The Raider (17 page)

“How am I to fish wearing these skirts?” Jess had wailed.

“You can't fish if you're in jail,” Eleanor had said. “And that's where you'll be if you don't obey the admiral.”

So now she was dressed up like a dressmaker's doll and on her way to the Montgomery house.

She was so angry that she didn't see what was happening around her. One man, on horseback, was so taken aback by the sight of her that he ran his horse into a carriage. The carriage horses shied, but the driver couldn't control them because his attention was focused on the beautiful Jessica Taggert. His horses leaped, and the driver fell forward and landed in a horse trough. The carriage horses panicked and began running with old Mrs. Duncan inside screaming—but no one paid her any attention. Two men, gaping at Jessica, walked into a woman carrying six dozen eggs. The eggs fell, some broke, some started rolling. A man carrying a cage of geese and watching Jess, slipped on three of the eggs. The geese ran out of the cage and under the blacksmith's legs. The blacksmith dropped a hot horseshoe—he was watching Jess and not paying attention to what he was doing—the horseshoe grazed the leg of a horse and the horse kicked out the side of the building, which felled a post that was supporting an anvil, which hit another post. The building collapsed just as the blacksmith and the horse escaped.

Unfortunately, the admiral, standing next to Alexander at the top of the hill, saw it all.

Alex's eyes were full of tears from suppressed laughter by the time Jessica reached them.

“I came to thank you for the dresses,” Jessica said belligerently, not looking at the admiral.

The admiral looked down the hill at the chaos: men and women yelling, animals screaming, everyone running about, then looked down at Jessica. His face turned red.

He raised his finger to point at her. “Married!” he roared. “Married in a fortnight and heaven help the man.” He stormed past her, went down the hill and began to shout orders to try to organize the chaos.

Jessica turned to look after him. “What in the world?” she gasped. “What happened down there?”

Alexander's laughter exploded as he pulled her inside the house.

“What jellyfish got you?” she asked, thinking Alex had lost his mind.

Alex was going to tell her except that Amos Coffin turned around, took one look at Jess and hit his mug against the stone fireplace. It shattered, but Amos just stood there gaping and holding the handle.

“You see a sea monster?” Jessica snapped at Amos. Alex began to laugh again. “Men!” she sneered, got her clam shovel and started out the door.

“Don't go through town again,” Alex called, choking on his laughter. “Warbrooke can't afford your walking through town again.”

She gave him a look of disgust, then slammed the door behind her. Of course she wasn't going through town again. She always took the forest path; he knew that.

J
ESSICA
had difficulty figuring out how to fish while wearing a dress. Since she was alone in the private little cove that she was beginning to consider hers—hers and the Raider's, she thought with a smile—she removed the scarf from the deep, square neck of the dress and used it to tie the hem of the skirt to her waist. The removal of her scarf left her breasts rather fully exposed, but she was too busy to consider that. She took off her hose and shoes and, bare-legged to the knee, she cast her nets.

It was nearly sundown when Eleanor appeared, clumsily making her way down the cliff side into the cove.

Immediately, Jessica was alert. “Someone's hurt,” she said, nearly dropping her net.

“No,” Eleanor answered. “I hoped you might be here. Alex is watching the children so I could come talk to you.” She looked her sister up and down, eyeing the way both the top and bottom halves of her were exposed. “I certainly hope none of the men followed me.”

“What men?” Jess asked, pulling in a net full of fish, lobsters hanging onto the edges.

“I told Alexander you'd have no idea what was going on. Jessica, didn't you hear the admiral? He said you had to marry someone within the next two weeks.”

“Oh, that. Did you make the oyster loaves for Mrs. Wentworth?”

“Jessica!” Eleanor shouted.
“Listen
to me. You have to pick a husband.”

“Eleanor, I am not going to let that man bully me. I have no intention of marrying anyone—at least not now.”

Eleanor moved to stand in front of her sister. “A lot of people heard the admiral this morning and he has to stand behind what he said or look like a fool. Oh, Jessica, how do you get yourself in these muddles?”

“I don't know anything about this. Let Alex talk to the man. They seem to be friends,” she said nastily.

Eleanor sat down on a fallen tree. “What can I do to make you listen? The admiral has his reputation at stake. Twenty people within my hearing have told him you'll
never
marry and every time anyone says that, the admiral gets angrier. Now he's saying you'll marry an American in two weeks or on the fifteenth day, you'll marry an Englishman.”

Jessica was beginning to actually hear Eleanor's words. “All this has happened in one short day?”

Eleanor raised one eyebrow at her sister. Jessica had no idea of the havoc she'd caused this morning. “Jess, there have been fourteen eligible and two ineligible men come to the Montgomery house today, most of them bearing gifts for you.”

Jess began to smile. “What sort of gifts? We could use a pig. Anybody brings a pregnant sow, I'm his.”

“Jess, this is
serious.”

Jessica sat down by her sister. “The admiral was sent here to find the Raider and that's all. He doesn't have the power to force a marriage.”

Eleanor took her sister's hand. “He burned your boat; he can burn our house. I think he spoke without thinking this morning, but now he has to stand behind what he said. And, besides, I don't think the men of this town will allow him to back down. Too many of them want a chance to be your husband.”

“Really?” Jess said, smiling. “Anyone interesting? What about Mr. Lawrence's youngest boy?”

“He's seventeen years old!”

“Get them young and they're easier to train. All right,” she said when Eleanor started to yell again. “We'll straighten this out. I still think Alexander is the one to fix this.”

“He certainly does rescue you often enough.”

“He's just a nosy old maid, that's all. He can't do anything else, so at least he can talk. Here, help me with these fish and let's go home. We'll worry about this tomorrow.”

“When there are only thirteen days left,” Eleanor said heavily.

Jess, bending over the nets, looked at her sister. “I guess I could marry that big Russian of Alex's.”

“Over my dead body,” Eleanor snapped then put her hand to her mouth. “I mean…Of course…”

Jessica started whistling as she emptied her nets.

It was later, as they neared the path to their leaky little house, that Jessica began to understand what Eleanor was talking about. Men lined the path home, some holding wilted flowers, some molded maple sugar candy, some just standing there, their caps in their hands.

“I own six acres of good farmland, Mistress Jessica, and I'd be pleased to have you for a wife.”

“I own the
Molly D
and you could sail with me. I'll hang you a clothesline wherever you want.”

“I own the depot twenty miles north of New Sussex and I'll buy you a mule for plowing.”

“I own six mules, three oxen and eight cooking pots. I'd like to marry you, Mistress Jessica.”

Her mouth open, Jessica stared at the men as Eleanor pulled her through the gauntlet. She jerked hard on Jessica's arm when she nearly stopped in front of a man holding a fat pig by a string.

“You're no help at all,” Eleanor hissed as she slammed the door behind them.

“I had no idea I was so popular,” Jess said, smiling. “Maybe I should just stand on the wharf and let them bid for me. Although that man with the pig was very good-looking.”

Eleanor slammed a bag of corn meal on the table. “I ought to sell you, just outright
sell
you. Then maybe the kids and I could have some peace.”

“No food, but peace,” Jess said complaisantly. “Eleanor, don't be so upset. This will blow over. I have no intention of marrying anyone right now. You'll see, Alex will use his silver tongue to reason with the admiral and the old man will forget all about me. You'll see.” She leaned back in the chair and thought that she had no intention of marrying any man except the Raider. All she had to do was wait until he could reveal himself to her and then she'd proudly walk down the aisle to him.

*   *   *

Jessica was trying to concentrate on her fishing but she kept looking over her shoulder. The last week and a half of her life could only be described as hell. There seemed to be men everywhere: men reaching for her, men with bowed heads, men offering her their worldly goods. They came from as far south as Boston and there was one French fur trader who had come in from the northern woods. He'd heard there was a shipload of beautiful women for sale. He seemed rather disappointed to find only one woman. He thought Jessica was “real pretty,” but there just wasn't enough of her.

Jess had had an awful time escaping the men to make her way to her private little cove.

It had taken most of the first week, but Eleanor and Alex had just about persuaded her that the admiral meant what he said when he'd commanded Jessica to get married. He'd made some threats against her home, her family and her way of earning a living if she didn't obey him—and keep him from looking like a fool. He'd even introduced her to the man he said he'd force her to marry if she disobeyed him: a big dullard with a heavy lower lip that was constantly wet. The admiral had laughed at Jess's involuntary shudder.

But now, doing something familiar like hauling nets made Jess think of how her life would change if she married. So far, no man in his proposal had even mentioned her young brothers and sisters. And some of them had taken an active dislike to Nathaniel.

Jess smiled. Of course Nate didn't help any. He loved making the men look like fools. He asked one old man how old he was, then laughed uproariously at the answer. He insisted one scrawny chicken farmer show his bicep, then told Jess the man wasn't strong enough for her. He swatted a man's head, saying he saw lice in the ancient wig the man wore. Nate weeded out the worst of them.

But even the best of them didn't interest Jessica. There was only one man who interested her and he was the Raider. She had only to close her eyes and she could feel his hands on her body. Why didn't he come forward? Why didn't he ask to marry her? Why wasn't he rescuing her from these lecherous men?

At the sound of a falling rock, she opened her eyes and turned sharply to see old man Clymer inches away from her, his grubby little hands outstretched and reaching for her. She took a step backward and almost tripped over her net.

His eyes were on her nearly bare bosom, then his gaze moved down to her bare legs. Up and down, his eyes couldn't rest.

Jess put her hands up to cover herself. “Mr. Clymer, you shouldn't be here.” She was backing away from him.

“Why not?” he rasped, advancing on her. “You are here. Jessica, I have loved you for years. Marry me. I'll give you
anything.”

She was looking about for a weapon but saw only fish at her feet. She bent, grabbed a twenty-pound haddock by the tail and hit Mr. Clymer on the side of the head.

He was stunned only momentarily before he grabbed her, pulled her to him and tried to kiss her mouth.

Jess pushed at his face while turning away. He was amazingly strong for a man his age.

“Jessica,” he murmured and buried his face in her breasts.

“Let go of me, you old piece of fish bait!” she yelled, but he ignored her.

“I mean to make you my wife! To have you always! Mine, Jessica, mine for all eternity.”

Twisting about, she saw Alexander standing on the cliff above the cove. “Help me!” she screamed. “Get this squid off of me. Mr. Clymer,” she begged, “remember yourself.”

Alexander took an infuriatingly long time getting down into the cove. Jess struggled while the fat old man slathered her breasts with his wet kisses. She thought she might be sick.

Alex minced his way across the rocks, making sure his shoes didn't get wet. Delicately, he kicked a fish aside as he made his way to Jess. He tapped Mr. Clymer on the shoulder.

At first the man didn't respond. Alex had to tap him three times before he looked up. His red, glazed eyes bugged when he saw Alex. He straightened and pulled away from Jessica.

“Might I suggest that you'll find your own home more comfortable?”

“Why yes…I was just…Yes, I'll…” Mr. Clymer released Jessica, then scrambled up the cliff bank. They could hear him running through the forest.

“Well!” Jess said, straightening her dress and then looking around for her fish that had flopped all over the cove. “Some rescuer you are!”

“I got rid of him, didn't I?”

“Not until after he'd…You should have hit him.” She broke off to look down at herself with a sneer. “He slobbered all over me.” She went to the water and began to wash her exposed bosom. She was unaware of the increasing heat in Alex's face as he watched her.

Alex turned away and sat on the fallen tree. “Have you made up your mind yet?”

“About what?” she asked, tossing a couple of codfish in a bag. “Oh, you mean about marriage. Yes and no.”

He dusted an imaginary bit off his coat. “Let me guess. You want to marry the Raider, but he hasn't come forward to ask for your hand.”

Jess dropped a fish, then retrieved it. “What do you know?”

“Every unmarried woman in town wants to marry the Raider. They all seem to think he's taller than life. It's like marrying a handsome prince from a child's fairy tale.”

“He's flesh and blood, I know that for a fact,” she said smugly.

“A flesh-and-blood who isn't here. How do you know he isn't one of your many suitors?”

“I'd know him, believe me. Alex, put your foot on that fish's tail and hold it there.”

With a sigh, he put his toe on the big fish's tail. “Jess, you have four days in which to decide. You have to make up your mind.”

She tossed the last fish in the bag and then sat down on the tree by Alex. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course,” he said softly, his eyes intent.

“I don't like
any
of them.” She looked down at her hands. “I don't want to let Eleanor know, but I'm getting a little worried. I know you've guessed how I feel about the Raider. He and I are…we've been closer than most people think.” Her head came up. “I don't want to marry any other man. I want to wait until this is all over, then the Raider can reveal himself to me and I'll be more than happy to marry him.”

“But, Jess, our problems with England won't be solved overnight. What if they go on for years? What if England sends more men to pursue the Raider? What if he can
never
reveal himself to you?”

“I'll wait. He'll come to me someday, unmasked, and I'll be waiting for him.”

“But you don't have until ‘someday.' You have four days and you have to marry someone.”

“I'll wait.”

He rolled his eyes upward in frustration. “What do you plan to do? Wait until midnight four days from now? If he hasn't arrived by then, will you close your eyes and choose one of your other suitors?”