The Captain's Lady

by Jo Goodman

  “What!” She flung the word out into the space of her cabin, into the faces of the men sitting at the table around her. She stared at the men one at a time.

  Frank Springer sat at the far end of the table, holding his glass of wine stiffly, as if he were torn between bringing the glass to his mouth or crushing it in his hands. Harry Young leaned casually in his chair; the sign of tension was in his narrowed eyes. Mike Garrison sat rigidly. His only perceptible movement was a slight twitching of his jaw as he clenched his teeth. John Landis sat at her right, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. He hardly seemed aware of the others as he stroked his beard with one hand while the other gripped the arm of the chair.

  Kurt Jordan, on her left, turned to her. His clear blue eyes that had been highlighted with excitement a few hours ago were tinged with a sadness he could not hide from her now. “I thought you would want to hear it from them, Captain Danty,” he said softly, letting her know he would have spared her hearing it at all if it were possible.

  “You were right, Mr. Jordan,” she answered firmly. “Mr. Landis, repeat what you just said. I won’t raise my voice again.”

  “Holler all you want,” he said. “We’ve been doing it for hours.”

  “Yes, well, it hasn’t helped you or Captain Cloud. Repeat your statement.”

  “I said Senator Howe and the others have been using us. I said the captain is going to hang, not for freeing you, but for something else.”

  “But you don’t know what.”

  Landis shook his head. “We couldn’t get near enough to the stockade to find out what’s going on. And now we’ve got ourselves a new captain, Walter Franklin, and orders to shove off in the morning. It’s all very hasty.”

  “Their orders are to find us,” Jordan supplied. He had heard the entire story when he and some of the crew had gone in search of Landis. Landis and the others had insisted on telling Alexis personally. Jordan had agreed to it. They were risking their lives by coming aboard the Dark Lady, and Jordan knew it was not a trap they intended.

  Frank broke in. “We’re to be kept out of Howe’s way while he’s taking care of the captain.”

  “What proof do you have that Howe is behind your orders to sail? How do you know he is trying to prevent you from getting to Captain Cloud?” Alexis felt in control again. She was prepared to listen to everything they had to say. She had never thought for a moment it was going to be easy to get Cloud out, but the little information she had already gleaned from Landis told her it was going to be more difficult than she had expected.

  “I’m waiting, Mr. Landis,” she said, settling back into her chair. “How have you come by this information?”

  Everyone’s attention focused on Landis. He drew in his breath and began the story he had told once to his mates and repeated for Jordan. For the first time he allowed himself to hope.

  “I went to the captain’s home this afternoon. I wanted to find out how he was bearing up since you were taken prisoner and no longer in our custody. It was then he told me what he had done. He was far from unhappy about it. He said he had put you aboard your own ship and that you were safe miles away. He even jokingly criticized me and the crew for not being aware that your ship had docked. I told him we weren’t much concerned about your crew after you were taken away from us.

  “I tried to convince him that we should go after you but he told me about the meeting you had with Howe and the others and I realized he was right. When going after you was out of the question I thought I could get him to leave the house instead of waiting for them to pick him up. He refused to leave. He said he would be able to expose the false charges against you at his trial and get the answers he wanted concerning Howe’s peculiar use of you. He thought possibly he would be exonerated. He said he did not want to tell you that. He wanted to prepare you for the worst.

  “While I was at the house the guards came for him. He made me hide and swear not to admit I knew what he had done. I guess he figured if things didn’t work out the entire crew would be in danger. Since he was waiting for them at the door, they didn’t bother to search. I stayed hidden in the study with an ear pressed tight to the door. I heard Tanner talking to the senator. I was a little surprised to find Howe present. That is not usual. The captain was taken away, but Howe and one of the guards remained in the entrance.

  “The guard asked Howe a strange question. He asked him how they were going to get Tanner into the stockade. Howe answered that it had all been taken care of. They were to give the guards at the prison these papers. He must have handed them over to the man, who apparently looked at them because he started laughing. He said, ‘You really have thought of everything. This certainly isn’t what the captain expected to be tried for!’ Then his voice was kind of troubled and he added, ‘You know, Senator, Captain Cloud is well known. His superiors aren’t going to believe this.’ Howe said something like, ‘Let me worry about it. You’ve been paid. So have others that matter. The ones who haven’t will find out too late.’”

  Landis paused to sip his wine. Over the rim of his glass he observed Alexis who had leaned her head back and shut her eyes. Her face was drawn and pale.

  “It still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, Captain,” he continued. “We don’t know why Howe is bringing these false charges against the captain. Maybe he knows Tanner would have gotten free on the matter of releasing you. The only thing we can figure out is Howe doesn’t want him free. We can’t go to anyone. We don’t know who’s been paid and who hasn’t. There doesn’t even seem to be enough time to find that out. It could be the President himself who issued these orders.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Alexis said, opening her eyes. She leaned forward in her chair. “He couldn’t be so much of a fool that he would set out to destroy one of his ablest commanders.”

  “I agree with you,” Harry interjected. “In fact I’ll go further and say Madison knows nothing of what’s going on. But his ignorance isn’t exactly in our favor.”

  “Harry’s right,” Mike said. “Madison probably doesn’t know we were assigned to capture you. That’s what Mr. Landis meant when he said we had all been used. Howe and his friends wanted you for some purpose that we can’t guess. They used us to bring you to them. If that’s the case then they can’t let the captain tell what has happened at his trial. He may not even be allowed a trial of any kind.”

  “Why put him in the stockade?” she asked. “Why not…” She could not finish.

  “We don’t know why he’s still alive.” Landis helped her. “But we do know that he is. A few of the men have been slipping away from the ship from time to time and they’ve been able to learn he’s still there. Captain Franklin is a little disconcerted by the crew’s wanderlust, but he’s so excited with his new command I don’t think he knows what’s going on.”

  Landis’s attempt at levity was not lost on Alexis but she could not force a smile. “You don’t think there’s much time, do you?”

  The men from the Concord shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Alexis had her answer. She addressed her first mate. “In light of what you know, Mr. Jordan, are you having any second thoughts about going after him?”

  Jordan shook his head. “If it’s possible, I want to get him out of there more than I did before.”

  “Mr. Jordan is speaking for me as well,” she told them. “Captain Cloud is the only one who can tell us what’s happening. If Howe, Davidson, Farthington, and Granger have some sort of scheme in mind, then he is the only one who can stop it. I had not intended involving you men in this except for the necessary information concerning the captain’s whereabouts—but now I know I’ll need more from you.”

  “Don’t ask us, Captain Danty,” Frank responded. “You know we are ready to help.”

  Alexis smiled. “I wasn’t going to ask you, Frank. I knew you were prepared to help when you first came in here. I wanted to let you know I have changed my mind about accepting it.” She stood and walked over to her desk. She returned to th
e table with paper, quill, and ink. She laid the blank paper down and smoothed out its edges.

  “I want a drawing of the stockade and where the guards are positioned. There are probably more of them than we anticipated. I need to know how many are in the prison as well. Also give us a rough idea of the surrounding buildings and what route we’ll have to take from the stockade back to the ship.”

  Frank seized the paper and began providing the information. As he worked Alexis conferred with Jordan.

  “The plan we talked about earlier. Do you agree we can still make it work?” she asked.

  “I doubt if Howe anticipates you returning for the captain,” he answered thoughtfully. “Surprise will be on our side. I think we’ll need more men in hiding in case something goes wrong. The core of the plan is still workable. It would have been easier if Howe hadn’t turned him over to the real authorities.”

  “I agree. What about an additional diversion?” She looked down at Frank’s work. “This building,” she said, pointing to a square near the prison. “What is it?”

  “It’s not a building, Captain,” Frank explained. “It denotes the lumber pile. They keep extra lumber there for the ships. It’s guarded almost as well as the prison. People are always trying to get into the yard and carry some off.”

  “Mr. Jordan, what do you think? A fire there would certainly cause a disturbance.”

  “We have the extra powder. We could blow it sky high.”

  “I don’t want it blown sky high,” she said firmly. “I want it to look like an accident. If they suspect it was deliberate they’ll guard Cloud more carefully. Can we manage an accident?”

  Jordan grinned. “No problem. Davie Brandon can do what you want.”

  “Good. You explain it to him. Ask him to pick three men to help. No more than that. We’ll have to leave some on the ship.”

  “What else do you want us to do?” asked Harry.

  “I hadn’t forgotten about you.” She laughed. “What I don’t want is for you or any of your crew to show your faces within two hundred yards of where they have the captain. Do you think your new commander is excited enough with his new command to give all of you a last night in Washington?”

  “I’ll make him see the merits of it,” said Landis. “He knows we were all loyal to Tanner. He’ll be eager to start off on the right foot.”

  “Then I want you to be at your drunken best. I want you to get in the way of every man who comes after us. Send them in any direction except the one we’ll be heading.”

  “That’s easy enough,” answered Mike. “But what makes you think they’ll follow? Aren’t you going to make an assault on the place?”

  “You mean kill the guards?” Her voice was filled with disbelief. “Hardly, Mike. I am not going to add murder to the problems I already have with your government. Our plan doesn’t call for killing. We’ll knock out as many as we can. That’s why I know we’ll be followed. We can’t hope to get them all.”

  Jordan added, “There’ll be some time before they realize Captain Cloud is gone. We should be able to outdistance them.”

  “Who is actually going to get the captain out?” asked Mike. He sounded a little skeptical of their plan.

  “Prepare yourself,” Alexis warned. “My cabin boy is going to do it.” She and Jordan laughed as Mike’s mouth opened and Frank dropped his quill.

  Jordan calmed himself enough to explain the plan. When he was done they looked at him with new respect and grudgingly admitted it was better than anything they had been able to think of.

  Frank slid his completed drawing toward Alexis. “How soon do you plan to get started?”

  “We’ll be ready as soon as you send word back about your leave. We’ll go ahead without you if need be but it’s better to know how much help we’ll be able to count on.”

  While the others gathered their jackets, Frank explained his sketch to Alexis and Jordan. When he had answered all their questions satisfactorily he joined the others at the door. “No matter what happens tonight, Captain Danty, it will be a long time before we see you again. We’ll be chasing you tomorrow as ordered. What direction will you be going?”

  “South. Then to New Orleans.”

  “Got it. North. Then to London. Wait until I tell Franklin the good news!”

  They all laughed easily and “thank you” was inherent in the sound. When Harry closed the door Jordan said to Alexis, “They admire you. It must have been hard on them taking you in the first place.”

  “It was,” she replied quietly, remembering how guilty they all had felt. “It was very hard. And now it seems they are not even sure why they had to do it.”

  “Then you believe Captain Cloud’s orders did not come from Mr. Madison?”

  “I always had a hard time believing that part. Have you ever read any of his articles defending the Constitution?” Jordan replied that he hadn’t. “George had some of them. I don’t know how he got them, but I read them once and I know why he saved them. Any man who wrote about the necessity of adopting your Constitution and its Bill of Rights is not the man responsible for violating my rights or those of Captain Cloud. No, those men I talked to are the ones responsible and I plan to find out why.”

  Jordan never doubted her for a moment. He gathered strength from her determination. “Before I see to Brandon and the details for the fire there is something else that has been bothering me.”

  “What is it?”

  “When the captain discovers you are with us and not where Peach says you will be, I am wondering if he’ll go to the ship.”

  Alexis touched her temple gently. It was still tender from Cloud’s blow. “I’ve taken care of that. Peters and Wilkes are going to make sure the captain does as I’ve ordered. They know what to do if he becomes too obstinate.”

  “Peters and Wilkes,” he whistled softly. “And I thought you had forgiven him his rough treatment of you earlier today.”

  “I’ll pay. He’ll see that I pay.”

  Jordan smiled at his captain who was unconsciously staring at her bunk, seeing something he could only guess at. He saw her shiver and when she realized what she had done she looked up at him.

  “Go on. Get out of here.” She laughed. “That silly smile on your face makes me feel like a little girl instead of your captain.”

  Jordan got up and went to the door. “Why do I worry?” he muttered as he shut it.

  Alexis kept Peach close by her side while her other men separated and took up their positions in the vicinity of the prison. Everything was going as planned. Harry had reported the Concord crew was ready to help, and he had made her a present of the dagger he had taken from her aboard the ship. Now the weapon was securely strapped to her calf, hidden beneath the folds of her dress. She pulled her dark cape more closely about her shoulders and placed a hand on Peach’s arm. She was not completely sure whether she was steadying herself or comforting him.

  “We’ll wait a little bit longer,” she whispered. “Are you scared?”

  He looked up at her. She could barely make out the lines of his face in the darkness but she knew his eyes held trust in her. She saw a brief flash of white reveal his impish grin.

  “Not much, Captain. You’re not disappointed in me?”

  “Hardly.” She refrained from telling him how frightened she was. More frightened of facing these next minutes than she had ever been at the thought of facing Travers. She patted him on the back. “You go on now. Through the yard. Make enough noise so they don’t shoot you outright. If Allison catches up to you before the guards do he’ll have to be a little rough. Just make sure you scream.”

  “Hope I know how!” he said bravely.

  Alexis laughed. “Off with you!”

  Peach ran out of the shadows toward the stone prison. He whimpered and called for help as he moved quickly into the light coming from the building. He hoped the guards would see he was just a boy, even though he felt like a man now. He glanced up to see the three guards lower their muskets
as he approached. Relieved by their decision not to fire on him, he increased his crying as well as his speed.

  Peach was almost on top of them when he fell to the ground, sobbing brokenly. It was not as hard as he thought. He did not know he would be so scared.

  “What’s wrong with you, son?” asked one of the guards, stepping forward.

  Before Peach had a chance to reply the guard heard other voices shouting and drawing closer. “There he is, Ned! I told you I saw him come this way!” The guard watched as Peach struggled to his feet and tried to get away. He was stopped when the man reached out and grabbed him firmly by the arm.

  “Is someone after you?” he asked.

  Peach nodded rapidly as if all power of speech had left him, and he attempted to pull away again.

  Jordan and Allison came running into the circle of light. They stopped abruptly when they saw the muskets aimed at them. Jordan held up his arms and moved cautiously.

  “You can put down the weapons,” he called. “Wouldn’t have come near this place if that damn fool kid hadn’t stolen my timepiece. Followed him here to get it back.”

  “I don’t have it!” said Peach.

  “Lower your guns, men,” ordered the guard who held the squirming boy. He motioned to Jordan and Allison to step closer. “The boy says he doesn’t have it.”

  Allison growled. “You don’t expect him to say he does, do you? I saw him lift it right out of my friend’s pocket.”

  The guard laid his musket on the ground and made a quick search of Peach. He found the article in question in his pocket. “This what all the fuss is about?” He threw it at Jordan who caught it and examined it.

  “This is it,” he said angrily.

  His statement brought fresh denials from Peach. “He’s lying, sir! That timepiece belongs to my sister. He took it from her. I was trying to get it back. There’s an inscription on it. Says, ‘George.’ He was my father. He willed the watch to my sister, Francine.”

  “If you believed that, you’ll believe anything!” Jordan said.