Capturing the Pirate's Heart (The Emerald Quest Book 1) Page 18

  He jerked his head to the vacant land next to the house. Across a low stone fence through the foliage of a large magnolia tree, the tiered vaults in the cemetery shone in the moonlight.

  “Tie her to that tree.” He moved in until his face was mere inches from hers. “Not a word. Not a sound or a scream from you…or I will come back and slit your throat. I promise you of that.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Captain!” Sébastien recoiled as a small figure bulleted from the darkness and hit him squarely in the stomach. He caught his breath and looked down at a mop of red hair.

  “Jake. What in God’s name are you doing out at this late hour?” His stomach clenched as the boy began to speak quickly and incoherently. “Slowly. Take a breath and tell me what the matter is.”

  “They made me. They made me pretend I was saying goodbye.” The lad hitched a sob.

  “Who did?”

  “That scoundrel, Dirk and the other two. They took Miss Madeleine, sir. They took her.”

  Heat flashed through Sébastien’s body and his pulse beat rapidly. He forced himself to calm as he flexed his fingers. Crouching down, he looked the lad in the eye and he spoke firmly. “Just tell me clearly, where did they take her?”

  “To the house in Rue Toulouse where the lady with the necklace lives.”

  “No, lad. That cannot be.” Sébastien frowned and shook his head. “That lady is dead and the house is gone.”

  “Well, that is where they were going when I managed to escape.” Jake looked back at him with wide eyes. “They wanted the necklace.”

  Sébastien’s gaze dropped to the lad’s neck and realized it was stained with blood. “Did they harm you?”

  “It is only a nick. Can I come with you to rescue Miss Madeleine?”

  Sébastien stood and looked toward the Maiden while he thought. “I need you to help me and it is a very important task that I will give you. I don’t have time to write a letter, so you must listen carefully.”

  Jake nodded and did not speak.

  “I want you to go straight to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. It is a tavern on the corner of Rue St. Philip.”

  “I know it, sir.”

  “That is where you will find my crew. Tell them I need help and I need at least six men. Lead them to the end of Rue Toulouse. Tell them Miss Madeleine is in danger.”

  The young lad turned away but Sébastien touched his shoulder. “Tell them it is a matter of life and death and to come prepared…and come quickly.”

  Sébastien took a precious moment to run up the gangplank of the Maiden, down to his cabin and threw the berth ticket on the table, not giving any regard to it. He reached above the alcove where Madeleine had first hidden, and opened a secret panel at the side. The pistol that he kept secreted there was oiled and ready for use. He tucked it into his boot and ran for the ladder.

  ***

  Madeleine waited only a few minutes after the three men crept around the back of the two-story wooden house. When the man with the strong accent had tied her hands, she had held them apart and it had been too dark for the man to see the gap between her wrists as he had secured the rope. She had even feigned a cry of pain when he had pulled the rope tight and looped it over a branch above her head.

  Time was of the essence, and as soon as the men were out of sight, Madeleine slipped her hands from the rope. She gathered her skirts and ran in the other direction as fast as she could without making a sound. If she were to escape them, she must get as far away as she could. As she stepped over the low fence, a shiver ran down her back and the hairs rose on the nape of her neck. Slowly, she walked through the marshy ground to the first row of vaults. It was very different to the church graveyard where her family was buried in the village in England. Long shadows loomed ahead of her as she walked slowly between the two-story vaults. She reached the end of the first row at the back of the cemetery and her feet sank in the soft ground. She lifted her foot and her slipper pulled free with a loud squelch. A slight breeze picked up and a keening sound surrounded her.

  It is only the wind blowing around the tombs. But rationalizing the reason for the sound did not stop the goose bumps that rose on her arms.

  A dog barked in the distance and as Madeleine turned to the sound, it was followed by a bloodcurdling scream. Lamplight glowed in the upper story of Josephine’s old house and guilt ran through her as she feared that the men had killed someone because of her lie about the necklace. Step by step she backed away and stifled a scream as something brushed her hair. Madeleine swiveled around, her hands batting at the air, but it was only a tangle of vines hanging from a tree. The deeper she walked into the cemetery, the thicker the vegetation grew where the swamp had reclaimed the graves.

  She looked around as fear crawled up her spine. The only way back to the streets that were filled with light and people, was past the house, and the three men were sure to come out if she went that way. All around her were vaults and crypts leading down to a yawning darkness and she searched for a place away from the side of the cemetery near the house, and high enough to hide behind. The wind picked up and the moon was obscured by a scudding cloud, and the cemetery was plunged into darkness. She closed her eyes as fear crawled in her chest. It was only a short while before the wind dropped and the cloud cleared away. Madeleine opened her eyes and gasped as fingers of mist rose eerily between the vaults. Feeling her way, with her hands outstretched in front of her, she touched a cold slab of marble and walked around to the other side before dropping to the damp ground, her hands over her eyes. Chasing Aunt Josephine’s necklace was an impossible dream, she should have realized that happiness and security had been hers to grasp all along—Sébastien wanted to settle down in Hawaii, and if only she had seen that was where true happiness lay—in the future, not in the past.

  But now it was too late.

  ***

  All was quiet at the end of Rue Toulouse where Josephine and Francois du Bois had once resided. Sébastien had known the house well, having visited there on a number of occasions to do business with François before he died. The events of this night disturbed him. There was no necklace to be found in the house. The house had been razed to the ground two years ago. He focused on the task at hand, refusing to let thoughts of failure enter his mind. He held onto the hope that Madeleine was still alive. He would not let himself think anything else. A sour taste filled his mouth. She must be safe—he could not fail her, too. Guilt wracked him and it was like a physical blow to his stomach. He had taken her innocence and now she had been kidnapped because he had left her alone.

  He stood beneath the magnolia tree that had once been in Josephine’s indoor garden, wondering where they had taken her. As he stared down at the ground deep in thought, the moon shone on a length of rope thrown on to the pavers that had survived the fire. As he bent to pick it up a stealthy movement caught his eye.

  “’T is only us Captain.” He recognized the deep voice of his second mate as five more figures materialized in the darkness, followed by the young cabin boy.

  “Well done, lad.” Sébastien reached down and squeezed his shoulder. “You worked quickly.”

  “Where is she?” The young boy’s voice broke as he struggled to catch his breath.

  “I don’t know. I am at a loss to understand why she would lead them here.”

  “Sir,” Jake interrupted him. “Miss Madeleine never said to me that the house had burned down. I don’t think she knew. She told them it was the last house before the cemetery.” He pointed to the next house where a lamp shone softly in the window. “Look.”

  Sébastien followed Jake’s gaze and drew in his breath. A couple of figures were moving stealthily through the room on the top floor of the house and he would wager that one of them was Dirk.

  “You’re right.”

  A hushed conversation with the second mate and they devised a plan to surprise the men. Jake was to wait here—in case anyone else came—and Sébastien would look for Madeline in the house
while his men overpowered Dirk and his henchmen.

  Together they moved to the back of the timber building, their movements masked by the noise of the rising wind. Sébastien looked up, the moon was completely obliterated by cloud and there was a smell of rain in the air.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Madeleine was nowhere to be found. The thieves had been overpowered and restrained and were on the way to the new police building that Carondelet had recently established as a response to the crime in the town. Sébastien’s second mate was ministering to the elderly woman who had been alone in the house when the men had broken in. She was crying and shaking her head saying she knew nothing of the chest or a necklace they had insisted was in her room.

  Sébastien’s despair grew as they searched every room of the house, in case the men had locked Madeleine away. Dirk and the men denied knowledge of her whereabouts, even under the threat of keelhauling. The man with the Creole accent had finally admitted he had tied her up and left her beneath the tree on the vacant lot beside the cemetery.

  Sébastien had insisted that Jake go back to town with the crew but the young cabin boy had refused.

  “I won’t leave until we find her.” Jake was of the same mind as Sébastien. Madeleine was here somewhere; she had to be close by. “Sir, it’s not your fault.”

  Sébastien stood beneath the tree staring over at the cemetery. “Oh, yes, lad. It is. It has been my fault from the minute I chose not to turn back to New Orleans when she was first discovered on the boat.” He ran the length of rope between his fingers. “Can we trust that they really have no knowledge of where she is? Or did they kill her when she showed them to the house?” He gave a bitter laugh. “The wrong house. No matter what, I can’t wait here. I am going to search here.”

  “And I.” The boy’s voice was strong.

  “I want you to go to town in case Miss Madeleine has escaped and is wandering around lost. If you find her, take her back to the Maiden and get a message back to me.”

  Jake nodded slowly, obviously seeing the sense in Sébastien’s words. He watched as the young lad disappeared into the darkness and then he walked back to the tree. For some unknown reason, he felt closer to Madeleine there. The trunk of the tree was rough on his face as he leaned against it. He closed his eyes as a soft rain began to fall.

  I have failed her. If she is dead I will avenge her death. His dream of the islands no longer held appeal for him and he knew he had made the wrong decision today when he had booked a single birth. He loved Madeleine and she was as necessary to him as the air he breathed. His life would not be worth living if she were gone. He slammed his fist onto the hard bark of the tree in front of him.

  What could I have done differently to keep her safe? His chest closed and he clenched his hands in frustration.

  “Sébastien?”

  At first he thought he was hallucinating as the soft voice reached him. Opening his eyes, he looked past the tree. Madeleine was walking through the long grass toward him, an ethereal figure coming out of the mist. Her hair was loose and the raindrops on her head glistened in the moonlight. He stumbled back a step, unable to believe his eyes until she held her arms out, wondering if he was seeing a ghost.

  “Sébastien?” This time her voice shook and with a deep groan he reached for her and enfolded her in his arms. She was real and warm, and soft against him. He buried his face in her hair and his eyes were wet with tears.

  “I thought I had lost you. I thought you were gone from me forever and I could not bear it.” His voice was muffled against her thick tresses. “Where did you go?”

  “I escaped and hid in the cemetery, but I was so worried that they would hurt someone.” Her soft body pressed into his and he tightened his arms around her. He would not let her go.

  “I watched from the cemetery while your men took them away. Did they…did they…find the necklace?”

  “No.” He stepped back and looked at her. “Because you sent them to the wrong house.”

  Madeleine’s shoulders sagged and she stared at him for a long moment.

  “This is where your aunt’s house was. We are standing on the pavers that formed her indoor garden. This magnolia tree survived the fire.” He put his forehead against hers. “It was a pretty room with tinkling water that came from a fountain that was right here beneath the tree.”

  As he watched, her eyes widened and a smile crossed her face.

  “Safe at rest, at home. In the water, by the water, in the garden,” she whispered. “Now I know.”

  “What did you say?” He leaned in and framed her face with his hands.

  “Nothing. It is no longer of importance. All that matters to me is that you are here…and that you wanted to find me.”

  He whispered her name and then he brushed her temple with his lips, the relief that she was alive, mingled with the love that he felt for this woman. As his mouth moved to claim hers, he felt the smile that still tilted her lips.

  “Of course I did.” He would not tell her of his doubts. They were gone and he knew that he would go with this woman to wherever she chose.

  Together, they stood for a long time in a close embrace on the pavers.

  ***

  Madeleine had decided that her future lay with Sébastien and not with discovering the family heirloom. She had begun this journey by searching for what she thought would bring her true happiness. If she hadn’t started on that path she would not have found Sébastien. He was where she would find her true happiness. She looked down as he held her in his arms. If she was right, the object of her quest was beneath her feet, Great Aunt Josephine had buried it there for a reason and there it would stay. Her diary did not say that it was to be found.

  The moon painted a ragged silver edge on the clouds as a chorus of frogs croaked in the cemetery. Sébastien tilted her chin and placed his mouth on hers. His breath mingled with hers as he repeated the question he had asked once before.

  “So shall I take you back to England or will you travel with me to the Hawaiian Islands and become my wife?” He stared down at her. “With no regrets?”

  “I have no regrets. I will be proud to be your wife and I will come with you to your islands.

  Sébastien gathered her close and Madeleine knew she had chosen the right path. She loved her pirate and would follow him to wherever he took her.

  “I would follow you to the ends of the earth…without any regrets, my love.”

  “Shall we investigate further? Seek Josephine’s belongings?”

  Madeleine shook her head slowly. “No, the necklace can stay safe. I do not believe that it was Aunt Josephine’s intention that it be found, but we will never know. Not unless we find her diary.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I am sure.”

  Sébastien lowered his head and gently claimed her mouth, and Madeleine smiled just before her lips opened to his. She knew she was loved for herself, and not for any family heirloom.

  Epilogue

  Madeleine Leclerc sat on the warm sand watching the gentle waves break on the shore. The plump toddler who lay back against her chest sat up and pointed to the water in excitement as a sleek figure swam toward the beach.

  “Papa.” The little girl squirmed with excitement.

  “Yes, Catherine, it is your Papa, and if we are lucky he shall have caught our dinner.” Madeleine watched as her husband stood in the clear water and waded toward her.

  His black hair was plastered to his head, and his eyes were full of laughter. White teeth flashed in a tanned and ruggedly handsome face and she remembered the first time she had seen his face. But no longer was Sébastien in the muddy waters of the Mississippi River. She looked up at the lush green hills to the house that he had built. Acres of waving sugar cane surrounded the house, and the jeweled sea surrounded their island home. She looked to the east and noticed a boat pulling away from the pier. A red-haired young man ran along the grassy hill toward them.

  Sébastien walked from the water
and picked up the cloth she passed to him, wiping the water from his face. “Jake appears to be excited about something.”

  He sat on the sand beside them and Catherine plopped onto her father’s lap. “No fish today, my sweet girl.”

  “Sébastien.” Jake waved a parcel as he approached them. “The new seeds have come from Kauai.”

  “Then we have work to do, Jake.” He flicked a lazy grin at Madeleine and the warmth rushed straight to her belly. Even after three years of marriage, he only had to look at her and she turned into the wanton wench he had introduced to the pleasures of love on the Maiden.

  “Madeleine, there is a letter for you as well.” Jake threw a packet into her lap and she picked it up curiously.

  She ran her finger along the edge and opened it, pulling out a single piece of paper.

  “Oh, Sébastien. It is a reply to the letter that I wrote to Uncle Titus last year.” She smiled as tears filled her eyes. “He has travelled back to Bellerose Hall and he has hired back the servants to keep the estate running while he goes on another mission. My drastic action to escape him made him realize how many lives had been changed because of what he had done without thought. He has joined the London Missionary Society and is now in Tahiti. He seems a much softer man, now. And happier.”

  Happiness overwhelmed her as she read the last few lines of the letter. “He apologizes for arranging my marriage and for telling that horrid man about the necklace he had read about in the diary. He tells me that Jed, our gardener, sends his regards and that the roses at Bellerose Hall are more beautiful than ever this year.” Madeleine stared across the water. It was thousands of miles to Bellerose Hall. “I only have one regret.”

  Sébastien held the baby firmly with one hand and took Madeleine’s hand with the other. “Do you miss your home so much, my love?”

  “No… this is my home.” She smiled up at her husband. “I just wonder what became of Aunt Josephine’s diary.”