by Julia Donner
Selecting a confection from the dish Harry offered, Cameron said before popping it into his mouth, “You are a fortunate man, Seedy.”
Gazing at his wife, Harry gently laughed. “Ain’t it the truth, Squid.”
Lady Collyns asked Cameron, “Why do you call him that? Harry is anything but seedy. He’s quite the opposite and annoyingly obnoxious about it. Drives me to distraction, all that perfectionism. What is wrong with what is plain and comfortable, I ask you?”
Cameron was quick to answer. “It is not a negative appellation, ma’am, and I must declare that I admire your championing your husband. Not that he requires it.”
Harry held up a hand for an opportunity to inject his own explanation. “The designation derives from my sad past. You cannot know how dreadfully poor we were. Mother sewed and darned everything we owned. For the most part, only neighbors would have taken us for the inhabitants of Marshfield. The family pile crumbled ‘bout our heads year after year. Didn’t bear thinking about or a visit, until Perry had the excellent notion to marry the grand Elizabeth. She made sure the old manse was restored to its previous glory.”
When Cameron didn’t respond, since he had no idea who Elizabeth was, Harry whispered, “Lizzie is Perry’s wife. Obscenely rich and vastly clever. You’ll meet her when you get up to London.”
“Actually, I’m not at all certain that it will be any time soon. I have business to conduct in the district.”
Harry snuggled a hip closer to his Ollie, who sent him an admonishing glare, which made him chortle and snuggle closer. She whispered, “Behave yourself, Harry. We have company!”
“It’s only good ole Squid. Practically a member of the family, aren’t you old thing?”
Before Cameron could reply, Lady Collyns inserted, “Mr. Bradford, we are changing the topic with the express purpose of altering my husband’s deplorable behavior. I believe you have met my dear friend, Mrs. Davidson.”
“Not formally introduced, but yes, ma’am. She mended the wound in my back.”
“She is vastly clever at stitching, a born healer. She mentioned the extent of the laceration. It appears to cause you no discomfort.”
“I’ve sustained much worse. My recent foes and their boots did less damage than what is encountered during a typical confrontation at sea.”
Harry said with a playful pout, “Ollie sewed up my face or I’d have an impressive scar like yours.” He pretended anger at his wife with a squinty glare. “You didn’t have to do such a dashed fine job. If I had Squid’s lovely slash across my face, all the women would swoon and call me hero.”
She scowled and clucked at him. “Do stop talking nonsense. They already swoon when you enter a room. Now, Mr. Bradford, can you describe your assailants? We must apprehend the offenders and send descriptions to the magistrate. Can’t have their sort creating mischief in the neighborhood. One left behind has returned to consciousness but refused to name his cohorts, other than complaining about the injuries they sustained. You gave better than you got, sir. Ah, here is Mrs. Davidson.”
She brought serenity into the room with her. His heart lifted when she finally looked up from her curtsey and gave him a slight smile. She carried herself with assurance and a charming tilt to her head. He offered her his comfortable chair near the couch and waited while she sat.
Harry drew another chair closer to the group. Cameron took the seat nearest to Mrs. Davidson and said, “I must thank you again, ma’am, for taking such good care of me.”
Chapter 5
Allison hoped she’d concealed her surprise. The man seated next to her was the same she’d attended to the day before, but now groomed, he presented an entirely different impression. The sun-lightened ends of his snarled hair had been cut away to reveal a richer brown beneath. Blessed with a natural curl, the waves wreathing his head showed none and no need of the precise artifice of curling tongs. Removal of the wild snarls drew attention to his unusual eyes, now bright with a pleasing glint. If she hadn’t known that he was a person of happy disposition, she would have fancied the idea that he was particularly glad to see her.
A ship’s surgeon had done a hasty job of suturing Mr. Bradford’s face. The beard had hidden a jagged scar that sliced from high on his left cheekbone to the corner of his mouth. This result from a slash of an opponent’s blade pulled up one side in a permanent half smile.
A sudden and stark memory veiled her vision—the unsettling sight of the flogging scars that snaked across his upper back. The knots of healed flesh on his arms reminded her of what this man and the victims of impressments suffered. He survived keelhauling. Not many did. Her heart pinched at the cruelty he’d suffered. Even if Cameron Bradford came from hardy stock, he must possess an extraordinary fierceness of will beneath his congenial surface.
Silence and their expectant expressions prompted her to reply. “Not at all, Mr. Bradford. I was glad to be of service, but I am amazed by your recovery. One must feel admiration, if not awe, for your ability to heal.”
A hint of mischief lit Mr. Bradford’s eyes. His smile balanced the uneven corners of his mouth. “My trials were nothing in comparison to other’s, and life at sea has its compensations. Nowadays, a good hand gets paid his worth every month, three squares, and prize money. The benefits outweigh the dangers. I merely ran into a run of bad luck.”
Strong emotion prompted Allison to contradict. “Sir, capture by any enemy cannot be set down as merely an unfortunate happenstance.”
“It depends on one’s captors, Mrs. Davidson. The Americans treat captives pretty much the way our Navy does. The Eastern countries, not so. To them, we are infidels, not worthy to live, therefore an object to do away with or work into the ground.”
Lady Collyns asked, “Then why did they allow you to live?”
An odd expression moved over Mr. Bradford’s strong features. His sensual mouth thinned and shoulders straightened. If he had hung a sign on his chest in bold letters he could not have made his wishes clearer: none shall pass this point.
Allison dove into the awkward moment. “The fellows who attacked Mr. Bradford in the lane were dealt a rude awakening, I’ve heard. Their injuries left them vulnerable to apprehension. We cannot feel other than happy with that, sir. After your accounting, ruffians will hesitate before accosting a traveler on Sir Harry’s property.”
Lady Collyns asked, “Oh, did he give back a bit of his own, as they say?”
“And then some,” Allison replied, unable to suppress her satisfaction. “One was knocked insensible. Another sustained a broken leg. How did you accomplish that, sir?”
Mr. Bradford replied, “Couldn’t say, since I have no recollection of the incident. But then, that’s not unusual. I have very little recollection of the sea battles I’ve taken part in. I expect due to the need to pit all of one’s mental resources on survival.”
Harry broke in, flashing his broad smile. “Lud, what an adventurous life you’ve lived, Cam. Waylaid on my doorstep by ruffians. Pressed into service on the Barbary Coast. What a dreary fellow I am in comparison!”
Chapter 6
Cameron couldn’t recall any romantic moments, especially the months as a common slave. He’d felt profound gratitude when he’d been transferred from hard labor in the quarries to house duties. It only took days for him to pray for a return to hauling rocks. He would never divulge certain parts of his past to anyone.
He realized that he’d again lapsed into the silent grip of unpleasant memory. The quiet in the room alerted him to the fact that everyone stared at him, waiting for a response.
“I can’t agree, Harry. It wasn’t quite the high sport one would think of as the romance of life and adventure on the high seas.”
Mrs. Davidson, with lowered gaze and voice said, “I doubt anyone could find it adventuresome to be exiled from one’s homeland and forced into labor.”
Lady Collyns added, “And we do not wish to make light of your captivity, but would you mind telling us something about the last
years? Only that which you are comfortable speaking about.”
Cameron kept his eyes on Mrs. Davidson’s averted face. She didn’t mean to appear uninterested. He had the impression she worried about him telling a tale she sensed was painful to him. To allay her sensitivity and Lady Collyns’s curiosity, he would gloss over a history too gruesome to convey in the company of ladies. Perhaps, even of men.
“Much of it is not meant for drawing room conversation, Lady Collyns. The travel aspect, the marvelous landscapes and sunsets at sea, foreign lands and so on, cannot be anything other than fascinating.”
Lady Collyns asked, her dark eyes grave, “But did your duties allow you any time for the enjoyment of the sites?”
Cameron smiled at the touching ignorance inherent in that question. “One learns to savor enjoyment whenever and wherever it can be found. And there were some remarkable moments I shall always treasure, even during imprisonment.”
Harry asked, “How and when did you get captured?”
“Roughly eight years ago, after an encounter with the Americans, two of their ships to our one. My captain and the other officers were taken on the American flagship, while I stayed with the crew on their companion vessel. We were to be sent and held at New York until arrangements for our transfer could be arranged. A storm separated us from the flagship. Quite a gale. Sent us far from our destination and tore up the rigging. We had to cut away the foremast. Mainsails were in shreds.”
When his listeners didn’t comment, he continued. “An Algerian merchant, heavily armed, came upon us. They easily won.”
Harry interrupted, “How was such a rout accomplished? I’d heard that after the Americans outfitted their Navy, they thrashed those Barbary jackals into submission.”
“We sustained too much damage in the storm. The companion ship wasn’t one of their new warships. It was a converted merchant, which are prime targets, and the Algerians were true pirates. They had no allegiance to any of the Barbary Coast countries. That didn’t stop them from selling the lot of us there. Most were impressed to go out again on ships and a few, like myself, were kept on land. After six years as a common hand, I was deemed a disruptive element. My size made me too expensive to throw overboard, so they sold me on the auction block.”
Harry asked, “With your experience, why keep you on land and not the sea?”
Scents of dinner seeped into the room, aromatic beef and fresh breads. He had to answer quickly to cover the rumbling of his empty stomach, “Fellow hands sought my direction, which posed a danger to discipline. In the end, my height. I take up a great deal of room in comparison to others. Crew size can often depend on how many hammocks can be strung up below deck.”
He turned to Mrs. Davidson and was moved by the concern in her eyes when she asked. “You must be in constant worry about your crew.”
“Yes, ma’am. One of my goals is to locate as many of them as possible. It’s one of the reasons I must quickly investigate what has become of my prize monies. I will need all of it to find them, but I believe it can be done.”
“How long were you kept captive?” Lady Collyns asked.
“Roughly eight years since capture. During that time, I met others who’d been in slavery much longer. Americans, mostly. Those not formally attached to a registered vessel weren’t known, therefore not liberated. President Jefferson retrieved most of their citizenry kept in captivity. That was over a decade ago. Jefferson didn’t win their release until the Americans resorted to terrorizing the Barbary and bashu with their new warships.”
His tactic to move the subject from himself to the Americans was confirmed when Harry said, “Yes, I recall reading about it, but why weren’t you ransomed? The Barbary criminals pretty much left our ships alone or immediately arranged for an exchange.”
Giving up on his hope of a complete change of subject, Cameron said, “I’ve recently learned that the Admiralty assumed that my crew and I were lost at sea. The pirates scuttled the ship we were supposed to sail to New York. They hadn’t the crew for two vessels and not enough hands to keep my crew in line to man it. They sank her and threw us in the hold.” He paused, noting the serious atmosphere. “Perhaps we should speak of more pleasant topics. It’s meant for the past, and I am grateful to be back in England.”
Lady Collyns smiled, her lovely eyes swimming with emotion, her voice husky as she said, “Well, sir, we are grateful and exceedingly glad you have come home. Know that you are most heartily welcome here any time you wish to visit.”
Harry added, “Our very own Barbarian. How jolly.”
He sounded jolly, but his eyes gleamed with a glint that relayed his outrage over the treatment of a friend, and proved it when he said, “I place myself at your service, Cam, and will assist in any way I can with your search for your crew.”
“And my mother and sister.” Cameron added.
Harry looked away as he thought out loud. “It’s been years since they left the district. I believe the present agent for Loverton Grange has taken over the steward’s house but is rarely in residence. It’s not a comfortable situation. Unless the Grange is rented out, both houses stand empty.”
“Yes, I must do some further checking on that. If memory serves, the house was for Mother’s use until she decided otherwise. She loved the place. I can’t imagine her wanting to leave it.”
A frown lowered Harry’s golden eyebrows. “Rather unsettling, if it were my mother. Do you have any notion of where Mrs. Bradford and Agnes might have gone?”
Cameron shook his head. “Not really. Agnes is of an age to go out into society but Mother wouldn’t expend the funds to get her floated now that Father is gone. She would need it for survival and to keep the dowry intact.”
Lady Collyns turned to Harry. “Couldn’t we ask Lord and Lady Asterly? They have contacts everywhere.”
“Excellent notion, Ollie! Elizabeth has Crimm, and Peregrine can shake up the Foreign Office and Admiralty for the crew. There you have it, Cam. Done in a trice, you’ll see.”
Cameron felt his brow wrinkle even as he noticed the relief that softened Mrs. Davidson’s worried expression. He said to Harry, “I beg your pardon. Perhaps I didn’t hear you aright. Who or what is a Crimm?”
This time, when Mrs. Davidson averted her head, it was to hide a smile. Harry and his wife beamed at each other, like naughty schoolchildren hoarding secrets.
“Crimm,” Harry gleefully replied, “is the major domo for Perry and Lizzie. Asterly House is a veritable nest of obscure and delicate information. Their butler has created a vast network of informants. He will have answers for you within a day.”
“About my mother and sister? But they…my family, we are of no consequence.”
Harry said, “Everything is of consequence to Crimm. Place your trust in him.”
“Then that is what I shall do. I will go up to London instead of asking questions in the neighborhood.”
“Excellent, Mr. Bradford.” Lady Collyns stood, prompting everyone to follow her example. “May I have your arm, sir? We shall go through to dinner. If it is not ready, I will send down for a bit of something to calm your hunger until the courses arrive. Since my dear Mrs. Davidson must be on her way to Scotland via London, you can provide escort. Allison, would you mind sharing the chaise with Mr. Bradford?”
Accepting Harry’s arm, she murmured, “Not at all.”
Harry placed his hand over Mrs. Davidson’s and spoke in a lowered voice, “You will come back to take care of my Olivia, won’t you, ma’am?”
“Certainly. Lady Exton-Hughes will have her child before Christmas. Then I shall stop once more in Cavendish Square for a brief visit in London before returning here. Lady Asterly’s confinement should not occur until a few months after your child is born.”
As they entered the dining room, Lady Collyns said, “Allison, that is altogether too much traveling at this inclement time of year, but for my part, I shall be selfish in regards to your inconvenience. I cannot think of having anyone but
you to assist me.”
After his wife was seated, Harry took a roundabout way to his chair to pause beside his wife. She’d removed a glove and he kissed the underside of her wrist. “Nonsense, Ollie. What’s forty miles of good road? There and back in a matter of hours.”
Lady Collyns retrieved her hand to deal the back of her husband’s wrist an admonishing tap. “Forty miles? Here to London, then to Scotland, and back again? The poor thing will be wrung out and exhausted. Only a man would consider that a trifle.”
As she draped her gloves over her lap, Mrs. Davidson said, “I assure you, ma’am, it will be nothing. It is my life’s calling to act as midwife and a pleasure to be allowed every opportunity to be of service to friends.”
Lady Collyns murmured an instruction to a footman before saying, “Did you hear that, Harry? What dear Allison is willing to endure for my comfort and well being? She’ll be traveling roads in the dark of winter, braving intolerable weather and risking her health. What do you have to say to such courage?”
Cameron looked away when Harry sent his wife a look of naughty intent. Mrs. Davidson immediately diverted her attention from the intimacy that came so easily to Harry. A faint blush bloomed on her cheeks as she stared down at her empty plate. She didn’t give the impression that she was embarrassed. It was more like dismay than discomfort, and he had the sudden understanding that what he witnessed was her loneliness, the sad resignation, an acceptance of what she thought that she could never have. The clarity of his empathy distracted from the conversation and filled him with an urge to reach across the table to offer comfort.
Harry’s chortle brought him back. “Then we shall provide incentive and relief. Dear Mrs. D, a conveyance will be at your service from now until you return.”
Openly concerned about such generosity, Mrs. Davidson rushed to say, “But, sir, I cannot accept your kind offer. I had thought you meant to offer a conveyance as far as your brother’s London house, but all the way to Scotland? And my cottage has no accommodations for a carriage, team, and certainly no room for groom and driver.”