Blackhearts (32 page)

Anne had just stepped onto the balcony when a fleshy hand

grabbed her wrist. She shrieked as William leered at her.

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“I thought it was you!” he snarled, dragging her along behind him.

Fighting desperately against his hold as he attempted to

yank her back toward the gardens, Anne looked frantically over

her shoulder, trying to catch Teach’s attention. But the balcony was in shadows from the large trees surrounding it. Even in her

ivory dress, it would be hard for Teach to see anything while the library was lit from within.

“Let go of me!” Anne yelled, hoping her voice would carry,

but the sound of the orchestra in the ballroom drowned her out.

“I’ll not have you running off to tell Teach about us,” he

said. “You will keep your mouth shut.”

“If you love Patience, why don’t you marry her yourself?”

Anne cried. It didn’t make sense. Upon his father’s death,

William would become a duke. Surely he had more to offer

a baron than a merchant?

William did not respond, but Anne managed to escape,

lifting her skirts and flying back the way she’d come. William

tackled her from behind, and Anne fell forward, her head nar-

rowly missing the edge of the balcony stairs.

If she didn’t get away, he might kill her. She searched the

ground, looking for something,
anything
, to throw that would capture Teach’s attention, but there was nothing at hand.

The watch in her pocket.

Anne kicked out, her foot connecting with William’s face.

He fell back, his hands clutching his nose as blood spurted

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everywhere, like a fountain. Jumping to her feet, Anne reached into her pocket and grabbed the watch.

Taking aim, she threw with all of her might. Both she and

William remained motionless as the watch sailed through the

air. It pierced the window in the library, shattering the smooth surface and breaking the reflection of the moon into a thousand

shards.

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C H A P T E R 3 0

Teach

Glass rained down from the window, and a familiar gold object

landed on the carpet near Teach’s feet. It was Anne’s pocket

watch. Alarmed, he scooped it up and looked out, to where he

saw a flash of ivory in the gloom. Two figures battled outside,

and an overpowering rage swept through Teach as he realized it

was Anne. And William.

“What the devil?” Drummond snapped

Throwing open the French doors, Teach nearly pulled them

off their hinges. The cold air rushed in, as well as the sounds

of Anne’s struggle. Teach flew across the balcony, his arms out-

stretched as he reached for William’s throat.

He would kill him for this.

Teach’s blood roared in his ears, and he tackled William to

the ground in a confusion of limbs and cloth, his fists pum-

meling his former friend with coiled strength. William could

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only lie there, trying to protect himself as best he could.

“Edward, stop this at once!” His father’s hands gripped

Teach around his shoulders, attempting to pull him back, but

Teach was not prepared to stop. After one particularly hard hit, William caught his breath in a gasp of agony.

Only Anne’s voice was able to break through the haze,

piercing Teach’s rage as she cried out to him.

Slowly, like a man waking from a dream, Teach fell back, his

chest heaving, finally aware of a number of people surrounding

them. William lay curled in a ball, openly sobbing, his clothes

bloodied and soiled.

“Get her out of here,” Drummond said. “I’ll deal with this.”

Teach scooped Anne into his arms and carried her away

from prying eyes. The rips in Anne’s dress along with the grass

stains painted a condemning picture.

He set her down once they were out of sight, his eyes and

hands running over her, trying to assess how much damage had

been done. She trembled uncontrollably, clearly in shock.

“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Teach asked.

Anne shook her head. “No, no,” she whispered, her voice

quivering. “I was trying to get to you—”

It was all Teach could do not to return to beat the remain-

ing life out of William. If Teach ever saw William again, he

swore to himself he would finish the job.

But not now. Right now Anne needed him.

Teach gathered her close, pressing his lips against her hair,

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desperate to convince her that she was safe. “Let’s get you home,” he said, taking off his longcoat and placing it around

her shoulders.

As they neared the front of the house, Teach was careful to

shield Anne from curious looks. He hailed his driver and then

climbed into the carriage beside her, shutting the door soundly

behind him. Once inside, he brought her close, running his

hands up and down her arms in an effort to stop her shivering.

The carriage pulled away.

“I have to tell you—” Anne began, but Teach silenced her.

“Shhh, no, don’t,” he said, unable to bear it. If William had

indeed harmed her . . .

“No, it has n-nothing to do with me. He . . . he did not

hurt me.” Teach snorted, but Anne remained firm, even as her

teeth chattered from shock. “He might have, if . . . if you hadn’t come. He was frightened I would tell you about them.”

“About whom?” Teach asked.

“William and Patience. William is the one who accused you

of piracy. And Patience is pregnant with his child.”

Teach froze, his hands resting on Anne’s arms.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, concern for him evident on her face.

Teach stared at her. “You’re sorry? Why would you be

sorry?” he asked, incredulous.

Anne swallowed. “Because William is your friend. And

because I was the one who had to tell you. I overheard them

in the garden.” A look of disgust filled her eyes. “They deserve 3 0 8

each other. I don’t understand why the two of them don’t just marry.”

“After tonight they will have no choice,” Teach said.

“But why didn’t they simply do that in the first place? Does

Patience truly love him?”

“I believe she may. William makes her laugh. The two of

them have much in common, caring more about parties and

appearance than books or learning. It seems that while I was

gone, their attraction to each other merely increased.”

“Then why didn’t the baron choose William to marry her?

Why you?”

“Because the Duke and Duchess of Cardwell would never

agree to it. On more than one occasion, I overheard them

talking about her. They see Patience for what she really is, a

spoiled, manipulative girl. And they wanted more than a bar-

on’s daughter for William.”

“But William is no better,” Anne said bitterly.

“But he is their
son
. They’ve spoiled him and are too afraid to admit that they were wrong to supply his every whim.” Teach

exhaled loudly. “I should have suspected something.”

“William believed charging you with piracy would get Lord

Hervey to change his mind about your match. But it didn’t.”

“No, it didn’t. And knowing Patience as I do, I believe she

was torn. She loves her father and knows how much he needs

my father’s money. That was why she couldn’t break off the

betrothal outright.”

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Anne leaned into him, and Teach closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of her body against his.

“Will they claim the baby is yours?” she asked.

“They might try. That was why they were rushing the

engagement.” Looking back, everything made sense. The note

Anne found had been intended for Patience.

“What will you do now?” she asked.

“Marry you,” was his simple response.

Anne met Teach’s gaze. Her mouth tilted up at the corner, and

a bright glint entered her eyes. “And if I’m not ready to marry?”

“Then I will wait.”

“Is that a proposal?” she asked softly.

Teach grinned. “Perhaps. Will you accept?”

“Perhaps.”

“What would it take to convince you?” he asked.

“It’s not me you have to convince. It’s your father.”

Teach brushed her hair behind her ear. “My father can have

no objections now. You’re Andrew Barrett’s daughter and more

of an equal match for me than Patience ever was.”

Anne appeared unconvinced, but remained silent.

In the shelter of the carriage, Teach held her close, her heart

beating against his chest.

“You’re going back there, aren’t you?” Anne asked.

Teach frowned. “I should. I wish I could leave it until

tomorrow, but I’m afraid of what Patience and William will say

if they’re given enough time to concoct some other story. The

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best time to catch them in their lies is now, when they haven’t time to regroup. I must go and explain my case.”

The carriage pulled to a stop. Teach jumped out and walked

Anne up to the entrance of the house. “I’m sorry for leaving you so soon.”

“I’ll be fine. You must tell your father what I heard. Come

and find me later.”

“Always,” he said.

Teach waited until Elizabeth appeared and took Anne to

her room before he bounded back down the stairs toward the

carriage. This would not take him long. Word of what had hap-

pened had no doubt spread throughout the party.

Teach instructed the driver to return to the Cardwell estate.

By the time he arrived, the last of the guests were entering

their carriages, no doubt disappointed that the grand party had

been cut short. The lanterns out front flickered in the wind,

and the green garlands and topiaries looked forlorn instead of

festive.

Inside the large house, Teach followed the butler down

the long, deserted hallway. He heard the loud voices before he

entered the drawing room. Both the duke and the baron were

crouched over William where he sat in the corner of the settee.

A bloody cloth was pressed to his nose, and his head was tipped

back to staunch the flow.

“How is Anne?” Drummond asked, reaching his son’s side

before the others were aware of his presence.

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“Recovering, thank you. What have I missed?”

Before Teach’s father could respond, William’s eyes wid-

ened. The duke turned, his face red with rage.

“There you are. Would you care to explain why you attacked

my son in the middle of a party held in your honor?”

Drummond stepped in front of Teach. “As I told you, your

son attacked my goddaughter, Your Grace. I saw it with my

own eyes. Edward was merely protecting her.”

The duke spread his hands wide. “Where is she, then? Hmmm?

The only victim I see here is William. You could have killed him!”

If his father hadn’t been standing in front of him, Teach

might have gone for the duke’s throat as well. “I took Anne

home for her own protection. She happened to overhear a con-

versation between the earl and Miss Patience.”

“What did she expect, skulking about the gardens like a

common street— Ahh!” William’s words were cut off by his

own high-pitched squeal as Teach lunged for him.

It took the combined strength of the duke, Lord Hervey,

and Drummond to hold Teach back.

“You bloody coward!” Teach spat, straining against the

three men who prevented him from delivering more damage to

William’s face. “The only sullied reputation is Miss Patience’s.

Does your father know he’s about to be a grandfather?”

“What?” the duke cried.

“What the devil are you talking about?” Lord Hervey

demanded.

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Teach stepped out of their grasp. “Oh, didn’t Lord Lorimar tell you? In the garden he professed his undying love for Miss

Patience. She’s carrying his child.”

The silence in the room was thick, and for a moment time

seemed to stand still.

Turning to his father, Teach pointed an accusatory finger

at William. “And it was Lorimar who accused me of piracy.

He did it hoping the baron would hear about it and break the

betrothal, for the earl hopes to marry Patience himself.”

“Is this true?” the duke asked, piercing his son with an

astonished glare.

William cowered in the corner, his mouth opening and

closing, but no sound came out.

Lord Hervey sputtered protestations, his face and neck

turning an alarming shade of red. Drummond looked between

the three men, his brows drawn together in a frown.

“Is this true, Edward?” he asked, turning to his son.

Teach nodded. “Yes. I suspect Miss Patience is several weeks

along already. They have only to ask Miss Patience to confirm it.”

The duke strode to the door and barked out orders. In just

a few minutes Patience arrived, along with Lady Hervey and

the duchess.

“What is the meaning of this?” the duchess asked. “William

should be in bed.” Glancing at the assembled group, the duch-

ess saw Teach, and her eyes narrowed. “Why is he still here? Are you going to press charges?” she asked, turning on her husband.

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“If anyone is going to press charges, it will be me,” Drummond said. “Your son attacked an innocent girl, who happens to be under my protection.” Turning to Lord Hervey, he nodded in Patience’s

direction. “The betrothal is off. My son will no longer marry your daughter.” His voice rang throughout the room, and Teach’s chest nearly burst with the relief he felt at his father’s words.