With the manners befitting
a Naval officer
, Tom stepped forward, folded one hand in the small of his back, and bowed low before her father. “Lord Haverly, a pleasure to meet you.”
“A Navy man, you say?”
One
bushy grey eyebrow arched approvingly, and
India
began to relax.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Good good, fine work. Come in. I must repay you for the return of my daughter.” He beckoned to the door.
“Father.”
India
rushed forward to catch his elbow. “Mister Bennett and I have been travelling for days now. Perhaps he would enjoy a bed?”
He nodded slowly, the way he always did when he had forgotten social protocol and didn’t want to seem ungentlemanly. “Indeed, I had intended to offer nothing less. We’ll put him—”
“
India
Anne Prescott!” Colette cried as she flew out of the door. Her rotund weight nearly knocked
India
onto her backside as Colette captured her in a hug. “You’re home. Praise God, you’re home and alive.”
Doing her best not to wince at her maid’s exuberant greeting,
India
kissed both of Colette’s cheeks. “Perhaps we should take this reunion inside? I would like to sit a spell in the parlor I’ve missed.”
“Yes, come, come, you look atrocious, dear. Simply atrocious. And you’ve lost weight.” Colette pinched
India
’s cheeks. “Your father can see to our guest. I will see to you.”
As they stepped toward the door, an imposing figure
emerged to block
their entry.
India
’s blood turned to ice.
Richard.
She hadn’t prepared to greet him so soon. Hadn’t thought for a moment
that
he would be visiting with her father so late at night.
He edged Colette out of the way and caught
India
’s hands in his rougher ones. “Miss Prescott, words cannot define how grateful I am to see you.” He brought her close, brushed his lips over her cheek. But his cordial kiss lacked the warmth he had once exhibited. His embrace was limp, and he quickly released her, as if he could not bear the thought of touching her.
She summoned the smile she always used on him, a mix of slight affection and subtle deference. “Mr. Grey, I’ve thought of you often.” And all the ways she’d like to wring his neck.
Colette placed a firm hand on Richard’s chest, urging him to step aside. “Come now, Mr. Grey, you may have your reunion with your intended on the morrow. She needs her rest.”
With that, Colette grabbed
India
’s canvas from Tom, whisked her into the house and up the grand staircase to her bedroom. Once inside,
India
rubbed her perspiring palms on her trousers and took a deep breath. To pull this off successfully, she’d need Colette’s aid.
Obtaining
it, however, would be as difficult as convincing the woman
that
corsets were now out of fashion and skirts fell to the knees.
As Colette lit the lantern on the ornate walnut vanity,
India
sat on her perfectly made bed of down and folded her hands in her lap. “Colette, if ever you have truly loved me, I need your aid.”
The older woman’s face washed white with concern. She sat down on the edge of the bed and took
India
’s hand in her larger, pudgier one. “What is it, dear? Did they…” A frown tugged at her brow. “Did that monster abuse you?” Sitting taller, she pursed her lips and huffed out a breath. “If he did, we’ll have every ship at sea hunting him. When they find him, we’ll see to his hanging.”
India
almost rolled her eyes at the proposed punishment. It was exactly what Cain faced if he were caught, regardless. And her father’s ships, along with the Navy, undoubtedly had been searching for her this whole time.
She bowed her head and shook it. There was only one way to deal with Colette when it came to objectionable matters—put it to her directly. Present the facts she could not argue. Then she would be forced to discover a means of turning the objectionable into appropriate.
In a quiet voice,
India
answered, “I cannot marry Richard.”
A cool hand rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. “You’ve had a difficult time, dear. We all understand that. Mr. Grey’s a fine match. He’ll make a good husband, even if you object to his appearance. He’s been worried sick about you.
Why he returned from
France
the instant he received word of your capture, and
I don’t
believe
the man has slept a wink
since
.”
India
flopped onto her back, having heard much of the same argument too many times to count. “He objects to the
potential
loss of my
father’s
money. But that’s not the matter at hand, Colette.”
“What is it then, dear? I’m sure Mr. Grey would be willing to give you time to recover. It must have been terribly stressful for you.”
Exhaustion tempted
India
to turn into the soft mattress and escape the coming carriage-wreck this conversation would cause. To avoid it, she pulled herself back into a sitting position and looked her maid squarely in the eye. “I cannot marry Richard because I am already wed. To Theodore Cathain. Cain. The
pirate
who Richard betrayed.”
In twenty years, not once had
India
seen any indication Colette was capable of fainting. But her face turned so white she looked like a ghost, and she grasped at the tall bedpost to catch herself from falling.
India
rushed to her maid’s side. No. This wouldn’t go smoothly at all.
351
Bound By Decency
37
“D
aughter, you haven’t left the house since your arrival.”
India
’s father set his hand on the open ledger beneath her nose, covering the entries with his lace cuffs. “I believe I should send for the physician and postpone this trip to
London
. They will do without me at Mrs. White’s this month.”
Lifting her gaze, she tried for a convincing smile. “Father, I’m quite well. You know I don’t take to the rollicking of the sea. Go on to
London
.” Three days of his constant hounding about her ordeal had delayed her ability to review the accounts with Tom. She wouldn’t have her father postpone his meeting for anything. His absence gave her the time she needed, and if she managed to find the necessary proof before he returned, her father and all his acquaintances would be in one place. Simplifying the matter of summoning them to her home.
To reinforce her objection, she nodded at Tom. “Mister Bennett and I need to finish our review and decide whether North Atlantic Freight can support the acquisition of a new ship and an additional run.”
“This is a matter you should discuss with Richard.” Her father’s bristly salt and pepper eyebrows drew together. “You’ve hardly spent any time with him at all.”
India
looked to the great hall where Richard paced before the door. He had been the largest contributor to her delay. Although he had spoken to her directly
on
only three
occasions
, each time the opportunity arose, he distracted Tom.
He d
ragged him into conversations about his years in the Navy. Grilled
him
about his family. As if he dug for some detail that would prove Tom’s claims of being Cain’s prisoner false.
As for her, her
intended
could barely bring himself to look at her. Like being on Cain’s ship gave her some foul disease.
She chuckled. “Mr. Grey has his mind on the merger. North Atlantic Freight is too small a concern to distract him with.” With a warm smile, she changed the subject back to the matters that concerned her. “Will you be meeting with Stanhope,
Sunderland
, and the rest of you who cannot leave politics alone?”
“
Sunderland
is at his country estate. Stanhope will be present. I shall tell him you send your regards.” He patted her shoulder with an affectionate smile. “He will be glad to hear of your return.”
A genuine smile touched
India
’s lips. Perfect. The favor of the Lord of the Treasury, and who Colette relayed was rumored to become the next Viscount of Mahon would ensure Cain’s pardon.
“Please do send my regards. I’ve always felt a certain affection for him. He used to bring me strawberry confections as a child.”
Her father tipped his head and rubbed at his chin. “Yes, as I recall, you used to claw at his pockets.” He gave her a wink. “Quite unmannerly, my dear.”
India
laughed softly and waved her hand at the door. “Go, Father. Enjoy your trip.”
Please leave now.
Obediently, he bent to place a kiss on the top of her head. “Send
Billings
should you need anything. When I return, I should like to see you dressed in something other than these distasteful pants. You’ll give me an apoplexy sitting around like this when we have guests.”
India
glanced down at her comfortable sailing garb. From the corner of her eye, she caught Tom’s smirk. If he only knew how wearing a corset pained her, he wouldn’t be laughing. In truth, she’d have tolerated the uncomfortable stays if it weren’t for the fact her gowns were already too tight about the waist. Her current shirt and trousers were the practical solution while Colette let out her clothes.
India
answered her father with a dutiful nod. His shoes clicked across the marbled front hall, and he disappeared from view. But his low, resonating voice drifted to her ears.
“Are you certain she does not need to see a physician, Colette? She does not look well. I’ve never seen her so pale or such dark circles under her eyes.”
“Oh, my lord, how you do worry. Have you forgotten how she suffers when her feminine time comes upon her?”
Even from this distance,
India
could hear her father’s sharp intake of air, a sound not unlike he’d inhaled a tart. Bless Colette. She might grouse about this business of deception, but she certainly knew how to divert her father.
India
waited for the front door to close before she hurried to the draperies and peeked outside. Richard glanced over both shoulders, uncustomarily…jittery. She frowned, struck by the oddity. He couldn’t possibly know she intended to prove his guilt. She’d denounced Cain every time his name came up. Told them she’d been left in the galley, where Tom was her only company. Strange. What did Richard know?
As her father ducked into the coach, Richard stuffed a hand into his left coat pocket. Hastily he pulled it free, his fingers closed around an object she couldn’t make out. But as he transferred the item to his opposite hand and stuffed into his right pocket, steel caught the sunlight.
India
’s eyes widened. Though many gentlemen carried pistols, Richard had never fallen into the habit. Why now? And why would he take pains to place it where her father couldn’t notice?
The coachman slapped leather lines against her father’s favorite team of grey geldings, and the coach rolled down the drive.
Before
India
could further puzzle over Richard’s strange behavior, Tom broke into her thoughts.
“
India
, who is Benjamin Bainfield?” Tom set her ledger on the desk, spun it around so it faced her, and pushed it across.
“Bainfield? He’s the man my father insisted I hire so the hoity-toity English gentry can’t discover I own North Atlantic Freight.” As the hair lifted on the back of her neck, she eased back into her chair and pulled the ledger closer. “Why?”
“I found the entries Cain told you about. Bainfield is the recipient.”
Bainfield?
India
ran her finger down the list of payables, unable to believe Tom’s words. There
must
be a mistake of some sort. Bainfield and she had countless conversations about the aberrations of slaving. The unspeakable conditions on ship, and how even the crewmen suffered.
Not fit for dogs, I tell you, Miss Prescott.
In bold black ink, penned in a hand unlike hers, Benjamin Bainfield’s name became unmistakable.
Tom slid a ledger she had
commandeered
from her father, this one belonging to Grey and Cathain, beneath her nose. “He’s here too. Once in February. Once last month. Only last month’s dollars are missing. Do you suppose he is the man Blackbeard shot?”
As
India
’s stomach churned, she shook her head. “No,” she murmured. “He strictly handles all the arrangements. He pays my captains, and they pay their crews. I’m not sure the man knows how to sail.”
“So why him?”
Because he knew the necessary contacts. And Richard knew Bainfield could be trusted to stay quiet. Barring some monumental event like Cain’s escape, Bainfield posed no threat. But Cain
had
escaped. And
she
knew Cain’s confidences. Blinking rapidly, she slammed the ledger shut. Richard hadn’t expected her to return. He hadn’t paid Bainfield yet, not because Bainfield died on some island across the ocean, but because he didn’t
intend
to pay him for a failure. God’s teeth, no wonder he had leapt at the opportunity to accompany her father into
London
. And the pistol…
She bolted out of her chair, “We must leave now, Tom. Take Father’s horse, go down the lane to the next estate. Tell Lord Barrington’s stable master I must borrow his coach and coachman. We cannot take a fisherman’s wagon to
London
.”
Tom eased to his feet, his expression puzzled. “What is it,
India
?”
Panic seized her chest, and she struggled to draw in a breath. If Bainfield died, all hope of saving Cain was lost. The ride to
Barrington
’s would cost Tom time. Time that might make the difference between success and failure. Life and death.
Tom’s strong hands gripped her shoulders and eased her back into the chair. He knelt on one knee before her, green eyes dark with concern. “Breathe. What is it you know?”
Swallowing,
India
willed her pulse to even out. “Richard’s going to kill Bainfield. I saw him put a pistol in his pocket. He didn’t expect me to return. He knows Cain well enough to realize I wouldn’t be here, in
England
, unless Cain cared about me.
And he would have no reason to let you,
a Navy man
, live either.
” She shook off Tom’s hands and stood. “He knows
we
know the truth, Tom. And he’s going to eliminate the only person who can prove it.”
“Very well, but it won’t do you any good to panic. Keep your wits about you. Tell me where to find Bainfield. I’ll go to the wharfs, contact a few people I know. We’ll make sure Richard can’t succeed. While I’m there, I’ll look for Captain LeBlanc, as we discussed.”
Calmed by the power of Tom’s smooth, logical voice,
India
tore a sheet of parchment from the ledger and scribbled across the face. She thrust it at Tom’s chest. “This is Bainfield’s
London
address.” Lowering her voice she added, “He’s Cain’s last chance. Don’t fail.”
Tom squeezed her hand. “I promise you, I won’t. Where shall I meet you?”
She pushed her hair out of her eyes and expelled a harsh breath. He was right, she needed to keep her wits about her. She could do this. She’d executed a successful attack on Alex’s ship, for goodness sake. She could certainly out
-
think one man.
Quickly she calculated the necessary days of travel and her father’s usual itinerary. “Five nights from now, at precisely eight o’clock, meet me at White’s Chocolate House on
Chesterfield
. My father will be there. Bring Bainfield with you.”
With a succinct nod, Tom strode to the doorway
,
where he stopped and turned to her with a smile. “I’ll be on my way.” Mischief crept into the wrinkling of his nose. “To victory,
Mrs. Cathain
. The Flying Gang knows nothing less.” He spun on his heel and stalked through the front entry.
India
watched him go, fondness filling her heart. If she’d had a brother, Tom Bennett was just the sort she’d like to have.
When the front door thunked firmly into place, she picked up the stack of ledgers and clutched them to her chest. Heading for the stairs she called, “Colette!”
Her maid came flying around the corner, cap ajar and hair poking
wildly
from beneath. When she spied
India
, she pressed her hand to the base of her throat. “Good heavens, dear, the way you yelled I thought the lamp had tipped over.”
“We must leave for
London
as soon as Mister Bennett secures a coach. Did you finish with my violet gown? The one I wore to Father’s dinner party just before my departure?”
Colette bobbed her head. “Yes. And the green one you wore to Lady Thomason’s ball last fall.”
India
mounted the stairs. “Good. I’ll travel in the green. Collect your things, we’ll share one trunk.” At the top of the steps, she turned around to add, “Please hurry, Colette. I will need your help to dress.”
“Of course.” She bobbed a short curtsey and hurried into the shadowed rear of the house.
Exhaustion pressed on
India
as she entered her room and crossed to the window that faced the sea. In the three days she’d been home, thoughts of Cain plagued her waking hours and crept into her dreams. She hadn’t slept through a single night. Was he safe? Had the Navy caught him? Was he even alive? Drake had promised
to
keep
The Kraken
close unless Cain became suspicious or the warships too great a threat. Did one of those distant lights belong to him? Or had he moved on? Out to sea. Away from her.
She pressed her forehead to the cool glass and flattened her palms over her abdomen. Would he be here for their child’s birth? The thought that Cain might never see his son or daughter haunted her. It drove her from the moment she rose until she laid her cheek against the pillow. But today she’d seen a different side of Richard when he’d tucked that pistol into his pocket. A deadlier, more terrifying side. He was capable of killing. And now, she mustn’t only concern herself with saving Cain, but also protecting herself. If she didn’t succeed in
London
, she’d be the next person in Richard’s chain of murders.