Once a Scoundrel

by Mary Jo Putney

  “Lady Aurora, you’re all right!”

  “Is Miss Constance well?”

  “Do you have news?”

  “Are we ransomed?”

  “Have you come to free us?”

  As Gabriel rested a protective hand on her shoulder, a shaggy Captain Roberts ordered, “Let the lass talk.” He’d always commanded the respect of his sailors, and at his words, they stepped back to give their visitors more space.

  Breathing more easily, she exclaimed, “I’m so glad to see you all! Captain Roberts, I almost didn’t recognize you with a beard.”

  His smile was humorless. “They aren’t about to let slaves have razors.”

  She should have realized that. Her gaze moved over the sailors, trying to recognize the faces under the beards. “Did everyone recover from the wounds received when we were captured?”

  “Aye, everyone survived, and our special thanks to Miss Constance for bandaging us up.” As eager as his men, Captain Roberts shifted his gaze to Gabriel. “Have you come to Algeria to deliver a ransom?”

  Rory’s throat closed at the realization that she’d have to explain that the men weren’t about to be freed. She shot an agonized glance to Gabriel.

  Accurately interpreting her silent plea, he said succinctly, “I’m Gabriel Hawkins, captain of the Zephyr. You are not yet ransomed, but the situation is hopeful. Malek Reis demanded an exorbitant amount of money, more than Lady Aurora’s family could pay. I have the amount that was raised, and I came here to negotiate the freedom of Lady Aurora. At her request, the negotiation includes the crew of the Devon Lady.”

  A sigh of disappointment went through the room, but Rory also saw cautious optimism on the faces around her. Gabriel had the ability to inspire trust. He continued, “Malek Reis and I have reached an agreement that requires my ship to transport him, a group of his guards, and a number of rare animals to Constantinople. On our return to Algiers, he has pledged to free all of you so the Zephyr can take you home to England.”

  After absorbing that, Roberts sighed. “’Tis not an ideal solution, but as you say, hopeful. How long will your journey take?”

  “A minimum of six weeks, likely somewhat longer because I don’t know how long Malek will want to stay in Constantinople,” Gabriel replied.

  “So likely another couple of months, assuming your ship doesn’t run into foul weather, sea monsters, pirates, or the Flying Dutchman,” Roberts said, giving Gabriel an ironic captain-to-captain smile.

  “The Zephyr has weathered her share of storms and attackers, and I hope to avoid the Flying Dutchman,” Gabriel said with matching irony. “I’m sorry I don’t have a better estimate, but Lady Aurora and I thought we should inform you all of how things stand before we leave Algiers.”

  The sailors nodded. “Aye, it’s better to have some idea than none,” Roberts said, looking tired.

  “What sort of work have you been doing?” Rory asked. “I’ve wondered.”

  The first mate replied, “Making bricks, my lady. Not so bad as working in the mines or being a galley slave, I reckon.”

  They’d been doing heavy labor in the Barbary heat while Rory and Constance had been sitting in the shade by a fountain in a courtyard. On the other hand, they hadn’t been forced to parade naked before drooling lechers. Rory asked, “Is there anything I might be able to do for you before we leave? There isn’t much within my power, but I’d like to try.”

  Gabriel said, “Perhaps letters to your families? If you give us the addresses, the ladies can write notes saying that you’re well and I’ll give them to the British consul to post back to England.”

  The suggestion was well received. Rory should have thought of it herself.

  Gabriel pulled a small notebook and pencil from inside his coat. “Lady Aurora, can you take down the directions and any special notes?”

  A crewman named Jones said fervently, “I want to tell my wife that I’m looking forward to seeing the new babe, and that if I get home, I’ll find a job on a coastal vessel!”

  “She’ll be happy to hear that, Mr. Jones,” Rory said as she opened the notebook and carefully wrote the message. “Now where shall I send this?”

  Jones told her where while the other men lined up to give her messages and addresses for their families. When Rory had all the addresses and notes, Gabriel rapped on the door to notify the guards that he and Rory were ready to leave. It was a relief to escape into the cooler, fresher air outside the bagnio. Besides the regular guards, a harem guard waited for her, and Malek’s majordomo for Gabriel.

  Carefully, she removed the pages with the sailors’ information and returned the notebook to Gabriel. “Constance and I will have all the notes written by tomorrow. Thank you for accompanying me.”

  He nodded and tucked the notebook and pencil back inside his coat. “A bagnio is an unnerving sight, but they’re being treated well as these things go.”

  She pulled her mantle tight around her. “They seem to be holding up.”

  “And they’ll be happier for knowing their families will be informed of where they are and how they’re doing.” He inclined his head. “Until later, Lady Aurora.”

  Thoughts churning, she let the harem guard guide her through the labyrinth of the palace. It was a relief to be back in the privacy of their quarters.

  When Rory entered the courtyard where Constance was working under a tree, her friend leaped to her feet. “Thank heaven you’re back! You were gone so long that . . .” She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calmness. “I was afraid Malek Reis had sold you to one of the horrid men he’d invited to come and leer at you.”

  Remembering what Gabriel had said about the terrors of not knowing what was happening, Rory pulled her cousin into a hug. “I’m so sorry you were worried, Constance! Much has happened since I was taken out, some of it good.”

  “I could use some good news.” Constance stepped back, wiping her eyes with a fold of her loose robe. “I’m sorry, too. The longer we’re here, the more easily I’m upset. Now change into proper clothing and tell me the good news.”

  Rory gladly divested herself of the mantle and indecently transparent silk layers. Then she pulled on her flowing, mercifully opaque day robe. Algerian clothing was far simpler and quicker to don than European garments.

  She joined Constance in the courtyard under the shady trees. Seeing the papers, she said, “You were working on your language lessons?”

  Her friend nodded. “Master Selim says that my accent is improving and will soon be as good as yours, but he despairs of my ability to write Arabic or Turkish.” She poured a cup of cool fruited water for Rory. “Good news, you say?”

  Rory sank onto the cushioned bench and took a deep swallow of the water. “While I was being ogled by today’s group of lechers, an English sea captain named Gabriel Hawkins arrived to discuss our release with Malek.”

  Constance’s face lit up. “Your father sent the ransom?”

  “No, my mother sent half a ransom, which was all the money she could beg, borrow, or pawn her jewels for,” Rory said wryly. “Apparently Malek needs more money than that for some mysterious purpose, but he and Captain Hawkins were able to negotiate a bargain where Hawkins will transport Malek, a group of his guards, and a number of animals from his menagerie to Constantinople.”

  “Why?” Constance asked, baffled. “The Barbary states are nominally a part of the Ottoman Empire, but in practice they’re independent. Men like Malek don’t even obey their local dey unless they feel like it.”

  “He isn’t bothering with explanations, but it’s obviously important to him. The really interesting part is that we’re going along, too. Malek says the animals like me, and Hawkins said it wouldn’t be right for me to be the only woman on the ship, so—you!”

  Constance’s brows rose. “I’ll certainly be glad to get out of this cage, but my first thought is that Malek might want to take us along to sell if he needs more money. He might get better prices in Constantinople.”


  Rory grimaced. “I hadn’t thought of that. You may be right. But sailing to Turkey represents opportunities that we don’t have while we’re caged up like chickens.”

  “What is this Captain Hawkins like?” A dove landed nearby, and Constance tossed it some crumbs she’d saved from breakfast. “Is he an honorable man?”

  Rory didn’t think she should blurt out that she thought she’d met one of her romantic heroes in real life. Better she should stick to the facts. “He seems to be. We had a chance to talk for a bit while Malek was busy with something else. From what Gabriel said, he’s had a wide range of seafaring experience, including blockade running.”

  “I hope he’s a good negotiator as well,” Constance said.

  “He and Malek know each other from the past somehow, though there wasn’t time for him to tell me about it,” Rory replied. “He was such a good listener that I told him about our writing, and he thought the stories sounded very marketable.”

  “Really?” Constance said eagerly. Then she laughed. “We are so desperate to find readers! Do you think he meant it, or was he just humoring you?”

  “I think he meant it. He was intrigued by the idea of our bold heroines, so maybe we really might find an audience, if we ever manage to return to England.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Talking to him, I realized how difficult it would be to rewrite the early books to make the heroines more ladylike.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that, too,” Constance said. “Perhaps we should write two kinds of books under different names. The books we’ve done so far could be by the Countess Alexander, an Adventurous Lady, and books with better behaved heroines can be by . . .” She thought, then grinned. “Miss Smith, a Well-Bred Victimized Lady.”

  Rory laughed. “That might be true of the heroines in that sort of story, but I’m not sure it’s a good writing name. Miss Smith, an Innocent Miss?”

  “That would appeal to more readers,” Constance said with a smile. “We’ll need to think about this.”

  “I came up with a plot that will suit An Adventurous Lady. My imagination doesn’t seem to run toward Innocent Misses.”

  “No, it usually doesn’t,” Constance agreed. “Tell me about your story idea.”

  “Sisters,” Rory said. “One is a bold and dangerous blockade runner. The other, elegant and beautiful and ladylike, is captured by corsairs.”

  “I assume you are the bold and dangerous sister and I’m the ladylike and useless one?” Constance said with a smile.

  “Nonsense, the characters have nothing to do with us.” Rory leaped grandly onto the bench, her arm swept upward as if she was holding a cutlass aloft. “When Lady Lovely is sold into a harem in Barbary, Lady Bold uses her blockade-running skills to race to Algiers!”

  “I expect Lady Bold will be wearing breeches when she swings into the rigging,” her cousin said. “If she’s in a dress or robes like you have on, she’d probably trip and fall on her perfectly shaped little nose.”

  Rory chuckled and stepped to the ground again, sheathing her imaginary sword at her side. “Indeed, costume is very important in Adventurous Lady books.”

  “She enters the harbor as if her ship is a trading vessel,” Constance said encouragingly. “Making sure the pilot doesn’t lead her to a berth under the guns of the fortress, because then she won’t be able to escape after she rescues her sister.”

  “Exactly. No stranger to danger is Lady Bold.” Rory pulled a fold of her robe over the lower part of her face and bent to a crouch as she slunk around the courtyard, her eyes darting around shiftily. “Dressed as a servant, I make my way into the harem to free you and any other of the females who would like to escape. Lots of derring-do.”

  “I can see you’ve abandoned the pretense that the characters aren’t us,” Constance said with amusement. “Who is the love interest?”

  “Lady Bold’s hero is a Royal Navy captain who falls in love with her and is so entranced that she persuades him to help in the rescue.” And why had Rory immediately thought of a Royal Navy captain? Probably because she’d just met a man from a Royal Navy family . . .

  Constance rose and clasped her hand above her heart with demure excitement. “My beloved sister, here to rescue me!” She fluttered her lashes madly. “Who is that handsome man by your side? May I have him?”

  “No, you may not! He’s mine!” Rory folded gracefully onto the bench again. “We may need to write a sequel. That can be An Innocent Miss book that will actually have a chance of being published.”

  Constance laughed. “Lady Lovely sounds so boring. Can you have her be an expert fencer who learned to use a blade by skirmishing with her big brothers?”

  “That would be much more amusing!” Rory chuckled ruefully. “I fear we’re doomed to never write a respectable book.”

  “Perhaps we should try amateur theatricals when we return to England since we enjoy the playacting.” Constance gathered her study papers together. “When will we leave for Constantinople?”

  “Three days, apparently. Malek Reis is in a hurry and Captain Hawkins said that would be possible if Malek helped with the refitting necessary to carry a caged lion, hippos, and so forth.”

  Constance blinked. “So soon? Though I suppose it doesn’t matter. It isn’t as if we have much to pack.”

  “True, but we have another task. I asked Malek for permission to visit the Devon Lady crew to tell them the end to their captivity might be in sight. Captain Hawkins went with me and explained the situation,” Rory said. “Even though there are no guarantees of release, they were glad to hear that there’s hope.”

  “How are the men who were wounded in the corsair attack? Several of the injuries were serious,” Constance said.

  “They’ve all recovered and thank you for treating them. All the sailors have grown beards and look rather alarming, but they’re still the nice men we became friends with. Here are addresses and messages from them to their loved ones.”

  Rory handed over the pages from Gabriel’s notebook, thinking she should write her parents, but that might not be wise if her father didn’t know that her mother had gone behind his back to attempt to ransom her. “I promised we’d write up the messages, and Gabriel will give them to the British consul to send home. Can we do them all by tomorrow?”

  “I should think so.” Constance accepted the notebook pages, but her attention was on Rory. “You get a certain note in your voice when you mention this Captain Hawkins. What is he like besides apparently being honorable?”

  To her vast annoyance, Rory found herself blushing. “He’s . . . very nice. I like him.”

  Constance grinned. “It’s about time our lives got a romantic hero.” She rose from the bench. “Now to work!”

  Chapter 7

  Packing a lion wasn’t easy. Because the Zephyr was within an hour or so of her planned departure time, Gabriel was prowling over his ship, making sure all was in order, but he paused to watch the lion being loaded. The other animals had been boarded the previous day so they would have time to settle in before the lion came to upset them. The pens were so new that the scent of freshly sawed lumber still floated through the ship.

  The cage containing Ghazi was slowly winched up from the dock, but despite the hoist operator’s care, it swung and twisted in the hot afternoon air. Ghazi was not happy, and his furious roar sent primitive tingles of fear down the spines of everyone within hearing distance, Gabriel included.

  Malek’s two lion keepers had already boarded carrying long poles. When the cage swung over the open hold, they used their poles to steady and guide the cage as it was lowered into the depths of the ship. Then they headed below to get Ghazi settled while the animals already on board reacted with nervous bleats and brays and honks.

  The animals were safely aboard with their keepers, and supplies for men and beasts were loaded. All they needed now was Malek, his guards, and the two captive ladies. Hoping they’d appear soon, Gabriel returned to his cabin to go over his long checklist of r
equirements for the journey. He’d learned early that double and triple checking was never a bad thing.

  He’d privately thought it would take a miracle to modify the ship and load everything necessary in three days, but they’d managed. Malek had been true to his word about supplying the necessary men and materials; he must have terrorized everyone involved to get such excellent cooperation in a part of the world where everything took longer than it should.

  As expected, the hippos were the most difficult. They and their heavy water tank were securely installed a little aft of amidships since that was likely to be the most stable position, and least likely to disturb the ship’s handling.

  The pens for the miniature animals were behind the hippos with an aisle running between them, and their feed and bedding and keepers packed in between the enclosures. The scent was ripe. Gabriel could only imagine what it would be like by the time they reached Constantinople, but the keepers seemed capable and were clearly dedicated to their charges.

  Hammocks and sleeping mats had been tucked into corners wherever there was space for Malek’s guards. Gabriel assumed that many of them would end up sleeping on the deck when the weather was fair.

  Gabriel was in his cabin finishing his list check when Landers rapped on the doors, then entered. Gabriel glanced up. “Is everyone and everything on board?”

  “Some of Malek’s guards have arrived, but Malek and half a dozen more guards and the two ladies haven’t boarded yet,” the first mate replied. “Maybe they were waiting for the lion to be loaded first. I’m looking forward to meeting the beast.”

  “Just don’t put a hand in the cage to tease him. Ghazi looked angry and hungry when he arrived.” The ship’s cat was sleeping on the desk, and he now raised his head and shoved it against Gabriel’s hand in a blatant demand for petting. He scratched between the soft gray ears. “This fellow here is a much more reliable companion. Even if he tries to bite your hand off, he won’t succeed. Though he might draw blood.”