"Lovely weather for boating, I presume." I had never had the opportunity to try leisure cruising before.
"You think?" My lord"s tone of voice was rather neutral, and my heart sank. Obviously, my surprise lay elsewhere. But when I was led to a wharf where several small, but grand, sailboats were moored, I realised my husband had been teasing me.
"You are going to take me sailing!" I squeezed his arm tightly.
"Would that be pleasing to my countess?" He smiled broadly.
"I could think of nothing that would please me more," I said, although I did have one worry. "I didn"t know you knew how to sail, my lord?"
"Did you not?" He pretended to be surprised that he"d never mentioned it. "Well then, aren"t I the man of mystery."
"So it would seem," I said admiringly, and kissed his cheek.
When we arrived at our vessel, aptly named My Only Love, I was completely delighted by the single-berth sailboat. The owner told Lord Devere that a large hamper of food was in the cabin as requested and that he would expect our return by evening the next day.
I was absolutely ecstatic to learn we were to spend a night on the water together. The notion was incredibly romantic, in my opinion.
"What if our brother comes to Ma.r.s.eilles looking for us?" I asked, wondering if Lord Devere had overlooked this possibility.
"I feel sure it will take more than a day for my brother to resolve all issues with his wife. In the meantime, I cannot see why we should waste the opportunity to enjoy our honeymoon. I have left word with the consulate and a message at the guesthouse that we shall return on the morrow," he a.s.sured me.
It seemed my husband had overlooked nothing.
The day was spent sailing around just beyond the port. We did not want to venture too far, in case the weather turned bad. We needed only enough distance from civilisation to secure a little privacy and room to manoeuvre.
My lord seemed to be in his element on the water and I admired how he handled the rigging and generally had complete control of the vessel. I played my part several times when, to my great delight, my husband allowed me to take a turn at the rudder.
Coming on to evening we dropped anchor within sight of the city, had a picnic dinner on deck and then watched the sunset as Ma.r.s.eilles lit up in the distance.
I don"t think I have ever known a more perfect day, and my relationship with my husband reached a level of closeness that I"d never thought might be possible. He left the Earl of Oxford back at port and was just James Devere, the man-my husband and dear friend.
At sundown we retired to our cabin which was dimly lit with gas lanterns.
My husband went first and then lent me a hand to descend the slim stairs. "You realise that out here we have no friends to visit, dinner parties or dances to attend. Whatever shall we do with ourselves all evening?" His cheeky grin was extremely seductive.
"I fear that we shall be forced to retire early, my lord." I closed the distance between his lips and mine. "And as I have no maid to help me undress, perhaps you could be of a.s.sistance?"
"Oh, the hardship of being at sea." His kiss lulled me into a state of complete abandonment, and within moments we were horizontal on the cabin"s large bed.
This seemed the perfect end to the perfect day, until we felt our vessel b.u.mp into something and there was the sound of a scuffle up on deck.
"What was that?" I panicked, my mind instantly leaping to conclusions. "Pirates?"
"This close to the harbour?" My husband"s reasoning set my mind at ease. "We"ve probably hit a log or something." He shrugged, far more interested in caressing my inner thighs.
He moved in to resume kissing me, until I held him at bay when we felt another b.u.mp.
"Would you like me to go and check?" he offered reluctantly, knowing full well that that was precisely what I desired. "Don"t move." He stole a kiss before embarking on his investigation.
No sooner had Lord Devere scaled the cabin stairs than he was landing back on the floor with a thud, and four masked men leapt down into our quarters-all armed with swords.
They dragged my husband to his feet and my lord retaliated, elbowing one man in the stomach while managing to retrieve his sword. He began fighting off the other masked men. One of the swordsmen slipped by him, however, to hold a blade at my throat. Lord Devere had no choice but to relinquish his weapon.
"Lady Susan Devere?" the man who held me captive inquired. Since my husband was held at swordpoint once more, I feared for our lives too much to lie. I nodded, whereupon my husband was asked to turn around and was knocked unconscious with the hilt of a sword.
I screamed and then begged my captors not to harm him any further. I vowed to cooperate with whatever it was they had in mind for me, if they would only spare my husband"s life.
The man holding me captive nodded. The others then bound and gagged Lord Devere and left him on the cabin floor.
I was hauled up the cabin stairs, and I knew that if there was any chance of my kin finding me I needed to leave something behind that might supply a clue-something belonging to my abductors that might have a psychic imprint on it. I pretended to trip and grabbed at the coat of the man in front of me, ripping the pocket from his jacket. I surrept.i.tiously flung the piece of fabric into the cabin behind me, while the man grumbled about my clumsiness. I was hauled upright once again and urged forward.
Up on deck, it was easy to see that the b.u.mp we"d heard had been made by the large vessel that was tied up to our own. "Where are you taking me? What do you want?"
The masked men ignored my questions and thrust me aboard their vessel. I was horrified when I saw the last man to leave our boat raise the anchor.
"No! He"ll drift out to sea!" I appealed, but my heartfelt pleas fell on deaf ears.
The kidnapper"s vessel got under way and I was left alone on deck to watch my husband"s boat drift aimlessly. It occurred to me to jump overboard and swim back to my lord"s aid. Admittedly, I hadn"t swum since I was a child, and the clothes I was wearing would be weighty and c.u.mbersome once wet. The b.u.t.tons were at the back of my frock, but they were already partially undone, thanks to my lord"s attempts to disrobe me. It was my hope that I could rid myself of my heavy outer garments once I hit the water, as I certainly wasn"t game to remove them on a ship loaded with strange men.
I rose up to tip myself over the safety rail, when my arms were grabbed and I was hoisted back on board.
"You cannot leave yet, my lady," said the bandit who had thwarted my escape attempt. "There"s someone who wants to see you." He set me on my feet and pushed me in the direction of the cabins.
FROM THE TRAVEL JOURNALS OF MRS ASHLEE DEVERE.
At the British consulate in Ma.r.s.eilles we learned of the hotel Lord and Lady Devere were residing at, and at the hotel we were advised that the couple were not expected back from boating until later in the day.
This confirmed Albray"s claim that we would find Lord Devere off the coast in a small leisure craft. Mr Devere was not as ready to believe everything Albray said as I was and my husband felt the need to check my knight"s story before rushing off to hire a boat and crew.
Cingar proved true to his word. At the docks, he was greeted warmly by many mariners who were all willing to negotiate a good price to service our needs. The field of bidders was narrowed down when we told them that we"d most probably need to purchase pa.s.sage to Italy, and might even require pa.s.sage as far as Alexandria.
In the end, it was an Italian captain who secured our payment. He went by the name of Falcone Bellaccino, although his crew referred to him as Captain Falco. He was bound for Napoli and then Sicily, and did not object to taking a few detours. His vessel, a medium-sized trade ship, was stocked, crewed and ready for immediate departure which was very much in his favour. We were a.s.sured that, once the last of the ship"s cargo was offloaded in Sicily, Captain Falco was prepared to take us anywhere in the Mediterranean that we wished to go-as long as we were prepared to make it worth his while.
Cingar, Jessenia and another male from the gypsy band would accompany us to find Lord Devere. We would need to sail the hired leisure vessel back to port. Without doubt, Lord Devere would wish to join us in the pursuit of his wife, provided that my brother-in-law had not been too badly hurt during Susan"s abduction. The other men of Cingar"s clan who had escorted us to Ma.r.s.eilles would return the horses to the gypsy caravan. Cingar promised that his clan would take the greatest care of Destiny, my treasured steed. I"d never thought to become so attached to an animal, and I knew I would miss this horse during the journey ahead. Be that as it may, I could not bring myself to subject the thoroughbred to a prolonged sea voyage to a far-off land with a climate vastly different to the lush lands of France.
Albray had told me exactly where we would find Lord Devere"s boat, and my husband did not have the means or time to check this particular claim. Captain Falco was understandably curious about our certain knowledge of the position of our friend"s missing craft, and even how we knew the craft was missing-given that our brother and his wife were not expected back until later this day. We convinced the captain that it was our best guess, and as we were paying him well he didn"t mind obliging our whims.
I held no misgivings, knowing that Lord Devere"s vessel would be found exactly where Albray had said it would, but Mr Devere was clearly surprised when the lookout spotted a small boat adrift.
"Are you sure this is James" vessel?" My husband persisted in his suspicions as the captain brought our larger vessel alongside the leisure craft.
Albray served my husband a presumptuous glance. "May your wife banish me from her service forever if I am wrong."
Devere found this challenge uplifting, since he would be pleased by the outcome either way. Although Albray was but a ghost, my husband clearly resented another male being so close to me and I did my best to ignore his jealousy. Despite my marriage vows and my love for my husband, Albray was still a most trusted ally. I was not prepared to give up his counsel short of completing the quest my dear Lord Hereford had set for me.
Devere and Cingar boarded the smaller vessel and then aided me to embark-sea travel was a new experience for me and I was yet to find my sea legs.
My husband was relieved to discover his brother bound and gagged in the cabin, but still alive. The discovery was also heartbreaking, as Susan"s disappearance was now confirmed.
"Thank G.o.d, Earnest," Lord Devere exclaimed when his gag was removed. "How on earth did you find me so quickly?"
"I have a gift," Earnest replied, cutting through his brother"s bonds.
"Lady Devere has been abducted," the lord advised in a panic.
"I know," Earnest answered calmly.
"How could you know?" Then he waved off his irrelevant question to ask a more pressing one. "Do you know who took her?"
"We have a suspicion," Earnest advised his brother.
"We?" James queried and upon looking around to sight me, the lord"s mood soured as he got to his feet. "The catalyst of this entire mess," he accused, ready to unleash his pent-up rage on me. The lord"s light-body, usually free of blemish, now sported a growing dark ma.s.s over his heart.
"I am as concerned as you for Susan"s wellbeing. She is my oldest and dearest friend-" I tried to head off the impending outburst.
"You have a fine way of showing your friendship," he snapped. "Expecting my wife to lie for you and place herself in danger several times over, all to satisfy your your agenda." agenda."
"This was not my wife"s fault!" Earnest diverted his brother"s anger toward himself. "If anyone is to blame, it is me."
"Absolutely correct," James agreed. "You and your mysteries." He glanced from my husband to me. "Allow me to let you in on a little secret I"ve discovered during this misadventure of ours. There is only one great mystery in this world and that is how two individuals, in a world of people, can find true love and happiness the like of which I and my wife shared! And now, thanks to your duplicity with each other, the one soul I truly care about has been stolen from me and taken G.o.d knows where!"
My brother-in-law"s words bit deep into my heart, for I had found my true love at the cost of my dearest friend losing hers. I cast my eyes downward in shame and spotted a piece of torn fabric lying on the floor of the cabin. "Is this yours?" I retrieved the item that captured my interest.
"I cannot believe you, Mrs Devere." James was clearly vexed by the distraction.
Having the fabric in hand, I could answer my own question, for I received a brief vision, from Susan"s perspective, of her ripping the piece of cloth from the jacket of one of her abductors. "No, this belongs to one of the men who took Susan." I was excited at this discovery, as was my husband, who moved closer to me.
"What can you see?" he inquired, while his brother growled in disbelief.
I closed my eyes and focused on the clue. "The man who wore this is bound for Italy," I gasped and opened my eyes, "and he is in the service of Christian Molier."
Lord Devere frowned. "Molier? Why do I recognise that name?"
"The a.r.s.enal Library in Paris," my husband said to jog his brother"s memory. James had never actually met Molier, but had heard about him in conversation.
"Your a.s.sociate in Paris!" Lord Devere became decidedly steamed-up once more. "What does he want with Susan?"
"He wants me," I said abruptly, to calm the man. "And there is no reason to believe that he will harm Susan."
"And I am expected to believe that, am I?" Lord Devere protested at the leap of faith I was requiring him to make.
"We found you, did we not? And we shall find Susan too." Tired of justifying myself, I turned and exited the cabin.
"We have arranged to have this vessel taken back to port," Earnest advised his brother. "We can take up the pursuit of Lady Devere"s abductors immediately." He motioned James up the stairs.
James, holding on to his anger, was unsure about obliging us. "You had better be right about this, Earnest, or so help me G.o.d I"ll-"
"I am sure," he confidently declared, before his brother could finish the threat. "But every second could be precious. Let us not dally here any longer than needed."
The lord retrieved his few belongings from the cabin and accompanied his brother up on to the deck where I was arguing with Cingar. "Oh no, not gypsies," James whined in protest, but stopped short of accusing them of intending to steal the craft he"d hired, instead of returning it to port.
Both Cingar and myself chose to ignore Lord Devere to pursue our argument. "You only vowed to see me to the sea, which you have done, and now you must return to your people," I insisted.
"My man will return this boat to port and Jessenia and I can rejoin our families in Italy once I know all is well with you." Cingar would not hear of departing yet, despite the a.s.surances of my husband and I that we could take it from here.
After four days at sea, I was more deathly ill than I had been during my first day on the waters off Ma.r.s.eilles. It was clear that ship life did not agree with me at all. My husband had looked a little green for a couple of days, but had grown accustomed to the boat"s rocking and was now as fit as a fiddle and rather enjoying the voyage.
I was very grateful that Cingar and his wife had insisted on accompanying us to Italy. Jessenia was a tireless nurse and succeeded in making me feel infinitely better than if I had had to cope with my illness alone.
"Captain Falco said to inform you that we should be in sight of the Tiber today," Jessenia announced when she brought me breakfast in my cabin, where I had spent most of the voyage.
At the mouth of the Tiber River we would pa.s.s the ancient city of Ostia, on our way to the modern port that lay a few miles upstream. Here large craft docked and pa.s.sengers for Rome could hire smaller craft for a journey up the river, or travel overland to the Holy City. This was where I hoped to spy the vessel that had carried Susan away. I had received an impression of the boat from the piece of torn fabric I had found. Albray had a.s.sured me that he could confirm my vision, for he had witnessed the abduction first-hand and seen the vessel for himself.
"Dry land would be a dream come true." I forced a smile as I sat upright to try and force myself to eat something. This meal could actually be considered as a lunch. My stomach always seemed to be more unsettled following a horrid night"s sleep and I could not take food too early. My nights at sea had been plagued by vivid dreams of searching for something I couldn"t find: these left me drenched in sweat and had me awake every few hours.
"I have a real treat today," Jessenia boasted. "Freshly made bread, and a pot of real tea, compliments of the captain"s private stock."
I was delighted. Tea was a rarity at sea. I had been craving a warm brew, and plain fresh bread, baked daily by the ship"s cook, seemed to be the only food I could stomach. "You are an angel." I emphasised my delight. "Do thank the captain for me."
"He wishes only to see you well again." My beautiful gypsy nurse poured a cup of tea and pa.s.sed it to me on a saucer.
I took a couple of sips and then sighed with delight.
"It is surely unusual for someone to remain seasick for so long," Jessenia ventured to comment as she pulled up a chair and sat at my bedside. "In fact, I am beginning to suspect that it is not just the sea voyage that is causing it."
I scoffed at her concern. "I have rarely known a sick day in my life." A fact that was making my current plight all the harder to tolerate. "Do I have the symptoms of some other illness?"
"The sickness in the morning, the vivid dreams, the perspiring and broken sleep," she listed. "They all seem to add up to pregnancy."
"Pregnancy!" I objected, and the cup rattled violently in its saucer. Jessenia relieved me of it. "Please, G.o.ddess, no." no."
Jessenia smiled at my referral to the G.o.ddess, for her people were avid believers in the Great Mother, Danu, or Diana, whose daughter Aradia brought all witchcraft to the world. "Is it possible that this could be the case?" She attempted to dispel my horror until I"d examined the possibility thoroughly.
"I suppose..." I was reluctant to admit I had not bled since I"d been reunited with my husband. My monthly time was now well overdue. The realisation made my stomach turn, for many reasons, and finding my bedpan my compulsion was obliged.
A pregnancy could place my whole mission in peril, for if Devere found out, I was fairly confident he would do everything in his power to prevent me travelling further. I was even more fearful of Devere"s secret brotherhood discovering I was with child, for I suspected they hoped for this very outcome when they had matched me with Devere in the first place.
"You haven"t mentioned your suspicions to anyone, have you, Jessenia?" I tried not to sound as panicked as I felt. I was relieved when Jessenia shook her head. The poor woman obviously didn"t know what to make of my unfavourable reaction.
"My people believe it is a great blessing to fall with child so early in a marriage."
I forced a smile, knowing she was happy for me. "How long until it starts to show?" I knew nothing about children or childbirth, as it was hardly a course of study that had ever interested me.
"Maybe ten weeks," she advised, "but as you are so slight, perhaps less."