Page 15 of Much Ado about a Widow

“Not quite yet.” Rob gazed at the harbor, the shadows shifting as the sun began her descent into the west. “Call the crew on deck. We’ve got one more thing to do before we sail. I need you to post this letter, quick as you can once we get ashore, then meet us on the beach just there.” He pointed to a large rock jutting out of the sand near The Ships Inn. “Be quick, so you don’t miss all the fun.”

“Aye, Captain.” Cartwright tucked the letter into his jacket and headed toward the passageway calling, “Barnes, Ayers, Chapman. Look lively, lads. Captain needs you on deck.”

Rob gazed at the shoreline, pinching his lip as he contemplated how in blue blazes he was going to find Lady Georgina’s carriage to retrieve her trunks. It had occurred to him, as soon as he decided to take her with him, that the woman would be more amenable to such a journey if she had her clothing and things with her. The rub was finding his way to her father’s carriage. He could ask her if she could give him a landmark, but he feared she would either say nothing or quite too much—and none of it helpful. He must think about it logically. There wasn’t much time if they were to make the evening tide.

“Here we are, Captain.” Ayers, Barnes, and Chapman ran up from belowdecks, Cartwright bringing up the rear.

“We’re never shoving off yet, are we, Captain?” Ayers, the helmsman, glanced over the railing at the water.

“Not quite yet.” The crew was seasoned, holdovers from his father’s and, in the case of Barnes, his grandfather’s day as captain. Despite Rob’s relative youth, they respected him and responded well to his commands. “We’ve one more chore before we sail. We need to discover where Lady Georgina’s carriage is so that we may gather her trunks for the voyage.”

“Beggin’ your pardon, Captain, but who is Lady Georgina?” Ayers and Chapman exchanged a quick glance.

Rob had already thought about how to handle this without the risk of compromising the lady. God knew he was skating close to the edge with this one. “An old friend of my family who needs assistance. She’ll be accompanying us to St. Just to visit my mother.”

“How did she lose her carriage, Captain?” Chapman’s frown was a portent of questions to come. Best give the exact truth and nothing more.

“She didn’t lose it, but rather fled from it.” The puzzled faces before him made Rob hurry on. “The lady claims she was kidnapped by some ruffians bent on God knows what kind of mischief. Fortunately, she, her maid, and her dog managed to escape, and, by great good fortune, she found me, before they recaptured her.”

“Kidnapped?” Ayers looked aghast.

“Lord have mercy.” Chapman looked around, as if expecting the villains to appear. “Do you want us to help you capture the blackguards?”

“No, Chapman, I don’t think—”

“We’re with you, Captain.” Barnes cut him off. “They should be made to pay for doing such a terrible thing.” He smacked his fist into his hand.

“Quiet, men. We do not have time to act as avengers for Lady Georgina. We can, however, cock a snook at her kidnappers by taking her trunks from underneath their very noses.”

Wide grins spread across all their faces, Chapman elbowing Barnes in the ribs and laughing outright. “That would be a good ’un, Captain.”

“Aye, we’re with you on that one, Captain.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rob herded his men toward the railing beneath which the small boat was tied. “Once we reach the shore, Cartwright will post a letter from me to the lady’s brother, informing him of the circumstances and that she has decided to visit my mother in Cornwall. Now to the task of finding her carriage.”

“But that carriage could be anywhere in Portsmouth, Captain.” That protest came from Barnes, likely thinking of the miles he’d have to walk.

“That is why we are fortunate that I have a plan. Go on down with you.”

The men swarmed down the ladder, and, when they had all settled in the boat, Rob cast off.” Chapman manned the oars to take them into shore.

“Once Cartwright has returned from posting my letter, we will go to the spot where I met Lady Georgina. From that point, we will each take a street and run the length of it looking for the carriage with the Blackham crest of a black lion rampant. If you find it, go back to the end of the street where you started and look for me. I’ll wait for each of you to report before we move on to another set of streets. Pay special attention to inns where the carriage may have stopped.”

“The lady didn’t see the name of the inn?” Barnes’s shaggy eyebrows almost touched his nose.

“She claims she was fleeing the kidnappers, Barnes. I daresay she was not interested in names, only in escaping. I cannot chastise the lady for not paying attention under such circumstances.” Rob shook his head, wondering if Lady Georgina had indeed noted a name or anything else helpful. He’d wager she had, despite her desperation to escape. Blast it, he should have at least tried to ask her.

“Aye, Captain. Some women are quite scatterbrained even when they’re not being pursued.” Chapman gave a huge pull on the oars, and the boat grounded. “Believe me, my Betty is one of the worst. Never can tell me straight what she’s done all day.”

Nodding and grumbling about the flighty nature of women, the crew climbed out of the boat and stood ready for him to command. If they couldn’t find Lord Blackham’s carriage and retrieve Lady Georgina’s things, it would likely be a miserable voyage for all concerned, as the lady would then have only the clothes she stood up in. But so be it. The tide would begin going out in an hour. If they didn’t find her belongings, Lady Georgina could wear sailcloth for all he cared.

The tide waited for no woman—with clothes or without.

Chapter Six

Georgie’s half boots thumped loudly on the wooden flooring as she paced back and forth in the cabin, fuming. From the window to the door and back, in the past hour she’d likely worn a groove in the planks. Drat the man for imprisoning her in here. She rattled the door for the twentieth time since the marquess had sneaked out. Lord, the man was terribly stubborn.

“It’s still not opening, my lady.” Clara stared at her from the comfort of the captain’s chair. “Not until his lordship returns with the key.”