Sea of Desire (19 page)

“Why so pleased?” Jared inquired.

Turning her head, Merideth studied the
captain’s dark profile as he returned his gaze to the road ahead.
Rays of sun slipped beneath the chaise bonnet and highlighted the
strong angles of his face. A handsome face, Merideth admitted to
herself, with its high forehead, straight nose, and curved, sensual
lips. She was certain most women found him irresistible.

But that was most women, not her, Merideth
reminded herself forcefully when he twisted to stare at her, his
green eyes questioning. “Have you decided to refuse to speak? If
so, I’d have thought back at the Hôtel du Hambourg a much more
advantageous time.”

“I’m sure that would have suited
you
.
However, I’ve no intention of remaining quiet while you spout lies
about me. And”—Merideth tilted her head—“I think your countrymen
should be aware that you were tried and convicted of murder.”

“Tried and convicted? That sounds a tad less
damning than your usual assertion that I killed your father. Are
you having doubts? Perhaps my repeated denials are having some
effect after all.”

“If repeated denials were effective, I should
be safe and snug in my own home rather than traipsing across the
French countryside as your... your prisoner.”

Jared’s smile was fleeting, but the trace of
his dimple remained. “You forget, I’ve your own father’s assertion
that you are in possession of the spy’s name.”

“And you forget, I found you holding the gun
that killed my father. Besides, if you didn’t do it, who did? There
was no one else at Banistar Hall.”

“The servants?”

“They had no reason to hurt Papa. They are
worse off with him dead than they were before. And not a one of
them has the cunning to kill him and make it appear as if you did
it.”

“That is something, isn’t it,” Jared
conceded. “I can think of only one person capable of that.”

“Who?”

“You.” Jared watched as a shadow crossed her
face. She lifted her chin and turned away, but not before he
noticed the glisten of tears filling her eyes. He had the strongest
urge to reach out and cover her folded hands with one of his.
Instead he snapped the reins, forcing the horse to pick up his
pace.

Not another word passed between them until
they reached Passy. They found the Hôtel de Valentinois at the
corner of the rue Basse and the rue des Vignes. A large stone
mansion, it had wings projecting from the center, each of which
ended in a raised turret supported by Tuscan columns.

Jared drove the chaise to the left wing. At
the door, which was answered by a wigged servant in livery, Jared
was directed to a small building in the garden. As they approached
along a brick path that wove among fruit trees and boxwoods,
Merideth heard the sound of children’s laughter.

They rounded a giant yew and Merideth got her
first glimpse of Benjamin Franklin. He leaned against the side of a
stone building, a plain brown coat covered his slightly
stoop-shouldered frame. His long hair was frizzled, and he looked
like a prosperous merchant. As he read from a parchment he held, he
occasionally glanced up, laughing at the antics of two boys playing
tag in a grassy area.

“Dr. Franklin.” Jared called out the name as
they approached. “A moment of your time, please. I’m Captain Jared
Blackstone.”

The older man glanced up and examined Jared
and Merideth through bespectacled eyes. A welcoming smile
brightened his face. “Ah, Captain Blackstone, the privateer. I’ve
heard of your exploits.”

“And I of yours,” Jared said, and the older
man chuckled.

“Oh, but that I could brag of daring
adventures at sea, I’m sure I’d have all the young ladies’ hearts
aflutter.” His sparkling eyes shifted slightly toward Merideth.

The captain’s introduction of her was less
than glowing, but that didn’t stop Ben Franklin from being
gracious. His manners were charming, and Merideth decided she liked
him despite his being a colonial.

“What can I do for you, Captain?” Ben said
when they were seated on wooden benches beneath the shade of a
cluster of trees. Franklin had dispatched his grandsons, William
Temple and Ben Bache, off to the house in search of
refreshments.

“ ‘Tis a matter of some delicacy,” Jared
began.

“Nonsense, we are among friends here,”
Franklin insisted.

“Lady Merideth is English, of course.”

“Of course she is.” Ben leaned forward to pat
her hand. “Would you care to remove your cloak? The day is quite
warm.”

“No. No, thank you. I’m very
comfortable!”

“As you wish,” Franklin straightened, turning
his attention back to Jared. “Now I think we should conclude our
business so that we can enjoy ourselves when Will and Ben Bache
return.”

Jared cleared his throat. “Let me begin by
saying, I would not be bothering you if I could only determine the
whereabouts of Daniel Wallis.”

“Ah, Daniel.” Franklin waved his hand. “He’s
about, I’m sure. Though, like you, I don’t know exactly where.”

Jared shrugged, wishing Franklin knew where
his cousin was, but deciding in his absence he had no choice but to
proceed. “Little more than a fortnight ago Daniel approached me
while I was in port at Morlaix. He is my cousin and... friend.”
Jared hesitated using the term “friend” to describe his
relationship with Daniel. But they
were
cousins, reared in
the same house.

“At any rate, Daniel confided in me...” At
this point Jared hesitated, his gaze straying toward Merideth, who
sat, her expression guileless, on the bench beside him.

“Do go on, Captain Blackstone. What did
Daniel confide?”

“He spoke of your negotiations with the Comte
de Vergennes, the minister of foreign affairs, and of the attempts
to form a French alliance for America.”

“Yes, yes, that is my ultimate goal. But ‘tis
hardly a secret.”

“He also mentioned a plan underway in England
to offer Congress some concessions and bring an end to the war...
an end that would not include independence.” Since Franklin said
nothing, only smiled at him, his eyes winsome, Jared continued.
“According to Daniel there was someone, someone powerful in the
American government, who was selling information about your
negotiations with the French to England.”

“My heavens,” Franklin chuckled. “That
certainly sounds like some intriguing espionage.”

Though slightly baffled by the older man’s
reaction—Jared would have thought he would take this information
more seriously—Jared continued. “The identity of this traitor was
known by an Englishman willing to give us the information... for a
price.”

“That’s a lie!” Merideth sprang to her feet
and faced both men. With her hands fisted and planted on her hips,
the cloak opened, revealing the gaudy gown beneath.

“Sit down,” Jared said, resisting the urge to
grab the cloak and wrap it around her tightly.

“I will not. You are telling lies about my
father and I won’t have it.”

“You will have it, for ‘tis not lies I
speak.” By this time Jared was on his feet, nose to nose with his
captive.

“Lies, lies,” she taunted. “You don’t know
the meaning of the truth.”

Jared’s jaw clinched. “I’m not the one
who—”

“Children, children.” Franklin’s voice was
like a gentle balm. “Contain yourselves. I assume the Englishman of
whom you speak, Captain Blackstone, is Lady Merideth’s father?”

“It was.”

“He wasn’t a traitor.” Merideth turned her
attention to Dr. Franklin, jerking away when the captain reached
out to close the cloak.

“Of course not, dear,” Franklin soothed. “But
let’s allow the good captain to finish his story, then we shall
hear what you have to say. I’m certain we can untangle this
unpleasantness.”

Jared wasn’t confident of that, but he saw no
alternative to resuming his seat and his narrative. He noticed that
Merideth also took her seat
and
pulled the edges of the
cloak together, hiding the swell of her breasts.

“Before my last cruise Daniel asked me to go
ashore at Land’s End to meet with this gentleman. I was given a
goodly amount of gold to ply his tongue, and set sail.”

“And did you speak with this man?”

“Aye. Lord Alfred and I met and he was very
agreeable to the exchange.”

Merideth opened her mouth, but Franklin’s
hand on hers kept her quiet. “You shall have your turn.”

“Anyway, Lord Alfred and I were about to
conclude our deal when he began insisting that his daughter was in
possession of the name of the traitor.”

“And then what happened?”

“My father was shot and killed,” Merideth
said before Jared could respond. “By him.” She pointed her finger
straight at Jared’s chest.

Trying to remain calm, Jared looked away from
the accusing eyes. “I did not kill Lord Alfred. Someone knocked me
out from behind. When I awoke, Lord Alfred was dead and I was
holding the pistol that shot him.”

“A British court found the evidence
sufficient to sentence Captain Blackstone to hang.”

Franklin wrinkled his brow in surprise. “A
fate you somehow eluded.”

“He broke out of jail and took me hostage,”
Merideth informed her host.

“Goodness.”

“She knows the name of the traitor,” Jared
pointed out.

“I haven’t a clue what he’s talking
about.”

“Her father said—”

“Now, now.” Franklin motioned for both of
them to resume their seats. “We do seem to have a dilemma here.” He
rubbed his hand down over his sagging jowl. “First of all, let me
say, I think you’re both telling the truth—”

“But—” Their protests were voiced at the same
instant.

“The truth as far as you know,” Franklin
said. “This entire incident is most unfortunate, not only because
of the death of your father, Lady Merideth, but because it was all
so avoidable.”

“Avoidable? How?”

“Ah, Captain Blackstone.” Franklin stood and
paced across the grassy knoll and back, walking slowly. “Spies and
traitors are part of every war. It seems to be a requirement.
However, in this instance it matters not that the British know what
I’m about. I actually welcome spies. The more the British and
French know of each other’s plans, the better for me.”

“But Daniel said—”

“I’m sure he did. But I’m afraid he was
taking his job as my aide too seriously. His orders to you did not
originate with me.”

“And the gold?”

Franklin shrugged his stooped shoulders. “I’m
barely allowed enough to keep body and soul together. There is no
extra coin for buying information.”

“Then Daniel must have lied to me.” Jared
stood and gripped the back of the bench, wishing he were more
surprised by the news.

“He most likely thought he was doing what was
best. There no doubt is a traitor. And Daniel wanted the
information.”

“But you don’t want it?”

“No, Captain, I don’t. Now, it looks as
though my grandsons have found us something to eat.” Franklin
motioned toward the boys racing across the garden, a servant in
their wake. “Perhaps we can sit down and enjoy some of this
marvelous French food. I normally prefer my sustenance coming from
the good earth.” He leaned forward and confided to Merideth, “but
Ray du Chaumont, who graciously allows me the use of part of his
home, keeps excellent chefs. I admit to being tempted beyond my
ability to resist.”

While the servant spread the food on a nearby
table, Jared stood, hands clasped behind his back, staring out over
the garden. His expression was dark, far too bleak for him to be
contemplating the flowers and trees. As if an invisible clock
dictated his actions, his fingers opened and closed, slapping
against each other with dogged regularity.

“Please, Captain, you’ll ruin my digestion.
We shall discuss this further after our repast. Do sit down.”

Seeming to have no choice in the matter,
Jared took his seat. The wine was good, though he drank little.
Beside him Merideth was talking freely, answering some question put
to her by Franklin. He should pay heed to their
conversation—politeness, which his mother had tried to drill into
him, demanded it—yet he couldn’t. Franklin’s words kept drumming
through his head.

He cared little about spies or counterspies.
He cared less about the information Lady Merideth possessed. Yet a
man had died because of this... this useless information. A man had
died and Jared was blamed.

Obviously, not everyone held Franklin’s view
on the matter.

“Blackstone,” Dr. Franklin said, breaking
into Jared’s thoughts. “I know of Blackstones, from Carolina.
Thomas and John Blackstone. They are fellow members of the Royal
Society. If I recall, John is doing some interesting studies on
plant fertilization. I’ve read several of his articles.”

“John was my brother. Thomas my father.” In
all the concern over spies and traitors, Jared had almost forgotten
his link with the philosopher from Philadelphia. Most of his family
were very interested in the natural sciences. His father and
brother were fellows of the prestigious Royal Society, as was
Franklin. The members studied the sciences and exchanged
information. “My father and brother spoke of you often. They admire
you.”

“And I them. When I read your brother’s paper
on carbon dioxide supporting plant growth, I wrote him expressing
my agreement!” Franklin took a bite of cheese. “Do you share your
family’s love of natural sciences?”

“Nay, I fear the study of philosophies is not
something at which I excel.”

“Ah, but ‘tis not for everyone. From what I
hear of your conquests at sea, you obviously excel there.”

“You are too kind, sir.”

“Nonsense, you do our country an immeasurable
service. What we would do against the world’s greatest navy without
privateers such as yourself, I do not know.”