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She hadn’t told him that she’d spoken with her aunt. Hadn’t said she didn’t know how she felt about Papa keeping them out of her life even long after Mama’s passing. She didn’t tell him she planned to take part of the crew from theJoy Chaserto man her schooner and set sail to where she suspected Papa went that she might confront him about all ofthis.
She could wait. Maybe she should wait. But for how long? Even Mr. Smithe had expected Papa back by now and he couldn’t give Mia a date to expect him and he wouldn’t say where he’d gone. Mia only suspected he was chasing yet another of those pirate crews, perhaps along the Persian Coast as that is where everyone in the navy was saying attacks were happening most frequently. It hardly mattered. Mia only needed to find theDeep Heartand ask that captain where Papa was. It wasn’t likely the captain was told not to tell and theMollyand theDeep Heartwere sister ships. They always knew each other’s course. Better still, they each always knew where every other ship in the fleet was supposed to be. Papa leaving theMollyin Portsmouth meant nothing. He’d sailed out on theCurrent Urchinand that would be the ship Mia askedfor.
She’d find that ship and Papa because she needed to know if those she included in her family would include her aunts at least. Though it could perhaps includegrandparents.
Mary was honestly aghast that her sister lived on thinking their father tried to kill her. She’d no explanation at all for why Molly was set off the ship in the middle of the ocean. She’d sworn they all only thought Molly dead because they received word Molly was lost at sea, swept overboard. She left Mia set to learn if her father had anything at all to do with what happened and she went out raging. She didn’t care if the man was on his deathbed. If it turned out he’d tried to have her sister murdered, she would smother himherself.
Mia needed to know before she had this baby if this baby would have only them or if their child would have more. Devin was trying to rebuild something of his relationship with his own family, but their grief over the loss of all the children was raw and Devin wasn’t pushing to moveforward.
The bang of a walk plank hitting the dock made her jump. Damn could the assist boats not assist a little faster? At least if she got aboard theJoyshe’d be able to hide from Devin. She stepped back out of the way so the dock workers could assist the people off the smaller ship. A scuffle broke out on deck and Mia watched until she saw one man emerge from the group and run down the plank. When he turned to say something to the people remaining on deck, Mia’s heart stopped. She knew that man. And she knew, too, that he should bedead.
Pulling further back into the shadows and staying as hidden as she could behind the freight, Mia watched Captain Jones. He caught a duffle tossed to him from the deck, set it down, adjusted his clothes, plain sailor’s attire now, picked up the duffle, slung it over his shoulder and made his way casually down the docks towards thestreet.
The man should be dead. He should have hanged in Port Royal even before she set sail for England. But there he was, alive and looking rather pleased with himself. Mia resisted the urge to call out and alert the people on the docks of the pirate among them. Rather she hauled in her sheets and worked around the crowds and crates. She drifted easily up behind him, but stayed out of sight, so when he did look around he’d not seeher.
Mia followed him to the street then down past the shops and inns. Typical of any sailor, he entered the first tavern he came to that didn’t overflow with navy. Mia crossed the street and pushed back into the doorway of a shop not open towait.
It was near dark when Jones finally emerged. His stumble proved the drink was to his liking and that he’d binged. This was to Mia’s advantage as she again followed the now drunk man further down the street. She knew she needed to stay back enough he didn’t see her, even drunk he might recognize her. And given she was the reason he should have been rotting at the end of a rope, he might not take well to finding her coming hard astern. But as it grew darker and the fog off the ocean rolled in, she didn’t want to risk losing him. She’d find where he was bunking and then she’d find a way to take him. This time, when she got the chance, she’d not give him up until she knew who he worked for and she could watch the life drain from him at herhand.
She hung back when he turned south down a small side street and from her place at the corner she saw him go inside one of the terrace houses. She kept her eye on that doorway for his exit and to keep her bearing straight because each home was an exact image of the one beside it and she’d not yet seen the number on the door to distinguish it from all the others. Staying in the shadows and across the street she stopped and searched the windows on the lower floors. Then on the second level. That was where she saw him. Laughing and trying to pull the woman also in the room against him. Mia’s eyes flashed quickly to the door and the number. Numbereight.
It was a good bet Jones would spend some time here if this was a brothel or boarding house. Either one would give Mia some time to get back to the docks, rally the crew of theJoy Chaserand get back here to grab Jones before he could slip away. Then it would be nothing more than taking him back to the ship and casting off. Once at sea, out of English waters, Mia would be free to force the man to tell her what she wanted to know. One more look at the window, and she watched Jones tumble backwards and the woman fall on top of him. She had tohurry.
Turning, she took one step before a hand went over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist. She struggled as she was pulled back into the darkness between two other houses. Hearing a grunt and a quiet curse she knew she’d landed at least one good blow, but she couldn’t find a way to use those fighting skills Mr. Hong taught her. And before she could calm down enough to try and think what to do she lost herreason.
“Mrs. Winthrop,” the voice in her ear was familiar. “Stop fighting, before you get both of uscaptured.”
The hand came away from her mouth the instant she went still. “Mr. Asher?” Mia hissed as she tried to pullfree.
“Aye,” Asher said and as Mia turned to face him all she could make out was his shape. “What are you doing down here? Has the captain lost his mind letting you run about this part of town at night… by yourself?” hescolded.
“No, yes, no… I mean,” Mia stammered not sure how to answer the question. No the captain hadn’t lost his mind. She didn’t want a man of his crew to become disrespecting of her husband. But she also didn’t want to announce she was committing mutiny at the moment by being here. “I spotted Jones in portand—”
“Jones? You mean Fayerday?” Asher questioned, stepping sideways enough Mia got a look at him in the light of the gas lamps along the streets. He stopped at the edge of the house and looked up towards the window where it was obvious Jones was still occupied. “He came through port. I thought he might,” Asher said though it seemed he spoke more to himself. “Knew he’d come here, like a good dog he does astold.”
Mia took in as much as she could to help make it easier for her to believe this man was in deed Mr. Asher. He was wholly unkempt, dressed in common seafaring clothes and smelled a bit like rum and cheap perfume. Still there was no doubt this was indeed the ever so proper, if just a bit teasing, Mr. Asher from the royal navy vessel theIron Rose. Mia watched him look up and down the street and then push back into the darkness to stand in front ofher.
“You can’t be here, Mia. The commodore will have a fit. And the captain will keel haulyou.”
“Mr. Asher,” Mia started, only to be hushed. How did Asher knowPapa?
“Go back to port Mrs. Winthrop, better still, go home. It’s not safe for youhere.”
“I’m not leaving until I get Jones,” Mia hissed at him. “Clearly when navy gets a pirate they don’t know what to do withhim.”
“Go home, Mia,” Ashercommanded.
“I’ll not be ordered about by you, and furthermo—” Asher’s hand clamped down on her mouth again and Mia shifted her eyes to look in the direction of the house they both watched. Three carriages pulled up and only after every man in two of them were out and posted like sentries did the occupant of the last one step out. The carriages pulled a little farther down the street and in the full light of the lamps Mia saw who’d arrived. Her gasp, though smothered by Asher’s hand, appeared to be heard and Mia froze waiting for those who looked around now to go back to standing still andwaiting.
Asher eased them farther back between the houses and then lifted his hand from her mouth. He leaned forward and spoke in her ear. “You know thatman?”
Mia leaned to whisper in his ear. “That’s Commodore Michelinne.” Mia leaned away and watched the man, the only other besides Papa, who lost not one ship in the attack on Hermosa Alma. He also had not lost any offices or dock crews. He had a presence there, but no one was there that night. Papa’s ships only missed being there because they stopped to render aid to a private vessel on their way in. But Papa’s dock crews and offices as well as his wife and son were lost in the unprovokedattack.
Michelinne operated mostly out of the south of France and had no port of call in England that Mia knew of. So why was he here and why, she wanted to know, as her eyes drifted upward to that same window, was he interrupting CaptainJones?
“Mia, we need to get you out of here,” Asher said and worked his way back between the houses as far as he could go before returning. “Come back this way,” he said taking her hand and trying to pull heralong.
“No,” she said jerking her hand free as she tried to keep her eyes on the people passing back and forth before that second story window. It was more than clear the men were familiar with each other and something was amiss between them, but Mia couldn’t tell what. All she could tell was Jones, a known pirate, was consorting with Michelinne, a powerful force in the French shipping industry. Common sense drew her to only one conclusion. Michelinne was directing the pirate activity and it was he who called for the attack on HermosaAlma.
