“Whatever his reasons, he will reap the rewards.”
“What does that mean? I don’t understand.”
“You will soon,” he answered quietly. “You will soon enough.” He had less doubt than ever that she would not betray the man who allowed her business to prosper and who gave her liberty when it was denied by himself and the country whose basis for existence was that very word.
“You never answered my question,” Alexis said suddenly.
“Which one?”
“The only one I can hope to get an answer to it seems. About living in Boston.”
He grinned. “I would live there. I would give up this house without a moment’s hesitation.”
“Then why do you have it? You don’t spend much time here.”
“I keep it because I want a place I can come to and know it is my own. It is infinitely more satisfying than staying in hotels or boardinghouses, waiting for a new assignment. Even the most seasoned veteran of the sea longs for a place where the floor doesn’t constantly move under his feet. What about you? Don’t you feel that way?”
Alexis lowered her eyes, remembering the home she had on the island, the rainbow colors, the freshness. Without Francine and George it meant nothing to her.
Cloud was on his feet immediately. He drew her from the chair and gently forced her chin upward. “Alex, I’m sorry,” he started, feeling words were inadequate to erase the torment in her eyes. “I hoped you’d never see your home again. At least never alone.”
“I wanted to see it,” she replied, removing his hand from her face.
“You shouldn’t have.”
“But I had to. I could never live in that house again. But I did have to see it and seal my pact with the man who was responsible for the loss of my family.”
He wanted to hold her close and allow her to cry in his arms as he imagined she must have cried when she saw the empty house. She seemed fragile suddenly, not at all like the infamous pirate the rumors made her out to be. Her lips were trembling and her body responded with a small shudder. Her eyes alone told him this was not the time to pull her slender figure against him. They were shining with the same light he had witnessed as she stood on the hill and made her oaths. These amber eyes spoke of her strength and not of her weakness. She needed nothing from him she could not find within herself, and that knowledge made him desire her all the more.
“It’s late,” he said, when there was nothing in the way of a reply he could offer. “Have you chosen a room?”
“Yes. If you’ll excuse me, I will go up now.” She permitted Cloud to hold her arm and lead her to the stairs. She called good night to the other men and they answered her in turn. She was almost to the top of the stairs when she heard Cloud’s rich voice bid her good night. She smiled, not looking back, and continued to her room.
Chapter 12
Breakfast the following morning was a raucous affair. Cloud, Alexis, Landis, and Harry enjoyed themselves at the expense of the men who had imbibed too heavily the day before. Alexis could not help laughing at their stifled groans as pots and pans clattered about the kitchen.
Because she had given her word she would meet with the President before attempting another escape, most of the men were relieved of their duty at the house. They were told what to do Thursday evening, but Alexis knew none of it. Cloud avoided answering her questions about when she would meet the President, purposely withholding the information in order to make escape more difficult for her.
The evening meal passed quietly, with most of the men gone. Only Landis, Harry, and Mike remained. Alexis took over Forrest’s position in his absence, eager for the opportunity to do something. During dinner as well as afterward she paid little attention to the discussions at hand. She continued to search for ways to leave Washington, a task made extremely difficult by Cloud’s refusal to let her out, even under escort. She thought often of her crew and of whether they would really obey her orders to stay away. She relied on their good sense to prevail and decided her only chance lay in getting on board some other ship near Washington. It all came down to finding a way to get to the harbor again.
When she glanced up she caught Cloud looking at her, smiling as if he knew what she had been thinking. “There must be a way,” she answered his smile.
Cloud laughed, ignoring the puzzled stares of the others who had not realized Alexis’s silence meant she was plotting some new plan.
His laugh was comment enough for her. It was a sign of his encouragement to keep trying. When she lay in bed that night, hugging his shirt close to her body, she was still tossing alternatives in her head.
On Wednesday evening Cloud and Alexis sat alone in the study. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor at his feet, a book resting in the crook of her legs. She held her head in her hands, elbows propped on her knees, oblivious to his presence in the room as she read. He thought perhaps she was oblivious to the room. It was only a temporary escape, he realized, for when she shut the book she would find herself in the same predicament as before.
“Amusing?” Cloud asked in response to her laughter.
“Infinitely.Romeo and Juliet,“she said, shutting the book of plays and confronting the reality before her.
“Strange. I read that. I don’t remember it being at all amusing.”
“That’s because you weren’t thinking how nice it would be to have a potion that would permit you to appear dead. It occurred to me how it would help me get away and solve all my problems.”
“I will have to keep you away from books if those are the ideas you’re getting.” Cloud gently ran his fingers through the curls that lay across her back. He pulled his hand away when he felt her shiver. “There’s something you have to know, Alex,” he stated emotionlessly, as if he were about to tell her tomorrow’s tide table. When she turned to face him he went on. “You are going to meet Mr. Madison tomorrow evening.”
