“Dang you, woman! This is too dangerous. Eric is still loose.”
“I’ve seen Daniel,” Maren disclosed softly. “He isn’t dead.”
Jared’s expression altered. As his gaze locked with hers, he asked, “Where is the Brit? I’ll take care of him.”
“No, Jared, you won’t. He’s suffered enough. Let him be.”
Jared stared at her oddly. “You’re protecting one of our enemies? You could be jailed too, Maren. I forbid it. Where is he?”
“He’s no longer a threat to America, or to you, Jared Morgan. You nearly killed him once. I can’t allow you a second chance. He’ll remain hidden until the war ends; then I’ll get him home. He won’t cause any trouble; I swear it. He’s been my friend for years.”
“Eric was your friend for years too, but look at him. No, Maren.”
“You’re being stubborn and mean, Jared Morgan. For just a moment forget you’re Captain Hawk; be my understanding and generous husband. If you turn Daniel in, he’ll be imprisoned or hanged, yet what harm can he do? He’s only a man who’s been through hell.”
Jared scowled. “Have you forgotten what you learned about him?”
“He explained everything,” Maren said rapidly. Then she told Jared what Daniel had revealed to her.
“And you believed his lies?”
“They’re not lies! I know him, Jared.”
“Like you knew Eric?” Jared was angry with her.
“That isn’t fair. I’m not the only person Eric fooled.”
“You’ve a blind spot, Maren. Don’t be taken in again.”
“Like your father was taken in by Willa Barns?” she snapped. She related what she had learned about Steven. “He is Jeremy’s, isn’t he?”
“For damned sure he isn’t mine! I’ve never put a hand on that bitch.”
“I know you haven’t. You see, I’m not always wrong about people. Daniel did terrible things, yes, but he’s paid for them. Give him a chance, Jared,” she urged softly.
“Why didn’t you stay put at the hotel? It’s dangerous for you here.”
Maren told him about Samuel Lewis’s death, and she added, “I couldn’t wait around for months doing nothing. I knew I would be safe if I hired plenty of guards and got rid of Dan Myers.”
“I’m going to see Dan right now. By the time I return, Redford had best be gone, but we’ll move into Lady Luck and carry out your plan.”
“You’re serious?” she asked.
“What I don’t do for you, woman! You have my word.”
After Jared left, she summoned Marc and Daniel and informed them of this new development. Then she gave Daniel some money and told him to try to find a safe place. “Jared says the war can’t last much longer. Peace negotiations are underway. Just stay out of sight, Daniel.”
Daniel hugged her and thanked her, but he was already making plans of his own as Marc took him to the warehouse, where he bedded down for the night.
Jared returned in less than an hour with stunning news: Dan Myers was badly wounded and might die. “He tried to kill himself last night. Guilt or fear of discovery, no doubt. There’s no reason we can’t move into Lady Luck immediately. I plan to remain here for a few days, just in case Eric shows up.”
“What about the law, Jared? Can’t we expose him and have the sheriff on the lookout for him?”
“I’ve already done that, but he could sneak past him. We’re taking no more chances, Maren Morgan. Understand?”
Maren smiled and melted into his arms. As he held her tightly, she said, “I’ve been so worried about you, Jared.”
He told her that he had been ordered to speak with the pirates again, for they had not yet accepted the government’s terms and the British were going to attack New Orleans. He added, “We can certainly use their help, so I hope I’m convincing. I wish I could take you somewhere safe, but I doubt any place is safe right now. We’ll make sure the Brits don’t get in here.”
Within the next hour, Maren and Jared entered her suite at Lady Luck. They sat down and went over everything once more; then Jared went downstairs and saw to that night’s business. It was late when he returned, exhausted.
Maren was in bed, naked beneath the sheet. She smiled at her husband as he entered the room. “I thought you weren’t coming back,” she teased.
Jared glanced at her bare shoulders, which were revealed, and he grinned. After stripping, he joined her and they embraced and caressed each other. The desire to make love having seized them, both were highly aroused and eager to fuse their bodies.
But Jared knew the past weeks without Maren had him on a sexual precipice and he had to move cautiously. He tantalized her until she was writhing with need; then he joined their bodies and they moved rhythmically until rapture claimed them.
Later, in the golden afterglow of lovemaking, they caressed each other gently and kissed tenderly. “I love you, Maren. Thank God you’re safe,” he said.
She shifted her head and looked into his eyes, so tender in the candlelight. “I love you, Jared Morgan, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
When Eric’s ship had been steadily driven southward because of the blockade, he had finally decided to postpone his business in New Orleans and sail onward to Jamaica. After enjoying a brief time there with Maren and Ben, he would once more try to make it to New Orleans….
On Sunday, Daniel Redford sneaked into Lady Luck and tried to kill Jared Morgan. The two men fought and quarreled for an hour, breaking some of the furniture downstairs. For his wife’s benefit, Jared tried everything in every way he could to break off the conflict with Daniel. He tried reasoning, brute strength, explanations, threats, an apology, and bargaining. But Daniel was determined to slay the man who had nearly killed him and who had made his life hellish for two years. After Daniel was finally subdued, Maren realized that Jared had no choice but to turn him over to the authorities. She apologized to Jared for her mistake.
“Don’t worry about it, love. I knew he would try to kill me. His pride demanded it. I would have done the same.”
That afternoon, Maren and Jared visited Dan, who, though very weak, was recovering slowly. Dan made a full confession and begged for their forgiveness. Mary Malone was with him, and he spoke of his real love for her and of his remorse over fooling her. He promised he would never come near any of them again. He explained that he had killed Evelyn Sims and Howard Heath and Samuel Lewis because they had planned to harm Maren, and he wouldn’t allow that, and he swore to slay Eric if he ever saw him again. Then, suddenly realizing he would be imprisoned for his crimes, he pleaded with Jared to protect Cameron’s daughter and to slay their mutual foe.
“Don’t worry, Dan, I’ll handle Eric, sooner or later.”
Dan wept pitifully as he murmured, “The Devil got into me and filled my head with evil desires. What I did was wrong, and I couldn’t live with my guilt any longer. I tried to stop them, but it was too late. Maren wasn’t supposed to be injured. It sounded so simple when Eric approached me and tempted me. I honestly thought Maren would give up without a fight, and I never imagined you were her partner. When I realized how wicked Eric was and knew he would keep coming after Maren and Lady Luck, I had to end this treachery before I was unmasked. But I couldn’t find a way to defeat him. I know you two must hate me for what I’ve done. I’m sorry, Maren, Jared.”
“We know, Dan. Sometimes people just get caught up in their rash dreams and make mistakes,” Jared replied, and Maren’s heart warmed.
Using his remaining strength, Dan then revealed all he knew about Eric’s treachery.
Later, at Lady Luck, Maren lay in Jared’s arms. “It’s nearly over,” she murmured, “Only Eric is left.”
“Lordy, I wish I knew where he was and what he’s up to.”
“Forget about him for now. Just think about us.”
Jared’s lips and hands worked wonders on her body, and hers did the same on his. They made love slowly and titillatingly, and when that delightful crisis seize
d them, they rode toward a mutual victory.
Then, as they lay in each other’s arms, they talked. Jared promised to deal with Eric and Willa when time permitted and to settle their business affairs. When he told Maren that he had to leave on Wednesday morning, he added that more guards had been hired to protect her.
“I think Eric must have sailed for Jamaica. I’m going after him and the gold he took there. Maybe it will be enough to allow us to win the war.”
“Don’t go after him, Jared,” she pleaded.
“I’ll be careful, love, but this has to be done or you’ll never be safe.”
On Wednesday, Jared left and Maren cried. She could not bear the thought of anything happening to him, and she knew Eric was insane, irreparably evil. After her love’s departure, Maren threw herself into the running of Lady Luck to distract herself. Business flourished, and days swept by.
Three and a half weeks passed without trouble; then one day Jared was standing at the door. The Royal Navy had many ships in the routes to Jamaica—between Florida and Cuba, and between Cuba and Central America—so he had been fighting these ships rather than sailing on to seek out Eric and the British gold. He surmised that the heavy enemy concentration on those routes would prevent Eric from getting to New Orleans, and assuming Maren was safe there, he stayed for three days, then left.
The following Sunday, November twenty-seventh, the United States soundly licked the British at Mobile Bay. Unbeknownst to Maren, Jared had been trapped in the Gulf and was fighting in that battle along with Andrew Jackson and others.
As December overtook them, though the temperature remained above fifty degrees on many days, Jared arrived by sea and Andrew Jackson by land. But due to the crucial stage of the war, Jared and Maren had little time for a proper reunion. They spent one night making love and then Jared returned to duty.
He met with Andrew Jackson and revealed what he had worked out with the pirates at Barataria and Grand Isle. Jackson was most agreeable to pardoning those men and accepting their aid, and he met with their infamous leader, Jean Lafitte. Lafitte was very helpful in planning the defense of New Orleans and the blockage of the Mississippi River to the British, so Jackson was grateful to Jared for arranging an alliance with the pirate captain.
With Jared Morgan’s assistance, Jackson set about recruiting anyone who wanted to do battle with the British: blacks, Creoles, plantation owners, freed slaves, friendly Indians, and businessmen. All went to work side by side with the soldiers, digging ramparts and building barricades. As the people of New Orleans supplied food and clothing, under the watchful eyes of Maren who was the collector and distributor, a line was formed across the Chalmette between the Mississippi and the swamp. Rotting cotton bales taken from the wharfs and plantations were used as buttresses. Jackson praised the joint efforts being made for the defense of New Orleans.
And that December saw the failure of the convention at Hartford. New England did not secede, Stuart ran the blockade with the Constitution, the two sides fought many minor skirmishes, and unbeknownst to their participants a peace treaty was signed in Belgium on Christmas Eve.
Jared and Maren had both been very busy, running Lady Luck and aiding in the preparations for the defense of New Orleans, but the lovers had finally planned to steal a few hours for themselves. And when Lady Luck closed on Saturday night, Maren and Jared sealed out the world beyond their door.
They spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together, talking, laughing, feasting, making plans, and making love. Maren gave her husband an exquisitely carved pocket watch so he would know when to quit work and hurry into her waiting arms, and Jared gave his wife a beautiful shawl which he had purchased from René Blanc.
Since Mary Malone spent the time with Dan Myers, the couple could enjoy just being together, and since their marriage was no longer a secret, they could be quite open about it.
That afternoon, Maren and Jared heated water and filled the tub in her bath closet. Then they played sensuously there, soaping and caressing each other from head to foot, until the water was chilled and passions were kindled. They laughed as they dried off each other and snuggled under the bedcovers to get warm. The house was quiet and the fire in the hearth crackled serenely.
Jared’s hands and lips roamed Maren’s flesh, which smelled delightful for they had bathed with the French soap Antoine Gallier had given to her. “You smell good enough to devour, my love,” he murmured.
“When you return to the men and they get a whiff of you, Mr. Morgan, you’ll no doubt drive them wild with lust. Make sure they don’t ravish you,” Maren teased.
Jared chuckled as he stroked her silky flesh. “I had forgotten about that disadvantage when I joined my wife for a bath. I’ll be certain to dash a very masculine cologne all over me before I leave.”
“And let the British detect your odor from miles away and be lured to your hiding place? Very careless, my love,” she jested.
“I’ll take my chances, woman, because that adventure was worth any risk. It isn’t often a man can get clean and be inflamed at the same time. Yes, ma’am, that combination is most appealing.”
Even as Jared and Maren were enjoying their tranquil Christmas at Lady Luck and making passionate love, the British struck. They sank many American gunboats and drove to within seven miles of New Orleans. Due to their proximity the city was placed under martial law and Jackson was put in full command. Stealthily and skillfully, the British had entered the area via Lake Borgne and Bayou Bienvenue—fortunately Jared’s ship was elsewhere—and by Christmas Eve they had sneaked past Jackson’s flank and taken control of the Villère Plantation. But luck had been with the Americans, for Major Gabriel Villère had escaped and had warned Jackson. Old Hickory had been furious, and had reacted promptly and boldly. He had attacked during the night and set up a new battle line. But the British had been given time to prepare for this new challenge.
When the alarm was sounded after dusk, Jared looked over at his sleeping wife. Hating to disturb her with such news, he gently nudged her awake. “I have to go, love,” he said. “The British are attacking nearby, or they’ve broken through our defense line. Be alert, Maren. If you sense danger, flee inland to Payne’s Point. I’ll come for you when it’s safe again.”
Maren knew he had to leave; it hurt her to let him go. The day of reckoning was near, and she prayed the British lost the war. “I love you, Jared. Please be careful.”
Maren walked him to the door and then watched him until he vanished into the chilly darkness. Tears welled in her eyes and sadness filled her. She wanted this war to be over so they could live a normal life, a safe one. Quickly, she went upstairs, dressed, and packed a small bag. She remained alert.
The Americans fought bravely and steadily, for they were determined to push the British back into the Gulf. On the twenty-eighth, Parkenham attacked. After he was repulsed, General Andrew Jackson called upon the pirates, and with their help the Americans gradually pushed back the British line.
But the battle raged on until January eighth, and Maren had not seen her husband since December twenty-fifth. She received reports from the daring men who delivered medical supplies, food, and arms to the battle line, so she knew Jared was safe and well. Still, she worried about him. Due to the situation, Lady Luck’s business was slack, so she had little to occupy her mind and hands. She was often tempted to go cook for the soldiers or to bandage the wounded, or even to fight. But she had promised to remain where she was.
When the major battle ended, the British had lost over two thousand men, while the Americans counted only seven dead! Due to Major Villère’s warning, the defeat was decisive, and Jackson presented that brave man with Parkenham’s arms.
But all did not go in Jackson’s favor. A local paper, La Courrière de La Louisane had printed an article entreating the people not to obey Jackson, and the author, Louis Louaillier, had been arrested at Jackson’s order. Judge Dominic Hall, born in England, had protested, and Jackson had then ordered that
he be arrested.
On January twentieth the British admitted defeat and left New Orleans, and three days of rejoicing followed. But Maren did not join in. Jared and the other sea captains had been ordered to pursue the British ships to make certain they kept sailing homeward, and he had obeyed Jackson’s request after allowing himself a brief visit with his wife, who was opposed to his facing this added peril. Despite her position, Maren knew Jared would obey Jackson, so she sent him off with a strained smile. Then she went to the wharf every day to look for his return. But as days passed, though business was better than ever at Lady Luck, Maren was lonely and worried.
Barton Hughes had been discharged, and had married Lilibeth Payne. Maren had stood beside her friend on that joyous and long-awaited occasion, and now the happy pair were livingon Bart’s plantation.
But Marc James had lost his courage. Unable to stand up to his brother, he had fled into the wilderness. Maren feared for his life, and she doubted that she would ever see her pitiful cousin again.
During this time Dan Myers’s wound had healed and he returned to work at Lady Luck. He was romancing Mary Malone again, and things seemed to be right between them now. Maren had forgiven the man, but she hoped he would remain loyal this time.
In Savannah, Jared Morgan had received distressing news. Willa had been slain by a strapping male slave she had been savagely beating. The black had escaped, and Jared had decided not to send the law after him. He did bring Cathy and Steven home from town, however, and Bessie was placed in charge of them. After he made certain the children would be all right, Jared sailed for New Orleans to retrieve his wife.
He had been away from Maren for a long time and he did not doubt that she was becoming frantic. But the retreating British ships had sailed toward Nassau, and when he was just about to stop tailing them and return to New Orleans, several had turned northward to attack the eastern coastline or to attempt to join up with the British fleet. Jared and the other captains had been compelled to pursue these ships and to defeat them. That done, Jared had realized he was near Savannah, so he had decided to make a brief stop there to deal with Willa before fetching Maren home.
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