Land of the Free (9 page)

“Think of this in the same
way.”

“But…”

“Except this: our marriage
is not a life-long commitment. Unless we both die on the trail or
we decide to consummate it, of course.” She gave him a moment.
“Well?”

“I don’t know,” he
complained, rubbing his temples.

“It would trouble me very
little to be left behind,” Marina said gently. “I have my freedom
and enough money to make a fresh start. You, on the other hand,
will never find my equal as an interpreter.”

He nodded. “I know
that.”

“The western expansion of
the United States will make us the most powerful nation in the
world. That expansion may well hinge on your mission. If you wish
to complete your mission, you need me. If you love your country,
marry me. It’s as simple as that.”

He looked at her for a
moment then dropped his eyes again.

“What now?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t say ‘nothing’ to
dismiss me. Give me an argument. Tell me where I’m
wrong.”

“You are quite correct in
all that you say.”

“Well, what
then?”

He sighed. “Do we need a
marriage license?”

“I’ve never heard of such,
so I would presume not.”

He stood up then sat down,
shaking his head.

“Now what?”

“I was just
thinking.”

“About what?”

“The marriage
ceremony.”

“The marriage
ceremony?”

“What do I do when they tell
me that I can kiss the bride?”

“You kiss me.” She laughed.
“Who knows? You might even like it.”

“That is exactly what I’m
afraid of.”

“We could practice if you
wish.”

He started to answer then
laughed. “You are a startling woman.”

“You’ll get used to
me.”

“I doubt it,” he shook his
head. “You know I’ve been told that my mother tricked my father
into marrying her.”

“Do you think I have tricked
you?”

“No, not exactly. Well, that
is…”

“May I ask you a
question?”

He chuckled. “I’m tempted to
decline.”

“Not personal.
Business.”

“Business? Very well,
business. What then?”

“You turned down the first
dozen men this morning without giving them any consideration. At
first I thought you were just being too choosy, but by the end of
the day I began to suspect that there was some method in your
behavior that I had missed.”

He considered her for a
moment before answering. “That is a very astute
observation.”

“And that is a very clumsy
attempt to avoid answering.”

He smiled. “The first few
men arrived before dawn. They were too anxious. Probably running
from the law. Behind them were the desperately unemployed who would
lie about their qualifications to gain the twenty dollars. The true
adventurers had been watching and listening to us while deciding if
we were worth joining. You may have noticed that when you called
for riflemen and musketeers nearly all came from the very back of
the lineup or from the docks where they had been
lurking.”

She laughed. “I didn’t
notice it at the time, but now that you mention the fact, I cannot
deny it. In the future I must be more careful in judging
you.”

“It would seem that we will
have plenty of time to become acquainted in our shared
tent.”

“One would hope we might
become acquainted before that.”

He blushed a brilliant
red.

“I was thinking of getting
better acquainted over dinner,” she giggled. “What on Earth are you
thinking?”

He gave her a helpless
look.

“Or had you changed your
mind about dinner?”

“No, no. Dinner.
Yes.”

“Because if you were
thinking about taking me to bed, it might be better to wait until
we are properly married. In view of your delicate sensibilities
that is. But I’d be willing, if you were.”

“No, no, that wasn’t what…
That is…”

“But, as I said earlier, if
you wish to have the marriage annulled we will have to forgo that
pleasure after we are married so tonight may be our only
chance.”

He opened his mouth then
closed it without speaking.

“We can discuss that at
length over dinner. Did you want to watch me change my
clothes?”

“Yes, but I’ll wait in the
hall.” He opened the door. “Might I ask a favor of you
please?”

She smiled. “I can’t think
of anything that I wouldn’t gladly do for you.”

He smiled back at her.
“Good. Then pick one language and stick to it. This switching
between French and English makes me dizzy.”

She laughed. “I’ll try to
stick with English but I think in French so when…” She shook her
head. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” He walked out
and closed the door behind him.

August 21, 1804

New Orleans, Louisiana
Territory

A pale moon rising above
the river was casting a silvery glow over the ships. Yank was in
his dress uniform and Marina was wearing a long white gown. She
released Yank’s hand and looked over her shoulder at the tall masts
of the
USS Undaunted,
where she and Yank had just been married by the ship’s
captain. “That was very much nicer than I had
anticipated.”

“Yes. It was very thoughtful
of Commander Thompson, his wife and Ensign Hogan to
attend.”

“I especially liked the
kiss. How about you?”

“I was too nervous to take
note of it.”

“Well, remembering the event
now, is your recollection pleasant or unpleasant?”

He looked at her and
chuckled. “You are a minx.”

She wrinkled her brow.
“Minx? In French, that is a disparaging term meant to insult a
woman’s sense of propriety or her lack of decorum. Does it mean the
same in English?”

He thought a moment. “In
English it means – it means – something else.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure, but certainly
not disparaging.”

“What did you mean by
it?”

“I only meant that you were
– I can’t explain. But there was no insult intended.”

“Well, did you mean that you
liked kissing me or disliked kissing me?”

“Does it really
matter?”

“Yes, of course it
matters.”

“Why?”

“Well, so that I know if I
will be sleeping alone tonight, for one thing.”

“What would you prefer?” he
chuckled.

“I already told you that I
liked the kiss.”

“I should think you would be
indifferent to men’s kisses by now.”

She looked up at him. “That
was the first kiss I ever returned.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh come
now, please, Miss Cortés.”

“It is perfectly true,” she
said heatedly. “I have never kissed a man in my entire life. And my
name is Mrs. Van Buskirk, if you insist upon addressing me
formally.”

He started to reply but then
thought about her words. “Yes, you are Mrs. Van Buskirk, indeed.
Imagine that.”

“In spite of my low birth
and my past, I swear to you that I shall do everything in my power
to avoid besmirching the name.”

He stopped and caught her
hand. “Let me make something clear. Although you baffle me in many
ways, I have a very high opinion of you. Nothing in your past has
been your fault. You have been wronged and have come through it
remarkably. If for some reason we were to decide not to have our
marriage annulled after the expedition, my family would be proud to
have you as a member.”

“Ah, then you must have
liked the kiss as much as I.”

He chuckled, let go of her
hand and took her arm to continue along the river. “You are the
most exasperating woman I have ever met.”

“Good. Are you quite
rich?”

“No. But my family has
money.” He started to turn onto a dark street but was held back by
Marina. “What?”

“The lamplighter has already
made his rounds but the streetlamps are off here.”

“Evidently he forgot this
street.” Yank stared forward again.

She pulled him back and
shook her head. “Someone has turned the gas off. Robbers, in all
likelihood.”

“Robbers?” He looked at her
then up the darkened street. “Robbers laying a trap in the heart of
the city? I have never heard of such.”

“This is not New
York.”

“Indeed not. Wait here.” He
started off a third time and then turned to her in annoyance when
she once again caught his arm. “Unhand me, Madam.”

“It is but a short walk to
the carriage stand,” she said pointing. “The lights are on there
and there will be one or two constables.”

“You may walk that way
alone, come with me or stay here and wait,” he said. “But I shall
not be detoured by rogues.”

“Tempting fate is
foolish.”

“Ha. If you believe that,
you should not even consider our expedition.”

“That is hardly the same
thing.”

“It is precisely the same
thing. Come, stay or go your own way? The choice is
yours.”

“I have already decided that
I will go with you and so I shall.”

“Then stay on my left
leaving me free access to my sword.”

“Bloody hell.” She raised
her dress to remove the pepperbox from her garter then took his
offered left arm. “This is foolish.”

“To allow criminals to take
one’s city is foolish. Do not cock that damned little pistol until
you intend to use it.” He led her on for a short distance and then
stopped.

“Do you see something?” she
whispered.

“Not a thing. That is why I
stopped.”

“What?”

“The brigands have an
advantage only because their eyes are accustomed to the darkness.
If we but wait a moment, their advantage will be no
more.”

She cocked the
pepperbox.

“I told you not to cock
that.”

“If someone comes out of the
dark I will not have time.”

“Let down the hammer unless
you would enjoy shooting me as much as you did shooting Harvey
Pique.”

“I did not enjoy shooting
Harvey Pique. It was purely accidental.”

“Yes, you already mentioned
that.” He took the pepperbox and lowered the hammer. “And you’re
speaking French again.”

“I didn’t mention how it
haunts me,” she said in English.

He gave her back the small
pistol. “No. You didn’t.”

“I see it over and over in
my dreams,” she said in French.

“I have heard of people
being similarly troubled, but I fear that I can offer you no
advice.”

“Have you ever
killed?”

“Many times.”

“How many?”

“I have not kept count but
the number is surely substantial.”

“Did it ever bother
you?”

“No.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“Not even the first
time?”

“The first man I killed was
a Mohawk warrior who was intent on removing a white woman’s scalp.
I ran him through to the hilt. My only sorrow was that his corpse
held so fast to my sword that I was unable to extract it. That cost
me an arrow wound which has troubled me somewhat ever
since.”

“I suppose killing in battle
is different.”

“It is not.” He squinted up
the street. “Harvey Pique was destined to die. I would have likely
killed him if you had not.”

“Do you see
something?”

“Yes,” he said, switching
back to English. “I’m nearly sure it is only one man.”

“Where?”

“There’s a narrow alley
beyond the butcher’s shop. He’s in there.”

“Where?”

“Three buildings up, on the
right. It has a sign with a cutout pig.”

“Yes. I see it now. What do
we do?”

“You do nothing other than
to stay clear of my sword. Unless he kills me, of course. If that
happens I’d advise you to shoot him with both barrels and risk the
nightmares.”

“One.”

“What?”

“Only one barrel is
loaded.”

“Why didn’t you reload
it?”

“I don’t know
how.”

He shook his head and
started off down the center of the street. “Stay on my left and a
half step behind me.”

“Why must we do
this?”

“New Orleans is a critical
part of our expanding country. It is our duty to protect our new
citizens.”