Bold Surrender

by Judith E. French

  "Short John was the one who cut my cinch, who shot at me the first time. Hell, he probably set the fire in the barn the night you came," Ashley said. "He tried to kill me again last night, but Mari killed him instead. No, wait!" She threw up her hand. "Now you listen to me! Before he died, we asked him who put him up to it—why he wanted to kill me. You know what he said? He said you paid him to do it."

  Kelt's face whitened to marble. "And you believed it?"

  Ashley sighed in disgust. "Of course I didn't believe it. Mari persuaded him to tell the truth, that it was my stepfather. Just like my brother said. Nicholas has been trying to get rid of me all along."

  "What's your point?"

  "The point is, you thickheaded Scot, that I didn't believe him. Not even for a minute. I knew you couldn't hurt me. If I can trust you when the evidence says otherwise, why can't you believe me?"

  "A pirate ship hidden in your creek—your father's ship—is pretty hard evidence. Better than the word o' scum like Short John."

  "I didn't—" Ashley was cut off by an urgent knocking at the door.

  "Miss Ashley? Are you all right?" Thomas called.

  "Thomas?"

  The door swung open and the old black man stood there, an ancient wheel lock musket cradled in the crook of his arm. "Jane said she heard shoutin' up here." He glared fiercely at Kelt.

  "No, Thomas, I'm not all right," Ashley said. "Train your gun on him and shoot him if he moves."

  "What the hell?" Kelt checked his sudden movement as Thomas brought the musket barrel to rest on his midsection.

  "Best you do what the mistress says," Thomas advised. "Best you find a place on that floor and sit. I don't wanna hurt you, Master Saxon, but I will."

  "Keep him here until the hall clock strikes ten," Ashley ordered. She threw Kelt a last glance. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "but I can't let you do it. He's my father."

  "Dinna go out that door," Kelt said. But she was already halfway to the stairs.

  * * *

  The accusation in Kelt's eyes haunted Ashley as she galloped across the open fields toward the far corner of Morgan's Fancy. He would never forgive her now. Any hope she had harbored of saving their relationship was lost. And when Thomas released him at ten o'clock and he went for the high sheriff, they would come with a warrant for her arrest as well. Perhaps Kelt was right. She had to choose. And she had chosen to warn Quincy, which made her one of them. But she wouldn't run. Once she'd given warning, she'd return to the manor house and wait to face the sheriff.

  A hollow emptiness dried her tears. She'd lose Morgan's Fancy, to her stepfather if not to the crown, but it wouldn't matter. The penalty for piracy was death. She didn't want to die, but she wasn't certain she wanted to live without Kelt.

  "Damn you to hell, Kelt Saxon," she cried in the wind. But she knew she'd damned herself.

  It was dusk when Ashley entered the woods. The mare was streaked with sweat despite the cool evening air. Ashley was glad she'd taken precious seconds to change out of Mari's buckskins into her own clothes. It was important that she face her father, even now, as the mistress of Morgan's Fancy.

  She'd give them warning, precious hours to sail out of the creek and lose themselves somewhere on the sprawling shoreline of the Chesapeake. Quincy would have to take this as payment in full for her debt. If they met again, it would be as enemies.

  The smell of smoke wafted on the wind. Ashley reined in the mare and stood in her stirrups, peering through the trees. A flicker of light showed a campfire built on her side of the creek. Resolutely she pulled her musket from the saddle holster and eased back the hammer. The gun was no idle threat; it was loaded with a deadly charge of chain and split shot. She'd not be bullied by Gavin tonight.

  She rode a few hundred yards closer, then dismounted and tied the mare. Something warm nudged the back of her legs and she stifled a cry of alarm as she whirled on the intruder. "Jai!" Laughter bubbled up in her throat as she dropped to her knees and hugged the big dog. "How did you find me?" It was a foolish question. She knew he had tracked her by smell. She'd deliberately left him in the house to keep him from following. Obviously he'd found a way out.

  "You stay here," she whispered. "Stay, Jai."

  Leaving the animals, she moved forward until she had a clear view of the firelit circle. Several heavily armed men sat around it. Ashley stepped behind a massive beech tree and called out. "It's Ashley Morgan! I must see Captain McCade at once! It's urgent!"

  A figure dashed to throw something on the fire; there was a loud sizzle and the flames were extinguished. Men dove for cover and one cursed. There was murmur of voices and then a familiar one. "Ashley? Are you alone?"

  "Yes! I'm alone!" It was Gavin. "I have to see Quincy."

  "Drop your weapons and come in with your hands in the air!"

  "In a pig's eye, Gavin! Call my... call Quincy!"

  "He's not here! You'll have to talk to me! Have you got the stuff?" Several figures detached themselves from the area near the drowned campfire and moved into the darker shadows of the woods.

  Ashley caught her breath. Where could he be? She'd counted on giving him her warning so the ship could sail immediately. With an easterly wind, the Scarlet Witch could manage a decent speed, even with the damages to the ship they'd not had time to repair. "This is important, Gavin!"

  "How can we be sure you're alone?"

  Ashley laid her head against the cool bark of the beech tree and let her eyes close for just a second. She was exhausted and her head was aching again. When had she slept last? Two nights ago? "For God's sake, Gavin! If I'd wanted to bring men against you, we'd have fired first and saved the talking!" Ashley's throat felt sore. All this yelling back and forth wasn't helping.

  "All right," he answered. "Come on in. But keep your hands where we can see them."

  The hairs rose on the back of her neck as she moved out from behind the tree and walked cautiously toward the clearing. "No tricks, Gavin."

  She stopped ten feet away from the shadowy form. There was no mistaking the pirate lieutenant; he was a head taller than most of the crew and as broad across the shoulders as Kelt. Distaste curled in the back of her mind. If it wasn't for Quincy, the crown could have the lot of them and good riddance. Slowly she raised the barrel of the musket until it was aimed at the center of his chest. "I have to speak to Quincy now," she said. "It's a matter of life and death."

  "Whose?" The taunting voice flicked at her like the tip of a whip.

  "Where is he?" Ashley's finger tightened on the trigger. Something was wrong. She'd never known Quincy to leave the ship when they were anchored here.

  "He's gone with that devil-spawned dwarf to bury his treasure."

  "When will he be back?"

  "When he gets here." Gavin spread his legs and rested his hands on his hips. "Your message will have to go to me. If you have a message."

  Ashley glanced around the clearing. The few faces she could make out were strangers, probably Gavin's men from the sunken sloop. "He still doesn't trust you enough to take you with him?" she said, stalling. "Maybe the dwarf should be second in command."

  The blond giant erupted into laughter. "You've got spirit, Ashley. I like that in a woman... in the beginning, at least." He unfolded his long limbs and took a lazy step toward her. "He trusts Cato because Cato knows he wouldn't live ten minutes on my watch. The little bastard makes my skin crawl. Besides"—he chuckled wryly—"what use would a dwarf have for a fortune? If he tried to spend a gold crusado, he'd end up floating under the dock with his throat cut from ear to ear. No honest man would believe a hunchback dwarf could come by gold or silver unless he stole it and no thief would let him keep it." Gavin shook his head. "Cato's better than a priest for keeping secrets."

  "Is that envy I hear? You spend your share readily enough." Ashley tried to hold down the prickling fear that made the mild spring night seem raw. "What makes you certain he even has a buried treasure?"

  "He has one, all right. He's been comin
g here for twenty years or more. When he leaves the ship, he carries a heavy burden. When he comes back, he comes empty-handed." Gavin took another step closer. "We've taken ships from Newfoundland to Barbados. Spanish gold idols from Peru and silver bars from Mexico. Crusadoes and guineas, shillings and pieces of eight. Rubies as red as blood, and once..." Gavin's whisky voice grew soft. "Once an emerald as big as a peacock's egg." He cleared his throat and spat. "What do you think the captain's share of such booty might be?"

  "It cannot be cheap to maintain the ship and crew," Ashley suggested. "Or to wear the finest clothes. Quincy has expensive tastes."

  "Oh, he dresses like a lord, does our noble captain. And he likes the best in wine... and in women. But he's spent no twenty years' take in Persian rugs or satin waistcoats. Most of it he's hoarded away like an old miser. Some might think more than his share." Gavin took another step.

  "If you think he's cheating you, it's your right to demand an accounting before the crew." Ashley's breathing quickened. She could smell the sharp odor of rum on his breath. Gavin was always more dangerous when he drank. "What you're saying is close to mutiny." She stepped back and trained the barrel on Gavin's face. "Don't make me shoot you, Gavin," she said. "I came here to warn you. The authorities know you're here. Even now, they may be sailing to block the mouth of the creek. You've got to get the Witch out of here or you're all dead men."

  "So you betrayed us after all."

  "You're such a fool. If I'd betrayed you, would I come to—" A twig snapped behind her and Ashley half turned toward the sound. Gavin lunged toward her. With a cry, she raised the musket to her shoulder to fire, but as her finger tightened on the cold steel of the trigger, a snarling fury leaped out of the darkness and pounced on Gavin. "Jai!" Ashley screamed.

  Man and dog rolled over and over on the ground. Ashley stood frozen to the spot, unable to fire for fear of hitting the animal. Men ran toward them, yelling. In desperation, Ashley dropped the gun and grabbed Jai's collar, trying to drag him off.

  "Jai! Jai!" Her hands on his collar yanked with all her might. Both she and the dog fell backward. Scrambling up, she saw a sailor advancing on them with a drawn cutlass. "Go!" she screamed at the dog. "Go to Mari! Jai, go!"

  Jai shook his wolflike head and crouched, hackles raised, eyes gleaming. A low growl issued from his throat. Ashley slammed her hand down across his back. "Bad dog!" she cried. "Bad dog. Go to Mari!" She snapped her fingers sharply and let out a low whistle. With a last look of bewilderment Jai turned and loped away into the forest.

  Gavin's face twisted in demonic wrath as he swayed before her. His shirt was ripped to the waist and one hand bore long gashes from Jai's attack. "Hold her," he commanded.

  Rough hands closed on Ashley and a bloody fist descended. Ashley's world exploded in pinwheels of shimmering, multicolored light that faded slowly to soft, timeless black.

  * * *

  Kelt threatened, pleaded, and bargained until his voice cracked with exhaustion. Nothing would sway the stubborn old man with the deadly wheel lock musket.

  "Mistress Ashley said to hold you here until ten, and I hold you," Thomas said flatly. "You might jest as well save yer breath, Master Saxon, 'cause the fear of Judgment Day wouldn't sway me from pullin' this trigger if you get out of the chair before the clock strikes ten."

  "You're no murderer, Thomas. You couldna' shoot me in cold blood."

  "No, sir, no, sir, I couldn't. But I could blow away one of your knees and you'd be walkin' on a tree stump the rest of your days."

  "She could die if I dinna stop her."

  "Maybe she dies if you do." Thomas shook his gray head and frowned. "I like you, sir, I like you a lot. But I been watchin' over that girl since she was a babe. You do whatever you want to me at ten o'clock, but 'til then, you stay put."

  Kelt's apprehension grew as the hours ticked away and the old man held firm. The day had faded to dusk and then night. Ashley had gone to warn her father, of that he was certain. But why hadn't she come back? Despite his harsh words, he really hadn't believed she was part of their piracy. Sweat broke out on his forehead. If she sailed with them, it would mean her death.

  The clock had struck nine-thirty when the sound of running footsteps on the stairs brought them both upright. But the voice that called out was not Ashley's but the Indian woman's.

  "Kelt Saxon!" She threw open the chamber door. "Thomas! What do you do?" Firmly she pushed the barrel toward the floor. "Ashley's in bad trouble," she said to Kelt. "You must come."

  Thomas let the gun slide to the floor. "I'm sorry, sir, but you see how I had to do it."

  "Where is she?" Kelt demanded, ignoring Thomas's apology. "Has she been arrested?" His fear for Ashley's safety was so real he could taste it. Damn her reckless ways!

  Mari shook her head. "Jai came to my cabin. I followed him back to the creek." Knowing looks passed between them. "Her horse was tied to a tree, but she was gone. I found the evidence of a struggle on the ground, but whether Ashley was involved I do not know."

  Kelt swore a foul Gaelic oath. It mattered not a tinker's damn if she had gone willingly or been taken forcibly by her father. Aboard the ship, she would suffer the same fate as the pirates. "You're certain she's not there somewhere? Hurt or..." He could not put voice to his greatest fear, that she might already be dead. McCade seemed to have a twisted fondness for her, but it was no assurance that he might not have killed her in a fit of rage, or that another of the cutthroats might have ravished her and thrown her body overboard.

  "You must bring her home, Kelt Saxon," Mari said. "She would not leave Morgan's Fancy. She would not leave you."

  Kelt shrugged. "She cares nothing for me."

  "Your lips speak the words, but your heart knows it is not so." Mari's dark eyes held his. "There is a bond between you that only death can break."

  Kelt glanced back at the unfinished painting of Ashley. How could his world have come to center on such a willful, obstinate, unwomanly wench? He had given her an ultimatum and she had thrown it back in his teeth. She deserved to hang for her shrewish tongue alone. "Gi' me a reason, Mari," he said in a low burr, "why I canna leave her to reap the harvest o' her own sowing?"

  "Dahoola." Mari smiled with her eyes. "Love."

  She reached out to touch his cheek with one slim finger. "You must follow your heart, Kelt Saxon. Bring her home safely... or the sun will have no warmth for you, and the rain no joy. Without her, you will find no peace in this life or the next."

  "And how the hell am I supposed to get her back?"

  The smile spread to her lips and Mari chuckled. "You are the warrior, are you not? You must find a way or make one." She turned to go, then looked back, her smooth brow creased with worry. "But you must hurry. The cord which binds her to the earth is thin tonight. I feel she is in great danger." Mari let her eyes drift shut and her head rested against the door frame. "I see blood and fire." She took a deep breath. "And death wears the face of...".

  "Of what?" Kelt felt the chill of her unseen premonition like an icy hand on the back of his neck.

  "Of a man with hair the color of a hunter's moon."

  Chapter 21

  Ashley raised her head and blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the morning light pouring through the open hatch above her. Something hard struck her leg and she cried out, struggling to sit up.

  "Have a nice night's sleep?" Gavin asked sarcastically. He struck her again with the toe of his shoe and ripped the filthy gag from her mouth.

  "He'll kill you for this," Ashley whispered hoarsely. Her jaw felt as if she'd been kicked by a horse. She breathed in a little of the fresh air, ridding her mouth and lungs of the fetid stench of the hold where she'd lain since she'd been carried aboard the ship the previous night. Gavin's face came into focus before her and she wasn't certain if reality was worse than the nightmares. Her inbred terror of the dark, the rustling and squealing of rats, the fumes of pitch and bilge water, had driven her to the brink of madness.

 
Sweet reason flooded Ashley's mind like a cold bay wind. She could tell by the motion of the deck that the Scarlet Witch was under way; she also knew that the water was rough. Sometime during the long hours of darkness she'd been sick. Her stomach was empty and her brain clouded by fear. What if Quincy was dead? What then? What did Gavin want with her?

  Gavin grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her to her feet. "You disappoint me, Ashley. I expected something original from you at least."

  "Why?" she demanded. He twisted her hair and the pain brought tears to her eyes.

  "That should be obvious." He untangled his hand and stepped back, running the tip of his tongue suggestively across his full upper lip.

  Ashley blushed as she felt his eyes travel over her, lingering on the curve of her breasts and hips. Gavin laughed and whipped a knife from the sheath at his waist. For a long heartbeat, he laid the cold blade along her cheek. The point was dangerously close to her right eye and she held her breath, afraid to move.

  "Are you frightened?"

  "Yes."

  "Good." He laughed again. "I'll give you even more reason to fear me, Ashley... before I'm through." With one swift motion, he dropped to his knee and slashed the ropes that held her ankles. "Up the ladder with you!" he ordered. "We can play later. I know lots of games. But now it's time we had that talk with Gentleman Jim."

  Ashley stumbled toward the ladder, seizing on the fact that her father was alive. Nothing would make her believe Quincy would hold her prisoner, or allow Gavin to threaten her. This was all Gavin's doing. "Tell me one thing," she said, mentally grasping for something solid to cling to. "Who led the raid on that plantation on the Eastern Shore last fall?"