Alexis’s mouth went slack for a moment and then drew in sharply for air. Redland stepped forward, thinking she was going to faint. “Then you didn’t plan this with him?” she asked softly as everything was becoming clear to her.
“No, Captain. He was the last person we would have approached. “Jordan brushed back his hair in a nervous movement. “Didn’t he tell you we were here? Didn’t you come with him willingly?”
Cloud’s words to her made sense now. She stood very still, hands at her sides, her mouth drawn in a tight line of pain. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she said quietly to Jordan, “There are some explanations we need to exchange. Come to my cabin in ten minutes.” She turned to Peach. “Take my trunk down.” To the others she said, “Continue present course until I find out what’s been going on. I am too surprised at seeing all of you to be angry.” She smiled. She turned sharply and went to her cabin, and the men congratulated themselves on their insubordination with low laughter.
Alone in her cabin Alexis changed clothes quickly. Her thoughts whirled and she struggled to put them in order. She had expected to end up anywhere but aboard her own ship. When she recognized her crew she allowed herself to hope that Cloud had decided not only to free her but to come with her as well. Why had he elected to stay behind? What chance did he have? He was going to be accused of treason for releasing her.
She was saved from dwelling on the final outcome by Jordan’s insistent knock.
“Come in. Have a seat, Mr. Jordan.”
Jordan settled his muscular bulk into the chair at Alexis’s desk. His fingers tapped lightly on the arms of the chair, the only sign of the tension knotting his insides. Alexis sat on the edge of the desk, one leg bent, an ankle resting on the knee of the other.
“What was your plan this morning when you entered the harbor?” asked Alexis.
“We were going to ask some questions and find out where they were keeping you. After that…” He paused. “After that we were going to get you out.”
“Did you ask questions?” Her voice was low and strained.
“No. Captain Cloud contacted us first. He must have seen us coming in.”
“The notes. Do you have them?”
Jordan nodded and reached into his pocket. He handed her the first slip. “You can see he didn’t give us any indication you weren’t coming willingly,” he said while she read.
Do not look for the prize you are seeking. Make no inquiries. It will be delivered this afternoon. Arrangements have already been made. Your visit was a welcome surprise.
“Yes, I see. So you assumed I planned this with him and you being here just made it easier for us.”
“Well, yes. I thought at first it might be some kind of trick but I decided to wait and see if he delivered.”
“The other note. I want to see it also.” She slipped the first note into the pages of her log and read the paper he gave her. Then she placed it with the other and stared at her folded hands for a long time before she spoke. “I am going back, Mr. Jordan.” Her voice was quiet, controlled, but Jordan saw the effort it took to say those words so evenly. “I do not know if you are fully aware of what Captain Cloud has done—”
“I’m beginning to see,” Jordan said slowly. “You didn’t know anything about this, did you? You were not expecting us.”
“I was expecting you to follow orders!” she snapped. She slid off the edge of her desk and walked the length of the cabin to the porthole. She sat down on the bench and remained silent until she knew she could speak without becoming angry. “Kurt,” she said finally “It is good to—”
He interrupted her: “I know that, Captain.” He let her see, with his wide smile, that he was also glad to see her and that her anger did not bother him. “Now tell me what happened that I don’t know.”
“The charges against me were more than I was led to believe when Captain Cloud first spoke to me. There are also charges of piracy because of my association with Lafitte. Of course, all the charges were false. It was their attempt to get me to bring them Lafitte. Captain Cloud tried to persuade them to forget Lafitte, to allow me to go after Travers and help them later. He was not successful and neither was I. I was informed the charges would be made and that I would go to prison. I was placed under guard that evening. Apparently that was too much for the captain.” She smiled grimly, remembering it had almost been too much for her.
“I was held at Mr. Davidson’s home until I could be taken to jail. That’s where you would have found me this morning. There would have been no possible way for you to get me out without killing someone. Captain Cloud, however, was permitted to see me. Apparently they trusted him enough to allow him to bring my clothes, maybe they thought he was their last chance to convince me. I don’t know.” Her voice was quiet as she finished her recital. She fingered the silver chain at her throat. “There was something different in his manner when I talked to him but I did not have any idea he was going to release me. I never would have permitted it. It is too dangerous for him. He must have known. He did not give me an opportunity to talk him out of it. His fist made reasoning impossible.” She glanced out the porthole to avoid meeting the first mate’s eyes. She concentrated on the horizon, her face devoid of any emotion.
Jordan said nothing for several minutes. The gentle drumming of his fingers was the only sound in the room. Abruptly, his movements ceased and he spoke with calm assurance.
“Captain Cloud is waiting to be charged with your escape.”
“Yes. I believe so.”
“Why? He would have been welcome to come with us.”
“I think he wants to convince them they were wrong to hold me that way. He wants to give me time to find Travers.”
Jordan shook his head slowly. “He doesn’t have a chance. You were an important part of their plans. They’ll consider his actions treasonous.”
“I know it.”
“And his actions kept us from doing the same thing. Even the notes he sent us are perfect. We can always say we never knew what was in the trunk. There is no mention of you. Only prizes and explosives and damaged cargo.” He laughed suddenly, chillingly. “We thought he meant you were going to explode because we had come after you. He really meant you were going to be furious because he wasn’t aboard.”
