Emerson snapped, “Is this a joke to you, woman?”
“No, of course not.”
He stormed away from her only to storm back. “You can be hanged.” He paced some more and stopped short. “The Whitmores need to know about this at once.”
She grabbed for his sleeve. “Please, Emerson, don’t do anything rash.”
“There are children involved here.” He glared.
Alice’s jaw dropped. “I would never bring harm to those children. You know that.”
“I know nothing anymore.” Emerson jerked his arm from her grasp.
Alice reached for him again. She had to get him to see past the anger. “Please, Emerson. You have every right to be upset, but you need to understand.” She took a deep breath. “A series of unfortunate circumstances threw me into that life. I did what I did to survive. But it’s in the past,” she reiterated. “I’m no threat to Brighton or Rebecca, I swear to you. It’s over.”
“You’re in love with a pirate. It’s hardly over.”
Alice heard the hurt over the anger. She shook her head. “He’s thousands of miles away. He doesn’t want me.”
He looked into her eyes. “But you want him.”
“Moot point.”
“Hardly.” He pulled away, but his anger had begun to cool.
“Emerson, whether or not I want him has nothing do to with my life here, now. It has to do with being honest—with you—about any hope of a future as your wife.”
He snorted. “Oh, I don’t think there’s any question as to that now.”
“Good. You’re a fine man, and you can provide a wonderful life for some lucky woman. It just can’t be me.”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Obviously.”
The quiet of the night surrounded them. She wished she could read his mind. He still controlled the ax hanging above her head. Given his hurt and anger, and his hatred of pirates, Alice was ready for him to pull a rope from his back pocket and hang her right there. “What are you going to do?”
Emerson heaved a heavy sigh. “By law, I’m obligated to bring you before the town governors. Carlton and Isabelle must be told. I couldn’t possibly keep this from them. Perhaps when you explain the ‘series of unfortunate circumstances,’ they and the law will be lenient.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and dropped her chin. The fuse had been lit. Whatever happened now was out of her control. “And perhaps, I’ll hang as a pirate.”
He shook his head sadly. “You never signed the Articles. A good solicitor could argue you were held against your will.”
“I won’t lie about what I’ve done. I need to face whatever consequences that brings.” Alice straightened her shoulders. “Do what you believe is right. I can’t change what’s happened and I won’t blame you for what’s to come. I’m glad you know the truth. And don’t worry, I won’t prey upon your fondness for me. I’d never ask you to compromise your integrity.” She gave him a small smile. “You are a decent man, Emerson. Had I been a better woman….” She shrugged.
Emerson looked toward the house before meeting her eye. “The hour is late. Perhaps my integrity can wait until morning.”
He stepped closer, lifted her chin with his finger, and placed a soft chaise kiss upon her lips. “I was correct about one thing, Alice Tupper. You are fascinating and one of the strongest women I have ever met.” He took a deep breath and stepped away. “Come, I’ll walk you back.”
“If you don’t mind, just a few more minutes? After tomorrow, it may be a long time before I stand in such a beautiful garden. I won’t linger too long. I promise.”
Emerson hesitated, but then nodded. “I’ll see you at first light.”
Alice watched him leave, then closed her eyes to the quiet of the garden. She rubbed at the tightness at the back of her neck, but when she envisioned the knot of the noose snapping her spine like a twig, she wrung her hands as she walked in a small, tight circle, unsure of which direction to run.
Good God, this was it. She was going to die. There was no way Emerson or Carlton would let her walk free. Come morning, she’d be arrested. Thrown into some prison. Put on trial for treason against the Crown and piracy. Hung.
Alice walked deeper into the garden, lifting her hems as she turned and headed back. She’d seen the gibbons along the docks where they put the tarred bodies of pirates to serve as a warning to others. Putrid corpses left to bloat and rot in the sun. Alice covered her mouth as bile rose in her throat. As hideous as the possibilities of a gruesome end, a tiny part of Alice was at peace with what was to come.
This chapter had been coming since she pulled a cutlass from a scabbard and planted it in a duke’s neck. She was no innocent victim. She was a pirate, but she’d been a murderer first. It was time to pay the price for her sins. She’d run as far and as fast as she could, but there was almost a relief in being caught. It was a crazy feeling, but there it was. Liberation. No more running. No lies. No regrets.
Shouldn’t she be more afraid? Maybe she was insane. A sane person would be pleading for her life. Begging for mercy. Not pacing in a garden calmly accepting her fate.
Her thoughts turned toward the children. Poor Rebecca and Brighton. She prayed they would understand. Would Carlton and Isabelle even tell them what’s happening? Would they let her say good-bye? Perhaps they’d lie and tell them she’d been called back to Engl—
A hand reached out of the darkness and clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream as an arm wrapped about her and hauled her backwards against a solid wall of chest. Alice flailed, scratching at the hand on her mouth, bringing her elbow back to deliver a sharp blow to the man’s ribs. The wind rushed from her attacker’s lungs.
With her elbow planted, she swung her fist straight down to deliver a punishing blow to the man’s groin, but he shifted enough to deflect the punch.
“Blood hell, Alice. It’s me,” he hissed.
Alice spun about. Adrenaline pumped through her body. She pounded him on his chest with her fists. “Gavin? What are you doing? Oh, God, it’s really you.” She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. His clothing was damp. Had he stood here through the rain? “Oh, God, you have to leave. You can’t be here.” She looked frantically back at the garden path. “If they catch you—”
“Alice, stop.” He gripped her arms.
“You don’t understand. You’re in terrible danger.”
“Alice,” he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, “could you stop talking for a second and kiss me?”
He didn’t wait for an answer. His mouth claimed hers. One arm slid higher pinning her to his chest as he persuaded her lips to part under the insistence of his tongue.
Alice was lost to the long, deep, ground-shattering kiss. Her heart pounded. She clung to his shoulders as her legs weakened. Gavin’s arms tightened around her. When the kiss came to a breathless end, he continued to hold her tight to him. His breathing labored, Alice could feel his heart keeping time with her own.
Sanity returned. She pulled back. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
He cupped her cheek and lowered his mouth again. “Isn’t it obvious?”
She stopped him, taking a step back. “You risked your life to come kiss me?”
“It was one hell of a kiss.” His gaze traveled down the length of her. “Were you always so incredibly beautiful?” Gavin reached out to tease a loose curl of her hair before tracing a fingertip along her ear.
“Not always.” His simple touch was making her thighs shake. “Stop, Gavin. Why are you here?”
“I came back for you.” He tipped his chin toward the house. “And by the looks of it, I arrived just in time.”
Alice reached out to touch his face. His lips. Her brain was having trouble registering what her eyes were seeing. “How much did you hear?”
“Every word.”
“Then you heard how much danger you’re in. British—wait, you came back for me?”
/> “Aye, I couldn’t stand another second without you. Only danger that worries me is not having you again. Spent weeks trying to forget you. Trying to find a way to live without you. I couldn’t. I miss you. Everyone misses you. Crew’s sick of my foul mood. MacTavish threatened to maroon my sorry arse. ’Course he’s laid money on the fact I won’t be able to convince you to come back.” He stroked her cheek. “I need you. Bump needs you. Boy’s been miserable.”
“But you said—”
“Forget what I said, I was a bloody bastard. I’m not leaving without you so you can save all the arguing for when we’re back aboard. Sail away with me, Alice. Tonight. Now.”
Her mind was a jumbled mess. Did this mean he loved her? If he heard every word between her and Emerson, he heard her declaration. Hell, she’d said it three damn times. Was he here to get her for Bump or himself? When she hesitated, he threatened, “I’m prepared to toss you over my shoulder.”
Suddenly, it didn’t matter what his motivation was. He was asking her to go with him. Be a part of his life, whatever that happened to look like. “Wait here. I’ll go change.”
Gavin smiled in the dark. From inside his coat, he pulled a small bundle. “You’ll travel faster in britches. Robbins says you’ll owe him.” Running a finger along the wide neckline of her gown, he added, “But I like this a lot, too. Bring it along.”
Whispering, alone in the dark, with his fingertip skimming over the tops of her breasts, Alice began to shiver again. “It-it doesn’t belong to me.”
He fished two gold coins from his belt and pressed them in to her hand. “It does now. Pack the dress.”
His eyes sparkled as she slipped the coins into her bodice. She traced the smile on his face. “Don’t let anyone see you. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
“Hurry.”
Alice nodded and pushed him back into the deepest part of the shadows. Gavin pulled her in after him and kissed her near senseless again. “Hurry,” he whispered against her lips.
Her heart soared as she moved quickly back to the house. Before she entered, she slipped on the breeches beneath the skirts of her gown. There would be no explaining were she caught with them, but there was an odd comfort to wearing them again.
The lamps had been lowered, as most of the staff had already retired for the night. She didn’t run, although fear and excitement pressed at her. Should there be anyone awake, she would behave as if all was as it should be.
All the while, her mind sang. He’d come for her. There was a secret thrill that he was out there waiting in the dark shadows of the night to take her away. Save her. He hadn’t said. Had he come to love her?
“Alice.” Carlton Whitmore stood in the doorway of his study holding a large glass of brandy. Beyond, she could see Emerson Blake waiting within.
Chapter 29
Carlton Whitmore ushered her into the study and locked the door behind them. Cold fingers of panic ran along her spine. She had to get out of this room and warn Gavin. If she could think of a signal he would understand. Something. Think.
Alice met Emerson’s brooding stare. She glared at him. “First light has come early.”
“I couldn’t risk you fleeing into the night.” Emerson drained his glass. “Like a common criminal.”
“So much for your integrity.” Alice turned to Carlton. “Please forgive me, Carlton, I can—”
Carlton’s face was practically fuchsia. “How dare you?” he spat. “How dare you come into my house, sit at my table, care for my children? Did you think we wouldn’t discover who you are? What you are?” He screwed his face as if he’d tasted something spoiled. “A pirate? You’ve lied to us since the moment you arrived.”
She notched her chin. Anger lessened some of her fear. “You’re right. I lied. I spared you the truth about my journey here and what happened to me.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Did you really want to hear how the captain of the Pennington was shot through his neck at close range right in front of my eyes? Or how after the crew of the Delmar killed everyone in sight, the deck became so slippery with blood, I couldn’t stand?” She turned on Emerson. “How about having to fight off men who wanted to rape me? Do you want to hear that truth?”
Both men simply stared at her. Cold and unmoved. Oozing with judgmental arrogance “How would you like some more truth? The Delmar was carrying slaves. Your slaves. Half of them dead already. Stuffed into a hold like animals. Shackled to one another. The living attached to the dead. I watched a man die after the iron band around his leg cut straight through to the bone. That man’s death is on your hands.” Alice planted her hands on her hips. “Gavin Quinn is a lot of things, but he’s the only one who cares about protecting them. You want to live in your perfect world and believe you’re better than everyone else? You’re no better than I am. You’re certainly no better than him.”
Emerson mirrored her stance. “We are not going to debate the horrors of the slave trade with you. I treat my people well.”
“And that makes it right? Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep peacefully in your nice clean bed at night?” Alice calmed the racing of her breath. She could sense the walls of the trap closing in. She needed to compose herself, find a way out.
She turned back to Carlton. His face had gone from florid to ashen. Alice continued to plead her case. “I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve had to do, but I did them to survive. I came here to start a new life. Put it all behind me. I love those children. I love Isabelle. I have done nothing since I arrived to bring my past to this house, until tonight. Yes, I’m a pirate. If you have to bring me to justice, then I’ll face whatever is to come.”
Carlton rubbed a shaky hand over his jaw. “I certainly didn’t imagine it would come to this, but we have no choice. There are laws.”
“And I’m guilty.” She lowered herself into a chair.
Carlton and Emerson exchanged a look. The room breathed a silent pause. Emerson knelt before her for the second time tonight. The look he gave her spoke of heartbreak and sadness. “You’ve told me you love Gavin Quinn. As much as it hurts me, I have to accept your declaration for the man. But I can’t watch you dragged off to the gallows. It would kill me.” He looked stricken. “I know how hard this is, but, darling, if you have some information we could use, anything against Quinn. It might be enough to save you. Are you sure there’s nothing?”
Alice stared at her hands, fiddled with her ring, and chewed at her lip.
Emerson placed his hand over hers. “I beg you, tell us.”
She sighed and looked between the two men. “There may be something.”
* * * *
“What took you so long?” Gavin cupped her cheek and kissed her.
“I had a few loose ends to tie. I’ll explain later. We need to get out of here.”
“We haven’t much time.” He took her bundle, grasped her hand tight, and headed off into the night.
They didn’t speak as she followed his lead. The only whisper was their footsteps through the thick trees and brush, and the rush of their breathing. They’d been walking over an hour when Alice began to smell the salty tang of the ocean. They had to be close. Soon the brush seemed to part, and Gavin stopped.
Standing on the edge of the dunes, Alice could hear the waves as they broke upon the shore. With only a slight crescent to the moon, it was hard to see.
“Dammit,” he hissed.
“What is it?” She clutched at his arm.
“They’re gone.” He pulled a small scope out of his coat pocket and scanned the sea. “Damn.” He huffed out a breath. “They were spotted.”
“Gavin?”
“Thought the Royals might be a problem. They’ve push more patrols along this stretch. I left orders. If this spot wasn’t secure, we’d meet up with them farther down the coast.”
“The Royal Navy?”
“Aye. Come on. We need to be away before daybreak. After that, our chances of ge
tting away without a fight are slim.”
Alice grabbed at the fabric of his sleeve. “You’ve risked so much. If anything happens to you because of me….”
He turned in the dark and found her mouth, kissing her before laying a warm hand over hers. “Don’t worry. I know every cove and inlet along this coast. I won’t let anything happen. I’m not losing you again. Let’s go. If we’re to meet up with the Scarlet Night before dawn we have to be quick.”
Gavin kissed her once more before turning them back into the trees. Alice needed to run at times to keep up with his long-legged strides. He moved with little hesitation, certain of where he was headed even in the dark.
When he broke back through the tree line to stand at the edge of another cove, they were both out of breath. Alice bent at the waist, pressing a fist into the painful stitch at her side while she gasped for air. Gavin pulled his glass and tried to still his own breathing so he could hold it steady. Dawn was coming. The faint lightening of the sky told her they were running out of time.
Alice prayed they’d found the ship.
“There she is. We need to climb down to the water line and get their attention. Follow close and watch your footing.”
The high bluff surrounding the cove made for a slow descent, but soon Alice and Gavin stood upon the coarse sand. Gavin began gathering bits of driftwood and making a small pile. “Need a fire to signal for the skiff. With the rain earlier, the wood is damp. Hope we can get the blasted thing to light.”
Alice searched for dry grass and small sticks to use as kindling. When she returned, Gavin was crouched alongside working with a flint. He added what she’d gathered and got a spark to catch. Smoke became flame, and soon a tiny fire struggled to catch the larger pieces of wood.
“Son of a blind bitch. They’ll never see this.”
The sky was growing lighter by the second. Alice looked about in a panic for more dry wood, and then a thought struck her. “I know what they’ll see.”
“What are you thinking?”
Within a Captain's Treasure Page 21
