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During the last week of the month, Raven and Eden had just sat down to dinner when they were interrupted by a fierce pounding at the front door. “I think I better see who that is myself, but I want you to stay here,” Raven ordered firmly.
Eden did not argue as Raven left the table, but she had no intention of waiting meekly in the dining room until he returned to explain who their heavy-fisted caller had been. While she moved far more slowly than he, she left the table too, and crossed to the door where she could overhear what was transpiring in the entryway. When she recognized Michael Devane’s voice, she joined the two men as quickly as her condition allowed.
While Raven was annoyed his wife had not obeyed him, he did not scold her in front of her old friend. “The Southern Knight has just tied up at our docks.”
While her husband’s words had been spoken calmly, Michael looked so distraught Eden knew she had every right to be alarmed. “Why didn’t my father come with you? Is something wrong?”
The lieutenant was exhausted, and while he thought she had a right to know, he could barely provide a coherent response. He gestured toward the leather satchel he had set down beside the door. “We’ve little time so he sent me to deliver Raven’s gold for the arms and to ask if we might leave our more severely wounded men here. The Union has so many ships out looking for us we don’t dare risk staying past dawn and leading them here.”
“You said we’d take the wounded, didn’t you, Raven?”
The uncertainty in Eden’s voice broke Raven’s heart, for he could not even imagine how she could think he would refuse. “Of course, but I’ll not ask you to carry a stretcher. I think it would be best if you waited here while Michael and I go back to the ship and work everything out.”
“No, I want to go with you and talk to my father. If he’ll be here only a few hours, there’s no time to waste.”
Eden started for the door, but Raven reached out to catch her elbow. “Wait a minute. I’ll go and tell Azariah to hitch a team to the wagon and we’ll ride with him. Go on back to your ship, Lieutenant, and tell Dr. Endecott we’ll take as many wounded as he wants to give us. Let him know we’ll bring the wagon.”
“We didn’t know where else to turn,” Michael mumbled as he started out the door.
“You needn’t beg, Lieutenant. I’ve already said we’ll care for your wounded and I would have done it even if you hadn’t brought the gold.”
Seeing that he had unintentionally angered Raven, Michael nodded and hurried away.
“I don’t understand why my father didn’t come to see us himself. He can’t possibly have planned to drop off the gold and his wounded without at least saying hello.”
“You must remember a captain’s first responsibility is to his crew. It’s not surprising he hasn’t the time to pay social calls.”
Not understanding that her question about accepting the wounded had brought the caustic edge to Raven’s voice, Eden regarded him with an angry glare as he left the house to summon the wagon. If the crew of the Southern Knight had suffered so many casualties they could not be tended on board, she feared they must have come up against another warship. At least they had gotten away without being taken prisoner, but the mere thought of how narrow their escape must have been left her badly shaken. Fortunately, she did not have long to fret over that possibility before Raven and Azariah returned with the wagon.
Raven helped Eden down from the wagon as soon as they reached the docks, but when she did not see her father among the men standing on the deck of the Southern Knight, she continued to cling to his arms. “Just exactly what did Michael tell you?”
“Nothing you don’t know.” But Raven also thought it odd that Nathan was not there to meet them.
Instead, it was the ship’s surgeon, Clifton Endecott, who came down the gangplank to greet them. He was in his shirtsleeves and looked every bit as distressed as Michael Devane had. “I can’t tell you how grateful we are for your help, Lord Clairbourne. I’ve listed the men’s names, and the treatment they’ve received so far in this letter. Will you please give it to Dr. Ryan?”
Raven recalled the lengthy conversation between Julian and the Confederate physician when they had dined in his home and hoped Clifton’s assumption that Julian would care for the Southern Knight’s wounded was correct. “I’ll see that he gets it. How many men do you need to leave with us?” he asked as he slipped the letter into his pocket.
Clifton massaged his forehead as though the number had slipped his mind. “Did Michael tell you what happened?” When Eden and Raven shook their heads, the doctor did his best to relate the news. “We docked in Havana earlier this week to take on coal. Before it could be loaded, we were attacked by a Union ship.”
“In a neutral harbor?” Raven asked incredulously. “Yes. They didn’t even make a pretense of allowing us to leave first. It was clear they wanted to take the ship undamaged because they did no more than rake the deck with rifle fire in an attempt to kill the crew.”
Raven was stunned by Clifton’s tale. Wars were fought with rules to which all civilized countries agreed. Both Union and Confederate ships purchased supplies in neutral ports, where they were supposed to be equally safe from attack. That the Union had violated so basic a rule disgusted Raven as thoroughly as it did his wife.
“Now do you see what unprincipled bullies the Yankees are?” Eden questioned harshly. “They will go to any lengths to beat us into submission. Can you understand why we’re fighting them now?”
Raven had no interest in reopening that debate and merely nodded. “How did you manage to get away?”
Clifton shrugged. “The Union captain made the mistake of thinking we’d surrender without firing a shot. Our cannons were not only loaded but fired before the fool realized his mistake and at that range we couldn’t miss. Then there was such confusion we were able to steam out of the port before they could respond. We took a great many casualties, though.”
“I don’t care how many there are. We’ll find a way to care for them,” Eden promised.
Clifton’s lips trembled slightly as he tried to smile. “We all hate to impose on your kindness. I’ll not leave any of the men who can walk, but there are seven whose injuries are too severe for me to tend them properly. If you could just take them for a few weeks, I’m sure they will all be more than willing to work to pay for their keep just as soon as they are able.”
“I’ve never asked a guest in my home to earn his keep, Dr. Endecott, and I’ll not begin now,” Raven assured him.
“I didn’t mean to insult you, my lord, but you are a British citizen, and as such are under no obligation to assist us.”
“Rendering medical attention to wounded will not violate Great Britain’s neutrality, nor will supplying coal. If you were unable to load any in Havana, I think I have all
