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  When they reached the dock, Brian saw two dinghies tied there. The pirates boarded the small boats and headed toward the schooner. Badeau sat in the front of the first dinghy, as if eager to reach his ship.

  As Brian watched, the boats returned for the rest of the crew. It took several trips to bring them all. After all the men were deposited on the ship, both dinghies returned to the dock, and the two rowers went back up to the house. Brian counted the men as they boarded. By his calculations, only six men were left at the plantation.

  He worked his way back through the underbrush toward the Mississippi, wondering where O’Rourke and Murphy were with the merchant ship. He hoped Badeau didn’t meet them coming up the river.

  By the time Brian reached the tree where he had rested the day before, he was exhausted. Too many hours without sleep left him unable to continue on. He climbed the tree to take a quick rest. The next thing he knew, a squirrel landed on his stomach, startling him awake to the early evening light. He jumped, and the animal scrambled away, leaping from the limb of Brian’s tree to an adjacent one. Then it turned and chattered at him.

  “Don’t worry,” Brian whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He felt foolish talking to a wild animal. It had been too long since he had a person to talk to. Maybe he could sneak into the house and see Angelina tonight.

  He looked down and across the river, hoping to catch sight of Señor Fuente’s ship. It wasn’t there. Brian climbed down from the tree and moved closer to where the pirate ship had been anchored before Badeau boarded it. The cove was empty. Brian moved toward the plantation house and kept watch from the bushes.

  Two men patrolled the grounds, one at the front of the house, the other at the back. They sat on the ground, leaning against tree trunks. It would be easy to get past these guards.

  As she had the evening before, Angelina came out on the balcony and looked up at the stars. Not wanting to startle her, Brian sneaked toward a tree near the end of the balcony. Careful to be quiet, he shimmied up the trunk. He inched out onto the largest limb that pointed toward the house, testing with each step to make sure the branch was strong enough to hold his weight.

  “Pssst,” he hissed.

  Angelina looked around.

  As he moved farther out on the limb, it began to sway. “Please don’t make any noise,” he whispered.

  Angelina turned and saw him. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with one hand as if to keep any sound from escaping.

  Even though the branch was getting much smaller, he moved closer to the house. “I’m going to drop onto the balcony.”

  Angelina looked out into the darkness. “Where are the guards?”

  “They can’t see this spot from where they’re sitting.” Brian took hold of the branch with both hands and dropped until his body hung suspended below it. He swung his feet a couple of times until he could grasp the closest pillar with his legs.

  She moved closer. “Do you need my help?”

  “No. I can make it.” When he let go of the branch, he launched his upper body toward the column and wrapped his arms around it. After clinging to it for a moment, he slipped down until his legs touched the railing.

  Angelina stood beside him and gave him her hand to help him down. As soon as his feet were planted on the floor, he swept her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. Her dainty hands grasped the front of his shirt, and she began to weep.

  “Shh,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m here now.”

  After a moment, she looked up at him. “I knew you would come back. God gave me the assurance that you would, even though the pirates decided you’d been eaten by an alligator.”

  Brian placed his hands on either side of her face and drank in her beauty. “Maybe it’s a good thing they thought that. It kept them from hunting me down.”

  Her eyes seemed to devour his face, too. “You look different.”

  He rubbed one side of his jaw. “I darkened my beard to keep the pirates from recognizing me in New Orleans.” He pulled her back into his arms.

  “Badeau is going to attack another ship on the Atlantic.”

  Brian stepped back and took her by the shoulders. “That’s a good thing. If Badeau is gone for a while, we’ll have time to get you and your aunt out of here. I have one of your father’s ships and crew with me. I’m waiting for them to come up from New Orleans. When they arrive, we can easily take the six men who are left here. By the time Badeau and the rest of his men come back from their raid, the governor’s men will be here waiting for them.”

  Angelina shivered. Brian hoped she wasn’t too cold. He pulled her back into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head.

  “So my father knows about the attack and kidnapping.” She whispered the words against his shirt.

  “He heard about the ship going down. He was mourning your death when I arrived in St. Augustine. Now he awaits your return.” Brian couldn’t stop himself from dropping a kiss into her hair. He knew he didn’t have a right to, but he had waited so long, and she willingly came into his arms. Maybe she would forgive his transgression.

  He turned her face up and studied her eyes. “I can’t stay here.”

  “I know. But just knowing you are out there keeping watch over me and Aunt Elena gives me a feeling of peace.” She clutched his shirt with both hands. “You will be careful, won’t you, Brian?”

  He liked the sound of his name on her lips. All he could do was nod before he moved away and started climbing over the railing into the dark shadows below.

  Thirteen

  Once again, Brian slept in the treetops on the bank of the Mississippi River. Dreams danced in his head all night long. Angelina on the Angelina Star, Etienne Badeau’s angry face, Señor Fuente when he found out the daughter he thought dead was still alive, Angelina slipping into Brian’s embrace. He leaned down to bury his face in the hair on top of her head and awoke with a start, probably from the sound of his stomach’s fierce growling. If he didn’t get something to eat soon, he would lose too much strength. After stretching his muscles, he lowered himself down the tree. He could already feel some weakness as he grasped the trunk. He lost his hold before he reached the bottom. The impact with the hard ground did nothing to ease his aches and pains.

  He bent over, braced his hands on his knees, and took several deep breaths. After straightening, he peeked through the underbrush toward the river. The musty smell of damp leaves carpeting the ground rose in the summer heat. Not far away, he spotted the St. Augustine, Señor Fuente’s merchant ship, coming upriver toward him, the fishing boat tied behind it. Finally!

  Brian stepped between the bushes and waved with both arms to get Captain O’Rourke’s attention. After signaling back, the captain pointed toward the bayou. Brian gave him an affirmative salute. The ship pulled out of the flow of the river, and Captain O’Rourke dropped the anchor in the more tranquil pool. Soon he and Murphy had a dinghy in the water headed toward where Brian stood on the bank.

  After throwing a line to Brian so he could anchor it to a large rock beside him, O’Rourke jumped into the shallow water, then climbed up the dirt embankment. When he reached Brian, the captain thrust a cloth bag into his hands. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  Brian opened the drawstring and peered down at a chunk of brown bread, some cheese, and a link of smoked sausage. His stomach gave a loud rumble.

  “It sounds as if I’m just in time.” O’Rourke chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.

  Brian nodded, his mouth already filled with the wonderful food. After he finished chewing his first bite, he asked, “What took you so long getting back?”

  O’Rourke glanced around the swampy area. “I didn’t know how long we’d have to wait out here, so I decided to take on provisions in New Orleans before we sailed upriver.”

  “That was probably a good thing. Etienne Badeau and most of his crew sailed downriver about the time I thought you would be coming upriver. If he’d seen you, that might
have given him cause for concern.” Brian sank his teeth into the sausage, releasing a burst of tangy flavor.

  “We saw a large schooner go by while we loaded the provisions. I wondered if it was his, but the ship wasn’t flying a pirate flag.” O’Rourke slapped at his neck.

  Brian knew the insects were bothersome in this place. The bites he’d sustained were as aggravating as his other aches and pains. “When we came here, I heard some of the sailors talking about lowering the skull and crossbones before we entered the mouth of the Mississippi. Evidently he got word of a ship carrying a fortune, and he couldn’t pass up the chance for it to be his.”

  “I thought you said he wanted to stop his piracy and settle down on the plantation.”

  Brian shook his head. “Who knows what the man will do? He’s a lunatic.” He took another bite of the spicy meat. “He only left six men at the house. At night, two of them stand watch, but evidently they don’t think anyone can find the place, because they aren’t careful at all. I sneaked onto the balcony and talked to Angelina. I would have helped her escape right then, but her duenna isn’t strong enough to get away. So I decided to wait for you to come back.”

  O’Rourke’s gaze took in everything from the bayou to the treetops. “I don’t see any plantation house.”

  “It’s up the bayou a ways.” Brian gestured toward a narrower part of the waterway, where weeping willows hung out over the water from both sides, their limbs intermingling. “Between those trees.”

  O’Rourke sat on the big rock where the boat was tied. “What do we do now?”

  “I’d like to capture the pirates, but I’m afraid we’d have a hard time controlling them. When Señor Fuente contacted the governor, I’m sure he sent some of his men to help us. They can arrest the pirates and take them to the capital for trial.”

  “I heard word on the docks that a government ship was expected in New Orleans in a day or two.”

  Brian took the last bite of the nourishing food, finally feeling satiated. “Maybe we should send someone back to New Orleans in the fishing boat to bring them here. We could move this ship a little farther up the river to another cove. There’s less risk of one of the pirates seeing it there. If any of them go to New Orleans to drink, their boat will have to come through this part of the bayou.”

  O’Rourke stood. “With so few men there, don’t you think they’ll stay and guard the women?”

  “I don’t want to take any chances.” Brian handed the empty sack to the captain.

  The two men got in the boat, and Murphy rowed it to where the merchant ship was anchored. Murphy and a seaman named Godwin took the largest dinghy downriver, riding the current to help them get to New Orleans faster. Brian showed O’Rourke the cove where the ship would be safer from detection by the pirates.

  O’Rourke left a skeleton crew on the boat. The rest of the men accompanied him and Brian through the wilderness that surrounded the plantation house. Each man had a small cloth bag with provisions for the day and a flask of fresh water taken from the barrels on board. By midmorning, fifteen men were hidden in the wooded area surrounding the mansion.

  Brian chose to be on the side closest to Angelina’s room. He hoped to catch a glimpse of her. Just seeing her would settle his mind.

  ❧

  When Angelina awakened, her first thoughts were of Brian O’Doule. Where was he right now? How soon would she see him again? If he had been captured, she would have heard something. After he left last night, she wasn’t able to go to sleep. She could still feel his arms around her. His masculine smell haunted her, making her long to catch a whiff of it again. He smelled of open air and honest sweat. Her fingers still tingled from the rock hardness of his muscular chest.

  Shortly after midnight, Angelina had gone out on the balcony. She had studied the shadowy trees across the lawn from the house, wondering if Brian could be in one of them. Had her father’s men returned? Were they waiting until daylight to capture the pirates? Knowing that help was within reach was even worse than waiting for Brian to return.

  Because of her late-night excursion on the balcony, Angelina had slept late. When Walter knocked, bringing their breakfast, Angelina was so filled with jubilation over Brian’s visit that she didn’t think she could hide her joy from the Englishman. She kept quiet, hoping he would think she and her aunt were still asleep. Surely he would bring the food back later.

  Angelina threw on her wrapper and walked into the parlor, surprised that Elena wasn’t already up. She knocked on her aunt’s door, but no answer came. She pushed the door open far enough to peer around it. Her companion was still in bed. Was she sick? Or was something worse wrong? Angelina’s heart raced.

  When she tiptoed closer, she saw the gentle rise and fall of her aunt’s nightgown over her chest, so she was breathing. Angelina started to leave the room but decided to check to see if Aunt Elena had a fever. When Angelina laid her palm against her aunt’s brow, it felt cool, so she backed toward the door, trying not to make any sound. Before she reached it, Aunt Elena stirred.

  “Angelina?” The frail woman’s voice sounded thready.

  “Yes.” She returned to her aunt’s side.

  “I’m sorry I slept late.” Aunt Elena laid the back of her arm over her eyes. “I’ve been so tired lately.”

  Angelina smiled. “It’s all right. I didn’t get up early, either. I was awake late into the night.”

  Aunt Elena scooted up in the bed and rested her back against the headboard. “Are you worried about the pirate being gone?”

  Angelina leaned against the side of the bed and crossed her arms. “Actually, I’m excited. Brian came back last night.”

  Her aunt gasped.

  “He sneaked onto the balcony and talked to me.”

  “Where is he now? Can I see him?” Aunt Elena’s color returned and her eyes sparkled with life.

  “Brian has seen my father, and he sent some of his men to help. Brian is waiting for them to come up the river. They could be here today.”

  Aunt Elena turned to climb out of the bed. “We must get dressed so we’ll be ready for them.”

  Angelina took her hand. “We don’t know when they will rescue us, and we must keep their presence here a secret. So we can’t let Walter guess that we know anything.”

  “Where is Walter? Why didn’t he bring us breakfast?” Aunt Elena asked, walking toward her dressing room.

  Angelina laughed at the change in her aunt. “He did, but I didn’t answer his knock. I’m sure he thought we were still asleep. He’ll probably bring it again soon.”

  Both women were seated in the parlor by the time Walter brought their breakfast for the second time. Aunt Elena opened the door. She sniffed appreciatively at the appetizing smell that greeted her. She followed Walter to the table and sat primly on one of the couches.

  Angelina looked out the window to hide her smile. Was Brian out there now, watching the house? A shiver of anticipation danced down her spine.

  “Thank you, Walter.”

  Aunt Elena’s words brought Angelina’s attention back toward the meal. She caught her aunt’s smile as the Englishman retreated. The return of her duenna’s manners, even though the man couldn’t understand what she said, gave Angelina hope. In a most unladylike manner, her duenna started shoveling food into her mouth. After so much time without an appetite, Angelina was glad to see her taking sustenance.

  “This is delicious,” Aunt Elena said between bites.

  Angelina laughed. “We’ve been eating the same thing for breakfast since we came here.”

  “But it hasn’t tasted this good.”

  When Walter returned to pick up the dishes, Angelina watched him carefully. Did his eyes look astonished at the absence of leftovers on her aunt’s dishes? She had left a few bites in her own bowl to try to ward off his suspicions. He glanced at Angelina, and she feigned an expression of indifference.

  As soon as Walter shut the door, she breathed a prayer. Oh, Father God, please keep Walter
from noticing anything.

  Fourteen

  After midnight, while the pirate guards snoozed at their posts, Brian made his way to each of his men stationed in the woods. He told half of them to return to the cove where the ship was anchored. They would sleep for four hours, then take the place of the other men. Brian accompanied the first group to the St. Augustine. It felt good to stretch out on the bunk in his cabin. He slept for several hours before Captain O’Rourke knocked on his door to awaken him. Morning sun streamed in through the porthole.

  “The ship with the governor’s men is coming up the river,” O’Rourke announced, the excitement in his voice vibrating throughout the room.

  After the captain left, Brian washed up and put on clean clothes. By the time he reached the deck, the other boat had dropped anchor in the murky water of the bayou. A sailor rowed the captain of the governor’s guard to the St. Augustine. Brian greeted the governor’s man and accompanied him to O’Rourke’s cabin.

  “Captain Herrera, this is Captain O’Rourke.” After the two men shook hands, Brian offered the newcomer a straight-backed chair and took a matching one. “So, what are we going to do now?”

  Herrera turned his attention from Brian to Captain O’Rourke. “Governor Garrido wants us to capture Etienne Badeau. If we can get him, it should destroy this gang of pirates and make ocean travel safer. Señor Garrido looks forward to having a public trial and execution in St. Augustine. He wants to use it as a warning to any other pirates who might be lurking around this colony.”

  Brian took measure of the man seated before him. He appeared to be a seasoned soldier who knew what he was talking about. “I believe we can capture most or all of the pirates without endangering the women. Badeau wants to marry Angelina, so he has been kind to her and her aunt, except for keeping them prisoner.” Brian propped his forearms on his knees. “Angelina overheard Badeau telling one of his men that he’d heard about a ship carrying a lucrative bounty, so he took off to capture it.”

  Herrera nodded. “I heard about that ship, too. But just as we sailed away from St. Augustine, it was about to dock there to unload its cargo. If Badeau left only a few days ago, he’s too late.”