by Amelia Grey
Bradley lifted his chin and sniffed. "Quite true," he said as if the idea had been his own. He glared down at her as he brushed his straight hair away from his forehead with an open palm. "But I will handle this, not you."
"Stop this. Both of you," Austin said, pushing Bradley aside and stepping in front of him. His cold gray-green eyes scanned Chelly's face. "Who's with the boy?"
"No one, right now," she answered defensively. "He's sleeping peacefully. Don't worry, he won't awaken. He exhausted himself crying for his mother and now I know why I couldn't soothe him.
Austin's eyes remained cold. "He shouldn't be left alone in any case. I want you to—"
"Just a minute, Austin," Bradley chimed in, moving to stand beside him. "We need to clear this up so you can turn this ship around. Every minute we delay takes us farther from Baltimore. You can talk to this chit later." He rubbed his hand over his hair and sniffed again. "I have an idea I think will work. When we dock, I'll assume responsibility for the boy. I'll simply tell the authorities I found the youngster wandering around by himself. No one will ever know the truth of this night." His gaze darted from Chelly to Jubal, who still stood quietly in the corner of the small cabin and back to Austin. "It will be our secret."
Austin stared at Bradley with alarming steadiness in his eyes and his features but remained quiet.
Now that Chelly took the time to look at Austin, she could see he didn't look well. His lips were pale and tightness showed around his mouth. His dark eyebrows drew together in a frown as if he were in pain. Was he sick, or was he unhappy about what he was doing?
"No," Austin said.
"Have you lost your mind, Austin?" Bradley asked, holding up his hand. "You're not thinking this through."
Chelly took another step forward and said, "You have to turn around. Bo's mother is probably going out of her mind with worry. This is cruel. You can't do this to her."
"I'm sure she'll know exactly who has her son before she's told. She probably assumed his father might one day try to take him from her."
Chelly gasped and her neck stiffened. She wasn't getting through to him the depth of a mother's love and what it would do to her to lose a child.
"That's absurd," she said. "No mother would think that. I've never had a child, but my sister had a son. Believe me, I know what it will do to that poor woman to find her son gone. Please, you must take him back."
"I agree with her," Bradley commented, pointing at Chelly as if there were other women in the room.
She could tell by his tone of voice that Bradley didn't like the fact that they were on the same side. But he didn't mind using it to his advantage.
"Austin, you must give word to turn the ship around. Not only for the boy and your social standing, but you know I have to get back to Winifred."
"I'm not unsympathetic to my sister's condition."
"What about Bo's mother? Think of what Bo's mother is going through," Chelly insisted, raising her voice louder to be heard above Bradley's pleadings.
Austin rubbed that small area between his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger and winced. Chelly thought they were wearing him down until he said, "You're not listening to me. Even if I felt I could return him to Baltimore, there would be no way we could get him off this ship without someone seeing us. We are more than five hours out to sea. The docks will be covered with police by now. The mother will receive a note telling her that her son is safe and on his way to be with his father. Nothing can be reversed. Neither of you are listening to me." Anger laced his voice. His gaze jerked from Chelly to Bradley to the other. "This is something I had to do. I can't explain it, and I don't expect either of you to understand. If I'd had any other recourse I would have taken it. The deed is done and in progress."
He wasn't going to relent. Chelly understood that now. "You're a heartless man with no feelings in your bones," she whispered.
"You don't know me or what I'm feeling," he countered. "You have no right to judge me or my actions." His voice and features softened. "The two of you might as well save your breath." He turned toward Bradley. "There's only one way to get back to Baltimore. Swim. If you want to, be my guest. Otherwise, Jubal will show you a room." He turned to Chelly. "You have your room and your duties. The lad is in your hands, and I expect you to do a good job taking care—"
"All right!" Bradley interrupted him. "Take this boy to God knows where if you must to fulfill your honor, but I demand you take me back to Baltimore first and at once. Then you're free to take off on this fool's errand for God's knows who and where."
Calmly, Austin said, "No."
"Hellfire! Austin, you're trying my soul."
A muscle worked in Austin's neck but his tone remained even. "And you are trying mine. My patience is gone. If I have to say 'no' one more time, I'll have Jubal put you under lock. I hope you left word with Winifred what you were doing."
"We discussed this over dinner. She knew I was coming to the ship to talk to you."
"Then I pray she knows your penchant for having a brandy after dinner and falling asleep."
Bradley's face fell, the angry redness of his complexion turned ashen. "I—I had no idea you were under such constraints, Austin." A note of desperation entered his voice. He raised his hands in a helpless manner.
"Go with Jubal, Bradley. He'll see you settled into a cabin. We'll talk again later. I'll think of something."
"What is there short of returning?" With a defeated expression on his face, Bradley started to speak again, but closed his mouth and remained silent. He turned and walked out. Having never said a word, Jubal followed.
Austin turned away from Chelly and faced his desk. "You, too," he said. "Go back to your room and see to the boy."
For a moment, Chelly thought he was in pain again. She swallowed hard. How could she have thought Austin to be a gentleman? "You are going through with this even though you know what you're doing to Bo's mother?"
Suddenly Austin whirled on her. "What about the father? Does he not have feelings for the young son he's never seen? Should the mother be the only one to know his love and hear his laughter?"
"Will his father never return to America? Couldn't he visit if he wanted to see his son?"
"None of this concerns you. Just go and take care of your charge as you've been hired to do. You've been away from him too long as it is."
Sweat had broken out on his forehead. He was paler than before, she was sure. He didn't look well and she suddenly realized he must be sick from the choppy seas. She wouldn't get any farther with him than Bradley had. Not tonight anyway. And he was right. She needed to get back to Bo. He would be more frightened than ever if he awoke and no one was there to comfort him.
Without further words, Chelly turned and slowly made her way toward her cabin. Her heart ached. She would find a way to make it up to that little boy for being torn from his mother's arms, and snatched away from all he knew and loved?
Austin Radcliffe was a wealthy man from one of Baltimore's finest families. Surely he wasn't kidnapping Bo for money. But why?
Austin. How could this kind and gentle man who took her off the streets and into his home and looked at her so lovingly just two nights ago possibly be involved in a kidnapping? It must be because he didn't understand a mother's love, she reasoned. Naturally, he wouldn't. He was a man, thinking like a man, helping another man. While she looked at this as an atrocity, he looked at it as taking a son to his father. It didn't surprise her that he assumed Bo would be better off with his father. Surely, most men would feel the same way, but that didn't make it right.
What could she do for her charge? With heavy feet, she walked back into the cabin where the boy lay. Lamp light bathed the room in a pale, yellow glow. He was so small. She touched his light-brown hair. It was fine, silky. She gently rubbed his forehead and caressed his reddened cheek with the tips of her fingers. He stirred briefly, but not enough to rouse him from sleep. Every little boy needed to be with his mother. Maybe when he was older
, ready to learn to shoot, ride, and fight, he should be with his father. But not now. Not while he was still so young and innocent.
She had to do something, but what?
Chelly's thoughts turned closer to her heart, to Loraine. Her sister's child couldn't be returned. Two-year-old-Thomas had been lost forever to Loraine a year after her husband had been confirmed as missing at sea. Death couldn't be reversed, but Bo's situation could be reversed. Bo could be returned to his mother.
Chelly's breath caught in her throat. Her hand stilled on Bo's soft cheek. Almost afraid to let her thoughts go further, she sat on the side of the bunk, covering her mouth with her hand. The lamp burned so low it gave only the faintest amount of light to the small room. The swaying of the ship seemed to have lessened, too, or maybe she was getting used to the continuous rocking motion. She squeezed her eyes shut. Dare she let her mind explore that intimidating avenue?
Yes. Now that the idea had come to her, she had to explore it. She had to think about the possibility of returning Bo to his mother.
She opened her eyes and slipped her feet out of her soft-soled shoes, leaving her stockings on for warmth. She gently lay down on the bunk beside the youngster, not bothering to remove any of her clothes. She had too much to think about.
What could she do, she asked herself again? First, she had to find out who Bo's mother was. If the little boy couldn't tell her, maybe she could eventually get the information out of Austin.
She sat up in the bed so quickly Bo stirred and whimpered. She patted his shoulder and whispered softly to him, lulling him back to sleep.
That was it!
If Austin could kidnap the boy from his mother, why couldn't she kidnap him from Austin? Could she do it? Yes, she told herself immediately. She had to for Bo and his mother. But how? And when? She patted her lips with her fingers as she stared at the dark ceiling and contemplated.
Certainly not until they landed would she have a chance, but she'd start making plans now as to what to do when they reached land.
Bradley wanted to return quickly and see to his wife. She might be able to solicit his help and include him in her plan. No, she quickly dismissed that idea. She couldn't mention any plan to him. He'd made it clear he didn't approve of her or her friendly relationship with Austin. And he'd done it more than once, even though, like her, he wanted Bo, or more importantly the ship, returned to Baltimore.
All right, now that she'd decided she could do it and she'd have to do it alone, what would be the first thing she'd need? Money. Yes, she'd need that to buy passage back to Baltimore. What else would she need? A weapon in case anyone discovered her and tried to stop them. She trembled, not knowing if it were her thoughts or the nip in the air making her cold. She pulled the blanket over her arms.
She would need money and a pistol, but where would she get them? From Austin, came the answer. More likely than not, he'd have a gun somewhere in his cabin—money, too. A sense of dread filled her. She would have to search his room. When the time came, near the end of the voyage, she'd have to know where to get both. Chelly forced down the emotions that prompted her to feel it was wrong to invade someone's privacy. Austin had already broken all the rules.
If Bo's father were a man of worth, he'd probably bring a nanny with him to care for the child. It occurred to her that she might not be allowed to disembark with Bo. If that happened, she would have to insist on going with them for a few days until the child got used to his new family.
Yes, surely his father would agree, not wanting Bo to be traumatized again so quickly. Once she talked them into letting her go with them, she'd have to be watchful and decide the best time to take the child and run. She'd keep the pistol with her and hope she wouldn't have to threaten anyone with it. She'd never shot a pistol, and she hoped no one would give her reason to fire it.
Her plan needed some work, but at least she had an idea and the determination to see it through. She had plenty of time to fine tune it. One thing she promised herself as she eased back down on the bed. When they dropped anchor, she would find a way to kidnap Bo and deliver him back to his mother. She wouldn't go back to Baltimore without him.
* * *
Austin rubbed his neck with one hand and held his stomach with the other and winced. Damn! Since he was a youngster, no matter what he did, the first few days of sailing always made him ill. He never had a sick day in his life until he boarded a ship. From the first time he sailed when he was only ten years old, he had seasickness the first two or three days of the journey. He didn't know why.
He'd fought it for years, trying everything from eating too much to not eating at all. He'd even had a doctor give him a mixture of herbs to put in his tea that was supposed to help. All that concoction had done was put him to sleep. He had still had the dreadful seasickness when he awakened.
Now that he had time to think about it, it bothered him that neither Bradley nor Chelly had shown any signs of the sickness. Maybe it was because they were too outraged, he thought irritably, hoping they were both hanging their heads over a bucket, heaving at this very moment.
The roiling continued as he walked over to his desk and sat down, propping his feet on top of it. He poured himself a cup of tea. It was barely warm, but he drank the liquid anyway, hoping it would settle his churning insides.
He was upset and worried about Winifred. How could Bradley have been so stupid as to drink too much and fall asleep? Thank God Winifred knew where Bradley was going. He only hoped she wouldn't worry so about her husband that she couldn't figure out what had happened to him.
Chelly. The anger, the outrage he'd seen in her expression he could take, but the disappointment he'd seen in the depths of her eyes and heard in her troubled voice bothered him. But what was there to do about it now? The beautiful, bewitching young woman had haunted his dreams as no other woman had. He hated seeing the helplessness she felt in her eyes. She was desperate to take that little boy back to his mother. He understood her feelings and he hated seeing the loathing on her face for what he was doing.
But he had no choice, and he wouldn't defend himself to her or Bradley again. They would have to trust that if there had been any other course, he would have chosen it. He made the vow to Jerome and he had to keep it.
He liked that Chelly stood up for what was right. Many employees would have been too frightened of losing their job to question him about any matter. Chelly was ready to do battle with him over the wrong she felt he was committing. There was no reason to worry about the safety of the child while in Chelly's care. What he had to worry about was the way he felt when he looked at her.
Austin sipped his lukewarm tea again and forced his thoughts away from the governess. It was going to be a long voyage and there was no use torturing himself.
Bradley? What was he to do with him? How foolish of him to sit down and drink himself to sleep. It would be his own fault if he missed the arrival of his first son, but even worse for Winifred to go through the delivery alone.
Austin let his feet fall to the floor. Damn, he had to lie down. His stomach was churning. And damn Bradley's soul for the worry and anguish he would cause Winifred when she discovered him gone.
Betsy Patterson's father's ship the Erin had made it to Lisbon in a record twenty-one days. If the weather held, maybe they could match that record. Then, with good weather, a fast ship, and a load of luck, he could have Bradley home inside the two months. If not in time for the baby, then shortly afterward.
After blowing out the lamp, he lay down on his bunk, placing an arm over his eyes to block out the hint of light that shone through the small porthole.
He didn't like fighting with Chelly or Bradley.They didn't understand, and he couldn't explain it to them. The less they knew about what was going on, the better off they would be.
The one he could count on not to judge him was Jubal. He trusted the large man with his life. Since that fateful day five years ago when Jerome made his heroic appearance in his life, Austin always too
k Jubal with him. He'd vowed never to be caught unaware again.
With his stomach settling down, Austin's thoughts drifted back to Chelly. He felt a stirring of his manhood. It wasn't just her beauty that stimulated him, though she had plenty of that. She was intelligent, capable, and soft-hearted.
He smiled. He hadn't heard her giggle once, an annoying habit of most of the young women who caught his eye at Baltimore's endless parties. While he must have enjoyed giggles and batting of eyelashes when he was younger, he found now that he was nearing thirty it irritated him.
Austin rolled over onto his side and buried his face in his pillow. He wished he'd taken time to visit Miss Sophie's upstairs room before he'd boarded Aloof.
It was going to be a long trip to Lisbon with that beautiful woman on board and his needing a woman in his bed.
Chapter 5
A soft whimpering awakened Chelly. At first she was dazed, not sure where she was. She blinked several times and wiped her dry eyes as she lay in the small bunk.. A faint sway reminded her she was on Austin's ship. Her arms shot out beside her. Bo wasn't there. Fear raced in her heart. She rose up in the bed. By the dim daylight afforded by the small porthole in the cabin, she looked down at the end of the bed and saw him sitting at her feet, staring at her. She took a labored breath and relaxed.
Confusion showed in his round, expressive eyes. His nose was red from where he'd rubbed it, and his bottom lip trembled slightly. His little face said it all. Bo didn't know why he'd been taken from his mother, his home. Her heart went out to him and his mother. But no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't change anything today. Right now, her job was to take care of Bo and make him feel as safe and happy as possible.