nodded. “The solicitor was seeking to find your whereabouts, Mrs. Miller, when Mr. Cates passed away. We’ve been looking for you for…” He looked down at his paper. “Three years. It seems that Mrs. Cates tried several different things. She hired another girl to come into the home and pretend to be you. The solicitor became wise to that one. He contacted the insurance company, since the policy was large. He visited her multiple times. One report here says that she declared you as a runaway. She kept pressing to find out who the beneficiaries were, if you couldn’t be located. The next time,” he scanned the document in front of him, “she said you had tried to harm the children and she had to throw you out.” He paused when he saw the wounded look on Chloe’s face. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Miller. However, you need to be aware of this so you know what kind of woman she is.”
Conquered by the Ghost (The Conquered Book 3) Page 17
