“Why don’t we move up front and join the others?” Amelia was developing a motherly fondness for the young women even though she was not much older than most of them. Overnight she had learned the girls’ names. Pilar, the one with sorrowful eyes. Elizabeth, the shrew. Auria, quiet and frightened. Belicia, the girl she found sobbing on her bunk yesterday. Ria, who laughed a lot, though she had no reason to. Mira, the girl who smiled through her tears. Bunny. Dark-skinned Mahalia. Faith and Hester.
Sighing, Pilar leaned closer to the railing, eyes fixed on the water. “Everyone is frightened out of their minds. Most of us have nowhere to go once we reach Houston.”
“Frightened of what? We are in most capable hands now.”
“Brown and his men. They’re dreadful animals.” Pilar’s gaze focused on the waves breaking against the hull. “I don’t know Morgan Kane. For all we know, he could be even worse than Brown.”
“Oh no. He isn’t. I know him.”
Pilar turned to meet her gaze.
“I do know him. He rescued me from a jail wagon a few days ago.”
Pilar’s jaw dropped.
“I wasn’t in the wagon for anything serious. My sisters and I helped ourselves to a few pieces of fruit—the apples were soft and the oranges were tough skinned. We didn’t take the best—but anyway, you can rest assured that Morgan Kane is an honorable man.”
“But how…?”
“It’s a very long story, but please don’t be afraid. Morgan will do all that he can to save us. You have my promise. We need to concentrate on what you and the others will do once we reach port. Brown will follow. He is greedy and spiteful and won’t let us go easily, but neither will Morgan.” She wasn’t the fool Elizabeth accused her of being. Brown would never let the women get away without a horrendous fight.
Pilar frowned. “You would think Brown would be smarter than to fall for the trick. Surely he couldn’t think that this Dov Lanigan would just sail in and take the women on his own.”
“Obviously, Théodore Austin Brown isn’t as smart as he thinks.”
Pilar slowly shook her head. “You might be confident this Morgan Kane will bring us through this, but I’m not convinced. You’re pretty and smart and probably have someone who is waiting for you when this is over. Most of us have none of those things.”
“Rubbish. I’m not the least bit smart, but yes, I do have somewhere to go after this is over.” The mission nuns must be peering out windows and listening intently for the three McDougal sisters to return. It wasn’t unheard of for the ambitious girls to wander for a few days, but they always came home by the end of the week.
“Anyone have a better plan than Kane’s?” A new voice entered the conversation.
Amelia turned to discover that Elizabeth and Bunny had decided to join them. Elizabeth issued the brusque challenge.
“Pardon?”
“You may be a ninny, but for once you’re right. We are far from out of this yet. This isn’t a child’s game. We do what Kane says without hesitation.”
Bunny nodded in agreement. “I would rather be killed trying to escape than hand my life to a heartless privateer.”
Amelia stiffened at Elizabeth’s combined compliment and insult, but she held her tongue, agreeing the group had bigger problems than choice of words. Elizabeth possessed common sense, though she abused the attribute often. From the moment Amelia laid eyes on her, steel barriers had shot up, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe Elizabeth’s overbearing, bossy nature crowded her sunnier side. Amelia hoped to be done with her soon.
Bunny sensed the tension and continued. “There’s strength in numbers. No one should act alone. Regardless of how frightened we are, we must consider the other first.”
Amelia’s eyes locked in a silent duel with Elizabeth’s. “I agree.”
“See, we can be in agreement when we try.” Bunny smiled. “My concern is what to do when once we arrive in Houston. I don’t have a coin to my name. How will I find my way back to Galveston?”
Amelia reached for the girl’s hand. “Must you return there?”
“Well…no, I suppose not. I was living on the streets when Brown captured me. My husband took ill and died a couple of months ago. I had nowhere to go and didn’t know what to do. I’ve been living on handouts.”
Amelia had discovered that many of the women told the same story. No families. Alone and helpless—easy prey for those like Brown and his cutthroats.
“We can’t permit our thoughts to dwell on the unknown. We’ll deal with problems as they arise. We need to pray for wisdom and guidance. When Brown discovers the hoax, no doubt he will try to recover his losses, but by then we will be long gone.” Hope was their only defense. Without it, they would most certainly be lost. “I know the situation looks bad, but if we put our heads together, we can come up with something.”
Most of the women clearly did not share the same optimism.
“Why don’t we just burst into a round of song?” Elizabeth mocked.
Amelia pointed at her. “If you listen to her, we might as well slit our throats and be through with the ordeal. Life is full of trials. We’ll face whatever comes our way.”
Bunny’s eyes widened with distress. “I don’t want to slit my throat.”
“Only a figure of speech.” Amelia gave the girl’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Please don’t worry. Of course the situation is grave, and I’m not making light of our distress, but we must keep heart. To lose confidence is exactly what these rats want, and we will not give them the pleasure of seeing our vulnerability.”
“Well, then. Do tell us what to do,” Elizabeth said.
“I think we have agreed to follow Morgan Kane’s orders. Do exactly as he asks.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Twit.”
Drawing herself up straighter, Amelia faced her accuser. “If you think name-calling will hurt my feelings, you are sadly mistaken.”
“My, my.” Elizabeth rolled a smoke. “Sounds like someone is infatuated with the handsome young captain.”
“Infatuated!” Amelia felt steam roll from the top of her head.
“Quiet!” Pilar snapped. “Stop this endless squabbling.” She glanced at Elizabeth. “Captain Kane is taking a huge risk—one he didn’t invite. Of course we’ll do as he says.”
Elizabeth ignited a match with her thumb. The woman took a long drag off the cigarette. Bold, she was. Blatantly brazen.
“Can we please not argue?” Bunny stepped to the rail and took a long draught of fresh air. “Can’t we just thank God that for now we’re unharmed? Surely we can figure a way out of this.” She closed her eyes and took another long, deep breath of sea air.
Silence turned deafening. Elizabeth flipped the cigarette overboard. Red-hot ashes swirled into the wind. “This day is never going to end.”
The woman was not only haughty, but she was wishy-washy. One minute she was hot on a plan and the next she seemed oblivious to danger. Sister Louise said wishy-washy was worse than indecisive. Make a point and stick with it, the good sister said. Elizabeth would have been well served to have a Sister Louise in her life. Tears welled in Amelia’s eyes. How she wished the gentle, kind sister was here right now to advise them all.
Elizabeth suddenly stepped back and shoved Amelia against the railing. “Listen, and listen good, silly twit.” Elizabeth was so close that Amelia could see the flecks of gold rimming the pupils of her eyes. “Stay alert.”
Amelia gave her a cold stare. “Let go of me.”
Elizabeth straightened, releasing the bruising hold. “Use your head for more than a hat rack.”
Amelia had heard that plenty of times before.
“Our heads, Elizabeth, are not our immediate concern.” Amelia irritably straightened her disheveled bodice.
Casting a glance at Captain Kane, who was standing in deep conversation with Frost, Elizabeth added quietly, “Just keep quiet and do what you’re told.”
“Speak for yourself, gooseneck.” Amelia’s hand
flew to cover her mouth. The mission sisters would take her to the woodshed for using such language. Blessed are the peacemakers. How many times had the beatitude been drilled into her? “Elizabeth…”
Turning on her heel, Elizabeth walked off, no doubt leaving the other women to wonder about the pulsing dislike between the two women.
Six
The hours passed slowly. The ship’s old captain said that with a good wind the sloop could do eleven knots. But the wind had calmed to little more than a stiff breeze. When Amelia wasn’t lying on deck staring at the sky, she was pacing the deck, staring at the miles of endless water. The sea fascinated her. She could stand forever, watching the dolphins frolic in the water like playful children on a school holiday. Her thoughts turned to the end of what had been promised a short journey. By late afternoon they would be in the subport of Houston, Morgan had told her, though nobody informed the wind of their goal. The old ship cut through waters as thick as molasses now.
But she was in no hurry. Once in Houston, her adventure would be over. A worrisome sense of regret filled her. The past few days had covered the full array of emotions. Fear, anticipation, hope. Standing at the ship’s rail, feeling the breeze toss her hair, she no longer felt like the old Amelia. How would life at the convent ever satisfy after this whirlwind venture?
“Still watching the dolphins, Miss McDougal?”
Expectancy fired Amelia’s blood as Morgan approached. He had an unnerving effect on her, and she suspected the other women felt the undercurrent. She saw the glancing looks, the wistful stares. Even Elizabeth appeared at times to be taken by his presence.
“They’re delightful to watch. So carefree. So unrestricted.”
Overhead, the wind snapped through the fore and aft sails as the old vessel sliced silently through the water.
“Are you worried?” he asked.
“Me?” She chuckled. “Heavens, no.” At least if she were, he’d never know it. She had been very selfish, imposing upon his time with hardly a thought for his schedule. She would not cause him one more minute of trouble.
Settling his weight against the spray rail, he studied her. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”
“I have not. I’ve rested, watched the sea. Besides, you’ve looked quite busy all day.”
Light swells struck the bow of the ship, mesmerizing Amelia. The sea was calm and peaceful. The past few days were almost forgotten amid such beauty. God’s hand was evident everywhere she looked. The formation of the clouds, the deep waters, the sea life—magnificent work. With those things, combined with Morgan’s presence, she felt at peace. She was developing far too much dependence on this man. Very soon he would ride on to his mission, and she would book passage to Mercy Flats. Something cavernous inside her recoiled from the thought. She didn’t want him to leave. The foreign thought left her mystified.
Before she realized it, she blurted, “Do you find Elizabeth to be nice?”
“Elizabeth?” he replied vaguely.
Elizabeth? she mocked silently. He knew perfectly well who Elizabeth was. She was rough, crass, and foulmouthed, but she was pretty with that mass of dark hair and sea-green eyes. Of course he’d noticed her. “Yes, Elizabeth. Do you think she’s nice—and pretty?”
“Elizabeth with the gorgeous eyes?”
“The woman with the gorgeous eyes.” Ha!
His tone was noncommittal. “Haven’t noticed her.” A slow grin spread over his face. “Why do you ask?”
Amelia deliberately kept her tone sunny. “I don’t care, but you should know she’s hateful.” That remark was even more unkind than calling her a gooseneck. Elizabeth’s neck was quite pretty, long and slender.
He nodded. “But very attractive.”
Amelia sucked in a breath. “Can’t deny the truth. She’s pretty hateful.” She turned on him. “You have noticed her.”
The dimple appeared.
Amelia had heard of such instant attractions—a man and a woman, their eyes meeting across the room, feeling a sense of destiny. The thought that the good Lord had destined Morgan Kane for Elizabeth made her queasy.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” she challenged.
“That’s what?”
“Mutual attraction. I’ve seen the way you two step into the shadows to whisper.” Drawing her cloak closer, she struggled against the inexplicable feelings suddenly battering her. Was jealousy rearing its ugly head? Sister Lucille had warned her about the serpent’s ugly ways, but why would it pick this time and, most especially, this man to torture her? She didn’t care who Captain Kane looked at with longing eyes. She rigorously jerked her wrap tighter.
“What were you and the others so deep in conversation about earlier?” Morgan asked.
“Freedom.”
A dangerous light entered his eyes. “Freedom is within sight. Use the opportunity wisely.”
“I didn’t say I was going to do anything silly, but if I were you, I would keep an eye on…” She bit back another odious remark. She had no right to tattle on Elizabeth. He’d understand her and her petty ways soon enough. She wasn’t capable of taking orders, not from a man like Kane, who wouldn’t put up with her nonsense.
“On whom?”
“Never mind. I would just be cautious of whom I trust.”
“You are not to do anything foolish,” he repeated. “When we reach Houston, you will be a free woman. Go home.”
“Well, thank you. I will.” She picked an imaginary speck of lint from her cloak.
“And don’t try anything daring. Your headstrong devices are what got you into this in the first place.”
“My reasoning has always worked for me in the past.” Though she hated the tactics. She’d never realized how much until this journey. She longed for a simple life, one free of strife. One with a husband like Kane. One who looked like him but didn’t act like him. She’d been a pest, and he rightfully would be happy to be rid of her. She, on the other hand, would not be so thrilled to watch him ride away. If circumstances were different…She dropped the idea.
“Just follow my advice. Buy a train ticket—”
“There are no trains near Mercy Flats.”
“Then ship.”
“Mercy Flats is a long way from a deep port, but I will buy ship passage.”
“Stagecoach?”
“Same story. But rest assured, I will return to my home and my sisters.” She turned to meet his gaze. “What about you? Where will you go when we reach Houston?”
Silence, as though he were considering a thought. Then, “The less you know, the better. Just follow instructions.”
“In other words, I’m to follow along like a gullible dolt, and all will be well.”
“I didn’t say that. We’re a long way from completing this little escape.”
“But you seem so…confident.”
“I’m not. Deep down, I’m praying as hard as the others. If this idea backfires, I’m afraid it will be every man for himself. I cannot keep eleven women safe, not even remotely.”
“But you brought the other women.”
“Forget it,” he said sharply, as if he’d already given the subject considerable thought. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t save them all. I’ll only take one when I leave.”
“Oh, let me guess who that will be.”
He focused on the water, declining the challenge.
When she could stand the suspense no longer, she erupted with the name that she’d come to despise. “Elizabeth,” she noted. “It’s Elizabeth, isn’t it?” Her head swung away. “You’re disgusting.”
“I don’t make a habit of discussing my ladies with other women. I learned a long time ago that I might as well cut my own throat if I venture there.”
Her features hardened with determination. She wasn’t exactly on firm footing right now. She wanted his attention, but not like this. Turning, she walked away, tossing over her shoulder, “How much longer to Houston?”
“Can’t say. You in a hurry to get t
here?”
“No, gooseneck.”
“Gooseneck? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Swiping hair from her eyes, she muttered under her breath. If he thought for one moment that he and Elizabeth’s obvious attraction bothered her, then he was a gooseneck.
If she was headed for the woodshed, she might as well make the painful trip worthwhile.
The sun sank below a wall of clouds as the ship approached Houston. The hour of deliverance had finally arrived. Soon she would be home, reunited with Abigail, Anne-Marie, and the sisters at San Miguel. How worried those lovely nuns must be. The McDougal sisters had been gone…well, she’d lost track of time, but longer than usual and certainly enough to worry the nuns into a frenzy.
The sloop slipped silently into the harbor. Straining to see through the murky haze, she tried to detect movement on the outer bank. There was none.
A foghorn sounded in the distance, signaling an approaching ship. Houston was a subport, unable to handle huge vessels, but the sloop easily anchored into place.
“See anything?” Ria pressed closer to Amelia’s side, her body trembling with anticipation. Captain Frost, a cautious sort, had moored the vessel a safe distance from the landing, no doubt to avoid detection. A thick gray mist hung low over the port and couldn’t have come at a better time. The stench of the waterfront met her nose.
“The fog is so thick, I can’t see my hand in front of my face.” Amelia’s eyes located Elizabeth’s and challenged her. Did she know Morgan planned to take her with him and leave the others behind if trouble arose? An envious twinge drew her back to the present.
The low, melodious call of a songbird came from somewhere near the shoreline. Pressing against the railing, Amelia listened more intently. There it was again, two owl hoots followed by a seagull call, stronger this time.
“That’s the signal,” she murmured. “We have to go now.” Fear nearly blocked her air passage. However much comfort she found in Morgan, she realized he could only do so much. Her life would depend mainly on her efforts to survive. She was a strong swimmer, had known how since she was a sprout, so the short swim didn’t alarm her.
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