Silver Sea (49 page)

"That's precisely why we mustn't assume that he won't be suspicious," Nathan insisted. "Crowe takes nothing for granted, and neither can we."

The ocean was choppy, each swell tipped with white froth, and far ahead in the distant dark, countless lights winked. It was a magnificent night for adventure. There was salt spray and the threat of storms and the eeriest sort of moonlight, and beyond the reef there were land pirates who would come on board their wrecked ship with the intention of killing every one of them before plundering the hold.

It was the killing part that had caused Nathan to think twice before setting out tonight. He'd grown wise enough to know that adventure wasn't reason enough to risk anyone's life. There had to be more, and he realized that other innocent souls would die in the months and years to come if he did not try to stop Xavier Crowe.

He clearly understood now how the ships had been wrecked in the past. From far off the coast of Barbados, the sight of so many bobbing lights seemed to signal the riding lights of ships in a harbor. What else could it be? If it was a house, the lights wouldn't move like these. It wasn't until one was upon the reef and it was too late that a clearer view of the swaying palm trees and the lanterns emerged. Those unsuspecting ships that were approaching Barbados for the first time would sail into the trap, and it would snap closed before they could realize what fate had befallen them.

"The men are ready," Zach said. "They are overjoyed to be able to serve you again, sir."

"My father has had more experience with sea battles than I, so we're fortunate to have him." Nathan put a hand on Andre's shoulder and they shared a moment of rare unfettered love. "Thank you."

Andre nodded. "We shall prevail, son."

"I know." For an instant, Adrienne's face appeared to him, intensely beloved. "The truly meaningful years of my life have just begun, and I intend to make my wife a happy woman."

Nathan signaled Zach then, and the order was given to drop anchor. The expert anchor-men on the forecastle had been instructed clearly, and they took care to scrape the cables against the ship's hull methodically. It was Nathan's hope that this grinding noise would simulate the sound of the
Golden Eagle
hitting the reef. And he wanted Crowe to think that the ship wasn't certain
what
had caused the collision. If they acted as if they feared attack, and appeared to take an immediate aggressive posture toward Crowe's henchmen, it might be enough to draw out the master pirate himself.

On cue, Andre shouted loudly enough to be heard on shore: "All hands on deck! We've been hit!"

There was always the remote chance that Xavier Crowe was watching through a telescope, and as they drew closer to the lights he might recognize his old enemy. For safety's sake, Nathan slipped on the spectacles that he'd worn at Harms Castle and covered his hair with one of Crenshaw's striped caps. In spite of the hazards at hand, many of the men couldn't help grinning when they spotted their captain.

"I see movement on the beach," Andre said as he looked through his spyglass.

Zach reappeared, pale and tense. "I've repeated your orders to the crew that we're to spare lives, if possible, and take prisoners. Those men on the beach are Crowe's slaves, after all, not criminals."

The moon was hidden behind banks of clouds, which doubtless pleased Xavier Crowe even more than Nathan. Men from the beach were coming out into the lagoon beyond the reef, some in small boats, some swimming, but all appeared to be armed.

"Battle stations!" Andre shouted, then blew a whistle. "Lower the boarding nets and take up your swords!"

The scene of chaos was exciting. The crew of the
Golden Eagle
came pouring onto the decks, and they numbered many more than those who had been hoping to take them by surprise. Nathan could see the lethal pikes, cutlasses, and other weapons that rattled around in the approaching boats.

On the
Golden Eagle,
boarding nets were unfurled to keep the enemy from climbing over the rails. Seamen on platforms high in the topmasts began to lob grenades into the surf, purposely missing their targets. Crowe's slaves began to look uncertain.

"We've got them," Nathan muttered to his father, "but I'm not certain what to do with them. Where is that coward Crowe?"

Just then Owen Horner showed himself in the bow of the nearest boat. He stood up partway, hanging on for balance, and took off his crumpled hat. "Hey, Captain!"

Andre Raveneau moved forward but did not speak.

"We're coming to save you! Put away your weapons!"

"We have too much gold and silver on board to take chances," Andre replied. "You shot at us, and I don't trust you."

"That wasn't a cannon shot, it was your ship hitting Cobbler's Reef!"

On the beach, Xavier Crowe stood in the sheltering palm trees and considered his predicament. Horner was an oaf. It seemed that only he could calm this captain and crew sufficiently. Even if it meant inviting them all into Crowe's Nest for soup and rum, then locking them in the storage cellars, he would have his way.

When Abraham saw his master waving from the beach, he went back with his skiff to fetch him, and they rowed through the waves to the ship. Crowe held a lantern and wore a worried look.

"Foolish captain thinks the reef is cannon ball," Abraham muttered, shaking his head.

"I shall tell him otherwise."

The boats holding Horner and the rest of the slaves made room for Abraham to pass with their master. The packet's sleek bow rose before him as they came near, and a man who appeared to be the captain called down from the darkness.

"Call off your sharks or we'll attack."

Crowe laughed as if that were a marvelous joke. "My good friend, you are new to our waters, and you do not know Bajan ways." He nearly introduced himself but was worried that rumor of his past crimes might have reached America. "I am a respected planter on this island and these men you would kill are my simple slaves. Quite harmless, I assure you. You see, you have happened onto our reef by mistake, and I sent them out to offer assistance. I fear that you will have to disembark before you sink."

"What about those lanterns hanging on the trees? We thought we had reached Carlisle Bay!"

"Ha-ha-ha! Ah, my friend, we never dreamed such a mistake could occur. You see, my slaves are sweet, but quite primitive, and they amuse themselves with African rituals these summer nights. The lanterns were their doing."

The captains seemed to be considering this. "I shall allow you, and you alone, to come on board, sir. I would look into your eyes before I decide what to do."

"Well, certainly!" Chuckling indulgently, Crowe grasped the rope ladder that someone lowered from the deck above. As he climbed, Crowe added, "You must see, however, that you really have no choice but to put your trust in me and my men. Your ship will be taking water, and it is only a matter of time—"

Nathan Raveneau was standing at the rail when Xavier Crowe, sweaty and salty-haired, clambered over the top. Nathan drew off his cap and spectacles while Crowe brushed mud from his shirt.

"I fear," Nathan said, "that you won't be able to convince me."

Crowe let out a yell. "Where the devil did you come from? That wasn't you speaking—"

"No, it was my esteemed father." When he gestured, Andre Raveneau came forward, tanned and silver-haired and a commanding presence at more than seventy years of age.

"Crowe," he murmured, and sketched a mock bow.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at his nemesis. " 'Twould seem that you have been ensnared in your own evil trap. Shall we do unto you as you were prepared to do unto us?"

"Christ, no!" Sweat ran into Crowe's eyes. "I'm warning you, Raveneau! If you lay a hand on me, my men will hunt you to the ends of the earth—"

"Spare me." He held up a hand. "It's far too late for such dull speeches." Then, briefly, their eyes met and it came to Nathan that Xavier Crowe was terrified because he was imagining what he would do if the situation were reversed. "You think I'm going to bury you in the sand, up to your neck at low tide, don't you? It's an extremely tempting thought."

Crowe went dead white. "Please. Please, no. You can have everything. Even Eloise—"

"You are a revolting excuse for a human being. Don't say another word, I beg you." A muscle twitched in Nathan's jaw, and he exchanged glances with his father. "You deserve that pirate's punishment, but that sort of thing is not in my nature, I fear. Nor is it my place to decide your fate. We'll take you to Bridgetown and deliver you to the authorities...."

Crenshaw and several other seamen were standing by. They shackled Crowe and led him away to the hold at gunpoint, and Nathan felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted.

"Well done," Andre said. "This is one of the proudest nights of my life."

"Because you see that I've turned out so much like you?" They laughed together, then embraced, and Nathan's eyes stung. "Not so long ago I would have said we were different men and I didn't need your approval, but now I can admit that it means a great deal. Thank you, Father. I would say that this night's work was a joint endeavor, and that you and Zach and all the crew deserve a great deal of the credit."

"Thank God it all worked out," Minter said weakly. "I had my doubts...."

Nathan went to the rail then and shouted down to the boats filled with slaves. "I am Nathan Raveneau, and this was no shipwreck. We came around the island to trap Xavier Crowe, and he is below, in irons, at this very moment—"

Strenuous cheering broke out and filled the warm, misty air. The slaves who had obeyed their master rather than face his wrath were able at last to express their true feelings. When the noise subsided a bit, Nathan looked for Owen Horner.

"Horner, I must ask you to come up and join your employer in the hold. I suspect that we can find crimes to charge you with as well!"

The overseer tried to dive into the ocean, but the other men in his boat caught him and held a knife to his throat. Abraham promised to escort Horner on board the
Golden Eagle.

Before all the boats filled with slaves could return to the beach, Nathan had one more announcement to make to Zach and his father. "I am counting on you, and the crew, to alert the magistrate and see to it that Crowe and Horner are jailed."

"Where will
you
be?" cried Zach.

"I am going home from here. I know that Adrienne is worried to death about me, and it's the first time in my adult life that anyone has ever cared so deeply about my well-being. I want to see her face before dawn breaks." A wry smile curved his mouth. "You see, I
am
changing. Do you suppose I might borrow one of Crowe's horses?"

Andre laughed, but another thought had struck him. "Adrienne will be happy to hear the news about Xavier Crowe for more reasons than one. Now, with his arrest, she won't have to worry any more about the safety of Lady Thomasina and Crowe's wife!"

Chapter 25

When Nathan discovered that the occupants of Crowe's Nest were missing, he went back down to the beach to look for Abraham. In the distance, he could see that the
Golden Eagle
was in full sail once again, tacking southwest for Bridgetown.

The slaves were crowded together on the beach, talking all at once, and Nathan realized that he couldn't just leave them in this state of uncertainty. Clearly, Abraham was the authority figure among them, so Nathan walked through the gleaming coral sand to meet him.

"I must have honest answers," he said. "You were Xavier Crowe's assistant. How do you feel about his downfall?"

The tall, handsome man was somber. "Good. I feel good. I seen too much ugliness and deceit these past two years, and I had no choice but to go along. Now I can do right again."

"Where do you come from? Your voice sounds—"

"American," he confirmed. "Master Crowe bought me from a planter in Carolina. Lots of Barbadians live there." He shook his head. "I never had respect for Master Crowe, and I hate the things he makes me do, but he didn't beat me, and he let me have my wife. He just treat us all like pets, not people."

"Abraham, would you like to come and work for me? I'll give you your freedom, but I can't pay much—not yet. I'll hire as many of Crowe's slaves as I can. Perhaps with more field hands, I can find a way to free all of you, and my slaves as well."

"I'd be honored and blessed to labor in your fields as a free man, sir! I come with you now. I tell them what you said, and come back tomorrow to talk more."

"Yes. Good God, I am exhausted. I have to ride home yet tonight, so perhaps you will watch me to see that I don't fall off the horse!" Nathan paused. "I also came back to find you because none of Crowe's family or guests are in the house. I have to tell Mrs. Crowe the news about her husband. Do you know where they might be?"

Abraham looked down at his bare feet. "I know where the young Englishman is. Master want him out of the way tonight, so he had him dig for treasure—"

"Never mind. I know exactly where he is—and perhaps Harms can tell me the whereabout of the others. I can't go home if there is any chance that they are in danger."