by Jewel Adams
They hid them in Alicia’s room before going back downstairs.
Paul was standing at the bottom as if he were ready to come and find them.
“How is your arm?”
“Sore.”
“Walk with me in the garden before dinner.”
The refusal was on the tip of her tongue. She let him see her look at Alicia, hoping he would think she held some fear. When he took her hand possessively in his, she tried to pull it back. He leaned close. “Believe, Corin, I’m tired of your games.”
When they reached the garden, Corin tried to move away from him. But his arm went about her waist, holding her to his side.
“No Corin, stay where you are. I’m in an ill temper with you.”
Paul’s words raked over Corin’s rising apprehension.
“I’ve decided you can’t be trusted to cooperate, Cherie.”
Corin renewed her attempt to gain her release, but his hand closed around her injured arm; his intent halted her flight. “Hurting you has never been my intention.”
A nervous sarcastic laugh lashed out at the man. “I hate you.”
“Yes. It makes me want you all the more, Corin. That’s why I have decided it will be better if you stay at the villa until all is settled here.”
A desperate chill gripped her. “I won’t go.”
“I think you will, just as my cousin will cooperate to protect you; you will do as I command to save her.”
His hand tightened on her arm, making her cry out, helpless to stop him. “You shouldn’t have told her, Cherie.”
It was too late for lies. Paul was beyond believing her.
“We will leave at dusk. Go to your room and pack.”
“You can’t do this… people will know.”
Those cruel eyes looked over her face before resting on the glowing amber in her paling features. “I think Cousin Alicia will ensure everything goes as I instruct. Besides, I will be here to ensure that she cooperates.”
He was sending her to the island alone. Corin trembled over the truth of it.
“I see you fear my men, Cherie, if not their captain.” He brushed back a wisp of dark hair from her cheek. “No one will touch you.”
She had to try and stop him. In truth, Corin didn’t believe his men would hold any fear without his presence. Her hands clutched at his shirt, “Please Paul, don’t send me away. I’ll do anything you want. I swear…just don’t send me there alone.”
Was she actually afraid? The terrible shaking he saw in her small frame wasn’t an act. “Another game, Corin? Go pack.”
When he set her from him, she stared at him. Clamping her lips down, she turned to run for the house.
Paul watched her. “You will go, Cherie.”
~ * ~
Corin stood at the window, her back to the activity in the room as Paul instructed Tina and one of the kitchen women on what to pack. She refused to be a participant after hearing his yelling match with Alicia.
“Be ready to leave in one hour!”
Her back stiffened at the order as the door slammed behind him. She saw him below in the drive, shouting orders out to his men. There was no longer any reason for pretense.
“Corin, hurry!”
She turned and ran to Alicia. “I’m so sorry.”
“Oh child, it is not your fault. Hurry, come with me… you must get away.”
“No! I can’t leave you.”
“Don’t be foolish. He’ll be off looking for you soon enough.”
She led them to her room, and then to the small room a trunk was in. “In here, Corin.”
“What?’
“A passage… Sean had it built for an emergency. Well, this is one, don’t you agree?”
“Well, yes, but you must come with me.”
“No dear. Louisa and I will meet Dan as planned.”
“But Diamond?”
“Will be chasing you. Now go, Corin, Sam will be waiting at the end with the horses.”
Corin was torn over leaving.
“Don’t argue… too much time has already passed for Rogan.”
“Oh God, my charts! Alicia, I must have them.”
“I’ll bring them with me on the Raven.”
She told her where they were hidden. “No one must see them, Alicia, not even Dan.”
Her brow rose, but she didn’t question the girl; the fear in those golden eyes said it all. “I will have Dan meet you at the docks after midnight.”
“You’re a devil, Alicia.”
“Of course, Diamond won’t think to look on his own ship for you, now will he?”
Alicia hugged Corin, then pushed her into the passageway. “Keep going to the end.”
The steps were steep, going deeper than the main floor of the house. Without the lantern, Corin would have walked into the walls, the darkness was like a sea of ink beyond the circle of faint light.
She began to fear she missed the proper tunnel, the length seemed endless.
“Mistress?”
“I’m here, Sam.” She rushed toward the sound, clasping his hand when it touched her. “Where is the end of this?”
“It’s here; night has fallen.” He helped her out of the hole. Corin found they were in a thick grove of trees.
“Where are we?”
“Not far enough away to be safe. Here, the madame gave me this for you.”
The scarlet blouse and pants were rolled in a black cape, along with the hat, boots and the mask. “I’ll be ready in a moment.”
Corin went behind the bushes and discarded the torn dress. Rolling it up, she stuffed it into the undergrowth, pushing leaves and branches over it.
Alicia’s costume fit perfectly. Corin left the mast off, tucking it into the blouse, the hat being adequate covering. “I’m ready.”
Sam just stared. “Scarlet has returned to Dèsirèe.”
“You know?”
“I never saw the madame as such; my father told me of the adventure they shared.”
She wished she knew the story, but there wasn’t time. She went to mount the horse.
“Wait, she sent these as well.” Sam handed her a small ivory pistol and dagger, whose handle matched the gun.
“What did she used to be?”
“You better ask her later.”
She took both weapons, placing the gun in her waist. Holding the deadly dagger, Corin shrugged and slid it into the high cuff of her boot. “They did it this way in the movies.” She didn’t want to hear the warnings twisting in her stomach that this was real life danger. “Games are for children.”
“I will take you to the road. It’s not the one you took in the carriage, but it will lead you almost directly to the docks. We take the shipments this way.”
They rode through the woods for some time until the white winding ribbon of shell road appeared.
“I must get back to help her. Will you be all right?”
“Yes, go, and thank you, Sam.”
He left her.
Looking down the road, she pulled the tie at her chin tight. “Okay Alicia, we can do this, right? Scarlet and Raven, together.”
Seventeen
Surprises in the Darkness
Terry followed Rogan down to the cabin.
“Lock it, Terry.”
Rogan pulled out the charts Corin made for him. “We’re here…we will be leaving the gulf by tomorrow morning and pick up the gulf stream here.”
“I won’t ask, but damn, Rogan, where’d you get these?”
“A gift…a very special one.”
“She’s that, all right.”
Rogan’s smile for Terry’s admiration of Corin faded. “We’re supposed to meet up with the merchant in this area, about a day out from Savannah.”
“Why the frown?”
“It doesn’t feel right, Diamond letting me take on a shipment of the value he explained. Why should he trust me?”
“Because you are an honest pirate?”
“Pirate, that’s the word,
Terry. I’m supposed to be the Dragon and as such, hardly trustworthy.”
“You think he knows?”
“Do you believe in a woman’s intuition?”
Terry’s humph ended at the serious concern on Rogan’s face.
“Corin told me he knew. I scoffed at her, but I’m starting not to laugh.”
“If it is a trap, what are we going to do?”
“I think we’re going to play hide and seek. We’re going to seek out what Diamond hid in all this.”
Going back to the charts, “we will set a course to swing out and away from the coast, then zig-zag back and forth at these intervals and see if we spot anything. If something is waiting for us, we should stumble across it.”
“Wouldn’t they follow the merchant out?”
“If I were planning a trap, I’d already be near the designated position and come from where I wouldn’t be expected.”
“And if we don’t see anything?”
“Then we can take the merchant farther out, unless she’s not really going to England with the Colonists’ tax revenue.”
Terry left, but Rogan’s suspicions festered as he paced the cabin. Diamond had been waiting for him in Galveston, so he couldn’t have been in New Orleans. If there were a trap, the man went to a lot of trouble. Why? Why not just waylay him with an ambush?
“Corin, I hope you are wrong.” He didn’t like the answer taking shape for the question. “Be careful, my cat.”
~ * ~
Crouching behind the stack of crates, Corin scanned the docks for Billings’ ship. “Damn, it’s not here.”
Diamond’s ship must be the one in New Orleans. She’d searched the entire wharf, but Corin didn’t know Diamond’s ship by sight.
Pulling the cloak about her, she needed to find the ship. The only way to do that was to get closer. She hoped she’d hear something or see someone she recognized that would lead her to it.
But Corin needed no one’s help as she walked past the moored ships. She almost squealed when she saw the name on the third one in. “The Orchid. Your vanity will hang you, Diamond.” She should have guessed and held no doubts over the Orchid’s master. She kept walking, not wanting the men she saw standing guard to notice her. Once she felt she’d gone a safe distance, but could still see the deck, she blended into the shadows.
She took the mask out and put it on. If she were seen, he mustn’t know it was she. Corin became Raven tonight, and from then on, it would be who she became when necessary. She would have put down her own outlandish thoughts if she weren’t in such a desperate position. She couldn’t just walk up the gangway unless the guards’ attention happened to be elsewhere.
In front of the Orchid stood a group of crates ready for loading. Moving back along the side of the building, a lighted lantern hung on a pole. Taking it down, she went back, concealing the lantern under her cloak. She moved as close to the Orchid as she dared. Hiding behind the pilings, Corin said a prayer, then stepped out and threw the lantern into the crates.
The oil from the crashing lantern instantly ignited the boxes into a roaring fire. Keeping herself back, she waited for the yells of the men. When they came, so did their running feet down the gangway. Waiting only until she heard no one else, she darted out and ran silently up the wooden plank. The deck remained empty. She looked at the men; they would be occupied for a while, at least until she could get into Diamond’s cabin.
Hoping she was right and Diamond’s cabin would be like Rogan’s, she slipped into the companionway and went to the last door. The only light came from the cabin window, but it was enough for her to find a candle and light it.
Corin held the candle up and knew she was in the right place. Orchids hung from all the beams; it could only be Diamond’s cabin. The charts on the map table told her nothing. Searching his desk, there wasn’t anything that could help her. She spun around and looked back at the map table. “Maybe one pirate is like another.”
Setting the candle down, Corin started feeling around under the table edge, then stopped when she found what she looked for. The latch clicked when she pulled it and she heard the drawer release.
The map she found must be the right one. Holding it up, she saw the circle off the coast. Rolling it up, she stuffed it in her blouse. Before she shut the drawer, she felt around inside it one more time and found a journal. Corin pulled it out and opened it, flipping through the pages. “The record of all their raids and the bounty.”
She shook over what she held. The bounties for each raid and each man’s share of the take, a full accounting of Diamond’s illustrious business.
Corin carefully closed the drawer and straightened up the charts. She started to leave then stopped; her gaze narrowed.
In bold printing, she spelled out her threat.
The Orchid proved an easy gain.
Black Diamond Island may be fairer game.
The Raven
She took one of his beautiful flowers. Pulling out the scarlet plume from the hat, she stabbed the quill through it and the note then placed it in his secret drawer. “That should make you go home.”
Hearing the sounds coming from the deck, Corin went to the window. She traded the journal for the pistol, dropping the small gun into her blouse. Crawling out on the small ledge, she inched over to the mooring rope above her head. Keeping her gaze on the dock, she possessed no desire to look into the dark water below her. Hand over hand, she moved down the rope until she hung over the dock. Letting go, she dropped, landing upright and swiftly moving away. When she reached the crates, she fell behind them gasping for breath over the chance she had just taken.
“That was pure devious, lass.”
“Oh! Dan, don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“How did you find me?”
“You forget. I found the Orchid this morning. You know, you really could save an old man like me a lot of trouble by following the plan.”
“Didn’t Alicia…”
“Relax, honey. They are safe. We will join them at Emily’s.” Dan’s hand stayed her. “Better take that mask off, lass. God, you looked just like her back there.”
She was beginning to wonder if she wanted to know what her dear Grandmere had been into. After tonight, nothing would surprise her again.
~ * ~
Muddy Bank plantation was a welcome sight after the long ride from New Orleans. The place was alive with torches, waiting for their arrival.
Corin felt exhaustion to her bones; her knees almost went out from under her when she dismounted, but there were plans to be made. Alicia and at least a half dozen other people rushed out to meet them.
“Come in, Cherie.”
Shaking her head, she laughed to herself over how the woman seemed to take command of everything and everyone around her. Alicia introduced her to her cousin, Emily Boviar, the lady’s son Thomas and his wife Rose, and their two children, William and David. The smallest boy tugged on his father’s pants, “Daddy, why is the lady wearing pants?”
Rose gathered them up and off to bed.
Corin felt bad. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve come to expect surprises from my mother’s family. Please, sit down, Mrs. Drake.” The humor in her eyes eased Corin’s worry.
After they were settled, it was Thomas who locked the doors to the sitting room. But it was Corin who couldn’t stay still.
She looked at Alicia, “Did you have trouble getting away?”
“He accommodated us quite well, leaving only one guard on the ‘old ladies’.” The woman spat out Diamond’s words. “Sam took care of him, and we left without any further trouble. Diamond was searching the plantation and the road to New Orleans… he is probably still there. Poor Louisa needed to be put to bed. She is such a trusting soul. The man was cruel to use her like that.”
Corin turned to Dan. “How did you get to New Orleans so fast?”
“The Raven, lass. They dropped me near t
he river. I borrowed a horse from a friend.”
“Enough Corin, all is well now. Are you all right?” Alicia’s concern brightened her eyes.
“Yes, I got everything, at least I think so… there wasn’t much time to be sure. Here is his journal.” Alicia motioned for Thomas to take it. He started thumbing through it.
“It is all dated, Aunt Alicia; when did Brian’s ship disappear?”
“Two years ago in August.”
Thomas went to his desk to go through the journal.
“I also found a map.” Corin spread it out on the table. “This must be the place he sent Rogan… see the coast and the cross.”
Dan picked up the map. “How can you be sure, lass?”
“Because I took it from his hiding place.”
Alicia nodded her approval. “And I see you left a calling card.”
Corin’s hand flew to her hat. “Yes, I hope you don’t mind. I left a note and signed it Raven.”
“Mind? Dear Corin, you have given me a new life.”
Shaking her head at Alicia, she turned to Dan. “Is the Raven ready to leave?”
“She’s ready, lass.”
“Good. I won’t have any trouble with the crew? You did tell them who would be in charge?”
“They know, though I don’t think they’ve stopped laughing.”
After everything else, facing a few disbelieving men would seem tame.
“I found it!” Thomas came rushing over with the journal. “Here it is. Hurricane’s crew, Captain Brian Drake. Dear Lord.”
The man paled and looked at Alicia.
“Where is he, Thomas?”
“He was sold with two of his men to a plantation owner named G. Stearns, on…Hattie.”
Corin watched as everyone grew silent. “Please, tell me, what is wrong, besides the obvious that Brian is in bondage?”
Dan answered. “Hattie is known for its cruelty.”
“Mon Dieu, two years.”
“He’ll be fine, Grandmere. We will get him out of there, I promise. We must leave.”
~ * ~
“She’s just through the pass, lass.”
A little longer. Once they were out in the Gulf, she could sleep. Her body ached, and her wound felt tight and sore.
“What’s wrong with your arm?”