The Captain's Revenge

by Nadine Millard

  Her chin came up, her eyes sparked with fresh determination, and her delectable mouth hardened to a thin line.

  “I have considered all of that. I have considered everything. Things you haven’t even mentioned yet, as a matter of fact. And I’m still going.”

  Lucas sighed again, feeling as though he’d aged a decade during this bizarre meeting.

  In fact, he was surprised that his hair hadn’t turned full white when she’d talked about walking down to the docks to find a boat to sail on.

  That thought brought him up short.

  She’d bloody do it, too.

  Stupid as it was, and she was by no means unintelligent, if she really wanted to leave, she would find a way.

  His blood froze in his veins as he thought about what could happen to her alone on board a ship full of men, many of whom had no compunction about taking what they wanted.

  Even imagining it made him feel sick, while at the same time filling him with a sort of visceral rage.

  He would kill any man who put his hands on her, he knew. And he also knew how foolish that was. It wasn’t his job to protect her. It never had been, as it had turned out.

  Lucas needed to set her straight, lest she try to carry out some stupid plan.

  “No captain at this dock will give you passage on his ship, Anna,” he warned.

  She frowned, and he tried not to be charmed by the crease in her forehead.

  “You do not own every ship here, Lucas.”

  “No, I do not. But I do know every ship here, and their captains. And trust me, they will not give you passage.”

  She huffed out a breath and muttered something that would have sounded at home amongst the sailors he hired.

  He bit back a grin at her choice words. Now was not the time to find her amusing or adorable or any of the other nonsensical feelings she was rousing inside him.

  “You cannot know that, you arrogant, overbearing—”

  “I do know,” he responded cheerfully, starting to quite enjoy himself.

  “How?” she cried, sounding thoroughly put out.

  “Because, my dear…” He stepped closer to her, all the better to loom over her and hopefully intimidate some sense into her. “They know me. So, I will tell them not to endanger your life by helping you in this hair-brained scheme, and they won’t do it.”

  “And wh-why is that?” she asked, sounding breathless suddenly, her eyes wide and filled with a desire that set his blood alight and shocked him to his core. Could it be that the great Anna Grant still felt something for him, even something as unemotional as mere lust?

  All of a sudden, he was no longer angry. He was desperate to taste her. All other thoughts were very nearly forgotten.

  “Because, Anna,” he continued, hearing the coarse desire in his tone, unable to do anything about it, “I will make sure they know that if any danger befalls you, because you’ve been assisted by one of them, I’ll tear them limb from limb and destroy their business in the process.”

  Lucas knew he’d finally gotten through to her by the widening of her eyes and the way she bit her lip, making his knees damn near buckle.

  He didn’t know what he expected after he’d made his opinion on her idea very clear, tears perhaps, screeching and wailing as her sex was wont to do.

  What he didn’t expect was that she would remain silent for just long enough to make him nervous, before smiling and dropping her hands from their combative stance.

  “Fine. I understand. Thank you for your time, Lucas. I hope you have a pleasant journey.”

  Lucas blinked in surprise at the sudden and unexpected change in her.

  That was it? She was giving up?

  He doubted it.

  “Anna, do not do anything foolhardy,” he warned grimly.

  “I shan’t,” she exclaimed. “You are correct. It was madness to think I should do such a thing. I wouldn’t survive weeks on end with only uneducated sailors for company. No offense.”

  Lucas tried to steel himself against the familiar hurt.

  Would he never learn?

  She was always going to think such things. She was always going to be a snob who looked down on him, even after he’d clawed his way to respectability.

  Why couldn’t he stop himself caring about her? About her opinion of him? About what she had done to him?

  Damn it all.

  Holding on to his temper, his reason by a thread, Lucas managed a tight smile and a small bow.

  He kept his countenance, but only just.

  “A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Grant,” he said stiffly.

  Anna’s smile was enigmatic, and Lucas couldn’t shake the feeling that she was up to something. But she wasn’t his problem anymore, so he ignored it.

  “I’m quite sure that isn’t true, Captain Townsend. But I appreciate the words, nonetheless.”

  She left without another word, sweeping from the room without a backwards glance.

  He would never see her again.

  And that was a good thing.

  He pined for the Anna he’d known. But she didn’t exist anymore. Perhaps she never had.

  ANNA ENTERED THE carriage and sat back with a heavy sigh.

  She hated that she’d had to treat Lucas in that fashion. She had acted like the sort of woman he had accused her of being.

  Nothing could be further from the truth, and she had wanted quite desperately to throw herself into his arms, make him see that she didn’t care about the difference in their stations, had never cared.

  But Lucas would not help her. And she fully believed him when he said he would stop everyone else from helping her, too.

  Besides which, she wasn’t an idiot. She knew the risks involved in being a lone woman surrounded by men of the sea.

  That was why she would never really consider travelling with anyone other than Lucas, who would protect her.

  But if she had continued to argue, or insisted on speaking to other captains at the dock, he would have been watching her so closely there would be no opportunity to do what she needed to do.

  Though her heart was hammering at the idea of such a daring move, Anna couldn’t help a thrill of excitement running through her.

  Who would have thought, even mere weeks ago, that she would be planning to be a stowaway on the ship of the man who was once the love of her life and was now an enemy of sorts?

  Lucas would be furious, she knew.

  But unless he planned to toss her into the middle of the ocean, by the time he found her there would be very little he could do about it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ANNA WAS EXTREMELY close to losing her nerve and giving up.

  It was cold. No, not cold. Freezing.

  The summer was fast coming to a close, and nowhere made that more abundantly clear than the docks in the middle of the night.

  How Evelyn and Gabrielle had carried out this nonsense on a regular basis was beyond her.

  What she wouldn’t give now for her beautiful, mahogany four poster and goose-feather pillows.

  Or even better, her woollen winter cloak and one of her heavy winter gowns that she’d never truly appreciated.

  The breeches that she’d borrowed, well, stolen really, from one of the stable hands weren’t terribly warm, though she had to admit to a certain level of comfort in them. And they weren’t restrictive at all, which was wonderful.

  The linen shirt, however, had no redeeming qualities to her mind. And the thin-as-paper, brown coat was terribly scratchy.

  When she got home, she would ensure that her entire staff was better clothed.

  The thought brought Anna up short.

  She wouldn’t be going home. She would be gone for God knew how long. And even when she returned, her house would be sold. She would be a visitor.

  The thought, along with her uncomfortable position crouched behind a pile of sacks whose contents she didn’t even want to know, based on the stench emanating from them, and the unforgiving cold that seeped into
her very bones were very nearly enough to send her home with her tail between her legs.

  But she had come this far.

  And she had agonised for hours and hours making this decision, so she wasn’t about to back out now.

  She had a small bag stuffed with coin, two gowns, a shawl, a nightrail, and as many undergarments, accessories, and stockings as she could stuff inside.

  She would likely look like a vagrant by the time they arrived at their destination. Having pored over shipping books and documents last night, she knew their journey would easily take four months.

  Four months alone aboard a ship full of men.

  The idea caused her to gulp back the sudden lump in her throat.

  But all would be well. Lucas would take care of her.

  But why would he? An irritating little voice in her head questioned. You’ve been so cruel to him. So cold. Why would he want to help you?

  Anna shook her head, refusing to allow her nerves to take hold. He would because he was Lucas. And as ill as he had used her those years ago, all evidence pointed to him still having a good moral compass. He wouldn’t allow any harm befall a woman in his presence. Even if he hated her.

  The sound of a shout rent the air, and it seemed that all at once the place was beginning to come to life.

  Anna’s heart began to hammer.

  Her plan was both ludicrous and extremely risky, she knew.

  She had triple checked to make sure the ship she was about to sneak onto was Lucas’.

  Her disguise of the stable hand’s clothing and a far-too-big hat covering her face wasn’t exactly sophisticated, but it was the best she could do in a short space of time, and she was hoping against hope that it was enough to allow her to slip onto the boat without raising any suspicions.

  Once aboard, she would find a corner to hide in until they were far enough away from London for her to come out and suffer Lucas’ wrath.

  Anna knew absolutely nothing about ships. Literally nothing. She never frequented the docks, and sailing held no interest for her.

  The only time she’d ever paid attention to discussions about sailing were when someone was talking about the activities of the Royal Navy during the war. Then, she had perked her ears and listened desperately for any mention of Captain Townsend, or desperately scanned the papers for a mention of his name.

  There had been several mentions as the years had gone on — all glowing reports and hero-worshipping.

  Given that most of her knowledge had come from gossiping members of the ton, it hadn’t been terribly informative about the workings of a merchant ship. But still, it couldn’t be that difficult to find a space to squeeze herself into, could it?

  Anna poked her head up to watch the goings on.

  The docks were slowly filling up with people, men carrying things on their shoulders, shouting greetings, instructions and profanities at each other as they went. It was daunting, but a thrill of excitement shot through her nonetheless.

  What an adventure she would have. How her life would change! Finally, she would be free. And happy! Anna couldn’t remember what true happiness felt like, but she was looking forward to finding out.

  Anna realised that she would have to make a dash onto the boat soon, before it became even busier.

  Taking a huge gulp of rather less-than-fresh air, she gripped her small valise and with a silent prayer for strength and a bit of luck, she made her move.

  There would be no going back now.

  LUCAS ALIGHTED FROM the carriage and heaved a sigh.

  It was harder leaving than he had anticipated.

  No doubt because of the five-feet-something, blonde nuisance who had plagued his dreams last night.

  That and the fact that he’d been paid a not entirely welcome visit from Richard Lloyd last night.

  Lloyd had been Lucas’ contact in the Home Office for some years now, ever since he’d been asked to work for the Crown.

  Lloyd had been the one who had sent Lucas to Paris, where Lucas had saved Gabrielle Dumas’ life.

  A twist of fate that had brought Anna Spencer back into his life with a crash.

  Lucas had thought he’d made it clear to the Home Office, and to Lloyd, that when he retired from the Navy, he was also retiring from his work as a spy.

  Lloyd, it seemed, had chosen to ignore him.

  And so it was that instead of preparing himself for the biggest journey of his life, he’d been torn between trying not to think about Anna and trying but failing to refuse Lloyd’s mission.

  When it became apparent that the man wouldn’t budge, Lucas had resigned himself and poured them both a drink.

  It seemed that a former officer had gone rogue and was, much to Lucas’ disgust, engaging in several illegal activities, amongst them robbing His Majesty’s fleets as often as possible, stealing from merchant ships and, worst of all, slave trading along the clipper route that he was about to sail.

  The Home Office was fairly certain that one of the Caribbean Islands was a trading post for the cad. Worse though, was that he seemed to be using England as a stop gap to import and export goods he stole, sending them on to the Americas from their own shores.

  The problem was that though they had their suspicions about the man’s identity, they couldn’t say for sure who he was, and they had a significant lack of evidence that pointed to any one person.

  Even worse, he didn’t seem to captain his own ship. He jumped from crew to crew, orchestrating his trade through means that weren’t known to them yet.

  He was clever and not to be underestimated.

  “All we’re asking,” Lloyd had said in his deep, even tone, “is that you keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear anything of interest on your travels, you let us know. It really is that simple.”

  Lucas had been so looking forward to a life free from intrigue and mystery, but his sense of justice led him to accept the other man’s request.

  It wouldn’t be difficult to ask a few subtle questions and, apart from anything else, it would help to distract him from the ever-present ghost of Anna Spencer.

  Lloyd had left shortly thereafter, and Lucas had spent the rest of the evening ignoring the niggling thought that the delectable Mrs. Grant was going to do something foolish.

  This morning, however, with the sun just beginning to rise over the water, Lucas felt much more positive.

  Over the years, he had watched Anna whenever he’d been in her presence, and kept up to date about her life as much as he could, even though it tortured him to do so. And by all accounts, she was a staid and proper Society wife, now widow.

  She certainly wasn’t the type to hie off on some madcap adventure, much as she tried to convince him otherwise yesterday.

  The thought gave him some comfort.

  Anna wouldn’t be troubling him again.

  And when he got to Barbados, he would even find a nice girl to marry — the daughter of a local expatriate, for example. Someone quiet and kind and dark-haired. With blue eyes. The absolute opposite of the woman who had driven him to the brink of sanity.

  The crew of his ship had things well under way by the time Lucas stepped onto the gangplank.

  His blood sang with the excitement of a new adventure.

  No matter how bad things had been for him in the past, the ocean always gave him a sense of peace. A sense of belonging.

  The sea was a tough, sometimes cruel mistress. But she never failed to bring him joy in some way or another.

  Climbing aboard the schooner, Lucas was met immediately by his first mate.

  “Good morning, Captain.”

  “Good morning, Bryant,” Lucas answered, running an expert eye over the bustle on deck. “Everything in order?”

  “Indeed, Captain,” the older man answered. “We should be ready to set sail in an hour or two.”

  “Excellent. I shall be below deck until then.”

  After shaking the other man’s hand, Lucas made his way to his cabin where he knew his steward
would have a fresh pot of coffee awaiting him.

  He wanted to get settled in then return to deck for their departure.

  Lucas knew he had put together an exceptional crew. Bryant would be able to sail this ship safely without any input from his captain. But the sea was Lucas’ home, and sailing was all he knew now. So he wanted to be as involved as he always was.

  And this could very well be his last sailing, too, since he had decided to put down roots in the West Indies and fill a nursery. He certainly wouldn’t be sailing the high seas and leaving his family behind.

  The thought of being married to just one woman wasn’t terribly appealing, he had to admit.

  He would never be unfaithful to a wife, but he had never found someone who held his attention, someone with whom he would happily spend every day for the rest of his life. Not since—

  A knock on the door saved him from that unwelcome thought.

  “Good morning, Captain.”

  “Sanderson. Nice to see you,” Lucas greeted his steward.

  He knew his friendliness with his crew was unorthodox, but to his mind, showing respect and kindness to the men who were working to keep them all alive and safe was only natural.

  Besides which, Lucas’ tale was an unusual one, coming from nothing and working his way to a position of respect.

  He knew what it was to be considered less than another man, and he would be damned if he would treat people that way.

  “Nice clear sky, Captain,” Sanderson said as he made his way to Lucas’ desk carrying a tray with coffee and scones.

  “Should make for smooth sailing,” Lucas confirmed, glancing out the porthole.

  With the rising sun, the sky was indeed lightening to a pale blue. It would be calm until they reached the open sea, and even then he didn’t predict any inclement weather would hinder their sailing time. Not today at any rate.

  “Will there be anything else, Captain?”

  “No, thank you. Not just yet.”

  Sanderson slipped back out the door and shut it gently behind him.

  Lucas poured himself a cup of coffee, hoping the dark liquid would lend him some much-needed energy. He hadn’t slept a wink last night between one thing and the other, and he would need his wits about him for this journey.