Captive Pride (39 page)

He understood then that his quest to return triumphantly to England with his pockets well lined had carried with it a price far too great to bear. He had forfeited his closeness with Matthew. Not only that, but he had been so wrapped up in his pursuit of riches that he had discovered his love for CC too late to do anything about it. Now she was lost to him, too. The social life he had once thought he'd missed no longer held any appeal for him. He was alone, and he was miserable. Lost in a vortex of despairing, yet revealing, emotions, Noah could not reply for long moments as he stared at his brother.

Matthew, thinking Noah's silence reflected unspoken anger on his part, went on to defend his position. “Noah, I don't need money to be happy. I love Faith and the life we live here in Boston. All I want is to ensure that a free and open life will exist for our children and their children after them. It's for that reason that I support the revolution. I've seen the injustices and the high-handed ways of the government officials. I know the Crown is treating us as if we were ignorant children. We are educated men, Noah, who are only demanding rights that should be ours already!” He paused, his troubled gaze fixed on his brother's stony features. “Please, try to understand. I'm not alone in this. As you well know, the majority of those in Boston supported the dumping of the tea. Even CC Demorest—the daughter of one of the most important British agents in all the colonies—supports us without reservation. You know that.”

“Yes, I know that,” he replied hoarsely, thinking of CC. He loved her, and she was lost to him. So often they had loved and had not known it. She had confessed as much last night, and he'd refused to declare himself, taking umbrage at her effort to help the rebellion. Noah wondered how he could have been so blind not to have recognized what he was feeling, and he silently cursed the pride that was making it difficult for him to admit the truth even now. All this time he had been intent on only one thing—making the money in order to return to England. In the course of that single-mindedness, he had almost missed the very essence that would make his life worth living—CC…beautiful, loving CC. Noah knew a moment of very real anguish as he thought of how he'd humiliated her the night before, and he wondered if her profession of love had been true.

“I wish I could convince you to see things our way.” Matt was becoming more and more dispirited as he talked, for he thought Noah was, once again, refusing to listen. “I hate the fact that this caused a rift between us. I want us to be close again, like we were before all the trouble started…before Father died.”

It occurred to Noah then that that was all he really wanted, too. “All right.” Noah's reply was quick and brusque and left Matthew completely speechless.

“All right?” Matt finally managed as he stared at him in wonder.

“Yes, all right. You can have the goods.”

“Are you serious?”

“Have you known me to jest lately?” Noah fixed him with a steady regard.

“Well…no…”

“Then you know my answer is serious,” Noah said, suddenly feeling very relieved.

“You're selling us the goods, the payment doesn't need to be made until later?” Matt repeated dumbly.

“I'm selling you the goods for the money I've already collected. Tell Graves to forget the second payment. We've made enough profit just off the first half they've paid us to support us both for a while.”

“Noah…I don't understand.”

“Well, I do, at long last,” Noah sighed. He raked a hand nervously through his dark hair as he glanced up at his younger brother, studying him with glowing eyes. Matt had become a man…a fine, intelligent man, and Noah knew he deserved the truth—all of it. “I've been wrong, about a lot of things. And you were very right about the money…. I have been obsessed with it, ever since that night….”

“What night?”

“The night James Radcliffe and I quarreled.” Noah looked away as the bitter memories flooded through him, and his hands clenched at his sides as he remembered the vileness of the other man's accusations.

Matt remained silent for a moment and then asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Noah faced him. “I've never wanted to before. It was something I believed better off forgotten, but I think it's long past time that you knew.” Noah took a deep, steadying breath, dredging forth from the depths of his soul all the ugliness of that night. “James had never made a secret of his dislike for me, and when he heard of Father's death and our resultant losses, he seemed to take particular delight.” Though long suppressed, the memory of James's sneering attitude and snide, underhanded comments still had the power to fill Noah with angry humiliation. It had been a painful time, and it was only with the greatest of willpower that he forced himself to continue relating all that had taken place. “I had been playing cards in the study with several friends, and he made a point of seeking me out. I had been aware of all the talk, but I was not prepared for such a vicious, open attack….”

“What did he say?”

“James claimed that Father was not only a gambler, but a drunken coward as well. He accused him of committing suicide rather than face up to his losses, and he proclaimed that I was, no doubt, just as much a weakling as he was.”

Matthew paled at the revelation. “Suicide? Father? Never!”

Noah nodded his agreement. “Up until that point, I had been managing to keep myself together. I had withstood the almost continual barrage of criticism and slights, but his insults pushed me beyond all reason. It had been bad enough that it had happened, but to have our family honor insulted was more than I could bear. No matter what else we are, the Kincades are not cowards.”

“I'd always known that James's insult had to have been grievous to have evoked such hatred in you, but I'd had no idea just how despicable the man really was. No wonder you responded as you did. I'm sorry….” Matt took a conciliatory step toward Noah, his heart aching as he understood finally his brother's torment.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Noah shrugged off his concern.

“No, but I feel now that I should have been there for you. You've carried the burden all alone, all this time.”

“It's better that you didn't know until now. You see, I've been too intent on what we lost. I'd lost sight of all that we had. I had forgotten what was really important in life.”

Matt's gaze met and held his, and they embraced then, as brothers long parted but now reunited. When they moved apart, the warmth and affection that had long been missing between them for some time had returned.

“I'd better let Ben and Ryan know of your decision. Do you have a plan yet?”

Noah nodded, “I want this done tonight. The sooner it's over with, the better off we'll be.”

“What do you want me to tell them?”

“Have them meet around midnight. As I estimate, the watch will be the lightest then, and there'll be less chance of being caught.”

“I'll tell them. What about Captain Wells?”

“I'll take care of him,” Noah assured Matt. “Just tell Graves to make sure his men know that they have to move quickly and quietly. And one more thing.”

“What?”

“I don't want you to be involved with the actual ‘stealing' of the merchandise. You and I have to come out of this looking innocent, or we could be arrested for treason.”

Matthew nodded his understanding. “What are you going to be doing tonight while all this is taking place?”

“I hadn't thought about it.”

“Why don't you return to the house with me now? You could stay with us, have dinner and spend the evening.”

“Thank you, I appreciate the invitation, but perhaps it would be better if we all went to an inn for dinner tonight,” Noah advised.

Matt frowned. “Why?”

“Lord Radcliffe and I had a slight run-in at Winthrop's, and in the heat of the unpleasant exchange he openly suggested that I was involved with the rebels.”

“He did? Based on what proof?”

Noah nodded, grimacing. “He didn't have any definite proof, so his accusations were scoffed at by those listening, but I don't want to take any further chances. I'm firmly convinced that Radcliffe is the one who's having me followed.”

“Lord Radcliffe?” Matthew was genuinely surprised. “But why?”

“I'm reasonably sure it all started because of my involvement with Eve Woodham.”

“He's jealous?” A glimmer of understanding lit his eyes.

“Evidently so, and there was absolutely no reason for it.”

“But I thought…”

“You thought wrong, Matthew,” Noah cut him off sharply. “There's only one woman I care about, and that woman isn't the lovely widow Woodham.”

“She isn't?” Matt asked, trying to subdue the lopsided grin that threatened.

Noah scowled blackly at his brother's amusement. “You've known all along what it took me until tonight to realize.”

“You love CC?”

“Yes. I love CC,” he answered flatly, “very much.”

“That's wonderful! I'm sure she cares about you, too. Why don't you go to her and tell her how you feel?”

“I can't,” Noah refused quickly.

“Why not?”

“The reason why I can't is none of your business. Just believe me when I say that things are finished between us.” He remembered how terribly he'd humiliated her, and he knew he'd destroyed any chance they might have had for happiness.

“I'm sorry,” Matt said earnestly.

“So am I…more than I can ever say.”

There was a long, strained pause in the conversation before Matt brought up the subject of his encounter with Radcliffe again. “You didn't say, but I want to know what you and Radcliffe argued about at the ball. Did you have words over Eve?”

“No. We didn't openly argue over her.” Noah gave Matt a measured look as he offered, “The general discussion had turned to the raid on the tea ships, and Radcliffe had made the remark that a show of force was needed to teach the dissidents here in Boston a lesson.”

“He did?”

“Yes. He called the rebels fools, and I told him, in so many words, that the only fools were those who were so anxious to issue sanctions against the entire town of Boston.”

“You defended us…. Thank you.” Matt paused in amazement and then frowned. “I can't believe that Radcliffe didn't call you out for that remark.”

“He did,” Noah answered.

“He did?” Again Matt was astounded by all that had happened.

“Yes, but I refused to take up his challenge.” Noah's eyes solemnly met his brother's as he searched there for understanding of his motive in turning down the duel.

“I'm glad.” Vivid memories of the bloody clash in England still lingered in his thoughts.

“Yes, well…so am I.” Noah was suddenly uncomfortable with all that he had revealed and he headed from the cabin. “Give me a few minutes to speak with Wells to make the arrangements for tonight, and then we can be on our way.”

“I'll wait here for you.”

 

The two scurrilous-looking men crouched low behind the stack of barrels near the waterfront, watching the two men approach.

“Is that him, Pete?”

“Aye, Mick, that's the bloke,” Pete replied in low tones as he glanced down the dimly lit wharf.

“You sure? I don't want to go killin' the wrong fella,” Mick told him nervously.

Pete gave him a derogatory look. “Whatsa matter with you? Ain't you never done this before?”

“I ain't never killed no one before…at least, not deliberately, anyhow,” Mick admitted.

“Well, just shut up and start swingin'. When they go past us, you take the one nearest you and hit him on the back of the head with your club. I'll take care of the other one. With any luck at all, we can drop 'em and rob 'em without drawin' any notice. We just gotta be fast. Remember, Mick…fast, quiet, and sure.”

“We gonna rob 'em, too?”

“Why not? Just 'cause we're gettin' paid to kill 'em don't mean we can't make an extra pound on the side. They look pretty well lined in the pockets, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah…I know what you mean,” Mick agreed, suddenly not feeling so skittish about the job they'd been hired to do. “But how come there's two of 'em? I thought we were only hired to kill the one.”

Pete shrugged. “Who cares? One or two, makes no difference to me. All I want is the money that's due me when the job is done.”

Noah and Matthew were deep in conversation as they strode along the street. They were completely unaware of the imminent threat until the two attackers launched themselves at them from behind.

“Matt! Watch out!” Noah shouted as he heard a stirring behind them and caught sight of their would-be assailants.

Matt was immediately alerted to the danger, and both brothers reacted much more quickly than the thugs had expected. The power of the killers' first blows was deflected and caused little real injury. The ensuing fight was bloody and vicious as the men grappled in the darkness. In the end, despite the hired men's dirty tactics, it was Noah and Matt who stood victoriously over their attackers' prone figures.

“Who? Why?” Matt gasped as he rubbed his jaw, sore and discoloring from a well-landed punch.

Noah wiped at the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth as he stared down at the two. “I don't know, but I intend to find out.” Kneeling down beside Mick, who was just beginning to stir, Noah grabbed him up by his shirtfront and gave him a rough shake.

“What? Ouch! My head…”

“Your head's going to be hurting a lot worse if I don't get some answers out of you fast!” Noah snarled down at the shocked, battered cutthroat.

“What do you want to know?” Mick squealed in fright as he stared up at the man he'd tried to murder just moments before.