Blackhearts (25 page)

head. “They act without authority. They’re scoundrels and

crooks—”

“And is your brother so very different?” Teach asked. “I’ve

seen some rather questionable characters who claim to be edu-

cated and well-bred act far more maliciously than any pirate.

Nobles claim that the poor and uneducated cannot govern

themselves, yet I’ve witnessed destitute men do just that, obey-

ing their own laws like a priest obeys the word of God.”

Any further argument Anne might have made was forgotten.

A high-pitched scream sounded from the courtyard outside, and

Anne rushed to the window, noticing a dust cloud churning near

the barn.

It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t due to the

wind. Two figures wrestled on the ground, while Mary and

Margery stood nearby, both of them shrieking at the men to

stop.

Teach was already out of the library when Anne picked up

her skirts and rushed after him. He strode through the house

and out the back door, toward the commotion, his expression

grim. Anne recognized only one of the participants, Tom, the

young groom, his shirt torn and his breeches covered in dirt.

The other individual was a stranger, but he was strongly

built. Teach grabbed his arm in an effort to pull him off

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the prone figure of the groom, but his efforts were rewarded with a fist to the gut. Teach doubled over, and Anne rushed

to his side.

Mary sobbed, clutching her apron. “Stop it! Stop it, I tell

you!” she cried.

It didn’t take a stretch of the imagination for Anne to real-

ize that the other person must have been John, Mary’s beau. If

someone didn’t act fast, who knew if the fools would stop.

Anne raced to the barn and grabbed a pail full of water.

Charging out into the fray once more, she flung the contents

onto the combatants. The force of her swing sent her flying,

and she landed on her backside, next to Teach.

Everyone else froze, as if they, too, had been doused. Too

shocked to move, Anne simply sat there. Teach heaved her to

her feet and wrested the bucket from her hands. He turned on

the two men—boys, Anne quickly told herself, for they couldn’t

have been more than three years her senior—and dragged them

apart. Water was dripping down their shirtfronts.

“What happened, John?” Teach demanded, looking between

the two.

John pointed a thick finger at the groom. “I caught him tak-

ing liberties with my Mary,” he snarled, a pained look on his face.

Anne’s heart ached for him.

Teach turned in the direction of the plump maid. “Is this true?”

Mary twisted her mouth, clearly trying to think of a way

out of her present situation.

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It was enough of an answer for John. He lunged for the groom once more, but this time Teach was ready. He grabbed

John around the shoulders from behind, leaning back to prevent

the two of them from toppling over. “You are both dismissed,”

he said to Tom and Mary through clenched teeth, struggling to

hold John back.

Margery, seeing the need to intervene, pushed Mary toward

the back door. “You heard him. Mr. Edward says it’s time for

you to go.”

Tom stood there for a moment. “But his father hired me—”

Teach’s face was bright red from exertion. “Go now!” he

bellowed.

It took Tom less than two minutes to gather his belongings

and leave the property. Mary quickly followed suit, in a rush

to catch up to him. She left without so much as a good-bye in

John’s direction.

Teach released John slowly, his back tensed in case he needed

to intervene again. He needn’t have worried. John’s shoulders

slumped forward, his face crumpling with grief.

Although Anne had never lost a beau, she felt an over-

whelming amount of sympathy for the young man. She could

not imagine how he must feel, watching his love walk away

with another.

On the other hand, she was relieved that Mary was gone.

The girl had always been trouble.

Anne turned, wanting to give John some semblance of pri-

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vacy. Her eyes met Teach’s, and she saw the same emotions she felt mirrored in his.

“I’ll go see about some food,” she said to no one in partic-

ular. At the door to the house, she cast one last look over her

shoulder. Teach spoke quietly to John as the first few drops of

rain fell from the pewter sky.

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C H A P T E R 2 3

Teach

Teach waited patiently beside his friend as John took a deep,

shuddering breath. Raindrops fell intermittently, like silent

tears from the sky.

“She doesn’t deserve you,” Teach said.

John didn’t respond. He stared at the empty courtyard that

just moments before had been full of chaos.

Clapping John on the back, Teach guided him toward the

stable, knowing his friend needed some privacy. He was worried

John might still decide to go after Mary. “Come in out of the rain.”

“You knew all along, didn’t you?” John asked, dragging

his feet.

Teach gave him a steady look. “Would you have believed

me if I’d told you?”

After a moment of stony silence, John shook his head.

“Probably not.”

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Teach approached Kaiser’s stall and stroked his neck. The sweet smell of hay combined with the leather tack acted as a

balm.

“I’m sorry for my behavior. Your life is on the line, and I

acted like a fool, but when I saw Mary and that . . . I . . .” John’s voice faded, his hands clenching into fists. “I’m sorry.”

Teach tried to imagine how he would feel if Patience’s atten-

tions were otherwise engaged.

Relieved.

Now, if he ever saw Anne with anyone else . . .

Shaking his head to clear the image, Teach turned to his

friend. “You’ll find you’re better off without her.”

John gave him a sad smile. “Mary and I grew up together.

I’ve known her since I was a lad and stole a pie from her father’s bakery. She used to be all kinds of fun. What could make a girl

change so much?”

There was no question Mary still liked to have fun, but

Teach kept that observation to himself. “It happens. Some

people change too much, and others don’t change at all. You’ll

see it’s for the best. You’re a good man, John. You’ve weathered far worse, and I daresay you’ll come out ahead in the end.”

Teach almost envied him. At the moment he’d gladly have

traded positions with his friend and been rid of an unwanted

betrothal.

“She didn’t even look back at me,” John muttered.

Teach took a long breath, disliking the thought of John

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wasting another minute pining for Mary. Given time, John would forget her. “I hate to ask, but I’m assuming you’re here

because of Barrett.”

“Aye, I am. He’s gone.”

“What?”

John nodded. “It’s true. Word is he sold several of his father’s ships to the Royal African Company, to be turned into slavers.”

Teach was disgusted but not surprised. “When did he leave?”

“Yesterday, aboard a ship set for the West Indies.”

“Did you hear of any evidence he might have against me?”

John lowered his head. “No. Nothing. I was about to have

someone pay him a visit, but I never got the chance. He’s gone.”

Teach cursed, and Kaiser sidled away, snorting nervously.

Leaning forward, Teach attempted to soothe the animal, his

mind replaying John’s words.

Barrett was gone. Barrett was gone.

“I’m sorry, Teach. I truly am.”

Teach almost didn’t hear him, for his heartbeat hammered

in his throat. Staring at the ground, he tried to think of what his next step would be, but his mind wouldn’t focus.

“Can they have an inquiry if Barrett isn’t here to support

the charges?” John asked, his tone hopeful.

“I don’t know. I’m not even sure if Barrett was the one to

accuse me, but I can’t think of anyone else who would gain

from it.”

“I’ll look into it for you,” John said. “Don’t you worry,

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Teach. We’ll get to the bottom of this, even if I have to break you out of jail myself.”

The tightness in Teach’s chest didn’t ease, despite his friend’s assurances. “Yes, well, hopefully it won’t come to that.”

The two of them were silent, a heavy pall hanging between

them.

Eventually John cleared his throat. “I best head back to the

Deliverance
.”

“Would you like to come into the house first?” Teach could

do with a drink.

John shook his head, turning for the door. “I’m not fit for

company. I’ll keep asking around. Like I said, we’ll get to the

bottom of this.” He raised his hand in a final farewell before

striding out the door and disappearing from view.

Teach stood alone in the stable for several minutes, reluc-

tant to return to the house. He rubbed the lower half of his

jaw, considering what to do. With Barrett gone, there went any

hope of confronting him, demanding answers.

Taking slow, measured breaths, he looked outside. The rain

had already stopped, as if the sky couldn’t make up its mind.

After several more minutes he headed in the direction of

the gardens.

The wind blew and buffeted, but Teach pressed on through

the manicured lawns, until he reached the trail leading behind

his father’s property into the nearby woods. He drew to a halt at the two weeping willows. As a child he’d loved playing near the

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trees, pretending he was an explorer, discovering new worlds and different cultures.

It was the same place where he had vomited on Miss

Patience, and where Anne had appeared out of nowhere to help

him. He liked to think that had been the start of their friend-

ship, but it had since grown into something stronger.

As if his thoughts had conjured her, he felt her presence at

his side before he saw her. She wore a dark blue cloak that fell to her ankles in long folds, and despite the mud soaking her hem,

she looked every inch the queen.

“I’m going into town,” she said.

“Oh?” Although he’d encouraged her to do just that, Teach

couldn’t hide his disappointment. There was something calm-

ing about Anne, and at that moment he craved tranquility.

“Yes, I’m going to find someone to take Mary’s place.” Not

only was she intelligent and beautiful, but she possessed an air of efficiency. Teach had the feeling that when she set her mind

to something, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do.

“While you’re at it, do you think you could find a replace-

ment for the groom as well?” Teach asked, only half joking.

His father hadn’t been gone for even a day, and already the

household had fallen apart. “I’d accompany you, but I have

the feeling my father wouldn’t appreciate my efforts.”

“I believe I can find someone to replace the groom. Elizabeth

has several siblings. I’m sure they would be more than willing to work for your father.”

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“Let me ready the carriage for you,” he said.

“There’s no need. I prefer to walk.”

“You’ll do no such thing. It’s about to rain again.”

Anne squared her shoulders. “I assure you, I’ve walked in the

rain before. And the snow. And the ice. I’m perfectly capable of walking to town. I used to do it every day.”

Teach hated the thought of Anne being exposed to all sorts

of elements, both human and otherwise. “I do not doubt that,

but I would prefer it if you took the carriage. And have Sara

accompany you.”

“Elizabeth is coming with me. And she prefers to walk as

well.”

In spite of his annoyance, Teach couldn’t help a faint

smile. She would fight till the last. “I thought we were past

this, Anne.”

“Past what?”

“Arguing.”

“We’re not arguing. I simply came to tell you where I was

going. You’re the one who insists on telling me what to do.”

“Good. Then I’m simply telling you I will see to the car-

riage.” Teach turned to head back to the stable, but Anne’s next words stopped him.

“I saw John leave. I know he came to bring you some kind

of news. What was it?” There was no mistaking the concern in

her voice.

“He’s gone.”

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Anne lifted her skirts and moved to stand in front of him, forcing him to meet her eyes. “Who is?”

“Your brother.”

Looking away, she was quiet for a moment. “What does

that mean? Will they continue with the inquiry if he’s not here?”

Teach sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what any of this

means.”

“We still have to wait to hear from your father.”

Teach rubbed the back of his neck. “You place an awful lot

of faith in his abilities.”

“And you, not nearly enough. Despite what you think, I

know he loves you.”

“You keep telling me that, but we must have a different

understanding of the word.”

“And what is your definition?” she asked.

“I believe if you truly love someone, then the most import-

ant thing should be their happiness, not yours.”

“You’re saying your father cares more for his own happiness.”

“Yes.”

Anne stepped toward him, her face flushed. “And I believe

if you truly love someone, you let that person know you will

always be there for them, no matter the circumstances. That is