Secrets of the Realm (15 page)

Mrs. Doyle took the letter and began reading it to herself. When she struggled with a word, which was often, she asked Mr. Montgomery for help.

Annie listened to the muffled sobs coming from Christopher's mother as she read the letter to herself. Annie's heart was breaking, too, as she waited for the right moment to tell Mrs. Doyle how much Christopher had loved her. The woman continued reading and then stopped. She looked up, puzzled.

"Such kind words from your captain, but I don't understand…"

"What is it that you don't understand, Mrs. Doyle?" Mr. Montgomery said gently.

"He speaks of a girl who was with my Christopher when he died. How is that possible?"

"A girl? There are no girls on the Realm." Mr. Montgomery appeared equally confused. "Only Andrés and our surgeon were with Christopher the day he died. I am sure there is a logical explanation. If you don't mind, may I see the letter?"

"Certainly," she said as she pointed to a passage. "Captain Hawke said her hair was black as a moonless night and her eyes the palest blue, but he never mentions her name."

Mr. Montgomery looked at Annie. "Do you have any idea who the captain is talking about?"

Annie shook her head while she gnawed on her lower lip. She felt her knees go weak when she heard Mr. Montgomery read aloud.

"
Christopher shared an innocent kiss with the lovely maiden. She stayed by his side until he drew his last breath.

 "
I am sorry, Mrs. Doyle," Mr. Montgomery said. "But apparently Captain Hawke is privy to matters I know nothing about."

Although Mr. Montgomery appeared visibly shaken by the turn of events, he still managed to stay on task. He took money from his satchel and laid it on the table. "I am sure you know that Christopher saved most of his wages for you. However, some of this is from the proceeds collected at an auction that was held in your son's honor. 

"And Captain Hawke wants you to know that any debts you might have will be taken care of."

Overwhelmed, Mrs. Doyle hugged Mr. Montgomery. She then turned to Annie and squeezed her hand. "You have been rather quiet, dear. Did you know my son well?"

"Yes, ma'am. He was a mighty fine sailor and a dear friend. Christopher wanted you to know how much he loved you, but you already knew that."

Mrs. Doyle pulled Annie closer to her. Annie tugged on her shirt button while Christopher's mother stared deep into her ice-blue eyes. Mrs. Doyle pushed the rim of Annie's cap just high enough to reveal the slight curve of her eyebrows. With her head tilted to the side, Mrs. Doyle ran a thumb along the inside of Annie's cap.

"It is much too hot in here for you to be wearing this."

Before Annie could object, Mrs. Doyle pulled the cap off her head. Annie's dark hair fell across one eye. She wanted to run, but found it impossible to move.

Mrs. Doyle's voice cracked. "Mr. Montgomery said you were with Christopher when he died. Your hair and eyes are just like the girl's that the captain described in his letter. Tell me your name, your real name."

"My name is…Annie."

 Mrs. Doyle put her hand to her lips. "Did…did you love my son?"

Annie answered truthfully. "Yes, I loved Christopher. Everyone loved your son."

Mrs. Doyle stood back and studied Annie. "How long did Christopher know you were a girl?"

"I would like to hear the answer to that question myself." Mr. Montgomery's voice shook.

"That night, he only knew that night." Annie looked from Mr. Montgomery to Mrs. Doyle.

While Mr. Montgomery looked pale and shocked, Mrs. Doyle appeared content.

"Please, I want to know everything about your friendship with my son and his days on the Realm," she said.

Annie sat down beside her. She described Christopher's life at sea and spared no details. While they shared tears and laughter about the friend and son they both loved, Annie glanced at Mr. Montgomery who sat in stony silence.

Seeming frailer than when Annie and Mr. Montgomery first arrived, Mrs. Doyle got up from the table. "Thank you, Annie, for being a part of Christopher's life. I wish to be alone now."

Mrs. Doyle managed a tiny smile. "Mr. Montgomery, thank you for your visit and please tell your captain I appreciate everything he had done for my Christopher."

*     *     *

Annie untied her horse from the privet bush. Not wishing to ask Mr. Montgomery for assistance, she attempted to pull herself into the saddle. She dangled for a second before giving up. Dust circled her feet where she landed.

She then decided that charging from several paces away would be her only hope of scaling the mare. Annie dashed toward the old horse. She leaped for the saddle, but fell short, succeeding only in spooking the animal.

Watching her unsuccessful attempt, Mr. Montgomery quickly grabbed the reins as the horse reared up. "Whoa!"

Once he calmed the horse down, he called to Annie. "Get over here, Andrés, Annie, or whatever your name might be."

"I prefer Andrés, sir."

Mr. Montgomery used his hands as a mounting block for her. She placed one foot in his palms as he lifted Annie high enough to pull herself onto the saddle.

Mr. Montgomery stared at Annie, no words spoken. He shook his head before mounting his horse and galloped off. 

Annie was left in a swirling cloud of dust and confusion. Unable to catch up, Annie could only hope he would be waiting for her at the stable.

*     *     *

Returning to the livery stable, Annie found Mr. Montgomery leaning against a stall. Her relief was short-lived.

He smacked a riding crop against his leg before tossing it in the hay. "I fulfilled the captain's orders. We took care of Christopher's mother and you are back safely."

Mr. Montgomery turned his back to Annie and marched out of the stable.

After dropping from the saddle, Annie handed the reins to the stable boy. She ran off to join Mr. Montgomery.

"Why are you so angry?" she called after him.

He reeled around. "Are you serious? I am such a fool. I dispelled rumors about you being a girl. Yet, Captain Hawke, Doc, and Christopher all knew you were a girl. I am beginning to think I am the only one on the Realm who didn't know the truth."

"If it helps, Mr. Montgomery, those are the only people who knew."

"How long has Captain Hawke and Doc known?"

"Doc learned the first day I came aboard. Captain Hawke? I don't know for certain. It might have been the night Christopher died. Whenever it was, he never let on that he knew."

Mr. Montgomery raised his eyebrows at her. "Did you really kiss Christopher?"

Annie blushed. "Aye, not a romantic kiss, but I think it made him happy."

"I am sure it did. So, what do I call you Andrés or Annie?"

Annie kicked a rock in her path. "Andrés. I am a Jack-tar. Nothing will change that." She headed back to the Realm.

"Wait." Mr. Montgomery said. "Come with me…Andrés. We need to talk."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

They hadn't walked far when Mr. Montgomery pulled Annie out of the way of the foot traffic. "I have so many questions. I don't know where to begin."

"Like you told me that first night in port," Annie said. "Everyone on the Realm is running away from someone or something. I am no exception."

"True, but I can assure you, this is a first," he said as he pointed his opened hands at her.

Without further prompting, Annie said, "My aunt blamed me for my uncle's death. She said I was cursed. I had no other choice but to run away."

Mr. Montgomery slipped his finger under Annie's chin, slightly tilting her head back. "She did more than simply calling you cursed. Am I right?"

Annie pushed his hand away. "She whipped me, Mr. Montgomery, and it wasn't the first time. I feared for my life."

"I gather you had no other family or friends to turn to."

"No one," Annie said.

"But why on earth would you pretend to be a boy."

"It was both my cousin's and my idea. He said it was too dangerous for a girl to be alone in London, that I should dress up like a boy. And I always loved the sea—so what better way to hide than on a ship. The Realm has become my home, Mr. Montgomery."

"But I am not certain it can remain your home. Now that I know, I won't be able to think of you as Andrés ever again."

"If Doc and, apparently, the captain could keep it a secret, surely you can, Mr. Montgomery."

He shook his head from side to side and sighed. "I just don't know…Andrés. I just don't know."

Suddenly, a smile replaced the frown on his face. "My, my," he said, "It has been a long time since I have seen anything quite so exquisite."

Annie's shoulders relaxed at the sound of Mr. Montgomery's buoyant voice. She tried to see what had distracted him. "What are you looking at, sir?"

He pointed across the street.

Annie craned her neck. "I still don't know what you are looking at."

"How can you not see her?" Mr. Montgomery said.

"Oh, so it is a woman I should be looking for." 

Annie looked between the horse-drawn drays and wagons traveling on the cobblestone street. She eventually saw, not one, but three young women. "Hmm, ladies of their social standing should not be here amongst beggars, drunkards and the worst rabble of all—sailors," Annie said.

Mr. Montgomery laughed. "Perhaps I should do something about that."

"Perhaps, you should." 

Annie continued observing the young women. "The two shorter women look like they expect to be robbed at any moment, which is a distinct possibility. We all know London is full of thieves. But I wager it is the tall one who has caught your fancy, Mr. Montgomery. Am I correct?"

 "Aye, she is the one. Wish she would turn around so I could see her face."

Wisps of strawberry blond hair caught the sunlight. Wearing a yellow dress, she towered over her friends.

"Do you wish to meet her, sir?"

"I certainly do." Mr. Montgomery straightened his jacket. "She is a beauty."

"And how can you possibly know that, sir? We can't even see her face."

"Look how she carries herself. No woman that tall would stand with such confidence unless she was beautiful."

 "You have always been a keen observer, Mr. Montgomery."

He took a step back, stared at Annie while stroking his clean-shaven chin. "Hmm."

Annie fidgeted with her button. "Mr. Montgomery, is something wrong?"

 "Straighten your collar. Tuck in that shirt." He grinned. "You know, you are rather nice looking, in a street urchin sort of way."

"What are you thinking, Mr. Montgomery?"

"What I'm thinking is that I bet those young women cannot resist a charming little fellow like you. I know the captain couldn't. Now pull your cap back a bit and let some of your hair fall into your face."

Mr. Montgomery took a handkerchief from his pocket and spit on it. "Always worked for my mother. Stand still," he said while he rubbed some of the dirt from Annie's face. "That will have to do. Now go over there, be your charming self and tell that lovely lady I wish to meet her. Perhaps something can be salvaged from this dreadful day."

Annie thought Mr. Montgomery was quite out of his mind, but followed his orders nonetheless. She wound her way between the conveyances and approached the young women.

Doffing her cap, Annie announced, "Ladies, that handsome gentleman across the street wishes to make your acquaintance." She emphasized the word handsome while pointing toward Mr. Montgomery.

The taller of the three didn't even glance at Annie while she strained her neck to see the man Annie spoke of. Mr. Montgomery tipped his tricorn hat at her when he caught her eye.

The statuesque beauty glanced at Annie, but only for an instant. Annie gulped hard when she saw a hint of a smile form on the young woman's lips as she looked back at Mr. Montgomery.

"I gather you mean the gentleman with the silly grin on his face. Why should we make his acquaintance?" She inquired.

Impossible to stay focused on Mr. Montgomery, Annie stared up into Abigail Spencer's face, the young woman Annie had been maid and companion to for eight years. Annie stammered. "B-because he—he is a fine gentleman and you are, in his words: exquisite."

The lady continued gazing at the first mate. "Does he not think my friends are exquisite as well?"

Annie looked at the two shorter women. She recognized them, too, Hannah and Catherine Cudney. She remembered how the sisters' annoying laughter bounced off the walls during their infrequent visits to Spencer Manor.

While the Cudney sisters gawked at Mr. Montgomery, they showed little interest in the ragamuffin delivering the message. Annie hoped no one noticed the red creeping up her neck.

She addressed Abigail, "He-he believes your friends are both lovely, milady. But 'tis you, he is quite t-taken with."

Their eyes met. Abigail studied Annie's dirt-smudged face, chafed hands and broken fingernails. She brushed Annie's hair away from her flushed cheek. This time it was her turn to stutter. "Wh-what is your name?"

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Abigail didn't have to say another word for Annie to know that her two worlds had collided. She pulled her cap on so low her eyelashes skimmed the edge when she blinked. She wished she could have pulled the cap down to her knees.

Annie drew in a deep breath and stared down at her boots. "M-my name is Andrés de la Cruz, m-milady."

"Hmm, why does that name sound familiar? Oh, now I remember. A girl, who once worked for me, talked about a grandfather by that name. Well,
Andrés de la Cruz
, tell me more about the gentleman."

"The gentleman?" 

"Yes, you heard me. Tell me more about the gentleman."

Abigail leaned down, saying loud enough for only Annie to hear, "I see you wish to play dress-up. And while I do not understand why you are doing this, I will play along with you for the moment. The gentleman, tell me about him."

"Uh, Mr. Montgomery is a delightful bloke, a little too chatty at times, but he is well-bred," Annie said.