Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance)

by Constance O'Banyon

  Thinking the woman had a wonderful sense of humor, Liberty smiled at her. "I trust you found your room comfortable?" she said, still not sure how to welcome their guest. "Had I knows beforehand of your arrival, I would have had your room prepared. I hope you will forgive the confusion; you see we are just furnishing the house."

  Adriane Pierce stared at the lovely young Creole girl. Judah had replaced her with a mere child! Adriane had dreamed of this reunion all the way across the sea, and she certainly had not envisioned a beautiful young girl spoiling it for her.

  "I don't know who you are, but I would suggest you pack your bags and get out immediately," Adriane said, moving to the railing and glancing down at the Winged Victory. "I have been Judah's mistress since long before you snipped off your baby curls. If you entertain any notion that you can replace me in his affections, you would do well to forget it."

  Liberty gasped in disbelief as she stared at the brazen woman. "Surely you jest? I know Judah's friends have a wonderful sense of humor, but they would never do this to me. I find this situation tasteless and not in the least humorous."

  Adriane stared into soft blue eyes framed with golden lashes. Upon closer inspection she saw that this young woman was an exceptional beauty—just the kind that would draw a man's attention. "I assure you I would never jest about anything so serious. I am asking you to leave so there will not be a scene when Judah arrives."

  Liberty raised her chin and glared at the newcomer. It was still difficult for her to believe this was actually happening. "If anyone leaves, it will be you. Judah will not be happy when he comes home and finds you here, Mademoiselle."

  "Will he not? I have come a long way, and I do not intend to have my reunion with Judah spoiled by a baby-faced child," Adriane retorted. "Judah always hated scenes, you know."

  Adriane removed her hat and patted her hair into place before facing Liberty again. "When he comes home, I will tell him you said farewell. I'm sure he will understand."

  It had always taken a great deal to make Liberty angry, but this woman seemed to have found the means to push her past anger. Never had she known a woman to so brazenly flaunt the fact that she was a man's mistress. Not even Bandera had been so bold. Liberty was angry with Adriane, but she was furious at Judah. Her eyes were blazing as she faced her adversary.

  "I have no intention of leaving, Mademoiselle. I am sure you can find your way back to Boston, or wherever it is you came from." Liberty entered the house, hoping to put an end to the conversation, but Adriane followed her into the parlor.

  The older woman laughed deep in her throat while she seated herself on a chair. "No, that's not the way it is going to be. You will go to the village, back to your mama, or wherever you came from. For years now I have watched pretty girls trying to insinuate themselves into Judah's life, but he always returns to me." Her eyes narrowed, and she spoke the words Sebastian had instructed her to say. "You do not stand a chance with him while I'm here. You see, Judah asked me to join him—he was afraid he would be bored."

  "Judah did not ask you to come here, he wouldn't."

  Adriane did not answer, but merely smiled, while looking down her nose at Liberty as if she were a bothersome child.

  Liberty was so angry that tears filled her eyes. She would not believe that Judah had sent for this woman. No, he would never do that. Surely there had been some mistake. "I do not believe you, Mademoiselle."

  "Believe what you will ... or you can wait to hear the truth from Judah himself, Adriane responded."

  Liberty had never been one to give up a fight, and she wasn't going to give in. "Will you leave now, or shall I have Hayman show you the door, Mademoiselle?"

  "That is not very sensible. I am being kind when I tell you that you are young and pretty," Adriane offered generously. "There will be many men tripping over themselves to get to you, but Judah won't be one of them." At that moment Hayman entered the room. His eyes moved to Adriane and then to Liberty. "This came for you, Ma'dame. A boy handed it to me and then left." Liberty was glad for the interruption so she could have time to think. Her hands trembled as she took the note from Hayman, then nodded for him to leave the room. Her eyes blurred as she read the message.

  Liberty, I have word from your sister. She is gravely ill and has been asking for you. If you want to hear more about her condition, you can find me at the Trade Wind Inn.

  There was no signature. Liberty shook her head in confusion. Had the whole world gone crazy today? She glanced at Adriane, knowing she would have to wait until later to deal with this woman. Right now, she had to find out about her sister.

  Liberty placed the note on the table and turned to face Adriane. "I will be going into the village, Mademoiselle, and will be away most of the afternoon. I hope that you have the good judgment to be gone before I return. If you do not, I will have you thrown out."

  Liberty squared her shoulders, and swept out of the room without a backward glance. In the hallway, she almost bumped into Hayman. From the look of concern and confusion on his face, Liberty realized that he must have overheard the conversation between her and Adriane Pierce.

  "Did I do something wrong, Ma'dame? The Mam'zelle said that she was expected. I did not know that — "

  "That does not matter, Hayman. Have the carriage brought around to the front. I will be going into town."

  "But, Ma'dame, the master will be most distressed if you leave. You stay here, and I will see that the Mam'zelle leaves. She will not bother you again."

  "Hayman," Liberty said, speaking sharply to him, "I told you to have a carriage brought around to the front. Do it now." She was sorry for the hurt she saw in Hayman's eyes, but she did not intend to stand in the hall and discuss something of such a delicate nature with a servant. Nonetheless as her anger reached its zenith, she told herself that poor Hayman wasn't to blame this situation was Judah's fault.

  "Do not be concerned on my account. I hold you blameless in all this," she assured Hayman in a kinder voice.

  "But, Ma'dame-"

  Liberty turned away and climbed the stairs. She had to get to the village and find out about Bandera. There was no love between them, but they were sisters, and for that reason alone, Liberty could not bring herself to wish Bandera ill.

  Liberty made it to her room before the tears fell. She knew that Adriane Pierce was, or had been, Judah's mistress, and it wounded her deeply. Angrily she brushed the tears away. Judah would have some explaining to do. Always before when she was hurt or troubled, Liberty had gone into the swamp to talk to Zippora. But she was no longer a child; she was a woman in love with her husband, and she would fight for him!

  She picked up her bonnet and placed it on her head. When she heard the carriage pull up to the front of the house, she dashed down the stairs, hoping she would not encounter Adriane Pierce. If the woman was still in the house when she returned, then she would deal with her.

  Judah had been aboard the Winged Victory all day, supervising the loading of supplies. Kegs of explosives were stowed below decks in readiness for the hazardous venture ahead. Since the crew had not been to sea in some weeks, they were anxious to set sail.

  Judah had come home to tell Liberty that he would be sailing on the morning tide. As he climbed the path to the house, he thought it was strange that only the parlor was lit and the rest of the house was in darkness. He hurried up the steps, thinking it strange that Hayman did not meet him at the door.

  On entering the hallway, Judah stopped short when he saw Adriane Pierce standing in the doorway that led to the parlor. Confusion knitted his brow, and his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

  "What, in God's name, are you doing here, Adriane? Where is Liberty?"

  "Not a pretty greeting, Judah." Her lips pursed into a pout. "I was told you would be happy to see me." Adriane saw no welcome in Judah's eyes.

  He pushed past her, and his eyes scanned the parlor. There was no sign of Liberty, so he turned back to Adriane, anger smoldering in his eyes. "You had better hav
e a very good reason for being here," he declared.

  "Judah, I do not understand. I was led to believe that you would welcome me. Otherwise, I would never have come."

  "Where is Liberty?"

  Adriane was beginning to realize that Sebastian Montesquieu had lied to her when he had said Judah would be glad to see her—but why? "Your little house guest has gone." Adriane's eyes narrowed spitefully. "I thought you went for more sophisticated women, Judah. This one is hardly old enough to be weaned away from her mamma."

  "Did you tell her about you and me?" he asked in a demanding voice.

  "Yes. I told her I was your mistress. Why shouldn't I? What are a few truths between mistresses."

  Judah's eyes were cold with contempt, and they looked right through Adriane. She shivered as he pushed her away and rushed to the hallway. "Liberty, where are you?" he called. "Liberty!"

  As he spun around to face a now-befuddled Adriane, Judah addressed her in a harsh whisper. "Where is my wife?"

  The color drained from Adriane's face and she gripped the doorknob to keep her balance. "Your wife! No, Judah, no! I didn't know . . . please forgive me. I did not know that she was your wife. Your cousin told me you would be glad to see me. He even told me you wanted to get rid of the woman who was staying with you, that I should tell her to leave."

  "Where is she?" Judah had spoken softly, but his turquoise eyes were burning with anger.

  Tears moistened Adriane's as she drew herself up with as much dignity as she could. "It seems I have been the object of a cruel jest, Judah. Can you ever forgive me? I would never have come, had I known you were married."

  Judah did not feel inclined to forgive Adriane at the moment, though he suspected that Sebastian had perpetrated the whole incident. He had known Adriane long enough to realize she would never have flaunted their past relationship in front of anyone. "I assume you met my cousin Sebastian and he put you up to this?"

  "Yes, but I don't understand why he would use me to hurt your wife. Your cousin assured me you had told him you wanted to see me again."

  "I never discussed you with Sebastian. You should have known that."

  She reached out to him. "Judah, forgive me. As we were sailing to Martinique, your cousin assured me you had been miserable without me. How could I have known he was just using me?"

  Judah's heart stopped beating, and fear for Liberty gripped him. "Did you say Sebastian sailed here with you?"

  "Yes, he did. He told me to come on out here and he would join us tonight. I believed him."

  "Where is Liberty?" he asked, fear nagging at his brain.

  "She received a note and rushed off. I believe she said she was going to the village," Adriane whispered, Her eyes implored Judah to understand. "Judah, you must believe that I would never have come here if I had known you were married."

  "Where is Hayman?" he asked, too fearful for Liberty's safety to hear what Adriane was saying.

  "I ... he drove your . . . wife into the village."

  "How long ago was that?"

  "I don't know. Perhaps three hours." Adriane moved into the parlor, picked up the note Liberty had left there, and handed it to Judah. "When she got this message she seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Perhaps if you read — "

  Judah grabbed the note and quickly scanned it. His eyes were wild as he crumpled it in his fist. "My God, it is from Sebastian —he has Liberty!" He quickly turned to Adriane and roughly grabbed her by the shoulders. "You had better give me some answers —and quickly. If my cousin has harmed one hair on Liberty's head, you will answer to me."

  Adriane was in a state of confusion. "Why would your cousin want to harm your wife? That does not make any sense, Judah."

  "You are either an innocent victim or a clever accomplice. Either way, you are going to give me some answers, Adriane."

  At that moment Hayman's voice drew their attention. "M'sieu, come quickly. The mistress has been forcibly taken away. I tried to stop them but . . . there were too many of them. I followed them to a ship called the Sea Serpent." Hayman collapsed onto the floor and Judah bent down to him. There were cuts and bruises all over his face.

  Judah sprang into action. "Adriane, I do not know at this moment if you are friend or foe, but I am trusting you to go to the Winged Victory and tell Philippe to have her ready to sail immediately. Have the ship's doctor come back here and tend to Hayman. Hurry!"

  Adriane glanced into Judah's beautiful eyes and saw unbearable pain. He was desperately in love with his wife, and she was sorry that she had been used to hurt him. "I have always been your friend, Judah. Do what you must to find your wife. I will see that Philippe gets your message."

  Judah felt as if he had been delivered a mortal blow. The Sea Serpent belonged to the worst pirate to sail the Caribbean. He closed his eyes, fearing what Liberty's fate would be in the hands of Abdul Ismar. He realized that Sebastian had found the way to hurt him most —Liberty.

  Urgency was in his step as he raced from the house to saddle his horse. All the while he was praying that he would reach Liberty before Sebastian did her any harm!

  Liberty pulled her bonnet over her forehead as Hayman helped her from the buggy. The Trade Wind Inn was a crumbling old limestone building that had known better days. The women leaning in its doorway were dressed in soiled, ill-kept gowns. They looked at Liberty suspiciously, while children wearing tattered clothing played in the filthy street. Liberty raised her handkerchief to her nose, trying not to breathe in the stench. As she glanced about the dark narrow streets, she shivered.

  "Ma'dame, you should not be here. This is a bad place filled with cutthroats and pirates. Even the authorities will not come here." Hayman looked about him nervously. "Let me take you away. The master would not approve, and he will be angry with me for bringing you here."

  Liberty took a hesitant step toward the inn. She did not know who had sent her the note about Bandera, but it had to be someone who knew them both. Confused by the meeting with Judah's mistress, she was now frantic about Bandera. She had to find out about her sister.

  "I have no intention of going home until I have completed my business here. You may come in and wait with me," Liberty said, acting far braver than she felt at the moment.

  The common room of the inn was dimly lit, and smelled of stale rum and unwashed bodies. As Liberty's eyes adjusted to the poor light she resisted the urge to bolt for the door. More than a dozen unsavory-looking men occupied the tables. With their dark, swarthy faces, they were exactly the types Liberty had always envisioned pirates to be. She realized that every eye was trained on her, which made her even more nervous.

  A plump woman with stringy black hair approached. As she wiped her hands on a soiled white apron, her glance revealed her contempt for the well-bred Liberty. "If you be Liberty Slaughter, they want you up them stairs," she said with an undefinable accent.

  Liberty smoothed her leather gloves over her fingers. "I do not intend to go up those stairs, Madame. Please inform the person who wishes to see me that I will be waiting for him by my carriage."

  The woman placed her hands on her hips, and gave Liberty a scathing glance. "I am not here to do your bidding, you fancy piece. If you want a message delivered, do it yourself." With that, she turned away, leaving Liberty to stare after her.

  Amid several hoots and suggestive remarks, Liberty felt Hayman's hand on her arm. "We will go now Ma'dame?"

  "No ... I have to go up those stairs." She moved back into the shadows so the leering men could not see her.

  "Will you come with me, Hayman?"

  "Oui, Ma'dame. If you are determined to do this thing, I will not allow you to go alone."

  The boards creaked as Liberty ascended the stairs. Every eye in the common room was trained on her, and she had to keep reminding herself that she was doing this for Bandera.

  At the top of the stairs all was in dark except for the light that streamed out of an open doorway at the end of the long corridor. "I do not feel good about this, Ma'
dame" Hayman said, moving closer to Liberty, so he could protect her if need be.

  "We will not enter the room, and we will leave as soon as I have the information I came for," she assured him.

  Liberty felt, rather than heard, the men who came out of the shadows and grabbed her and Hayman from behind. A scream escaped from her, and she struggled to free herself. Hayman was fighting with his assailants, but Liberty saw him knocked to the floor and he did not rise.

  Suddenly, a gloved hand was clamped over Liberty's nose and mouth, shutting off her breathing. Then something came down hard on her head, and she felt herself falling into oblivion. Just before she lost consciousness, she heard a familiar voice that sent chills down her spine.

  "Bring her in here, and don't hurt her," Sebastian ordered. "We will gag her before taking her aboard."

  Liberty awoke to the swaying motion of a ship, and it took her several seconds to remember what had happened. Her eyes roved over the cabin, and she sat up quickly when she saw Sebastian smiling at her. His foot was propped on a chair, and he was slapping his leather gloves against his thigh.

  "So, you have come back to us. Welcome aboard the Sea Serpent."

  Liberty slowly stood up on shaky legs. She was frightened, but she didn't want Sebastian to know it. "What do you think you are doing, Sebastian? Where is Hayman?" she demanded.

  "All in good time, Liberty. First of all, I want you to meet Captain Abdul Ismar. Captain, my sister-in-law, Liberty Slaughter. Did I not tell you she was beautiful?"

  Liberty's mind was still groggy, but she recognized the captain's name. Abdul Ismar was the pirate that had killed Judah's father and had kidnapped the American ship captain and his family! She stared at the man's swarthy skin and dark eyes. She had thought he would be much older, but very little gray laced his dark hair and mustache. He was dressed in red leather boots and trousers, and looked every bit the pirate he was. As his dark eyes moved over Liberty, a smile played on his thick lips.