by Amelia Grey
Austin would give her another week to return. If she hadn't arrived by then, he'd go to England and look for himself. He wouldn't rest until he'd found her.
"All right, I'll stay for dinner, but I need to go out and talk to Jubal."
"I'll tell cook to prepare another place at the table and send word to Winifred we'll be having a special guest for dinner." Bradley paused. "But after dinner, Austin, we need to do some serious talking about what you did and how we'll counter it when Chelly returns with Bo."
Cold eyes stared at Bradley. "There is no 'if.' She'll return."
Austin walked out to where Jubal stood beside the carriage talking with the driver.
"Jubal, Chelly isn't here. It's a long story and I won't get into it right now. I want you to go on to the town house and eat and rest. I'll be there later. Then we'll make plans. We'll need to watch the docks twenty-four hours a day, checking every ship that comes in. I'll check on Mama tomorrow, then I'll be back to take up watch with you."
"You're not going to try to take Bo back to France again, are you?"
"No. But there are safer ways of getting Bo back to his mother than walking in and saying here he is. We'll talk about them later. Right now Mama needs to know I'm safe. In the meantime, I want you to meet every ship that comes into the harbor. If Chelly and Bo are on it, I want you to take them directly to the town house and keep them there until I return."
"Yes, sir."
Austin paid the driver and watched him drive Jubal away.
He'd never forgive himself if anything had happened to her. He wanted to hold her again. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to love her.
* * *
"And you think my new grandchild resembles Bradley, not Winifred? Why?" Beatrice asked her son as they sat in the reading parlor of the Radcliffe's country estate.
Austin smiled. "He had that pink, reddish cast to his skin that Bradley always has."
"Oh, no Austin, he definitely favored Winifred with all that dark hair on his head. And..."
Austin only halfway listened to his mother. He was happy his sister had a baby, but he didn't want to talk about the little fellow. In fact the country house was the last place he wanted to be right now. But his mother was important to him.
As soon as dinner was over, he'd ride back into town. If what Bradley and Hammersfield had suspected were true, that Chelly was on a ship returning via the islands, she should be arriving any day.
Austin remembered the night he had held her in his arms and kissed her and how she had responded so lovingly. He remembered how soft her cheeks were, how sweet her mouth, how firm her breasts. He remembered each little contented sound she had made as he had drawn her up close to his chest. He—
"Austin, dear, I'm happy to see you and that you've come for dinner, but I don't feel you are really with me. Something or someone else is on your mind. You're distracted."
Glancing up from the half-empty glass he'd been staring into, Austin put a smile on his face and looked at his mother. He wouldn't be able to enjoy anyone's company until he knew that Chelly was safe. He knew he wouldn't wait a week for her to return before he'd set sail for England.
"Mama. You're right. I've been gone a long time, and I should give you my undivided attention." But how could he when he was worried to death about Chelly? He couldn't get her off his mind.
Beatrice brushed her skirt in an unhurried fashion before acknowledging Austin's comment. "What's troubling you? Does it have anything to do with the sudden voyage you just returned From? And I never received a good explanation as to why Bradley accompanied you at the last minute. That was strange."
Austin hesitated, rubbing his chin. The clock chimed four o'clock from the hallway where it stood by the fireplace. Another hour before dinner would be served.
"What Bradley told you was the truth. I was making an emergency trip to Europe for a friend, and Bradley came on board to get some details from me and fell asleep in my cabin waiting for me. By the time he awakened, we were too far out to sea to return."
"Then there has to be more to your long face than that," Beatrice offered. "It must be a woman causing your dour expression."
He chuckled for the first time in weeks. His mother was sharp.
"How can you tell a woman has anything to do with what has me preoccupied?" he asked, trying to make his mother happy by taking more of an interest in the conversation. "It could be business."
The pleased smile on his mother's lips told him she was happy with his response. "It's not business I see in your eyes. They have a sparkle that hasn't been there before, even though your expression is one of worry. Things aren't going well between the two of you. Who is she?"
Seeing no harm in discussing Chelly with his mother he said, "Chelly Worthington."
Beatrice put a finger to her lips and pondered. "I don't recognize that name. Do we know her family?"
"No. She comes from a good family, although there's no money there. She's a governess."
"Oh." Beatrice's eyes blinked rapidly, and her pale cheeks flushed a shade of claret. "Well, I see." She touched her hand to the chignon at the back of her head. "I mean, I guess the important thing is that she comes from a good family." She looked down at her glass of sherry, composing herself, before turning her face to Austin again. "After all, you have enough money. You don't really need a dowry, do you? Heavens knows what you'll do with all the money you and your father made in ship building anyway."
His mother's reaction didn't surprise him at all. It was only natural for her to want him to marry a woman in his own social class. But he was proud of her for trying to remain calm about his news. He sipped his drink, wishing he knew Chelly was all right, wishing he knew where she was.
"I didn't expect you to be so generous about her lack of prosperity."
Beatrice shifted her glass from one hand to the other. "Five or six years ago, I wouldn't have been. But I've mellowed since I lost your father. Besides, after all these years of watching you attend parties and not showing a bit of interest in any of the young belles paraded before you, I'd almost given up hope that you'd find anyone in my lifetime."
"Mama, I'm not that old."
"Good heavens no, you aren't, but I am. It's just that Winifred doesn't visit as often as you do. And I'd like to think that if you married, you and your family would spend more time here."
Austin felt a twinge of guilt. No doubt his mother became lonely at times with only her servants to talk to. It's true he could have married years ago, but he was waiting for just the right woman before he considered settling down. Chelly was the woman he wanted. The trouble was that she didn't want him because of what he'd done for Jerome. But he wasn't going to let that stop from trying to win her hand in marriage.
Still flustered, Beatrice asked, "Do you think you've found someone, dear?"
Austin nodded, remembering Chelly's lips upon his. His insides twisted at the thought of not finding her safe.
"Did this young woman, , have anything to do with your taking the voyage? Were you following her or was she with you? What does she look like? Who-"
"Mama, please," Austin held up his hand. "One question at a time, and don't expect them all to be answered. I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about her in any detail."
"Then tell me what makes her so special that she's caught your eye."
He remembered their fiery kisses and passionate embrace. How could he tell his mother that his whole body burned like liquid fire when he touched Chelly. "She's beautiful, circumspect, intelligent—"
"Don't give me that runaround," Beatrice interrupted with a smile. "Every young woman you have danced with at all the parties you've attended these past fifteen years has been beautiful, circumspect and intelligent."
He laughed again, before finishing off his drink. "Take my word for it, Mama. Chelly's independent and honorable, too. That sets her apart from other women. Like me, she has a strong sense of what's right and wrong and is willing to fight for what she believes
in." He turned somber. "I don't know what it is. There's something about her. It's almost as if she's bewitched me. She's different, special."
"Then what's the problem? Bring her here and let me meet her."
He wiped his brow with the palm of his hand. "That's not possible right now. Some things have happened, important things. Things I can't discuss. We might never get together. I only know that I wanted to be with her the first time I saw her. That hasn't changed."
"And?"
He questioned her with his eyes. "And what?"
"How does she feel about you?"
Should he be truthful? Why not. "Therein lies the biggest problem."
She looked at him with that soft, understanding expression that only a mother could give her son. "Can I help?"
"Rest assured, if I find a way you can be of assistance, I won't hesitate to ask you."
Beatrice reached over and placed her glass on the table by the lamp. "Can you tell me what it is that separates the two of you?"
He couldn't tell his mother about Bo. "Because of something that happened, Chelly lost her respect for me and she thinks I have no honor."
His mother's face turned serious. "I can't believe anyone would doubt your honor."
"It's a story I really don't want to get into, Mama."
She reached over and covered his hand with hers. "All right; but Austin, can you love a woman who'll deny you respect and honor?"
Austin glanced at her affectionately, and then looked at the painting of his father that hung over the mantel. His parents had had a good marriage rooted in trust and mutual respect. Austin rose from his chair and walked over to the fireplace.
At last he turned to his mother and admitted, "I've wondered about that myself?"
"And?"
"I understand why she feels the way she does."
"Is that enough?"
"I don't know."
Chapter 14
Tired and not feeling well, Chelly stood on deck of the Packard and rubbed the back of her neck as she watched their approach into Baltimore Harbor. It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. There were many times on the voyage she'd wondered if they'd make it home.
The hot sunshine was buffered by the cool May breeze that whipped at her cheeks and hair. White, puffy clouds dotted the light-blue sky. Leaning a hip against the railing, she kept her gaze riveted to the shoreline.
On the long voyage back to America, it had been easy to tell herself she'd deal with getting Bo back to his mother when land was in sight. That time had come. There was no use telling herself she was too tired to think about it. She had no choice.
The best plan seemed to be for her to take Bo to police headquarters and send him inside by himself. As soon as he told them his name, they'd return Bo to his mother. If she took him to his mother or the police, they would ask questions she didn't want to answer. What Austin had done wasn't right, but she wouldn't put him in danger.
There was cause to worry, too, that Bo might be able to tell the authorities enough to make them suspicious of Austin. Not only did he know her first name, he knew Jubal's—and Robert's, too. Her name and Robert's were common. But if Bo told them about a large Negro man named Jubal, that could be enough information to send the police straight to Austin's door.
She glanced a few feet away where Bo played checkers with a dark-haired boy who, with his parents, had sailed with them on the journey back to America. Having the older child as a playmate to Bo had been a life-saver for both of them. The two months she and Bo had spent traveling together on ships showed in their dispositions. Both were ill-tempered and teary-eyed at times. Even Robert had failed to produce his friendly smile on occasions when Bo got fussy. She didn't know how she would have made it without the young man to help her.
Chelly sighed and watched the buildings get closer. It seemed so long ago that they'd left England. The trip through the Caribbean waters and stops at two islands had added fifteen days to their voyage.
Turning her face back into the wind, Chelly thought of Austin. It staggered her when she thought about how much she'd missed him during the past month.
When she lay in her bunk at night with Bo's little body snuggled next to her back, Austin was the one she thought about, dreamed about, longed for. She'd spent many sleepless nights remembering his kisses, the taste of him. Her body cried out for his touch. She wanted to know what went on beyond the kisses and caresses they'd shared. She wanted to know what delicious pleasures came after that, for surely it could only get better once they lay in each other's arms.
Chelly closed her eyes and breathed deeply while the sea air whipped against her cheeks and the ship slipped quietly through the dark-blue waterway.
Yes, she thought back to that stormy night when she and Austin were alone in the cabin on board Aloof. She remembered the comforting tone to his voice and the softly spoken words that eased her fears and calmed her. Austin had held her tenderly, yet protectively. She remembered warmth coming from his body and the thrill that rushed through her as her untutored hands discovered and explored the firm muscles in his arms, his back, and his hard chest.
Oh yes, even now she could feel the pads of his fingers on her neck as he pressed his lips to hers. His tongue in her mouth had sent ripples of desire clamoring through her. When his hands caressed her breasts, delicious little feelings of delight sprinkled through her. She liked the way it made her stomach muscles contract with desires that were foreign to her, yet welcome.
And oh yes, and how could she forget how he clutched her hair in his hands, palming it, gently tugging on it just enough to let her know he was the stronger of the two.
And oh yes, dear Austin, your touch, your taste, your scent is still with me.
Coming out of her daydream, Chelly's eyes fluttered open. Quickly she glanced at Bo, making sure he was still all right, before gazing at the harbor in the distance.
She loved Austin. Of that there was no doubt. Maybe she had from the first time she'd seen him in The Boar's Head Tavern. There had been something between them even then. She'd felt it and so had Austin, she was sure. But whatever had developed between them could never be.
Austin's crime against Betsy Patterson and her own need to right his wrong would always be between them. She loved him. She wanted him. But as she had told him from the very first, nothing could justify what he had done. And nothing would have stopped her from trying to right his wrong.
Her gaze centered on the landscape and she scanned it. "Oh, yes, Austin," she whispered aloud into the wind. "I love you, and I will miss you all the days of my life."
* * *
Austin stood on shore, in the late afternoon, wind whipping a strand of hair across his face, watching the passengers slowly leaving the Packard. Word had it that the big ship was coming in from Martinque when she'd dropped anchor a couple of hours before.
His stomach muscles twisted into firm knots. His throat ached and tightened with fear when he thought about the real possibility of Chelly's not being aboard. He had Aloof ready to set sail should she not be among the passengers. He'd sail to England and find out what had happened to her.
After he'd returned from visiting his mother, he'd questioned Hammersfield. The captain had told the same story Bradley had a few days before. And although Hammersfield never said it, Austin knew the older man had great admiration for Chelly for having the courage to steal his ship and force them to leave him on the beach in France.
Suddenly his heartbeat increased. He spotted her at last. She wore a long cloak, and a wide-brimmed bonnet covered most of her face, but he recognized her. Bo stood by her side. He, too, was clothed in a long coat and an oversized cap that covered most of his face. Robert stayed right behind them. Relief washed over him like a cleansing waterfall. The sight of her was sweet to his eyes. He took a deep, steadying breath and let his eyes feast upon her approaching figure. How he'd missed her!
Even at a long distance and despite the shapeless cloak she wore, the first th
ing Austin noticed about her was the way she carried herself with poise and grace. She had a beauty that seemed to glow from her inner self. And even though she must have been tired from the long journey, she didn't let that keep her from holding her head high.
There was a slight swing to her shoulders and an attractive swish to the skirts of her dress. Her cloak looked soiled and wrinkled, but that didn't surprise him after the two incredible voyages she'd endured. The smile was gone from her face, but he understood that, too. She walked with impatience, obviously wanting to get where she was going quickly. Something told him she was heading directly to the authorities.
"There she is, Mr. Radcliffe."
"I see her."
"What do you want me to do?"
Austin didn't take his eyes off her. He couldn't. Watching her made him sure. He needed her. He wanted her. He loved her, and he would find a way they could be together.
"We need to intercept her before she walks too far. The fewer people who see her the better. Although the kidnapping's not in the papers, I'm sure the family has people stationed all over town."
"It's been more than two months now. Do you think they're still looking for him?"
"I'm sure." The odd thing that struck him was that he wanted Chelly to succeed in her plan. He wanted her to see that Bo was returned to his mother. But he also wanted it done in a way that would keep anyone from knowing who had been involved.
Austin dragged his gaze away from Chelly and made sure his and Jubal's post was secure behind the crates and barrels where they stood. Not more than twenty-five feet away, the carriage and driver were in place.
He turned to his trusted friend and stepped farther back behind the crates. "As soon as I grab her, you take Bo's hand and Robert and rush them to the carriage and get them inside as quickly as possible. If Chelly screams or causes any disturbance that might bring the police or anyone else to her aid, don't wait around. You know where to take them."
"Yes, sir. I know what to do."