by Sara Orwig
She nodded and turned to go. Edwin’s hand slipped across her rounded buttocks, feeling the firm, warm flesh beneath the dark gingham. “I don’t want to stay on a farm,” he said to the men, his mind working swiftly over opportunities he had dreamed about.
“You can sign on with me, mate,” Captain Turner said. “You’ll earn a living wage—more than a groomsman. Plus, you’ll have a share of the spoils.”
Edwin’s pulse jumped as he realized the possibilities. “Thanks for the offer.” He thought about Lianna waiting for him to run away with her. If he didn’t return and leave with her, she would be sent to Spain and out of his grasp forever.
“How soon do you sail?”
“Not for another two weeks. We’re having some repairs done to the Adrian, my ship.”
Edwin nodded as he calculated two weeks’ time. It was a month before Lianna was to leave for Spain. If they ran away, could he hide her somewhere and get back to London in time to sail?
“I planned to marry soon and have to—”
The men’s burst of laughter stopped his words.
“Wed! Damn, the man’s daft,” Captain Turner boomed.
“He’ll wed between times he beds our Nan!” one of the men said, and slapped the table.
Captain Turner leaned forward. “Don’t tie yourself to some country lass. The world is full of women to take your breath—”
“And to take a few other things,” one of the men said with a leer, making everyone laugh.
“Stay free, man! Gold and women are yours. Leave the country lasses to the farm.”
“She’s not a country lass,” Edwin said abruptly.
“Oh no! Of course she isn’t,” Captain Turner said with laughter. “And our Nan here is a lady to the queen!”
“She’s not,” Edwin said flatly. “She’s highborn and wealthy.”
The men laughed, except the captain, who stared at Edwin. “And her father allows this marriage?” he asked.
“No, sir. We would run away.”
“You’re asking for more trouble than you’ll find at sea,” Captain Turner said, and took a long drink of ale, some of it spilling down his shirt front. He wiped at it and slammed the tankard down on the table. “Are you with us or not?”
Edwin looked into impassive black eyes and felt the race of excitement. Here was his chance. He would hide Lianna somewhere, manage some way. For an instant the thought troubled him that she might be left without funds if he sailed in two weeks. She had said she was willing to go with him no matter how poor he was, and he knew she would keep her word. He nodded his head, feeling to the soles of his feet that his life was changing on this one word as he said yes.
The men slapped him on the back and raised their tankards to him. He picked up his flagon of rum and clinked it against theirs. “In two weeks I’ll return to London to sail on the Adrian.”
He drank as Captain Turner lowered his ale. “This trip, my friend, we sail south, where the warm winds blow to islands where we can get indigo dye and hemp, and we’ll cross paths with Spanish ships and Dutch, both fair game.”
As he listened, Edwin leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs beneath the table. As his gaze swept the room, he saw a man standing inside the door, and he felt a shock of recognition. “Byron!” he said softly.
“I see a friend. Perhaps you’ll have two new hands to sail. Excuse me.” Edwin stood up and walked toward the door while Byron spotted him and waited.
Edwin thrust out his hand to clasp the other. “You’ve come at a good time! I have something to tell you.”
“It better wait until I tell you my news.”
“Nonsense! Come meet your future employer. I have found a—”
“Lianna’s on her way to Spain,” Byron blurted.
8
Edwin felt as if the world had suddenly disappeared around him. “What did you say?” he asked, blankly staring at Byron.
“I’ve ridden as hard as I could—and probably lost my job in doing so.”
“Come sit down. I’ll get us drinks.” Edwin saw an empty table in the corner. He motioned Nan over as he led the way to the table.
Edwin ordered two ales and fish and chips for Byron. As soon as Nan was gone Edwin snapped, “What happened?”
“Lianna’s on her way to Portsmouth. Her ship, La Joya, sails Friday.”
“She can’t be! It’s a month early.” His thoughts swirled and he remembered teasing Lianna about getting ready early. She had replied that her father was as eager as she, aiding her in every way. “Damn the squire!” Rage buffeted Edwin as he slammed his fist on the table. “He deliberately sent me to London to get me away from Lianna and he lied to us about the sailing date!”
“He’s hired two men to ride with them, one on each carriage, and they carry pistols.” Byron reached into his boot and withdrew the rumpled note. “She said to give you this, but it was before she tried to run away. Your father drew his musket and stopped her.”
“My father?” Another shock struck Edwin, that his peaceful mild father would draw a weapon on Lianna.
“You know he had orders from the squire.”
“You’ll lose your job. You’ll never be able to hide the fact that you left them and came to London.”
“I do honest work. There are other counties and other jobs.”
“Thank you, Byron,” Edwin said quietly, his mind beginning to function. Nan brought the ale, took Edwin’s coins, and left. “Where is Lianna now?” When Byron had first spoken, Edwin had assumed she was already at sea.
“On the road to Portsmouth.”
“Oh, damn his soul. The squire knew! All along, he planned this! I should have suspected; the squire’s not a fool. He’s a cold-eyed, greedy man who is iron-willed and shrewd. Does he ride in the same carriage with her, or in his own?”
“He didn’t go. Claimed his broken foot prevented the trip.”
“He doesn’t want to return to Spain. He can stay here and see to his affairs instead of taking more time in another costly trip.” Edwin drank the ale swiftly, his mind racing. Lianna was still traveling to Portsmouth…there still might be time…
“She tried to run away, saying she would get word to you where to find her. She and Quita travel together. She put Doria in the second carriage soon after we left the manor.”
They sat in silence while Byron ate swiftly. Edwin drank his ale, looking across the crowded room at Captain Turner.
“Byron, listen to me. I have found a way to have more than a simple groomsman’s life. See the large man in the black hat over there?”
Byron turned. “Ugly one, he is!”
“He’s a ship’s captain, a pirate. I intend to sign on and sail with him.”
Byron choked on a bite. “Damn! You’re daft! It’s dangerous. You don’t know how to use a sword; they’d cut you down in the first pitched battle.”
“No. I can learn just as they learned. They weren’t born with cutlasses in their fists. And I can use a pistol with ease.”
“That you can! You can shoot the blossom off a daisy at fifty paces. But you know nothing of the sea.”
“I can learn. They sail in two weeks. Come with me.”
Byron’s head snapped up, his hazel eyes narrowing. “I can’t sail. I know horses and stables and the land, and I don’t want to risk my neck sailing on a bit of wood on a great sea of water! I don’t dream of wealth as you do.”
“All right. You can ride back to the manor in my place with the tools we purchased for the squire. Let me take your horse and ride for Portsmouth. If I ride hard and have luck, I might get there before Lianna sails.”
“That’s why I came to London. The horse isn’t fresh, but it’s a good one. Miss Melton plans to sail on a ship called La Joya. Quita Bencaria is going to work in another employ and she sails on El Feroz.”
“Who goes with Lianna to Spain?”
“Doria.”
“That harridan! Squire knows she’ll watch over Lianna closely. As so
on as you eat, I’ll show you where we stay, and you can ride home with the others.”
“Give me one more minute,” Byron said, gulping down the food. In another few minutes he stood up. “Let’s go.”
In half an hour Edwin left the lights of London behind. Anger surged through his veins as he rode to Portsmouth, determined to arrive before Lianna sailed. He would be the one to go to sea. Two weeks from now he would leave England while Lianna awaited his return.
The next morning the two carriages pulled away from the inn with their wheels splashing in the muddy lane. A chill wind whipped through the cracks in the doors as Lianna rode in silence, staring at the cold January countryside. The drizzle continued, with droplets gathering and running in rivulets across the glass, giving the brown landscape a sullied appearance and intensifying the gloom she felt in her soul.
“Señorita Melton, once you’re in Spain, it will not be as evil as you fear,” Quita offered gently.
“I cannot bear to wed the man.” Lianna shivered.
“They say the Count of Marcheno is handsome and powerful. He has a fleet of ships, a magnificent castle—”
“Castle! That means nothing!” she snapped. She could not tell her servant of the dreams of a lonely girlhood, the longing to someday find love with someone who cared for her deeply, who wanted her love in return.
Instead, she merely said, “I would forgo it gladly to be free of this marriage. I have heard of the tortures and murders by his orders. They say the count has a dungeon filled with prisoners.”
“It may be true.” Quita sighed. “But I suspect half the young girls in Madrid would eagerly trade places with you.”
“Not if they knew Marcheno!”
“Oh, but they would!” Quita answered solemnly, her dark eyes as round and long-lashed as Lianna’s.
Lianna straightened in her seat to stare at the maid intently. “Quita, whom will you be working for on this ship?”
Quita shrugged, her dark eyes glancing away. “Captain Raven.”
“But you didn’t make the arrangements with the captain, did you?” Lianna vaguely recalled their conversation of the night before.
“No, I have never seen Captain Raven.”
As if discovering a rope at hand while she drowned, Lianna let her mind race over possibilities. Steadying herself in the seat of the rocking carriage, she leaned forward to grasp Quita’s hand tightly. “Exchange places with me,” she said suddenly.
Quita gaped as if her mistress had taken leave of her senses. Lianna pleaded, “Exchange places with me if this Spanish marriage is not odious to you. Become Lianna Melton, marry the Count of Marcheno, and allow me to become Quita Bencaria and serve Captain Raven on this voyage to the Spanish colonies.”
Before the maid could protest, Lianna went on in a rush. “The count has never seen me. My Spanish relatives are all dead. Doria is the only person to sail with me and I can manage to lose her before we sail. If you’re clever, Marcheno will never know the difference.”
“Madre de Dios, no!”
Lianna went on eagerly, her thoughts racing on the means of escape. “His servants are to meet me when I land at La Coruña. Quita, board La Joya and sail in my place if you think the marriage bearable. You will have all the wealth and luxury you ever dreamed about.”
“An impossibility! Your father’s servants guard you well.”
Lianna sank back in her seat. “There must be a way to eliminate interference. If you’re willing, I’ll let no one stand in my way.”
The carriage lumbered roughly over the rutted road, but both passengers were oblivious of the ride. After a lengthy silence Lianna straightened. “Her sleeping potions! Doria carries sleeping potions to take each night. The next time we stop to change horses, I’ll slip them into her tea. Once she is asleep, we’ll leave her behind!”
“You can’t!” Quita protested.
Lianna nodded her head in determination. “Yes, indeed, I can. I’ll see to it. Consider Doria eliminated from the situation.”
“Your father will have me imprisoned.”
“My father let eighteen years elapse between trips to Spain. I think he used his broken foot as an excuse to get out of a journey he didn’t want to make. I don’t think you will have to concern yourself with the appearance of my father. The Count of Marcheno wants a young, beautiful bride to give him the male heir his first two wives never provided. After you have been wed, even if he learns the truth, you should be able to make him happy.”
“It’s impossible! If the count learned the truth, he would have me not only imprisoned but also tortured for such folly!”
“Marcheno will never know!” Lianna replied emphatically. “How can he? He hasn’t seen me. No one in Spain has seen me.” Lianna’s voice became breathless with emotion.
“But your eyes are blue,” Quita said. “If you have been described to him, he’ll take one look at me and know the truth.”
“My eyes may not have been mentioned, but even if they have, you can convince him he has remembered incorrectly, Quita! That’s a small matter.” Leaning forward, she fastened her blue gaze intently on the maid. “Do you object because you don’t want to marry Marcheno?”
When Quita remained silent, Lianna pressed further. “If you were absolutely convinced you’d never be discovered in the falsehood, would you do it then? Would you wed Marcheno?”
“Madre de Dios!” she whispered, her brown eyes widening. “Me, Quita Bencaria, a countess!” Feverishly she added, “Sí, Señorita Melton. I have come from nothing. There was little food, we washed out clothes by hand in the fountain, and I helped Mama care for the babies…” For an instant her dark eyes gleamed; the look disappeared as swiftly as it had come. “Madness, truly! Es muy imposible!”
Lianna grasped Quita’s slender wrist tightly. “No! The only obstacle is Doria and we can deal with her within a few hours. Unless…” She paused while Quita’s eyes raised questioningly. “What is the employment you undertake? Will there be anyone aboard ship who will know you?”
A pained, almost guilty expression crossed Quita’s face, then disappeared. “No.” Lowering her dark lashes, she twisted her fingers together in her lap. “There would be no person to know.” Quita continued hesitantly, speaking so softly that the creak and rumble of the coach all but drowned out her words, and Lianna had to lean forward to hear. “The only person who would recognize me is Mr. Summers in London.”
“What are your duties?”
Quita raised her head, a cold hardness darkening her eyes, and Lianna was momentarily taken aback. In a forceful voice, Quita asked, “How badly do you want to escape this marriage, señorita?”
“I would do anything!” Lianna squeezed the maid’s wrist. “Nothing on earth could be as vile as marriage to this Spaniard. And if I sail with an Englishman, we’ll return—and I’ll have a chance to wed Edwin!”
Brown eyes looked at her impassively. “Edwin Stafford won’t know of our deception. He may wed another.”
“I can post him a letter at the next inn. He will keep our secret.”
“When your father dies, you will inherit wealth. This you will lose if you give up your identity and sail far from England.”
Lianna gazed out the carriage window at the bleak dead grass, the wet tree limbs etched darkly against a gray sky. “All my life, wealth has been the most important consideration. My grandfather accumulated it by his labor, my father has increased it greatly, but all that money still hasn’t enabled him to gain acceptance from the noble families whose friendship he desires so highly.” She turned to look at Quita. “Wealth does not matter one jot to me. Please say yes.”
“You will have to be a servant with a master—Captain Raven—whom you’ll have to obey. He is a privateer.”
Lianna considered the revelation. “That amounts to being a licensed pirate. The kingdom will support his piracy.” She straightened and shrugged. “If Captain Raven proves dreadful, Quita, I shall run away. You weren’t afraid to take a c
hance by casting your lot with this Captain Raven, so neither am I. It is the only opportunity I’ll have of someday marrying Edwin.”
Quita studied her intently. “I don’t think you’ll want to serve him in the manner I’ve promised.”
The words had been barely spoken when Lianna broke in hastily. “I’ll accept any position! Think, girl, you can be mistress of Marcheno’s houses, of his castle! You can wear his rubies and emeralds. Your children will be nobility! Never again will you have to wait on someone other than the count.”
Quita’s eyes glittered as she whispered, “We will be caught and punished.”
Lianna’s spirits soared as she sensed the maid wavering. She pressed her advantage. “You’ll have servants, a life of ease, Quita. Your children will be titled. You will have anything your heart desires.”
Quita’s face paled. Her pink tongue flicked nervously across her lips.
“Quita, if you don’t object to the Count of Marcheno, how can you hesitate?”
“And what if, señorita, you change your feelings on the matter? Perhaps you won’t like your new position in life.”
“There will be little I can do, eh?” She lifted her hand and the ruby serpent’s eye glinted dully. “I swear, Quita, by all that is holy, I will never under any conditions attempt to reveal your identity to Marcheno.” Watching breathlessly, Lianna felt a nagging impatience at the terrible slowness of the girl. What was causing the difficulty? Why was Quita so afraid? Lianna’s desperation made it difficult for her to tolerate the maid’s hesitation. “Quita, think! A countess…”
“Si,” Quita interrupted in the smallest of whispers.
Lianna’s heart beat fiercely. “Thank God! I pray you have all you desire, and I thank you will all my heart!”
Quita fingered her skirt, her voice barely audible. “Perhaps a fortnight from now you will feel differently. You know nothing except a life of ease and wealth.”
“Never! I will never regret the decision, and you won’t know if I should!”
A sly glint came to Quita’s eyes. “Sí, that is true.”
“Consider it done.” Lianna felt as if she had been granted a reprieve from the guillotine. Elation filled her as she settled back into the corner.