Anne needed to conserve her strength if she wanted to escape. If there was indeed a large crowd when the ship set sail, that might be to her benefit if she could not get away earlier.
If she was unable to flee . . .
The Deliverance was bound for the West Indies, but Anne was not sure where it would call ashore first. She knew the island her mother was from, but she did not know if she had any living relatives there.
Which brought up the question of where she should go. Drummond had said he would send part of her inheritance along to the White Stag. What would he do if he discovered Anne wasn’t at the inn? Would he search for her?
And did Martha and Margery know about that arrangement? They would surely steal the money if they did, and Anne would be left destitute once more.
Unfortunately, Anne did not know the answer to any of these questions, and despite her best efforts, tears formed once again in her eyes.
Anne’s stomach churned, and her palms were slick with perspiration. She eyed the bowl Martha had brought, but doubted she’d be able to keep anything down if she tried.
The sound of Martha’s voice brought her out of her reverie.
“I’ll leave the broth here in case you change your mind, and I’ll check back in a bit. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it if I was you,” Martha said, a sneer pinching her lips. “If Bartholomew hears you’re not eating, he might not feel so inclined to give you anything again.”
Fire surged through Anne’s blood as she watched the old maid quit the room. Only when she was alone and Martha’s footsteps had faded in the distance did Anne once again fight to free herself from her bonds.
Martha might come back, but by then Anne hoped to be long gone.
CHAPTER 35
Teach
Teach went straight to his room to gather his clothes. He intended to search the docks for Anne, and when he found her, they would leave on the next available ship. It didn’t matter where it was headed, as long as it took them far away from England. And his father.
A soft knock at the door halted his movements. He ignored it.
He rolled up a shirt and threw it into the small bag he would take with him. He would not be returning.
The knock became more insistent. “Sir! Please! It’s urgent I speak with you.”
That was not his father’s voice. The amber glow from the candlelight flickered as Teach strode to the door. Opening it, he saw Elizabeth’s pinched face as she wrung her hands.
“What do you want?” Teach demanded.
“Please, you have to come with me, sir. Miss Anne needs you.”
Gripping Elizabeth’s wrist, he pulled her into his room and checked the hallway before closing the door. “Where is she?”
“Your father had her taken away, sir. By two mean-looking men. They were supposed to take her to the White Stag, but my brother heard them talking and changing their plans. He followed them. Miss Anne tried to escape, but they caught her. I think she’s hurt, sir. And they’re keeping her in an awful place.”
Shaking his head, Teach closed his eyes briefly against the surge of white-hot rage. “Who took her? Can your brother show me where they are?”
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes wide with fear. “Yes, sir. He’s waiting downstairs with your horse—”
“Is my father in the dining room?”
“No, sir. He asked for his meal to be sent up. You must hurry. If Margery finds me here . . .”
Teach didn’t need to be told twice. Throwing the bag across his shoulder, he silently headed for the back stairs. Elizabeth didn’t carry a candle, and there was no moonlight to illuminate the way. Although the rain had stopped, the night was still dark, and they crept noiselessly along the stairwell.
In the courtyard Teach saw the outline of the young groom where he held Kaiser’s reins in his hands. Teach’s breath escaped in small puffs, the chill in the air biting. “What’s your name?” Teach whispered, swinging up into the saddle.
“David, sir.”
“And you followed the men when they took Miss Anne?”
“Aye, sir. I saw her being taken to the carriage. It didn’t look like she was very happy about it, so I jumped on the back once they left the premises. They didn’t suspect a thing,” he said, his chest jutting out with pride.
Teach pulled David up behind him. “I’ll see that you’re rewarded. Now show me where they are.”
Fearful that Kaiser’s hooves would alert Drummond to his escape, Teach kept to the strip of grass lining the side of the drive.
Once he reached the city streets, he urged Kaiser on. Teach was only vaguely aware of the lanes they rode along, bloodlust racing through his veins. If she was injured . . .
Forcing himself to breathe regularly, he followed David’s directions, Kaiser’s hooves clattering along the cobblestones. The closer they got to the docks, the fewer people they encountered. Most workhands had returned to their families at this time of day, and Teach was grateful for the abandoned roads.
David led him through a labyrinth of small alleys and backstreets. Teach sincerely hoped the lad knew where he was going.
“It’s just up ahead, sir. That building there on the corner.”
“You’re sure?”
“Aye. I’m sure.”
Teach slowed Kaiser to a walk, Teach’s eyes long accustomed to the dark. The two-story structure David had pointed to was a ramshackle house, with several boards missing on the second story and its front door hanging forlornly on its hinges. The skeletal remains of the surrounding buildings appeared to lean against the other for support, blackened by a recent fire. It was far enough away from any main thoroughfare that no one would think to look here. For anything.
Teach pulled Kaiser up short and slid to the ground, with David following close behind. One of the charred buildings had a small courtyard and the remnants of a stable nearby. After leading Kaiser off the street, Teach hid him from view.
They crouched for a moment in the shelter of a stall, waiting for any sign of movement to come from the building next door.
“There are two men with her, sir. And an old woman. The two men stay here, but the old woman comes and goes,” David whispered.
Teach gave David an appreciative look. “How did you know to follow them?”
David grimaced. “I was in the barn when the two men took Miss Anne away. They mentioned something about the White Stag and your father’s ship, the Deliverance.”
“And you’ve watched them?” Teach asked.
“Aye. I like Miss Anne. The men your father sent her with didn’t look like the sort you’d want to send a lady to, so I stayed here.”
“Good lad,” Teach said, slipping several coins from his pocket and handing them to David.
The boy’s eyes grew large, but he handed the coins back to Teach. “I didn’t do it for payment, sir. Miss Anne’s looked out for my family, and I didn’t like the thought of her suffering.”
Teach refused to take the coins. “Even more reason for you to keep them.”
Before David could argue any further, they heard voices as the door opened and out stepped a woman. From the slant of her shoulders and her slow gate, she appeared to be elderly. As Teach peeked through the scorched wooden slats, his pulse raced. For a moment he thought it was Margery, but the woman before him didn’t limp. And Margery was still at the estate.
“I’ll be back soon. Make sure you have everything cleaned up,” the woman said to some unseen person holding the door open. “We don’t want to leave a trail.” Where was she going at this time of night?
“Nobody could blame us for what we did,” a man’s voice answered, followed by a hollow laugh. “She deserved what she got, thinkin’ she’s better than the rest of us.”
He’s a dead man, Teach thought as the door closed and the old woman walked away, mumbling to herself.
“Would you like me to go with you, sir?” David asked.
Teach was already standing, his muscles tensed. “No. You go after that woman. Tell her Master Drummond found out what they’ve done and Margery sent you to warn her.”
“But, sir, do you intend—”
“Yes, I do,” Teach growled, heading for the door. Tempted to kick it in, he instead opened it carefully, not wanting to alert anyone inside to his presence.
A single candle cast an eerie glow in the dim hallway. The floor was scarred and buckled, the corners laced with webs. Dust covered everything, and a faint acrid smell still hung in the air. Teach heard a soft scuffling sound and the telltale squeak of a rat.
The first room he encountered was empty. The sound of movement came from the back of the house. Stealing forward, Teach came face-to-face with a large man, his physical stature almost equal to Teach’s.
“What the devil do you want?” the man demanded.
“To take back what you took from me.”
The man charged at Teach, but Teach flipped him over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground, the force of it shaking the house to its rafters. Clipping Teach’s ankle, the man pulled him down. The two wrestled and grappled, until Teach managed to catch the man in the stomach with his elbow. Moaning, the man rolled to his side. Teach reached down, gripped him by his hair, and pulled him to a kneeling position before delivering a crushing blow to his face. His opponent fell back and didn’t move again.
Teach heard a tread on the floor above and hurtled up the shadowy stairs, his heart hammering. He’d just turned onto the landing when a shot rang out and the wood paneling near his head splintered. Dropping down, Teach saw another man, equal in stature to the first, fumbling to reload the pistol in his hand.
Jumping to his feet, Teach rushed at him and slammed him against the wall. The pistol fell harmlessly to the floor. “Where is she?”
“Don’t know who you’re talking about,” the man spat back.
Teach drove his fist into the man’s stomach. “Try again.”
“Bugger off!”
Once more Teach connected with the man’s middle. Doubled over, his opponent barely managed to gasp his reply. “She’s—gone. To—sea.”
“I don’t believe you,” Teach said, delivering a swift right to his jaw.
Blood dripped from the man’s lip where it had split. “She is. I swear it.”
Grabbing the man by his shirtfront, Teach smashed his head against the wall. “You were told to take her to the White Stag and then to the Deliverance. That ship still sits in the docks.”
The man stuck out his jaw, his lips pressed tightly together.
Teach felt his self-control slipping. “Tell me where she is,” he growled, pressing his forearm against his opponent’s windpipe. “Or I swear I’ll kill you.”
“You’ll—never—” the man gasped, his eyes bulging from their sockets as Teach leaned all of his weight into his choke hold. “The Prov—i—dence.”
“She’s on the Providence?”
Nodding, the man drew in a deep breath as Teach released the pressure slightly.
“If you value your life, you’ll take me there.”
Giving Teach a surly scowl, the man’s gaze shifted, looking over Teach’s shoulder. Teach ducked, but it was too late, and a crushing blow was delivered to his head. As he staggered backward, the darkness swirled around him, and he sank to his knees before falling forward, face-first.
“Sir! Sir, wake up!”
The earnest voice pierced Teach’s clouded mind. Stirring in confusion, Teach cracked his eyes open. In the dark a young face swam in and out of focus.
“Are you all right, sir?” It was the young groom, David.
Teach’s ears rang. He rolled over, and white and blue sparks obscured his vision as he attempted to sit up too quickly. His stomach felt as if it were caught in a vise, and the pounding in his head was incessant.
“Help me up,” Teach mumbled, cursing his body’s weakness.
David clasped one of Teach’s wrists with both hands. He was surprisingly strong for one so small. Bile rose in Teach’s throat, but by the time he was on his feet, the room had stopped spinning.
“We have to find the Providence,” Teach said, moving toward the door. It was still dark out. He wondered how much time had passed.
Stumbling down the stairs, David followed in Teach’s wake. “That ship is gone, sir. It sailed out with the tide.”
Stopping abruptly, Teach turned and caught the young boy by his shoulders, preventing him from plowing into Teach. “What?”
“I did as you said and told the woman the master knew about her plans. Then I came back to see if you needed help. The two men were leaving. I heard them mention the Providence. Since I couldn’t wake you immediately, I went to the docks. The ship had already left, sir.” Even in the dim light, Teach saw that David’s chin quivered, and his eyes filled with tears.
Anne was gone.
An animal sound ripped from Teach’s throat, and he slammed his fist into the wall. “Do you know where it was headed?” Teach asked, his voice rough.
“To the West Indies, sir.”
Taking a steadying breath, Teach closed his eyes briefly against a wave of fury. Anne was unaccompanied, bound for foreign seas. In his own travels he’d witnessed many women, alone and destitute, suffer indescribable harm and degradation. The thought of Anne suffering like that was nearly his undoing.
“What do you plan to do, sir? Can I help?”
“I’m going after her. And if anyone dares harm her, I will have my revenge.”
CHAPTER 36
Anne
The floor of the small dank cabin crawled with movement, and the sound of hundreds of tiny legs scurrying across the boards made the hair on the back of Anne’s neck stand up. The Providence was teeming with rats and cockroaches, each creation vying for precedence, and clearly outnumbering the human cargo on board.
It was too dark to see anything in the cramped space. Her father had often explained that open flames were forbidden at sea unless attended to in the galley, and the light from the massive stern lantern mounted on the back of the ship did not reach into the ship’s belly.
The smell of wet canvas and mold permeated every inch of the filthy vessel. With tears running down her cheeks, Anne wondered how she would possibly endure several weeks aboard. Her cabin was like a coffin, for she truly felt as if she would die.
Lying in the protective cocoon of the hammock, she turned onto her side, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her forehead was damp with perspiration, and her head pounded. What had been the contents of her stomach now swilled around in the bucket on the floor as the ship rose and fell with every surge.
Anne had lost track of time. Each wave that crashed against the hull of the ship seemed to count every second with never-ending precision.
Her fingers shook as she reached for her pocket watch, the cold metal an anchor against a rising tide of despair. Her side still hurt from when she’d fallen in Bristol, but by the time they reached their destination, it should be healed.
Her heart, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.
She’d written the note, just as Drummond had instructed. She’d almost expected him to stand over her shoulder while she’d performed the task, but thankfully he’d left her to her duty.
She hoped Teach would understand what she’d written. If he couldn’t find a way to get to her . . . then she would find a way to get to him.
I will make it out of this alive. I will, she vowed silently.
But not if she remained in this cabin much longer.
Stumbling to the door, Anne wiped furiously at her cheeks. She tried not to think about what was underfoot, even as she felt the telltale squelch of several insects through the thin leather soles of her walki
ng boots. Pulling the door open, she took a deep breath of the briny air, and tripped in her haste to reach the deck.
The ship continued to roil beneath her feet, and more than once Anne staggered against the railing of the stairs as she made her way up to the deck.
The slate gray of the sky matched the choppy waves of the sea, both extending in an unbroken line to the horizon. The wind whipped her hair about her face, and wrapped her skirts around her legs.
The port of Bristol had been left far behind. And with it any hopes of seeing Teach.
Choking back a sob, Anne clenched her hands to her stomach, her nails biting into her palms.
She had always planned to leave England, she reminded herself. Together she and her father had often looked at maps and sketched their course, an expanse of open sea the only hindrance between them and their destination.
But from where Anne stood now, the stretch of water appeared wider and vaster than she could have imagined. And she was alone on a strange ship, without a single coin to her name.
“Don’t go too close to the sides,” said someone on her left.
Startled, Anne whirled around, clutching a nearby rope to keep her balance. Before her stood a boy and a girl, each perhaps twenty years of age. They were both blond, with wide blue eyes, and they were clearly related.
The boy was stout, with sturdy shoulders and a thick neck. His sister, although not as large, had a full figure. Her brown dress and shawl were threadbare, hardly sufficient to protect her from the biting wind. And she was far too cheery for being aboard such an unworthy sea vessel.
“I had no intention of doing that,” Anne said.
The girl smiled, her eyes warm. “Good. My brother, Coyle, here, says it’s dangerous and that I shouldn’t come up here without him.”
Anne glanced at Coyle. People would definitely think twice about approaching if he stood by your side. Anne had already felt several crewmen eyeing her, their gaunt expressions hardened by years of strenuous labor. She planned to ignore them, hoping they would afford her the same courtesy.
Blackhearts Page 26