Somehow, the words cut her worse than the blade could have.
The pirate began to back away, keeping his sword level. “Remember what I said, boy.” A few more steps, and he disappeared in the shadows.
Lieutenant Caldwell took her arm. “Come.” They rushed up the stairs to the verandah. Once the light from the open doors washed over them, he paused and turned to her.
“Are you hurt?” His thumb grazed the skin at her neck, where moments before, Thorne’s blade had rested.
No.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat as warmth spread from the spot he touched her. “I’m fine.”
His eyes searched hers for a brief moment, and he dropped his hand to her elbow. “Let’s get inside. I need to alert my men.”
She followed, heart still racing. “Lieutenant, perhaps you should listen to him. He said he would kill you. Is this mission worth dying for?”
He twisted his head and continued toward the doors. “Do you take me for a coward, Miss Montclair?”
Her steps faltered. “Of course not.”
“Then don’t think for a second I will let him bully me.”
They passed into the light of the ballroom, and she slowed, forcing him to as well. “He could have killed you out there, but he didn’t. It would be wise to heed his warning.”
“Thorne is an enemy of this country. His actions have sealed his fate. It is my duty and honor to track him down.”
Her throat thickened and she clamped her mouth shut. No use arguing with him at this point. They crossed the dance floor, dodging twirling couples, and headed straight toward Christian and Samantha.
Chapter Fifteen
Isaac grabbed Christian’sarm and tugged him toward the front of the room. “We need to get back to the ship right away.”
His friend didn’t miss a beat, falling in step next to him. “What’s happened?”
“Thorne just paid me a visit in the garden.”
Christian’s gaze flew to the open verandah doors, his hands closing into fists. “Here? That’s bold. What happened?”
“He tried to warn me off the hunt. Gave me the same spiel about joining him as he did you.”
Christian snorted. “As if you would listen.”
Samantha frowned next to him. “It doesn’t make sense, risking all that just to tell you something he knew you’d never agree to. What if it’s a trap?”
Miss Montclair shifted at his side and he could almost feel the weight of her accusing gaze.
I could use your help.
Thorne’s words rang through Isaac’s head. “I think, whatever he’s looking for, he needs someone on the inside. Someone who could get access to the archives he wasn’t able to steal. I wonder if he’s sailing to Washington?” A new certainty buzzed through him. “I think we need to take a closer look at the archives from the year your mother died.”
Christian shook his head, his eyes flicking to Miss Montclair and back. “Would be a waste of time. It was the first place I went after Thorne escaped. Nothing in the records stood out as suspicious. Not to mention, I’m sure Thorne has seen all of it. He’s had years to find away to see them.”
Isaac clenched his jaw. “There must be something we’re missing.”
The wagon sat ready and waiting for them, and within moments, they sped off. Silence stretched thick and oppressive between the group as they bumped along the cobblestones. The hairs on Isaac’s neck lifted, a tingle of warning he couldn’t shake. He scanned the darkened road ahead of them, his hand hovering above his sword.
As they approached the docks, Christian cleared his throat. “Why don’t you sail ahead of us? Samantha and I will stay and finish interviewing the survivors. One of the men in charge of the archives was badly wounded and is recovering in the countryside. He’ll know more about the contents. If we can find out what Thorne is looking for, it will narrow the search.”
Isaac nodded. As always, Christian was one step ahead in his reasoning. “It may also throw him off if only one of us follows him, perhaps it will make him bolder.”
