He slumped down to his knees, his arms hanging loose by his sides, then toppled forward with a heavy thud, dead before his face smashed onto the floor.
Justin lowered the pistol slowly. Smoke was billowing up the staircase thickly now, rolling over the prone body, covering it in pale cloud. He remembered his orders to Bartholomew East, to cause a diversion, and realized his crewman must have started a fire to send the guests scattering in panic.
He was still holding the gun. He opened his fingers and simply let it drop, then put an arm around China and drew her tightly against him.
"We need to get out of here. Now. Tina? Did you hear me? We have to leave."
Tina was on her knees beside her mother. Her hands were clamped over her mouth, her upper body was swaying back and forth, her face was bathed in tears. At the sound of Justin's voice, she looked up. "I cannot leave her here, like this."
"Her pain is over," Justin said bluntly. "Ours will just begin if we're caught here when the fire spreads. Now up you get, girl. Help me with China."
Tina looked as though she was going to object again, but coughed instead as the first fingers of smoke curled across her mother's body. Justin reached down and pulled her to her feet, then led both women quickly to the servant's stairwell. When they arrived in the kitchen, Ted Bates stood up from a corner stool and dropped the joint of mutton he'd been chewing on.
"What the devil?..." Justin calmly regarded the two dozen servants huddled into the pantry under the watchful eye of the blunderbuss.
"They just kept comin' in." Bates shrugged and wiped greasy fingers on his vest. "Bart poked his gnarly head in too, cussing like brimstone. Said he started a diversion an' if you weren't out in five minutes he'd be back with guns blazing."
"Let us not test his patience then," Justin said and headed for the rear door. Bates raised an eyebrow when Tina followed, but he quickly returned his attention to the cowering servants.
"I thank you folks for the hospitality. The mutton was right tasty, though the quail was a bit tough. I'll bid you all a good evening now and suggest you get your arses out of here before the beef isn't the only thing overcooked."
Out in the courtyard, East was waiting with the horses. Justin handed China up into his burly care then helped lift Tina up onto Bates's horse behind him. With glass windows shattering and flames starting to lick up the outer walls of Braydon Hall, they spurred the horses into a fast gallop across the lawns, weaving in and around the fleeing wedding guests. They paused only long enough to collect the other two crewmen, then made haste along the moon-washed road to Portsmouth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The first thing they discovered was that the roads leading to the harbor were blocked by the King's men and the docks were being watched by Ranulf's hired thugs. The Boars Head Inn was unapproachable. The Reunion, though she still sat at anchor out in the harbor, could as well have been a thousand miles away.
Justin found another tavern, small and grotty, stinking of stale bodies and rotten fish. He paid two shillings to rent a room for some privacy, where China was finally able to relate the events of the day. Justin listened with few interruptions. He was seated by her side on the moldy, straw-filled mattress while Bates carefully bound her ankle. Her cuts and scrapes were gently cleaned in a wash of diluted rum, which stung like hell itself but had, from shipboard experience, healed wounds faster and prevented suppurations.
A huge platter of food was ordered and she was forced to eat, though she had no appetite. In the end, she would only do so if Justin sat still long enough for Bates to wash and change the bandages on his forearm.
"Will we be able to leave Portsmouth?" China asked, nibbling on the tiniest crust of bread. "Will we be able to get away from Ranulf and his men?"
"We shall do our best," Justin replied grimly.
China's beautiful, ruined wedding gown had been replaced with rough canvas trousers and a common sailor's shirt. Tina had brushed her hair out of the be-ribboned ringlets and plaited it into a single, thick black rope down her back. She looked no larger or older than a cabin boy as she perched on the edge of the bed and more than once, as the rum mixture stung her into an involuntary whimper, had to fight hard to control a violent surge of anger.
"He cannot possibly have every road blocked," she ventured.
"It matters little to me if he does. I intent to leave Portsmouth the way I came in." Justin tested the firmness of the bandaging and nodded his head at Bates, who then switched his attention to picking the locks on the iron bands that were still around his captain's wrists and ankles. "I intend to sail out of here on board the Reunion."
"The Reunion? But how?"
Justin smiled faintly. "Well, I could go into a long explanation of how one unfurls the sails and how they catch hold of the wind to make the ship move forward,
but--" he caught a glimpse of her narrowed eyes-- "suffice it to say I was never a man given to turning tail and running. Neither are any of my crew."
"You don't have a crew," she reminded him softly. "You have four men and two women."
"If I whisper a few words in the right ears, my crew will come together within the hour."
"But you are hurt," she said softly. "Why must you do anything tonight? If you wait a day or two and rest..."
"Ran is a planner, a man who thrives on order. Right now he is off balance from the blow you delivered him this afternoon...that I am Jason Savage, his nemesis for the past ten years. He will be strutting around and waving his walking stick; he won't be thinking clearly enough to cover all of his exposed sides. If I wait until tomorrow, he'll be back on his feet and ready for me. Believe me, I do not underestimate Ran. By tomorrow I would not have a chance of taking back my ship."
"What if you are wrong? What if he is ready for you? What if he knows the first place you will go is to your ship?"
"Then the odds will be slightly in his favor. However, each of my crewmen is worth a dozen of Ranulf's hired brutes and houseboys and I'd not be able to look them in the eye again if I did not trust them enough to take back their own ship."
China looked imploringly to Ted Bates, but only grinned and shrugged. "He's the captain. He gives the orders, we just follow 'em. Hasn't led us wrong yet."
"Besides that, by tomorrow there will be more militia in the streets than citizens," Justin said grimly.
"But you have nothing to fear from them. You are not guilty of Bessy Toone's murder."
"Do you honestly think Ranulf would allow the blame to rest on Eugene's shoulders when he has such a perfect opportunity to be rid of me once and for all? He may not have a shred of proof against me for Bess's murder, but a houseful of servants and two dead bodies will attest to what I did tonight."
"It was self-defense," China gasped. "Eugene was trying to kill you! He hurt Mrs. Biggs and left her for dead, then tried to hurt me as well. No one could hold you to blame for that."
"Ranulf will. And his powers extend far beyond reasonable limits. Guilty or not, he can have me hung and gone without dirtying his hands in the process. Make no mistake, I want away from this place and the sooner the better. Away from here, away from England and all of its corruptions."
"You could go east to London, or west to Falmouth, and buy another ship."
"The Reunion is my ship," he said quietly.
"At the cost of your life? Or the lives of your men?"
Justin sighed and hid his weariness as he sat beside her on the bed. "I have spent most of my life searching for answers...answers as to why I felt I never belonged at Braydon Hall, never felt a real affinity to my two brothers, never wanted to lead the life of a country gentleman that I was born into. When I found out some...unpleasant things...about my father, I started searching for those answers too, and in the process found a way of life that put excitement into my veins, made me feel alive. I told you the Reunion was a clean ship, that she has not run slaves since I took the helm, and that much was the truth. But I cannot say her cargo has always been honest
or that we have not had to run with the wind in our teeth and the revenue ships close on our wake. She's a high-spirited lady and has never let me down; a good ship with a good crew who taught me the meaning of honesty and loyalty. I could not abandon her now to the likes of Ranulf and his toadies. I will not let them think they have beaten me or driven me out. I will leave this hellish port, but on my own terms."
China shook her head and twisted her hands on her lap. "What good are your terms if they kill you?"
He smiled gently at the fear in her eyes and leaned forward, kissing her tenderly on the lips.
"Please, Justin, please," she whispered, her tears dampening their lips. "Take me away from here. I'll go anywhere with you...as your mistress, as your servant...any way you'll have me, just please...please take me away from here. I don't want you to die."
Justin drew her into his arms and buried his lips in her hair. "Please try to understand. I cannot desert my ship or my crew. I cannot desert myself."
She lifted her head off his shoulder, her eyes painfully clear and blue as she looked up at him. "Then please don't desert me either."
"I have no intentions of deserting you, China Rose." He kissed her full on the mouth and held her tight. "Mr. East is going to take you on ahead to Falmouth. As soon as we retake the Reunion, we will sail her directly there and--"
She pushed out of his arms. "What? Oh no, Justin...no!"
"Mr. East's wound is worse than he would let on and the activity tonight did nothing to improve it. I have called for three fast horses and told him it is worth his left bollock if he does not have you and Tina safely around the point when we sail for Falmouth."
"You're sending me away," she whispered, fresh tears filling her eyes.
"I am sending you on ahead," he corrected her gently. "Mr. Bates and I have talked the whole thing through and--"
"And you have both decided that I am useless and helpless and would only get in the way?"
"China--"
She stood and paced to the tiny square of a window. "I won't go. I'm tired of being told to do this and do that, go here, go there. I am tired of other people controlling my life."
"Nevertheless," he said calmly. "You will do this one last thing."
"Or what?" she demanded, whirling around to face him.
His gray eyes turned ominously cool. "Or I shall order you gagged and strapped to the back of your horse, where you will have little choice but to do as you're told."
China blinked away any lingering residue of tears. "You wouldn't dare!"
"You would be surprised at what I would dare, but for now, I am tired. I am hurting. I know you want explanations and reasons and answers but frankly, I simply do not have the time or the energy right now. I want my ship back and I want to see the last of England and of Ranulf. I want to breathe good clean sea air again."
"Then let me come with you," she said, undaunted by the tic of anger showing on his cheek. "For once my country upbringing can be put to good use. I know how to shoot; I can hit the eye of a squirrel from a hundred paces. I can ride and I can use a sword too."
"All glorious attributes I'm sure, and ones which we can explore...after I've fetched you from Falmouth. For tonight, however, as soon as we've tossed Ranulf's lackeys overboard, I'll be laying on every scrap of canvas she'll carry. There won't be a moment to spare ferrying passengers back and forth."
China smarted under his patronizing tone. "I see. So now I am just a passenger."
"Not just a passenger," he countered evenly. "You are a very valuable one...Lady Cross. And before you puff up like a quail and misunderstand my meaning, take a moment to think what would happen if you did accompany us to the docks tonight and if, despite your ability to shoot squirrels, Ranulf's men capture you? Look to your own injuries, China. Do you honestly think you could run on that ankle if you had to?"
China bit her lip and said nothing.
"As it stands right now, I have no qualms about making you a widow. But if Ran gets his hands on you, and if he runs inland with you again, I will not be able to follow this time. Do you understand? Do you understand what I am telling you?"
Her eyes were huge and round, her cheeks pale as snow as she nodded.
"Yes, I can see that you do," he murmured. He cursed and looked to Ted Bates for some manner of support, but the crewman wisely held his tongue. Tina, sitting quiet in the corner, merely averted her eyes.
"Right," he said. "Mr. East will take you around the spit to Falmouth and you will, neither one of you, give him any extra trouble. He is bearish enough as it is at the thought of missing out on the action, without you giving him more grief."
China watched wordlessly as he drew on a fresh shirt, wincing as his arm was forced to bend into the sleeve. A leather vest was added and a wide leather belt into which was slotted two pistols and a fearsomely sharp dagger.
"Wait," she said softly. She moved away from the window and searched a moment in the discarded crush of her velvet gown. The gold chain and the Spanish coin winked in the candlelight as she held it out to him. "It was found in Bessy's room; perhaps it will bring you luck."
Justin held the escudo in the palm of his hand, then closed his fingers tightly around it and met the soft blue of her eyes.
"Will you do as I ask? Will you ride with Mr. East to Falmouth and wait for me there?"
"I will do whatever you want me to do," she whispered. "You know I will."
His arms went around her and he gathered her hard to his chest. China bit her lip to keep from saying more, but in her heart she was crying out. He was leaving! He was leaving her when he promised he would never do so again. He was going to fight Ranulf's men and perhaps die trying to win back a creaking, leaking hulk of a former slave ship.
She clung to him and permitted only one tiny gasp of a sob to escape before she raised her mouth to his. That proved worse than simply holding him. His lips were greedy and desperate, sweeping away her anger and confusion, leaving behind the absolute clarity of knowing that she would never love another man as much as she loved Justin Cross.
"Stay safe for me," she begged softly. "Please stay safe for me."
He squeezed her one last time and smiled. "I am far too much of a scoundrel to die yet."
And then he was gone.
China stared at the door, at the empty space where he had stood. The swiftness of his departure took her breath away and she could not even cry.
She ran to the window and rubbed her hand across the film of dirt to try to see the street below. There were too many shadows, too many dark forms scurrying about for her to know if Justin and Ted Bates were among them.
Bates.
China's shoulders slumped and she sighed out loud. She could not help but feel pangs of guilt for the way she had misjudged Justin's first mate. He had been the one responsible for warning most of Justin's crew away from the harbor when Ranulf's men had swarmed aboard the Reunion. He was the one who had organized the raid to free his captain from the guards before he could be chained on board the real slave ship and sent to God only knew where. He and Mr. East had both volunteered without hesitation to accompany Justin to Braydon Hall and rescue her from Ranulf's clutches.
She had been guilty of misjudging a lot of people lately, not the least among them, Tina, Mrs. Biggs...and Eugene Cross.
Thinking of Eugene forced her to remember the close call she'd had in the attic. The fear had all but paralyzed her there in the dark and she realized that Justin was right. Just because she could shoot a squirrel it did not mean she could shoot a man and she was forced to admit that she would, undoubtedly, have proved to be a liability.
As if to emphasize the point, her ankle sent a sharp stab of pain up into her calf as she put too much weight onto the bandaging.
Tina looked up at the soft gasp. "Are you all right, m'um?"
"Yes. I'm fine. And you? I've not yet had a chance to tell you how sorry I am about your mother. In the end, Mrs. Biggs was amazingly brave."
Tina
managed a small smile. "You've been so strong and brave as well m'um. I feel a world of guilt over the way I've snipped at you over the past weeks."
"Well I don't feel strong and I certainly don't feel brave," China admitted. "And I don't know how much longer I can pretend to be either one."
"I don't believe that m'um. I was the one bawling and wailing back at the house tonight. I was the one too frightened to shoot when I had've ought to. I'm just as frightened now, truth be told." Her hand slid down to her belly and China remembered, with a start, that Mrs. Biggs had said Eugene had gotten her with child. It would likely do her no good to go racing across the countryside on horseback.
"You are putting yourself...and your baby...in a great deal of danger on my account. I would not think any the less of you if you choose to go no further."
"Oh no, m'um. Please. I've...I've no where else to go. If I stay here, I'd just end up a whore and I...I'd rather die than that. I would be much obliged to you and Master Justin if you allowed me to come along. I've never been more than five miles from Portsmouth all me life and I think I would like to find out what lies on the other side of the world. A proper adventure, I would call it. As for the babe..." her face clouded over. "There isn't one, not any more. He laughed when I told him, then kicked me so hard in the belly, it was gone the next day."
China gathered the girl into her arms. "I'm so sorry. And yes, of course you can come with me...with us. I would be grateful for the companionship."
Behind them, the door opened and Mr. East appeared there, tall and burly and glowering like a lion with a thorn in his paw. He said nothing as he appraised the altered guise of the two women, for Tina was dressed like China in canvas breeches and a shirt that hung to her knees.
"Ye'll have to do," he grunted. "But ye'll both mind my orders and do exactly as you're told or I'll leave the pair of ye by the roadside and not 'ave a thought against it."
China Rose Page 26
