“Nothing,” said Alexis.
“No,” Tanner replied. “I found Deveraux to be the sort of man who keeps his own counsel.”
“Yes, I remember him that way also,” Rhys said. “Damn! I wish I had spoken of this with him Saturday night. How many hours is he out of Boston now?”
Alexis looked at the mantel clock, an excitement growing in her. “Ten. At approximately eight knots that would put his ship some eighty nautical miles from here. A little over ninety land miles,” she translated for the Lescauts. “With a strong wind in the sails I would say he is already more than a hundred miles from Boston.”
“Can the ship be caught?”
Alexis glanced at Tanner. He was with her. She could see in his dark emerald eyes that he had already accepted the challenge. “It can,” they said simultaneously.
Rhys’s heart lightened and for the first time since he entered the room he truly felt some hope. If he could speak with Deveraux, even if the man could tell him nothing, at least he would have the satisfaction of knowing he had done everything in his power to find the truth for Kenna. “I’ll speak with one of my captains immediately.” He stood, anxious to be on his way.
Tanner stepped in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder, pushing Rhys gently back into his seat. He was glad his friend did not require more persuasion than that. Not only would have he regretted using force, he wasn’t at all certain he would win. “I think you’ve misunderstood, Rhys. When Alex and I said Deveraux’s ship could be caught we did not mean to imply that any ship in your fleet was up to the task. Not only that, but there is the matter of theHarmony’s course. There are several general routes the ship might take. Plotting the wrong one would make your pursuit as hopeless as catching a shooting star.”
“Then there is no way,” said Rhys. He wanted to hit something. Instead he squeezed the tumbler in his hands until his knuckles whitened.
Alexis eyed the tumbler. “Tanner is not saying that, Rhys. When we saw Michael off this morning I spoke with theHarmony’s captain. Just small talk while the Lescauts were escorting Michael to his cabin. Rhys, I know what route theHarmonyis taking.”
Rhys laughed and though his tone was rough there was genuine enjoyment in the sound. He dropped the tumbler, took Alexis by the shoulders and kissed her cheek. “I should have known your small talk was like no other woman’s.”
“But, I will not tell you,” she finished, immediately dampening Rhys’s enthusiasm.
“What?” He could not believe what she was saying.
“I will not tell you because you still haven’t a prayer of catching theHarmony.”
“However,” Tanner added quickly, “theArtemiscan.”
“TheArtemis?”
“The Garnet schooner you saw your first day in Boston,” Tanner explained. “The one that you said could chase the wind. She can. And Alex and I will prove it by going after theHarmony.”
Rhys was stunned. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You haven’t,” Alexis pointed out. “We offered.”
“But your guests.”
“We don’t mind,” Madeline said. “Do we, Etienne?”
“Not at all. Do not be so foolish as to turn them down, Rhys. You are a master of campaigns on the land, but Tanner and Alex, well, they have few equals at sea.”
Tanner anticipated Rhys’s next question. “My sister and brother-in-law will see to everything here. Alex and I will not be gone long and they’ve shouldered the sole responsibility for the line before.”
Rhys surrendered. “You’ve no need to waste more time convincing me. You’ll bring Deveraux back so I can talk to him?”
“We will.”
Rhys did not doubt it. Their confidence washed over him like a healing spring rain. An hour later he was bidding them farewell from the docks as theArtemis’sails caught the invisible force of the wind.
It was a few minutes before midnight when Rhys returned home. Kenna was sitting up in bed, a cold compress over her eyes. At the sound of the door closing she dropped the compress.
“I thought you would be sleeping,” he said quietly, shrugging out of his jacket.
“Mrs. Alcott woke me when she brought me a late supper. She told me you had gone. I wasn’t able to sleep after that.” She hesitated, twirling a strand of hair between her thumb and forefinger. “I was hoping we could talk.”
“And say what? I heard you clearly this afternoon, Kenna. You did not mince words about your intentions.” He yanked off his boots, taking a perverse pleasure in seeing Kenna flinch as they dropped to the floor.
