So Worthy My Love (62 page)

Nicholas was mildly surprised at the man's knowledge of Hansa flags. “Yu are most perceptive,
Kapitan.”

“We've dealt with Hansa vessels before,” Sinclair informed him with a mild sneer. “I've
learned to recognize their flags. Of particular interest to me are the plain red-and-white flags of Lubeck. They seemed to go in and out of Spanish ports with ease. If you haven't set sail from the Netherlands and you are obviously not going to Spain, just where are you bound, Captain?”

“England,” Nicholas acknowledged crisply. “And beyond!”

Despite his attempt to cast his attention elsewhere, Sinclair returned his gaze to Elise. Her beauty had captured his interest so completely, he was hardpressed to think of leaving the ship without first becoming acquainted with her or, at the very least, learning where she might later be found. “And what of the lady? Is she your wife?”

“She is an English subject returning to her home.” Nicholas watched the other man carefully, wondering what mischief would come of his infatuation. “I've been given the pleasure of escorting her there.”

“Indeed?” Andrew Sinclair digested the information eagerly. “I would enjoy being introduced to the lady.”

Nicholas debated the consequences of revealing Elise's association with Maxim. In England the sentiments against traitors were no doubt rampant with tales of more assassination plots against the Queen being bandied about, and when one considered this fellow's strong attraction for the lady, it was possible to imagine that Sinclair might seize upon any excuse to take her. Though he sincerely doubted that her father's name would be as well-known as her husband's, Nicholas offered it with
emphasis, hoping to dissuade the other's zeal. “This is Elise Radborne, none other than the daughter of Sir Ramsey Radborne.”

Sinclair recognized the name immediately. “Can she be the same Elise Radborne who was kidnapped from her uncle's house by the Marquess of Bradbury?”

Nicholas's face darkened, and he clasped his hands behind his back, refusing to gratify the man's curiosity. He had no way of knowing how widespread the reports were of Elise's capture, but it was obvious her abduction had started many tongues a-wagging.

The mate and the sailor returned from below deck, and together they heaved a barrel onto the planks. The English captain drew near to watch as they broke open the tops, and even from where she stood Elise sensed the Hansa sailors were up to some chicanery. She saw the mate grin and wink at Nicholas, and in a moment she understood their humor as the mate dipped a hand into the barrel and drew out a piece of dried cod which he waved tauntingly beneath the nose of the Englishman. That one faced away in obvious repugnance, eliciting the loud guffaws of the Hansa seamen.

“Ve have hogsheads of Hamburg beer, too,
Kapitan,
if you'd care for a draught,” Nicholas offered with a chuckle, then nodded to where the pair of horses were closely confined between makeshift timbers. “Ve even carry a pair of nags, as yu can see.”

“You may keep your fish, Captain, and your beer,” Sinclair replied, disdaining the fact that he had been made sport of. There was, however, a way
to wipe away the smirks of the Hansa seamen and perhaps win for himself the company of the uncommonly beautiful Mistress Radborne. “And please, let me not be remiss in thanking you for your hospitality, but I regret to inform you that you are under arrest . . .”

“Vhat?”
Nicholas leapt forward a step to shout the question in the other's face and, in seething agitation, he slashed his hand back and forth as if to negate the other's statement. “Yu have no authority to seize my ship, at least not by any lawful means! I don't care if yu carry a missive directly from yur queen. This is not England! So if ‘tis piracy yu have set yurself to, then let it be called that and naught else!”

Andrew smirked with lofty confidence, satisfied that he had turned the tables on the other captain. “You have aboard your ship valuable cargo . . . an Englishwoman, known to have been abducted by a traitor to the queen. How she came to be in your possession I cannot even presume to guess, but I've heard that her uncle has pleaded with the Queen to deal firmly with those responsible for her kidnapping. Though the royal sovereign still debates the matter amid the outcry of the lady's kin, I'd be remiss in my duties if I allowed any opportunity to save Mistress Radborne to slip past unheeded. Therefore, I must insist upon your arrest. I shall put a crew aboard your vessel, and you and your men will be taken prisoner and held in irons aboard my ship until we reach England.”

“This is an abomination of all the laws of the sea . . . !” Nicholas protested. “I'm taking the lady home! Not kidnapping her!”

“There's not the least touch of truth in your claims!” Elise avowed, incensed that Andrew Sinclair could use her presence as an excuse to arrest Nicholas. “I bade Captain Von Reijn to take me home. Should he now be punished because he agreed?”

“If that be the case, madam, then I shall be happy to escort you to my ship, and Captain Von Reijn may have leave to go his way.”

“Damnation!”
Nicholas roared.
“I vill not allow it! I vould sooner be arrested than let her go vith the likes of yu!”

“Nicholas, please.” Elise attempted to soothe his rage. “ ‘Tis but a simple thing . . .”

“Yu have been placed in my charge, Elise, and I vill not see yu seized for my comfort.” He drew her away and lowered his voice to a murmur as he spoke with firm conviction. “I failed yu once. It vould cause great conifict in my heart and mind to do so again.”

“You needn't fret so about me, Nicholas. I can take care of myself . . .”

He shook his head in sharp disagreement. “Yu could not in the
kontor;
yu cannot here. If Captain Sinclair takes it in mind that he vants yu, yu cannot stop him! Who can judge if he is a gentleman in so few moments?”

“Spence and Fitch would go with me . . .”

The Hansa captain snorted in derision as he directed her gaze toward the two who had hunkered down near Eddy's small stall. Their pallor was tinged with a greenish hue, and beneath sagging lids their eyes were dull and doleful. Neither looked
capable of handling themselves, much less the Englishman. If Nicholas ventured a guess, he would say both were presently battling an unsteady gorge. “The responsibility of yur safety was given me, Elise, and I cannot entrust it to another. As to that pair, ere ve veighed anchor both vere hanging their heads over the rail.”

Nicholas's features hardened as he stepped back to the Englishman, and when he spoke, his voice held a caustic sneer. “Since England is my destination in any case,
Kapitan
Sinclair, I've no objection being escorted there by yu, but if yu intend to imprison me or my men ere ve arrive . . . or take the Lady Elise aboard yur ship, I must refuse yur hospitality . . . in vhatever fashion may become necessary.” Sinclair opened his mouth and would have made protest, but Nicholas held up a hand to halt his threats. “Consider that yu have the ships to outdistance me and the guns to halt me should I be so foolish as to attempt an escape. ‘Tis a simple thing to be escorted to England; ‘tis not cheap to rebuild a splintered ship.”

“Your point is well taken,” Captain Sinclair conceded, recognizing the stubbornness of the Hansa captain. A confrontation would likely result in a bloody conflict, which, with the Englishwoman to bear witness, would likely result in a situation wherein he could be held to account. It seemed his course had been drawn for him, for he could neither blow the Hansa ship out of the water nor dismiss his threats against the captain without appearing the fool. “And your parole is accepted. I will lie off your windward beam with a broadside ready until we
reach the Thames, then I will drop astern and follow after.”

Stepping back, he gave Nicholas a crisp nod and, facing Elise, swept her a bow. “Until we meet again, Mistress Radborne.”

With arms set akimbo and feet braced apart Nicholas observed the departure of the boarding party. He waited until the grappling hooks were dislodged and tossed across to the other vessel, then he strode the deck, issuing brusque orders to his men until they were underway again. He knew what lay in store for them in England, but it had become a matter of pride now. He would show this upstart Englishman that he could not casually issue threats of arrest without having them and his authority tested.

L
ONDON WAS INDEED
a place of unrest. If not before, then surely after the Hansa captain and his men were arrested and carted away to Newgate gaol. And if not all of it, then surely the small portion at the quay where Elise set Andrew Sinclair back upon his heels. She gave him a fine sampling of her disfavor, venting her frustration at the outrageous injustice done in the name of protection. “You're not the keeper of my person and I decry any claims you make to that effect!” She only paused to take a breath as she further lambasted the astonished man. “Rather, you've portrayed yourself as a despoiler of honorable men! And I'll not rest until Captain Von Reijn and his men have been released from the gaol with your apologies! Believe me! ‘Tis my most fervent intent to go directly to the Queen to see this affront put aright. And if I've naught but a final breath to speak it with, I shall most certainly seek that end!”

In a vixenish temper Elise snatched her arm away as Sinclair tried to escort her to a waiting barge and told him sharply, “I'll have naught from you but the release of Captain Von Reijn and his men! So leave me be!”

Lacking an adequate argument to soften the lady's anger, Sinclair gave her over to the boatman's care and waited in confused silence as Spence discreetly hired a seaman to take Eddy and the mare on to the stable at Bradbury while Fitch loaded the lady's possessions aboard. The pair took their places well aft of the indignant woman, daring nothing more than a glance or two at the suffering man. They both were given to fretting over the lengths a man would go to take an innocent man into custody and what such a one might do if he came across the Marquess. They were in agreement that it was good fortune indeed that Lord Seymour had not made the crossing with them, for there was no doubt in their minds that he would have been arrested and taken to the Tower posthaste.

It was some time later when the sailing barge halted at the river stairs belonging to the grounds and manor house of Sir Ramsey Radborne. The baggage was unloaded, the waterman paid, and the chests carried to the front stoop. Captain Sinclair had managed to inform Elise that her uncle was presently residing in the manor with his family. She accepted the news with stoic demeanor, but promised herself that on behalf of her husband, she would present her arguments to the Queen until Maxim was restored to honor and to the place he loved.

A feeling of anxiety plagued Elise as she approached the manse from which she had once fled in fear. Her last memories of her imprisonment blighted the happier times when she had lived within the security of her father's presence. Had circumstances been
such that she could have foregone seeking an audience with Elizabeth, she would have traveled on to Bradbury Hall without stopping at the manse. Despite the protection Spence and Fitch provided with their presence, she was cautious about giving Cassandra any opportunity to seize her again.

The spacious hall was well-lighted, attesting to the occupancy of the house. A low murmur of voices came from the great chamber, and for a brief moment Elise thought she detected the mangled speech of her uncle amid the chatter, but the words were too faint and blurred to be heard distinctly.

“Mercy! ‘Tis the mistress!” The excited cry came from an elderly maid at the top of the stairs and did much to herald the newcomer's presence. “She's come home!”

Servants rushed from different parts of the manse until they neared the hall wherein she stood, then they came to stumbling, hesitant halts. From doorways, connecting halls, and behind large furnishings they watched her shyly, almost fearfully. There were more than a few who seemed distressed at her presence, and some who shook their heads in worry. None dared approach her, and much bemused by their reticence, Elise slowly crossed the hall, her hesitant steps echoing in the silence that now filled the place. The conversation had ceased in the great chamber, and now from all around her she was aware of being carefully observed. Finally, it was the tiny housekeeper, Clara, who hobbled forward to greet her.

In some relief Elise held out her arms to greet the ancient, remembering only too well that it was
this small, thin woman who had repeatedly risked life and limb to help her during Cassandra's reign of terror. “Have I grown horns and a spiny tail of late?” Elise questioned in amazement. “What is troubling everyone?”

“ ‘Tis yer Aunt Cassandra,” Clara answered in a hushed whisper. “She's livin' here wit' yer uncle now . . . as his wife.”

In wide astonishment Elise drew away to stare down into the small, wrinkled face of the old servant, hoping that she had misunderstood her. Surely even Edward Stamford would not be so foolish as to take Cassandra to wife. “Tell me ‘tis not true, Clara.”

“ ‘Ere be no doubt, mistress,” the diminutive housekeeper assured her. “Yer Uncle Edward an' yer aunt were wed shortly after ye were snatched away. The squire came here ta stay whilst he visited the Queen ta accuse the Marquess Bradbury o' yer capture an' ta press for his capture. Cassandra was probably a-eyein' the place waitin' for ye. She come up ta visit the squire, an' after settin' her eye on his riches, she must o' took it in her head ta stay on 'cause it weren't long ‘fore they wed.”

Perhaps more than anyone else, Elise was aware of the many faces of Cassandra. It was no great feat for the woman to ply her charms upon an aging old man. She was still beautiful enough to intrigue men of younger years, and a lonely widower would not have much of a chance to resist her.