The Pirate and the Puritan (6 page)

With her vibrant blue eyes and
petite figure emphasized by her tight-waisted gown, Samantha Linley garnered
secret glances from every virile man in the room except one. But for that
reason Felicity suddenly found comfort in Drew’s constant attention. It set her
apart, even if Drew did it only to bait her. Mistress Linley didn’t know that.
Felicity not only held her ground at Drew's side but edged closer.

When it became obvious McCulla
had lost his bravado, Master Linley spoke up. “You might wish to recant that
slur against your man, Lord Christian. McCulla’s brought news of the Marleys’
murderer.”

“Aye. This broadsheet showed up
at the Hare and—” McCulla’s flushed face turned redder than it already was. “It
doesn’t matter where it came from. I knew Master Kendall would want to see it
straightaway. So here I am. It was
El Diablo
who did the deed, just as
everyone’s been saying.”

Drew’s sardonic smirk drooped.
“How do you know it was
El Diablo
? Is there proof?”

McCulla waved the broadsheet.
“Must be. This price on his head doesn’t leave room for doubt. I know twenty
men right now ready to sign on to look for the bastard.”

Drew appeared to recover in the
breath of McCulla’s response, replacing his watch with languid motions. He
showed no more concern than if they were discussing the weather. “We’ll see if
their enthusiasm outlasts their ale,” he guessed. “I heard this
El Diablo
character is rather elusive.”

Her father stepped between Drew
and McCulla to grab the handbill. “Who’s offering this reward?” He scanned the
paper. “It doesn’t say. And this picture is awfully vague. I wonder if this
El
Diablo
even exists. This might be a hoax.”

“He exists, all right,” McCulla
said. Then, with all ears straining to hear his words, he continued in
wide-eyed drama. “Heard stories about a Spanish merchanter he took. The crew
saw his black ship bearing down on them, and when he raised his flag—a white
devil skewering a bleeding heart—they knew they was doomed. They tossed down
their weapons and begged to be put ashore. He set them all adrift in their skiff
and told them to thank
El Diablo
for their lives.”

Drew dismissed McCulla’s tale
with a shrug. “That could have been his idea of irony, not a declaration of his
name. Besides, I heard the same story, and the crew had plenty of food and
water to make it to shore. The man hardly sounds like a bloodthirsty murderer.”

“You, Lord Christian, are the
only one I know with such a twisted sense of humor,” said Master Linley. “If he
killed the Marleys,
El Diablo
has obviously gone mad. Now that those
vermin of the seas are being hunted by His Majesty’s Navy, they’re all running
scared and destroying everything in their wake. Show him the handbill,
Benjamin.”

Felicity’s father shook his head.
“You can’t tell anything from this sketch. And I question the reward. If it’s
from the crown, I wonder why the governor didn’t notify me. I was Marley’s
partner. I think this handbill was printed just to scare us—probably by the
Marleys’ real killer.” Gesturing with the paper as he spoke, he came too close
to one of the tall, iron candelabra flanking the double doors. Luckily, his
flailing only resulted in extinguishing two of the candles rather than setting
the broadsheet aflame.

“Let me see that.” Drew strode
over and snatched the handbill. He silently studied the rumpled piece of paper,
apparently oblivious to the wave of whispers that began to break in the room.

Felicity moved behind him,
glancing around his stiff shoulder to view the face of the infamous devil
pirate.

“All I know is what it says. And
for a thousand pounds, I'd find my way to hell and bring back the real devil,”
McCulla bragged. He tugged on the lapels of his jacket. “What do you say,
Master Kendall? The boys and I are ready to leave tonight. Give me a ship and
we’ll bring you the Marleys’ killer.”

Drew absently passed the handbill
to Felicity. In a strange gesture, he touched his cheek, then his hair. He
glanced at his fingertips before wiping them on his breeches, leaving a white
smudge of powder marring the crisp velvet. He didn’t seem to notice, nor did
anyone else as they crowded around, anxious to view the sketch of
El Diablo
.

Master Linley slapped McCulla on
the back. “Good work, man. I want this marauder brought to justice as much as
Benjamin, here. Decent people can’t sleep at night knowing a pirate who will
murder them in their beds is on the loose. If Ben supplies the ship, I'll
purchase the provisions.”

Ben looked unconvinced. “Let’s
not panic. I think we should have a clear head before we act. I don’t want to
risk injury to my employees.” He glanced at Drew, apparently for support, but
Drew was too busy glaring at McCulla with an expression that promised
retribution rather than gratitude.

McCulla didn’t seem to notice.
“That bloody pirate’s no match for me. Give me a chance and I'll show you
Harold McCulla is worth his salt.”

Someone crowded behind Felicity
to see the broadsheet, distracting her from the strange interplay and forcing
her to focus on the crude drawing lest she lose it. The etching revealed the
sharp features of a man who would be considered handsome if it weren’t for his
eyes. For a brief moment, she thought she recognized him, but quickly changed
her mind.
El Diablo’s
eyes were cold, devoid of life, though he smiled.
The man had no soul and no remorse.

Passing the etching to the next
eager pair of hands, she looked beyond the throng of guests to find Drew. She
wondered if his subdued behavior had anything to do with fear. Perhaps he
suspected he was next on
El Diablo’s
list, and the broadsheet confirmed
his worst fears. Drew seemed too arrogant to respect an obvious threat, but she
had no other explanation for his reaction.

She found Drew and her father
tucked in a dark corner away from the other guests. At her approach, they fell
silent. Drew ignored her, while her father embraced her as if she might
disappear.

“Felicity, I’d like to accompany
Lord Christian to the Hare and the Hound to see if we can discover more about
this mysterious broadsheet. Would you like to stay here, or should I have my
driver see you home?” What Drew hid expertly overflowed from every one of her
father’s pores. He practically shook with fright.

Felicity hooked her arm through
his. “I wish to come with you.”

“No.” Drew’s curt command held no
hint of the polished aristocrat.

“Lord Christian’s right. It’ll be
no place for a woman.” Her father disengaged from her grasp. He held her hand,
patting the back of it

Felicity straightened, trying to
appear taller than he. “I knew Master Marley since I was a child. I’m just as
anxious to find the killer as you.”

“Not this time, Felicity,” Drew
said. “For once in your life, you’ll do as you’re told.” He stepped toward her,
apparently forgetting to be indifferent.

“I was speaking to my father.”
She held her position at the edge of the plush carpet, despite the urge to melt
back into the throng of guests still gathered around Captain McCulla and Master
Linley.

“Don’t argue with me about this.”

Her father cut off Drew’s
advance. “She’s only trying to help. I won’t have you bullying her.”

Drew’s narrowed gaze instantly
dropped. He raised his hands as if he intended to rake his fingers through his
hair, but lowered his arms when he made contact with his ridiculous wig. It
appeared he wasn’t used to the fancy dress of an aristocrat after all—not that
Felicity was terribly surprised.

Her father tightened his grip,
gaining her full attention. “Though I disagree with his high-handed manner, I
agree with Drew. I must insist that Avery see you home.”

Her father’s obvious agitation
forced her to hold her tongue—not the fact that Drew’s tight jaw warned arguing
would be useless.

“Ben, you need to take Felicity
home yourself. She shouldn’t be left in the care of a driver,” Drew instructed.

Her father shoved his hands into
the pockets of his knee-length coat. “I don’t want you dealing with this alone.
Now, more than ever, we need to stay together.”

Drew glanced at Felicity as if
she were an unwanted piece of baggage. “I won’t be alone. Besides, it’s more
important to keep Felicity safe and away from the docks.”

“You’re right.” Her father
nodded, but the sagging of his shoulders proved he didn’t like his choice. “I
must think of Felicity first.” Her father clasped her hand again. “Come along,
daughter. I’m sure our hosts will understand our early departure.”

She followed him, slightly shaken
by Drew’s curt dismissal. Lord, but he was good. He could turn the charm off
and on as he pleased, could become demanding and powerful in the blink of an
eye. Despite knowing better, she had actually started to believe his
flirtatious glances over dinner.

In the cool marble foyer, the
threesome exchanged a hasty farewell with Philip and Samantha Linley. Felicity
couldn’t help but notice Samantha’s desperate attempt to pull Drew away from
the group with whispered pleas. Her irritated scowl at his rebuke left Felicity
with unjustified satisfaction. But it was short-lived as Mistress Linley swung
around to stare at her.

After a head-to-toe perusal, the
older woman dismissed her with a smirk. Apparently, Mistress Linley found no
threat to her relationship with Drew. Not that Felicity could blame her. Even
the gout-ridden merchant who had sat next to her during dinner had stared past
Felicity to marvel at Samantha Linley’s classic beauty.

After her fall from grace had
ensured her she’d never be any man’s wife, Felicity assumed she’d accepted the
fact that the male population only gazed upon her in a sisterly fashion. It was
what she’d told herself she wanted. But bluff or not, Drew’s decidedly heated
attention proved how wrong she’d been.

Without conscious thought,
Felicity slipped her arm through his. He only gave her a brief curious glance
before he guided her out the door. A quick glimpse over her shoulder rewarded
Felicity with the droop of Mistress Linley’s smile.

Felicity allowed herself to be
meekly led to the waiting carriage, then climbed in, grateful that Drew let her
action go without comment. Tactfully, she’d decided to wait for her father’s
seclusion from Drew before she convinced him to take them in the direction of
the Hare and the Hound. Drew’s change from fop to bully might subdue her
father, but it wouldn’t stop her. Not until she found out what upset him enough
to crack his gentlemanly guise.

***

“Just a moment, Felicity. I’d
like a word with Lord Christian.” Ben closed the carriage’s heavy door on his
daughter before she could voice her obvious objections. With her out of the
way, Ben began again the conversation she had interrupted. “Are you sure
leaving Barbados is the right thing to do, Drew?”

He glanced across the brick drive
to assure himself the nickname had not been overheard. Torches guarded the
polished stone steps to Linley Hall with silent uniformity, casting ominous
shadows but revealing no curious ears.

Motioning to Ben, Drew receded
into a nook shaded by an overgrown bougainvillea whose blood-red petals fell in
a dark pool at the driveway’s edge. Secluding himself with his remaining
business partner might appear suspicious, but better that than to have Felicity
or anyone overhear their conversation.

“You saw the sketch. First the
rumors that
El Diablo
killed Marley and Beatrice, and now this. I need
to leave Barbados. Maybe if I’d left earlier Marley and Beatrice would still be
alive.”

Ben reached out and squeezed his
shoulder. “I don’t blame you. You know that, so stop blaming yourself. Marley
and I both knew the risk of selling pirated goods. We’re in this together,
Drew.”

Drew folded his arms over his
chest and casually disengaged Ben’s grip. “I don’t think Marley would have
agreed.”

“Lord Christian kept Marley out
of debtors’ prison. And purchased him his house on the hill and the love of a
woman who wouldn’t have looked twice at him before. And Lord Christian can
protect you now. Don’t leave.”

Drew shook his head. “We always
knew our charade would come to an end. It was only a matter of time before
someone discovered ‘Lord Christian’ wasn’t whom he claimed. We should have quit
the moment King George started his crusade against piracy.”

Ben straightened and narrowed his
gaze. “That was my decision as well as yours. And Marley’s. I don’t remember Richard
complaining until pirates and the merchants who bought from them started being
hanged from the docks on a regular basis.”

“It’s not as simple as selling
pirate contraband under the guise of a legitimate charter anymore. King
George’s edicts aren’t all we have to contend with. Someone calling himself
El
Diablo
is killing people associated with our venture.” He tried to make his
voice deadly serious. “You might be willing to take responsibility for your
part in our plan, but what about Felicity? She’s involved now. It’s clear I
must leave.”

Ben cut his gaze to the deep
shadows in the foliage. Drew suspected Ben knew he was right but was too good a
friend to send him out on his own—which was more than Drew deserved.

“But what about you? You won’t be
safe on the open sea. I didn’t save your life to watch you throw it away,” Ben
said. But the conviction in his voice was clearly gone.

“That’s the last thing I’m doing.
Now that there’s a king’s ransom on
El Diablo’s
head, I’m no safer on
Barbados than at sea. Besides, I want to find the bastard who is ruining my
life.”

“Just send word that you’re
safe.”

“No contact. I’ll leave on the
Sea
Mistress
tonight and you won’t see me again until I find Marley and
Beatrice’s killer.”