The carriage rolled to a dead stop. Once more, they agreed to the plan and then proceeded out of the hack. Moving toward one of the large warehouses, each watched out for the other while remaining as much as possible in the shadows. Only a sliver of the moon peeked through amassing rain clouds to light the narrow alleys. It was difficult to see, but dressed in male attire and the dark cloaks Aimee had pilfered from some of the younger footmen, it would be just as difficult for a passerby to see them.
Aimee fought the instinct to pinch her nose. She had heard about the strong odors around the docks, but nothing could have prepared her for the overpowering aromas coming from the buildings they were skirting. One smelled of tobacco, another of wine. There were the unmistakable scents of fish and brandy, and many more. On their own they could be pleasant, but together the stench overwhelmed the senses.
Millie stopped short, and Aimee and Jennelle very quickly saw why. Dock laborers, sack-makers, watermen, and the various London poor who made a living by the riverside were swarming the alleys and the docks where the ships were moored. “This has to be the craziest, most insane thing we have ever done,” Millie hissed, ignoring her own rule of complete silence. “I cannot believe that I actually let you talk me into it.”
“I didn’t talk you into it,” Aimee scoffed. “I threatened you into coming with me. And I would have made good on my threat too—that’s why you are here. Besides, I thought you did this before.”
“I was with your brother, Aimee, and that makes all the difference. In case you have not noticed, this harbor is quite large and the docks that support all the ships are huge. Charlie knows this area, not I,” Millie argued. “Scrambling around here in the dark, praying to God that we are not caught, is not what I call a well-thought-out plan. Aimee, I really think we should return.”
Jennelle was about to voice her wholehearted agreement with Millie’s assessment of their precarious position when Aimee piped, “Look, isn’t that Charles’s ship, the Zephyr?”
Millie followed the tip of Aimee’s finger and grimaced. Several hundred feet away, rocking against the dock, was one of five ships her husband and Reece owned in a small but very profitable shipping company. While her husband preferred to remain in England to oversee the accounts and assist with cargo decisions, Reece elected to remain at sea primarily aboard the Sea Emerald, a unique ship he had built to move light cargo with exceptional speed.
“Millie, look! The ship is still at the dock! And there is hardly anyone near it! This is destiny. My plan just has to work. To sneak aboard and pinch something would be too easy for Reece to resist.”
Jennelle glanced back and forth from Millie’s wan, uneasy expression to Aimee’s expectant and determined one. “She is going to do this, with or without us, Millie,” she whispered.
“I know, I know. I also know that we could stop her if we really wanted to.”
“True, but she would never forgive us, and you and I both know she would only try again with a plan even more dangerous. And next time she will not ask for our input, help, or even let us know.”
“Jennelle, sometimes your logic leads to the most dreadful conclusions,” Millie grunted. She turned to Aimee and pointed to a newly emptied wagon. “I’m going to move toward the Zephyr. When I give the signal, follow my lead. And watch out for the dock laborers. There seem to be several out tonight.”
Jennelle trailed Millie as they advanced around the wagon and slowly crept up to the Zephyr. A minute later, they verified the entry was clear and began to tread softly up the wooden planks. Aimee followed, stepping past an unconscious man posted as a guard. Charles was right. The men were asleep, allowing any thief easy entry. She slipped by the sprawled figure and located the hiding spot Millie and Jennelle were crouching behind. Quietly, she hunkered down with them and waited for what she knew her friends hoped never would come.
But it did.
Jennelle pointed to a dark, lone figure. At first Aimee thought he might be a sailor, but his movements were not purposeful as he moved in and out of view, skulking about the ship. Then he began peering into boxes and containers that had not yet been stowed below. She elbowed Millie and pointed. Millie nodded to indicate that she and Jennelle were also witnessing the unusual movement in the shadows.
The figure neared. Whoever he was, he was hunched over as if trying to mask his height. Regrettably, Aimee knew right away that the man was not Reece playing a prank on her brother. Reece was much bigger than the creeping thief, and unlike the dark unruly strands she was spying, Reece’s hair was the color of sand kissed by the sun. More than that, he was incredibly tall, which was why Aimee had been drawn to him as a child. She had inherited the unusual height of her mother and had loved being near anyone that made her feel petite and beautiful rather than tall and awkward. Now, at one and twenty, she possessed a slender figure, pale gold tresses, and large green eyes every Society matron wished her unwed daughter possessed. And yet, around most men, Aimee retained the uncomfortable feeling that she just did not quite belong.
“That’s definitely not Reece. As soon as he is gone and it is safe, we need to leave,” Jennelle whispered. Aimee nodded, saddened to know her plan, which had been going so well up until now, was not going to work.
They waited almost half an hour after the movement in the shadows had ceased before attempting to vacate their niche. “Come on,” Millie murmured, indicating the direction to disembark.
Millie led the way, slowly creeping alongside the same containers the thief had hid behind in an effort not to capture any attention. Jennelle followed carefully, tracing her friend’s footsteps and quiet manner. Aimee was about to follow and exit their secluded hole when she spied movement across the ship.
The moonlight briefly caught a bright blue-and-gold scarf before it was hidden again behind a cloak in the shadows. Aimee recognized that scarf. It was the one she had given Reece at Christmas. Later she had overheard him telling her mother that he never wore such items and would give it to one of his men. That man weaving his way around the deck might not be Reece, but he definitely worked aboard his ship.
Aimee bit her bottom lip and quickly developed a new plan. She wished she had the opportunity to discuss it with her friends, but she would tell them tomorrow afternoon if it worked. Right now, she was not going to waste any opportunity to confront the man she loved.
And with that last thought, she did the unthinkable and got herself captured.
Millie stopped suddenly, aware that something was amiss. She spun around and grabbed Jennelle’s shoulders. “Where is Aimee?”
Jennelle’s wide blue eyes grew large at the alarm registered on her friend’s face. “Bloody hell,” she replied, using one of Millie’s standard phrases. “I don’t know. She was right behind me.”
Millie whipped past her. “Come on, we have to find her. Some men were still on the ship, just on the other side. I thought we could sneak out without their noticing.”
Jennelle heard the worry laced in Millie’s low voice and it frightened her. Millie never was flustered in tight situations. She was courageous and always had a plan. “What are we to do?”
“Stay here, Jennelle, and hide. If anyone—and I mean anyone—comes near you, scream as loud as you can. I’ll whistle twice, just like we used to as kids, when I return.”
Jennelle nodded, dumbstruck when Millie pulled out a small pistol and checked it to make sure it was ready to fire. She adjusted the hood of her cloak, and two seconds later she was gone. Jennelle watched in awe as the petite figure moved silently with such speed, darting in and out of view as she moved around the ship. For twenty minutes, Jennelle waited, wondering what could have happened to their friend.
Two low-pitched whistles came from nowhere and then Millie appeared, lines of fury and panic etched in her face. “She’s gone, Jennelle. They took her in a small boat and she is now far offshore, headed for some ship anchored in the bay.”
“But you said there are a hundred ships out there!”
Millie’s large lavender eyes had grown dark with fear. “I am to blame. I should never have let her come.”
Jennelle shook her head vehemently and swallowed. “No, Millie, she was coming anyway. You and I both knew it, and deep in our hearts that is why we came.”
Millie shook her head. “I led her straight into danger. I was the one who decided to leave. I went first instead of watching out for you both. I was unprepared, and if anything happens to her I will never forgive myself, Jennelle. Never.”
Jennelle took a deep breath and forced calm logic into her voice. “What are we going to do?”
“The only person who can help now with the speed and the resources needed to find Aimee is Charles.” Tears began to fall down Millie’s cheeks. “Good God, Jennelle! What am I going to do? He will never forgive me for putting his sister in danger. How can he?”
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 by C. Michele Peach
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-2651-8
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-2652-5
eISBN-10: 1-4201-2652-0
First Electronic Edition: June 2013
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