Ransome's Quest (24 page)

She clapped her hand over his mouth. “Please, don’t say anything. Charles Lott is dead. He died at Barbados of yellow fever.”

He pulled her hand away but lowered his voice, leaning toward her. “Then how will you explain your presence here? How will you explain to the three men you rescued, and the three who helped, that the person who saved them is dead?”

She shrugged. “A ghost? I’ve heard stories—”

Duncan snorted. “You know those stories aren’t true. And the men aren’t stupid.” He straightened. “I will take you to Captain Cochrane.”

“I’d rather return to
Audacious
.”

Duncan pressed his lips together, but before he could respond another yell came from above.

“Alexandra
is cleared for action and looks to broadside
Vengeance.
All hands, return to
Audacious
and prepare to intercept HMS
Alexandra
!”

In the melee of getting back to
Audacious,
Charlotte managed to lose herself in the crowd. She could not get back into the cabin through the main door. The marine guard would not let her pass unless she identified herself—not a good idea dressed as Charles Lott, soaking wet, and smelling like something left to rot in the gutter from the filthy water in
Sister Mary
’s orlop. She would have to enter the same way she exited.

She sneaked through the milling crew to the door into Ned’s steward’s cabin. She cracked the door open and peeked in. Empty. With a sigh of relief, she slipped in and cut through the small captain’s galley to the door of the sleeping cabin.

Pulling off her sodden coat and waistcoat, she pushed the door open—and yelped.

Ned stood in the sleeping cabin, dressed in nothing but his trousers and boots. His shirt and waistcoat, both bloodstained, lay crumpled at his feet. His surprise quickly gave way to suspicion and anger once he realized what she was wearing.

She started to apologize, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

“We shall speak of this later. Right now, I have more pressing issues.” He pulled a voluminous shirt over his head. “Clean yourself up, put on something more appropriate, and, above all else,
do not leave this cabin again.”
He stomped through the door into the day cabin, calling for his steward.

Charlotte pantomimed touching the brim of her hat, now lost. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

But even through her bravado, shame gnawed at her. Not only had she put herself in jeopardy, she had revealed herself to several officers and crewmen. If word got out about Charles Lott’s being a woman, Ned’s knowing and then marrying her, and then Charlotte’s dressing like a midshipman again to participate in an action, Ned could be court-martialed. He could lose his commission or even be discharged from the Royal Navy.

She dropped the coat and waistcoat atop his ruined clothes. Ruined. Yes, she had ruined her reputation by rash and foolish actions. Now she might have ruined Ned’s career, his life.

Why couldn’t she learn to think before she acted?

T
he pirate’s delays in obeying William’s command to stand down and prepare to be boarded stretched his patience to the breaking point. He stood on the starboard side of the poop deck, trying to discern meaning from the activity aboard
Vengeance
’s quarterdeck. The frigate still had her guns run out, but, unlike the marines lining the side of
Alexandra
, muskets raised and ready to fire, the upper decks of
Vengeance
were mostly empty.

“Commodore, signal from the other ship. It’s
Audacious
, sir. They—

William cut Lieutenant Eastwick off. “Signal
Audacious
to flank the enemy ship and prepare to fire on my signal.”

Eastwick hesitated rather than immediately obey William’s command. “Sir, the captain of
Audacious
requests permission to come aboard
Alexandra
.”

Rather than relay his message through the third lieutenant, William marched to the forecastle himself.

“Signal
Audacious
to flank the enemy ship.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” The midshipman grabbed the appropriate flags and hoisted them.

Audacious
changed tack and moved to take up position on the other side of
Vengeance
.

“Now signal permission for Captain Cochrane to come aboard.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” The midshipman lowered the first message and raised the second. William returned to the poop deck to keep watch on the pirates.

Half an hour later, Ned approached him.

“Thank you for your assistance with the first ship, Captain Cochrane.” William turned to his friend and protégé. “With the second pirate ship coming astern, I do not know if I could have extricated
Alexandra
from this battle.”

“It is my honor, sir, to have arrived in time to help. I saw the mast fall. Your handiwork?” Ned tapped his fingers against his legs, a sign of agitation that belied his calm words.

“Aye. What is going on, Ned?”

Ned glanced at
Vengeance
and then back at William. “You cannot fire on her, sir.”

“I know I cannot. He has Charlotte, and I cannot put her life in such jeopardy.”

“No, sir. Captain Salvador does not have Charlotte.”

William pulled the note out of his pocket and thrust it toward Ned. “He
does
have her. I have proof. He will pay for his crime.”

Ned turned and motioned to someone behind him. William stepped to the side—and then closed his eyes in blessed relief. Charlotte wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace for a moment and then took hold of her upper arms and held her away from him for closer inspection.

“You are well? Not injured?”

Charlotte shrugged his hands away and stepped back toward Ned. “I am quite well, thank you, William.”

Her downcast eyes and timid stance, with hands folded demurely in front of her, indicated she was anything but well. “Are you certain? I want you to tell me what the pirate did to you, no matter how indelicate it seems.”

Her head snapped up. “He did nothing to harm me. In fact, Captain Salvador saved my life when I…fell overboard and might have drowned. He has been nothing but solicitous and courteous toward me. And all of his crew as well.”

William looked at Ned, who kept his gaze conspicuously turned away from Charlotte. Unusual, given their conversation about Ned’s wanting to marry her last they talked.

Then Ned began to speak, explaining how he came upon
Vengeance
—or, more precisely, how
Vengeance
had come upon him. William clasped his hands behind his back and let the motion of the ship sway him from side to side.

When he got to the part about taking Charlotte off the pirate’s ship, he hesitated.

Charlotte looked up at Ned, down at her hands, and then up at William. She took a deep, unsteady breath. “William, I convinced Ned to marry me to protect what remained of my reputation.” She raised her left hand in front of her chest; a thin gold band encircled a finger.

Ned stared over William’s shoulder, expression impassive.

“Mr. Cochrane?”

“Aye, sir. It is true. The sailing master aboard
Vengeance
is a minister. He performed the ceremony, before witnesses, and he wrote the certificate of marriage, which we both signed. But, sir, we haven’t…the marriage is in name only. I agreed to go through the marriage ceremony and introduce her to my crew as my wife to protect her reputation, but I made her agree that we would behave toward each other in such a manner that, if you disapprove, the marriage could be annulled.”

William considered shaking both of them, perhaps knocking their heads together. Such a total and wanton lack of good sense and propriety.

Something in the back of his mind interrupted his outrage. Julia, walking circles around a bench in a garden, explaining to him how she needed him to marry her to protect her inheritance. Her terms had been not only that it would be a marriage in name only, to be annulled after a year, but that William would receive Julia’s inheritance even after the annulment.

He turned and stalked to the back of the poop deck. The cliffs around which they had followed
Sister Mary
lay too far away to be seen.

The arrival of Julia’s cousin and aunt, who would have used whatever means necessary to get their hands on her fortune, convinced William to accept her proposition. Julia had turned to him and asked him to be the one to marry her because she trusted him, because she believed he would protect her, because she loved him. And he loved her. Otherwise, he would not have gone through with it.

Charlotte was the same age as Julia had been when William made the mistake of walking away from her instead of proposing to her twelve years ago. And though Ned was a few years older than William had been at the time, William saw much of himself in the young captain.

He returned to his sister and her husband. “You have my blessing. You do realize, of course, that Julia will insist upon a formal wedding ceremony when we return to Tierra Dulce.”

Strangely, his statement of approval did not bring the expressions of joy he expected to see on their faces.

“Thank you, Commodore. I will have my steward pack her belongings and deliver them to Dawling to put in your cabin.”

William crossed his arms. More than just an illicit marriage plagued these two. And William would not allow himself to be dragged into the middle of it. “Belay that, Mr. Cochrane. She is your wife. Thus she is your responsibility.”

“Sir, I cannot have her aboard
Audacious.
She will be…has been…recognized. She—”

Charlotte made an exasperated sound. “What he means, William, is that he doesn’t want me on his ship because during the action this morning I dressed in my old uniform and joined in the fight.” She moved to stand in front of Ned. “Your ship is shorthanded. A thirteen-year-old boy was trying to command five gun crews by himself.”

Ned finally looked at her—right before he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “That thirteen-year-old boy has more experience serving aboard a ship of the line in battle than you do. Your life was at greater risk than his. Your life is of more value than his.”

The tension ebbed from Charlotte’s shoulders. “No, Ned, it is not.”

“It is to me.” He pulled her into his arms. “You could have been killed.”

“So could you.” Charlotte’s words were muffled by Ned’s uniform coat.

William cleared his throat. “If I might interrupt, we do have a pirate ship off starboard to which we should be attending.”

Ned and Charlotte broke apart. Ned straightened his jacket with a swift tug. “Sir, if I might signal
Vengeance
from here?”

William stepped aside and motioned Ned toward the stern, where a midshipman and lieutenant stood waiting for orders.

Charlotte, her cheeks pink, followed Ned across the poop deck. Moments later, a colorful array of flags raised. C-H-A-R-L-E-S-L-O-T-T. The name his sister had taken in her identity as a midshipman on
Audacious.

Not only had Ned formed an alliance with the pirate, Charlotte had created such a bond that she felt comfortable sharing secrets with him. William prayed it would not lead to disaster.

Salvador climbed the accommodation ladder with trepidation weighing his every step. Forming an alliance with Ned Cochrane had seemed logical, rational. Forming an alliance with William Ransome…Salvador hoped he wasn’t about to meet his doom.

The two marines standing sentry on either side of the entry port kept their muskets trained on him, while the several others lining the side kept theirs aimed at his men in the gig below.

He stopped to adjust the lace cuffs of his shirt—Serena’s idea and handiwork—and touched the fore point of his hat in return salute to the lieutenant who faced him.

“Commodore Ransome is waiting for you.” An Irishman, just like Picaro, save this one had dark hair and a wicked scar running across the right side of his face, from the top of his ear to his chin. It looked like a saber slash, its puckered, rough edges indicating it had been hastily and not neatly stitched back together, probably while the battle continued. Salvador imagined he would enjoy the telling of how the young man received such a badge of honor. For the most part, he found the Irish to be good storytellers.