Chuckling, he patted her cheek. “My dear, you are too intelligent, and you know too much about politics. Rest assured, all will be well.”
She released a pent-up breath. “Promise me you will not do anything rash and get involved where you shouldn’t.”
He offered a sympathetic half-smile. “Not to worry, my dear little Emmie. The Lord will watch over both of us.”
Her father turned and opened the bedroom door before leading them down the grand stairs to the front door. Servants loaded trunks onto the coach as Anna climbed into the vehicle. Emmie hugged her father before getting in herself. Once she sat, he reached in and grasped her clutched hands.
“Godspeed, my dear.”
“I shall see you soon.” She smiled, although she didn’t put much effort into the emotion due to her jittery feelings.
As the coach jerked into action, her heartbeat slowed considerably. The next little while was definitelynota holiday, no matter what her father tried to tell her. And she had promised to be a lady’s companion the whole time.
Good grief, what had she been thinking to agree to her father’s plan?
*
Captain Broderick Worthingtongnashed his teeth as he gripped the ship’s railing with one hand and balanced the spyglass with the other, watching the enemy ship coming toward them. All the crew on theAvengerscrambled into action as Broderick shouted orders over his shoulder. His ship was fast, so it was perfect for his needs to find disloyal men and bring them to justice.
One of Broderick’s great-uncles, Captain Hawk—also known as Marcus Thorne—had once commanded theAvenger.Now the ship was Broderick’s, as long as he could get away from the French vessel heading right for them. For a few years, theAvengerhad taken command of some of Napoleon’s ships. Was it any wonder the emperor’s armies wanted revenge?
“Captain, we are picking up speed.”
Broderick lowered his spyglass and settled his attention on his first mate, Phillip Daughtery. The wind whipped the man’s long auburn hair around his face in disarray. Under the sun, the strawberry tint was more prominent. Needless to say, Phillip always stood out in a crowd.
“That we are, Daughtery.” Broderick glanced at his crew. “It appears Lieutenant Mercer doesn’t know when to give up.”
Phillip took a step closer and squinted in the direction of their attacker. “Is that who is after us?”
“It is.” Broderick gritted his teeth.
“If I might say, captain, that man will stop at nothing to get his prize. He has a reputation that precedes him. Good men quake in their boots when he is near.”
Broderick looked through his spyglass again. “The man has the most wicked eyes I have ever seen, not to mention his ungodly orange hair.”
“I must agree with you. Mercer is the spawn of Satan himself.”
Broderick blew out an irritated breath. “I feel the wind is on our side today. Let us pray it continues.”
He had to trust all would go well. He turned back to the ocean and lifted his spyglass again. “However, I would truly like to know how Lieutenant Mercer knows we were here in the first place. TheAvengerhas been out of commission for a few months. How would they know where we were headed this time?”
“Do you think there is a spy among us?” Phillip asked in a lower voice.
Broderick swung around and faced his friend. Phillip’s panicked expression mirrored the way Broderick felt. “I pray there isn’t, but I know not how to explain today’s mishap.” Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair. “Today’s near capture was too close. I don’t want it happening again.” He glanced over his shoulder at the vessel that was slowly getting smaller. “If the wind changes, we may not make our escape after all.”
From the other ship, a booming noise shook the air around them. The cannonball landed in the water, splashing water on Broderick and Phillip. Broderick strolled to the railing of the quarterdeck and shouted more commands at his crew to pick up speed.
His friend jumped back, his face hard with anger. “What in the blazes do they think they are doing?” Phillip snapped. “Why did they waste a cannonball when they knew it would not get to us?”
“Lieutenant Mercer is arrogant. I believe he truly thought he could hit our ship. Or frighten us into surrendering.”
“They are all bloody imbeciles—every last one.”
“Indeed.” Broderick scrubbed his hand over his unshaven jaw. “Unfortunately, they did get close enough to see us through their spyglasses just as I watched them.” He sighed and frowned. “Once we are able to hide the ship and go on land, I think they will be looking for us.” His gaze shifted to Phillip’s thick patch of auburn hair. “And unfortunately, we are both easy men to spot because of our hair color.”
“What do you suggest we do, captain?”
Another cannon boomed through the air, but the projectile fell short of hitting its mark. Thankfully, it wasn’t as close as the first one. TheAvengerwas definitely gaining speed. Broderick was confident the crew would reach their destination without getting caught, but they would all have to go into hiding for a while.
