Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) (33 page)

if by magic. The pirate's face contorted with rage as he came

toward her. She tried to move away, but he was too fast and the

room too small. He grabbed Smokey and hauled her against

him.

"Who have you been talking to?"

"Don't touch me," Smokey nearly spat at him.

With a near growl of rage, Haamich moved and a knife

appeared, an evil-looking blade that made the breath catch in

Smokey's throat.

Aggie came alive upon seeing that blade, but he ignored

the insults and threats she rained on him in her weak voice.

Smokey closed her eyes in terror, certain that he was about to

slit her throat.

Smokey gasped, and her eyes flew open again when he

grabbed her hair and gave a great pull. She stared in horror as

he stood back and held all two feet of her braid up before the

lantern's light.

"I always get what I want, my dear." The man's voice was

so genial that Smokey felt chilled to the bone. "Think about

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my offer, will you? iowecj harxj .light cut something off that

won't grow back." the men .

With those words ik,.,, -, Camming the door behind him

and taking the lantern and Smokey's braid back down the

cavern. Smokey sank onto the tick, her hand going to the hair

that was now falling into her face.

Like a woman in a dream she felt around to the back of her

neck. He'd cut her hair off at the nape. Smokey hadn't shed one

tear since she had been thrust into this cell, but she now

bordered on the edge of hysteria.

As she collapsed face first onto her pallet, the sobs began

from deep in her chest and came to the surface as harsh

weeping. Smokey cried as she never had before, aware of

nothing but the pain of isolation and abuse. Smokey barely

noticed when Aggie used what little strength she had left to

crawl on her belly from her own flea-infested tick. She came

to clumsily pat Smokey's shoulder and offer words of sympathy.

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both men were spent after their futile search for Smokey.

They talked for a long time, or rather Dallas talked and Brandon

listened He shared from his heart concerning the panic

he felt when they had found her gone, and then the men took

time to pray, turning the evening into a time of spiritual

renewal.

Just before the men turned in, Brandon told Dallas of his

only remaining worry concerning the case. That was Smokey's

ledger books. He knew them to be in the hands of a magistrate,

and Brandon worried that they might have been altered

The charge of piracy seemed outrageous, but if Smokey's

trading was too good to be true, the judge might sentence her

for pirating on her own or as an accomplice.

"Then you'll have to sail the Aramis" Dallas told him.

"What was that?" Brandon questioned him, wondering

why he had never thought of it.

"I said, sail the Aramis yourself. Then you'd understand

how she does it. You've never been on a ship so sleek and yare,

Hawk. I tell you it's like nothing you've ever seen."

Brandon nodded, his mind going a hundred miles an hour.

Til do it," he finally said

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The next morning Brandon and Dallas left the town house

after breakfast. They visited the home of an old family friend,

and not long after he headed with them to the House of Lords.

Once again, Dallas watched with fascination as Brandon's

power and position seemed to melt all obstacles and yield him

incredible privileges. It took the better part of the day, but

with very little fuss he was able to pull the Aramis out of

confiscation and sail her.

With only a skeleton crew, both men sailed away from

London with the late afternoon tide. Dallas played the part of

mate and enjoyed watching Brandon's face as he stood on the

deck of the Aramis for the ride of his life.

It took some time for Brandon to notice Dallas' scrutiny,

and when he did, the young duke only grinned like a boy

caught in the pantry.

"Smokey doesn't want to sell, does she?" Brandon cheerfully

wished to know.

"I doubt it, but even if she did, I somehow think Sunny

might have a few things to say about it."

Brandon's brows rose in dismay, and Dallas laughed as a

shudder shook his friend's frame. The diversion was pleasant

as so much of their time had been spent fighting anxious

thoughts of Smokey.

They weren't out for long. Brandon had been given a time

limit, and he had seen enough. Dallas had been right about the Aramis; Brandon didn't know when he had sailed a finer

craft.

They talked about the ship at length on the way back to the

town house and were pleasantly surprised to find that Sunny

and Sterling had arrived in their absence.

"I got to thinking that this might continue on for some

time and just knew I had to see you," Sunny told Brandon as

soon as he walked in the door. Brandon, always happy to see

his wife, took her in his arms.

Dallas moved into the study to give them a moment's

privacy. The door was open, however, so when young Sterling

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joined his parents, Dallas heard every word of their reunion.

Suddenly his thoughts were on his sister.

He had given her little thought in the uproar with Smokey,

but as he contemplated the date, he realized she might already

be a mother. His musings caused him to pray for her. He asked

God to bless her and keep her safe whether she was still

waiting, had already given birth, or was even this minute in

the process.

Jenny nearly wept from her place on the bed when she saw

Tate come back into their room and straight to her side.

"You were gone so long," she gasped

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't find the doctor. I rode all the way

to Willa's and brought her back."

Jenny's eyes widened as she looked around her husband to

the older woman near the door. Jenny didn't know Willa

beyond Smokey's loving description of her, but the sight of

Willa's serene features was enough to cause Jenny to forget

some of her fears. She would have told Willa all of this, but

another contraction hit.

She gasped as it grew in intensity and was hardly aware of

the way Willa came to her side, giving words of instruction

and gentle encouragement. When the pain began to ease,

Jenny spoke.

"I've never done this before, and I'm afraid something is

wrong."

"Nothing is wrong." Willa had already checked her and

spoke in confidence. "And you're doing just fine. Your husband,

on the other hand, is about to faint. Send him away, Mrs.

Pemberton, or I'll have two of you to nurse."

Jenny's eyes met those of the man she loved, and her smile

was gentle in her flushed face. Tate's smile, however, was very

pained, and try as he might he could not stop sweating.

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"Go downstairs, Tate, unless I call you." Jenny released

him, feeling calm now that Willa was there.

Thinking his place was with Jenny, Tate hesitated, but just

then another contraction hit. With a walk that closely resembled

a trot, Tate hit the door. He was shaking so badly

when he got to the parlor that he could barely turn the knob.

Inside he found Buck and Greer. After greeting them, he

collapsed with relief into a chair.

He had sent a servant to tell Buck the news but wasn't sure

if he had arrived. Buck told him that Greer had been over for

supper, and so he'd brought her along. Tate was glad for all the

support he could get.

"How is she?" Buck's voice was slightly anxious, but Greer's

face was calm.

"Willa says she's fine, but she's in so much pain that I had

to get out of there."

From that point on, Buck and Greer did their best to

console and uplift him. Every so often he would go to the

door, open it, and look up the stairs. But each time he would

come back to his seat.

"Do you want me to go out and look for Doc?" Buck

offered after an hour of pacing.

"No," Tate told him. "I've left messages all over town, so if

he can come, he will. I think Willa will do fine."

The words were no more out of Tate's mouth than a bloodcurdling

scream came from the bedroom upstairs. Tate came

out of his chair as though jerked up by a rope and ran for the

stairs. Buck began to tremble all over as he sat on the sofa.

From her place beside him, Greer reached for his hand

He held onto it like a lifeline. "She's my baby sister, Greer. I

can't stand to see her hurt." His breath caught on the last

word.

"It does hurt, Buck, but you know that childbirth pains are

normal. The doctor has told Jenny she's strong."

Buck let his head fall back against the seat, and Greer did

the same, her head turned slightly so she could study his

profile. She had just watched him put aside his own feelings in

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the last hour to be a comfort to Tate. Now that Tate was out of

the room, he let down to the point of shaking all over. Greer

thought he was wonderful. She didn't know exactly when it

had happened, but she had finally fallen for Buck Knight.

"I hope you haven't given up on marrying me, Mr. Knight,"

she said softly and watched Buck freeze. Like a man in a

dream, his head came off the seat and he turned to stare at her.

"What did you say?"

"I said, I hope you haven't given up on me"

Buck looked so stunned that Greer smiled. She reached

with gentle fingers and brushed the hair from his forehead,

her eyes full of love as she watched him.

"Am I to believe that if I asked again, your answer might be

different?"

Greer nodded serenely, her eyes warm with love. Buck

suddenly found himself with nothing to say. They leaned

simultaneously toward each other, and their lips touched

When Greer would have pulled away, Buck's arms went

around her. She laughed in delight before his lips met hers

once again.

"Will you marry me, Greer?" Buck asked when he could

speak.

"Yes, I will," Greer answered without the slightest hesitation.

Buck had to refrain from shouting his joy to the room at

large. Instead, he kissed her again. They were still wrapped in

each other's arms when the door burst open 20 minutes later.

"It's a girl!1' Tate shouted, and Buck jumped from the sofa

to hug him. Greer was next in line, and Tate nearly broke her

ribs, so exuberant was his embrace.

"A girl," he repeated as though they had not heard "And

she's beautiful. We're going to name her Victoria. Isn't that

beautiful? Victoria Jennifer." Tate's smile was so triumphant

that Buck and Greer laughed

Upstairs a much quieter scene was taking place. Willa,

now washed up and needing a seat, came to sit next to Jenny's