Stormy Persuasion (23 page)

“Hide here and keep an eye on that office,” he told Charlie as they reached the main
deck. “Let me know if the guards come out of it.”

It took Nathan only a few moments to find what he was looking for: the concealed compartment
he’d built in the deck below the wheel. He had to resist the urge to laugh aloud when
he found all his money still in it. Bostwick hadn’t found it. Nathan’s initials carved
in the hold probably hadn’t been noticed either, but the compartment was all the proof
he needed that the ship was his.

Once the two were outside again and back over the fence, Corky came running toward
them. “Well?”

“They were nice enough to remove
The Pearl
’s barnacles for us.”

Corky gave a hoot of laughter before he held up his bare foot. “I had to give up my
boot to get that dog interested in something other than you.”

Nathan patted his shirt where he’d stuffed his smuggling profits. “We’ll get new clothes
in the morning.”

Charlie spoke up, “I’d like to sign on for your crew, but I still don’t see how you’re
gonna get your ship back. There’s no way the authorities will believe a Brit who’s
accusing an American of stealing ships.”

“Who is Bostwick’s biggest competitor?” Nathan asked.

“That would be Cornelius Allan. Why?”

Nathan grinned. “Because he’ll believe me.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

T
homas, Georgina’s third-oldest brother, was waiting on the docks for them, having
just received word that
The Maiden George
had been sighted. Jack was waving at him from the deck, but she laughed when she
saw how many carriages and wagons were pulling up behind him.

“I wonder if my uncle expects more Malorys than we have on board?”

“Isn’t he the most practical of the Andersons?” Judith replied. “Easier to dismiss
carriages than to find more if they’re needed. And I can’t wait to set my feet on
land again!”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy the trip—most of it, anyway.”

Judith didn’t reply. She’d asked Jacqueline not to mention Nathan to her again. It
was bad enough that everyone else was talking about him this morning, speculating
about his escape. She didn’t report it, but one of the crew did when the family was
sharing a quick breakfast before James maneuvered the ship to the docks. Of course
more than a few eyes had turned to her at the news. She had been able to say honestly
that she hadn’t done it and just kept to herself that she would have let him out of
the brig if someone else hadn’t had the same idea and beat her to it.

With Silver snug in Judith’s arms, she and Jacqueline were the first down the ramp.
Georgina’s three other brothers arrived at the docks before the rest of the family
debarked. Georgina introduced Catherine and Andrássy to them, briefly mentioning Andrássy’s
connection to the Malorys.

Andrássy was quick to assure the Andersons, “My sister and I will not impose on you.
We will be continuing our journey immediately.”

Georgina protested, but surprisingly, so did Catherine. “Actually, I would like to
accept their invitation to enjoy some of the festivities. Please agree, Andrássy.
It’s been so long since I’ve been to a ball.”

For a moment, Andrássy glared angrily at his stepsister for putting him on the spot
like that, but gentleman that he was, he politely said, “Very well. We can stay for
a few days.”

A while later, Judith and Jacqueline were seated in a comfortable open carriage, riding
with their parents to the Andersons’ redbrick mansion not far from town. Four of the
Anderson brothers on horseback, two on each side, escorted them so they could continue
speaking with Georgina on the way.

James, glancing to either side at the in-laws he least favored, remarked, “Why does
it feel like I’m riding to the gallows, George?”

“Location, m’dear,” Georgina answered with a grin. “Will you ever forgive them for
wanting to hang you here?”

“Course not,” James mumbled.

“Thought you’d need reinforcements, James?” Drew said on their left, looking at Anthony.

“My brother wouldn’t let his daughter come alone,” James replied.

“Well, we’re delighted to see
her
again. You, on the other hand . . .” Drew laughed and rode ahead.

“Can I kill just a few of them while we’re here, George?” James asked his wife. “I’ll
be gentle.”

Georgina tsked. “That sort of killing is never gentle. And you promised you’d behave.”

“No, I promised to suffer in silence.”

“Well, no one expects you to do
that
. But you knew they’d get in a few licks, being on the home front, as it were. Don’t
begrudge them that when you and Tony are unrelenting when they visit us in London.”

When they pulled up to the Anderson mansion, Amy ran out to greet them. “Was it a
smooth trip? Everyone in good health?”

James raised a brow. “You expected otherwise, puss?”

Amy blushed, confessing, “Well, I did think something might go wrong, but you know
what a worrier I am.”

“Something did go wrong,” Anthony put in. “The ladies were all robbed of their jewelry,
every last bauble.”

“That’s all?” Amy looked relieved, but quickly amended, “Well, it could have been
worse.”

A few of them rolled their eyes at Amy.

James said, “I do need to return to town, and now’s a good time while the ladies get
settled. I’d like to hire a few local carpenters to pry open parts of
The Maiden George
to see if the jewels are hidden somewhere on the ship. Several searches produced
no results.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Anthony asked, giving James a pointed look. “We
also need to inform the local authorities that we caught the thieves, but they escaped
from the ship last night. They’ll be easy to find with their British accents and lack
of money, as long as the search starts immediately.”

Judith felt her heart sink. Nathan was going to be a fugitive now?

•     •     •

“These new boots are damned comfortable,” Corky said, not for the first time. “I could
get used to togs like this.”

“You do look more presentable than usual,” Nathan said with a grin.

He’d gotten them rooms at the local hotel last night. Hot baths, some decent food,
and a few stops this morning for new clothes had them both looking like local businessmen
as they waited in Cornelius Allan’s office for the shipbuilder to join them. He was
a well-respected citizen, successful businessman, and Henry Bostwick’s main competitor,
so Nathan was counting on Mr. Allan’s
wanting
to believe him when he presented his case against Bostwick.

The middle-aged man looked hopeful when he arrived and said, “My manager just informed
me that you claim to have proof that Henry Bostwick is a thief? This better not be
a joke, young man, because I haven’t heard such delightful slander in ages.”

“It’s very much the truth,” Nathan assured Mr. Allan. “I confirmed last night that
the ship he is refurbishing in his shipyard right now is mine. When his men stole
it, a man was killed. But one of his men was also captured. The information gleaned
was that Bostwick and his ring of thieves have been stealing ships from English ports
for the last decade. It might have started as revenge against the British, but it’s
turned too profitable for that to be his only excuse anymore. Understandably, my government
wants his operation closed down—and I want my ship back.”

“An interesting story,” Cornelius said. “But you understand why your word alone won’t
be good enough? No offense—Treemay, was it?”

“Nathan Tremayne, and none taken.”

“Well, it’s no secret that I detest Henry Bostwick. He’s been a thorn in my side for
years. He doesn’t just undercut my prices, he’s ridiculously secretive, enclosing
his entire yard the way he did. But he claims to buy the ships he refurbishes, and
while I would love to see the records of those purchases, I’ve never found a viable
reason to ask him to produce them for inspection.”

Nathan smiled at the older man. “Until now. If he has any records, they are bound
to be fake. But he’s gotten away with this for so long, I doubt he even bothers to
cover his tracks with records.”

“So why have you come to me with this story?” Allan laughed. “Other than the enemy
of my enemy is my friend.”

“Because as a respectable member of your community, your support could get this wrapped
up quickly, perhaps even today. And I did mention I have the proof you would need
to do so. There are two things about my ship that no one knows but me. I carved my
initials in the hold when I was a child because my father had just told me his ship
would be mine one day and I wanted to put my mark on it. But I didn’t want my father
to notice, so I carved them on the backside of one of the beams nearest the hull.
Even if Bostwick has had the hold painted, the painter wouldn’t have noticed those
initials to sand them down first. I also built a secret compartment on
The Pearl
that Bostwick hasn’t found.”

“Nor would he, if he merely bought an old ship. But the initials do sound promising.”

“There’s more. I’ve also spoken with some of the local men who’ve worked for Bostwick
in the past. A few of them have actually seen some of the ships that were snuck onto
his property in the dead of night. They are willing to testify they were British ships,
not American ones, and that he passed them off as being newly built when he sold them.
That was from just a handful of men. There are probably others in town who will have
more to say about his illegal activities. But since the locals also say that Bostwick
actually does build a ship every so often, don’t give him a chance to say he bought
mine. Simply demand to see the purchase document before he has a chance to say anything.
If he doesn’t yet have a falsified document to show you, then he might make the claim
that he built my ship. If he does that, you’ll then have him red-handed, because he
can’t show you where the ship’s secret compartment is, whereas I can.”

Cornelius Allan grinned with a good deal of relish. “You got me on board when you
mentioned local witnesses. But tell me, after all this obvious thought you’ve put
into bringing Bostwick to justice—not that I’m complaining, mind you—you appear to
be in quite a hurry to see it done. Is there another reason you bear him a grudge?”

Nathan chuckled. “Stealing my ship isn’t enough? No, I’ve just been away from home
too long. I’m eager to return with my ship, and with an official document attesting
that these thieves have been put out of business.” Of course he couldn’t add,
Before the Malorys show up with the law to arrest me, which could be as soon as today.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

J
udith and Jacqueline were enjoying an exhilarating ride that morning, ending with
a race back to the house. Judith won, but their groom hadn’t been able to keep up,
which was why Jacqueline was laughing as they dismounted in front of the house.

“I’m so looking forward to seeing Quintin again tonight,” Jacqueline confided as they
handed their reins to the tardy groom.

“First name already?” Judith replied. Jack had met the young man at Amy’s soiree last
night.

Jack grinned. “Yes. He’s delightful, charming and funny—and I hope he’ll try to kiss
me tonight.”

“On your second meeting?!”

“I’ll wager he does.” Jack grinned widely. “Yanks aren’t as concerned with propriety
as Englishmen, and besides, he knows I’m not going to be here for long, so an accelerated
courtship is quite in order.
You
keep that in mind and start enjoying yourself. This is our third day here and I’ve
barely seen a smile out of you!”

“I’ve just been distracted.”

“Is
that
what you want to call it? You need to forget about that bounder who’s going to be
in jail soon and get into the spirit of the festivities. Honestly, Judy, you should
be excited about meeting Raymond Denison at the ball tonight instead of worrying about
a man you’ll probably never see again. Amy confided in me that she’s sure you’ll adore
Denison.”

“If she bet on it, I might have to ring her neck.”

Jack rolled her eyes. “She wouldn’t do that.”

Catherine suddenly called out to them, and they turned to see her walking toward them
on the road from town. “If you wanted some fresh air, you could have joined us for
our ride,” Jack said as Catherine reached them.

“Thank you, but I’m not very good with horses. And I needed to visit the shops in
town for some trimmings to spruce up my dress for tonight. I didn’t actually pack
a ball gown for this trip, but it doesn’t take much to turn a dress into one.”

It didn’t? Judith thought. Well, maybe not for someone as skilled with a needle as
Catherine was. Catherine and Andrássy were still at odds, too. He might have relented
on staying a few more days before they continued their journey, but he obviously wasn’t
pleased about it. They’d even been seen arguing in whispers.

The girls followed Catherine inside. Servants were rushing around, getting the house
ready for the ball, with Amy in the hall calling out orders. She looked frazzled,
but she wanted everything to be perfect for her first ball.

Catherine excused herself to go upstairs. Amy joined the girls and with a nod toward
Catherine said, “I have a funny feeling about that woman.”

Jack laughed. “Many people do. Judy is the only one who really likes her.”

“That’s not true,” Judith said in Catherine’s defense. “Your mother does, too.”

Jack snorted. “My mother is too gracious to show what she
really
thinks.”

“I saw her talking with a young man in town yesterday,” Amy mentioned. “A bit too
familiarly for a first meeting. Does she have friends in Bridgeport?”

“That isn’t likely,” Judith replied. “She hasn’t been in America since she was a child.”

Jack snickered, guessing, “Maybe she found herself a beau our first day here while
the rest of us were settling in. You know she could be more worldly and experienced
with men than we thought.”

•     •     •

Upstairs, Andrássy slipped quietly into Catherine’s room. He didn’t expect to find
her packing. “Going somewhere, Sister, without telling me? I thought you weren’t ready
to leave Bridgeport yet.”

She swung around in surprise. “We’re both leaving tomorrow as agreed. There’s no reason
to wait until the last minute to pack.”

His eyes narrowed in anger. “You’re lying. You’re planning to sneak off without me.”

He grabbed her and tried to kiss her, but she shoved him back. “Stop it! I warned
you there’d be no more of that when you began the role I hired you for. And you’ve
played that role superbly, but it ends tomorrow when we go our separate ways. Nothing
has changed from the original plan, Andy.”

“You already changed that plan by sticking around when we were supposed to leave as
soon as we docked. So you could sneak off without giving me my cut?”

She tsked and tossed him a small bag. “Satisfied now?”

He opened the bag, saw the jewelry on top, and stuck it in his pocket. But it still
made no sense that she was risking everything by delaying their departure.

Then his eyes widened. “You’re not going to carry out your friend’s lunatic plan,
are you? It failed once and you can’t risk it again, not here with so much family
around. Your father will be happy enough with the fortune in jewels you stole for
him. You assured me he would be.”

“I know my father. He won’t be happy unless he gets
everything
!”

“I won’t let you do it!”

“If you say or do anything to stop me, I’ll tell the Malorys who you really are and
that it was
your
idea to steal the jewels, that you forced me to help you!”

“They’ll never believe you. They love me, consider me one of their own. I’ve played
my role well.”

“Oh, they’ll believe me all right. I got the jewels off the ship by sewing them into
the hems of my dresses, but I also sewed a few into your clothes, and I won’t tell
you which items in your extensive wardrobe are currently serving as jewel cases. But
I
will
tell the Malorys if you insist on ruining this evening for me.” Then Catherine added
more sweetly, “I’ve so been looking forward to my first American ball.”