She drew in her breath at the bold proposition. “How?”
He grinned. “Mother’s inheritance ought to go to something worthwhile, don’t you think?”
She shook her head. “It’s for your future. Your security.”
“I have enough security. Aunt Virginia might be a little overbearing, but even before you decided to give me Mother’s inheritance, she promised to pay for law school. Mother meant her inheritance for you. Use it. Find him.”
Elizabeth couldn’t hold back the tears. “How did you manage to grow up so wise and honorable and generous in such a short number of years?”
“I had great examples.”
“Mother.” Her compassion and grace far surpassed what Elizabeth could muster.
“And Rourke.”
24
It didn’t take long for Elizabeth to spot the holes in Charlie’s idea. She could not travel by ship unescorted, and there was no one to travel with her. Caroline would not do. Not only was she unmarried and Elizabeth’s age, but she could not return unescorted, which is precisely what she would have to do.
Since Rourke was a fugitive from the law, Elizabeth must remain on Harbour Island. Though Father had promised to give Anabelle to her, he had not yet done so. Therefore, Rourke had helped a slave escape to freedom. He would go to jail if he set foot in Key West or any state in the union.
Aunt Virginia certainly wouldn’t go with her. She despised wreckers in general and still thought Rourke more a pirate than a suitor. Elizabeth had no choice but to trust that God would reveal an opportunity.
Until then, she intended to discover where Captain Poppinclerk was located. Though Charlie dismissed her fears, she could not rest until she knew his whereabouts. That very afternoon she walked to the harbor to make inquiries of the shipping agents. The short distance proved taxing, even with the cool breeze.
As she neared the harbor, she heard the growl of machinery and shouts of workmen. A new warehouse was under construction. The coral rock foundation was already in place, and workmen were raising heavy beams with ropes and cranes. Elizabeth tilted back her head to watch.
“Best stay out of the way, Miss Benjamin.”
Elizabeth looked for the source of that warning and spotted a familiar figure. “Mr. Worthington. You are still here?”
He bowed. “At your service.”
“I expected you to rejoin Captain O’Malley at the first opportunity.”
“I shall, but no ships are headed that way.”
She caught her breath. Perhaps this was the opportunity she sought. A young bachelor might not be considered a respectable escort, but she trusted Tom. He would see her safely to Harbour Island. Moreover, he would not need to return.
He peered at her with an odd expression. “Is the sun too hot, miss? You look peaked. Let’s step into the shade.”
Her cheeks must have flushed at the thought of seeing Rourke.
Tom was well-mannered and respectful. He would do, if she could convince him. No doubt he would balk at the impropriety of a young man escorting a young lady on a sea voyage, but he might do it if he thought Rourke would approve.
He started for the shade and then, seeing she did not follow, came back and offered his arm. “Pardon, miss. I should have waited.”
She gave him an encouraging smile. “The fault is mine. I was lost in thought.”
They walked across the street and into the shade of gumbo-limbo and mahogany trees.
“You’re thinking of the captain, aren’t you?” he asked softly.
How could she deny it? Yet her throat constricted at the thought.
“He’s safe,” Tom said. “You can be sure of that.”
Elizabeth let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Do you have information? Have you learned something?”
Like her brother, Tom insisted Rourke would have been brought back by now if he’d been caught.
The thought of capture made her dizzy.
“Are you all right, miss?”
She shook her head to clear it. “I’m simply anxious.”
“Don’t be. The captain had a solid beam reach and clear sailing. I reckon he made the crossing in record time.”
She knew he was trying to ease her fears, but when one died down, another popped to life. “What if Captain Poppinclerk went after him?”
Tom laughed. “He didn’t go anywhere, thanks to a sharp cutlass.”
She gasped. “You killed him?”
“Naw, he got so scared he ran off like a rat in floodwaters and tripped over his own feet. He’s been nursing a broken nose well out of sight of the ladies.”
Under other circumstances, the description would have amused her, but she must be certain that he had not pursued Rourke. “Then he is still indisposed?”
“Very much so.”
That quieted another fear but not all of them. Until she saw Rourke with her own eyes, she could never find peace. That meant making the crossing to Harbour Island.
“I wonder,” she began softly, “if I might ask a favor.”