Lady Caraway's Cloak, page 21
“You will marry me, then? You have no doubts?”
“Why should I?”
Robin laughed rather wryly. “You have not yet seen me sporting my wig!”
“I look forward, with anticipation, to the honor!”
“You are a remarkable girl, Serena. You do not question me at all.”
“Cum finis est licitus, etium media sunt licita. You have already said it eloquently, Robin, though why you should condemn me to a revision of the The Medulla Theologiae Moralis, I cannot fathom! I must plot a suitable revenge.”
The earl laughed. “I thought that might keep you busy! You understood my meaning from the very start?”
“It was not hard. Having corresponded with you for nearly a year I knew perfectly well that it must be a very honorable end that justified your particular means. A very little research and it was as nothing to discover that your victims always had an enemy alignment and that, though you may have sunk their ships, you always took prisoners.”
“I may not have killed my men, Serena, but do not look at me too closely through rose-colored glasses. I always took their cargo for my trouble.”
“You would be a fool if you did not. That is the nature of privateering, and I’d wager my last groat that not all of it was spent on debauchery.”
The earl smiled. “Not all, but a good few pennies.”
“I can live with that.”
Robin did not answer, for he was very much engaged in kissing the nape of Lady Serena’s neck, and thus did not hear the door creak slowly open.
“Hmph! Hmph!”
Serena was the first to notice Wilks, beaver in hand, staring fixedly at her youthful portrait.
“Mr. Wilks! I am so sorry! I quite forgot ...”
The earl grinned and reached into the depths of his elegant, if rather piratical, silver-buttoned doublet. “Take that, my good man,” he said, grandly pressing a guinea into Wilks’s hand. “Turn the horses round, if you please, and the coach back to Castle Caraway. My lady has had a change of plan, as ladies, you know, are accustomed to do—most trying, but there it is!” Then, with a most unlordly broad wink, he waved the coachman back outside, and firmly shut the door.
Serena dodged my lord’s excessively pleasant advances. Not through inclination—she positively loved everything he had dreamed up to tease her with, and would have actively encouraged him in this rakish behaviour—but through fear.
“Robin, you are not taking the danger seriously enough. I tell you, they are set to spring a trap!”
Robin only snapped his fingers. “Faugh! What care I when I have my lovely bailiff to pleasure?”
“You have not, for I am not your bailiff, whatever I may have pretended in the past, and a thousand apologies for that but there is no time to grovel for your forgiveness, we have to go!”
“Go where?”
“Back to the ship.”
“You would have me return to London?” His lordship looked quizzical and slightly—just slightly—disappointed.
“Certainly not! You are obviously briefed with a mission, my lord, and the sooner you accomplish it, the sooner I can have dinner in peace. I am positively famished, for I swear Lady Fanny counts every lump of sugar and I had no time to raid your castle kitchens.”
The tension evaporated from Robin’s lean, but nevertheless muscular shoulders. “I think I love you more than I did a moment ago.”
“Good, for there is always the possibility the feeling is reciprocated. Now! What exactly are we stealing, and shall we depart at once, for we have not a moment to lose?”
“We? I’ll see you safely stowed aboard The Albatross and that is all!”
“Not a chance!”
“Let us argue about it as we row, for the tides are still in our favor. If we dally, we shall lose our chance and be caught in a moonless night.”
Serena nodded. “Very well, we shall argue at sea but I warn you, sir, I am determined!”
Robin sighed. “Such a shrew I have found for myself! I will carry you to the shore, for your slippers are quite unsuitable and you will cut your feet.”
“But ...”
“No buts, Serena, as of now, I am acting as captain of The Albatross. There are men depending on me. It is not all a joke, you see.” Serena nodded. “You shall have to sit at my feet, I am afraid, for the silhouette of a man in a boat across the evening sky will draw no comment, but one of a lady—especially one as recognizable as you in these parts—most surely will.”
Which is precisely how the sensible Lady Serena Addington Winthrop Caraway found herself stowed at the bottom of a rowboat, wrapped in a perfectly splendid (but now decidedly fishy-smelling) cloak. It was periwinkle blue, but black night was overtaking them, so she could enjoy nothing of its color. As for its scent, she did not mind at all, for it was superseded, quite completely, by the delicious smell of polish and beeswax. Robin sported a most impeccable gloss on those silverbuckled boots. Serena, stowed safely out of sight, closed her eyes dreamily and sniffed.
Chapter Nineteen
The road to the port was not far, so Captain McNichols settled back with a sherry of excellent vintage and cared not at all for the bumpiness of the road, which in truth was less at fault than his own rather antiquated chaise.
Miss Waring, hiding at the back, was not so fortunate, for she was accustomed to delightful pink squabs and a less demanding call on her derrière than the hard, badly sprung floor. It was not, then, so very long into the trip that she made her grand appearance and nearly startled Adam into fits. His drink, fortunately, was finished, else it would have ruined the fine velvet trim of his interior.
“Miss Waring! What on earth ... good gracious, you startled the life out of me!”
But Julia only smiled naughtily and dimpled and asked, as she seated her posterior on a much more comfortable surface, if he was pleased to see her.
“But naturally! I am always pleased! Julia, we need to turn back at once!”
“Why?” asked Miss Innocent dreamily.
“Because it is not proper, that is why! Julia, your maid is not stowed at the back, is she?”
“Gracious, there was hardly place enough even for me, and to creep in without your coachman noticing ... Polly could not have done it, I assure you!”
“Then you are entirely alone?”
“No, silly, you are with me!”
“That is not what I meant and you know it!” Adam tried to sound severe, but truly he failed, for Miss Julia, though mischievous in the extreme, was also enchanting, and she looked particularly glorious today with her little curls all tangled and her bonnet wholly squashed.
“Fusty, fusty! You shall have me all to yourself for an hour or so, then return me to York Crescent. No one will be any the wiser, for Serena has gone off jauntering for the day.”
“You have gone off jauntering, my girl, for I am not returning to London tonight.”
“Beg pardon?”
“So you should. I would turn the chaise around and deposit you safely home, only I shall miss the sailing.”
“The Albatross?”
Captain McNichols nodded, thinking of his strange costume, waiting for him at the bottom of the very bandbox that had flattened Miss Waring’s hat.
“How perfectly exciting!”
“How perfectly dangerous! Our sailing is not a joke, Julia.”
“I did not say it was. You explained it all to me. I do understand, you know.”
“Then you will let me set you down at port? We shall have to procure some kind of abigail for you. There is an inn at Tibald Street ...”
“Adam, you cannot abandon me at an inn!”
“I cannot take you aboard The Albatross either. It is too dangerous.”
“I snap my fingers at danger! If you can undertake these missions, so can I. I am also a patriot, you know.”
“If we are caught, it will be as pirates, not patriots. There would be no mercy shown.”
“I will take that chance, for why should you engage in such exploits and leave me at home to worry?”
“It is not proper. There is no berth ... No chamber ... you have no maid, there is the crew ... Julia, unless you were my wife you would be ruined!”
Miss Waring colored. “Then make me your wife, Captain McNichols!”
Adam drew his breath. There was nothing, he thought, he wanted so much in his life. It was impossible, ridiculous, utterly unthinkable ... Robin would roast him upon a skewer.
At Balder’s end, just before the fork in the road, he consulted his fob. Yes, there was time. And yes, he thought, it would be a shame to waste all his mama’s hard-earned pin money. He drew a deep breath and drew from the elegant folds of his greatcoat an almost forgotten piece of parchment. Handy things, special licenses. He motioned the coachman to stop.
Night had approached swifter than Serena expected. It seemed to envelop the little rowboat, as its oars splashed softly and steadily through the water. There was no question of her rowing, my lord had vetoed the very suggestion with scorn, and added that she was to say no more on that subject—or any other—until they had reached the relative safety of the ship anchored just beyond sight of the horizon.
Serena nestled closer to those boots. There was nothing to do, then, but to watch the thin sliver of the waning moon and the clouds that drifted southward, leaving a glorious patch of startlingly clear sky, with a cluster of crystal stars, the chiefest amongst these Polaris, the northern beacon of the celestial world.
Robin was rowing effortlessly through the waves, so confidently that she had not the smallest qualm that she would be splashed, let alone capsized. She could hear the lapping of the water and the odd country sound of a dog barking, or a twig breaking, or a nightingale beginning its song. Once or twice she heard a chorus of chirrups that were the beating of cricket wings but sounded, to her enchanted ears, like the very twinkling of stars.
It was dark now, so suddenly dark that Serena could no longer make out even the shadow of Robin’s face, or the dark silhouettes of her familiar shoreline. Presently, she gasped, for seemingly out of nowhere came the twinkling of light, like tiny candelabras flickering softly in the night. They grew larger, until Serena could see they were not candelabras at all, but lanterns, glowing with kerosene oil and slightly reddish from the oil-soaked rope and the tincture of the glass.
“The Albatross?” she muttered in a low voice. Robin nodded, and pointed to the outline of the vessel, now more visible as Serena’s eyes adjusted to the light. Also, they were drawing closer now, so Robin drew out a tinderbox and lit his own flame, which he covered carefully with the edge of a cloth and flashed twice in succession, then once slowly, so the wick was revealed to Serena’s wondering eyes. Then came an answering flicker, and a rope drifted down the side of The Albatross, which seemed enormous now, looming up from the sea.
My lord set down the oars and proceeded with several incomprehensible, but obviously deft, motions before securing the boat, and nodding to Serena to ascend.
“I can’t!”
“You can, I will be just behind you! You shan’t fall, I can promise you.”
“I am not worried about falling!” Serena hissed.
“What then?” Robin was anxious, for they had come so far, he could not brook a possible hitch now, in the eleventh hour.
“It is my skirts! They shall tangle in the rope!”
His countenance relaxed. “So small a matter, my little Miss Brave! Hook them up over your arms, they will be fine.”
“I can’t!”
Serena, who had not quailed at the thought of pirates, who had not shivered at the prospect of Valmont, now faltered under the stern gaze of Lord Caraway.
“Why can you not? I have seen you climb like a monkey when you were a child!”
“I am not a child anymore,” Serena wailed, aware that interested eyes were peering down upon them.
“I have noticed. What ails you, Serena? Modesty?”
There was a moment’s silence. “Yes,” she finally whispered.
Robin, expecting the worst, emitted a low, thoroughly amused, highly masculine laugh. “Let that be a lesson to you, Lady Serena! It shall be a penance for deceiving me so grossly and making me believe I was in love with my bailiff, of all hideous and horrible thoughts!
“Up you go, and if I am afforded a view of your splendid ankles and delectable calves, all the happier I will be! Now don’t look so glum, for I promise you, after this work is over I am going to marry you out of hand and then very penitent—not to mention immodest—you will be!”
So, cheeks aflame—for Serena, though she prided herself on being quite the woman of the world and was rapidly discovering that she really was just a greenhorn, ascended the ropes. My lord, chivalrous to a fault, averted his gaze and cursed himself for a fool.
The Albatross, once again in full possession of its cargo, the small rowboat having been dutifully hauled in, glided quickly away from the waters of Caraway toward the more stormy ones of the Upper Leith. Belowdecks—for there she had been firmly deposited with a stern warning from her perfectly piratical husband—the newly married Mrs. Julia McNichols waited with as much patience as a very young bride ever could.
Well, she had promised not to get in the way, and she meant to be good, for she knew perfectly well that up until now she had been very naughty indeed. But oh, what a delightful outcome it was to have Adam’s signet upon her finger. It was a little large, but she cared not a whit for that and would, besides, have it sized in London.
As The Albatross sailed off once more, she had no idea at all that her aunt was above deck. If she had, she would naturally have forgotten all about her promise and rushed to throw her arms about her. As a matter of fact, being beset, slightly, by the motion of the ship and the day’s excitements, she allowed herself to curl up in a tidy ball—in so much as her petticoats would allow—and drift off into a kind of seminap, semifearful mind state that would have had other less complex people baffled.
“All’s well?” Robin grinned.
“All’s well. Thanks, Adam! You may congratulate me, but we shall speak of that later.”
Serena smiled and looked about her with interest. The vessel seemed familiar, yet it was strange to be standing above deck, so close to Caraway, with the wind at her back and darkness all around.
Captain McNichols, eyeing Serena, grinned.
“As a matter of fact, you might congratulate me, too ...”
“Adam, I shall be delighted, but let us save these social pleasantries for later, when the work is done.”
“But ...”
“No buts, let us cast off at once. Slight alteration in plans. We are headed for the Leith tonight.”
“But I thought tomorrow ...”
“So did I, but by all accounts a trap has been sprung for us. We have Serena here to thank for the intelligence. Valmont expects us tomorrow, and a regular sea battle it would be. Our only chance, if we wish to do this quickly, is tonight.”
“Do you know precisely what it is we seek?”
“I do.”
“Where is it?”
“I have a very good idea. The Prince’s writing bureau, behind the library door on the west side. I have been supplied, most providentially, with a key. Rittledon has been thorough as usual.”
“Good. Then we seize the ship?”
“No, they are expecting that. It shall be stealth this time.”
Captain McNichols looked so disappointed Serena would have laughed had the matter not been so serious. Robin grinned.
“Do not, I pray you, look so crestfallen! It is you, my friend, who will provide me with the diversion I need.”
Adam brightened. “Cutlass?”
“Not unless they board, but we will need cannon fire and trumpets and a great deal of noise, perhaps even a sea approach. They will be anchored, but it will send their captains into a regular tailspin.”
“Valmont is away?”
“Precisely. They will not be acting on his directions, so we should witness a fine spectacle of tail chasing!”
Adam grinned. “I think I can manage that!”
“Good. The full flag flying, of course, and a heraldic march might be in order. I want all Valmont’s hands on the foredeck.”
“So you can climb the aft?”
“Of course. I can deal with any lone sentry.”
“After that?”
“After that, nightfall will help shield me back to The Albatross. If I am wounded, send some men down in the longboat.”
Serena did not wait to hear more. She was being uncommonly quiet, for the very thought of the earl wounded appalled her. She knew she would be no help whatsoever as a wailing watering pot, so she excused herself quietly as the gentleman spoke in low tones.
“I hope to God you are all right.”
“So do I. I leave Serena in your charge, of course, if anything should go amiss.”
“I shall not fail you. But, Robin ...”
“What?”
“It is a long and complicated tale, but I was wed today.”
“What?”
“I married Miss Waring ... that is to say, my wife, this morning.”
Robin’s stare was both wry, ironical, and vastly amused. “I collect I am in truth to congratulate you, then. I look forward to the tale! I’ll wager my pretty silver buckles this was not your brilliant notion or timing!”
“No, but I wish it were. I could not be happier.”
“I’ll sympathize with your madness only because I am midsummer’s mad myself! We shall talk on my return, but in the meanwhile it is rather providential, I suppose. Your wife shall chaperone Serena.”
“Now that is a strange turn!”
“Life is full of strange turns, Adam.”
Serena was just discovering how strange, as she bumped into a huge-eyed Julia, belowstairs. She restrained herself admirably, however, did not yell for Lady Caraway’s famous vinaigrettes, though she felt so inclined, and finally heard Julia out, as The Albatross drew ever closer to its berth at sea.
