He inquired in a voice of innocence, but she knew him too well. The sympathy behind his handsome dark eyes told Blu that Monsieur had confided all.
“I have a half-sister,” she said finally.
“Aye. I have learned of her.”
“And you remember the Duke.” Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, she looked across the smoky room. “The Duke is to wed Cecile.”
“So it be true. Ye have a warm spot for the Duke.”
“Monsieur told you?” Her eyebrows came together.
“Aye. And I see it in yer face,” he said, watching her. “‘Tis the Morgan curse. To love such a one as ye cannot have.”
They regarded each other across the scarred barrel top. “Lady Katherine loved you,” Blu said softly.
“Aye, Mite.” He gazed into his tankard. “That ‘twere long ago.” Memory flickered in the eyes he raised until he gave his shaggy head a shake. “Tell her not to come to the hanging. Nor you. ‘Tis me last wish.”
She gripped his hands until her knuckles whitened. “They won’t hang you, Pa. I won’t let them!”
His scowl would have raised the hair on any man jack in the taproom, but Blu did not flinch or lower her gaze. “Put that thought in yer wake, Mite. I’ll not have ye endangering yerself. I knew me end when I chose the sword and cannon. ‘Twas only the when of it that were a mystery. No, hear me out, gel. I know ye would save me hide if ye could, and the knowledge warms me heart. But if ye try, ye’ll end the same as me. Dangling from a rope. Then me death would be for naught. Ye can grasp that.”
Leaning over the barrel top until their noses almost touched, Blu returned his scowl. “What sort of life can I have knowing I was the cause of your death? Would Beau Billy’s daughter sit quietly by while her father rode the cart to Execution Dock? Hell, no!”
He drew back and blinked at her. “Ye look like a lady. Ye mostly talk and walk like one. But they’s still sand in yer gizzard! Does yer mam know ye don’t be full cooked yet?”
She stood and stared around her, impressing the layout on her mind. “I am going to rescue you.” It could be done. It had been done before. No prison was impregnable. “We have a week to form a plan,” she said, fixing him with a stubborn gaze.
“Christ on a pig’s plank! Did ye mark a word I said?”
“Monsieur will inform you when the plan is firm. Be ready!” Turning on her heel, she lifted her skirts and swept out of the taproom and through the Gigger, her mind humming. Sharp eyes darted about beneath her veil, and she remembered everything she saw.
~ ~ ~
Blu stood before the drawing room fireplace and studied the faces looking up at her. Lady Katherine, Cecile, Aunt Tremble, Monsieur, Mouton, Isabelle, and Thomas. From their expressions, worried or expectant, she understood most of them had guessed what she was about to say.
“I will not let my father hang.”
A smile compressed Monsieur’s thin lips. “Of course not. Such a travesty cannot be allowed.”
She had guessed Mouton’s response in advance. A grin split his dark scarred face and he nodded, signaling a thumbs-up sign.
Isabelle shrugged and also smiled. “I am with you.”
“Excellent.” After popping her knuckles in front of her skirts, she turned to the others and swallowed the sudden lump rising in her throat. She had never excelled at saying good-bye. “We shall rescue my father. Unfortunately, our efforts will most certainly bring a measure of disgrace on each of you.” She looked at Lady Katherine, Cecile, Aunt Tremble, and Thomas. “I beg your forgiveness in advance. Perhaps you can concoct a tale to disassociate yourself from me or to diminish the scandal. I urge you to disregard any affection you may have for me and say whatever is necessary, truth or fiction, to protect your names.”
“Oh Blusette,” Cecile cried.
She steadied her voice. “I love all of you.” She did not look at Thomas but let her gaze rest briefly on Lady Katherine. “I came to Paget House against my will... and I leave against my will. You accepted me, nurtured me, and... and you loved me. I shall miss each of you. God willing, our paths will again cross one day.”
“Dear child,” Aunt Tremble said, leaning forward over her cane. “Have you gone absolutely mad? Or is this the pirate side of your family speaking?”
“My dear Blusette!” Cecile wheeled forward and clasped her hand. “You can’t possibly succeed at a rescue attempt! I implore you to reconsider.”
Gently, she caressed Cecile’s pale cheek. “There is nothing to consider. There is no choice. Please try to understand, Cecile. I must do this; Beau Billy is my father.”
When Thomas spoke, his deep voice startled her. “I agree.”
“You do?” Her eyebrows soared and she stared at him.
“The trial was a farce. Whatever Beau Billy did, he did decades ago. He doesn’t deserve to hang for it now or to be used as a political pawn. I agree a rescue attempt must be made.” Standing, Thomas bowed before her. “Whatever plan is decided upon, it will require a ship. You can’t remain in England. Allow me to place the William Porter at your service. She can be provisioned and ready within the week.”
“Thomas—no.” Blu darted a quick glance toward Cecile. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but you cannot be part of this. You have your reputation to consider, and you have responsibilities here. I can’t allow you to imperil Cecile’s future and your own.”
“I am as responsible as anyone for Billy Morgan’s fate. If I had not angered Humphershire, he would not have questioned one of my crew and learned about you, which led him to Beau Billy. I risked your safety and that of Beau Billy Morgan on the honor and discretion of my crew. That error placed the rope around your father’s neck. My honor as a gentleman demands that I stand responsible for that misjudgment. It is my obligation to assist in any rescue attempt.”
Cecile gazed up at him. “Yes,” she said finally, “I comprehend your position and cannot disagree. Honor and duty oblige you to assist.” Her gaze held his. “But you most certainly will be associated with the rescue and escape. You, too, will become a fugitive, unable to maintain residence in England.”
Blu cast him a pleading glance. “Thomas, I beg you: Cecile is correct. Please listen to her.”
“If we plan cautiously, it’s possible the William Porter will not be recognized or associated with Beau Billy’s escape.”
Monsieur shook his head with an expression of regret. “We cannot depend on luck, Your Grace. If you sail with us, you must be prepared to turn your back on England’s shores. And that you cannot do,” he finished, casting a pointed glance at Cecile.
Cecile frowned and bit her lip, then all indecision vanished and her soft eyes steadied with certainty. “Edward is correct, Blusette. Of course you must rescue your father. And of course Edward has an obligation to assist the endeavor. But he need not be tugged between two obligations; there is a solution.” Her chin firmed and her eyes sparkled with mounting excitement. “I shall sail too. I insist on being part of the rescue! I won’t be left behind.”
“Cecile! My dearest sister, you don’t know what you are saying. If we succeed, we can never return to England. If we fail, we will all end in Newgate. We’ll all swing!”
“But dear Blusette, if you and Edward, the two people I love most dearly, are to accept the risk, then I must too. Otherwise, what is to become of me? I shall be left behind without you and I shall have missed my one opportunity for an adventure!” She spread her hands. “If we should end on the rope, then sobeit. Better to swing with those I love than face a future of timid solitude.”
Aunt Tremble stamped her cane on the floor. “Well! If Cecile and His Grace are to join the rescue, then I shall too.” Her eyes crossed slightly in her effort not to swoon. “I insist on it!”
“Good God!” Blu covered her eyes. “Aunt Tremble, I beg you to reconsider what you are saying. The risks are appalling. You absolutely cannot—”
“Pish and flam. The authorities would not dare incarcerate me.
My friends would never permit it. And I refuse to be hanged, so there you are. We’ll speak no more of this matter, the decision is made. I shall share the adventure. Now what is our plan? We do have a plan, do we not? Monsieur, do inform us of our plan. And what is my role to be?”
Monsieur stared. “Madame, you do realize we must flee England.”
“Oh dear. Must we?”
“Indeed, yes.”
“Well...” She considered. “In for one, in for all, I always say. I am annoyed with England anyway for causing us this inconvenience.” She gave them a bright smile. “Shall we flee to Morgan’s Mound?”
Blu threw out her hands. Events had taken an unexpected and not altogether comfortable turn. “I think not,” she answered faintly. “I doubt you and Cecile would be happy on the Mound.” She doubted she could be happy on the Mound, either, not anymore.
“I think... yes, I think we should flee to the Colonies,” Cecile mused, tapping her fan against her chin. “Do you agree, Aunt?”
“The Colonies? I have always desired to visit the Colonies, and we have family in Boston. Excellent, it’s settled then. I shall write immediately to your Great-aunt Mildred and alert her to expect us. Let’s see, how many will be in our party?” Leaning forward over her cane, she counted. “The pirate, of course, and the blackamoor and the whore, and dear Monsieur, and we can’t leave Mr. Apple or my maid behind, and...”
“Quite right.” Cecile nodded. “We must post the letter to Great-aunt Mildred at once. Mr. Apple? Do fetch my lap-desk and a fresh pot of ink. Aunt, I shall require your assistance to compose the letter. Shall we admit we are criminals fleeing the authorities, do you think?”
Blu raised her hands in a helpless gesture. The room had broken into small groups, each plotting various divisions of the rescue effort. Cecile and Aunt Tremble arranged the eventual destination; Isabelle announced she knew someone who knew someone who could obtain a print of Newgate’s layout; Monsieur explained he had learned the gatekeep played chess and he had already instigated a chess-playing acquaintance; Mouton bent over a city map, plotting their carriage routes; Thomas had begun a list of provisions for the voyage. What had begun as a vague notion had become a reality.
“There is something you have forgotten.”
As Lady Katherine had not spoken for nearly an hour, her voice startled. Everyone turned to look at her in the sudden silence.
“What have we forgotten, Madame?” Blu inquired.
“You have not invited me to participate in the rescue,” Lady Katherine said quietly, meeting Blu’s eyes.
“You would be foolish to do so. Whoever participates in the plan will lose everything,” Blu answered slowly. “We are certain to be recognized. Perhaps one or more of us will be injured.” Her gaze held Lady Katherine’s. “Whether or not we are apprehended, the scandal will be ruinous. Our good names will be destroyed.”
Tears welled in Lady Katherine’s eyes. “My dear Blusette. Do you think I have taught you everything and you have taught me nothing? Would it really matter if I lost all this?” A wave of her slender hand indicated the drawing room and the mansion around it. “What do I care for an unblemished name if I must lose the people I love? What comfort has my good name ever given me? If I have learned nothing else since your arrival, I have at least learned that what matters most is finding the courage to follow one’s heart. What matters most are the brave people in this room. My dear daughter, I abandoned you once... I shall not do so again.”
“Dear God,” Blu whispered, swaying on her feet. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she blindly raised her arms. “Mother?”
The scent of wild roses engulfed her as they embraced. Katherine’s cheeks were wet with tears. “You have never called me mother before.”
“I have longed to say it.”
“Forgive me, Blusette. Please forgive my stupidity and foolishness. I have regretted your loss every day of my life.”
“Dearest, dearest Mother, I forgave you long ago. I love you.” She was laughing, sobbing, clinging to her mother’s warmth and the scent of roses.
“I love you, too, you must know that.” Katherine reached a hand to smooth a strand of dark hair falling over Blusette’s forehead. After a time, they tugged lace handkerchiefs from their cuffs and blotted their eyes. Then Lady Katherine stroked Blu’s cheek and asked in a low, almost shy voice, “Did he ask after me?”
Blu kissed her cheek. “He carries a lock of your hair in the gold disk he wears about his neck. I have never seen him without it.”
A startled look raised Katherine’s eyebrows. “After all these years? I didn’t guess.”
Aunt Tremble interrupted the reunion by whacking Thomas on the shin with her cane. “How big is your boat, Your Grace?”
“I beg pardon?”
“Your boat. How large is it? As we have a week to prepare, we may as well pack as much as your boat can carry. I must have my bedroom suite; I cannot sleep in any but my own bed. And the dining room table has been in Katherine’s family for generations, she will want that. There is the china and plate, and the vase we received from the King. We cannot leave much of anything behind, I’m afraid. I doubt I could pare my personal items to under eleven trunks, and—”
Thomas laughed. “My ship is large enough to accommodate whatever you wish to bring. Everything in the house, if you like.” His gray eyes danced. “I shall reserve one of the cargo holds solely for you.”
“Excellent. We are making lovely progress, I think.”
Blu watched with glowing eyes as her mother ordered cakes and wine for the company, then leaned over Mouton’s shoulder to offer her opinion regarding the routes. In so many ways, this was the happiest day of Blu’s life. She had reconciled with her mother, the rescue plot progressed nicely, and she would have to leave no one behind. If only...
Her gaze turned to Thomas and she found him watching her. Their eyes held and though they stood a room’s distance apart she felt his warmth wrap around her, felt the heat of remembered fingertips brush her cheek. Clenching her fists, she dropped her head, deliberately tearing her thoughts away from him.
When she regained control she raised her chin and discovered Cecile observing her.
“How is the letter progressing to Great-aunt Mildred?” she asked brightly. Behind her false smile, her heart despaired. She did not touch Thomas, she would not allow herself to risk being alone with him. But in her mind and in her guilty heart she betrayed Cecile a thousand times.
~ ~ ~
They assembled again two days later.
“The William Porter will be fully provisioned and manned four days from today,” Thomas announced, standing before the drawing room fire. He unrolled a map. “Immediately after the rescue, the carriages will come down New Bridge Street to Thames Street then east to St. Mary’s Hill. The William Porter will be anchored close in near Billingsgate steps. I have chosen a position east of London Bridge for a swift departure. Monsieur and Mr. Apple will begin transporting goods to the dock this very eve. Mr. Apple has used the servants’ network to put about a rumor that Aunt Tremble is setting up a separate establishment, and that will explain the removal of crates should anyone inquire. On a personal note, Lady Katherine and I have placed our property and business interests at the disposal of a confidential solicitor who promises a swift and discreet sale. The proceeds will be transferred to Boston upon demand.”
Isabelle cleared her throat and replaced Thomas in front of the fire. “I have purchased a layout of Newgate Prison which I am promised is accurate. It shows the new layout since the rebuilding.” She dug in her bodice and removed a sheaf of pages. “You can see there are five principal divisions. Monsieur has studied the print and he and Mouton agree we need concern ourselves only with this section, the Keeper’s House. It is here, to the left of the gate. Beau Billy spends his nights in the Condemned Hold beneath the Keeper’s House.”
She surrendered the floor and the map to Monsieur, who adjusted his goggles upon his nose and pointe
d to the print. “All you must do is enter the gate—here—pass through three doors—here, here, and here—and you will be in the Condemned Hold. The task would be much more difficult if Mr. Morgan were being held on the master’s side or the common side.” He cleared his throat. “Now. Four nights from tonight I have a chess match scheduled with Mr. Worthwaite, the gatekeep. He will be thus occupied from seven until midnight. However”—he winked at them—“I shall depart well before midnight if all goes well.”
“I don’t like this,” Thomas said, frowning. They looked at him as he stood and raked a hand through his hair. “I will be waiting on board the William Porter, you will be closeted upstairs with Mr. Worthwaite.” Scowling, he looked at the faces turned up to him. “That leaves Mouton and the women to actually effect the rescue.”
“Set your mind at ease. We have anticipated every detail,” Blu promised. Confidence rang in her voice, but she understood Thomas’s reservations. If there were any other way to effect the rescue without taking her mother, Cecile, and Aunt Tremble into the prison, she would have leaped on the plan. But there did not seem to be.
Everyone congratulated one another and toasted the plan. Then they spent the next hours taking the plot apart and reassembling it, searching for flaws.
Near midnight, tired but satisfied, they raised their wine glasses to success and adventure and the new life awaiting them in the Colonies.
“God’s teeth,” Blu muttered as she climbed into bed. So many things could go disastrously wrong. And if the plot failed, if they all ended in prison, she would be responsible.
Please, God, she prayed, let the plot succeed. Please protect the people I love. Don’t make me the instrument of their ruin.
Like the others, she did not sleep well.
21
Except for Thomas, who was aboard the William Porter, and Monsieur, who had departed an hour earlier for his chess game with the gatekeep, everyone assembled in the drawing room for a bracing mug of hot ale.
Lady Reluctant Page 36