I knelt in front of him. "You're a damn fool," I said heatedly. I shredded another strip from my petticoat and tied it around his thigh. "Why did you come here? Why couldn't you leave us alone? We weren't harming you, except for your old stupid ship, and that was your own fault. If you don't know how to arm a merchant ship properly, you shouldn't be in the business."
He laughed hollowly. "I'm no businessman, Elise. I've never owned a merchant ship in my life."
I stared at him. "You—you liar!" I pulled the bandage tightly around his thigh. He winced and sucked in his breath. "You ought to be shot. Scheming, spying vermin! I wouldn't go with you if—if it meant that I was going to be Empress of China. I refuse!"
He took hold of my arm and drew me up so that I was facing him. He slid his arms around my waist. "You promised, dear Elise," he said huskily, "and I know you are a woman of honor."
He kissed me quickly. I pushed him away. I could hear Lafitte laughing weakly.
"So you have won her after all, my friend. I am happy to see you know how to claim your reward. She is a fine woman, but rather lively. You will need a firm hand."
I whirled on him. "Oh, he will, will he, Jean Lafitte? You have won, too, because if I had to stay with you for one more day I swear I would pick up one of these swords and chop your silly laughing head off. Winning, losing! And what have I won, may I ask? A cripple! I have won a cripple and lost one, and if you ask me, I'm right back where I started. I hope you bleed to death, both of you!"
Lafitte tried to laugh, and then he grimaced and held his side. "Ah, my darling, you are a lioness. I shall miss you, Elise. Take care of her, Garth."
"I give you my word, Lafitte." Garth slid down the wall to the floor and closed his eyes. "It was a fine duel, my friend. Next time I hope you have the sense to die. I must say, your size is deceptive. I never thought you would hold out so long."
I bundled Jean in a blanket and tilted the brandy bottle to his lips. Then I knelt at Garth's side and offered him the bottle. He drank deeply, then gripped my wrist and held it tightly. "We're going to have fun, you and I," he whispered. "I confess I have found life—and women—to be rather dull since I saw you last, my sweet. Pack your things. We're leaving immediately."
"Rubbish," I said impatiently. "You're not going anywhere tonight, except up to your room. Lily, call some of the men. We have to get these two morons to bed."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Lily. "An' then we got to get in here and scrub up the mess. It looks like there's been a pig slaughterin' in here!"
"Elise," Lafitte whispered plaintively. He sounded drunk. "Stay with me tonight. This one last night. I beseech you, Elise."
"You can sleep alone tonight, Jean," I said callously. "I have no desire to lie with a sick man."
"You are so cold, so unsympathetic," he complained.
"She's only obeying her sense of duty," Garth put in. "She will warm my bed tonight, won't you, Elise? You are mine now."
"Oh, hold your tongues, the two of you," I said crossly. "I'm sick of the sight of you." I swept out of the room and up the stairs to my room.
I could hear bumping and shouting as Lafitte's men brought the two combatants up to their rooms. They were calling to each other and praising each other's prowess with the sword, calling each other friend, and extolling my virtues as a mistress.
Lily came in when things were quiet to brush my hair. "They finished the brandy," she told me. "If they feels poorly tomorrow, it'll be from that drinkin' more than the fightin'."
"They're no better than children," I muttered. "Deadly enemies one minute and fast friends the next. I don't suppose either of them is in danger?"
"No," Lily chuckled. "Mr. McClelland lost a little more blood than Mr. Lafitte, but I guess he's got more to lose. Lord, but he's a big fellow. Good-lookin', too. You goin' with him, Miss Elise?"
"Yes, Lily," I said wearily, "I'm going with him. And God help us both."
Both men made an effort to appear at breakfast the next morning. Garth was limping badly, and Lafitte's right arm was weak and he seemed uncomfortable sitting up in a chair, but they were determinedly cheerful. Their comradeship of the night before was undimmed.
"Garth, you must stay here until you are well," Lafitte pressed his guest. "My house and servants are at your disposal. At least let me show you around Grand Terre."
"Not this time, Jean. I need to get back to New Orleans. Governor Claiborne has asked me to report on British naval activity in the gulf. Have you seen anything?"
"Very little," Lafitte told him. "I imagine they are trying to solidify their position in Canada."
"You're probably right." Garth chewed a brioche thoughtfully. "But I suspect the Delta won't be spared. They're just biding their time." He looked up at me. "More coffee, please, Elise."
I glared at him and poured the thick steaming liquid into the cup he held out to me. "So the real purpose of your cruise around the Caribbean was not to find us after all, was it, Monsieur?" I asked coldly.
"I am a firm believer in killing numerous birds with one stone, Elise," Garth replied. "I promised myself a talk with you if the opportunity arose, and so it did."
"How convenient," I remarked acidly.
"Yes, I thought so. And now both my missions have been accomplished. I can return to New Orleans with an easy mind—and a light heart."
"You insist on leaving at once?" Lafitte asked.
"Yes. Mademoiselle and I shall sail this morning. Have you any messages for William Claiborne when I see him?"
Lafitte grinned. "Yes, tell him I shall put a bigger price on his head if he raises the price on mine. It's humiliating to be told that one is worth so little. Five hundred dollars, indeed! It is an outrage!"
Garth said, "Perhaps I can put up the extra money myself."
They laughed heartily. I stood up quickly. "I have to pack," I said hurriedly, and I turned away before either of them could see the tears in my eyes.
Jean came to my room while Lily and I were finishing packing. He sat on the bed and nodded at Lily. She slipped away, leaving us alone.
"Well, Elise," he said softly, "our voyage together has come to an end at last."
My eyes clouded over. "Don't, Jean," I said. "Don't talk that way. I feel so strange about it. I'm not happy and I'm not sad. I don't know what I feel. Look at this." I swept my hand over the clothes and accessories that lay strewn over my bed and chairs. "If it wasn't for you—Perhaps I should leave it all behind, for your next pirate-in-residence."
"No," he said firmly. "No one will ever take your place, Elise, you know that. And you have earned everything you possess. Your share of our takings has made you a rich woman." He shifted his weight and groaned. "Ah, this damned cut! You were very angry last night, Elise. I hope you have forgiven me. I didn't want to let you go—without a fight."
"You were magnificent, Jean," I said truthfully. "I shall always remember how brave, how gallant you were. You might even have won if—" I knelt in front of him and rested my head on his lap. "Oh, Jean, I wish it didn't have to end. You believe me, don't you?"
He stroked my hair. "Yes, I believe you. I know that you are torn apart inside. Your loyalty to me, and what you have always felt for him."
"But I hate—"
He put his fingers on my lips and shook his head. "I have always known that when he appeared I would have to give you up. He was my rival long before he came here. You don't hate him, Elise. I know that. You're not afraid of him, are you?"
"No," I whispered.
"Good. He is a hard man but—"
Lily tapped on the door and told us that Garth's boat was ready to leave.
"I hardly know him," I said. "I only know that I—I want to be with him. And perhaps we don't belong together at all. I may be back under your feet sooner than you think."
"You are always welcome here, Elise. And you will be seeing me soon, I promise you. I shall call on you when you are settled, all right?" I nodded. "Come, kiss me good-bye now. I won't go down
to the beach with you. The temptation to pick up a sword again, just to keep him from taking you away, might be too strong to resist."
We kissed slowly, tenderly. Then I stood up and walked out of the room without looking back. I knew that when I left Grand Terre I would be leaving the best friend I had ever known for an uncertain future with a man who was still a stranger to me.
Lily and I walked down to the beach. Garth was waiting for us.
"Well, Garth," I said, tying on a wide-brimmed bonnet to protect my face from the glaring sun, "you see, I have kept my promise."
"You've led me quite a chase, Elise," he said. "Shall we go?"
I kissed Lily good-bye and bade farewell to the crowd of pirates who stood watching from a distance. Dominique was there, and Pierre, and all my friends from the Mary Rose adventure and from those last glorious weeks on the Elise. As Garth helped me into the small boat that would take us out to his schooner I turned and waved at them. They set up a loud cheer, and fired their pistols into the air. I ducked my head so that Garth wouldn't see the tears that came to my eyes. His men pushed us off from shore. He told me he would send the boat back for my things.
I turned my back resolutely on Grand Terre and Lafitte and looked hopefully towards the gulf and the horizon.
Chapter 10
The House on Rue St. Charles
Garth escorted me to the small cabin on his schooner where I was to sleep.
"Not so grand as the Elise, nor so humble as the Charleston Belle," he said with a wave of his hand, "but it should do for a three days' sail."
I looked around. The furnishings were rough and simple but the room was clean.
I untied my bonnet and tossed it on the berth. "Thank you," I said politely. "I'm sure I shall be quite comfortable."
"The berth's not really wide enough for two," he said mischievously, "unless they're willing to endure some small discomfort in the interests of enjoying the greater pleasures—"
"I would prefer to sleep up on deck, if you don't mind," I told him briskly. "I have done it before."
He grinned. "I'm sure you have, but it won't be necessary, Elise. You may have the cabin to yourself. I won't bother you."
I raised my eyebrows. "Don't tell me you've reformed."
"No, but you have. If I tried anything here I might get my head blown off. I'm sure you brought your swords and pistols, and you have already demonstrated that you know how to use them." He walked to the cabin door. "Make yourself at home, Elise. I can wait. Longer than you, I'll wager."
I sat on the edge of the berth and combed my fingers through my hair. "You would lose your wager, Garth. As you say, I have reformed. But I wonder, why do you want me after all this time? Is it merely curiosity, or does your taste naturally run to common thieves and pirates?"
He crossed his arms and leaned against the closed door. "My taste runs even lower than that, my dear, depending on where I am and what's available. You know, Elise, I have always felt sorry for the man who earns his living training horses for other men. He sweats and curses and earns kicks and blows from his charges, he is thrown and trampled, and when his colts mature into fine, disciplined racers he has to stand back and watch them being taken over by others who might not understand and appreciate them as he had. I break and train all my horses myself. That way I know their moods, their limitations, their temperaments."
"Oh?" I tried hard to suppress the anger I felt. "And do you always keep in touch with the virgins you have mangled, to see how well they have learned their lessons?"
He gave a shout of joyous laughter. "That would be impossible! There are far too many. But you, Elise, were my prize pupil. I was genuinely delighted to find you were still well, and looking, I must say, more beautiful than ever." He flashed me an impudent grin and went out.
My rage boiled up inside me. I tore off my slippers and hurled them at the door. "Odious dog! Vile worm!" I shouted. Then I took a breath. What was I doing? He hadn't changed a bit, and when I was with him it was as if the bad times with Fowler and the good times I had enjoyed with Lafitte had never been. I became young and hot-headed again, responding violently to his malicious teasing and his rude, pointed barbs.
For three days and two nights, as long as it took to sail upriver from the Delta to New Orleans, he made an elaborate show of keeping his distance. I sensed that he was willing to bide his time and wait patiently until I fell into his arms again. I was determined not to accommodate him; he could wait until his hair turned gray, I told myself. He would not catch me off my guard again.
On our second night out I noticed he was still limping.
"Has anyone looked at your wound?" I asked him.
"No. My private physician doesn't like sailing. I've been tending to it myself."
"I'll look at it if you like," I offered.
"Oh?" he looked surprised. "I would have expected you to be squeamish about such things, Elise. But then you had these motherly impulses even on the Charleston Belle, if I remember correctly. Shall we go below?"
"If you like," I said calmly. "At least I know you're in no condition to chase me around the poop deck."
He took off his boots and trousers and sat on the berth. I bathed away the crusted blood and examined the wound closely. His skin felt dry and hot, and I suspected he was feverish. The old bemused smile never left his face as he watched the proceedings.
"Am I going to live?" he asked as I bathed the cut thoroughly and bandaged it again.
"I'm afraid so," I said, smoothing a strip of muslin over his firm, muscular thigh. It felt good to touch him again, I found myself thinking. Then I shook myself inwardly and administered a harsh, silent scolding. You don't feel anything for him, I insisted, nothing at all. See, your hands aren't even shaking. "I think perhaps you ought to sleep here tonight," I said. "It's warmer."
"Ah." His smile widened. "That is an unexpected invitation, Elise. I accept, gladly."
"Good." I gathered up my things and threw a shawl around my shoulders. "I prescribe brandy to help you sweat out your fever. Good night."
"I hope you never have occasion to nurse me again," he said sourly. "You've grown quite heartless, Elise."
I paused at the door. "Perhaps I have," I said thoughtfully. "But then, you've always been that way, haven't you, Garth?" I left him alone and went up to watch the banks of the Mississippi slide past as the wind caught our sails and carried us towards New Orleans. I turned my face into the breeze and laughed aloud. I seemed to have learned something from my adventures after all: for once I had had the last word when I was with him, and I loved it!
When the schooner anchored at the bottom of Canal Street we disembarked and Garth hired a carriage to take us to the Hotel Marengo on Rue Chartres. As the vehicle rumbled over the rutted, muddy streets Garth said, "At least I am spared showing you the city. You probably know it better than I do by now."
I fanned myself. "Well enough, I suppose."
"At least you were lucky enough to fall in with a man who has taste. Tell me, did Lafitte really find you clinging to a spar in the gulf after the Charleston Belle went down? I must have heard a hundred different versions of how you came to join him."
I shrugged. "Which version do you like best? Surely that's not important now."
"No, it's not important. I simply want to know the truth."
I said slowly, "Lafitte's men took me off the Belle when they boarded her. I was very ill, and Jean took me into his house and nursed me until I was well again. He was very kind to me. That's all."
"How charming. And our friend Josiah Fowler?"
"His body is at the bottom of the sea, I trust. And may his soul burn in Hell for all eternity." I could not conceal the bitterness and hatred I felt for the man, even though he was dead. I turned my face away from Garth and gazed out the window.
"I see your affection for him didn't grow after I left," Garth said laughingly.
My cheeks flamed and I whirled on him. "No, it didn't, Garth. It's a shame you couldn't hav
e been there to enjoy my total humiliation and degradation. You would have laughed yourself silly, I'm sure."
"Dear Elise," he said soothingly, "I didn't mean—"
"I know what you meant," I said. "It's all a great joke to you now, isn't it? Well, it's not a joke to me. That man raped and beat me. He treated me like an animal, worse than any black in that hold. When he had had enough of me he turned me over to his crew, and when they had finished with me I was almost dead. I lost the child I was carrying. That was very amusing, Garth. It was your child, and Doctor Hawthorne said I would probably never have another. If you want to know any more of the lurid details, ask me now, because in the future I will not discuss that ship or that captain or the crew."
My hands were trembling and my voice sounded brittle and sharp in my ears, but I didn't care. I plunged on. "I'm not afraid of you, Garth. I'm not afraid of any man because nothing could happen to me that could be worse than what I endured on that death ship. I asked Jean and Dominique to teach me to kill, and now I can deal out life and death just like any man. I have seen a lot since I saw you last, Garth, and I have learned a lot." I gave a short laugh. "You will be disappointed in me, I fear. The child you kidnapped from her brothers is no more. And I say good riddance to her."
His face was impassive during my recital, and when I had finished he sighed deeply and said, "Yes, I can see that you have changed, Elise." We rode on in silence for some minutes, then he said, "I misjudged you, I must confess. I thought your piracy was a parlor game, something the bored mistress of a vagabond played at because she found it amusing. But you were serious about it after all. Remarkable." The carriage halted in front of the hotel. Garth climbed down and offered his hand to help me. I looked up and saw Lydia Arceneaux and her son, Andre, emerging from the lobby. Her mouth dropped open.
"Why, Elise! Fancy, I haven't seen you in ages, my dear. And Monsieur McClelland! What—what a surprise. How is—ah, dear Georgette?"
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