Soon they were safely settled in the carriage.Jonathan stretched out on the lush velvet seats, his head resting in Elizabeth’s lap.Adam eased into the seat across from them so he wouldn’t jar Jonathan.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t ask sooner, but with Jonathan and all,” Elizabeth rambled and finally got to her question.“How is Jewel?Did you rescue her?Is she all right?”
“You have been around Jewel too long,” Adam teased.“She has a bad habit of asking several questions at a time.”
“Don’t criticize.Just answer me,” Elizabeth’s voice rose slightly with irritation.“Did you rescue Jewel?”
“Rescue Jewel?”Jonathan managed to ask, his voice slurred by pain.“From what?”
“Answer me!”Elizabeth shrieked as fear and anger knotted inside her.“Tell me she’s not dead!”She reached over and grabbed Adam’s knee.
“Jewel’s dead?Can’t be,” Jonathan mumbled.He attempted to sit up, but finally gave up the effort.“I’m so sorry, Adam.I loved her, too.”
Adam chuckled.
Elizabeth noticed the twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her and then Jonathan.
“Perhaps if the two of you would be quiet, I could answer your questions.”Adam paused.“Jewel is not dead.You asked if I rescued her,” he said to Elizabeth before addressing Jonathan.“And I seem to recall how you kept an eye on my wife for me.”
Elizabeth glared at her brother.“You know bloody well what I meant, Adam!Don’t frighten me like that.Is she safe?”
“Is Jewel safe?”Jonathan asked, too.
“You’re both beginning to sound like parrots,” Adam said, then folded his arms across his chest as he tried to relax.“Perhaps I should start at the beginning.”
“Please be so kind,” Jonathan quipped from his reclined position.“It might be refreshing instead of frightening the wits out of us.”
“Adam!”Elizabeth insisted, her tone warning.
“Jewel is as well as can be expected,” Adam said patiently.There was a cold edge of irony in his voice.“After the fighting ended, I made sure you got to the hospital.”He smiled at Jonathan.“I probably should have waited to make sure they didn’t place you in the corner, which they apparently did.Anyway, I hurried home to see my wife.When I arrived at Four Oaks, all I found was a note telling me goodbye.”Adam rubbed the back of his neck and Elizabeth could tell how upset he was.“I thought I’d lost her forever,” he said.
“And?”Elizabeth prodded.
“It seemed ourfriend, Captain Lee,” Adam snarled as he continued, “had kidnapped Elizabeth.”
“Hewhat!’’Jonathan shouted, and this time he did come to a sitting position though he winced in the process at the pain that shot through him.
“Calm down,” Elizabeth said as she patted his hand and braced her body next to his so he wouldn’t fall over.She knew Jonathan couldn’t handle the whole story.
“I hope you shot that bloody bastard.We should have done so in England.When he threatened to take Jewel.I remember how he claimed to be her uncle, but all that bloody bastard wanted was the treasure map that Jewel possessed.”Jonathan took a deep breath, and looked at Elizabeth.“Sorry, love.”
“I would love to have killed Lee, but I’m afraid I was too late, which I’ll explain in a moment,” Adam said.
The carriage hit a rock and Jonathan moaned.“I hope there are not many of those bumps,” Adam said, before continuing.“Anyway, Captain Lee wanted Jewel all along.Elizabeth was merely bait.He exchanged Elizabeth for Jewel.”
Jonathan looked at Elizabeth with concern deep in his eyes.“He didn’t hurt you, love?Did he?”he asked, taking her hand in his.
Elizabeth felt her face grow cold as the blood rapidly drained, leaving her chilled.She couldn’t tell Jonathan what had happened.It had been hard enough telling Adam.
Maybe later, when Jonathan was well.Then she could explain everything, and hope he’d understand.With a great deal of effort, she calmly said, “No.”
Adam quickly cut in and Elizabeth knew it was to save her from answering any more questions.“I had to find Lafitte to see where Lee had taken Jewel.All I knew is that they had sailed in search of the treasure that only Jewel and Jean knew about.What I didn’t take into account was the raging fever I had developed from this bloody wound.”He motioned to his arm.“I was so dazed by the fever when I arrived at Grand Terre that Pierre put me out of my misery with a good right fist to the jaw.”Adam rubbed the bruise on his jaw.
Elizabeth looked at him with sympathy, but her concerns turned back to her sister-in-law.“What about Jewel?”
“Jean and his crew arrived at the Bay of Pirates, but not soon enough to save Jewel from being shot.”
“Shot!”Elizabeth frowned.“How badly?”
