Souls Aflame (13 page)

Once again she was on her feet, determination and fury pounding wildly through her veins and making her feel warm, shaky. “I’ve no such fear. They wouldn’t shoot a woman. Tell me where they’re keeping Derek, and by God, I’ll try to free him. I won’t sit back like the rest of you and do nothing!”

He wiped his brow, unmoved by her veiled charge that he and the other crew members were cowards. “They might not shoot you—you being a woman and all—but if I were you, I’d just lie low. There’s a lot worse they can do to you, if you know what I mean.”

She knew, and her cheeks flushed with the knowledge.

He went on, “I should tell you that I heard Harky arguing with that Yankee captain that he should let Harky have you as sort of a reward. Told him a tale about you leading him on, then making a scene and having him thrown in chains and almost getting him hung. He wants revenge. You get caught trying to free Arnhardt, and Guthrie just might pass you around amongst
all
his men. Then you’ll wish you were dead.” He looked at her to see the effect of his words.

Without a trace of fear, she demanded to be told where Derek was. “Leave the rest up to me.”

He stared at her thoughtfully, then a slow smile spread across his face that made her feel uncomfortable. Was he mocking her? Was he about to laugh at her, regarding her as just a weak, foolish woman?

Finally he chuckled, “My, but you’re a spunky one. Never knew a lady like you.” He said he would check with the others and try to round up some help. “If you’re willing to stick your neck out, then by God, there are a few men I know who might be prompted to do likewise. Can’t let a woman outdo us, you know.” He winked, attempting to put her at ease.

For the first time since the nightmare began, Julie was able to smile.

Jenkins left, saying he would do his best to slip back down to her cabin when things quieted down for the night. After he was gone, Julie paced nervously up and down the small room, feeling that somehow she had to find a way to free Derek. He would know what to do. He could get them out of this mess; she was sure of it.

At last she heard her mother returning from supper. She was talking nervously to someone in a tone that hinted she was close to anger but struggling to remain calm. Pressing her ear to the door, Julie recognized Captain Guthrie’s voice as he said, “I can sympathize with your plight, madam, but you must understand the ship is now captured and under my command. It’s foolish for you to even suggest I should allow you and your daughter to continue merrily on your way with the cargo.”

“But what will you do with us?” Her mother was close to the breaking point, Julie knew, and wondered if that meant an angry explosion or tears. Her mother could go either way.

“I’ll decide tomorrow.” Guthrie sounded bored. “For now, I’m very tired. I’m about to return to my own ship for a good night’s sleep. I’ll ponder the situation, but at the moment my inclination is to take you and your daughter back to Georgia and turn you over to the Federal government.”

Julie heard her mother open and close her cabin door. Good. She had not given that pirate the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

A few moments passed before Julie heard Guthrie walk away, and during that time she was afraid he was going to ask to speak with her. She was relieved that he did not.

Restlessly, she awaited Doc Jenkins’s return. She had almost given up on him and was toying with the idea of prowling about the ship on her own when at last he slipped into the dark cabin.

“Miss Marshal, are you asleep?” he whispered nervously.

“How could I sleep?” she hissed. “And what took you so long? I was about to leave without you! We must move at once.”

“I was afraid you’d take matters into your own hands, and that would have been foolhardy. You’ve got to have help, and it’s taken time for me to pick out the men I can trust and who’ve got guts enough to carry out my plans.”

He explained how he’d found three crewmen who were willing to help, and discussed the situation with them. After checking, they found there was only one guard at the entrance to the hole where the captain and his officers were being held. A few other heavily armed guards had been left posted about the ship. The others had returned to the Federal cruiser, confident that all was under control. Harky himself was roaming the ship, cocky because he’d been left in command.

“I don’t mean to alarm you,” Jenkins said worriedly, “but I overheard him and Guthrie arguing again. Harky wanted to come down here and claim you for his own. Guthrie said no. He’s got his men watching Harky to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”

“Thank God for that, but is it possible for me to get up on deck and make my way to where Derek is? Perhaps, if you’ve found three men willing to help, the four of you can do the job without me. I don’t want to risk running into Harky.”

“No,” he all but shouted, “because here’s our plan.” And he told her how she was to go to the guard near the hole and use her feminine charm to catch him unaware, using whatever means necessary to take his attention from his duty. “Get him completely engrossed in you. Our men will do the rest. You can’t act the least bit nervous, or he might get suspicious.”

He eyed her narrowly. “Do you think you can do it? If you’ve the slightest doubt, then it’s best to abort the plan for now and try to come up with something else later. If we’re caught tonight, we won’t get a second chance. It could mean our lives if we fail.”

In the glow of the candle Julie had lighted, Jenkins continued to gaze at her with a piercing, searching look. She was able to return his stare confidently, her chin jutting upward with firm resolution. “There isn’t time to think of another way, and we must move tonight. Don’t worry about me. You and your men do your job, and I assure you I’ll do mine.”

He patted her shoulder. “Good girl! I’ve got faith in you. I can tell by the gleam in your eye you mean business.”

“I do.” Her voice was firm, sure.

He told her where the hole was located and how she could get there, moving in the shadows so as not to be seen. All was quiet on the ship except for the sounds of Harky and a few of the guards who were swigging rum up in the captain’s quarters. They were obviously confident that all was under control, sure that the
Ariane
’s crew was subdued. And why shouldn’t they be? Arnhardt’s men had no weapons. Their captain and officers were securely chained, so the crew was effectively leaderless. And the privateers certainly had no reason to think Julie would not be so easily subdued or prone to acquiesce.

Jenkins told Julie to wait a half hour, then make her way to the hole. By then, he and the others would be in position and waiting. Once Derek and the others were freed, they would take over, finding a way to overcome the guards and take their weapons from them.

He turned to go but paused for one last, searching look. “I know you’re concerned about your mother and your family’s cotton, and I suppose you’re anxious to be on your way to Bermuda and on to London to meet your fiancé. But if I may say so, Miss Marshal, I can’t help thinking you’re a bit fond of our captain, even if you don’t realize it yourself at the moment.”

She could only stare at him, wondering exactly what she did feel deep inside. Then she smiled secretively and murmured, “Let’s just say I don’t believe he has a heart of iron, Doc. I think I’ve come to know him a bit better than the rest of you.”

He nodded, then left quickly.

Julie wondered if perhaps she hadn’t come to know herself a little bit better also, after the harrowing events of the day. For maybe the first time in her life, she had really become acquainted with her true self.

And she had a scary feeling that before dawn broke on a new day, she would come to terms with herself and whatever the future held…
if
there were to be a future in view of the danger she faced.

Chapter Seven

All was quiet and still on deck. A light drizzle fell from the stormy sky, and Julie breathed a sigh of relief that there would be no chance of moonlight to expose her. She had changed from the high-necked dress to one that dipped provocatively and exposed much cleavage. Its color was also dark, and she wore a shawl about her shoulders, wanting to be as inconspicuous as possible as she made her way to the hole where Derek was held prisoner.

Her heart was pounding, her body trembling, but she swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and began to tiptoe along slowly, picking her way through the riggings and ropes which lay tangled upon the deck. The ship had been anchored, so at least it was still. Peering into the darkness, Julie could make out the lines of the privateers’ ship perhaps fifty yards off the starboard side.

Spotting a guard, Julie stooped quickly beneath the railing, wrapped her arms about her knees, and drew them tightly up against her chest, not daring to breathe as he passed within a few feet of her. For a moment, she feared he might take his post there. Then she would be trapped and eventually seen. Finally he moved on. Before she rose, she scanned the ship, peering to see as much as she could in the misty darkness. There was another man, farther away, with his back to her. As best she could tell, these were the only two on the deck, though she was sure there would be others within shouting distance.

When she felt it was safe, Julie straightened and moved on. At the rear of the ship, between two wooden structures which looked like storage bins, was the entrance to the hole. She could see the guard sitting down, a musket across his knees. He appeared to be dozing, chin resting on his chest. She moved closer, wondering where Doc Jenkins and his men were hiding. Could they see her? Would they act in time? Perhaps he hadn’t been able to muster enough of the crewmen to be effective. Captain Arnhardt was not loved by his men, that was a fact, and if they were assured of their own safety in the hands of the Yankees, they probably would not concern themselves with the fate of their officers.

“Eh…” the seaman’s head jerked up. “Who’s there?”

Julie found herself staring down at the musket, which was pointed straight at her. For a moment she froze, then reminded herself she must have courage. She must be strong. Now was not the time to be afraid. She was surprised to hear the calmness of her voice as she spoke softly. “Hello, there. I hope I didn’t frighten you. I’m a passenger on this ship, and I just had to get some fresh air.”

Quickly he scrambled to his feet, embarrassed to be caught sleeping on duty. He stepped closer, gun still pointed at her, and snarled, “You ain’t got no business wandering about, miss. You’re just as good as a prisoner, you know. Now you best get down below before you get yourself in trouble.”

Very slowly, Julie let the shawl drop from her shoulders. There was a small lantern burning nearby, and it gave enough illumination that she knew he could see her clearly, see the way her breasts poured teasingly out of the bodice of her dress. She heard the quick intake of his breath, and she forced herself to take a step forward to give him an even better view. “It’s such a nice night,” she said petulantly. “And it’s so stuffy down there in that old cabin. You know, it’s not a bit cold, even though we’re supposed to be in the middle of winter. I suppose it’s the tropical air, being so close to Bermuda. Don’t you find it unusually warm?…” She moved even closer.

He lowered his rifle so that it was all but drooping limply at his side, and she could feel his gaze riveted on her bosom. She leaned over quickly, as though adjusting one of the tiny bows on her skirt, so that he could see more of her, and she smiled with satisfaction as she heard his soft moan, “Oh—my—God!”

She straightened, smiling brazenly in the soft glow of the light, and forced herself to behave calmly, though she wanted to hurry and get it over with. There was a chance a passing guard might see them, and that would never do. Doc Jenkins and his men might not be able to subdue
two
men with weapons.

“Do you mind if I sit a spell with you?” she cooed, lowering herself next to the spot where he’d been reclining, without waiting for his response. “A girl gets lonely, you know. Don’t you get lonely? Not only out here tonight but other times as well. I mean, it must be
terribly
lonely to be a sailor and seldom get into port where you can find the company of a young lady…”

For a moment, he just stood staring down at her. He pulled at his chin as though deep in thought. Finally, just when Julie began to feel the first waves of panic, thinking that he might reject her, he fell quickly to his knees, a wide grin on his face as he moved closer. “Yeah,” he whispered huskily. “I do get lonesome. I reckon it’s the same for women, ain’t it? I mean, you’re supposed to make like you don’t want the company of a man, but I know you do. All women do. They just put on an act, that’s all.”

He laid down his gun and, as he slipped one arm across the back of her shoulders, carelessly draped his other across her legs. “I heard about you…” She could feel his hot breath on her ear, smell the sour odor of rum. Good. He had been drinking. That would make it all so much easier.

“Yeah, I heard all about you…” he repeated, his hand straying to her ankle. Slowly he began to inch his eager fingers upward. “You’re the one that scar-face had a fight with Captain Guthrie over. Hot-blooded wench, he said you were. Said you needed taming and he was the man to do it. The captain, he said he’d take care of you hisself in his own good time. And look who winds up with the treasure? Ol’ Ringo! When I tell the guys about this…”

A lump rose in Julie’s throat, choking and constricting her, as she fought to quell the feeling that she was actually going to be sick to her stomach. Then she forced herself to turn sideways in his arms, and slid her hands up about his shoulders. Closing her eyes, not wanting to see his face, she whispered huskily, “Just kiss me…I have this need…and I’m so lonely and frightened…”