Blackhearts (33 page)

“And why not?” Lady Hervey asked.

“I believe that is a conversation best left between you and

your husband. My business here is concluded. Edward, it’s time

for us to go.”

Teach was only too happy to exit the room as the aristo-

crats started flinging accusations at one another. He gathered it wouldn’t take long before objects followed.

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C H A P T E R 3 1

Teach

For the next three days Teach couldn’t wipe the smile from

his face. He hadn’t been this happy since he’d first set sail on Andrew Barrett’s ship more than a year ago, bound for adventures untold.

He was grateful and extremely relieved that his involvement

with Patience Hervey and her family was at an end. It had been

an ugly confrontation, one that had no doubt turned uglier the

moment he and his father had left.

Drummond had actually apologized to Teach. It was now

widely known that Patience was several weeks pregnant, and

since Teach had only recently returned, there was no conceiv-

able way he could have fathered the child. Instead of announc-

ing Teach’s and Patience’s betrothal, William’s and Patience’s

names were tied together publicly.

Teach didn’t care if he never saw William or Patience again.

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When he thought how close he had come to marrying her . . .

his stomach twisted at the thought. If they had married, when

the child had been born, would he have recognized that it wasn’t his? Or would he have assumed the baby had simply come early,

and raised it as his own?

If it hadn’t been for Anne— Teach pictured her struggling

against William. He had a hard time controlling his anger when

he thought of it.

He and Anne had decided not to tell his father about their

plans to marry. Not yet, at least.

She was the daughter of a respectable and admired mer-

chant, not to mention Master Drummond’s closest friend. She

would be a worthy match, and with time Teach was sure his

father would see it.

Without a wedding to plan, Drummond had thrown him-

self into preparations for the launch of the
Deliverance
and was hardly ever at home. Teach was glad, for it left him time to

spend with Anne alone. They dined together at the house and

took walks through the garden, talking about everything and

nothing. When they were silent, it wasn’t the awkward silence

of two who had exhausted their conversation. It was simply

companionable, each one at peace with the other.

Now Teach hurried his pace, oblivious to the busy city

streets. He was supposed to meet up with Anne and Elizabeth

within an hour, and nothing was going to make him late.

Anne had been reluctant to go into the city, ever since the

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party, and he’d told her he would meet her near the docks in an hour. Anne had shaken her head at him. “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this. You’re like a young boy on Christmas Day.”

“And you are my gift. Just so you know, I was never very

good at sharing.” Laughing at the shocked look on Elizabeth’s

face, Teach had left the two of them at the dressmakers.

He could not wait to see Anne again. She was more honor-

able than most landed gentry he knew. Including his ex-fiancée.

Once he and Anne were married, he would show everyone just

how remarkable she was. The fact that Anne’s skin was a shade

darker than most should not exclude her from anyone’s drawing

rooms.

Teach quickened his pace as he neared his destination,

unwilling to let anything ruin his plans or his mood. He pulled

the heavy wooden-and-glass door open and stepped inside.

The shop gave off a clean, sharp scent of linseed oil. Teach

glanced around at the simple interior. Several chairs were

arranged in groups of three at small desks, a curtain hanging

between each grouping, giving the occupants privacy.

Teach nodded to the shopkeeper, who withdrew into a back

room, only to return with an ornate velvet box in his hands and

a shiny gold object.

“Please sit down,” he instructed Teach.

Teach settled into his chair, his heart racing. Anne was

right. He hadn’t been this excited since he used to wake up on

Christmas morning, waiting to see what gifts he’d been given.

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“Here is the watch you asked to be repaired.”

Teach held the familiar object in his hand, clicking it open.

“Thank you. Excellent work.” He slipped it into his pocket.

“Now for the other matter. I took the liberty of picking

these out myself, once I read your message.” With a deft move-

ment the shopkeeper opened the velvet box, and Teach smiled

at what lay before him.

Rings in all shapes and sizes lined the interior, covered in

diamonds and pearls. “Which one shall it be?” the jeweler asked.

Teach was momentarily overwhelmed and shook his head,

wondering if he should have brought Anne along with him. “I

can’t pick. They’re all so beautiful. That would be like picking a favorite child.”

The shopkeeper smiled indulgently, no doubt used to such

astonishment. “Perhaps it would help if you held them up to

the light.” He reached out and picked up a gold ring with a

large pearl, then slipped it into Teach’s hand.

Teach held it up, admiring the ring as it shimmered in the

sunlight streaming through the windows. “It’s . . . quite large,”

he said at length.

The jeweler’s eyebrows drew together.

Teach sensed his displeasure and placed it back in the tray.

“How about this one?” the jeweler asked, picking a large

diamond ring.

Teach frowned and held it up as well. It didn’t feel quite

right for her. “I’m afraid she would cut me with this,” he said

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after a moment. “Or scar me for life.”

The shopkeeper was clearly not amused. “I have some other

rings I could show you,” he said haughtily.

Teach nodded. “Please.”

The jeweler probably thought Teach was too cheap to buy

anything this extravagant. Quite the contrary. He wanted to

show the world how much Anne meant to him, but he also

wanted to prove it to
her
. A large ring might impress the residents of Bristol, but it wouldn’t impress Anne.

She already had several new dresses and gowns. Teach was

even worse than his father when it came to dressmakers. He’d

gone so far as to have an ivory gown made, to replace the one

that had been ruined at the party. She’d protested the entire

time, but Teach had managed to override her objections.

As the shopkeeper left, his back stiff with his displeasure,

Teach drummed his fingers on his knee. He couldn’t wait to see

her reaction when he presented her with a ring.

The jeweler was back. He set the box down in front of

Teach and snapped open the lid. “Perhaps these are more to

your liking,” he said.

The rings were decidedly less ornate, but no less beautiful.

Teach’s eyes settled on a gold band, carefully handcrafted, with a braided centerline framed by twisted ropes. Holding it up for

inspection, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“This is the one,” he murmured.

The jeweler nodded.

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As much as Teach would have liked to buy her the biggest, fattest ring, this one suited her, much more than the other garish choices. “How long will it take for you to size it?” he asked, handing him a circular thread. He’d used it to measure Anne’s finger.

The jeweler tilted his head to the side. “You may return to

pick it up in two days’ time.”

Teach smiled. “Excellent.” He shook the jeweler’s hand and

headed outside, into the brisk fall afternoon.

At the top of the hour, he met Anne and Elizabeth at the

entrance to the docks, the sharp scent of fish and brine assailing their nostrils.

Teach pulled Anne into an alcove, leaving Elizabeth stand-

ing a few feet away. “I missed you,” he whispered. Someone

laughed quietly behind them. Teach looked and saw young

Ruth and a friend pointing and giggling, with Elizabeth nearby.

Teach reached into his pocket and took out two coins. “Here.

Go and bother someone else,” he said to the little girls.

They took off, running down the street.

He threw one to Elizabeth as well. “What’s this for?” she asked.

“For you to leave us,” Teach said.

“But it wouldn’t be proper—” Elizabeth began, but Teach

handed her another coin.

“I just need you to go shopping for a minute or two. Miss

Anne will be quite safe with me.”

“Won’t your father be expecting us for lunch?” Anne asked.

“No. He’s too busy.”

3 2 0

“He works much too hard.”

“You’re right.” Turning to the maid, Teach waved his hand.

“Elizabeth, go and see if my father needs anything.”

“You’re impossible,” Anne muttered. “Elizabeth isn’t going

anywhere. Now hurry and show me what you want so that we

can return home.”

Sighing, Teach held out his hand, motioning to Elizabeth.

“Hand over the coins.”

Elizabeth clutched them to her chest. “No, sir. I need these.

You gave ’em to me fair an’ square.”

Teach’s mouth dropped open. Anne smiled.

“This is your doing,” Teach said, pointing a finger at Anne.

“I’m not sure if you deserve this.” Withdrawing the pocket

watch, he held it out for Anne to see.

She grabbed for it, but he raised it above her head. “It comes

with a price,” he said.

While his attention was focused on Anne, Elizabeth jumped

up and caught the watch in her hands.

Anne laughed. “Thank you, Elizabeth. Who knows what

kind of price he would have demanded of me.”

Recognizing that he was outnumbered, Teach accepted

defeat and turned toward the docks.

The
Deliverance
bobbed gently in the water before them,

the waves lapping noisily against its polished hull. The square-

rigged main and topsails were crisp and white, while the bow-

sprit jutted out like a spear from the foredeck.

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Elizabeth stopped in her tracks. “I’m not going on that.”

Teach’s heart lifted. “Fine. You stay here and wait for us.

This won’t take long.”

He couldn’t help his surge of pride as he helped Anne onto

the plank, leading the way as they boarded. Anne didn’t display

any of Elizabeth’s fear. He’d asked his father if he could show

Anne the ship, and his father had arranged for the crew to be

absent during that time.

The deck gleamed beneath the sunlight. Teach knew that

after a few days at sea, the ship would not resemble its current state, but for now it was spotless. Ropes and barrels lay nearby, waiting to be used.

Anne ran her fingers along the railing, apparently taking in

every detail of the massive ship. They strolled the entire length, ending on the starboard side facing out to sea.

“Do you like it?” Teach asked.

“It’s magnificent,” Anne said. “I’ve never seen a ship this

large before.”

Teach wrinkled his nose. “Trust Father to attempt such an

undertaking.”

“But won’t it make a large target? Think of all the pirates

who will come after this ship, hoping to claim it for their own.”

Teach leaned against the main boom, his arms above his

head. “Father has thought about that. He made sure that

enough cannons are aboard, making a direct assault on the ship

difficult.”

3 2 2

Anne made a face. “Difficult, but not impossible.”

“You need not worry. Father has said he’s hired the most

experienced sailors and soldiers. He pays them well.”

Anne walked across the quarterdeck, down the steps, and

through the long hallway into the captain’s cabin.

She twisted her hands in the folds of her dress. “You know,

before you arrived home, I planned to leave on the
Deliverance.
”

Teach’s eyebrows rose. “Did you?”

She nodded, blushing. “Yes. Looking back, I realize how

foolish I was. I had planned to steal away, or else pay someone

to let me on board.”

Teach smiled. “Not so foolish. I planned to be captain.”

“Did you?” Anne asked.

“Yes. My father doesn’t like to hear me say it. Even if every-

thing hadn’t worked out in our favor, I had no intention of

marrying Miss Patience. I had no idea how to approach the

subject with him, but I was determined to be on board when

the
Deliverance
left port.”

“If our plans had worked, we would have been together

anyway,” Anne said.

Teach took her hand in his. “Always.”

Now it was Anne’s turn to smile.

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C H A P T E R 3 2

Anne

“I’m sorry, but I have no desire to return to the city,” Anne said.

It was late afternoon two days after their visit to the
Deliverance
, and her breath came out in soft puffs of white. Her fingertips

were numb.

She and Teach had gone for another walk in the garden, the

grass beneath their feet long dormant. The limbs of the bushes

and trees appeared lifeless, suspended in their frozen states.

“Are you sure?” Teach asked.

“Quite sure, but thank you,” she said. It was time to return

the last remaining items to the house. For the past few days she’d risen early and gone to the two willows, hid the stolen silverware in her skirts and cloak, and returned them to their original places when no one was looking. Only a small number of objects