Across Captive Seas

by Michele du Barry

  “You haven’t answered my question. At least take a groom if you must go riding when the park is deserted. There are thieves and highwaymen abroad at this hour.”

  “I know,” Angela replied, “for I just met one.”

  “What?” Owen looked as if he would fall right off his horse.

  “It’s quite all right. Here I am unharmed and I haven’t been robbed. I am better able to take care of myself than you might think. In fact, I’m afraid I scared the poor man right down to his boots!”

  “I’m sorry. I sounded just like Keith, possessive. But it’s only because I care what happens to you.”

  “I know.” Angela reached out and touched his cheek. “Poor Owen, you have been through so much in the last day. But everything will be all right; I promise you. I will make everything right again!”

  “I almost believe it when you say it like that.”

  “But you must believe, because I know things that you don’t.” Angela gave him a mysterious smile. “Come, let’s finish our ride and then I’m going to sleep all day. Owen. . .” There was a hesitant pause as she contemplated him mischievously. “We are going to Madame Saisset’s again tonight. I think something wonderful will happen!”

  Angela couldn’t keep the excitement from bubbling and overflowing and it was infectious.. Owen was in a wonderful mood in spite of his troubles and everyone she spoke to noticed something different about her. She even smiled at Thurston. He glanced back at her speculatively, wondering if he would win her by good conduct rather than by force.

  Her black dress was the perfect foil for her creamy skin and the white rooms of the club. She flitted like a black bird from table to table but she didn’t go unnoticed. The prince was there and he complimented her extravagantly and she flirted outrageously with him. They both knew it was only a joke but the people around them thought it was a serious item and mentally took note of the flirtation.

  The evening began with a bang. Someone imported a gypsy violinist and dancer to entertain for an hour but soon that became too tame. Angela saw gold exchange hands and then the girl began a furious dance on one of the tables, dropping items of clothing as she progressed. Soon a large crowd had gathered clapping and urging her to remove the rest of her clothes. She danced faster, swaying sinuously and at the finale dropped her skirt and stood stark naked before everyone.

  Keith entered the club just in time to see the nude dancer carried upstairs by several eager patrons. He found Angela watching him with an amused smile on her face and stormed over to where she stood.

  “I’m taking you home right now!” he informed her. “This is no place for you to frequent.”

  “But I can’t possibly leave now, Keith,” Angela said. “I promised to play whist with the prince later. Owen tell him to go away.”

  “We don’t need you for a chaperon, old man,” Owen said putting his arm around Angela’s shoulders.

  The jealousy boiled in Keith as Angela nonchalantly put her arm around Owen’s waist, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. She was purposely making a spectacle of herself and Keith was very much aware of the rumors about her and Owen. It couldn’t be possible that they were lovers.

  “I thought he would burst a blood vessel,” laughed Angela after Keith left.

  “You can be very cruel at times, baiting him like that. He is in love with you,” observed Owen seriously.

  “Don’t be so solemn. I want to have fun tonight. I’m ready for anything and everything to happen and I’m going to win a fortune at cards. I just know I am!”

  “You look marvelous tonight,” whispered Owen squeezing her hand and gazing into her sparkling aqua eyes. “If I wasn’t such a good friend I would take you upstairs and give Keith something to be jealous about!”

  “Why, Owen, what would Jane say? I’ll bet she would be fit to be tied. I might just her her know that you propositioned me and see what happens.”

  “Don’t you dare. . .”

  “I think it would be fun.”

  “And I think you have had too much champagne!”

  Angela played faro and whist with the prince and drank even more champagne. Owen wouldn’t budge from her side and she knew that Keith had been shadowing her all night. The house was full, bursting at the seams with every nobleman in London and all the women were beautiful or exotic.

  Three o’clock in the morning found her playing brag at the same table with Thurston Vaughn. The other players were mere accessories; the real battle was being waged between Angela and Thurston. She won twenty-three thousand pounds and he won thirty. She won another ten thousand and the people began crowding into the room to watch the contest.

  Disgruntled players left the game and others took their places but Angela and Thurston played on. An armchair had been brought for the Prince of Wales and he sat redfaced urging them on.

  “You’re always jolly good fun, Angela,” he said mopping his brow and peering over her shoulder at her cards. “Never a dull moment with you around!”

  She played recklessly, sipping now and then from her glass, her eyes large and glittering. Thurston was as cool as ever taking every win or loss in stride. He was as rich as Midas and she was as wealthy as the Queen of Sheba, so what did it matter if they lost one pound or a hundred thousand? There was always more where that came from.

  They finished the game and Thurston threw his cards down watching Angela closely. She was gay and daring tonight, outshining every woman present. Her cheeks glowed with color and her parted lips were never more inviting. The color of her eyes was deep, unfathomable and at that moment he would have gladly given all his riches for an hour alone with her. He had let her get away too easily before and now regretted it.

  “This is getting to be a bore!” Thurston said and those cool green-blue eyes turned toward him.

  Angela tilted her head slightly, one dark wing of an eyebrow raised—waiting. This was it! Her blood raced in anticipation. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next only that her instincts were never wrong when she felt this way. She sat silently, her attention riveted on Thurston. It was his move.

  “I propose,” he said slowly and crisply, “that we play for higher stakes, for something we really want. Money is of no importance to either of us.”

  The crowd of people pressed closer wanting to see and hear everything, and more drifted in from the other rooms. This was going to be a night to remember and talk about for a long while and they were loath to miss out on the excitement. Owen’s hand tightened on her shoulder as if to warn her to beware and Keith’s frown was visible from the other side of the room.

  “Let’s cut the cards; high card wins. Two out of three games wins the prize.”

  “And the stakes?” questioned Angela leaning forward slightly.

  “The stakes to be agreed upon before we start. Name anything that I have or have the power to get that you want, and I will do the same.”

  “There is nothing that you have that I want,” said Angela.

  “Then let me go first, Duchess, since I know what I want. Perhaps after I name what I desire from you,” Thurston’s eyes slid over her body making her flesh crawl, “you will be able to think of something.”

  “Name it!” Angela said curtly and Thurston leaned back in his chair with an oily smile.

  “If I win, you will marry me.” A collective gasp of disbelief came from the crowd. “You will live with me and perform all your wifely duties eagerly and willingly.”

  The slight flare of Angela’s nostrils was the only indication of distaste she allowed herself. She could never marry such a sadistic swine but something impelled her onward. The conditions imposed were blatant and someone snickered at the implications.

  As suddenly as a shooting star appears in a night sky Angela knew what she wanted from him. Her eyes blazed like pale fire across the table, the idea taking shape in her mind.

  “I agree!”

  Over the clapping and huzzahs she heard Keith shouting, “Don’t do it, Angela
! It’s a devil’s bargain!”

  “Shut up, Montgomery,” said the Prince of Wales. “Things are just getting interesting.”

  “He’s right,” whispered Owen frantically into her ear. “This time Keith is right! Nothing on earth is worth the price. Back out now while you still can. If you lose. . .”

  “But I won’t! Not tonight, Owen!”

  “I take that to mean you have thought of something at last,” said Thurston, unable to contain a triumphant smile. Everything he wanted was within his grasp tonight and he could not lose.

  “Yes! If I win you will sign over all your castles, houses, estates, your money, jewels, and investments, everything you own.” There was utter silence, not even a breath. “Everything,” she emphasized, “but the clothes on your back. You may keep them.”

  “Agreed!”

  “But I’m not finished yet,” she said watching him gasp like a fish out of water. “You will sign everything over tonight in the presence of these witnesses and you will also forfeit your title and rights of succession.”

  “What possible use could you have for my title?” Thurston asked in amazement.

  “But I don’t want it, any of it.” Angela gave a sarcastic laugh. “You will sign it all over to your brother, Owen Vaughn!”

  Pandemonium broke out and Thurston just sat there staring at her throughout all the commotion. She was out for blood! He had really underestimated her this time. She wanted nothing for herself, just as she had said in the beginning. He wondered if she was in love with Owen. Carefully he weighed the bargain. If he lost, he would be ruined; but if he won he would gain the whole world. Everything he wanted was wrapped up in the dainty package of black lace across the table.

  When the noise died down he made his decision known. “I agree.” Again the crowd went wild.

  There was a brief intermission while a solicitor was sent for and they went over the rules they had decided upon. The prince was going to shuffle the cards between each cut and he strutted around importantly, more nervous than the two participants. The room was cleared of all tables but one to make room for everyone. Keith and Owen argued with Angela until she was ready to scream.

  “It’s decided,” she told them with finality. “I can’t back out now.”

  “But you cannot possibly marry him!” Keith shouted in her ear.

  “I can hear you! Everyone in the room can hear you! I have no intention of marrying him. I have every intention of winning.”

  “But if you do lose. . .” began Owen.

  “In either case, Owen, you won’t lose! If I win you get wealth and a title; if I lose you gain a sister-in-law!”

  They both looked as if impending doom was hanging over their heads as they escorted Angela to the table. Thurston was already there waiting for her and the prince held a pack of unopened cards in his pudgy hands. They took their places like actors on a stage and the audience, fortified with spirits, was spellbound. Nothing like this had ever occurred before and they were privileged to see it happen. This would be one to tell their grandchildren about!

  Angela wasn’t in the least tense. She was utterly confident of the outcome no matter what Keith and Owen said. Thurston put on a devil-may-care attitude but she could tell he was faking it. She actually had more to lose than him, because life as his wife would be a living death.

  The prince opened the pack and shuffled the cards several times, then set them in the center of the table in plain view of everyone.

  “Ladies first,” said Thurston.

  Angela’s hand hovered over the cards for a long, breathtaking moment before her fingers touched them. She cut the deck and held up the queen of hearts. A high card! Thurston would have a hard time beating it.

  The prince shuffled again and Thurston chose the ten of spades. The mesmerized audience said not a word. It was Angela’s turn once more—the queen of hearts again! A slight stir went through the audience. Thurston won the second time with a king of diamonds.

  It was a tie, two out of three had been played and the next game would decide the winner. Thurston wiped his brow with a spotless handkerchief, his eyes never leaving the deck of cards. Angela glanced briefly at Owen and flashed him a confident smile. The queen of hearts again!

  Thurston looked at her as she suppressed the victorious smile that quivered on her full lips. She was so sure of herself that he felt a sick feeling start in the pit of his stomach. Angela’s dimples deepened as his hand shook slightly as he chose his card. The jack of diamonds. She had won! The queen of hearts had proved triumphant and the crowd went wild. The solicitor that had been pulled protestingly out of bed began drawing up the papers.

  Angela found herself held tightly in Owen’s arms, lifted off her feet and whirled around and around. They both laughed madly and she cried, “I knew I would win! I told you so!” The smile faded from her face and Owen put her down.

  “Are you all right? You’re not going to faint, are you?”

  “No, no. It’s just that once before something happened but I lost. He wouldn’t listen to me.”

  “Get hold of yourself, Angela.” Keith was by her side taking her arm. “Don’t look back, you can never go back!”

  “Yes, Keith, you are right.” And she leaned against him suddenly weary, drained of all emotion.

  The papers were made out to Angela’s satisfaction and witnessed in the presence of over a hundred and fifty people. Thurston sanded them, rolled them up and handed them to Angela with a flourish.

  “You have won. Queen of Hearts!” He gave her a mocking smile, turned on his heel and left.

  “Yes, I like that!” exclaimed the prince. “I haven’t had such a night in as long as I can remember!” He led the way, clearing a path as Angela left on the arms of Keith and Owen.

  “Make way for the Queen of Hearts!” the prince shouted chuckling to himself. “Everyone bow to the Queen of Hearts!”

  Angela made a grand exit with the men bowing and the women sunk in deep curtsies.

  Thurston Vaughn waited as his huge gold-plated bathtub was filled with steaming water. Not his, he corrected himself, Owen’s! All of this belonged to his brother now. Tomorrow he would take possession of everything.

  He poured himself a brandy and set the decanter on a small table by the bath, testing the water. “Hotter!” he bellowed. “I want boiling water!”

  It was full at last, so hot that the windows and mirrors were fogged up. Dismissing the servants he closed the door and slipped off his robe. He stepped into the bath, inching his way into the water that reddened his skin. At last he lay full length in the tub, his head resting against a silken cushion.

  Draining his glass, Thurston set it down and picked up the razor he had stropped to a hair-splitting sharpness. With two quick movements he sliced through his wrists watching with detachment as the water swirled and turned pink.

  They were right, there was no pain this way—only the hot sting at first. Settling himself comfortably he poured himself another drink, ruining the priceless rug with a spatter of red drops. He raised his glass in a mocking toast to the image of Angela floating before his eyes.

  “To you, my love,” Thurston murmured. “To a real lady, who knows what she wants—and gets it!”

  They ran from room to room, holding hands, exclaiming like children over each newly discovered treasure. The palatial house was crammed with objects of art of every description: statues, paintings, tapestries, carpets, china, silver and gold, rare books—the list was endless.

  “Look, what bad taste!” Angela swept a shepherdess from the mantel and they both laughed. “You won’t resign from our exclusive club now that you are rich, will you, my Lord Duke?”

  Angela swept Owen a low, mocking curtsy. She couldn’t keep from smiling today. Neither one of them had slept, that had been impossible and they were slightly tipsy with lack of sleep. She wondered if Keith had told Jane yet about their fantastic good fortune. She and Owen hadn’t been home. They took a carriage ride in the park,
had breakfast, and began the wonderful exploration of Owen’s new house.

  “Why, why did you do it?” Owen had fluctuated between horror and wild joy. “If you had lost I would have murdered my brother on your wedding day, if not sooner!”

  “Owen, don’t be so melodramatic. Remember I told you before we went to Madame Saisset’s that something terrific was going to happen? Sometimes I feel things. I can tell that something will happen and it does. I never know quite what will occur but I can tell whether the outcome will be good or bad. I was taking no risk; I knew I would win!”

  “I still can’t believe it. All this—mine! And you made it possible. Words can’t express how I feel. I will never be able to repay. . .”

  “Did I ask to be repayed? Just knowing you are happy is enough.”

  “Why should it matter whether I am happy or not?” “Because we are friends and you are a fine person. You deserve it all!” Angela’s voice became sad. “I think if my brother had lived he would be very much like you.”

  “That’s what I can give you! I will be your brother and you will be my little sister. Neither one of us has any family left, except for Thurston and who would want him for a brother?”

  “And you will marry Jane and our children will grow up together. Don’t look like that, Owen. I know you will marry her. Believe me!”

  “Another flash of woman’s intuition?” She smiled and nodded and he wondered out loud, “I wonder what in the world Thurston will do now?”

  “Let’s not think about him. We still have the rest of the house to investigate!”

  They ran up the stairs, peeking into rooms and rummaging through closets to their hearts’ content.

  “This must be the master bedroom,” said Angela flinging both exquisitely painted doors open at the same time.

  In the middle of the room in a gleaming golden bathtub lay Thurston. His tiny black eyes stared straight through Angela and his skin was a pasty white. One arm hung over the side of the tub and a glass lay broken on the floor. At first she thought the wine had spilled all over the carpet but then she knew. He was dead, lying in a bath of blood!