“Vivian was helping you?” Captain Jamieson asked.
“Well, she figured out what I was up to, and then I couldn’t say no when she had the idea on how to get the list back…” Jack shrugged his shoulders.
“Yep, that sounds like Vivi all right.”
“If Moreau figured out Vivian’s connection to the Captain, he could have traded the information to Dubois in lieu of the missing list,” Jack said. “Gabrielle, can you send someone for Vivian’s trunk? Have them bring it in here.”
When the two footmen brought in Vivian’s trunk, Jack gestured to Jamieson “Where’s this map?”
Jamieson walked over to the trunk. Lifting the lid, his finger felt along the lining, and there was a soft snick, then a false section of the lid opened up, and from inside Jamieson lifted out a small gun, a necklace with a ruby-encrusted locket, a packet of letters tied with a ribbon, and a sketchbook. Jamieson turned the book upside down and shook the pages. “This is it.” He said, holding up a piece of paper.
Jack picked up the small gun. “Is this Vivian’s?”
“It was her mother’s. She often travels with it, just in case.” Jamieson replied.
Jack picked up the packet of letters. They were all from him, the ones he wrote her this past year. He ran a finger down the ribbon. She had saved them all. A trickle of panic ran down his spine. What if she was harmed before he could find her? He picked up the letters, gun, and locket, and carefully put them back into the compartment, closing the lid.
“I must go tell Lady Grace and Lady Evelyn what is going on,” Gabrielle said. “You’ll still be here when I get back, Captain?”
“Don’t you worry, I will be here.” Jamieson squeezed her hand.
“I can’t believe all this. Kidnapping, treasure, and my brother is a spy. Lord, I need a drink.” Andrew exclaimed, heading across the room to the sideboard that held the spirits.
“I’ll go outside and collect my men and fill them in on what’s happening,” Winters said. “Don’t worry, Jack. We will get her back.”
Jack sat down on the sofa, his head in his hands. Since he found out Vivian had gone missing, he had not allowed himself to think too hard about what could be happening to her right now. Was she hurt? Scared? She was a fighter, for sure, but she was also a small woman against two large thugs. He had led the bastards right to her. Jamieson sat down next to him, handed him a glass of brandy. Jack accepted the glass, staring down into its golden contents.
“We are to be married, Vivian and I. I wanted to ask you first, but we didn’t know where you were. Vivi was so disappointed you weren’t going to be able to walk her down the aisle.” Jack looked up at the captain’s calm and smiling face. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“That’s because I’m not. Why do you think I asked you to bring her to England? I was hoping you two would figure out you were a perfect match. Ah, boy, I couldn’t be happier with the news.”
“But what about all that talk about her settling down with a nice English gentleman? And not an old pirate like yourself.”
“Pshaw, Jack, you are a nice English gentleman, and you ain’t no pirate, boy. Trust me; it takes one to know one. My girl has the sea in her blood. She could never live landlocked forever. Take her with you on your business ventures. She’ll make an excellent companion on long voyages.” He slapped Jack on the back. “Now, let’s go get our girl back.”
The door opened, and a tall, broad-shouldered man with a mane of blond hair filled the doorway. “Aston, you devil, it’s good to see you again.”
“Morgan, it’s good to find you still alive. I wasn’t sure I would after Cairo.” Jack got up to shake his hand.
“So fill me in—Winters says you need my help.”
Jack briefly outlined what had happened. “I think we should try to track them down before they get to Portsmouth. It’s too far to go in one day. They will be slower in a carriage. And they will have to stop somewhere along the way to change horses. Maybe if we are lucky, they will stop for the night.”
“Track down a traitor and save a damsel in distress.” Morgan clapped his hands together and wiggled his eyebrows. “This is my favorite kind of job.”
“Mydamsel in distress, Morgan-mine.” Jack gave him a hard look. Cage Morgan was a notorious ladies’ man.
Morgan held his hands up. “Of course. Let’s go get your lady.”
Caroline and his mother hurried into the room. “What’s happened to Vivian? Gabrielle says she is missing?”
Jack sighed and began to tell the whole tale again. Andrew came up behind him. “I will handle things here. Go get your girl. You are wasting daylight.”
Jack gave him a swift hug. “Thank you.” He turned to Jamieson. “Let’s go.”
He, Jamieson, and Morgan strode out of the room. In the hallway, Gabrielle came running up.
“Captain!”
