Teach’s eyebrows rose. “Did you?”
She nodded, blushing. “Yes. Looking back, I realize how
foolish I was. I had planned to steal away, or else pay someone to let me on board.”
Teach smiled. “Not so foolish. I planned to be captain.”
“Did you?” Anne asked.
“Yes. My father doesn’t like to hear me say it. Even if everything hadn’t worked out in our favor, I had no intention of
marrying Miss Patience. I had no idea how to approach the
subject with him, but I was determined to be on board when
the Deliverance left port.”
“If our plans had worked, we would have been together
anyway,” Anne said.
Teach took her hand in his. “Always.”
Now it was Anne’s turn to smile.
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C H A P T E R 3 2
Anne
“I’m sorry, but I have no desire to return to the city,” Anne said.
It was late afternoon two days after their visit to the Deliverance, and her breath came out in soft puffs of white. Her fingertips were numb.
She and Teach had gone for another walk in the garden, the
grass beneath their feet long dormant. The limbs of the bushes and trees appeared lifeless, suspended in their frozen states.
“Are you sure?” Teach asked.
“Quite sure, but thank you,” she said. It was time to return
the last remaining items to the house. For the past few days she’d risen early and gone to the two willows, hid the stolen silverware in her skirts and cloak, and returned them to their original places when no one was looking. Only a small number of objects remained, as well as all of the coins she’d collected. She’d decided to give the money to Elizabeth and her family, as well as to Sara.
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“It won’t take me long. I promise to return soon,” Teach said.
“You can’t go into the city like that,” Anne protested.
“Like what?”
She eyed the dark scruff on his chin. “You look like a pirate.
Has your father seen you?”
“No, my father is too concerned with his ship at the moment,
and I have had more important things to do in the morning than to bother about my appearance.”
“Oh, really? And what was so important?”
“Coming to see you,” Teach said, pulling her toward the
shadow of the garden wall.
“We live under the same roof. You see me every day,” Anne
pointed out.
“Trust me, I’m well aware of that fact.” His arms wrapped
around her, and his mouth covered hers.
Anne felt a surging tide of warmth that left her breathless,
and she kissed him back.
Eventually he lifted his head, his eyes bright. “When I
return, perhaps we can go for a ride. Is that all right with you?”
Anne managed to nod.
“Good.” After one last lingering kiss, Teach turned and
strode toward the waiting carriage.
As it pulled away, Anne paused, an uncomfortable feeling settling inside her. The sooner she completed this task,
the sooner she could relax. There would be no more secrets
between them, and Anne could begin her new life with Teach,
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for she could not imagine spending it with anyone else.
Glancing back at the house, she paused and scanned the
windows. She couldn’t help feeling as if someone were watching her, but there were no movements anywhere.
She was being ridiculous. It was her guilt that made her
feel this way, for surely she was the only one foolish enough to remain out in this cold.
Shivering, Anne ducked beneath the archway and entered
the wilder realm outside the Drummond grounds. With brisk
steps she approached the willows, grateful to put this part of her time in the Drummond house behind her.
As Anne swiped aside the long branches, her heart stopped
at what she saw—or, more important, her heart stopped at
what she didn’t see.
The chest was gone.
Rushing forward, she looked around the base of the two
trees and at the surrounding ground, but the chest was not there.
“Is something wrong?”
Anne spun to find Margery standing several feet away, a
flicker of triumph lighting her cold eyes.
The buzzing in Anne’s ears started low but grew sharper,
more piercing. “No, I . . . I just needed some fresh air.”
Margery smiled. “Aye, you often seem to require quite a bit
of fresh air, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Your early morning walks. You enjoy rising early, before
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the rest of the house. You were never that industrious as a maid.”
“What do you want?” Anne asked, wishing she felt as fear—
less as she sounded.
“Master Drummond would like to see you. He’s waiting for
you back at the house.”
Anne turned even colder, and her mouth went dry.
Margery stepped away but stopped when she noticed that
Anne hadn’t moved. “I suggest you come with me now. He’s not
in a favorable mood.”
This time Margery waited for Anne to precede her. Anne’s
mind raced with each step. Her pulse drove in erratic surges,
and her chest was tight with fear.
He knew.