“Nothing,” Kenna said quickly, too quickly to reassure any of the others. “A masque sounds wonderful. I know exactly the sort of costume I want to wear. I’ve had it in my mind for ages but the occasion never presented itself.” She laughed, hoping it did not sound as stilted to them as it did to her own ears. “Or rather, I could not present myself at the occasion.”
There was an awkward little silence following Kenna’s speech and she looked down at Rhys’s hand, squeezing hers with gentle strength. She knew what he was going to say before he said it. “Kenna’s father was murdered during a masqued ball,” he said quietly. “It was nearly a decade ago, but the memory is still painful. I hope you’ll understand why we regretfully decline your invitation.”
“Of course I understand,” said Alexis, her voice soft with sympathy for Kenna’s loss and pain. “But my plans are not set in stone. I can easily send word around that I’ve changed my mind and costumes will not be necessary.”
Kenna was more than a little touched that Alexis would change her plans simply to accommodate her, “Nonsense,” she said firmly. “Rhys and I will be there and we’ll feel terribly embarrassed if we’re the only ones in costume.” She turned to Rhys. “Really, it’s all right. I want to go.”
Rhys was skeptical but he did not show it. He looked at Alexis. “It appears we will accept the invitation—in costume—so don’t make any changes. I admit I fancy seeing my wife as Queen of the Nile.”
“Cleopatra!” exclaimed Alexis.
“You’ll be stunning,” Tanner said. “No shawls this time, Rhys.”
Kenna giggled as Rhys shifted uncomfortably. “May I ask what you’ll wear, Alex?”
“It only seems fair that I tell you, now that Rhys has given away your surprise. I’ve been giving some thought to a pirate’s garb.”
Kenna’s brows rose nearly to her hairline. “A pirate? Surely there are no women pirates.”
Rhys choked back his laughter. “And what of highwaymen?” he asked his wife.
Alexis did not understand the byplay between Rhys and Kenna but she saw that it had effectively banished the sad look from Kenna’s large eyes. “I know nothing of highwaymen,” she told Kenna, “but have you never heard of Anne Bonney? She sailed with Ned Teach.”
“More familiarly known as Blackbeard,” Tanner put it. “But, if I am not mistaken, I think Alex wishes to dress as another pirate of more recent fame. Am I right, Captain Danty?”
“You know you are,” she said with pleasure.
Rhys was thoughtful, rolling the name on his tongue to place it. “Danty. Isn’t he the fellow who was sinking British frigates even before war was declared?”
“The same,” said Tanner.
“I remember now,” Kenna said, snapping her fingers. “The London papers were full of his exploits. Most of it happened while you were in Portugal, Rhys. Danty’s dealing with the British Navy did not set well with the Admiralty. As I recall he boarded ships and took off sailors who claimed they were impressed into service.”
“It was no idle claim they made,” Alexis said. “Theywereimpressed.”
“TheLondon Gazettewould beg to differ the point. Pirate was one of the kinder names they used for Danty. No one understood his motives. I think that is what troubled the Admiralty most. After taking the impressed men with him he allowed the other sailors to set out for shore before he sank the ships. No one was quite certain of his purpose. From the accounts of the surviving men it appeared Danty was seeking a particular man. Is that what you heard?”
Tanner answered her question. “Yes, Danty was pursuing one man. A British commander. A murderer.”
“I never knew that. I never even knew if Danty was an American. No one was certain. Shortly after the war began there was no more news. I thought he was killed, but perhaps he finally found his man.” Kenna’s expression was thoughtful as she recalled something else. “I seem to remember speculation that Danty was horribly disfigured. The papers said he always wore a mask. Is that why you chose him, Alex, because of the mask?”
“Yes,” she said. “Because of the mask.”
As Rhys had listened to Kenna speak his features became progressively clouded. Now the shutter over his thoughts lifted and his focus shifted from Kenna to Alexis. “But the mask never hid any disfigurement, did it, Alexis?” he asked, studying her through narrowed eyes.
Alexis shrugged, unmoved by the steady gaze. “How would I know?”
“Yes, Rhys,” Kenna said. “How would Alexis know?”
Rhys leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest, and smiling for all the world like a cat who found the cream. “I may not be as good with figures as you, Kenna, but even I can add two and two and arrive at the appropriate sum. Do you recall Captain Danty’s Christian name?”
“Why, I think it was Alex.”
“Not a diminutive of Alexander though, I’ll wager. Would I win my bet, Mrs. Cloud?”
A half-smile touched Alexis’s lips. “I believe you would, Mr. Canning.”
Kenna’s eyes went perfectly round with shock. “Youare Alex Danty?”
