The Sea Hawk
Page 19
Laffite sipped from a flute of champagne and brushed the wetness from his mustache with the back of his forefinger with a smile. "Now that Jackson has seen the error in his earlier judgment, I am positive New Orleans will never fall into the hands of the British, Edward. We shall continue with our business as always."
"I hope you are correct in your assessment, Jean," Livingston said. "I can think of nothing more upsetting than having the city overrun with those pompous, overbearing gentlemen."
Laffite was an imposing figure, his height accentuated by his solid black clothing. He prided himself in his appearance and never appeared ruffled, even in a fight. His confidence cast an aura around him that often gave others pause when considering whether to confront the man. His wealth only added to his legend. He was considered quite a catch and frequented the Octoroon Balls and other gatherings, bringing him into contact with numerous attractive young ladies. He had spotted a young woman earlier whom he intended to favor with his attentions. He glanced over the heads of the group around him in an attempt to locate her. As his eyes scanned the guests, he stopped when he saw a woman making her way slowly down the staircase.
"A rare beauty," he said. "I envy your good fortune, Simone."
Simone smiled as she joined Laffite in observing Julia. She stepped away from the group and weaved her way through the other guests, stopping at the foot of the staircase. Julia paused for a moment, taking in the wondrous look of her lover awaiting her. Simone wore tan pants that ended in a split just above her black boots. A solid white shirt inside a white buttoned vest was tied in a large bow at her neck. The dark chocolate waistcoat, which fell to mid-thigh in the back, set off the color of Simone's eyes. The open collar of the waistcoat stood up in the back, ending at the hairline of her short black hair.
As Julia reached the last step, Simone took her hand, turning it over to kiss the palm. Moving a step back, she walked around Julia, taking in the vision before her. "You look magnificent, ma chère."
"Merci, mon amour," Julia smiled. "I was concerned you might be displeased."
"You are very beautiful, Julia. That you would wear this to please me only makes me desire you more."
Julia ran her eyes down Simone's body, biting her bottom lip in a teasingly coy manner. "And, if I may say so, Captain, you look unbelievably handsome this evening."
Simone slipped her arm around Julia's waist and drew her closer. "Laffite is jealous, you know," she whispered. Glancing at the other guests, she said, "They are all jealous that you are with me."
"I will always be with you, my love," Julia whispered in return, leaning into Simone's embrace.
"And I with you. Would you care for something to drink?"
"Not just yet. But I would love to feel your arms around me in a dance."
Simone laughed as Julia took her arm. "Perhaps later you will dance for me as you did on La Margarita."
"Not unless Esperanza is preparing the drinks. But I do not need anything to encourage me to perform a dance of seduction for you."
As Simone took Julia's hand for the dance, she said, "I may be leaving the festivities early this evening if you continue to tease me."
"I was rather hoping you would." Julia smiled up at the handsome woman. As much as she liked the gown Mrs. Livingston had given her for the evening, it would never compare to what she was certain Simone would give her once it was removed.
Chapter Nineteen
SIMONE LAZILY RAN her hand across Julia's back, smiling as she took a deep breath and inhaled the lingering scent of passion surrounding her. It had been a perfect night. She thrilled at the sound of her name on Julia's lips. She was consumed by her need to feel the soft smoothness of Julia's skin beneath her fingertips as she watched her eyes melt into soft green pools under her touch. Simone had never known such a helpless, insatiable desire for anything or anyone in her life. It was powerful and she was certain she would die if she lost it. She closed her eyes and buried her face in the tangled short hair beside her. In the quiet she heard a familiar sound in the distance and sat up abruptly. She grabbed a shirt and slipped it over her head as she left the bed, crossing the room to open a window. The deep bells of St. Louis Cathedral were ringing continuously and the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the city. She went to the door leading onto the gallery and leaned over the railing.
"What is happening?" she called as she saw Livingston pulling a coat on while rushing across the courtyard.
"The British! They have arrived!" he answered.
She turned to get dressed and saw Julia standing in the doorway. "You have to leave, don't you?" Julia asked.
"The British are outside the city. I must return to the Carolina," Simone said as she went to Julia and wrapped an arm around her.
Julia watched quietly as Simone dressed. "I will wait here for your return."
Looking over her shoulder, Simone said, "Please go to the Ursuline Convent. You will be safe there until I return. Promise you will go, Julia, so I do not worry."
"I promise. Kitty told me they are establishing an infirmary inside the convent and I can help."
Tucking in her familiar white shirt, Simone said softly, "Julia, always know that I love you." Crossing to the bed, she leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "I will carry you in my heart always."
Julia picked up a small wrapped package and handed it to Simone. "In case you can't return in time for Christmas."
"I am sorry, mon amour, but I have nothing to give you in return," Simone said as she ran her fingers over the package.
"You have already given me everything I've ever hoped for. Now go before I start crying."
Kissing Julia one last time, Simone turned away and hurried down the gallery to Livingston's carriage where she joined the attorney and Anton.
SIMONE COULD SEE the masts of the ships long before she and Anton reached the wharf where they were moored. Although they were not assigned to the same ship, Simone was impressed by the firepower aboard the Carolina. Two decks of twenty-four pounders, as well as smaller ten pounders had been brought aboard. They were capable of laying down a swath of destruction against the British line she was certain the enemy would not be able to answer. Moored next to the Carolina was the newer, larger ship, the Louisiana. Completion on the second ship was delayed after she made the trip from the shipyards in North Carolina, arriving in New Orleans barely ahead of the British blockade.
The members of the Carolina crew watched as Simone strode up the gangplank onto the big ship, her hand resting on the butt of her pistol. Stepping onto the deck, she nodded to a few of her men before knocking on the captain's door. She was unaccustomed to not being in command, but would obey the captain's orders to assure the safety of the ship as it performed its mission. It only took the captain, Lieutenant Henley, a few minutes to explain Commodore Patterson's plan. Simone agreed the plan was brilliant as she left to make the final preparations for the upcoming battle.
She checked and rechecked everything around her assigned cannon and those near her. There was nothing left to do except wait for the order to come from the captain. She sat with her men on the deck, leaning against the hull and closed her eyes. They would have to wait for night to fall if their plan was to be successful.
"Faucon," a woman's voice said quietly.
Simone opened her eyes in the waning twilight. "Esperanza! What are you doing here?" Dressed in baggy breeches and a loose fitting shirt, Esperanza's hair was pulled back and pinned at her neckline.
"My place is beside you," Esperanza answered.
Pushing herself up, Simone took Esperanza by the arm. "You must leave immediately and return to the Livingston's home. Joaquin needs you."
Esperanza stopped and jerked her arm away. "Julia will watch him until we return."
"You do not belong here."
"I do as much as you, Simone. I will not leave you."
"The captain of this ship will not allow you to remain. It was hard enough to convince him I should be here."
The word came unexpectedly and Simone saw the gangplank being withdrawn as the crew began hoisting the Carolina's sails. "Stay close to me," Simone said as she quickly returned to her assigned cannon. "You must remain completely silent until the word is given to fire."
The Carolina was ordered to move downstream and anchor off shore as close to the British positions on the eastern bank of the river as possible. As the sails began sliding up the masts, Simone double-checked the lines attached to each cannon caisson and ordered each crew to preset their elevations to cover as wide and deep an area as possible. All cannons on the port side were loaded and ready to fire.
By seven o'clock, the eighty-five-foot long sloop was slipping slowly downriver, her lamps unlit. The night fog rose from the river as the sloop moved, like a ghost, through the thick mist toward the British encampment. An eerie sense of anticipation settled over the crew as they waited silently. Nearly an hour passed before Simone heard the sound of the anchor falling into the water. She turned, crouched low, and saw the British campfires less than a hundred yards from the ship. Soldiers on the bank were calling out to the ship and firing weapons into the air to draw the crew's attention.
She wasn't sure how long they waited before she felt and heard the gun ports on the deck below her snap open. Quickly she lit her spark rod and glanced at Esperanza. A loud voice broke through the night. "Fire!" Simone touched the rod to the powder of her cannon. Simultaneously, all the cannons on the port side of the ships erupted in a burst of orange flame and blue-gray smoke as grapeshot tore through the British position. The concussion rolled the ship toward its starboard side. Jumping up, Simone directed her crew to reload and continue firing at will. She saw men on the bank running to escape the withering cannon fire. Tents caught fire and men and earth were thrown through the air. The ship continued firing for more than an hour. By the time the order to cease firing came, Simone and her crew were exhausted, their ears ringing from the level of noise. As the crew gathered itself, red, white, and blue rockets lit the area followed by an attack of Jackson's cavalry which had been gathering and waiting nearby as the Carolina carried out its deadly attack.
As the ground fighting continued, the Carolina withdrew to the western shore of the river and set anchor once again out of the range of musket fire from the British on the opposite shore. As the sun began to rise the following morning, the Carolina launched its second barrage of the British position. By mid-morning the larger sixteen-gun Louisiana, now manned by Laffite's cannoneers, dropped anchor a mile upstream and joined in the devastating attack on the British.
Both ships continued firing, buying time for Jackson to fortify his makeshift line of defense along the Rodriguez Canal. In the pre-dawn hours of December twenty-seventh, Simone was finally satisfied there were no other preparations to be made before the day's barrages began. She sat on the deck and rested against the railing. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The scent wafting off the water from the river and surrounding swamp was heavy and fetid. While the decks below often held a musky, moldy odor, the water of the river gave off a distinctive aroma even on deck. In the distance she heard sporadic rifle and pistol fire along the banks of the river, followed occasionally by the sound of voices yelling. Reaching into her pocket she withdrew the small gift Julia had given her. She untied the bow and opened the box. She smiled as she lifted out a small pewter sculpture of a horse rearing onto its hind legs. It reminded her of one more reason to survive.
She felt someone slide down next to her and turned her head. A smile crossed her lips as she looked at the woman who shared her life and her bed the last four years. She chuckled when she noticed the clothing Esperanza wore. "Where did you get those?" she asked, slipping the sculpture inside her shirt.
"I stole them. Do you not think I am fashionable?"
"You would look beautiful no matter your clothing," Simone said, pulling Esperanza to her and kissing her on the cheeks.
"I shall miss you, Simone," Esperanza whispered as she rested her head against Simone's shoulder.
"Man your stations!" the captain called out from the bridge of the Carolina before Simone could respond.
Casting a reassuring smile at Esperanza, Simone helped her stand and looked over the railing. A nearby crewman poured a small amount of black powder in the firing point of the cannon and inserted the firing tip. Simone lit the end of her spark rod and waited.
"Fire!" the captain bellowed. Simone crouched down and touched the spark rod to the wick and stepped quickly to one side as a cannonball exploded from the barrel, forcing the body of the cannon backward. Crewmen grabbed the ropes on either side of the weapon and began hauling it back to the rail to prepare for another round.
The air on deck was thick with the smell of burned gunpowder and smoke from the cannon barrels. Esperanza swept hair away from her face and prepared to fill the magazine once again. Unexpectedly the deck of the Carolina was struck by return fire from British cannon batteries which had somehow been moved to a position at nearly point-blank range.
As the wick was slipped into the firing mechanism of their cannon once more, Simone yelled, "Stand back!" A second round of cannon fire struck the Carolina. She looked around as fires began to ignite around the deck and she pulled Esperanza toward the starboard side of the ship.
"Leave the ship, Esperanza," she ordered. "They have our range and are firing hot shot."
"Not without you, Simone," Esperanza said stubbornly.
"I will be right behind you. I have no desire to die this day. Move quickly before the fires spread."
Esperanza nodded and climbed onto the ship's railing, looking down for a foothold. Simone held her by the waist and prepared to lower her from the deck. She wasn't sure what happened as Esperanza cried out and fell away from the ship, into the water below. Simone leaped onto the railing and clung to the cargo netting until she located Esperanza. She jumped from the burning ship, quickly submerging in the muddy water. When she surfaced she turned in a circle until she found Esperanza once again. Grabbing her under her arms, Simone began pulling her toward the western shoreline, joining other crew members swimming away from the doomed ship.
Midway to the western shore, Simone was startled by the sound of wood splintering as an explosion ripped the Carolina apart, raining burning debris onto those in the water. Simone shielded Esperanza from as much as possible as shards of wood rained over them.
BY THE TIME Simone reached water shallow enough to stand in, she was exhausted from fighting the river's current. Two equally battered crewmen came to help her pull Esperanza onto the bank. They all lay on the muddy slope catching their breath as they watched the final moments of the Carolina. Simone looked upstream and saw the Louisiana retreating toward the city. She hoped Anton had not been injured in the fighting. A moan drew her attention back to Esperanza. She rose onto her knees, brushing long black hair away from her former lover's face before assessing her injury. To her dismay, blood spread across the woman's abdomen and she was impossibly pale.
"Where are you injured?" Simone asked softly.
Esperanza's eyes darted over Simone's face and she gripped her arm with a bloodied hand. "Take care of Joaquin, mon amour," Esperanza said. "Tell him...tell him I did care for him."
"You can tell him yourself," Simone said as she unbuttoned Esperanza's shirt. She drew in a short quick breath at the sight of the gaping wound. Shrapnel cut a swath through the caramel skin leaving a torn wound almost as large as Simone's fist.
Knowing there was nothing she could do, Simone sat on the bank and rested Esperanza's head on her lap, holding her. "I am sorry, Esperanza," she choked out.
Looking up at Simone, a peaceful looked passed over Esperanza's face and she managed to raise her hand to touch Simone's lips. "I have loved you well, mon Faucon," she said in a fading voice.
"More than I deserved, ma chère," Simone r
eplied as she took Esperanza's hand and kissed the fingertips. "You deserved better."
AS SOON AS the damage to the Louisiana was assessed and repairs begun, the captain allowed the crew to return to their bunks for a much needed rest. Now with the loss of the Carolina, their ship would not be able to withstand the British batteries from a closer distance. The captain advised them the defenders of the city would be taking a stand at the Rodriguez Canal, which was still being fortified. The role of the Louisiana would be to provide additional cannonfire in that fight. He believed the city would be lost if the British overran the makeshift American position south of the city.
As the rest of the crew fell into their bunks, exhausted from the fighting, Anton slipped onto the deck and left the ship. Moving as quickly as possible, he found a horse which was left unattended and took it. It was twilight before he made his way to the Ursuline Convent, two miles south of the city, where injured soldiers and militiamen were being cared for. He entered the two-story white structure and wandered from room to room on the first floor searching for Kitty and Julia. He stopped an older nun to ask about the two women.
He looked into a large room that had been turned into a temporary infirmary. He saw Kitty's red hair and longed to go to her, but there was more serious, more urgent news to deliver first. He nodded to Kitty briefly when she stood and saw him. Then he saw the head covered with short blonde hair leaning over a patient on the far side of the room. Resolutely, he made his way toward her. As he stopped next to the cot Julia glanced up.
"I shall be right back," she said to the patient. "You are doing just fine."
She kept her eyes on Anton as she came around the cot. "Are you injured, Anton?" she asked.
"No. I am well. Julia...I...are Joaquin and Esperanza with you?"
"Joaquin is taking supper. I am not sure where Esperanza is. She left and asked me to watch Joaquin until she returned. What has happened?"