Seductive Wager

by Leigh Greenwood

  “I’d never thought about it in quite that way,” he admitted with a disarming smile. “Sit down and I’ll tell you all I can, but I warn you, it’s going to be less interesting than you think.” He drew a chair forward for her and waited until she was comfortably seated before he began.

  “My mission is easy to explain, but it may even now be too late. The commander at Gibraltar says the French already have a military force in Algeria, but he’s not certain it’s large enough to fight. If it is, and they have already engaged the dey’s troops, we might as well turn around and go home.”

  “What are you supposed to do? Who is the dey?” Kate asked impatiently. “You’re talking in riddles and telling me nothing.”

  “Let me back up a few years,” Brett said. “At the first of the century almost all of North Africa was under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Turks, but the local rulers were to all intents and purposes independent. They engaged freely in piratical enterprises against the European commerce and made the coastal Mediterranean towns veritable slave emporia.” He paused. Kate was listening with rapt interest to everything he said and Charles seemed duly attentive, but Mark showed no interest in the subject.

  “Shortly after the Battle of Waterloo, the British fleet bombarded Algiers and forced the dey to put an end to Christian slavery. It wasn’t much, but it was all we could do without bringing in an army and taking over the country. At the time, no one at the Foreign Office wanted to consider that, but things have changed since then.”

  “The French influence has continued to grow in Algeria. Just a few years ago there was an incident where the dey struck the French consul with a fly whisk. The dey has refused repeated French demands for satisfaction and continues to behave in an arbitrary and intransigent style. Now the Foreign Office is afraid France will use this diplomatic insult as an excuse to mount a full-scale invasion, defeat the dey, and take over the country themselves. The British government is opposed to any extension of French influence—we certainly don’t want them establishing a colonial empire in Africa—and it’s been the job of the British consul in Algiers to convince the dey to moderate his stance so as not to aggravate the French any further. If my information is correct, he’s had only moderate success so far.”

  “But where do you come in?” Kate asked. She was impressed with all the talk of armies and governments, but she couldn’t understand how any single person, even such a wonderful one as Brett, could affect the course of this imperial chess game. “Do they expect you to talk some sense into this dey? He doesn’t sound smart enough to listen to good advice if he heard it.”

  “Make no mistake, Al Nasr is very crafty,” Brett insisted, “but in this case he’s made a slight miscalculation. He thinks that because Europe has never concerned herself with North Africa before, she won’t do so now, but that’s where he’s wrong. Now that Napoleon is out of the way, everyone is looking to establish colonial empires, and Africa is the last unconquered continent. Al Nasr will soon discover to his great sorrow that his little spat with France is just the beginning. Europe will never ignore Africa again.”

  “But how are you supposed to convince this man to change his mind when the local consul can’t?” Kate questioned.

  “No one expects me to improve on the work of Kenneth Wiggins,” Brett replied. “I’ve been given a more intriguing assignment. There is a maverick desert chieftain, one Abd el-Kader of Mascara, who is a wild card in this poker game. He’s a powerful tribal leader, but he’s not strong enough to stand up to the Turks or overthrow Al Nasr by himself. However, he’s a wily fox and he’s been busy flattering Al Nasr, trying to make the fool believe in his own self-importance. He hopes Al Nasr will provoke the French into sending in an army to depose him. Then he plans to take over as dey of Algeria without having done anything more strenuous than flatter one man.

  “It’s a very simple plan and everyone from London to Istanbul knows about it, yet it’s just about to work. My job is to convince Abd el-Kader to withdraw his influence from Algiers and stay in Mascara. I’m supposed to make him understand that if the French do come to Algeria, hell lose more than he’ll gain. It’s entirely possible they will depose him as well as Al Nasr.”

  Kate could not believe her ears. It was like something out of a fairy tale and each page was more incredible than the last. Until a few months ago, the most exciting thing that had happened in her life was one of Martin’s trollops losing her way during a party and ending up in Kate’s room; in the two months she’d known Brett, she had been gambled away in a drunken card game, endured a wild ride across half of England, been to sea twice, killed a man, become friends with a French madam, and been chased by highwaymen and Moroccan pirates. Now he was busy filling her future with harems, despotic deys, desert chieftains, and French armies just as casually as if they were people encountered on the street.

  “But how are you going to be able to talk to them? They can’t speak English, can they? Not out here in the desert?” It sounded childish even to her ears, but it was all her paralyzed mind could think to ask.

  “No, they don’t speak English, but I know a good bit of Arabic, and I’ll have an interpreter along. I’ll also see that one is assigned to you so you won’t be totally dependent on Wiggins. He has his own duties to attend to, so well be on our own almost from the minute we arrive.” All laughter faded from Brett’s luminous black eyes.

  “I don’t know what kind of situation I’ll have to face, but I’ll have to go into the desert immediately to find el-Kader. He will have found some place not far from Algiers where his army can wait so he can move in quickly if the French leave. If there is any chance of making him see our position, I’ll have to stay with him until he either agrees to help us or brings his forces into the city to take over. Either way, you may not see me for quite a while.

  “It’ll be your responsibility to see that Kate is safely established before you join me,” Brett said, turning to Charles. “I don’t know what kind of house Wiggins will be able to find for her, but I’m depending on you to see it’s adequate for her protection.

  “You must obey Charles in everything, my dear,” he said, turning back to Kate. “You have no other choice.” He brusquely cut short her strangled protest. “This is not a town where you can make mistakes with impunity. These people don’t think like you do and they don’t live like you do. Women are property to be used and disposed of at will. Foreign women are little better than slaves to be used for hard labor or sold to the highest bidder in the open market. There is no reasoning with them and no appeal from their system. If you were kidnapped, the whole force of the British empire might not be able to save you. The area these people control is so vast and insular it would probably be impossible for their own rulers to find out what had happened to you, even if they tried, which they most likely wouldn’t. Now do you understand why you have to be so careful?” Kate nodded her head; her throat was too constricted for her to be able to answer him.

  “You’re not to be seen in public. If you have to leave the house, you must be completely veiled. If anyone gets a good look at your face, you won’t be safe anywhere. Even your eyes are enough to arouse dangerous curiosity. I won’t be there to protect you, so the fewer people who know of your existence the safer you’ll be. The consulate is only a small one and we have no troops stationed here. If the local rulers decided not to help us, we will have to protect ourselves, and you can’t depend too heavily on servants because their ultimate loyalties are not to us.”

  Kate didn’t know what to say. It was too much; her mind couldn’t accept it. It just didn’t seem possible that only a few weeks ago she was living quietly at Ryehill hoping someday her prince would come. Her prince had come, but the world he was taking her to became more bizarre every day. Now he was about to run off into the desert and leave her at the mercy of a heathen town with no more than two servants and an aging consul to protect her. She didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. The whole thing was too absurd. Surely
she would wake up any minute and find herself in her own bed with old Ned shuffling in to warn her Isabella was in a temper and to stay clear of the kitchen unless she wanted to come face-to-face with the screeching harpy.

  “I can’t think,” she finally said helplessly. “I can’t make myself believe all this is really happening.”

  “It’ll be easy enough once we land,” Brett observed cryptically. ‘The country is poor, dirty, and disease-ridden. Algiers is hot, crowded, and stinking. The food is adequate, but it’ll be strange, taste bad, and you’ll have little choice.”

  “But this is horrible!” Kate gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me this before you dragged me onto this boat? I would have stayed with Valentine until I turned gray rather than set one foot in this place.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of,” Brett confessed with his devastating smile. He pulled her into his arms and held her close despite her protests. “I couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from you for months on end.”

  “That’s not true and you know it,” Kate contradicted, as she struggled unsuccessfully to escape his embrace. “You’ve just said you’re going to leave me to the mercies of God-only-knows what kind of heathens the moment you set foot in this blighted country while you go traipsing over the sand dunes playing at God among the natives, and you want me to believe you can’t bear to be separated from me? You’re the most treacherous human being I’ve ever met, and I’ll never understand how I could have been such a featherbrain as to run off with you. We’ll be separated just as clearly as if I were still in France. And I’d be a lot safer with Valentine.”

  Charles unobtrusively shepherded Mark out of the cabin. “Sometimes I get so mad at you I could hit you,” she said, pounding on his chest with her tiny fists. The only response she got was a great gust of laughter as he captured her hands in his. “But you’re so mean you won’t even let me do that.”

  “I’d much rather spend the time kissing you,” he said, and smothered her in his embrace.

  “But that won’t solve anything,” she added rather breathlessly when she finally managed to tear herself away from his iron grip.

  “I know, but I enjoy it so much more,” he said, and engulfed her again. She abandoned her resistance and returned his embrace with equal ardor.

  During the next few days, Brett answered an endless stream of questions. Kate’s interest grew as her fear of the unknown receded, and Brett soon reached the conclusion that if Kate were given a little time to grow accustomed to the exotic lands he found so exciting, she would make a worthy, even challenging, companion. Her limited knowledge was apparent in the naiveté of some of her questions, but her interests were seemingly boundless and her mind capable of digesting large amounts of new material. Brett found himself enjoying their discussions, so much so that he began to regret he had not told her about it sooner.

  In fact, Kate’s mind was so caught up with the new experiences in store for her she failed to notice several small boats hovering in the distance. But Brett and the captain didn’t miss them. At first they thought they were ordinary ships going in the same direction—the Mediterranean was much smaller than the Atlantic and ships of all kinds were more frequent—but over a period of several days they seemed to remain about the same distance from the ship and the spyglass convinced Brett they were the same ships. For some reason they were being followed, but the boats showed no sign of wishing to approach them.

  Brett and the captain discussed the escort each evening after Kate had left them, but they could come up with no satisfactory explanation. They could be fishing boats, they certainly weren’t large enough to haul a profitable cargo, but Brett couldn’t imagine how they could have anything to do with his trip to Algeria. Pirate ships struck quickly to catch their prey off guard and then disappear before they could be chased down by bigger and faster ships.

  Unable to explain their presence, he kept on the alert and spent a lot of time on deck watching them. He asked the captain to be prepared in case there was an attack, but the ship was not armed for attack and there was little to be got ready. They were known to be a diplomatic mission and the captain said he expected an uneventful trip.

  Then one day out of Algiers, the boats vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Brett could not rid himself of the uneasy feeling they weren’t really gone, but the captain was convinced there had never been any danger and jokingly referred to them at dinner that evening.

  “You can’t imagine how relieved First Mate Thompson was to find those little boats gone this morning,” he said with a self-satisfied smile. “I believe he was beginning to develop a phobia about them.” He was watching to see how Kate would react to his startling news and failed to notice Brett was frowning, very angry at him for bringing up the subject.

  “What boats are you talking about?” Kate questioned, suddenly alert.

  “Just some small boats we’ve been watching for the last several days.” He chuckled. “Thompson would have it they were pirate ships, but they were too small to do anything more than yap at our heels.”

  The word “pirate” caused Kate to lose all interest in her food. She laid her fork down and swallowed convulsively. “We’re being followed by pirates?” she asked as calmly as she could.

  “No,” Brett interrupted, throwing the captain a furious glance. “We saw a few small craft, but they never came near the ship. Anyway, they’re gone now.” He spoke in a flat voice, hoping to imply the subject was of little importance, but it was easy to see Kate’s fears had not been banished.

  She looked from him to the captain. “How can you be sure they’re gone? They could be hiding. What were they doing here?”

  “It was probably a group of fishing boats following a school of fish,” Brett explained. “It’s easier to handle some of the large nets when they work together. Anything of this kind excites the curiosity of the crew, and after such a long, uneventful trip, their imaginations sometimes run away with them.”

  “Are you sure they were just looking for fish?” Kate persisted in a voice that was still unsteady. Damn that fool of a captain, thought Brett. Now she’s really upset.

  “No, I can’t be sure of anything,” he returned noncommittally. “They never came close enough to see their flag, but they were too small and too few in number to pose a threat.” The captain attempted to apologize for upsetting Kate, but Brett changed the subject adroitly and saw to it that the conversation stayed on other topics for the rest of the evening.

  But Kate didn’t forget. Brett might pooh-pooh the possibility they were being pursued by pirate ships, but she couldn’t. The idea she might be sold into a harem had taken a strong hold on her mind and she couldn’t shake it. It was still uppermost in her thoughts when she returned to her cabin. She sat down on the edge of the bed and lectured herself sternly, taking herself to task particularly for acting like the kind of silly, whining female she most deplored. Nothing unusual has happened, she told herself. Everything lurid and frightening is only in your imagination. All that has actually taken place is that you and Brett have enjoyed an idyllic trip and have gotten along much better than you ever thought possible. So stop looking for trouble, she added as a clincher.

  Everything had turned out so well that she sometimes forgot to add “but I’ll leave him when I get back to England” to the end of her thoughts about the future. His thought fulness and attention still surprised her. She couldn’t understand why he had changed so much, but she reveled in it. He still forgot her presence at times and habitually threw commands at her as though she were a servant, but she had gradually become less sensitive to his rough manners and he had become less abrasive.

  She found herself wishing this trip could go on forever. Once they landed, she would never again have him so completely to herself and she was afraid everything would change. He might not want to stay with her once other pressures and interests started to take up his time, and she couldn’t bear that. She didn’t really care about learning to use a pi
stol and she positively disliked the knife and sword, but she was so hopelessly in love with him she would have agreed to wear medieval armor and carry a lance if it would have kept him by her side.

  She finished her preparations for bed and crawled between the sheets. Tonight, as on every night for several weeks past, she waited for him with pleasurable anticipation, wanting his fiery lovemaking and ready to respond with a heat of her own. Brett had brought her along carefully, slowly expanding her knowledge of the excitement physical love had to offer. For her, the trip had been one of constant surprise at the incredible pleasures to be found in the arms of the man she loved. Just thinking about him sent tiny tingles of excitement through her body, and she snuggled down a little further into the cool sheets.

  Chapter 19

  Brett was furious with the captain for mentioning the boats to Kate. He hoped they were merely fishing boats or a convoy of small cargo ships, but since every theory was only conjecture, it was pointless to say anything to her. Still, he couldn’t shake the gut feeling they constituted a danger. He had no real reason for his belief, but knew that it was unusual for fishing boats to work together for so long. The natives were well known for their constant bickering, and he couldn’t think of anything more certain to start them fighting than the division of a cargo.

  The captain had not earned Brett’s respect. Maybe the last-minute change of plans hadn’t given the Foreign Office time to find anyone more competent—he was merely a pleasant man who told amusing stories—but Brett decided he would hire his own crew, one he felt he could depend on, if he chose to return to England by sea. True, no one had expected him to bring his wife on board and that had changed what he looked for in a crew, but then lots of things had happened recently he hadn’t expected.