Dangerous Weakness (23 page)

Chapter 38

“You ship is ready, Rais. Prepare your men to evacuate . . .”

Another loud wail from the back room of the uncle’s house distracted Richard. Only Andrew’s hand firm on his arm kept him in place.
Concentrate, Richard. This negotiation is life or death.

“You believe that captain will let us go? What of the village?” Hamidou demanded.

“My orders are to leave the village alone and to allow your ship out of the cove. The captain will follow those orders. Once you are under sail, I can’t promise.”

Hamidou nodded. “When the gold comes, we will see,” he said.

“The earl will return with your gold, Rais,” Andrew put in. “You may count on it. My presence here is surety.”

Richard heard Hamidou reply, but Lily’s cries distracted him.
Can those women be trusted? What if they harm Lily? What if they harm my son?

“Your wife will be well, English. The grandmother has assisted hundreds into this world,” Hamidou told him.

Am I that transparent?
Every fiber of his being pulled him toward the back room of the uncle’s house, the room to which Hamidou led them when Richard carried Lily up the hill. She had labored for an hour already.
How long do these things take
?

“Are we agreed then?” Andrew asked. “When the gold comes, the Boreas will pull out to allow your crew to leave. You will have one hour to do so. They will remain off shore until you are gone and they see that we are safe. Then they will come in to evacuate the marquess and his family. That will allow you time to make your escape. Agreed?”

Hamidou gave a sharp nod. “If the earl returns with the agreed upon gold, we will do it.”

When the Rais left to inform his men to prepare, Richard sagged in relief.

“Almost there,” Andrew said, sinking back onto a divan.

“We’re in danger until they are gone. Don’t let the lack of a guard fool you,” Richard told him. “And those women . . . I need to stay with Lily.” He turned toward the back room.

“A moment, first, while we’re alone.”

Richard turned back, puzzled. Concern covered his brother-in-law’s expression.

“They won’t welcome you, you know. The women, I mean.”

“They won’t have a choice. What do you need to tell me?”

“Castlereagh gave orders to your agents around the Mediterranean. His Majesty’s government will not pay ransom for captives.”

“He said as much some months ago: let a few suffer to kill the practice. It looks different when you’re facing slavery. How did you convince him otherwise? And how, come to that, did you do it so quickly?”

Andrew smiled a crooked smile, his scarred visage tilting upward. “We’d have been here sooner, but we had to piece the gold together. Will and I were in Gibraltar when your request came.”

“Why on earth?”

“Looking for you, of course. You went haring off on your own with little thought and no preparation. We thought you needed help. When we discovered you’d left Gibraltar alone on a fishing boat, we became convinced you lost your mind.”

Richard sat down, distracted by the tale. “I was a damned fool, and look where it got me. I could have reached Lily eventually without all this.”

“Yes, Lily. I take it she agreed to your romantic proposal at last?” Andrew smirked.

“No romance, little choice.”

“I doubt that sat well with her,” Andrew said. “I can imagine Georgiana given no choice.”

“It’s why she ran,” Richard admitted. “I didn’t handle it well.”
You bungled it, you looby.

“This marriage of yours is legal?”

“It would be in some parts of the world.”

“Not ours?”

Richard shrugged. “An Anglican priest willing to back date marriage lines would be convenient,” he admitted.

“Particularly if it’s a son.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but yes. I would not want my firstborn excluded from the succession.”

“And Lily has decided to go along with it?”

Richard bit his lip.
Had she? She intended to in Constantinople. She said she didn’t think she could be a duchess, which is nonsense.
“I’m not sure, but yes. I think so.”
I will ask her again as soon as I can. Dear God! Lily!
He rose to go to her but paused. One part of the story teased his brain.

“How did you gather the money so fast?”

“Will convinced the governor in Gibraltar that the foreign secretary would make an exception for his protégé. He knew you, of course, and cobbled together about a third of the cost from his reserves and sent the messages on to London.”

“And the rest?”

“We became convinced there wasn’t enough time to wait. Will took a bank draft to Lisbon. That’s what took so long. His Majesty’s government will owe the earl a pretty penny.”

“I’ll cover it—or rather His Grace will. I’ll see to it.”

“It wasn’t enough. You agreed to a staggering sum.”

“It was a bit over half what he asked. I had to guess how much would be more than the Lily’s slave price and mine. Where did you get the rest?”

“That’s the interesting part. A ship arrived from Constantinople. We got the final third from them. Sahin Pasha’s people had been scouring the Mediterranean for you. They were authorized to contribute. I saw the notice. Their ship is close by, just out of sight, by the way. Something about making sure all debts are paid. He seems to think he owes you something.”

“Damn well does, the old reprobate.”

Richard jumped when a loud scream broke into their conversation. He bolted for the bedroom door.

“God go with you, Richard,” Andrew said softly. He wondered where Hamidou kept strong drink. He knew from experience it would be a long wait. He leaned back and began to recite
The Aeneid
in his head in Latin.

Lily clung to Richard’s hand for dear life. Neither the grandmother’s scowl nor Izza’s outright disapproval moved her to let go.

“He will stay,” she said over and over. The feel of him holding her hand got her through one wave of pain and then another. She had no idea how much time passed since he came to her.
An hour? Two?

“Lily, can you trust these women?” he whispered.

“I have to,” she replied. “Oh God. Here it comes again.” She gripped him tightly and breathed as the old woman had shown her.

Richard took a damp towel, wiped her face, and smoothed her hair back. The sight of the mighty marquess, his tattered robe askew, his face marred with worry, tending to her needs tore at Lily’s heart.
I wish I could banish your fear
, she thought,
but we both know better
. Women died in childbirth every day even when not surrounded by Barbary pirates.

A particularly violent pain tore through her. The grandmother pushed back the sheet that covered her and raised her knees to check her progress.

“Grandmother say you have good fortune, Lady. This birthing going fast,” Izza chirped.

“How much longer?” Richard asked.

The girl shrugged. “Hour. Maybe two. Maybe more.”

“That is not fast,” Richard ground out through clenched teeth.

Lily moved beyond speech. The contractions came, hard and long, much faster now. When she began to thrash about, Richard attempted to put his arms around her, but she struck out at him.

“Best leave alone, English. Grandmother says end part is too—” The girl waved a hand in the air and bit her lip, searching for a word. “Busy,” she concluded.

Lily thought perhaps she had become delirious. She could hear Richard’s voice whispering that he loved her over and over. Once she thought he said, “I’ll never do this to you again.”

Waves came one right after the other.

A commotion at the door caught Lily’s attention, reminding her of her reality.
Are the Pirates gone? Are they back?

“What of the English ship?” she managed to rasp during a lull.

“Andrew says Will has returned with the ransom. He wants me to come. I won’t leave you.”

“Hamidou insists that you finalize the handoff, Richard!” Andrew’s voice sounded far away and muffled as if his head was turned away.

“No!” Richard said, holding her hand through yet another one.

“Go,” she whispered.

“I won’t leave you.”

“You have to get us out of here. Finish it. Go!” It took all Lily’s remaining strength to send him away. She held herself together while he searched her face. “Go,” she repeated in a whisper. “Make us safe.”

Chapter 39

The Boreas’s yawl and its cargo reached the cove the same time Richard did. He bolted down the hill.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Hamidou nodded, staring at the yawl. His crew helped pull the boat weighted down with the Earl of Chadbourn, a five-man crew, and a chest.

Will leapt out of the boat with a bundle wrapped in paper under his arm. He handed it to Andrew and faced Hamidou.

“Payment, Rais, as you demanded,” he said. The boat crew carried the chest to the sand. Will opened it.

“Is it all there?” the pirate barked.

Richard’s heart sank. If Hamidou decided to count it they would be there all afternoon. If he found it short, the entire deal might fail. He’d keep the money and sell them all.

“I think the tide does not favor delay,” Richard said. “If you want to get out of here, go.” He pointed across the water. The Boreas had not pulled in her guns, but she turned away from the shore and had begun to move away.

Hamidou looked up at the villagers gathered on the hill. Richard didn’t understand his short speech, but he suspected the man told them he would return with their share of the gold. Hamidou pointed at Richard.
Making me responsible for their safety.

Hamidou stuffed coins in a cloth bag and handed them to the uncle. He closed the lid and gestured for two of his crew to carry it onto the frigate.
For safekeeping. He doesn’t trust us not to renege if he leaves it here. Doesn’t trust us any more than I trust him.

Hamidou looked at Richard then and reached into his robe. He pulled out Richard’s signet ring. “Yours, English.”

“Keep it,” Richard said rapidly before he had time to regret the impulse. “Send it to me in London when you see that the village is safe and I have kept my word. Keep yours.”

The two men locked eyes for a long moment. Hamidou looked away first. He pocketed the ring.

“We will not meet again, English.”

“I hope not,” Richard replied. “I will have to kill you next time.”

Hamidou grinned, saluted, and trotted up the gangplank.

“Is he really Rais Hamidou?” Will asked.

“Probably not,” Richard said, “But to these people, it makes no difference. He’s their savior.”

The three men stood shoulder to shoulder watching the frigate pull away. Andrew handed the bundle he held toward Richard.

Richard looked at it curiously. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Open it,” Will said.

Richard turned to leave. “Later,” he said over his shoulder. “I need to go to Lily.”

“You might want it,” Will and Andrew both insisted. Richard turned back, took it from them, and tore a corner of the paper. His fingers touched black serge. He looked up at the smiles of his friends.

A large boulder lay at the bottom of the path leading to the village. Richard put down the bundle and opened it all the way. A silk shirt, trousers, and a jacket tumbled out. A rumpled neckcloth lay under the jacket.

“No boots. Sorry. We can worry about stockings on ship. Go greet Lily like an Englishman,” Will urged.

“No time.” He shoved the bundle back into Andrew’s arms. “I’ll bathe in the surf and use these later.” He began to run.
I’ve worn this filthy rag for two months. Another few hours won’t kill me.

Richard ran until he skidded to a stop inside the uncle’s house. The silence he found alarmed him; he darted forward.
Is she well? Has someone taken her? Has she—
He couldn’t allow the thought that she might die. He shoved open the door and hung on the frame, panting. His heart turned over.

The old grandmother insisted Lily put the baby to her breast as soon as she cleaned the little one.

“Grandmother stay healthy for mother. Helps empty.” Izza had no words for afterbirth. She waved a hand as if that explained everything. Izza’s face sagged as if in disappointment. “So sorry, Lady. The baby only a girl. I go now.” Just like that she left.

Lily didn’t care. She watched her baby suckle and wondered how any woman could choose not to nurse her own child. She continued while grandmother cleaned up all signs of the birth and grumbled about the unreliable Izza.

The old woman approached the bed with a warm soapy towel. “Bathe now,” she said, but the sound of running feet interrupted further conversation.

The door flew open and Richard stood, breathing heavily.
He must have run all the way from the cove,
Lily thought, watching his chest heave. She removed the sleeping baby from her breast and pulled up her shift. She lifted the little bundle higher.

“Come meet your daughter,” she called. Her voice sounded hoarse from crying out. Richard stumbled to the bed, transfixed with wonder, and dropped to his knees beside her.

“Are you well?” he asked, searching her face.

“As you see. Tired but otherwise fine. So is the baby,” she tipped the swaddled bundle in her arms toward him.

“Daughter.” He echoed what she said, staring at the white fluff on the little head. “You were right.” Tears began to run down his face. He dropped his head to the bed.

Crying?
Her heart sank. She put out a hand to touch his hair.

“Are you disappointed?”

His head bobbed up. “Heavens no. Relieved beyond words. She’s
beautiful,” he said, wiping his face. “I just—” He let the apology die and put out a tentative hand to touch the wrap surrounding their baby. “Are they all so small?”

Lily chuckled over that bit of nonsense. “I believe so. You wanted a son, though. I’m not sorry.”

“We have a healthy daughter in spite of everything. Right now she is all that I could want,” he said without taking his eyes from the little one.

“It is better that she is a girl, Richard, better if your son is born after we legalize this marriage you claim we have.”

“Probably. We would have found a way—Will and Andrew are working on it, in fact—but yes, this one is a great blessing.”
He means it. He can’t take his eyes from her.

“Do you want to hold her?”

Panic lit his face, quickly suppressed by longing. “May I?” He rose and sat on the edge of the bed.

“You certainly may,” Lily said. She handed the bundle over to her father, lay back, and watched Richard fall in love with his daughter.

“Her eyes are green,” he said. “Like yours.”

“They may change. Sometimes—”

“No. I forbid it. Our daughter will look like her mother.”

He smiled down at Lily.

The grandmother came then and reached for the baby. Richard looked as if he would refuse.

“Are we not free to go?” Lily asked, old familiar fear driving through the fog of contentment that had enveloped her.

“Yes! I should have said. Hamidou and his men have gone. The landing craft and its crew wait for us in the cove.”

Lily struggled up onto her elbows. “Then we must go as quickly as we can.”

The grandmother pushed Lily down with alarm.

“Lady sleep now,” she insisted. She made shooing gestures with her hands.

“Do we have time for me to nap?” Lily asked over a yawn. Her eyes began to drift shut.

“A little,” he said. If he said more, Lily didn’t hear.

She awoke moments later, or perhaps much longer. She couldn’t tell. The grandmother had disappeared. Richard sat on a stool next to her with a basket at his feet. His ragged blue robe had disappeared. He wore clothing that may not have been the height of fashion, but which was decidedly English. His hair looked damp.

“The baby?” she said, pushing up on her elbows in panic.

He pointed to the basket. It had two handles for carrying. Inside, the baby slept peacefully. “You both needed rest after your hard work.”

Lily felt like she could sleep for weeks. “But we must leave.”

“The boat is ready, but Lily, we need to talk first.”

Of course. Real life has returned. Her heart sank.

“Please don’t take her from me, Richard. That’s all I ask.”