Page 49 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“They are going to hang him, I am certain of it,” she replied, sitting down next to Catherine, who patted her hand.
“We do not know that, yet. There is always hope,” she said, glancing at Rebecca.
But no amount of reassurance could alter Samantha’s dark thoughts, and by the time that Catherine left, she felt even more despairing, despite her strange encounter with Strap.
“Perhaps he is planning to raid the prison. He might have a whole army of pirates just waiting,” Rebecca said, trying to cheer Samantha’s spirits.
But it was to no use and Samantha took to her bed that afternoon, crying herself to sleep at the thought of losing the one man she loved beyond all others. It was Rebecca that woke her, knocking loudly at the door, and she was annoyed to have been awoken from the brief respite of sleep. She sat up, yawning, as the door burst open and Rebecca came hurrying in, excitement spread across her face.
“Would you believe it, there has been a break in at the home of Nox’s uncle and aunt. It is the talk of the ton. It happened while they were at luncheon. Three intruders ransacked the place. Thank goodness you were here and not there, I would have been beside myself. Nicholas can tell you the details, he has just come in with the news,” she exclaimed.
At these words, Samantha leaped out of bed, astonished at this remarkable revelation. She pulled a shawl around her and hurried after Rebecca, finding Nicholas and Duchess Sinclair in the drawing room.
“I have just heard the news from Rebecca. Do you know what was taken?” Samantha asked.
“Papers and letters, by all accounts. Nox’s uncle is beside himself, livid with rage, and his aunt is quite distraught. Apparently, they have taken correspondence stretching back years, irreplaceable, and there is more, too. Your father has discovered other documents to be missing. The Naval Treaty was in Nox’s pocket, but there were other papers, too, which casts doubt over Nox’s guilt. Why was he not found with them and only with the Naval Treaty?” Nicholas said, furrowing his brow.
“It is clear that there is a gang of thieves operating. We must take extra precautions, Nicholas. Think of the silverware, it is priceless, and my Japanese vases, a gift from Emperor Hirohito, himself,” Duchess Sinclair said.
“Oh, Mother, I do not think these men are interested in your old pots, but this changes everything. If these thieves are still at large, then it casts doubt upon Nox’s guilt. They could easily have been the ones to steal your father’s papers, Samantha, and slip one of them into Nox’s pocket to throw everyone off the scent. And now they have struck again there can be no question of his involvement,” Nicholas said, and Rebecca clapped her hands together in delight.
“How wonderful, what a marvelous mystery to be mixed up in,” she exclaimed.
But Samantha was not convinced. It seemed odd to think of a gang of thieves stealing documents. Why would they steal correspondence for Nox’s uncle and aunt, unless–?
“Strap,” she whispered.
Just then, there came a commotion in the hallway and the cry of one of the maids. Samantha looked up in surprise, just as the door to the drawing room burst open and Strap stood before them clutching a bundle of letters triumphantly in his hand.
“My Lady, I have everything we need,” he declared, as the others looked at the pirate in amazement.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The hard wooden boards reminded Nox of his first nights at sea. When he had first come on boardThe Rosa Mysticahe had slept below deck on a bunk without a mattress and with only a thin blanket to cover him. The prison cell was no different, except here it was lock and key which prevented him from leaving, rather than the vastness of an ocean.
His spirits had lifted at Samantha’s visit, but they had soon fallen into the depths when his mind had returned to contemplating the futility of his situation. It was hopeless, and Nox knew that the gibbet and noose were his only destiny. Perhaps he deserved it, he reasoned to himself. His years as a pirate deserved punishment, though he had always thought himself to be a man of honor and decency.
It seemed ironic that now, when he had done nothing wrong, he was being blamed for a crime of the most terrible proportions. Nox had wished only to be a gentleman, living quietly with his wife. Samantha was the love of his life, the very reason for his newfound happiness, and now that had all been taken away from him, the last act a terrible finale.
Lying on his back, gazing up at the ceiling of his cell, listening to the rats scurrying back and forth, Nox found his mind wandering. He closed his eyes, exhausted and longing for sleep. He thought ofThe Rosa Mysticaand the days spent at sea, happy, carefree days, when nothing mattered but a strong wind and the stars to guide them.
Life had been far easier back then, simple, even. He had known who he was and why he was. He had been a pirate, feared across the oceans, a man with purpose and opportunity. Now, he hardly knew himself, caught up as he was between worlds, unable to remember anything but a dog called Achilles. He cursed himself, rolling over and sighing.
Sleep came at last, a broken sleep, like the rising and falling of the ocean. He was back on boardThe Rosa Mystica,shouting orders to the men. Strap was there, the two of them hauling at the ropes, the sails pitching in a storm. It was a storm just like that on the night he had first come on board, the ship rocking from side to side, as waves crashed over the bow.
Nox was holding on for dear life, crying out to Strap to save him. But the ship was no longerThe Rosa Mystica,but another ship. His uncle and aunt were there now, and his parents, too, the man and woman in the portrait. Waves lashed against the ship. Confusion was all around. A shout came from the lookout on the stern.
“Pirates! Pirates!” and Nox was knocked off his feet by the rise and fall of the ship.
“Help me, Father,” he cried out, as his mother let out a scream.
Suddenly, Nox remembered. He sat bolt upright with a gasp, sweat pouring down his brow. There was no mistaking it, the memory was clear and vivid. The ship had not been wrecked, the pirates were not responsible, and Nox had not fallen into the sea, only to be rescued. He had been pushed.
* * *
It took a few moments for order to be restored to the drawing room. Nicholas at first thought Strap to be an intruder and called for the footmen to have him removed. Duchess Sinclair had accused him of being the wanted thief until Samantha had explained who the raggedly dressed man was. She herself was just as confused, for Strap was talking excitedly, wielding the papers in his hand, before thrusting them toward Samantha.
“Look, My Lady, look at what I have,” he cried, as Nicholas called for quiet.
