The ship wasn’t sailing fast enough for Gray’s tastes, not with his mother’s life in jeopardy. For days, he’d haunted the deck, willing the wind to fill the sails and push them north faster. What if they were too late?
“Anthony?”
He turned at Charlie’s voice. She stood at the edge of the deck, near to the captain’s quarters. No doubt she’d just exited from another day spent reacquainting herself with her father. He clasped his hands behind him tightly, burying the surge of jealousy that rippled through him. Not at another man monopolizing her time—at the fact that, after thinking her father dead, she had the opportunity to reunite with him. It was a precious thing.
Gray wondered whether his own father would be proud of him, now that he’d become the upright, dutiful captain. Gray had always thought so, but… Mother appeared demure and ladylike until he learned of her involvement in the spy network. No, running the spy network. Father could have hidden a wild side of himself, too. Perhaps Gray was more like his father than he knew. Steeling himself, he crossed to Charlie. He stopped out of arm’s reach, wondering what he should he say to her.
When she nibbled on her lower lip, the memory of their kiss haunted him. “Have you been avoiding me?”
Yes. “Of course not. I have work to do.”
She opened her mouth to argue.
The ship lurched as a sound halfway between a rumble and a grating filled the air. Gray fought to catch his balance as the ship came to an abrupt stop. He barely found his feet in time to catch Charlie as she pitched forward into his arms.
The feel of her body was torture. Fortunately, he had an excuse to step away. He rounded on the helmsman. “What in the blazes is going on?”
The young man flushed a plum color. “Forgive me, Captain, but… I think we’ve run aground.”
Gray swore vehemently and commanded his crew to check the ship for damage.
The French barque was sturdily made. Despite the abrupt halt, no holes needed to be patched in the hull. Aside from a few chips in the paint, everything seemed in working order, except for the fact that they couldn’t move.
“We’ll have to wait for the tide to come in,” Lieutenant Stills informed him.
Gray gnashed his teeth. The delay was unacceptable. His mother’s life was in danger. “Is there nothing we can do?”
“Unless you’d like to stand neck-deep in water and dry to dig the ship out, no.”
It was the closest Stills had ever come to giving him sass. Clenching his fists, Gray rounded on the helmsman. “How did this happen?”
The pallid young man tugged on his forelock. “Forgive me, sir. The map was a bit wet, you see. The ink smudged, and I thought the shallow waters didn’t come this far out.”
Gray grabbed the map in question from the helmsman’s proffered hands. The map was horribly smudged, more so than it should have been from the bit of drizzle they’d had of late. The lines marking the coast smeared until they were a quarter of an inch thick. In a map this size, that small margin accounted for miles. Stifling a sigh, he thrust the map back into the young man’s hands. “Place this somewhere safe. You are relieved of duty at the helm until further notice. Find his replacement, and check if we have any other maps of the area,” Gray snapped to his second-in-command.
“Yes, Captain. I’m afraid it won’t solve our predicament for the moment. Until the waters deepen again, we’ll have to remain here.”
“I know,” Gray answered, his voice tight. He turned away and paced the quarterdeck as he thought over their options.
With Mother unaware of the assassination attempt, he couldn’t suffer to sit still. If they arrived hours too late… No. It wouldn’t happen, because he wouldn’t allow it. One way or another, he was going to ensure his mother’s safety. The admiral had given him orders to see Charlie’s mission to completion; it wasn’t complete until his mother was safe and the spy network alerted to the threat.
The chances were slim that another ship would happen upon them and offer its assistance. Gray would have to find another way to carry on, if not by sea, then by land. Grabbing the spyglass, he turned it toward the shore and tried to gauge the distance. Less than a mile. If the barque hadn’t had such a deep keel, they wouldn’t be mired in this situation. A smaller ship would have been able to navigate the shallower waters of the embankment with ease. A dinghy would have no trouble at all.
Returning the spyglass to its holster, he loped toward his quarters and searched out the money he kept with him. The bulk of his wages went into a bank in London, but he kept some coin on him in case of emergency. This certainly qualified. It would be enough for a horse, though the quality of beast he would find in a small British village was not as high stepping as the horseflesh at Tattersall’s.
Grabbing a small satchel, he transferred his money and what belongings he thought he’d need into it before returning above deck. The crew and the Vales awaited his return.
Charlie intercepted him. “What’s happened?”
“In brief, we’re stuck.”
Her eyes widened. “For how long?”
“A few hours. Less than a day, to be certain, though this close to shore we’d have to anchor throughout the night regardless of the tide. We’re only mired as long as the tide is out. A bit extra water will free the keel from the sand, and the ship will be able to get underway again.”
She pressed her lips together as she processed that information. “That doesn’t sound terribly dire.”
“It isn’t. But it’s a delay we cannot afford. I’m going ashore.”
She squared her shoulders. “Very well. I’ll go with you.” Her chin was mulish; her face was set.
He couldn’t allow her to accompany him. He stepped past her toward the dinghy. “I’ll move faster alone. As soon as the tide is high enough and there’s enough light, Lieutenant Stills will escort you and your parents to the mouth of the Thames. The barque won’t be able to sail up the river, but you can catch a riverboat to take you to London. I hope you’ll arrive sooner than me.”
Charlie hiked up her skirts and dashed in front of him. Since they had been run aground, the deck moved very little and didn’t set her off balance. “And what if we don’t? I signed on to this mission, and I will see it through to the end. I won’t slow you down.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice as he tried to reason with her. The hairs raised on the back of his neck with the force of the stares of her parents and the crew. Whispers eddied behind them, but he ignored them. “I can ride faster on my own. If you accompany me, we’ll have to take more rests. Forgive me, but I doubt you’re accustomed to riding for such long stints.”
She raised her eyebrows, her mouth pursing. “And you are? You’re a navy captain!”
Although she had a point, he was loath to admit it. “This is my mother’s life in danger. I’ll push through.”
“So will I—”
“Charlie.” He caught and held her gaze, trying to beg her to see sense without using words.
It didn’t work. Her eyes hardened, and she drew herself up. “I have a personal stake in the outcome too, Anthony. She may not be my mother, but this past year she has welcomed me into her home and family as if she was. Lady Graylocke has been like a second mother to me. At times, even a mentor or confidante. She is my family, too, and I will not sit by and”—she scrunched her nose—“work on needlepoint when there is something I might be able to do to save her.”
Her vehement tone rose as she spoke. By the last word, the air rang with her words. She rendered Gray speechless. He had never met a woman with such courage and determination. If Mother meant so much to her, he couldn’t deny her.
Swallowing hard, he nodded. “Very well. We’ll go together.”
Charlie released the breath she held. He was giving in so easily, which wasn’t like the stubborn navy captain she knew. After all, he seemed to delight in butting heads with her. She’d expected to have to do battle with him before he relented.
He grumbled, “But you’d best be able to keep up.”
There was the stubborn, disgruntled man she knew. She smiled, triumphant. “I will. I promise.”
Mama stepped up, clasping her hands in front of her in a white-knuckled grip. Papa followed, wearing the tailcoat Charlie had finished embroidering. He looked dashing, even if his breeches weren’t of as fine a make.
Mama said, “Very well. I’ll fetch our valises. Richard?”
“Of course, dear.” Papa started for the captain’s quarters.
“Wait.” Anthony rubbed his forehead. “That won’t work.”
Charlie drew herself up. “Why not?”
“It’s too many people,” he told her. “The dinghy can only seat four, and one of those four needs to row it back to the ship for use in case of emergency.”
“Then use another one,” she insisted.
“We can’t. This is a captured vessel, as you may recall. The others appear to have been damaged during the capture. They will be fixed at port, of course, but we haven’t the time or materials to fix them now.”
Charlie gritted her teeth. “I will not be left behind, Anthony.”
He looked past her toward her parents. “Somebody must. It will not be me.”
Papa and Mama exchanged a mournful look. They had only recently been reunited after years of separation. Charlie didn’t know the horrors to which Papa had been subjected during his time as a British spy on French soil. However, she knew that Mama’s role as spy in Lord Harker’s household hadn’t been an easy one. She’d watched her mother fade away, little by little, while her sister Freddie struggled to pick up the pieces.
Anthony added, “Someone will have to remain aboard, in any case. If you reach London before me, someone must be able to deliver the message themselves.”
Lieutenant Stills didn’t help the matter when he stepped forward. “I’m going with you as well, Captain. You may need my arm.”
Biting her lip to contain the way her stomach dropped, Charlie fought not to say a word. How dare he claim a spot in the boat when there was precious little space to begin with. There was nothing Lieutenant Stills could offer that Papa or Mama couldn’t.
Anthony’s expression was hard as he answered, “Absolutely not. You are captain of this vessel upon my departure. It is your duty to remain with it.”
The usually smiling man clasped his hands behind his back, utterly serious. “With all due respect, sir, I have been your second-in-command far longer than I have been captain of this vessel. It is my duty to see that you complete your assignment safely and offer my assistance. I will not be swayed.”
When Mama shifted to brush an errant strand of hair out of her face, she caught Charlie’s attention. Mama offered an encouraging smile. “Captain Graylocke will do everything he can to impart the message. We’ll do our part.”
“No.” Charlie recoiled, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m going with him!”
“Absolutely not,” Mama said, her face set. “I am not going to let you go off alone.”
“I won’t be alone. Anthony will be with me. Do you honestly think he would let any harm befall me?”
Mama’s expression hardened. She drew herself up, even though she only reached to Papa’s shoulder. “He is the harm, my dear. Or don’t you have a care for your reputation?”
“My reputation?” The crew, formerly whispering, grew oddly silent throughout the exchange. Charlie rubbed her arms to throw off the unease of so much scrutiny. “A woman’s life is in danger, Mama. I don’t much care for my reputation at the moment, no.”
Laying a hand on Mama’s shoulder, Papa said quietly, “Louisa, why don’t you go with her? We’ll be reunited again in London.”
Charlie’s heart pinched. Their reunion had been so brief. It was impossible, in any case. “There isn’t enough room,” she said. “Not since Lieutenant Stills has opted to join.”
Anthony turned an arch expression on his second-in-command. The man’s mien remained unflappable. He hadn’t changed his mind, even knowing that he stood between them and a clear solution.
Mama stepped between Charlie and Lieutenant Stills. To the navy officer, she pleaded, “Sir, won’t you reconsider? I would not ask if not for the safety of my daughter. Captain Graylocke has stated it; who will command the ship while you are away?”
Lieutenant Stills inclined his head. “I will leave the ship in the very capable hands of my second-in-command. I promise, your needs will be well met. However, I cannot reconsider my position. At best, I can give you my word that Miss Vale will come to no harm while under my and Captain Graylocke’s protection.”
Shaking her head, Mama crossed her arms and rounded on Charlie. “Then you absolutely cannot go. Alone with two men? It is unseemly!”
“You would go,” Charlie protested. “How would that be any different? Simply because you are married?”
“Because I am older and wiser,” Mama answered, her jaw clenched. Her eyes snapped with determination.
Unfortunately for her, she had raised a daughter every bit as stubborn. Charlie held her ground. “I don’t care if it is unwise. I don’t care if it will damage my reputation. All I care about is doing the right thing, and you can’t stop me.”
“You are still my daughter—”
“I’m old enough to make my own decisions!”
Harried, Mama turned to Papa. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Help me talk some sense into her. Or do you want her to run off without us?”
“Of course I don’t,” Papa answered. He stepped forward to lay an arm around Mama’s shoulders. “But Louisa, she’s right. She isn’t a child anymore. It’s been very clear to me since we reunited that she is an accomplished, levelheaded young woman. She knows the dangers of this.”
When he looked at Charlie as if in confirmation, she nodded. “I understand.” Perhaps not the specifics, since she’d never gone tearing across the country in search of an assassin before, but she understood that there would be a certain level of danger. If not from Anthony—she trusted him wholeheartedly—then from brigands or highwaymen on the roads, savage animals in the forests, or even hazards from the weather. Charlie was willing to take that risk.
“Richard… ” Mama didn’t seem as willing to allow her to do so.
Papa raised his hand, stalling her. “This is precisely what happened between you and your mother shortly before we eloped. I know it’s been one of your greatest regrets. Charlie has made up her mind, and it seems as though she means to go no matter what you try to say to dissuade her, so you might as well give her your blessing, lest it drive a wedge between the two of you.”
Charlie straightened her spine. Papa was right. She wouldn’t let Mama or anyone else stop her from doing this. She wasn’t a child.
Mama’s expression crumpled. Tears filled her eyes. Worry pinched Charlie’s stomach. Quietly, Mama conceded, “If you’re that set on going, I won’t stop you.”
The words seemed all but swallowed by the silence that followed. Mama wiped her eyes and looked up, meeting Charlie’s gaze.
“Thank you.” Charlie’s words were every bit as soft. She didn’t know what else to say.
Mama stepped forward to clasp her hands. “I’m worried about you, love.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.
Charlie couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Mama cry. She was always so strong, so composed. Tears threatened to choke Charlie, too, but she blinked them away. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I know, Mama. I have to do this.”
When she opened her arms, Charlie embraced her. Mama squeezed her tight as she confessed, “I don’t want you to go alone, but I don’t want to part in anger, either. I had an argument with my mother that caused a rift between us that lasted until the day she died. I still did what she forbade me to do.” Pulling away, Mama cupped her daughter’s cheeks. “I don’t want that to happen with us, love. Please stay safe.”
“I will.” Charlie’s voice was hoarse. She could barely speak around the constriction in her throat. “I won’t be alone. Anthony will be with me. You trust him, don’t you? I do.”
Tears shining in her eyes, Mama turned to Anthony. “You’d better live up to your family name. If anything happens to her…”
He straightened, clasping his hands behind his back as he assumed a rigid posture. “You have my word. I will keep her safe.”
Mama drew her arm around Charlie’s shoulders and steered her toward her cabin. “Then, my dear, let’s see you packed. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
“Quickly,” Anthony reminded them in a curt tone. “It’s nearly dark. We must set out as soon as possible.”
Charlie’s blood sang as reality set in. She was going on an adventure.