Dark Secrets, Deep Bayous

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Dark Secrets, Deep Bayous Page 23

by Meg Hennessy


  Soon they were gliding behind a tall looming cliff with large sunken boulders, whose tips barely reached the surface of the water. From their position, Aurèlie could make out the crescent shape of the islands. Jordan shouted out orders, negotiating the waters with caution. The island was beautiful, lush with foliage, blue water, and sand beaches. As they rounded a rocky summit, Aurèlie felt a niggling of familiarity.

  She had seen this before. She whirled around to tell Jordan when the door opened and he stepped inside. “Jourdain, the rocks, I see these—”

  “I know, waves would travel west in winter.” He came forward and took her hands into his. Through his fingertips, she could feel his heart hammering, his skin cold and pale from exposure to the ocean waters. She cradled his hands against her breasts, wishing to warm him. She caught a flicker of appreciation in his eyes before he slipped his hands free of her. “Come to the main deck and take in the full view.”

  The crew stood silently with all eyes on her and Jordan as they approached the helm. The mist-drenched air dampened Aurèlie’s face and gave her a slight chill.

  “Take a good look, Aurèlie. Still confident this is the place?”

  Aurèlie swallowed hard not wishing to be mistaken. Her eyes traveled over the terrain, drawing a mental picture. “Oui, we are there.”

  Jordan whirled around to his crew.

  “Lower the polly boat. I’m going ashore. Rusty, take two men to go with me. Loul, you keep her lying to. Donato de la Roche will look for us after he’s finished the Brits. If he suspects anything, he’ll come around the other end, full sail, and take the wind.”

  Loul nodded though uncertainty darkened his eyes. “Jordan, how will you know where to go? That’s not a small island to search with so little time.”

  “No, but it’s the best I have. If she’s here, I’ll find her.”

  Aurèlie swiped a nervous tongue over her lower lip. “Jourdain, I must go with you.”

  He shook his head as he jumped off the helm and crossed the deck, heading toward the polly boat. “I appreciate what it is you think you can offer—”

  “The way in.” Aurèlie stepped down next to him. “If this is the right place, she’s touched the rocks, the trees, perhaps a bench, n’est pas?”

  Jordan was shaking his head all while she tried to convince him.

  Loul joined them. “She makes most sense. We no longer have the medallion, our connection to her. Aurèlie should go.”

  Jordan pulled Aurèlie to the side to speak in private. “Aurèlie, if we are caught, they’ll kill me, and you’ll never get off this island. Loul cannot risk the ship or the men.”

  The other men who were going ashore with Jordan gathered around, all as heavily armed as Jordan. She motioned toward his men. “How could I be in danger?”

  The cannon fire across the island had started to wane. His window of opportunity would soon close. “I will take you but do not delude yourself. Those men are not loyal to me. They’re after prize.”

  The polly boat plunged to the water with a cargo net rippling over the gunwale. Jordan slipped over the side and guided her over his shoulder and together they descended the side of the ship in what seemed an endless curtains of knots and holes.

  As soon as she stepped into the small boat, the riding waves took her stomach without ceremony. She swallowed, trying to keep her nerves at bay. Though she trusted Jordan and Loul, the others were…indeed…pirates.

  She glanced up at the huge side of the ship as the men cast off Le Vengeur. The large hull that dwarfed the polly brought shivers across her skin. As they rowed closer to the rocky shoreline, the ship waited silently, silhouetted within the deep blue sky behind the tall masts. Waves crashed against the huge boulders, creating swirls and boils. A faint spray moistened her face.

  Scanning the shoreline, she pointed to the rock that looked the most familiar. The men shifted their oars and brought them ashore. Once securely tied off, they all climbed out atop the rock.

  Aurèlie leaned down and touched the hard surface worn smooth by the water. Yes, this is exactly where the woman stood. She felt the rocks around them and determined her path.

  “This way.”

  When they reached the top, all fell on their stomachs and stared at the mansion before them. It was a huge manor with outdoor halls and a six-foot wall around the interior made of rock and timber.

  “No guards?” Rusty whispered to Jordan.

  “On the other shore watching the duel.” Jordan glanced over at Aurèlie. “Does my sister come and go through that front gate?”

  “I think not.” She closed her eyes, allowing her vision of his sister and the rocks to return. “She goes this way.”

  The men followed as they raced along a path to the side of the wall until she approached a small side door. No guard.

  They halted.

  “She’s in there?” Jordan asked.

  Aurèlie nodded. “Oui, she comes and goes from here.”

  Jordan tried the door but it wouldn’t budge. He pulled free his dirk and broke the handle. The wooden door slowly swung open onto a lush, richly flowered courtyard dappled in the afternoon sun. Sounds of explosions and hazy smoke from the sea battle floated over the courtyard.

  “Which way, Aurèlie?”

  “This way.” She walked through a large archway into an indoor patio with fountains, flowers, and tall ferns fluttering in the breeze. She then turned across the patio and entered the first bedchamber.

  Sensing they were in Donato’s room, she continued through the first room and into the adjoining. It was a beautiful room of massive cedar furniture with gilded trim. Next to the oversized bedstead stood an armoire. The door, slightly ajar, revealed brightly colored dresses hanging from each peg and tossed over a dressing screen was a silk shawl.

  Aurèlie hesitated a second before realizing it was Colette’s room. But to the opposite end of the room was a closed door. Aurèlie immediately headed toward it and placed her hand on the handle. She drew a deep breath, sensing the woman who stood on the rocks.

  “Aurèlie, if she is behind this door, I will open it.”

  Aurèlie understood and backed away, out of Jordan’s path.

  Jordan stepped to the door and closed his eyes for a second. A second that Aurèlie knew was a silent prayer, though Jordan would never admit it as such, regardless of what he found on that other side. He pushed down on the handle and very slowly swung the door open.

  …

  Sunlight from an opposing window struck Jordan in the eye when he stepped inside. He could hear the sound of a woman humming a song. He stepped forward out of the blinding sun and found a woman, sitting in a large mahogany chair, rhythmically rocking while beautifully singing a tune.

  Jordan couldn’t take another step, remembering the song as one that his mother had sung years ago. The energy that flailed through his body nearly brought his heart to a stop. If it missed a beat or two, he didn’t notice. The woman had her back to him. Her hair hung long and partially over the back of the chair. A honeycomb color, the same as his.

  He knew the woman was Colette. His eyes filled with a thick mist that he quickly wiped away, but his heart swelled to the point that it felt too large for his chest. He tried to swallow but his throat had gone dry and he couldn’t seem to feel his own body. Briefly, he closed his eyes, then glanced back at Aurèlie. After a deep breath, he stepped forward to stand within a few feet from his sister.

  “Colette,” he said very softly, his voice cracking under the strain of discovery. “I have come to take you home.”

  The rocking motion of the chair stopped.

  “Who is here?” she whispered.

  “It is I, your brother.”

  Slowly the woman stood and faced him. The weight of the mission fell through his body, nearly caving in his knees. His stomach turned into a tight ball. His heart, that had bled for so long, wanted to reach out to her. She stared at him, running her gaze over every inch of him as if not believing who
stood before her. He was frozen in the same disbelief.

  “Jordan, you survived. I could not remember anything of who I was until lately and it all is so mixed up in my mind. But then I got this.” She pointed to a side table and on it sat the crystal Jordan had stashed in the prize stolen the night of the ambush. Finally, he had his proof. The man he had been hunting for the past three years was Donato de la Roche. Once he had Colette safely on his ship, revenge would be within Jordan’s grasp. “An omen, reminding me of home. Much like Mother’s, non?”

  “Yes, very much so.” He could barely speak, while images of the past couple of years raced through his mind at neck-breaking speed.

  Colette swallowed hard, picking up the crystal. “It was Mother’s, wasn’t it?”

  Jordan nodded.

  She stood motionless for a moment, seemingly unaware of the battle on the other side of the island or the danger he and the others who accompanied him might be in. A mist formed in her eyes. “I do not remember much, but I knew this to be hers. How did it get here?”

  “Colette, it is time to go home.”

  “You are here. Father…is he with you?”

  “In spirit.” His voice choked as he made a rush toward her, wrapping her in his arms, remembering his father’s haggard face as he had tirelessly searched for his daughter.

  “I cannot believe.” She started to cry and her shoulders violently shook. He held her tight, letting her cry, feeling the heat of her tears soak through his shirt, allowing his own eyes to fill with a need to shed the emotions he had so carefully guarded over the years. Images of his father, mother, and the life they had once shared as a family flooded his mind until he thought he had fallen back into time.

  The sound of a child crying brought him back to the present.

  He released her and stepped back, glancing beyond her to see a small crib sitting at a right angle to the rocking chair. Inside, a small baby, perhaps no more than a few months old.

  Colette moved to block his view of the child. “He is mine.”

  Jordan’s heart sank, knowing how his sister had been used. Noting the child’s dark hair, he knew by whom. She picked up the baby, holding her child with tenderness.

  Aurèlie stepped forward. “He is healthy, will journey well, non?”

  “Oh, oui, he is a good boy.”

  Jordan found his voice. “Grab what you need for him. Leave all else. I have a ship waiting. We have to hurry. Where is la Roche?”

  “Donato has been preoccupied. A ship has transgressed his waters, I think. He does not like that much,” she explained as she handed the baby to Jordan and rushed to open a drawer, removing tiny items of clothing.

  Clumsily, Jordan held the small child in his arms. The warm bundle wiggled as he reached up with a tiny hand and touched Jordan’s arm. He looked around with the realization that he was standing in a child’s room and wondered at the preferred treatment his sister had received.

  “We have to hurry. Are there guards?”

  “They follow Donato to the coast.” She retrieved her child. “Donato will not be pleased they left me unprotected, but you are not dangerous.”

  “Is the boy his?”

  Colette halted and stared at Jordan as if trying to read his expression, interpret his meaning. Suddenly wary, she took the child as if to protect him and stepped away from Jordan. “Oui.”

  Aurèlie handed a small shawl to Colette. “He’ll need this for the cool nights, Jourdain, n’est pas?”

  Jordan responded with a nod, appreciating how Aurèlie kept everything focused because right about now, he couldn’t and the last thing he wanted was his sister’s worry. “I only wish to know, considering the accommodations, you are apparently more to Donato than a—”

  “I wish to see my family… s’il vous plait,” Colette interrupted.

  “We leave.” Jordan stepped forward and put a gentle hand to her face, not wanting to share his concerns that if la Roche was the baby’s father, he’d most likely give chase and they’d have to fight their way out. Hopefully, the Spanish rogue had a nice stash of gold hidden somewhere to pay for such a risk, or Jordan would have a mutiny on his hands. “Find something warm to wear.”

  Colette busied herself with packing and put in the crystal. “I think we’ll take this with us. For good luck, oui?”

  “We’ll need all the luck we can get.” When Jordan turned to leave the room, he hesitated, facing Aurèlie. “Thank you, Aurèlie, thank you.”

  When Colette entered the bedchamber from the child’s room, she hesitated, looking over the other men with some trepidation. Jordan took her parcel and motioned to the men.

  “Tell them where la Roche keeps things of value. All pirates have their getaway stash. Where is his?”

  “I…” Colette seemed hesitant.

  “I want his stolen gold. My crew has to be paid.”

  Colette seemed uncertain and her hesitation brought a chill to his bones but he didn’t know why. She nodded slightly then spoke in a whisper. “He keeps gold in the Despachodel del gobernador. This way.”

  Colette held her son tightly as they snuck through the adjoining bedchamber and returned to the courtyard. “A room just to the right in the corridor. The chalice over the fireplace, a key inside. The safe is in the wall, secreted behind the bottom door of his desk.”

  Rusty had taken a step, when Jordan caught his arm. “I do not wait if my family is in danger.”

  “Aye, aye, Cap’n.”

  Jordan waited a second to watch his men make it across the courtyard and disappear into the corridor. He directed both women out of the house, through the wooden door, and along the hilltop. They were about to head down to the sea, when someone appeared from the direction of the house.

  “Parada!” The man shouted as he raised a pistol in his hand.

  Colette buckled to her knees. Aurèlie caught her on the way down, bringing both women to the ground.

  “Go…go,” Jordan whispered as he raised his hands in surrender, still holding his pistol.

  Aurèlie inched down the hill, encouraging Colette to follow. Jordan watched as the guard made his way closer while holding his pistol aimed waist high.

  “Mi amigo.” Jordan forced a casual smile, understanding some Spanish. “¿Habla inglés?”

  The man nodded that he spoke English while stretching his neck to see the ship. No sooner had he reached the edge of the hilltop when a shot rang out. The wounded man toppled over then rolled down the hill.

  Across the patio, Rusty appeared with a smoking pistol and several leather pouches in his hand. The other two men ran quickly behind him, hands full. “Thought he might be trouble, Cap’n.”

  Jordan nodded for them to keep going. “Not nearly as much as that pistol shot will be. Find yourself some gold?”

  “Aye, aye, Cap’n. Lots of it.” He tossed a small leather pouch to Jordan, heavy with coin as they raced down the hill and to the polly boat.

  Jordan raised his spyglass and saw two men come to the edge of the hill and point in their direction. They disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. “I’m afraid we will have to fight to keep it.”

  “Aye, Cap’n. The Brits are down and we’ve been seen.”

  “Not good.” Jordan pushed off from shore. “Row like hell.”

  Riding the waves up to the hull of Le Vengeur, Jordan grabbed the cargo net, helping the women aboard while struggling to think of a strategy that would ensure their escape.

  Loul was waiting as the party climbed aboard. His broad smile lit up his dark face when he saw Colette.

  “Oh my Lord, I can’t believe it. I can’t.” He hugged her and the baby before she had stepped on board.

  “Loul, it is you!” Colette laughed, hugging him back. “I remember! You have grown so. A man you are now, non?”

  Jordan climbed aboard after the women. “Aurèlie, help Colette to the cabin. There is no time. Loul, we have to get out of here.”

  The moment Aurèlie and Colette disappeared dow
n the companionway to the captain’s cabin, Loul grabbed Jordan’s arm to get his attention. “A baby?”

  Jordan met Loul’s puzzled expression. “A baby. Not any baby, hers with Donato de la Roche. She was his mistress or wife, haven’t asked yet, but in the most luxurious accommodations.”

  “Did she not want to return?”

  “Without hesitation, but we have taken his woman and his son.”

  Loul returned a somber nod. “This is more than stealing a hen from the rooster.”

  “That’s not the end of it. She referred to his study as the office of the governor. I know he’s not a governor, but he has a title.”

  “Spanish royalty on an island?”

  “I don’t know. Either way we have robbed him of gold and stolen his most precious cargo.” Jordan looked at Loul. “What would you do to get your son back? Let’s get the hell out of here. Pull anchor! Crack sails and get us some headway.”

  Four men grabbed the capstan bars and pushed. Turning the capstan around, they pulled in the heavy chain that kept Le Vengeur lying-to while Jordan eyed the island. With anchor raised, Jordan kicked the pawl and secured it.

  “Launch sweeps! We need headway now!”

  The large oars were run out. With the crescent shape of the islands, the small spooned by the larger land mass, they had only one way out. He watched the flurry of activity on the ship and hoped to hell these men had enough loyalty to fight one of the most infamous pirates of the gulf waters.

  Slowly, silently, Le Vengeur crept around the northern tip of the island but their escape was too late and standing off the point, El Diablo. Jordan remembered, without a doubt seeing that ship in Port au Prince. His father had been that close to finding Colette.

  Donato had not taken the bait. The loaded tender of false treasure had floated out of sight.

  “Load the long guns. At the bow, ready to fire. We’re crashing right through them.”

  “No, Jordan, he’ll rake us,” Loul warned.

  Off in the distance, Jordan could see the British warship, embattled and raked, her crew lowering a clipper into the water for their escape. Le Vengeur made headway, climbing to four knots, breaking water, and diving deep into the sendings. Though an excellent sailor, Jordan had never matched his skills with this man.

 

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