Blackhearts (34 page)

remained, as well as all of the coins she’d collected. She’d decided to give the money to Elizabeth and her family, as well as to Sara.

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“It won’t take me long. I promise to return soon,” Teach said.

“You can’t go into the city like that,” Anne protested.

“Like what?”

She eyed the dark scruff on his chin. “You look like a pirate.

Has your father seen you?”

“No, my father is too concerned with his ship at the moment,

and I have had more important things to do in the morning than

to bother about my appearance.”

“Oh, really? And what was so important?”

“Coming to see you,” Teach said, pulling her toward the

shadow of the garden wall.

“We live under the same roof. You see me every day,” Anne

pointed out.

“Trust me, I’m well aware of that fact.” His arms wrapped

around her, and his mouth covered hers.

Anne felt a surging tide of warmth that left her breathless,

and she kissed him back.

Eventually he lifted his head, his eyes bright. “When I

return, perhaps we can go for a ride. Is that all right with you?”

Anne managed to nod.

“Good.” After one last lingering kiss, Teach turned and

strode toward the waiting carriage.

As it pulled away, Anne paused, an uncomfortable feel-

ing settling inside her. The sooner she completed this task,

the sooner she could relax. There would be no more secrets

between them, and Anne could begin her new life with Teach,

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for she could not imagine spending it with anyone else.

Glancing back at the house, she paused and scanned the

windows. She couldn’t help feeling as if someone were watching

her, but there were no movements anywhere.

She was being ridiculous. It was her guilt that made her

feel this way, for surely she was the only one foolish enough to remain out in this cold.

Shivering, Anne ducked beneath the archway and entered

the wilder realm outside the Drummond grounds. With brisk

steps she approached the willows, grateful to put this part of her time in the Drummond house behind her.

As Anne swiped aside the long branches, her heart stopped

at what she saw—or, more important, her heart stopped at

what she didn’t see.

The chest was gone.

Rushing forward, she looked around the base of the two

trees and at the surrounding ground, but the chest was not there.

“Is something wrong?”

Anne spun to find Margery standing several feet away, a

flicker of triumph lighting her cold eyes.

The buzzing in Anne’s ears started low but grew sharper,

more piercing. “No, I . . . I just needed some fresh air.”

Margery smiled. “Aye, you often seem to require quite a bit

of fresh air, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your early morning walks. You enjoy rising early, before

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the rest of the house. You were never that industrious as a maid.”

“What do you want?” Anne asked, wishing she felt as fear-

less as she sounded.

“Master Drummond would like to see you. He’s waiting for

you back at the house.”

Anne turned even colder, and her mouth went dry.

Margery stepped away but stopped when she noticed that

Anne hadn’t moved. “I suggest you come with me now. He’s not

in a favorable mood.”

This time Margery waited for Anne to precede her. Anne’s

mind raced with each step. Her pulse drove in erratic surges,

and her chest was tight with fear.

He knew.

What could she possibly tell Drummond about the chest?

He stood in the back door, waiting for her approach. Mar-

gery nodded at him before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Motioning for Anne to follow him, Drummond led the

way to the drawing room. He closed the door behind her, the

look in his eyes hard.

“I wished to speak with you about my son.”

Anne’s face grew warm, but she managed to meet his eyes.

It was not what she had expected.

“Sir?”

“What are your plans?” he asked bluntly.

“My plans?”

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“Yes.”

Anne shook her head, perplexed. What kind of game was

he playing? “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Margery tells me that you and my son spend a great deal

of time together. Is this true?”

“We dine together, yes. But that is only to be expected.”

“And is it
expected
that you take walks together in the garden, or that he show you my ship?”

“Teach asked for permission.
You
arranged that.” Too late, Anne realized her mistake. Drummond’s mouth turned down

at the corners at the use of his son’s nickname.

“
Edward
did ask me. But I would not have given my per-

mission if I’d known about the nature of your relationship.”

“Sir, under the circumstances, you can hardly expect your

son and me to ignore each other. If you would like, I will take

my meals in my room.”

“What I would
like
is for you to quit my house.”

Although she’d tried to prepare herself for the dismissal, the

sting of his words was severe. “Please, let me explain.”

Drummond ignored the pallor of her face, looking ready to

attack. “In light of the circumstances, I think it would be best if you left. I’ve arranged passage for you on the
Deliverance
when it sets sail.”

“Please—” she began, but he ignored her.

“I have hired a lady’s maid to accompany you. You have

the money your father left behind, although you certainly don’t

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deserve it. That should be enough for you to start a new life somewhere else. I’m prepared to give you more, to ensure that

you leave.”

Anger quickly replaced Anne’s pain. “Money is your answer

for everything, isn’t it? If you want to become a member of

the aristocracy, you have only to throw money at a baron. If

someone falsely accuses your son of piracy, by all means, pay

for the constable’s silence. If someone falls in love with your

son and wishes to marry him, you pay her off and send her

packing, because you don’t approve of the match. You think

that just because you have money, everyone else has to bow to

your every whim.”

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Anne. It wasn’t that

long ago that she had planned to do that very thing, leave Bris-

tol and everything behind her, to search for her mother’s family.

But her situation had changed, and the last thing she wanted

was to leave now. Especially without Teach. She’d thought that

perhaps, once she and Teach were married, they could visit the

islands together.

“Do not make this harder than it needs to be.”

“Harder than it needs to be? You’re asking me to leave

everything I know and love behind.”

Drummond was unmoved by the tears in her eyes and the

desperation in her voice. “So you refuse to leave on your own?”

he demanded.

“I do not wish to.”

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“I didn’t want to resort to this, but I can see that you leave me no choice. There is another matter.”

Anne closed her eyes.

“It has been brought to my attention that several objects in

the household have gone missing.”

“I was going to return everything,” she said, meeting his

condemning gaze. “I never meant to steal from you.”

“What, precisely, did you
mean
to do?”

“The only reason I took anything was because I was treated

unfairly here and I wanted to escape. I took nothing more than

you owed me. Or my father.”

Drummond looked decidedly uncomfortable at the

reminder. “Yes, well, you will have a hard time convincing the

constable of that.”

“Are you going to contact him?” Anne asked, desperate to

wake up from this nightmare. How had everything gone so

wrong in such a short amount of time?

“Not if you go willingly. You will leave within the hour.”

“But I can’t—”

Drummond held up a warning finger. “Unless you wish to

go to jail, you can and you will. Margery will help you. She has already gathered your things. I will have your solicitor send part of your inheritance to the White Stag Inn. Once you reach your

destination, you may let him know where he may send the rest.”

“But that could take months.”

“You should have thought of that before you stole from me.

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I will allow you to pack all of the dresses I have given you, but nothing more. You will stay at the White Stag near the docks

for the next few days. When the
Deliverance
sets sail, you will be on it. My debt to your father has been paid in full.”

Anne pressed the knuckles of her clenched fist against her

stomach, a fierce pain slashing her heart. “And Teach—” she

said, almost afraid to mention his name.

“You will write Edward a note, telling him you harbor no

genuine feelings for him and that you only used him.”

“But that’s not true!” she cried, her blood turning to ice

water. She didn’t want to believe he could be that cruel.

“Regardless of whether it’s true or not, you will declare it so.”

“He won’t believe it,” she said.

“Yes, he will. Oh, I know he was fond of you, but that was

before he knew you were a thief and a liar. In time he will get

over you. As he did Miss Patience.”

Anne flinched at his words, but anger and hurt pride drove

out some of the pain. She’d once accused Teach of the same

thing. Now, of course, she knew better, but there was no way

she could convince Mr. Drummond of Teach’s feelings for her.

“After you are gone, he will go on and marry someone else,

someone who will bring out the best in him.”

“You mean someone with a title.”

“Yes, someone with a title. Someone more suited to him.”

“If you knew him, you would know that he doesn’t want that.”

Drummond snorted. “And you know my son so well?”

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“I do. I know he understands and accepts people, regardless of their circumstances or backgrounds. He’s independent and

forthright and appreciates it when others are as well. And the

last thing in this world that your son cares about is marrying

into the aristocracy.”

He glared at her, his eyes hard. “I admit, I made a mistake

with Miss Patience. Thanks to you, that disaster was averted.

But I believe I know what’s best for him, and that person is

most certainly not you.”

“Have you ever thought to ask your son what he wants?”

Drummond turned from her. “I have hired two gentle-

men to see you to the docks and then safely onto the
Deliv-

erance
. They will make certain you arrive at your destination and nowhere else. Once you are gone, my son will once again

become the boy that I remember.”

Anne shook her head incredulously, wondering at his con-

ceit. “You can’t continue to control his life. At some point you will lose him.”

“On the contrary. When you’re gone, everything will return

to normal. When he saw William attack you, Edward was . . .

wild, half-crazed. I’ve never seen him act like that before. He was clearly not himself.
You
brought out those primitive responses in him. At the time, I was angry with William as well. I had no

idea of the depth of Edward’s feelings for you.”

“And you are obviously opposed to such feelings.”

Master Drummond spun to face her. “Of course! How

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could I be otherwise? Such a union would be impossible.”

“Why is that?” Anne shot back, her voice laced with acid.

“Because of your position in society.”

Anne was beyond caring what she said. In that moment,

she realized there wasn’t anything from the outside that could

beat her. If she let it, it would come from within, but not if she fought against it. “My position in society?”

He pulled at his collar but remained silent.

“Despite what you think, I’m not a criminal. I made a mis-

take, yes, but what makes you think you’re so superior to me?

You’re a merchant, just like my father.”

“Yes, but your mother was a—a . . .” He clearly couldn’t

bring himself to say the word.

“A slave,” Anne said proudly. She would not allow him

to slander her mother. Jacqueline, at least, had done nothing

wrong. “You would blame her for the color of her skin?”

“I wasn’t going to say it,” Drummond snapped. Going to

the door, he called for Margery.

Suddenly Anne’s desire to act was like a physical pressure,

pushing from within. The rope that she felt around her neck

when she was under this roof had tightened into a noose.

She raced for the door, but was brought up short by the

appearance of two men. They caught her arms in a painful

grasp. Anne almost wished Mr. Drummond had contacted the

constable. She fought against the men’s hold, but they simply

tightened their grip.

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“After you write the letter to Edward, these men will escort you to the White Stag, where you will stay until you set sail.

Once you reach the West Indies, I’m sure your mother has some

relatives who would take you in. Where you can be with your

own—with people who are your family,” he quickly amended.

“You mean where I can be with people of my own kind.”

“I said ‘family,’” he said, his voice terse.

If Anne had had something to throw, she would have. Pref-