“And get himself shot,” Jessica said. “There’ll be many men guarding Ethan and the others and they’ll be on the lookout for the Raider. You two need to distract the soldiers while I release the men.”
Abigail smiled. “Oh, I can distract them all right. Mother has made me a delightful costume. When Ethan sees it, he’ll—”
Jessica could not tolerate one more reference to Ethan’s virility. It had been much too long since she’d been alone with the Raider. She set her cup down with a click. “Let’s just hope the soldiers are interested.” She couldn’t help giving a glance toward Abby’s thickening waist. Married so recently and already with child. Jess refused to let herself think that she’d probably never have a child. At least not Alex’s child. No! She wasn’t going to think about the way he’d told her to get out of his bed. He had said he couldn’t sleep with her near him and he wanted her as far away as possible. Alex’s idea of love was quite different from hers.
“I’d better go,” Jess said as she stood. “Alex will be in here in another couple of minutes. You’ll have everything sewn by tomorrow night?”
Mrs. Wentworth put her hand on Jess’s arm. “I knew we could count on you, Jessica. The rest of this town may be willing to sit back and wait for the Raider to save them, but I knew I had to do something.”
“And, too, we knew you had to hate the admiral as much as we do since he’d made you marry Alexander,” Abigail said.
Jessica clamped her jaws together over a nasty retort. “Do you hate Alex because he tricked Ethan into marrying you?”
Abigail’s face changed to an expression of love. “I guess I owe Alex a favor.”
“Will you be able to get away?” Mrs. Wentworth asked Jess.
“That’s going to be the hardest part. I might get Alex’s father to help.”
“Sayer? He wouldn’t go behind his own son’s back, would he?”
Jessica frowned. “Mr. Montgomery is…disappointed in his youngest son and he’s very interested in what is being done to us by the English.”
Mrs. Wentworth nodded. “Go on now, there’s Alexander again. You know, dear, there’s more to marriage than what happens at night. Alex seems to care very much about your welfare.”
Jess looked out the window to see a scowling Alex starting up the porch steps. “Yes, he does. I’ll meet you tomorrow night at ten o’clock. Have everything ready.” She left the house, opening the door just as Alex raised his hand to the door knocker.
“What did you talk about?” Alex demanded.
“Good afternoon, Jessica,” Jess mocked. “Did you have a good time? Were the cakes-fresh?” She looked at him. “We’re planning to single-handedly overthrow the English government and start our own rule. What do you think someone talks to Mrs. Wentworth about? She showed me some silk she’d bought, she complained about the servants and told me what a delightful houseguest the admiral is.” Jessica was amazed at how easy the lie was. Probably because it was for a good cause, she decided.
Alex squinted his eyes at her, as if he were trying to decide whether or not to believe her. He pulled her arm through his. “Come on, let’s get home. There’s work to be done.”
Jessica groaned. “Alex, couldn’t we take a walk together? Down to Farrier’s Cove maybe.”
Alex looked at her hair, her face, held her fingers against his arm and thought of the secluded, private little cove. “I’d never survive that,” he said and started toward the house.
Jessica went with him, wondering how bad his health really was. She was becoming rather attached to this man. In fact, there were times when she thought he was handsome.
* * *
Alex removed the heavy satin coat and hung it on a peg on his bedroom wall. He glanced at his watch before putting it on the chest by the window. Three minutes a
fter midnight. His father had insisted he play chess with him until this hour, ignoring Alex’s many hints that he’d like to go to bed. The past few days of following Jessica had nearly exhausted him. He was constantly on the alert, sure that she was going to do something utterly foolish, and he’d not been able to slip away to Ghost Island for some exercise. Also, being around Jessica so much, the way she constantly touched him, the way she bent and moved, all of it so unconscious on her part but so very exciting to him, was wrecking his health. He’d had to throw her out of his bed just so he could get some sleep.
All in all, he didn’t know how much longer he could withstand his agony. But every time he decided he had to tell her he was the Raider, something would happen, like Ethan Ledbetter being sent off to serve in the King’s Navy. Then Alex saw the light in Jess’s eyes, that light of the crusader, and knew that if she knew she was so close to—and had so much power over—the Raider, he’d never be able to deny her anything. He had a sickening vision of Jessica tearing across the countryside wearing black, her hair flowing behind her. The English would arrest her within minutes.
So for days since the announcement of the conscription, he’d not let her out of his sight except to comfort Mrs. Wentworth and Abigail. He’d not wanted to do that, but Jess had asked so nicely and had leaned forward so far that her scarf had gaped open. He’d said yes before he had known what he was doing.
With a grimace, he remembered her saying that she could persuade the Raider to do whatever she wanted. Alex didn’t like to think of what Jess would try to get away with if she knew she were married to the Raider.
He removed his vest and started to unbutton his shirt when he thought he’d better check on Jessica. She’d been asleep when his father had asked to see him. This morning Jess and Sayer had spent two hours closeted together and, twice, the household had heard Sayer’s voice raised in protest.
When Jessica had left the room, she’d looked somewhat subdued but with a light of triumph in her eyes. Later, Alex had been asked to play chess with his father. Alex had been angered at the invitation. Jess, it seemed, had spent two hours trying to persuade a father to spend time with his own son.
Alex had wanted to refuse the invitation, but instead he’d worn his biggest wig, his pink satin coat and an emerald ring on his little finger. Just before entering his father’s room, Alex had borrowed a heart-shaped patch from Marianna and stuck it on his chin just to the left of his mouth. Marianna had looked ready to cry when Alex had turned toward her.
Alex had had new resolve when he’d entered his father’s room. For the four hours he had been in there, he hadn’t spoken much, just won game after game from his father. His father might have thought he wasn’t manly, but he now had no doubt as to his son’s intelligence.