Fortune's Flames (34 page)

“Don’t fret, little woman. Murray doesn’t know anything. I’ll go to New Orleans to settle our affairs there. Now, get packed so our new life can get underway.”

Maren smiled at him and turned to leave the room, but Eric gently caught her arm and pulled her into his embrace. As he kissed her hungrily, she suffered through tormenting moments, and she was relieved that he was in such a hurry because she would never allow him to make love to her. When he released her, she immediately left the room.

As Maren packed her trunks, she prayed that Jim
Lawton would return to save her. Then she prayed he would not arrive because she feared that Eric and Ben might slay the overseer. Horben Wolfe… she hated to leave with that intimidating man. Either Eric did not fully trust her or he actually wanted to protect her. She could not attempt to escape for doing so would expose her real feelings. She must wait until she had only one man to battle, and she hoped it wasn’t going to be Horben Wolfe.

Maren wondered if any of the house servants could read. If so, she would leave Jared a note beneath the sheets so that a servant would find it while changing them. Since she had not been at Shady Rest long enough to know, she dared not take such a risk. She wondered where Willa had sent the household help and whether they would return in time to witness anything; she doubted it.

Just as she finished her task, Eric came to her room and told her all was set for her departure. “I’m ready,” she declared, then smiled.

Eric and Ben loaded the carriage, and no servant was in sight. Maren was positive Willa had seen to it that they would not be observed. The servants were doubtlessly in their own cabins, dismissed for the night so this plot could be carried off without witnesses. Since it was dark and the cluster of neat cabins was a good distance from the big house, no one would be summoned to help her. If she ran off, she would only expose herself for she would be overtaken, and she did not want to endanger Jared’s unarmed slaves.

Be patient and alert, Maren, she warned herself.

As Willa walked beside her to the carriage, she said, “I’m delighted Eric’s taking you away, Maren; you wouldn’t have liked it here. Jared would have tired of you and he would have returned to me. We share a very special bond. In fact, I only married his father to be near him. You could never satisfy him as I do.”

Maren glanced at the arrogant blonde and smiled skeptically, but she thought it unwise to argue the woman’s claim. Instead, she remarked sarcastically, “I’m sure you believe the same is true of Eric.”

“Actually, Eric James is a better lover than Jared Morgan, but he isn’t as rich and powerful.”

“And, a woman like you goes after the best.”

“Of course,” Willa concurred after a throaty laugh.

“I suppose you’ll also claim that Steven is Jared’s son,” Maren hinted.

A look of surprise crossed Willa’s lovely face. “He told you?”

“No, I overheard you two on the porch and I figured it out.”

“I wouldn’t tell anyone if I were you. Jared doesn’t want our son to be viewed as a bastard. Steven is to live and die as Benjamin’s child.”

“How considerate of you both,” Maren replied.

When they reached the two men, Eric asked what they had been discussing. Willa did not reply, but Maren cleverly related their remarks. Although Willa glared at her, she smiled sweetly.

Thinking perhaps he could use this information
against Jared, Eric grinned. “Maybe that’s good news. It could provide me with a nice little weapon.”

“I thought so,” Maren agreed, though she believed that Jeremy was Steven’s father. She had recalled that Jeremy had been home the year before his death, but Jared had been out West for years. It was understandable to her that her husband loved the boy and wanted to protect him from scandal. And as the only son of Benjamin’s deceased heir, Steven was entitled to a part of the Morgan inheritance. No wonder Jared despised this woman and wanted her out of their lives! Their lives…What would happen to them now?

Eric helped Maren into the carriage, and Ben drove it away. She looked around as they journeyed down the road, able to make out a few sights in the light of a three-quarter moon. “It is a beautiful place, isn’t it?” she said genially to disarm the man.

Ben smiled and agreed. “I’m real glad you’re siding with us, Maren. Eric isn’t a man to cross, and you’ll make him a good wife.”

Maren thanked him and then pretended to settle down and enjoy the ride. She was not bound, but she realized Horben was very alert. She could see that from his tight grip on the reins, the way he sat, and his expression. She also knew he had placed a gun on the seat, on the side away from her.

Ben was tense and wary, but for reasons Maren did not know. While she had been packing, he had spoken with Eric, who planned to enjoy Willa for a few days before sailing for New Orleans. Eric had
reiterated his promise to allow Ben to have Maren in Jamaica, once a week while she was under the influence of drugs he’d brought from the Orient, but Ben did not trust Maren. He intended to make certain she did not elude him. He had fantasized about his imminent nights with her, until his aching body had ordered him to halt that torment. He had to be careful how he treated her and looked at her or she might realize her plight. Once Eric had gotten to Jamaica, the fun would begin, and even if she continued her ruse, it would be enjoyable.

Maren was relieved that Ben allowed her to lock the cabin door, although she knew how easily it could be broken down if she refused to open it. She only dozed on that long night, fully clothed, and was very aware of the ship’s movement as wind and tide carried her away from Savannah to a tropical island. How to escape?…

The early October days were still warm at sea, but the winds were brisker and the nights chillier. Naturally that would change as they sailed farther south. They had left port four days ago, on October first. Maren had remained in her cabin most of the time, and she had taken her meals only with Horben Wolfe. To pass the long hours and to ingratiate herself with her ghostly-eyed guard, she had asked him questions about himself, his family, and his
travels with Eric; and Ben had cordially answered her, seemingly to enjoy himself.

When they played cards, she impressed Ben with her skills, and she often entertained him with tales of her early adventures with Eric. She even related her misfortunes in New Orleans and explained why she had doubted Eric for a time. But she wondered how long she could continue this difficult ruse, for she had noted Wolfe’s desire and his distrust.

Late in the afternoon on October fourth, a ship pursued them, and Maren was thrilled. She did not care whether it was American or British. She just wanted to be taken off this vessel. But when a fierce conflict began, she doubted she would survive it.

The ship shuddered as its cannons roared and hits damaged her severely, and Maren pressed herself against the inner wall of her cabin, and clamped her hands over her ears. What if the ship was sunk? she wondered in mounting alarm.

When Ben rushed into the cabin and locked the door, Maren looked at him, her fear evident. “Who’s attacking us?” she asked.

“Bloody pirates,” he informed her angrily. “They won’t give quarter and we can’t flee them.” He roughly drew her to him and declared, “But I’ll be damned if they take you first.”

He began to kiss her and fondle her. Maren struggled, but he forced her to the bed and flung her upon it.

“Eric will kill you for this, Ben!” she shrieked. Then her golden brown eyes filled with terror and
disgust as Ben revealed Eric’s promise to him.

“If I die today, I’ll die as a happy and sated man,” Ben said. Then he captured her hands, pinned them over her head, and straddled her.

But suddenly a gunshot rang out and Ben fell sideways off the bed. Maren immediately rose to battle her new attacker, but the man merely stared at her. She swallowed hard, her pulse raced, and she breathed rapidly. Her eyes were wide, and as he came forward, she tried to back away but the mussed covers inhibited her progress.

The pirate captain halted and studied her intently. “Come with me,” he commanded, extending a hand to her.

Maren looked at his hand as if it were a death threat. “I’m Captain Hawk’s wife,” she declared nervously. “If you harm me, he’ll kill you. These men kidnapped me, but Jared’s searching for us.”

“I’m sure he is,” the man said with an amused grin. “Let’s go, Hawk’s mate; this ship is sinking.”

Maren glanced at Ben’s body and knew he was dead. Her gaze returned to the pirate’s dark eyes. She had heard tales of what pirates did with female captives, and she feared she would have been safer with Horben!

Suddenly she noticed that Ben’s gun had fallen onto the bed during her tussle with him. She lunged for it, but the man grabbed her and she struggled with him until he said, “There is no need for this, Maren Morgan. I am the Water Snake, a friend of your husband’s.”

Immediately she ceased thrashing. “René Blanc?” “The same, my lovely bird. Come along. You’re safe.”

Maren had never fainted in her life, but she did so.

When Maren came around, she found herself in the highly decorated cabin of René. Her movements caught his attention and he rose from the table to approach her. He sat down beside her and smiled. “Feeling better?” he asked kindly. “Would some sherry put color back into your exquisite face?”

“Yes, thank you,” she responded as she cleared her wits. “I don’t know why I passed out like that. I’ve never done so before.”

As he fetched the tawny liquid, he said, “Do not be embarrassed, Maren. It can be a natural reaction. What happened to you?”

Maren sketchily described her problems with Eric James and her abduction from Savannah. René nodded understandingly, then said, “I can’t take you back to Savannah or to New Orleans; you would not be safe in either place. You must stay with me until we can locate your husband. We’ll reach Grand Isle in a few days.”

“But that’s a pi—” Maren halted and flushed.

“Aye, a pirate haven, but you’ll be under my protection as Captain Hawk was when he came there. Many of us have agreed to join him and the Americans. Hopefully, your government will keep
its word.”

“Jared says we need your help, and I’m sure it’s true.”

“He is a unique man, a superb seaman. He is also lucky.”

Maren smiled at the compliment and thanked him for it. Her journey to Grand Isle had begun pleasantly.

During the passage she used René’s bed while he slept in a hammock, and the days passed quickly and without danger. At Grand Isle she was taken ashore and transported in a boat to Barataria, where she was amazed by her surroundings. But her excitement rapidly vanished when she got a closer look at how the pirates lived.

Crude men eyed her intently, while lewd women pampered them, and stacks and stacks of stolen goods lay about. The weathered huts stood out darkly against the sandy background, as did the noisy taverns. Many of the pirates were drunk, and others were on their way to that sorry state. The women she saw were scantily attired, and they allowed any man to fondle them. Maren was embarrassed by such goings-on. Raucous singing and lively music, laughter, vulgar talk, and quarrels reached her alert ears. No wonder a man like René Blanc wanted to end his career in piracy.

She was guided to a large house which René said he owned. Two shapely Frenchwomen waited upon them there, serving them a delicious meal and
preparing a refreshing bath for Maren. Then René told her to make herself at home and to remain inside the house while he went to visit his friends.

The Frenchwomen were not talkative, and they eyed Maren critically, though they had been told that she was a guest, Captain Hawk’s woman. As Maren settled into her room after her bath, she wondered how long she would be compelled to remain at Barataria. If René was as powerful, feared, and respected as Jared had said, she should be safe, she thought.

In the tavern, the Water Snake passed the word that he had rescued Captain Hawk’s woman, and he asked the other pirates to give that message to Hawk if they encountered him. René noticed the interest Maren had aroused, and knew he had to guard her closely.

He ordered one of his men to post a few guards around his home, and when he returned to it, he told the two serving women to be alert. He decided that the next day, as an additional precaution, he would give Maren a gun and make certain she knew how to use it. He then allowed the two women to undress him before he climbed ito bed between them.

When Maren heard telltale laughter coming from the room down the hall, she longed for Jared and prayed he would survive. She hoped he would not learn of her kidnapping before he discovered she was safe. She imagined how her husband would deal with
Eric. Then she curled up, closed her eyes, and let slumber overtake her.

By Wednesday René knew it was too hazardous to keep Maren with him. He had sent two of his men into New Orleans, and they had returned to report that Eric James was not there, Samuel Lewis was dead, and Dan Myers was controlling the gambling house. Based on that information, René asked Maren if she knew of a safe place where she could hide until Jared could be located.

Maren assumed that Eric would check Lady Luck and Payne’s Point for her if he learned of the destruction of his ship and returned to New Orleans. But until he learned of his loss, he would not search for her. She thought about the preacher who had married her to Jared, but realizing that her presence might endanger that old couple, she decided to go to a hotel on the edge of town and hide out there. If she could, she would get a message to Mary and warn her about Dan Myers.

René gave her money for her expenses, and he escorted her to the hotel at dusk. After thanking him for his rescue and assistance, Maren roamed about her comfortable room and deliberated her problem. If anything happened to Jared, she was on her own, so she could not sit around and do nothing. She must find a way to deal with Eric and Dan.

By Friday, October the fourteenth, she had conceived no plan. But far away, the enemy force was
leaving Washington. The British had failed to incite slave insurrections in and around the southern ports, but they had not been driven from Maine. Since the Indian uprisings had been halted or prevented, the British were now trying a new ploy; they were planting false stories in American papers in order to prey on fear and gullibility. Trouble abounded for America, but so did victories.