The Ladys Pirate Read online

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  The expression in his eyes was admiration.

  By Davy's bones, this one has the spunk of a mountain cat. Here she is, bruises on her peachy cheeks, hiding in the brush like a convict on the run, acting the lady of the manor.

  She was beautiful, just as her assassin had claimed, but she did not possess the cold, untouchable beauty of most ladies of the nobility. Elspeth, Countess Greymere, was a woman with her fires carefully banked, but that the fires were there to be roused to full flame, he did not doubt.

  "What is your name, sir?" she demanded again.

  He rose and swept her a bow suitable for presentation to a peeress in her own right. If his grace impressed her, he didn't see it on her clean-featured face. She was all the peeress, confident of her place and in charge. Impressive lady, for a lass of only nineteen years.

  "My name, my lady, is Henry Morgan Francis Merritt, Hal to my friends, lately arrived from America."

  "What is your business in England?" She paused and regarded him with a stern perusal. "When you're not kidnapping and murdering noblewomen?"

  He wasn't quite certain whether she meant to be amusing so he squelched his chuckle.

  "I am a seaman, milady," he replied with a near truth. "Captain of a small trading ship."

  Her jade green eyes swept up and down his body. "I don't believe I've ever seen a sailor dressed in such a way."

  He'd almost forgotten the green dappled buckskins he'd worn for this excursion.

  "Oh, this. Well, I am also a member of the Cherokee Nation. This is much more appropriate for a trek through the forest in the middle of the night. Especially when one is on the devil's own business."

  "Indeed." She took a disconcertingly deep breath. He hadn't up to then noticed anything about her below the neck, but now her cloak hung open and her magnificent bosom glowed like pearl in the moonlight. "Mr. Merritt? Are you listening?"

  He raised his eyes to meet her gaze again.

  "Mr. Merritt, I was asking, what now? Will you still kill me?" She scrambled to get off the ground. He offered her a hand, which she accepted. For the first time, he noticed her left arm wrapped tightly and the gingerly manner she held it.

  "What's wrong with your arm?"

  "It's broken at the wrist," she answered, with as little concern audible in her tone as if she were telling the time.

  "Broken? When?"

  "That is none of your concern." She bent to help her maid, extending her good arm. "Are you all right, Patsy?"

  "Yes, my lady."

  The Countess shook out her cloak as she turned her attention back to Hal.

  "What did you mean before, when you said you were here to help me? How can you help me when your mission is otherwise?"

  Hal bristled. "Killing women is not a job for a man."

  Her face gave away her disbelief. "I cannot credit that, sir. The tales from the Americas tell of many instances of savages ravishing and murdering innocent women and children. What can one more be to you?"

  "Even so, milady, I was raised to be a warrior, to take strength from battle with an equal, not from murdering the weak."

  "Nonetheless, many English women have been killed-"

  "I do not argue the point. However, you should know that was only after treaties were ignored, promises were broken, land taken again and again, our own innocents starved and driven to death like animals."

  Hal stopped, pushing aside the anger he always felt at the treatment his people had suffered. This was not the place for such a discussion. Besides, what possible purpose could it serve? This woman was young and ignorant of the truth and it wasn't his place to educate her. She was a means to an end to him, nothing more. So it was with some surprise at himself that he continued with the topic.

  "My people love war, milady. At least we did. My grandfather has told me stories of the old days when the Cherokee fought for the joy of the fight."

  "Humph," the Countess chuckled. "Your people sound like Scots."

  Hal allowed himself to respond to her jibe with a smile. "Must be the reason so many Scots live among my people, including my own father. But killing a woman or a child is the action of a coward. My people much prefer to take the weak as captives. The women become concubines, honored wives and mothers. We raise captured children as our own."

  "That is very charitable of your people. I am certain their families thank you for the care." Her sarcasm was clear, but she allowed him no chance for a response. "So, returning to our present dilemma?"

  "I accepted the job intending to take you to a safe place, then helping you identify your would-be assassin."

  "In exchange for..."

  "Money, of course. To offer to let you ransom yourself and toss in the knowledge that someone wanted you dead."

  "I see. And if I chose not to pay?"

  "That would be most ungrateful of you, my lady. After all, I seek funds not only for myself, but to arrange my ship's quick passage back to America. My crew is anxious to return home."

  "It would most certainly be ungrateful. How much do you need for your cruise, sir?"

  "Five hundred pounds."

  She frowned. "Why so much? A crossing to America takes only a few weeks. One hundred, when I and my maid are safely delivered to Greymere."

  "I require five hundred," he replied.

  She regarded him coolly, but after a long moment she replied, "Two hundred."

  He allowed himself to chuckle at last. He hadn't considered a Countess to be one to haggle.

  "My lady, by all accounts, five hundred pounds won't deplete your resources. That is what I require."

  She twisted her full lips in a slight pout.

  "Very well. Five hundred it is."

  "Thank you, my lady." He executed another bow. "I'll retrieve your horses and we'll be on our way."

  The Countess Greymere responded with a regal nod.

  Hal trotted off toward the horses still chuckling.

  Chapter Three

  Richard paced, the sound of his heavy boot echoing through Greymere's high-ceilinged parlor.

  Clump. Clump. Clump.

  Alexander March ground his teeth and jumped from the settee.

  "For God's sake, Richard. Cease that stomping about. Sit down so I can think."

  "Where is she, Alex? She's your stepdaughter, after all. You know her better than I do. Where could she have gone?" Richard asked his half-brother. "I lost her tracks just a few miles from my estate." His drawn face crinkled in worry. "What if she's been set upon by brigands?"

  "Why, Richard. I never knew you cared so much for the gal."

  Richard stared as though Alex had lost his reason. "What? What are you talking about?"

  Alex smiled ruefully. Richard, bereft of humor as only a legitimate son with all the responsibility of producing an heir can be, was not amused by the situation.

  Richard waved in disgust. "You laugh, Alex. It isn't your wife who has decided to scamper off in the middle of the night."

  Alex sat back and laced his fingers together over his prosperous belly. There was more to the story than Elspeth simply deciding to scamper off, of that he was certain.

  "Why did she leave, Dick? Didn't she find the married state to her liking?"

  "My marriage is none of your affair."

  "Quite the contrary, dear brother. I pressed for this match with Elspeth and her mother. I certainly don't desire to have my own marriage damaged by your stupidity. What did you do to the girl?"

  "Nothing." Richard turned away and stared out the window.

  Alex waited, letting the silence pull the information from his brother. Finally, Richard's shoulders fell and he lost his habitual haughtiness.

  "Alex, have you ever had difficulty with women?"

  "What type of difficulty? Conversation?"

  Richard whipped away from the window, his face mottled red.

  "You know what I'm talking about," he said, his voice low.

  Of course, Alex did know. He'd had
spies in Richard's house for years and they still provided him with a wealth of valuable information, which helped him keep his younger brother manageable. Among the latest tidbits had been the news that the marriage of the beautiful and obscenely wealthy Countess Greymere and Viscount Sandgrove was not happy.

  Not that he'd expected it to be. Arranged by others with their own purposes, the match was certainly not based upon love.

  However, in the years he'd been married to her mother, Elspeth had impressed Alex as a girl of good sense. He knew she'd taken the marriage in stride, knowing it to be a necessary part of her duty to her title and people. An heir would not only inherit Richard's title, but also become Earl Greymere in due course, and inherit a fortune immense by any standards.

  "Alex!"

  Alex raised his gaze to meet Richard's. " Yes, Richard, I suppose all men have had such, difficulties. Drinking," he added with a pointed pause, "is one known cause of impotence."

  Richard winced at the word. Alex gave him no sympathy.

  "Still, a lack of being bedded is no reason for a young woman of Elspeth's good sense to leave her home in the middle of the night." Again he waited to hear Richard's side.

  "She is unreasonable. She is cold and unapproachable. No man could-" Richard stopped, unable to say the words. "She never smiles, is never gay. She obviously finds lovemaking distasteful."

  Alex seriously doubted that. "Richard, I've had word you have been cruel to the girl."

  "What? Who told you such a lie? I have been consideration itself."

  Rising from the settee, Alex stared Richard down.

  "Don't lie to me, laddie buck. Remember, I know you. For all I was born on the wrong side of the blanket, I was still raised in the same crib. You've never learned how to control your temper."

  "Stop, Alex. I warn you."

  "And I warn you. That girl is dear to me, for her mother's sake as well as her own. She was badly treated by the old Earl and I won't have her spend her life in the misery her mother endured at that blackguard's hand."

  "She is my wife and my affair."

  "Think that if you wish. Be assured, though, it won't help you if you harm her."

  Richard's expression said he believed Alex's threat, but Alex himself knew he was bluffing. Richard could kill Elspeth and there was little that could be done about it, except see her title go to her cousin, a man of no strength and less consequence.

  "I won't harm her, Alex. She's no good to me dead. I will see my heir Earl Greymere."

  "Good. Then take some advice from your older brother. Go home. I will entreat her to give you a second chance. Stop drinking and act as though you care something for her. Eventually you will come to believe it as well. Treat her kindly, Richard, and she will give you all her devotion."

  "You really believe she could become devoted to a cripple?"

  "I doubt she cares for that. She's not superficial."

  "She hates me, Alex."

  "She doesn't know you, Dick. If she fears you, I suspect you've given her reason." Alex faced his brother, his voice rock steady. "If you lay one hand on her again, you will face me."

  "Alex? Who has come at this hour?" The little-girl voice of his wife drifted down the stairs.

  "'Tis only Dick, my dear, to discuss a little business." To Richard, he whispered, "Not a word about Elspeth going missing. I won't have her worried until there's cause."

  Adelpha March entered the room, seeming to glide above the cold marble to the warmer Persian rugs. She stiffened at the sight of her husband's brother who was also her son-in-law.

  "Richard? Has Elspeth come with you?"

  Richard bowed. "No, milady. The last time I saw my lady wife she was safely abed."

  Adelpha nodded, her snowy white hair flowing around her shoulders. She waited for a moment, clearly uncertain whether to go or stay. Alex didn't wait for her dislike of Richard to overtake her manners.

  "There's no need for you to be bored by the interminable business talk of men, my dear. Go along to bed." At her questioning look, he smiled and gave her a little nod. "I shall be along soon."

  She rewarded him with a similar smile, a secret promise.

  "Good night," she said to Richard. "Please give my greetings to my daughter." Adelpha didn't wait for an answer before turning and leaving the men to their talk.

  "How sweet. I shall be ill." Richard's bad temper overflowed. "What about my problem?"

  "As I said, it is your problem. Elspeth is your wife and if you cannot manage your marital affairs she will annul you and find another husband, one who can do his duty by her."

  "I can't believe you are being so cavalier about this. Without the Greymere estates Sandgrove will be bankrupt."

  Alex heard the agitation in Richard's voice. There was more troubling him than his missing wife.

  "What has happened, Dick?"

  "That damned pirate." Richard shoved his fingers through his hair. "We lost two more ships last month."

  "What in blazes is the Navy doing out there? This has been going on for a year now."

  Richard's silence caused Alex to turn to him.

  "I haven't reported the situation to the Admiralty," Richard finally admitted.

  Alex narrowed his eyes. "Why not? The British Navy will find this brigand and hang him."

  Richard regarded him stonily. "I don't wish to get the Admiralty mixed up in our business."

  "Damnation, Dick. That's what we pay taxes for."

  "No!" Richard cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "You well know why we can't bring the Navy in to handle this."

  "Nonsense. They don't have to know anything we don't want them to know."

  "Consider, brother, if the Navy captures him in the act."

  That did stop Alex. Richard was right. It wouldn't do to have their irregular cargo discovered.

  "All right, we can't use the Navy. Have you hired extra men?"

  "Yes. I've doubled the number of armed men on the ships and put a hefty reward on Merritt's head. It's costing us a small fortune, but I'm confident our small armada of soldiers can see to Black Hal Merritt and March Shipping will make us rich beyond any imagining."

  "Until then?" Alex asked.

  "Which returns us to my present problem. I need funds now to pay for the extra hands and to replace what the blackguard steals. Without the girl's money, Alex, we'll lose everything."

  Alex wheeled on him. "We? I daresay you forget to whom you speak. You'll still have the title. If Adelpha finds out about our side business, I'll lose her. You asked me, on the credit of the love I bore our father, to help you in your pursuit of marriage with Elspeth. I agreed, thinking you intelligent enough to deal kindly with your source of funds. I even foolishly believed you would reform once married."

  He moved to the table at the edge of the room where the port had been placed and poured himself another bracing drink.

  Richard remained silent after this last tirade. Alex glanced at him, expecting to see the purpled face of rage. He was surprised. Richard stood with his back to Alex, one hand in his waistcoat pocket, the other swirling his glass.

  "You are right, Alex. I don't deserve your help. I suppose I even made matters worse by my treatment of the girl."

  "Your wife, Dick."

  Richard turned then. "Yes. My wife." He sipped his port. "What then, big brother, do you suggest I do now?"

  The quiet, humble question caught Alex quite by surprise. Was Richard serious?

  "Go home and to bed. Elspeth is bound here, I am certain. I will talk to her and determine if there is any way to get her to return."

  Richard's mouth dropped open as though he would protest Elspeth having any choice in the matter, but he wisely shut his lips against it.

  "Very well, Alex." Tipping up his glass, he drained his port. "I look forward to a communication from you."

  With a single nod, he left the room.

  Alex sighed hugely. What a waste. Richard had so much potential. And such a pity about Elspeth.
But the die had been cast and there was no way to call it back now.

  He drained his own port and went upstairs to his own bed and his own wife.

  *

  Hal had kept them to a walk so he could keep up without tiring and hear riders approaching. So far there had been no other riders, but still, he didn't want to meet March at night with these two women in tow.

  "There, sir," the lady raised her hand and pointed. "Our destination. Greymere."

  Hal raised his eyes to a fine house, four sprawling stories tall. Hal decided the reports of the Countess's wealth were not overstated. He grabbed the rein of the Countess's mount, just preventing her from taking off toward her refuge.

  "Caution, milady. If your husband is there it might be better if he doesn't see you. Let me go first to ensure it is safe."

  He sprinted ahead without waiting for her reply. On silent feet he approached the house.

  As usual for the very rich, the place was lit up like Christmas. Hal puffed a disgusted breath at the waste as he hugged the shadows and knelt under a window in front.

  The voice he hadn't heard in fifteen years chilled him to the bone. All the hatred welled inside him, urging him to burst through the window and end the chase here and now.

  "Not yet, Rabbit. Not yet." For the thousandth time he imagined killing Richard March. Separating his hair from his skull would be a pleasure.

  "I look forward to a communication from you."

  The words brought Hal back to the matter at hand. March was saying his goodbyes. He ducked behind the shrubbery as the man limped out the front door, followed by his two companions.

  Hal studied them, memorizing their faces. He would see them again. Better for him to know them, than the other way round.

  Once March had disappeared over the rise, Hal retraced his steps to the Countess and her maid.

  "It's safe to approach, my lady." He helped her mount and led the way to the house, all the while, keeping his eyes and ears alert for any sign of March's return.

  The wide white doors opened a bit. A man in a brocaded robe peered through the crack, his eyes widening in what Hal could only interpret as delight.

  "My Lady!" He threw the doors wide and turned back to shout into the house. "Lila, get the dowager Countess and Mr. March. Our lady is home again."