The carriage pulled away.
“I have to tell you—” Anne began, but Teach silenced her.
“Shhh, no, don’t,” he said, unable to bear it. If William had
indeed harmed her . . .
“No, it has n-nothing to do with me. He . . . he did not
hurt me.” Teach snorted, but Anne remained firm, even as her
teeth chattered from shock. “He might have, if . . . if you hadn’t come. He was frightened I would tell you about them.”
“About whom?” Teach asked.
“William and Patience. William is the one who accused you
of piracy. And Patience is pregnant with his child.”
Teach froze, his hands resting on Anne’s arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, concern for him evident on her face.
Teach stared at her. “You’re sorry? Why would you be
sorry?” he asked, incredulous.
Anne swallowed. “Because William is your friend. And
because I was the one who had to tell you. I overheard them
in the garden.” A look of disgust filled her eyes. “They deserve 3 0 8
each other. I don’t understand why the two of them don’t just marry.”
“After tonight they will have no choice,” Teach said.
“But why didn’t they simply do that in the first place? Does
Patience truly love him?”
“I believe she may. William makes her laugh. The two of
them have much in common, caring more about parties and
appearance than books or learning. It seems that while I was
gone, their attraction to each other merely increased.”
“Then why didn’t the baron choose William to marry her?
Why you?”
“Because the Duke and Duchess of Cardwell would never
agree to it. On more than one occasion, I overheard them
talking about her. They see Patience for what she really is, a spoiled, manipulative girl. And they wanted more than a baron’s daughter for William.”
“But William is no better,” Anne said bitterly.
“But he is their son. They’ve spoiled him and are too afraid to admit that they were wrong to supply his every whim.” Teach exhaled loudly. “I should have suspected something.”
“William believed charging you with piracy would get Lord
Hervey to change his mind about your match. But it didn’t.”
“No, it didn’t. And knowing Patience as I do, I believe she
was torn. She loves her father and knows how much he needs
my father’s money. That was why she couldn’t break off the
betrothal outright.”
3 0 9
Anne leaned into him, and Teach closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of her body against his.
“Will they claim the baby is yours?” she asked.
“They might try. That was why they were rushing the
engagement.” Looking back, everything made sense. The note
Anne found had been intended for Patience.
“What will you do now?” she asked.
“Marry you,” was his simple response.
Anne met Teach’s gaze. Her mouth tilted up at the corner, and
a bright glint entered her eyes. “And if I’m not ready to marry?”
“Then I will wait.”
“Is that a proposal?” she asked softly.
Teach grinned. “Perhaps. Will you accept?”
“Perhaps.”
“What would it take to convince you?” he asked.
“It’s not me you have to convince. It’s your father.”
Teach brushed her hair behind her ear. “My father can have
no objections now. You’re Andrew Barrett’s daughter and more
of an equal match for me than Patience ever was.”
Anne appeared unconvinced, but remained silent.
In the shelter of the carriage, Teach held her close, her heart beating against his chest.
“You’re going back there, aren’t you?” Anne asked.
Teach frowned. “I should. I wish I could leave it until
tomorrow, but I’m afraid of what Patience and William will say if they’re given enough time to concoct some other story. The
3 1 0
best time to catch them in their lies is now, when they haven’t time to regroup. I must go and explain my case.”
The carriage pulled to a stop. Teach jumped out and walked
Anne up to the entrance of the house. “I’m sorry for leaving you so soon.”
“I’ll be fine. You must tell your father what I heard. Come
and find me later.”
“Always,” he said.
Teach waited until Elizabeth appeared and took Anne to
her room before he bounded back down the stairs toward the
carriage. This would not take him long. Word of what had happened had no doubt spread throughout the party.
Teach instructed the driver to return to the Cardwell estate.
By the time he arrived, the last of the guests were entering
their carriages, no doubt disappointed that the grand party had been cut short. The lanterns out front flickered in the wind,
and the green garlands and topiaries looked forlorn instead of festive.
Inside the large house, Teach followed the butler down
the long, deserted hallway. He heard the loud voices before he entered the drawing room. Both the duke and the baron were
crouched over William where he sat in the corner of the settee.
A bloody cloth was pressed to his nose, and his head was tipped back to staunch the flow.