Secrets of the Realm (21 page)

"Annie, I will try to answer all your questions, but for now, please just listen," the captain said. "As I was saying, Mr. Allan and I were shipmates on the Eden Castle when we were attacked by the Crimson Revenge. After our shipmates, for lack of a better way of putting it, were disposed of; Godenot took us and four other bosuns captive. Mr. Allan and I are the only ones who survived. I will spare you the unpleasant details. Mr. Allan and I promised each other that we would do whatever it took to stay alive…and escape.

"After two months, Mr. Allan and I won Godenot's confidence to board a captured ship. What he didn't know, is that five of his pirates agreed to mutiny with us. Their hatred for Godenot far outweighed their fear of him. After the Crimson Revenge fired cannons across the Godspeed's bow, I knew I had to implement my plan or all would be lost." Captain Hawke took a sip of his brandy.

Mr. Montgomery took over. "Even though it had been some ten years since I had last seen Jonathan," Mr. Montgomery said. "I would have recognized him anywhere. His swagger alone would have been hard to forget. When I realized he was on our side, it gave me hope. He had placed his mutineers strategically on the Godspeed, including himself at the bow and Mr. Allan aft."

The captain jumped back into the story. "But if the Godspeed crew hadn't joined in the fight, my plan never would have succeeded. They fought valiantly. Young and old spilt their blood that day. They had nothing to lose. 

"Godenot expected little opposition and none from his own crew. Once the fighting began, four more pirates took our side." He looked at Abigail. "Matthew is a fine swordsman, a brave man. He can have my back any day."

"Captain, I should never have doubted you,"Annie said.

"What else were you to think?"

"I suppose, but Captain, I am curious."

Captain Hawke smiled. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Are there any other pirates now on the Realm besides Mr. Allan?"

"Former pirates," he said.

"I stand corrected," Annie said.

"Would you care to guess?"

"Symington." Who else, Annie thought.

The captain laughed. "Ah, the obvious choice, but no, not Symington. He was the Godspeed's carpenter and Mr. Waverly, their cook. However, Ainsworth was one of Godenot's pirates, as were three of my gunners."

"What became of the Godspeed's captain?" Annie asked.

"Godenot is a cunning fiend. With the sun blinding Everette's eyes, the poor man didn't stand a chance. Before the pirates retreated, Godenot ran Captain Everette through with his sword," Captain Hawke said.

The grisly detail made Lady Cudney's eyes roll back in her head. The Cudney sisters fanned her even faster.

 "I knew the Godspeed couldn't outmaneuver the Crimson Revenge and they had no cannons, but we had to try," Captain Hawke said. "But to our relief, Godenot's ship changed course and sailed away."

"Surely, they were more than capable of blowing The Godspeed out of the water," Annie said. "Why didn't they?"

"That is a question I have often asked myself. I will never forget Godenot looking at me from the deck of the Crimson Revenge. God be my witness, he smiled a dead man's smile at me. He will seek his revenge when I least expect it."

As if he had been crossing swords with the pirates himself, Lord Spencer caught his breath. "Quite a tale, gentlemen. Would you care for some more brandy? I know I could use a glass or two."

As the discussion turned to lighter matters of business and politics, the ladies stood to retire to the drawing room with Lady Spencer leading the way.

"Sir, do you mind if Annie joins me in the parlor? I have some business I wish to discuss with her," Captain Hawke said.

"Certainly, Captain, take all the time you need."

In the parlor, Captain Hawke pulled up an Italian walnut armchair across from Annie. "The Realm will be sailing soon," he said.

"I know and I have made up my mind."

He cut her off, "Arrangements have been made for you to stay here."

Annie's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean arrangements have been made? I thought this was my decision to make."

"After spending three weeks with the Spencer's, I thought this would be your decision. Look at you, Annie. You are a young lady, not a sailor." He reached for her hands, but she would have none of it. "The Spencer's can give you much more than you can possibly have on the Realm. In fact, Mr. Montgomery believes they wish to adopt you," he said

 Annie felt her lungs constrict. "Adopt me?"

 "Would that be so terrible? They consider you one of their own. Annie, think of it, everything you ever dreamed of is yours for the asking: beautiful clothes, tutored in every subject, courted by the finest gentlemen."

"Do you not know me? Those are not my dreams. I am Annie Moore, a fisherman's daughter, not a Spencer, nor do I want to be."

"Aha, you said you are Annie Moore, not Andrés de la Cruz. Whether you realize it or not, you know exactly who you are. It is settled. When the Realm sets sail, you will not be on her."

 "I do know who I am, and it will be Annie Moore who returns to the Realm, not Andrés de la Cruz. I earned the respect of my shipmates, and I can do it again."

"You will not return to the Realm and that is final."

Annie felt the walls closing in on her. Lost in her anger, she didn't hear Abigail and Mr. Montgomery enter the parlor.

"May we join you?" Abigail asked.

Annie dug her nails into the floral-print upholstery and glared at her.

Captain Hawke stood up. "Matthew, Abigail, take good care of Annie." 

Without another word, Captain Hawke retreated to the hall. He didn't look back.

Abigail placed her hand on Annie's shoulder, but Annie shrugged it off.

She got up from the chair, and screamed at them, "Neither of you ever asked me what I had decided about returning to the Realm. Now, I know why. The decision had been made for me. You all conspired against me."

Darting into the hall, she called to Captain Hawke, "I'm a Jack-tar and don't you ever forget it."

Mr. Montgomery ran after her and pulled Annie back into the parlor. She lashed out at him with her free hand. He in turn grabbed both wrists, but not before Annie drew blood. She whipped about in his arms until there was no fight left in her.

Abigail rushed to Mr. Montgomery's side. "Matthew, your cheek!"

 "It is only a scratch," he assured her.

While Abigail dabbed at the scratch with a handkerchief, she turned to Annie, "We only have your best interests in mind."

Annie sank into the armchair, drawing her knees to her chest. "Why does everyone think they know what is best for me?"

Huffing and puffing, Doc appeared in the doorway. "Jonathan left without so much as a goodbye and Lord Spencer dismissed all the commotion we heard as nothing to worry about." 

He looked at Mr. Montgomery's face. "What happened to you? Let me take a look."

Mr. Montgomery waved him off. "It's just a scratch," Mr. Montgomery said.

"Oh, Annie, your beautiful dress is ripped." Doc said. "What is going on in here? 

"We are all fine, Doc, just clumsy," she said.

Doc muttered. "Too much excitement, I should never have left the ship."

Annie rushed to guide Doc to a chair. She forced a smile. "You needn't fret, Doc. Once you are back on the Realm, you can get a good night's sleep."

"Yes," Abigail said, patting Doc's slumped shoulder. "I will have Robert summon a carriage for you."

Annie led Doc into the hall and looked over her shoulder. "Abigail, I'll get Robert and then I'll be off to my room. Will you be joining me?"

Abigail whispered to Mr. Montgomery, but not soft enough for Annie not to hear. "She seems to be coming around faster than I thought she would."

"Too quick, if you ask me," Mr. Montgomery replied.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Annie sat on the edge of the bed. "You were right, Abigail. This is where I belong. I will miss the Realm…" 

She turned away, and wiped her eyes.

Abigail placed her hands on her hips. "I always knew you would come to your senses, but I did not expect it to happen this soon. I am not sure I believe you."

Annie continued to dab at her eyes with a handkerchief. "I will miss my shipmates terribly, but you have always known me to be a practical person. What would be more practical than living here? Look around, Abigail. Anyone would be foolish to give up all of this. Could you?"

"Certainly not," Abigail said.

"I think I have always known I belonged here, but I had been too stubborn to admit it." Annie sniffed and blew her nose. "I'm sorry, Abigail, but I won't be much company this evening. Why don't you sit in the parlor with Mr. Montgomery. When the fire burns out, you can snuggle real close to him. I am certain he will want to keep you warm."

Abigail sighed. "How romantic, I will be certain to have Mother and Father retire early."

Annie followed Abigail to the door and waved to her as she descended the staircase. Annie called after her, "Good night, Abigail."

"Good night, Annie."

Once Abigail was out of sight, Annie rushed to the wardrobe. She searched for her clothes from the ship.

After changing into her sailor's attire, Annie began composing a letter.

My dearest Abigail,

With pen in hand, I write with heavy heart. Had I known your parents would have taken me in, I might never have left. But I did leave and I found another world. I do not expect you to understand. The Realm is where I truly belong. Once I have returned, the captain will realize he was wrong. You will always be my dearest friend. Never forget that. Give my love to your kind parents and Erik. I will see you all again. I promise.

After signing it, Annie stood in the darkened doorway. Assured she neither saw nor heard anyone coming down the hall, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She heard laughter and talking coming from the parlor. Annie couldn't make out what they were saying, but hoped she was the last thing on Abigail and Mr. Montgomery's minds.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

With the reins looped over her arm, Annie stroked the high-spirited stallion's forelock. "Good boy," she said while she awkwardly fastened the bridle. "Anthony can't stop me from riding you this time."

Having watched Chelsea saddled dozens of times, Annie believed saddling Phantom should be easy. Standing on a stool, Annie threw a blanket slightly past the blood bay's withers. She spoke softly trying not to spook him.

After cinching the saddle, she waited a moment for Phantom to relax. "Now the hard part," she said while she wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers. Annie cinched the saddle even tighter. Phantom snorted. She wondered if he was voicing his impatience with her. "Sorry if I am a little slow at this, but I haven't had much practice."

The stool wobbled as she pulled herself onto the saddle. Phantom stomped the ground. They were both anxious to leave the stable.

With any luck, Annie thought, Abigail had weaved her web around Mr. Montgomery, giving her a head start. Even so, she wasn't taking any chances.

Gripping the reins tightly, Annie rode Phantom past the stalls. While she passed each one, Annie reached down to unlatch the doors. She then waved her cap in the air. 

"Scat! Get out of here!" she hollered, stampeding the horses into the paddock.

*     *     *

On the outskirts of London, Annie felt the saddle inch slightly to one side. Should have cinched it tighter, she thought as she hunkered low. When Phantom got a sudden burst of speed, Annie couldn't hold on any longer and found herself sailing through the air.

Just before she hit the ground Annie tucked her head under at the last second. She rolled until she came to an sudden stop in a briar bush. Her hands trembled as she felt for broken bones. Satisfied that her injuries were minor—scrapes and bruises, she looked around for Phantom. To her dismay, she saw him galloping off in the direction of Spencer Estate.

Annie wasted no time running in the moonlight before she caught her foot in a rabbit hole. She heard a popping sound as she collapsed to the ground in pain. Gingerly touching her ankle, she realized it had ballooned to twice its normal size.

Impossible to walk, let alone run, Annie crawled. Even then, the pain was agonizing as she dragged her foot behind her. 

She crawled until her knees were rubbed raw. Bits of gravel adhered to her bloodied skin.When she stumbled onto a broken tree limb, she pushed herself up to use it as a crutch. Annie gritted her teeth as she placed her injured foot on the dirt. "That bloody hurts!"

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

With the help of her makeshift crutch, Annie stumbled through London. Nearing the docks, she saw sailors celebrating their last night in England. As she passed the Black Anchor Pub, she collided with a sailor staggering out of the tavern.

"Watch where yer goin'."

The stocky sailor squished Annie's face between his broad hands. "Well, I'll be. I 'aven't seen ye in a long time. Thought the little maggot died or somethin'."

Annie's blood ran cold as she stared into Symington's eyes.

He mussed up her hair sending shivers down her spine. "Where's yer 'at?"

Symington then looked up and down the street. "Is Mr. Montgomery 'iding somewhere?" he muttered.

The smell of whiskey and rotting teeth turned Annie's stomach. "No, Symington, I'm alone." The words spilled out before the ramification of what she said hit her.

"Alone, are ye?" Like an animal stalking its prey, Symington eyed the stick. "Did ye 'urt yerself?"

"No." Annie stood straighter without putting more weight on the painful foot.

"Ye lie! Ye did 'urt yerself!"

Without warning, Symington kicked the stick out from under her. Fear emitted from every pore as Annie tumbled sideways.

 "Why didn't ye tell me ye were 'urt?" he said. He bent down yanking a thistle out of her hair. "Let me take a look at yer leg."