"Then you"ll have to sail the Aramis" Dallas told him.
"What was that?" Brandon questioned him, wondering why he had never thought of it.
"I said, sail the Aramis yourself. Then you"d understand how she does it. You"ve never been on a ship so sleek and yare, Hawk. I tell you it"s like nothing you"ve ever seen."
Brandon nodded, his mind going a hundred miles an hour.
Til do it," he finally said 228.
The next morning Brandon and Dallas left the town house after breakfast. They visited the home of an old family friend, and not long after he headed with them to the House of Lords.
Once again, Dallas watched with fascination as Brandon"s power and position seemed to melt all obstacles and yield him incredible privileges. It took the better part of the day, but with very little fuss he was able to pull the Aramis out of confiscation and sail her.
With only a skeleton crew, both men sailed away from London with the late afternoon tide. Dallas played the part of mate and enjoyed watching Brandon"s face as he stood on the deck of the Aramis for the ride of his life.
It took some time for Brandon to notice Dallas" scrutiny, and when he did, the young duke only grinned like a boy caught in the pantry.
"Smokey doesn"t want to sell, does she?" Brandon cheerfully wished to know.
"I doubt it, but even if she did, I somehow think Sunny might have a few things to say about it."
Brandon"s brows rose in dismay, and Dallas laughed as a shudder shook his friend"s frame. The diversion was pleasant as so much of their time had been spent fighting anxious thoughts of Smokey.
They weren"t out for long. Brandon had been given a time limit, and he had seen enough. Dallas had been right about the Aramis; Brandon didn"t know when he had sailed a finer craft.
They talked about the ship at length on the way back to the town house and were pleasantly surprised to find that Sunny and Sterling had arrived in their absence.
"I got to thinking that this might continue on for some time and just knew I had to see you," Sunny told Brandon as soon as he walked in the door. Brandon, always happy to see his wife, took her in his arms.
Dallas moved into the study to give them a moment"s privacy. The door was open, however, so when young Sterling 229.
joined his parents, Dallas heard every word of their reunion.
Suddenly his thoughts were on his sister.
He had given her little thought in the uproar with Smokey, but as he contemplated the date, he realized she might already be a mother. His musings caused him to pray for her. He asked G.o.d to bless her and keep her safe whether she was still waiting, had already given birth, or was even this minute in the process.
Jenny nearly wept from her place on the bed when she saw Tate come back into their room and straight to her side.
"You were gone so long," she gasped "I"m sorry, but I couldn"t find the doctor. I rode all the way to Willa"s and brought her back."
Jenny"s eyes widened as she looked around her husband to the older woman near the door. Jenny didn"t know Willa beyond Smokey"s loving description of her, but the sight of Willa"s serene features was enough to cause Jenny to forget some of her fears. She would have told Willa all of this, but another contraction hit.
She gasped as it grew in intensity and was hardly aware of the way Willa came to her side, giving words of instruction and gentle encouragement. When the pain began to ease, Jenny spoke.
"I"ve never done this before, and I"m afraid something is wrong."
"Nothing is wrong." Willa had already checked her and spoke in confidence. "And you"re doing just fine. Your husband, on the other hand, is about to faint. Send him away, Mrs.
Pemberton, or I"ll have two of you to nurse."
Jenny"s eyes met those of the man she loved, and her smile was gentle in her flushed face. Tate"s smile, however, was very pained, and try as he might he could not stop sweating.
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"Go downstairs, Tate, unless I call you." Jenny released him, feeling calm now that Willa was there.
Thinking his place was with Jenny, Tate hesitated, but just then another contraction hit. With a walk that closely resembled a trot, Tate hit the door. He was shaking so badly when he got to the parlor that he could barely turn the k.n.o.b.
Inside he found Buck and Greer. After greeting them, he collapsed with relief into a chair.
He had sent a servant to tell Buck the news but wasn"t sure if he had arrived. Buck told him that Greer had been over for supper, and so he"d brought her along. Tate was glad for all the support he could get.
"How is she?" Buck"s voice was slightly anxious, but Greer"s face was calm.
"Willa says she"s fine, but she"s in so much pain that I had to get out of there."
From that point on, Buck and Greer did their best to console and uplift him. Every so often he would go to the door, open it, and look up the stairs. But each time he would come back to his seat.
"Do you want me to go out and look for Doc?" Buck offered after an hour of pacing.
"No," Tate told him. "I"ve left messages all over town, so if he can come, he will. I think Willa will do fine."
The words were no more out of Tate"s mouth than a bloodcurdling scream came from the bedroom upstairs. Tate came out of his chair as though jerked up by a rope and ran for the stairs. Buck began to tremble all over as he sat on the sofa.
From her place beside him, Greer reached for his hand He held onto it like a lifeline. "She"s my baby sister, Greer. I can"t stand to see her hurt." His breath caught on the last word.
"It does hurt, Buck, but you know that childbirth pains are normal. The doctor has told Jenny she"s strong."
Buck let his head fall back against the seat, and Greer did the same, her head turned slightly so she could study his profile. She had just watched him put aside his own feelings in 231.
the last hour to be a comfort to Tate. Now that Tate was out of the room, he let down to the point of shaking all over. Greer thought he was wonderful. She didn"t know exactly when it had happened, but she had finally fallen for Buck Knight.
"I hope you haven"t given up on marrying me, Mr. Knight,"
she said softly and watched Buck freeze. Like a man in a dream, his head came off the seat and he turned to stare at her.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I hope you haven"t given up on me"
Buck looked so stunned that Greer smiled. She reached with gentle fingers and brushed the hair from his forehead, her eyes full of love as she watched him.
"Am I to believe that if I asked again, your answer might be different?"
Greer nodded serenely, her eyes warm with love. Buck suddenly found himself with nothing to say. They leaned simultaneously toward each other, and their lips touched When Greer would have pulled away, Buck"s arms went around her. She laughed in delight before his lips met hers once again.
"Will you marry me, Greer?" Buck asked when he could speak.
"Yes, I will," Greer answered without the slightest hesitation.
Buck had to refrain from shouting his joy to the room at large. Instead, he kissed her again. They were still wrapped in each other"s arms when the door burst open 20 minutes later.
"It"s a girl!1" Tate shouted, and Buck jumped from the sofa to hug him. Greer was next in line, and Tate nearly broke her ribs, so exuberant was his embrace.
"A girl," he repeated as though they had not heard "And she"s beautiful. We"re going to name her Victoria. Isn"t that beautiful? Victoria Jennifer." Tate"s smile was so triumphant that Buck and Greer laughed Upstairs a much quieter scene was taking place. Willa, now washed up and needing a seat, came to sit next to Jenny"s bed Tears poured down the old"s woman cheeks as she looked at the tiny infant in Jenny"s arms.
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"I"ve always dreamed of being there for Smokey when she had a baby; you"re the next best thing."
"Oh, Willa, I don"t know what I would have done without you," Jenny said, her own eyes filling with tears.
Willa grinned. "Won"t Smokey be surprised when she hears the name?"
"I can hardly wait. I wonder where she is now?"
"I don"t know," Willa admitted. "But I sure hope she"s on her way home,"
"Yes," Jenny agreed "And bringing my brother with her."
"Are you going to continue to search for Smokey?" a distressed Sunny wanted to know as they talked after supper.
"No," Brandon told her regretfully. "It might seem heartless of me, but we"ve tried every avenue and now we need to concentrate on the case. All we can do is hope and pray that she"s all right."
"And this new information?" Sunny went on. "What will you do about that?"
"Keep it to myself for the time being. I"ve still got men looking everywhere for him. If they can beat him out into the open, that"s going to be the best way to free Smokey, wherever she is."
Dallas was about to put a word in when a footman knocked on the door to announce a visitor. Brandon and Dallas stood as Brandon"s private investigator walked into the room. Brandon, who was beginning to doubt the man"s ability, did not greet him cordially.
"I can"t stay," the man began without preamble, "but I"ve got to tell you, it"s not good He seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth."
"You"re searching the docks?"
"No. I"ve had two of my men jumped and one killed and--"
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the man cut his words off when he spotted the distressed look on Sunny"s face and the anger in both men.
A muscle jumped in Brandon"s cheek, not only over the man"s refusal to do the job, but over his careless words in his wife"s presence. His voice was curt and dismissive. "I"ll be in your office in the morning. Until then, goodnight."
The room was strangely quiet after he left, and when the silence was broken, it was by Dallas. Both Sunny and Brandon knew he meant every word "I"ll find him and bring him in. The trial starts in five days and I won"t be back until I"ve got him. You stall or do whatever you have to do, Hawk, but don"t let them pa.s.s sentence until I get there. I won"t let Smokey down."
This said, Dallas bid them goodnight. He knew they needed to be alone, and so did he.
I can"t stand the thought of her in jail, Dallas told the Lord of lords as soon as he climbed into bed and turned down the lantern. / ache each time I think of it. Please take care of her, and give her Your peace and comfort.
Tears came to Dallas" eyes and slid down his temples onto the pillows. He knew he had to get his mind off of Smokey, so he began to silently name G.o.d"s attributes. He was halfway between "holy" and "righteous" when sleep came to claim him, something he would be thankful for in the morning. He would be heading out early to find the man who would save Smokey from death.
Smokey squinted against the light but could see enough to reach for the food thrown in to her. She pa.s.sed Aggie"s over with trembling hands and then frowned at the light when it didn"t go away.
"My offer still stands, Smokey. Have you changed your mind?" a voice asked from somewhere behind the light.
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Smokey started She tried to see him in the cavern, but could only make out a dark shape.
Weak as she was in body, she was strong in spirit. With a deliberate move she turned her head away and continued to eat. She even asked Aggie to pa.s.s the salt, which brought a cackle of laughter from the old woman.
Smokey made herself ignore the low curse that emanated from the cavern just before the light went away. This time trembling did not come with the darkness as it had so many times before. The women finished eating in silence and when Smokey thought Aggie had gone to sleep, she surprised her by speaking.
"Something different "bout you."
Smokey smiled "Yes, it is," she agreed. "Want to hear about it?"
"Well, A"ve an appointment with the dressmaker in an hour, but let"s "ear it anyway."
The comment brought a small laugh out of Smokey, but she went on. "Do you believe in G.o.d, Aggie?"
"Yeah," the old woman answered briefly.
"Well, I believe in the one true G.o.d, Aggie, and His Son, Jesus Christ, even when it wouldn"t be logical to do so. Like right now, when it feels like I"ve been deserted, I know that G.o.d is with me.
"The last time that man was here and cut my hair, I was devastated. But then I got to thinking about all the stories I"ve read in the Bible. I thought of Joseph. He was in jail because his own family sold him, but he trusted G.o.d and believed it was for the best.
"And then I got to considering all the people walking around in the world who are in their own little prisons. I"ve been in a prison about my hair. I wish he hadn"t cut it, but I still have so much to praise G.o.d about. He could have cut my throat. It doesn"t matter what they do to my body; my spirit can always be free if I choose to obey G.o.d. I"m telling you, Aggie, I can be in this cell and still be free as a bird"
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"It"s all gettin* to you, ain"t it, girl?" Aggie voice was compa.s.sionate, and Smokey wanted to laugh.
"No, Aggie, I am really free. I"m free to know that G.o.d loves me and sent His Son to die in my place. I"m free from the sins of the past and from the bondage of sin in the future. It doesn"t matter where I am--I can be free in Christ, and so can you."
Aggie stared at her as if she had gone around the bend "If G.o.d loves us, why are we starving to death down "ere?"
"It is awful down here, Aggie." Smokey"s voice was sad.
"But I know of someplace that"s worse, and that"s a lost eternity, an eternity in h.e.l.l. I don"t know if I"m going to die down here or not, but I do know that I"ve a better home after I die. I"m talking about heaven, Aggie, and it can be your eternal home as well."
Aggie only stared at her.
"Have you heard of Jesus Christ?" Smokey"s heart pounded in her chest. She had never done this before and desperately wanted to say the right words. She saw Aggie nod and continued.
"Jesus Christ is G.o.d"s Son, and He came hundreds of years ago to die for our sins, but He didn"t stay dead, Aggie. He rose again, and He lives today to save people like you and me, and to give us hope.
"I don"t know why you"re down here, but it doesn"t matter what you"ve done. G.o.d is waiting to forgive you and save you from your sins. I trusted Him when I was just a little girl. You can trust Him too."