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  Elena gasped, and Angelina clasped her hands close to her throat. Brian wished he could protect her from everything, but he felt that she needed to know what Badeau had in mind. He had to escape and go for help, and he couldn’t take her with him. He hoped, if she understood the pirate’s plans, she wouldn’t be too worried about Badeau harming her when he discovered Brian was gone.

  Brian stood and paced across the room. He turned around and looked back at the women. “I’m going to escape tonight.”

  Angelina jumped up and rushed to him. “Take us with you.” She grasped his upper arms as if they were a lifeline.

  Brian gazed into her pleading eyes. This was going to be harder than he thought. He didn’t want to deny her anything, but he knew there was only one way to save them. “I can travel much faster alone than if you were with me. Having the two of you along would almost guarantee our recapture. I will return as soon as possible with help.”

  Angelina looked stricken for a moment. Then she threw her arms around him and buried her head against his chest. “Do what you must,” she whispered. “But it will be awful here without you.”

  ❧

  When the house had quieted down, Brian dressed in the darkest clothes in the chest. He stuffed a change of clothing into a pillowcase. The doubloons went into his pocket along with the nail. If he weren’t afraid of waking someone, he would have gone up on the first floor to try to find the weapons room. Walter had told him about it. But he was certain Badeau kept the weapons locked up when they were at the plantation, and Brian knew he would make too much noise or take too long trying to pick the lock.

  When he opened the door to his cell, the rest of the basement was in total darkness. Good. That meant the moon wasn’t bright tonight. He took the lamp with him to help him find his way across the larger room and up the stairs to the outside door. Carefully, he inched it open and peered out. None of the pirate guards were visible on this side of the house. He let the door down softly and set in his mind exactly where he was. Then he backed down the stairs and blew out the lamp, leaving it beside the wall. After scaling the steps once again, he opened the door and slipped into the dark night.

  He crept around to the front of the house, then ran across the clearing toward the trees on the side away from the bayou. All the time, his senses remained alert for the slightest sound that would signal someone was near.

  He succeeded in reaching the sheltered undergrowth without detection. Earlier in the day, he had heard some of the pirates talking about slipping away to the settlement of Baton Rouge now that Badeau had gone to New Orleans. When their boss wasn’t around to watch over them, they liked to frequent a pub there.

  If Baton Rouge was close enough for the pirates to slip away for a drink, Brian figured he should be able to find the place, too. Perhaps he could get some help there, or at least discover a way to return to St. Augustine.

  Although the moon wasn’t bright, it did give enough light to help Brian find his way through the trees. He crept through the underbrush in the direction of the Mississippi. When he could see the water rippling in the waning moonlight, he kept it in sight as he made his way upriver toward the town. It couldn’t be too far if the pirates went there to drink.

  When dawn started to paint the sky with light, he still hadn’t reached any settlement. He climbed a tall tree the way he’d climbed the rigging on the ship. Near the top, he settled into an area formed by three branches coming together on the trunk. He curled up in a ball and rested his head on the stuffed pillowcase. He would nap there until it was dark again. He hoped he wouldn’t snore and alert someone to his presence.

  ❧

  Arturo de la Fuente didn’t even open the mercantile for two days after the whaling captain brought him the news about the Angelina Star. When he did open the store, he didn’t care whether he sold anything or not. How could he go on without his Angelina?

  His housekeeper, Bridgett Lawson, had done her best to get him out of his dark mood, but nothing helped. Day after day, she prepared his favorite meals, and most of them went uneaten. So she gave the food to any family she could find who needed a good meal.

  “Well, now, you’re just going to be a bag of bones if you don’t start eating again.” The woman’s cheery voice didn’t help him a bit. “You’ve got a passel of friends and customers who depend on you.” She set in front of him a steaming plate piled with scrambled eggs and biscuits that Arturo knew would melt in his mouth. “Come on. You need your strength.”

  Arturo looked up into her smiling face and tried to return her smile. He was sure the effort didn’t quite make it. “Thank you, Bridgett. What would I do without you?” He couldn’t keep the plaintive tone from his voice.

  She plopped down in the chair across the table. “What indeed?” Buttering her biscuit, she said, “You know, Mr. Fuente, I wouldn’t be so sure that everyone on the ship was lost. What if another ship picked up survivors but couldn’t take the time to bring them home? They could be on their way even as we speak.”

  He knew she was trying to help, but nothing could change what had happened.

  A knock on the front door interrupted the woman’s conversation.

  Bridgett patted him on the hand. “Now, you just sit there. I’ll get it.” She arose and hurried through the house.

  Arturo strained to hear who was at the door, but the only sound he heard was his housekeeper’s loud gasp. He jumped up and made haste to join her. “Who is it, Bridgett?”

  “It’s me, Señor Fuente.” A voice he never expected to hear again greeted him.

  Arturo grabbed the edge of the open door. “Brian?. . .Is that really you?”

  The man who stood in the doorway sounded like his right-hand man, but he looked much older than when he had left for Spain about six months ago. His black hair hung longer than Arturo had ever seen it, and a brown beard covered the lower half of his face. Brian had never worn clothing like he had on now. Where had he come from, and what had happened to him? But more important. . .

  “Where’s my Angelina?” The words came from his throat sounding like a frog’s croak.

  The silence that followed his question was deafening.

  Bridgett finally broke it. “Now, come right in here and join us for a bite to eat, Brian O’Doule.” She led the way to the kitchen. The two men obediently followed.

  Arturo slipped into his chair and leaned his shaky arms against the side of the table. He looked up at Brian, waiting for him to answer his question.

  The Irishman stood with his hands behind his back. “I have a lot to tell you, sir. Some of it good. . .some not so good.”

  Arturo nodded. “Go on.”

  “Angelina is alive and well.”

  The words brought jubilation to Arturo’s heart. He jumped up. “Take me to her. I need to see her.”

  Brian cleared his throat. “That isn’t possible right now.”

  Arturo leaned on the edge of the table, then sank back into his chair. “Why not?”

  Brian’s gaze darted around the room while he collected his thoughts. “Let me start at the beginning.”

  The story was a long one, but Arturo sat and listened without interrupting, trying to understand all he heard. Pirates. . .Angelina and Elena captured. . .Brian acting as translator. . .the sinking of the Angelina Star. . .a plantation in Spanish West Florida. Such a fantastic story!

  “Señor Fuente.” Brian slid to his knees beside Arturo’s chair. “I must ask your forgiveness.”

  Arturo gazed at him through tears. “Why do I need to forgive you?”

  Tears also glistened on the Irishman’s cheeks. “I was the lookout in the crow’s nest. I was distracted, and I didn’t see the pirate ship soon enough to outrun her. It’s all my fault.”

  Arturo didn’t know what to think. Maybe it was Brian’s fault, but maybe the pirate ship would have been too fast to outrun anyway.

  “Why did you leave my Angelina at that plantation house?” His voice held accusation in it, but he di
dn’t care.

  Brian stood and pushed his hands into his front pockets. “I prayed and prayed, and I felt God leading me. We couldn’t all have escaped. I don’t believe Badeau will harm the women. I wanted to rescue them, but I’ll need help to do that. I didn’t know who I could trust in that area, so I made my way to Baton Rouge. I used one of your doubloons to buy a horse. I found a hostler who was coming to St. Augustine to pick up a coach and team for his employer, and I convinced him to let me ride along. That’s the only way I could have found my way through the wilderness.”

  “How did you get one of my doubloons?”

  Brian looked at Bridgett, then back at Arturo. “I picked the locks in the basement where they kept me locked up. Then I broke into the treasure room and took a few coins so I would have some money if I needed it. That’s how I bought provisions for the trip, too. I’ll pay you back the money I spent, and I’ll give you what I have left.” He pulled one hand out of his pocket and held up a doubloon.

  Arturo stood. “I’m not worried about the money. Let’s get back to figuring out how to rescue Angelina and Elena.”

  The two men talked a long time before Brian went home to get some rest. He would return later to finalize plans. They agreed that the only way to really be safe from Badeau would be for the governor to send his men to arrest him. Without that, the pirate might follow them and attack them as they were trying to return to St. Augustine.

  Arturo’s heart started to feel alive again. Angelina wasn’t dead. They were going to rescue her. Brian may have been partly to blame, but Arturo didn’t want to think about that now. He wanted to celebrate the fact that he hadn’t lost his daughter. With a lighter step, he went to open the store.

  ❧

  Brian had thought it would be harder to convince Señor Fuente to forgive him. The man was so glad to know his daughter still lived that he didn’t seem to hold a grudge.

  When Brian returned to the store the next morning, Arturo agreed to give him any help he needed. They outfitted one of Señor Fuente’s ships that was already in port with everything they thought the men would need to rescue Angelina. Arturo put Brian in charge of the expedition and assigned Captain O’Rourke, the commander of his ship St. Augustine, to accompany him, along with his crew and several additional men.

  Arturo said he would contact the governor and have him send some of his guards to New Orleans, but Brian needed to be on his way as soon as possible. The sooner they got the women out of danger, the better.

  Brian stood on the deck beside the captain as they sailed south from St. Augustine, Florida. “Have you ever been in the Gulf of Mexico?”

  “Yes. We sailed to New Orleans once.”

  “Good. That’s where we need to go.”

  The crossing of the gulf was uneventful. The only problem they encountered was trying to find the mouth of the Mississippi. After they had finally entered that waterway and started toward the port city, Brian and the captain met for supper and a planning session.

  “I was below deck in the brig when we sailed upriver,” Brian said, “so I’m not sure how to get from New Orleans to the plantation house. But I heard the pirates talk about a pub in New Orleans called the Pirate’s Lair. The men like to go there whenever they’re in the area.”

  “What’s your plan?” Captain O’Rourke laid his utensils beside his plate and tented his fingers.

  “A couple of the men and I could dress like pirates and frequent the place until I see one of Badeau’s crew. Then we could follow them back to the plantation.”

  O’Rourke squinted. “What about our ship? Won’t they recognize that it’s a merchant vessel?”

  “There are lots of coves and channels off the river. We could hide in one of them and get into town on one of the smaller boats.”

  “This sounds like quite an adventure.” The captain smiled at Brian. “Merchant captains don’t get much adventure. I’ll personally accompany you into New Orleans.”

  Brian laughed. “If it’s adventure you want, I’m afraid you’ll get more than you ever dreamed of.”

  Ten

  The morning after Etienne Badeau said he was going to New Orleans, Walter brought breakfast for two to the women’s room. Angelina asked him in Spanish where Brian was, but the Englishman just shook his head, not understanding what she said to him.

  Except when Walter brought their meals, she and Aunt Elena were alone in their rooms. No more excursions into the yard, not even to wash their clothes. Oh, how she missed Brian O’Doule. And not just because his presence allowed them to leave their room. The twinkle that always lit his eyes brought a sparkle to her life that nothing else could.

  Often when Brian translated the pirate captain’s words, it sounded as if Brian were speaking to her for himself. Angelina knew he wanted to protect her and Aunt Elena, but it was more than that. Something in Brian called to something in Angelina’s own heart. Since he had been gone, Angelina experienced a loneliness she had never felt before. One way she felt closer to him was by reading his beloved Bible.

  “Mi ángel.” Aunt Elena stood in the doorway of the parlor fanning herself with her handkerchief. “What are you doing out here?”

  Angelina sat in a chair on the balcony with Brian’s Bible open on her lap. “I’m reading.” Her right hand smoothed the corners of the pages that flapped in the breeze.

  “What are you reading?” Elena glided across the floor and leaned against the railing. “You seemed so engrossed.”

  Angelina smiled up at her. “Brian O’Doule had a different kind of relationship with God from the one I’ve had. I wanted to find out why.”

  Her duenna came close enough to look at the words. “Does this book tell you about it?”

  “Yes.” A gentle breeze once again ruffled the pages of the book in Angelina’s lap. “I’ve always believed there is a God, and I’ve known Jesus was His Son; but I’ve never felt a connection to Him.”

  Aunt Elena nodded. “He’s up in heaven, and we’re down here, so you wouldn’t feel really close to Him, now, would you?”

  After closing the book, Angelina stood and joined her aunt beside the railing. “I’ve been reading that Jesus came to earth to die for us.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard about that.”

  “But He wants to be part of our lives, too.” Angelina didn’t know how else to express what she felt deep in her soul.

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Aunt Elena shook her head. “How could He be part of our lives?”

  Angelina turned her face into the wind to let the breeze blow through her hair. It felt almost as if someone were running their fingers through the strands. “Do you feel the wind?”

  “What a silly question. How could I not? It is the only thing that keeps us from melting in this place.” Aunt Elena dabbed her sticky forehead with her handkerchief.

  “I can’t see the wind, but I know it’s here, because I feel it.” Angelina picked up the book and clasped it to her chest. “When I read the words Jesus spoke when He was on earth, I feel Him around me just as much as I feel this breeze. I can almost hear His voice speak the words to my heart. I believe that’s what Brian O’Doule felt, too.”

  Elena looked out across the yard toward the water of the bayou, which reflected the afternoon sun. “How do you get that feeling?”

  “Sometimes when I read, I talk to Jesus. One day, I told Him that I want Him to be a part of my life. I want to follow Him.”

  “Do you think it did any good?” Aunt Elena started through the door. “If Jesus wants to help us, He can let Brian rescue us from this place.”

  “He will.” Angelina followed her into the parlor.

  “We don’t even know if Brian is still alive.” Aunt Elena dropped onto a settee and picked up her needlework. “The pirates have been searching for him every day, but they obviously haven’t found any sign of him. None of the small boats are missing, so he couldn’t have escaped.” She set to work with a vengeance, punching her needle into and out of
the fabric.

  If Brian had managed to get away, maybe they would be rescued soon. But what if he lost his way in the wilderness or one of the pirates found him? If it wasn’t so dangerous to let Walter know that she spoke English, she could give him a letter for her father and ask him to mail it for her. Perhaps she could convince him without talking to him.

  Angelina sat at the desk and dipped the pen in the inkwell. She quickly filled a page of parchment. She described the pirate’s attack on the Angelina Star and explained how Brian O’Doule had protected them and helped them. She told him she was sure she would soon see him again. Then she closed the missive with sealing wax. It was almost time for supper. She hoped Walter would accept the letter and post it for her.

  ❧

  In the early evening, a glow from the lights of New Orleans beckoned around a bend in the Mississippi. Brian stood on the quarterdeck of the St. Augustine beside Captain O’Rourke. He pointed out a place on the riverbank where the dark path of water led toward a break between the trees. “That would be a good place to take the ship, wouldn’t it?”

  After agreeing, the skipper gave orders to his men. Because the holds of the merchant ship were empty, it rode high in the water, making it easy to skim between the sand bars that lined the closer banks of the small tributary. A little farther into the channel, the water widened into a pleasant cove overhung with branches. O’Rourke turned into it and dropped anchor.

  “Should we make our way into town tonight?” The captain sounded eager, ready for action.

  Brian shook his head, though he hated to disappoint the man. “It would be easier to go in the daylight since we don’t know what we’re looking for. And we don’t want to draw undue attention to ourselves.”

  Waiting wasn’t something Brian liked to do. Here he was, so close to Angelina, yet so far away. What hurdles stood between him and rescuing the woman he loved? He knew he should go down to his bunk and get some sleep, but restlessness kept him on deck long into the night. Just how far was it to the plantation house from New Orleans? He could only guess since he had been in the brig when they made the journey upriver last time.