The Blue Diamond (The Razor's Edge Book 1) (28 page)

“You did the right thing not
letting them see the diamonds,” Keara commented.

“I didn’t like him talking
down to us. And I won’t accept less than twenty thousand. Hell, the egg alone
is worth at least five—maybe ten.”

“Let’s get back. We’ll think
on this overnight. I’ll follow whatever you want to do, but I’m making it known
now I still don’t feel good about any of this. If I had my way, we’d dump these
bastard rocks in the drink.”

Once back aboard, Ivory
retired to her quarters and fell back in her bunk with a cup of rum. A three
tap knock on her door told her Richard was on the other side, but the knock was
slower and lighter than usual.
 
Despite
the change in tempo and tone, she called out and invited him in.

“I brung ye somethin’ to
eat.”

“Thank you, Richard.
 
Just set it on the table.”

“There’s someone with me who
needs ta’ tell ye somethin’, Cap’n.”

Willy stepped into the room
with his eyes lowered and shuffled towards her. “Well, what is it Willy? Has
the cat got your tongue? Please don’t tell me someone’s gone and gotten
themselves in any trouble. You know what I told…”

“It’s Captain Carbonale.”
Willy rarely if ever interrupted Ivory, and when he sighed hard, Ivory could
sense the weight of his thoughts that still hung in his chest.

Ivory’s lips pushed into a
pout, and her brows lowered. “Oh. Well, what of him?”

“I stepped out for a bit
this evenin’, to take a look, ye know, and do a little explorin’ ‘round the
local pubs.”

“And?” Ivory asked, as she
watched Richard slump into a chair.

“He’s dead, Cap’n. I heard
tell in the pub that the mornin’ ye escaped, he was in a tussle on the dock
while out lookin’ fer ye, and he was done in and tossed in the drink. They
found him the next mornin’.”

Ivory sat up, spilling half
of her cup down the front of her shirt. “Are you certain of this? I mean, he
was very much alive last I saw him!”

“Well, that was the word,
Cap’n. I’m sorry ta’ be the bearer of such news, but…well… I’ll leave ye to yer
thoughts.” Willy turned and scampered out of the room, leaving Richard
stone-faced and frozen in the chair.

Ivory took a deep breath and
stood. She walked to the window and stared out as the unanticipated emotion
rose up like a twenty foot wave about to capsize her. It swallowed her whole
and sucked the wind from her lungs. She doubled over, catching herself on the
windowsill. As she came up for air, deep, shattering sobs struck her hard, and
the second wave hit, pushing her under again. Her body shook, and she coughed
and struggled for air. She held on, trying to find the surface of her grief,
but instead bobbed above and below as tears fell and her heart smashed against
the jagged rocks.

 
“It can’t be. We seen him, Cap’n. He had that
man down. It can’t be, I tell ye!”

Ivory swiped the tears from
her face before she turned back to Richard and whispered the words that she
almost had no breath left to speak. “I’m sorry, Richard. Run along now. It’s
late.”

“Yer sad, too.”

“We hardly knew each other.
Go on, now.” She rushed the boy to leave, and then closed the door. She fell
hard back against it and slid down until she was rolled into a ball on the
floor. A few minutes had passed when she heard someone knocking again.

“Just a minute,” she
muttered, clambering to her feet for a handkerchief. She splashed cool water on
her face and patted it dry.
 
Then, she
blew her nose and drank what was left in her cup straight down.

“What the hell took you so
long to answer? Are you alright?” Keara demanded when Ivory opened the door.

“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I
ask because your face looks like a red shirt in a laundry tub… and then there’s
the thing about Blacksnake being dead.” Keara took a seat and stared at Ivory,
awaiting her response.

“Good God, I feel like I
have a cannonball on my chest, Ke.” Ivory walked to the seat opposite her
cousin and flopped down.

“I didn’t mean to be such an
ass about it, but you know me.”

“I know. I really don’t want
to talk about it. If he’s dead…he’s dead.
 
And there isn’t anything we can do about it.”

“It had to be Tommy. Maybe
he had some old mates around to help him. You said Blacksnake had him by the
neck on that dock. I’ve seen that Blacksnake, and Tommy was no match for him
alone…”

“Ke! I’m fine, really. Don’t
lose any sleep over this. I certainly won’t.” Ivory stood and poured herself
another cup of rum and tipped the bottle at Keara, who frowned and declined.

“Drink enough of that and
nothing will keep you awake,” Keara noted.

“I assure you that is not
why I’m drinking.”

“Do you remember who you’re
talking to? You haven’t slept a wink in years that didn’t come out of that
bottle.”

“I have my reasons.” Ivory
turned away and walked again to the window.

“Well, I’ll keep everyone
away from your door until morning. Get your tears out, and then get some sleep.
Damn hard head, you have. Everyone knows you loved him, Ivory, and they expect
you to be at least disappointed in his death.
 
But I know you prefer to keep your mourning to yourself, and I respect
that, so…goodnight.”

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

The heat of the night was
stifling. Ivory tossed and turned, regardless of the rum sleeping aid. In the
early hours before dawn, she soaked her scarf in cool water and tied it about
her neck. No longer capable of tolerating both the heat and her nightmares, she
strolled through the dimly lit vessel onto the deck in hopes of a breeze. She
tied her long hair tightly upon her head, and the soaked cloth dripped
blissfully down her back, trickling in streams from her neck.

Apparently, she wasn’t the
only one disturbed by the heat of the night, as several of the crew had made
makeshift beds on deck and were snoring in deep slumber. She almost smiled as
she passed them, and she found a spot of her own at the stern and lay back,
waiting for at least a wisp of air. The half-moon, covered in a haze of thick
air mesmerized her, but despite the lowering temperature of her body, she still
found no rest. Across the water in the moonlight, she made out a ship in the
distance and blinked her eyes in disbelief. Had she not thought she knew
better, she would have sworn it was the
Lady
Jade.

Now
she’s haunting me. As if my haunted mind doesn’t suffer enough ghosts.

As soon as she at last
closed her eyes, they reopened to the sounds of her men rustling about as the
sunlight stole the sky away from the moon. “Mornin’ Cap’n,” Willy said as he
helped her to her feet. “Looks like the heat got the best of a few of us, aye?”

“Willy, did you happen to
see any new ships come in this morning?”

“No, Cap’n, but I wasn’t
lookin’ for none, neither.”

“Alright. Maybe I was
dreaming, but…never mind.”

Ivory stretched and made her
way back to her cabin. She tapped on Keara’s door and entered to request that
she and Cassandra join her for breakfast in town.

“In town? Are you serious?”
Keara snapped.

“Afterwards, I’d like to
take a trip up the river…to the house.”

“I told you, I don’t believe
that’s a good idea,” Keara protested.

“What house? Ivory, are you
speaking of our old farm?”
 
Cass
questioned.

“No Cass; the mansion.”

“Ivory, please
reconsider!”
 
Cass exclaimed.

“You’re damn right she needs
to reconsider,” Keara added.

“Listen to me, both of you.
Whether or not you go with me isn’t the issue. I’m going to go—especially now,
after what happened to Maddox. I’m trying to make you understand I have to go
back.”

“If you absolutely insist,
then I’ll go,” Cassandra said, “There’s no way I’ll let you go alone.”

“Damn you two! Fine, I’ll
go.”
 
Keara scowled with a heavy sigh.

Ivory backed out of the
room, and within the hour, they were having breakfast at the Rusty Nail Pub. As
usual, all eyes were upon them as they entered, and those eyes continued their
examination as the women poured tea and eggs down their throats like starving
hounds. Women in men’s clothing wearing pistols were a sight to behold. Even
having requested a corner table out of the way with their backs to the wall
didn’t stop the prying glares.

“This never gets old,” Keara
said under her breath as she smiled up from her plate.

“And why is that, cousin?”

“You would be the one to ask
that question, Cass. But I’ll explain it like this—I’ll put on a skirt when it
suits me.
 
Back in Port Royal, I often
do. However, I’ll not dress and put on airs for this lot. They watch us because
they’re scared. They’re frightened to death of a woman with a little power.”

“You like scaring them, do
you?”
 
Cass asked.

“You’re fucking right I do.”

“Ke, please,” Ivory said.
“Don’t mind her, Cass.”

“No, she’s right. It is
rather exciting to have so many people gawking and wondering why we look this
way. However, why don’t we just pay them no mind and get on our way?”

“They’re staring at us
because they know we’re pirates,” Ivory mumbled over a mouth full of biscuit.

“You don’t say?” Keara said
sarcastically, as all three women broke into laughter.

“I’ll settle up. We need to
be on our way.”

As Ivory paid the tab, she
overheard Keara making a few unsavory remarks as Cassandra pushed her from
behind out the door. She just shook her head and dropped an additional five
dollars in the barkeep’s hand, along with her apologies.

“Was all that talk
necessary?” Ivory scolded when she joined them outside.

“Oh, I was just having a
little fun. Remember fun, Ivory? Ivory?” Keara stopped and looked at Ivory’s
face. An ice cold stare met her there, and she followed Ivory’s eyes down the
street to the back of a man wearing a long, black surcoat and a plumed
cavalier. Cassandra clutched Ivory’s forearm and held her still.

“Jackson?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going
to find out.”

“Leave it be, Ivory.
Please.”

“I’m with Ivory,” Keara
said.
 
“Let’s go see what that old
bastard is doing here.”

Ivory pulled free of
Cassandra’s grip and raced off in the direction of the man as he turned the
next corner and stepped into a man’s clothing shop. Keara and Cassandra
followed closely behind, but as they approached the shop, Ivory’s arm pushed
back to hold them off.

“I’ll do this. Wait here.”

She strode to the open
doorway of the shop and watched as Phineas browsed and was then approached by a
short, round man with a measuring tape draped about his neck. When the man
stepped away, Ivory entered and walked up behind the sea captain.

“I thought you didn’t like
America?”

Phineas turned at the
shoulders in surprise and then faced her. “That’s why I’m not staying. Why,
Captain Shepard, what brings you to Charles Towne?”

“I grew up here.
 
And you?”

“I heard this was as good a
place as any to find a decent suit of clothes in the style to which I was
formerly accustomed. This shop in particular came highly recommended.”

“You travelled this far to
buy a suit of clothes?” Ivory leaned back against a counter, staring at the
floor as she spoke, and then finished her thought with a look of disbelief
aimed straight at his black eyes.

“I needed a change of
scenery,” he smirked.

“I thought I saw the
Jade
early this morning. It’s comforting
to know my instincts are still good, even when I try to convince myself you
wouldn’t think of following me. Tell me, Phineas, why are you following me?”

“Following you? Do you
realize how ridiculous that sounds?”

“I don’t care how it sounds.
Just keep your distance. I have no desire to see you again.”

“Tell me, Captain, what have
I ever done to you to cause this hostility?”

“You’re a pirate. You figure
it out.” Ivory turned and walked out of the shop. She stopped briefly in the
doorway and looked back to find Phineas tipping his hat to her as he’d always
done, but this time he looked down at the floor.

* * * *

“If I didn’t think it would
draw attention, I’d strip down to my bare ass right about now,” Keara remarked
as they rowed stealthily down the river toward their childhood home.

“Remember the cold weather?
Some nights here were so cold I thought we’d all freeze to death by morning,”
Cassandra commented.

“I sure don’t miss that…but
this heat!
 
I’d trade a hundred gold
pieces for a blast of that cold right about now. How about you, Ivory?” Keara
asked as she dipped her scarf into the river and wrung it out over the side of
the boat.

“I’m sorry, Ke, what did you
say?”

“I said it’ll be a nice day
if it doesn’t rain.”

“I don’t know…I think a
little rain would feel good right about now,” Ivory mumbled.

Keara looked back at
Cassandra and rolled her eyes. “Ivory, what do you think Phineas is really
doing in Charles Towne?”

“I think he’s after
something he thinks he can get his hands on, but he is sadly mistaken.”

“I take it you mean the
diamonds? But how could he know about them?”

“Remember when you put Tommy
Boston on the
Jade
to get him away
from Miranda?”

“Shit. Do you think he used
Tommy to come after you?”

“I think anyone is capable
of anything under the right circumstances—especially a pirate.”

“How did Tommy find out?”

“That part I’m not sure of,
Cass, but I can’t think of any other reason he’d follow us here. Unless, of
course, he thinks he can collect that bounty on me. Either way, as I said, he
is mistaken.”

“That son of a bitch must
have been following us since the day we left.”

“Yet no one spotted a
sail.
 
But, in our defense, he was at
least a day behind us.”

“And no one was looking for
a sail. We’ve gone soft. Bunch of chicken livered women we’re turning out to
be.”

“Oh, Ke, stop it. We’re not
chicken. I think we’re all just...finished. And I hope to God Boston isn’t with
him, because he’s a dead man walking.”

Cassandra rowed in silence.
She swallowed hard and contemplated this visitation as if she were trotting
through thick mud. They continued steadily on until they found their
destination. The remains of the gray stone mansion lurked behind the tall grass
of the riverbank. It peeked out at them like an apparition and grew closer
until they reached what was left of the now dilapidated dock where their uncle
had kept his fishing skiff. What remained of it was at least sturdy enough to
tie off the boat and safely make their way to land.

“Jesus, Ivory,” Keara
whispered.

“I know. It’s like a
daydream.”

“More like a nightmare if
you ask me,” Keara groaned as she finished securing the boat to the pier.

Ivory walked ahead and
sliced through the overgrowth with her sword to clear the path to the back of
the house. The exterior stone walls were still covered in soot. Black scars
were etched into the tops of what was once the window frames. Vines and weeds
crept up and over what remained of the roof, and the doors were now no more
than gaping wounds. She imagined the interior blackened and infested with vermin,
now home to whatever roamed the land.

She cut her way to the stone
path leading up to what was once their back door, and for a moment, she
remembered hot summer days such as this one, when they would run squealing into
the yard after one another in their summer rompers. Their curled hair would be
bouncing against their shoulders in pursuit of butterflies or picking
wildflowers. The sweetness of her first memory of living there was stripped
from her thoughts when the surviving fragrant roses and lavender in the
abandoned wilderness that was now their old back yard, was replaced by the
lingering odor of burned wood and defiled innocence.

Ivory pushed forward until
she reached the doorway. She stood there for a few moments, as if some
unforeseen force had blocked her path. The wave of the katydid’s song fell
away, and the thick, pollen-filled air settled into a still and deadly calm.
The others hung back, swatting at bees and staring through squinted eyes at
their surroundings. Cassandra shaded her view with her hand and pulled a single
pink rose from one of the overgrown bushes just to the right of the doorway,
using her dagger to gently remove the thorns. Keara stood a few feet back, her
arms folded tightly at her waist. She blew out a heavy sigh as Ivory looked on,
expressionless, into the shadowy tomb. “What the hell are we doing here? We
could be doing something much more interesting, like having a mug of ale… or
slitting our wrists.”

“Ke, hush…”

Suddenly, Ivory turned and
sliced violently at the overgrowth to her right until something caught her
attention. She froze, knelt down, and pulled something from the weeds. She
pulled it fast to her chest and clung to it as she spoke.