Secrets of the Realm (16 page)

"Like one of my father's hounds?"

"No, more like one of your brothers. I mean if you had brothers. Mr. Montgomery is an Oxford gentleman and like I said before, he is quite handsome."

She glanced across the street at Mr. Montgomery. "I must admit, your gentleman friend is not bad on the eyes. Fetch him for me."

Annie hurried back across the street. She caught her breath. "Mr. Montgomery, she wants to meet you."

*     *     *

"Ladies, let me introduce myself. I am Mr. Matthew Montgomery, first mate of the merchant ship, the Realm."

Abigail glared at him. "Should I be impressed?"

Annie expected his smile to disappear. Instead, it looked pasted on his face. To help him out, she quickly added, "Mr. Montgomery is second in command on the Realm. If anything should happen to our captain, he would be in charge." 

The Cudney sisters gushed. "Oh, my."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Montgomery," Abigail finally said. "I am Abigail Spencer, daughter of Lord and Lady Spencer of Surrey County. Perhaps, you have met my father. He ships some of his goods to the American colonies."

"I don't believe I have had the pleasure," he said. "Perhaps, you have met my father, Roger Montgomery, Earl of Leeds."

Annie detected the subtle widening of Abigail's eyes and parting of her full lips.

"May I offer you and your friends some advice?" Mr. Montgomery said. "If you wish to be in this part of London, you should be escorted."

Abigail gestured to a man standing in a doorway not far from where they stood. He looked quite dapper in his green braided coat, breeches and white silk stockings. "We are indeed escorted, Mr. Montgomery. That is my footman, Robert. Do not let his casual manner deceive you. It would be unwise to make any improper advances toward me," she warned.

 "Abigail," Hannah said. "The gentleman is right. Escorted or not, we should never be at this dreadful place,"

"Dreadful," Catherine agreed. "Someone emptied a chamber pot from their second floor window. It just missed us."

Hannah dusted off her dress. "And the soot from the factories and tenements—disgusting."

"Disgusting," Catherine concurred.

"Why do you ladies come here if it displeases you so?" Mr. Montgomery asked.

Catherine wrinkled her nose. "Abigail's maid ran off months ago and she has made us come down here five, maybe six times to look for her. The girl's cousin told Abigail she had gone to London. He specifically said the docks, something about the girl having fond memories of the sea." She stuck her nose up in the air. "You just can't find good help these days."

Hannah laughed. "But I must admit 'tis great fun fooling our parents. They think we are spending another day at Spencer Manor while Lord and Lady Spencer believe Abigail is with us at our estate."

"All this because a
maid
ran away," Mr. Montgomery said.

Looking him straight in the eye, Abigail stood toe to toe with the first mate. "Don't look so skeptical, Mr. Montgomery. She was never simply my maid. She was my companion, my best friend."

"Do you know why she left?" he asked.

Abigail scowled down at Annie. "Would you care to venture a guess?"

Annie avoided her gaze. "I am but a lowly Jack-tar, milady. It would not be my place to say."

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Oh, please!"

"Well, at least the lad knows
his
place," Hannah said.

Her sister nodded in agreement. "Abigail's maid never knew her place."

Annie believed it was time Abigail heard the truth. "Perhaps your maid did know her place. Perhaps, that is why she never asked you for your help. Perhaps…"

Abigail took Annie's hand. "Perhaps, she was wrong."

For an instant, Annie was a child again, running and laughing in the Spencer's rose garden with her best friend. She slowly pulled away.

Mr. Montgomery looked from Abigail to Annie and back to Abigail again. "Why do I get the feeling you two know each other?"

With her eyes trained on Annie, Abigail answered, "Why don't you ask
Andrés
? Or should I say, Annie?"

 "Did you say 'Annie'?" Mr. Montgomery asked.

"Yes, she did. I am the maid that Abigail spoke of," Annie replied.

The Cudney sisters gasped. Together, they took a step back as if Annie were carrying the plague.

"Abigail?" Mr. Montgomery said. "I knew that name sounded familiar. She spoke of you in Charles Town."

Abigail clutched her hands to her heart and looked at Annie. "You did? What did you say about me?"

Annie looked down at her boots and murmured, "I can't recall what I said."

"Mr. Montgomery, can you remember what she said about me? I will cherish those words forever."

"She said you were tall," he said.

Abigail put her hands on her hips. "Tall? That's it?"

Annie looked up. "I can explain."

"Don't bother," Abigail said. She turned to Mr. Montgomery. "I am surprised you do not appear all that shocked that Andrés is really Annie."

 "Yesterday, I knew Annie only as Andrés. Today, it has been one surprise after another. I think I am still in shock. I doubt any new revelation about Captain Hawke's cabin boy will surprise me ever again."

Hannah and Catherine's mouths dropped open. "Cabin boy?" they said.

Annie had enough. "I need to return to the ship," she said. "I think my head is about to explode."

 "You
need
to come back with me to Spencer Manor," Abigail said.

"If you were truly my friend, you never would ask me to return to Aunt Mary."

"Annie, I am not asking you to return to your aunt. Please, let me explain." Abigail reached out to her. 

Keeping her from grabbing Annie, Mr. Montgomery seized Abigail's arm.

As Annie hurried off, she turned in time to see Abigail's footman leap into action. Mr. Montgomery can take care of himself, she thought, as she continued her way back to the ship.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

After rushing up the gangway, Annie sprinted across the deck to the hatch and bounded down the ladder. Breathless, she burst into Captain Hawke's cabin. 

"How long have you known?"

He pushed back from the gate-leg table. "Did you forget to knock?"

Sitting across from the captain was Doc. Annie locked eyes with him. He continued pouring a cup of tea until his cup overflowed. He jerked his hand away.

"You told him!" 

Doc wiped the hot liquid from his hand. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Annie gestured toward Captain Hawke. "He knows everything, that I'm a girl, that I kissed Christopher. You must have told him."

Captain Hawke didn't wait for Doc to reply. "He told me you were a girl shortly after we left for the colonies." 

Annie screamed at Doc. "You promised me you would never tell him!"

"I promised you no such thing," Doc said. "I believe my words were something like, 'I have a plan.'"

"I was not aware your plan involved telling the captain."

Captain Hawke broke in again. "Doc kept your secret for as long as he could. When I told him you had to move into the men's quarters, he had no choice but to tell me the truth."

Annie thought a moment. "You were so angry the morning you found me in the fo'c'sle with Barrette. He thought it had nothing to do with me not bringing you your breakfast and being late to report to Mr. Allan. He was right, wasn't he? It all makes sense now—the hammock, everything. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Aye. Doc told me during our chess game the night before I found you in the fo'c'sle. But how did you find out I knew?"

Annie's fury diminished when she thought about the words in the letter to Mrs. Doyle. "Christopher's mother figured out you were describing me in the letter."

He frowned. "I wanted to rewrite that letter, but with my eyesight going bad…"

Mr. Montgomery stood in the doorway. He waved his hands in the air before slamming the door shut behind him.

"Has everyone forgotten it is proper to knock?" Captain Hawke said.

"Is it
proper
that you neglected to tell me that Andrés is a girl and that your eyesight has gone bad? What else have you kept from me?"

"I think that about sums it up." The captain tapped the side of his face. "Have you been in a fight?"

Mr. Montgomery reached up to where a bruise was forming on his cheek. "Not a fight, a misunderstanding with Abigail's footman. I didn't see it coming, but we're good now."

"Who's Abigail?"

Mr. Montgomery raised his voice. "Never mind about Abigail. I want to know when were you going to tell me that Andrés was a girl, Jonathan?"

"Never," the captain said.

"Never?"

"I felt it would be safer for her if none of the crew knew."

"I am not simply a member of your crew, Jonathan. Have you forgotten who gave you this bloody ship?"

"You gave me this ship, because I saved your bloody life."

While the two traded barbs, Annie wondered what other things she would learn.

Mr. Montgomery struck the table with his fist. "Knowing she was a girl, how could you have allowed her to board the Margaret Louise? She could have been killed."

"It was poor judgement on your part to let a cabin boy, any cabin boy, be in your boarding party," Captain Hawke said.

"I paired her with me for that reason, Jonathan," Mr. Montgomery said.

 Annie looked at Captain Hawke. "So that's why you asked me those questions after I came down from the mast. You were trying to delay me. You were worried I might get on that boarding party."

 Before Captain Hawke could comment, Mr. Montgomery said to Annie, "I never would have let you take Barrette's place if the captain had trusted me."

"I did what I thought was best," Captain Hawke said.

Annie needed time to collect her thoughts. She slipped out of the cabin and headed for the fo'c'sle.

CHAPTER FORTY

Adding to Annie's frustration, the fo'c'sle wasn't empty. One sailor remained, Barrette. Annie watched while he searched through his sea chest. Whatever he was looking for, she hoped he would hurry up and find it.

He pulled out a white linen shirt. Barrette tossed it to Annie while he unbuttoned the one he wore. She caught the shirt before it floated to the deck.

"You think the ladies will like it, Andrés?"

"Aye."

"Are you all right, mate? You don't look well."

"I-I'm fine. It's just, just that I visited Christopher's mum today," she said as she tried hard not to stare at Barrette's bare chest.

"Poor woman. How did she take it?"

"Better than I thought she would."

"Good. My shirt, Andrés, hand it back." Barrette snapped his fingers. "Did you hear me, Andrés? Hand me the shirt."

While Annie stared at Barrette's muscles and hairless chest, goose bumps rose on her arms. "Did you say something?" she asked.

He grabbed the shirt from Annie and stuck his arm through its billowy sleeve. "Do you want to come along with me? I am meeting Baggott and Carter in town."

Annie stretched. "It has been a most exhausting day. I would rather stay here."

"I don't believe you."

"What is there not to believe?"

"You will not go into town with me, because I am not Mr. Montgomery. I'm right. Aren't I?"

"What are you talking about?"

Barrette folded his arms across his chest. "You only leave this ship with our esteemed first mate and I wager it is Captain Hawke who orders it. Why is that, Andrés? What makes
you
so special?"

"You are insane, Barrette."

"You are not fooling me." He headed for the passageway. "If you change your mind, I will be at the Black Anchor Pub."

Annie thought to herself, I'm not fooling myself, either. I know what I want.

*     *     *

Annie went back to Captain Hawke's cabin. She didn't hesitate as she pounded on the door.

"Come in."

Across the cabin, Captain Hawke pulled up a chair and began shuffling through papers on his desk. He looked up at Annie. "So kind of you to knock this time. As you can see, I am terribly busy"

Annie slapped her hand in the middle of the papers. "Don't pretend you are reading these papers, Captain. I know better."

He gestured to a chair. "Take a seat, please."

Annie couldn't remember Captain Hawke ever addressing her with such niceties before, but all that mattered now was that he remembered who she was. "There is no other way to put this, Captain. I want to remain your cabin boy."

"Are you certain this is what Annie wants?" The captain reached over, and plucked the cap from her head.

She snatched it back, pulling it defiantly over her ears. "I don't even know who Annie is anymore."

"Then maybe you should find out who she is before making any hasty decisions," the captain said. "But once I tell the crew that you are a girl, it will not make much difference who you think you are."

"Please, Captain, I beg of you, don't tell them."

"Andrés no longer exists. He never did, Annie. You never belonged here."

"I do belong here!" Annie tugged on her shirt button until the threads snapped. "I can tie every kind of knot from a catspaw to a timber-hitch. I have tended the livestock, worked in the galley and shortened sails. Look…" She pointed to the palm of her right hand. "That is a burn from tarring ropes. You said I needed to earn the respect of the crew, and I have done just that. I deserve to be here."

He drummed his fingers on the mahogany desk. "I will hold off telling the crew for now."

"Thank you, Captain." One small victory, Annie thought.

"Tomorrow morning at nine, you and Mr. Montgomery will meet Abigail Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral under the clock tower."

Annie's button tumbled from her fingertips, rolling across the floor striking the captain's boot. "Why?" she asked.

"Mr. Montgomery made the arrangements with Miss Spencer before he returned to the Realm. And don't even think of not going. I am ordering you to go."