To Tame the Wind (Agents of the Crown Book 0)

by Walker, Regan

  Simon helped Claire to her seat, next to his, in the middle of the table. Across from them was Claire’s father. On Donet’s right was a woman in a dark blue silk gown. Simon returned her smile but could not, for the life of him, remember her name. Must be one of the baroness’ friends. She seemed rather taken with the French privateer who was smiling at something the woman had said.

  Danvers claimed the guests’ attention. “Lift your glasses as I toast the newly wedded couple. May mirth, love and children grace your home!”

  Glasses were raised by all and the guests shouted, “Mirth, love and children!”

  Claire blushed, but she recalled that Cornelia said Danvers had wanted children about even if they weren’t his own.

  Simon stood, glass in hand, and faced Claire. “To my bride and to our life together,” he said, bringing another lovely blush to her cheeks. “I still can’t believe, of all the men in the world, I should be so fortunate to have won your heart.”

  “To the bride!” echoed the guests.

  Claire said, “And I am glad I have won yours, my love.”

  Simon smiled at the woman who held his heart in her hand and remained standing. Directing his next toast to Donet, he said, “To peace!”

  Claire’s father and the other guests seated around the elegant table raised their glasses as one. “To peace!”

  Donet slowly rose from his chair, his face set in stone. Simon felt a wave of trepidation wash over him as he sat down. Whatever the pirate was about to say, he would say in dead earnest.

  Simon had hoped they could avoid toasts to America’s freedom or the British Crown. He did not wish to alienate his friends or cause a commotion at the wedding feast. He wanted the day to be a happy one for all.

  Donet raised his glass and his dark eyes bored into Simon. “May you love my daughter as I loved her mother—more than my own life.”

  For a moment, silence prevailed as the other guests stared at the Frenchman.

  Simon stood and, with his eyes fixed on Donet’s dark countenance, lifted his glass. “More than my own life.” Then he downed the rest of his champagne.

  Again silence reigned. Then the women began to smile. The particular woman seated next to Donet stared at him with a look of longing. A tear streaked down Claire’s cheek. At the far end of the table, Cornelia beamed at her husband at the other end. Then smiles broke out on the faces of the other guests until everyone at the table was smiling their approval.

  Simon and Claire’s father resumed their seats. Simon looked at his bride. Her eyes were filled with tears but there was a smile on her beautiful face. Their gazes met and the room seemed to disappear. His whole world was this woman whose love he had somehow managed to win.

  Danvers cleared his throat.

  Simon turned to consider his friend. “Aye, we should eat. After all, you and Lady Danvers have gone to much trouble for us.”

  Danvers glanced at his wife, his mouth twitching up in a grin, then he lifted his fork.

  What followed was a sumptuous feast that resembled dinner rather than a breakfast, but since it was before noon, Simon recalled it bore the name of the earlier meal. Egg dishes and ham were accompanied by breads and pastries with butter and pots of honey and marmalade. As if that weren’t enough, there were also plates of fresh fish in sauce and sliced cucumbers. Bowls of peaches, plums, figs and dark purple grapes were set between the candelabra. Simon plucked one pear from a bowl, supposing it was for eating as well as decoration.

  After the guests had filled themselves, the footmen brought trays of sweetmeats and small cakes of various kinds. And more champagne, coffee, chocolate and tea.

  When the wedding breakfast was nearly finished, Simon drew Claire from her seat. “I’ve a surprise for you.” Her papa exchanged a glance with Simon and then rose and promptly left the table. Cornelia and her husband also rose, excused themselves from their guests, and exited the room.

  “What is it, Simon?” Claire asked. “Where are we going?”

  “You will see,” he said wrapping his arm around her waist and ushering her from the room. They crossed the entry hall to the baron’s study. He opened the door and bid her enter.

  In the middle of the study to one side of the desk, her papa and a Catholic priest stood talking together. Next to them stood Cornelia and her husband. Claire came to a sudden halt. “Oh, Simon!”

  “I thought you might want a second ceremony. When I suggested it to your father, he wholeheartedly agreed.”

  Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Simon. He could not know how much it meant to her that he would honor her faith on their wedding day. It was a kindness she had not expected and a daring move. One she would never forget. “Thank you.”

  She walked toward the priest in his black robe and short, white vestment that indicated he was about to perform a ritual of the church. It was not unlike the one the bishop had worn, though perhaps simpler, less ornate.

  The ceremony was short but very meaningful. And she could see her papa was pleased that her English husband had arranged it.

  When it was done, Simon and her papa thanked the priest. Not everyone who had attended the wedding would have approved of the private ceremony. In truth, Claire knew many would not. Cornelia had told her that only a few years before there had been riots in London against the Catholics and now many worshipped only in house churches. But because he loved her, Simon had arranged for a Catholic wedding. How could she not love such a man?

  That evening, after many tearful goodbyes on the quay, Claire boarded the Fairwinds just behind Simon. Before they went below, he drew her to the stern rail to admire the sunset. Not far away, her papa stood on the deck of the Abundance.

  They had shared a light repast with her papa before departing for their separate ships. Now that she was Simon’s wife, she would sail with him to Rye and her papa and his men would sail back on the Abundance.

  Claire looked into the clouds surrounding the setting sun. “It was the most wonderful wedding, Simon. I’m so glad the rain did not fall.”

  “It wouldn’t dare,” he said turning his back to the rail to look at her. His amber eyes glistened with desire.

  “By the by, your father approved my choice for our new home.”

  “Did he?”

  “It’s one of the newer homes in the Adelphi Terrace. Just think, you will be able to watch me row from my ship to the front door.”

  “I would like that. But I would also like to sail with you.” Seeing the frown that creased his brow, she added, “at least until the children come.”

  His eyes twinkled as he stepped closer and kissed her forehead. “Children. Aye, I want children. That reminds me. I never told you the promise I made to your father.”

  “Oh yes, what was the promise he was determined to see you keep?”

  “I told him if he gave us his blessing our firstborn son would bear his name.”

  Claire couldn’t resist a smile. “I would like that,” she said. “Jean Powell.”

  “How does Jean Nicholas Powell sound?”

  “It’s a nice name, but why Nicholas?”

  “Nicholas is the name of the captain I first sailed under, the one who taught me all I know about ships and the sea. He gave me a chance to rise in his crew. I owe him much.”

  “And so do I,” she replied. “If you had never become a captain, I might never have become your captive. If God gives us a son, my love, then I agree Jean Nicholas is a fine name.”

  He led her aft, passing the smiling faces of his crew, who tipped their hats to their captain’s new wife.

  Once in his cabin, he lit a lantern and Claire suddenly felt shy. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d made love to her, but it would be the consummation of their wedding vows. She was now a wife.

  Looking back, she could see all that had happened that had led her to this day. Had she always loved him? She was certain the spark of love had kindled that night more than two years ago at the masquerade in Saint-Denis. Had God bee
n guiding her all that time? Perhaps. She was more certain than ever the wise Reverend Mother would say so.

  “Come, sweetheart, I can wait no longer for my bride.”

  She turned in his arms and allowed him to free her from her laces and stays. Soon they were both naked and standing before each other.

  He took her face in his hands. “I intend to love you this night and all our nights for the rest of our lives.” She opened her mouth to accept his kiss. “Now let’s get started on making that son, shall we?”

  Rye

  A few days later, after a dinner with Claire’s father at the Mermaid Inn, Simon and Claire bid Donet goodbye on the wharf.

  The Frenchman embraced his daughter. “When the peace treaty is signed, you will see me again.” He held her away from him, smiling. “Perhaps I will come for the christening of that son who will bear my name.”

  Claire attempted a smile but, faltering, began to weep. “Oh, Papa, I will miss you so.”

  “I will take care of her, sir,” Simon assured him.

  Donet nodded, looking a bit careworn, Simon thought. Even a pirate could become emotional at having to say goodbye to his only daughter. Leaving her in a country that was not his own had to render the parting more difficult.

  Bequel waited next to the skiff that would take Donet to la Reine Noire, anchored in the harbor just off shore, still bearing the name Blessing.

  “I will write, Papa,” she said through her tears.

  Simon shook Donet’s hand before drawing Claire close and kissing her temple.

  “It will be all right, sweetheart.”

  Donet walked toward his quartermaster. Just before Donet stepped into the skiff, he turned and raised a hand in farewell.

  Claire waved to him. “Papa… ” she said in a forlorn tone. “What will happen to him?”

  Simon turned her into his chest and with one finger under her chin, raised her face to his. Her eyes were troubled. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

  “You need not worry for your father, sweetheart. He will be fine.” He kissed her forehead and then turned her so they could watch Donet settle into the skiff, looking toward his brig-sloop. “I have a feeling his story is just beginning.”

  And so it is.

  Post Script

  Not too long after Simon and Claire were married, on November 30, 1782, the United States and Great Britain signed the preliminary articles of peace to end America’s War for Independence. By their terms, America received acceptable boundaries (greatly expanding the young country’s territory), fishing rights and the right to navigation of the Mississippi River. The British acknowledged America’s independence and promised to withdraw their troops. In exchange, Britain received little except America’s agreement to honor its debts and a vague promise that Congress would recommend the states give fair treatment to the Loyalists.

  On April 11, 1783, Congress officially declared an end to the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power. Though the preliminary articles did not become the formal Treaty of Paris until September 3, 1783, America had become a sovereign nation.

  As for Claire and Simon, they were to have four strapping sons, the first of whom would be born in 1783. Each of their sons would have French and English given names. Their first-born son, Jean Nicholas Powell, named after his pirate grandfather, became a sea captain like his father. Nick is introduced in Against the Wind and his story is told in Wind Raven. Sir Martin Edward Powell, the second son, became a spy in Paris and England. He is introduced in Racing with the Wind and his story is told in Against the Wind. Lastly, Claire and Simon had two twin boys, Robert Pierre (“Robbie”) and Nash Etienne (“Nash”) Powell, whose story will be told in A Secret Scottish Christmas where they vie for the love of a Scottish lass. You can get an idea of it from The Holly & The Thistle.

  As the ending of To Tame the Wind indicates, the dark and dashing Jean Donet’s story is just beginning. If all goes according to plan, Echo in the Wind should be released in 2016. It will be set in France in the years before the French Revolution. To Tame the Wind is thus both the prequel to the Agents of the Crown trilogy and book 1 of the Donet duology.

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed my story of the American Revolution from a different perspective. To me, this time in the history of England, France and America is fascinating, but rather than set my story in America, I chose to set it in England, France and the English Channel.

  In London, the War for Independence was known as “the American War”. However, some members of Parliament argued it should be called “the French War” because of France’s immense assistance to America. That France made possible America’s victory cannot be doubted. It cost the French much to aid America, and the debt France incurred on America’s behalf would set the stage for the French Revolution. But for the money and forces contributed by France, America might not have prevailed. According to Benjamin Franklin, our wily commissioner in Paris, France was having difficulty meeting its own expenses, “yet it has advanced six millions to save the credit of ours.”

  There were, of course, more players involved in the peace negotiations in Paris than my story would indicate. A few years earlier, John Adams had been charged with the mission of negotiating a treaty of peace with Britain. But the French did not approve of Adams' appointment and, on the insistence of the comte de Vergennes, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay (America’s minister to Spain), and Henry Laurens were appointed to work with Adams, although Jefferson did not go to Europe, Laurens was posted to the Dutch Republic, and much of the time, Adams was not in Paris. It was Benjamin Franklin who worked tirelessly to win the respect of Vergennes and the purse of France.

  Franklin also worked to gain the freedom of American prisoners in England. As my story suggests, they were treated abysmally and died at an appalling rate. Hoping to gain British prisoners to exchange, Franklin issued letters of marque to three vessels that became American privateers: the Black Prince, the Black Princess and the Fearnot. Like the fictional la Reine Noire, the Black Queen, they were French-owned, but unlike Jean Donet’s ship, they had American captains and Irish and American crews.

  Privateers—British, French and American—played an important role in America’s War for Independence. Unlike pirates, privateers acted under cover of government sanction (a “letter of marque”) and generally behaved according to a code of rules. While they often sailed with several sets of false papers and the flags of a half-dozen nations and lied when they spoke to other ships, they were generally civil to the women they captured at sea.

  There were many spies in Paris during the time of the American War, including Dr. Edward Bancroft, secretary to the American diplomatic mission, dubbed “the Scribe” in my story. At one time, he had worked for Franklin spying on the British, but when Franklin took up his role in Paris as an American commissioner, the British recruited Bancroft to spy on Franklin, which he did.

  Bancroft’s missives, written under the name “Edward Edward” using secret ink and transmitted via a bottle left in a tree in Paris, were not discovered until seventy years after his death when the British government provided access to its diplomatic archives. It is said that through his messages, George III knew of the French-American Treaty of Alliance just two days after it was signed. Bancroft’s final work as “Edward Edward” lasted from the start of peace negotiations in the spring of 1782 to the signing of the preliminary peace accord on November 30 of that year.

  William Eden, another historic figure, was the head of the British spies in Europe during the time of my story, probably overseeing a small group of intelligence collectors for Lord Suffolk. In 1789, Eden, rewarded for his many services to the Crown, was made 1st Baron Auckland.

  I chose to begin my story in Saint-Denis, which today is a part of the city of Paris, to tell of the good work of the Ursuline nuns who, in addition to vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, added a "fourth vow" of dedication to teaching. I knew
nothing about them before I began my research but was impressed with all I learned. They became famous for their education of girls, from both noble and poor families. Élise was one of the latter, of course. In Ireland, they also educated boys like the cook McGinnes, who is a young man in this story, but is an older man (and perhaps a better cook) in Wind Raven.

  Though they generally educated girls younger than the teenaged Claire, by special arrangement, her papa was allowed to leave her in the charge of Sister Augustin until she reached maturity.

  Sister Augustin is the Mother Superior in my story, but she would have been more properly called “Sister Saint-Augustin” as was the Ursuline tradition in France at the time. Both Sister Augustin and Sister Angélique were modeled after real Ursuline nuns.

  As my story indicates, the students in the Ursuline Convent would have received an excellent education. Though Claire was a wild child at heart, she would one day become the very proper lady she was raised to be, much loved by her English husband. (You may recall the conversation in Wind Raven where Nate, thirty-five years later, tells Capt. Jean Nicholas Powell, Claire’s oldest son, about his mother.)

  I invite you to visit my Pinterest board for To Tame the Wind: http://www.pinterest.com/reganwalker123/to-tame-the-wind-by-regan-walker/. There, you can view maps and pictures of the coastal ports, the characters as I see them, and even the convent in Saint-Denis as it is today. It’s my research in pictures!

  If you want to read the stories of Claire and Simon’s sons, you can find them in the Agents of the Crown trilogy. For those of you who have read Racing with the Wind, did you note that Lord Ormond’s father, the Duke of Albany, was a guest at the soirée Cornelia had for Claire in London in To Tame the Wind?