She didn’t remember leaving the prison, nor the carriage ride back to Briercliff.The only thing she realized was that she’d made a mess of her life, and if she was only given one more chance, she would do everything in her power to make things right.
She glanced out the carriage window, but the scenery was nothing but a blur through her tears.What if Adam didn’t arrive in time?He’d know what to do, but she couldn’t count on his arrival.How could she keep Jonathan from being found guilty?
Elizabeth prayed that God would send them a miracle.At this moment, that seemed to be the only way to keep Jonathan from the gallows.
If that happened, she didn’t know how she would bear life.
Three weeks later,Elizabeth received her miracle.
Elizabeth, Annie, and Tiffany were sitting in the sunroom when Derek came marching through the door.
“Derek!”Elizabeth and Annie shrieked at the same time.
Annie came to her feet and went over to hug her husband.
“You haven’t had time to get Adam?What happened?”Elizabeth asked.
Derek turned to Elizabeth, one arm still around his wife.“We had to turn around and come back.”
“Why?”Tiffany asked before Elizabeth could.
“I’m a bit embarrassed.”Derek looked down, the tips of his ears red.“Somehow, I let a bunch of pirates slip up on us.They fired and crippled one of the masts.”
Elizabeth gasped.“Was anyone hurt?”
“Luckily, no.”Derek folded his arms across his chest “You see, this wasn’t any scourge of the sea that attacked us.Unfortunately for me, the pirates didn’t notice whom they were attacking until it was too late.”
“I prefer to be called a privateer,” Jean Lafitte corrected as he strode into the room.
Elizabeth stared at Jean in disbelief.His white shirt, black breeches, and gleaming Hessian boots were immaculate, as usual.And he was here ...at Briercliff.Why?How?
“What’s this?”Jean Lafitte said, holding his arms wide.“Adam’s sister doesn’t give me a hug after I’ve traveled so far?He let his arms fall to his side.“I’m truly insulted.”
Elizabeth smiled and stepped into Jean’s arms.“What are you doing here?”
“I was on my way to see my protégé, Jonathan, when I came across Derek’s ship.Unfortunately, my men had grown bored without a ship to plunder.When they saw the Morning Star, they got excited and fired before I recognized Adam’s ship.Merely a small mistake, you see.”
“Mistake?”Derek’s tongue was heavy with sarcasm.“It was a damn good thing you had a bad aim, or we’d be at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Eh.”Jean smiled benignly as if dealing with a temperamental child.“He was one of my newer men and needs a bit more training.No one was hurt.”He chuckled, then continued, “After the slight mishap, Derek tells me that Jonathan is in prison for treason.Is this true?”
Elizabeth nodded and sat down.She glanced at Tiffany, who was still watching Jean with terrified eyes.Tiffany had probably never seen anyone like Jean.Not only was he devilishly good-looking, but his very presence was somehow overwhelming.
“Mon Dieu, this will not do,” Jean swore.“I’ll not have my friend in some filthy prison.”
Giles entered the room.“I have another message for you, Lady Elizabeth.”
“Thank you.”She took the note and read it quickly.Her blood ran cold as she read.“Jonathan’s trial is tomorrow.It’s much earlier than we expected.”Elizabeth fell back weakly against her chair.
“Then I will go with you to this trial,” Jean insisted.“I will not let Jonathan hang for nothing but an unknown man’s lies!”
Elizabeth frowned.Could she handle a wild pirate in a prim and proper English courtroom?“How will you do this, Jean?”
“That depends on the trial.If the court is stupid enough to convict my friend, then we shall simply take matters into our own hands.”
“How?”Tiffany couldn’t seem to say anything more than one word at a time.
Jean turned to the unknown voice.“Who are you?”
