Renegade (23 page)

Becks and Pearl did their best to help the older woman, and Creel was obviously trying to be charming. He might have succeeded, had Becks not seen the disdain in his eyes every time he had to converse with her sister. Robert, for his part, didn’t speak at all to the Major, but he answered Eugenia’s queries politely, if succinctly.

Mac seemed to take pleasure in… well, if she hadn’t known that he was a grown man, and above such things, she could call it
teasing
Major Creel. At every opportunity, he mentioned amusing anecdotes about Becks or some experience they’d shared. She found herself blushing more than once at the warmth his words made her feel. Why, it sounded almost like they were courting!

Mac seemed to enjoy her embarrassment as much as Creel’s increasing irritation. Once he even lifted her fingers to his lips, as if to kiss them, but she snatched them away just in time, and pretended great interest in her yams. But she heard the
Coward!
he muttered under his breath, and hid a smile.

She could tell that Creel was about to say something—probably obnoxious—by the way he huffed and laid down his fork emphatically. Apparently her sister could tell as well, and Becks swore she’d repay Pearl when the other woman brightly asked about Mac’s ship.

Sending a thankful glance across the table, Becks enthusiastically launched into a description of the
Polaris
, trying to pretend that Creel wasn’t as annoyed as she suspected.

“…And Mac even let me climb the rigging, Mother! Of course, I didn’t know it was
called
‘rigging’ until one of his crewmembers—oh, you’d enjoy meeting Jeff, Pearl! He loves books just as much as you do!—explained it to me.” Her falsely cheerful voice was tinted with desperation, hoping to keep Creel from becoming too angry, but suspected she was failing.

Pearl, bless her, understood her game. She smiled prettily—even when she was trying to keep the peace, she was still lovely—and raised one delicate brow in Mac’s direction. “Really, Mr. Baird? You weren’t at all worried about her falling and smashing a hole in your deck? Or her head?”

Eugenia laughed, Robert smiled, and Becks pretended to be affronted. But Mac just grinned disarmingly at Becks and drawled, “Nah. I had the boys string a big shrimp net underneath her, just in case,” which made Eugenia laugh harder.

Becks tried for a frown, but was afraid it came out more as a grimace, with how nervous she was. “I’m not
that
clumsy! Just because Mac’s had to catch me a few—”

Mac joked, “A few?”

At the same moment Creel barked out, “’Mac’?”

Heart sinking, Becks turned to the Major, her expression arranged in careful interest.

“Miss Middleton—” Oh Hell, he was getting more formal. “I can’t help but notice that you’re referring to this…man by his first name.”

“Yes, Major?” She knew where he was going with this.

“Despite many times I’ve asked you to call me Jonathan, you’ve persisted in using my title, and this
ruffian
is afforded the honor?”

There was no way she could answer that wouldn’t irritate him further, so she just kept her mouth shut.

“And am I to understand—” Creel’s anger was white-hot now, polite and icy. “—that you spent the day
alone
with this man and his crew? Without even the company of…” He offered Pearl a dismissive waggle of his fingers that didn’t surprise Becks in the least. The Major had always been unclear how to refer to Pearl, unwilling to acknowledge her as Becks’ sister or converse with her more than absolutely necessary. But this gesture, and the accompanying expression, was filled with a loathing Becks had never seen before. She was at a loss how to respond and breathed a sigh of relief when her mother stepped into the conversation.

“Why, Major! Surely you’re not suggesting that my daughter has acted in any way… improper?” Her icy affront would have been almost comical, had Becks not been so out-of-sorts; her mother was the most improper woman Becks had ever met.

Mac suddenly leaned forward, drawing everyone’s attention. “Don’t worry, Eugenia.” Becks heard Creel suck in a breath at Mac’s use of her mother’s given name, but couldn’t wrench her eyes away from Mac’s expression. He looked almost… bored. But his eyes were lit with a copper fire she’d never seen before. He looked strangely
determined.
“I’m sure the Major will agree that it’s perfectly acceptable for a young woman to spend time alone with her intended.”

Her intended.

Intended…

Intended
?

Had he just…? He’d just told Major Creel that they were affianced? He’d just outright
lied
to a representative of the United States Government?

Becks was having a hard time drawing a breath and frantically met Pearl’s eyes across the table. To her surprise, her sister was smiling widely, and Robert was looking even more taciturn than usual. She didn’t know him as well as Mac did, but she’d guess that he was surprised as well.

She fought to keep her own expression serene, as if she wasn’t completely and utterly bowled over by his casual lie. She had to keep telling herself that it
was
a lie, just a ruse to go along with her mother’s deception about them courting. But that didn’t quiet the treacherous little spark of joy she’d felt at Mac’s announcement.

Eugenia herself was obviously thrilled, but she took a sip of her wine to cover her surprise. When she lowered the glass, she smirked in Creel’s direction, and Becks steeled herself to see how the Major had taken the announcement.

“Intended? I thought…” Creel cleared his throat. “You claimed to only be courting Miss Middleton when I met you in April.”

Truthfully, he’d only
implied
it then, and the men had never actually
met
each other. Becks wondered if the light-headedness was affecting her ability to think, or if she really
was
close enough to giggling to consider pointing out Creel’s mistakes.

“Well, Major—” Mac leaned back in his chair, and stretched his feet out in front of him under the table. “A lot can happen in a few weeks.” Then he took Becks’ hand again, and she had no choice but to let him. Truthfully, she didn’t think she could have pulled away; at that moment she needed something to ground her in the here and now, and she gripped his hand for all she was worth. “Eugenia kindly invited us to visit.” He nodded towards Robert, whom Creel continued to ignore. “And I’ve had a full week to finally convince Becks.”

Becks risked a glance at Creel, whose eyes narrowed over his thick cheeks. “You are engaged to be married, Miss Middleton?”

She tried to agree, but the lie stuck in her throat, so she just nodded and tried a smile. It probably looked sickly.

“Well then.” Creel pushed his chair away from the table. “Under the circumstances, I should congratulate you. But I will not.” He stood up, braced both fists on the table and leaned towards them both. “You are making a terrible mistake. This…
renegade
is a smuggler and a thief, and will destroy your good name, if he hasn’t already.”

Becks understood his implication, but was too floored by his accusation. Luckily, Mac still had his wits about him; in fact, he looked amused. “A thief, Major?” The dimple appeared when he raised his brow mockingly. “I’ve been called many things, but that, I think, offends me. I’m not a thief.”

“A smuggler then!” Creel’s mustaches twitched with the force of his words. “I don’t have the proof I need to lock him and his crew away, yet, but I will!”

“Goodness gracious!” Pearl’s murmur was more of a comment on his rudeness than doubting his claim, but Creel didn’t seem to notice.

“We’ve been tracking these goods for a long time, Baird! The
Polaris
is the only possible originator and that makes you a smuggler.”
Oh God. Oh God. He knew. He knew, and was going to arrest Mac.
“I’ve kept my quiet long enough while investigating the Middletons…”
Wait, he knew the Beckett people were involved?
“But now I see that you’ve managed to bamboozle them all! There is a contingent arriving tomorrow to reinforce my position here, and those men will help prove the
Polaris
is being used to drop smuggled goods somewhere along St. Helena Sound.” Becks heard several stifled gasps along the table, but was too dazed to guess who made them. “I’ll confiscate your ship; your Baird Shipping will be no more. I’ll have a commendation while you rot in prison!”

Mac opened his mouth, but Becks couldn’t even imagine what he was going to say. At the rate he’d been going, he’d admit his crimes outright, just to see what would happened. Oh God, when had this evening gone so wrong?

Without thinking—her brain seemed to have shut down a few minutes ago in shock—Becks blurted out, “He’s not a smuggler!”

Well
. There it was.

She’d lied to Creel. To the representative of the law on Edisto, no matter that he was a Yankee. She’d officially abetted a criminal which made her one herself. Clamping her lips down on a groan, she closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally.

Would she go to prison too, when Mac went? No! Her eyes flew open, searching for his. He wouldn’t go to jail. She wouldn’t let him. He’d die, penned like that, and she couldn’t stand to see his feathers clipped.

Smiling slightly at her, Mac winked and squeezed her hand, and Becks found that she could breathe again. Was he teasing her or appreciating that she’d gone along with his ruse?

And then her mother came to Becks’ rescue again, her voice cool and contained. “Under the circumstances then, Major Creel, let me walk you to the door.” She smoothly stood and glided around the table to the angry man, as much at ease in her bloomers and boots as any grand lady in a ball gown.

Eugenia took Creel’s arm, and he allowed himself to be led out of the room. He didn’t bother to bid goodbye to any of them; Becks figured he was still too livid for manners. Or he was just irate at finding out she’d be marrying a man he’d sworn to capture. He placed one hand on the door jamb and turned to glare at Mac before Eugenia pulled him through.

Creel’s exit did little to alleviate the tension in the room; if anything, the four left became even more uncomfortable. Becks met Pearl’s eyes across the table and saw her sister’s unshed tears? Tears? What would upset Pearl enough—although it was doubtful anyone who didn’t know her as well as Becks did would notice—to penetrate her usual calm?

“Miss Middleton?” Maybe someone besides Becks
had
noticed, because Robert lightly touched her elbow when he said her name, as if trying to offer her comfort.

And in the blink of an eye, Pearl’s tears were gone, her habitual smirk back on her lips. But this time, the expression looked scornful and she pulled her arm out from under Robert’s fingers.

With a flounce, Pearl stood up and swept her gaze once around the table. Becks was too shocked at the change that had come over her sister to say anything, and tried not to feel hurt when Pearl sent one more disgusted look towards Robert before sweeping from the room.

They’d all been dealt a blow by Creel, but this was just… unnecessary. Pearl had set out to deliberately insult one of their guests, and Becks didn’t understand why. Surely she couldn’t hate Robert
that
much?

The dark man just sat there, his face carefully blank, staring at the wall above Mac’s head. Becks twisted her gaze from one man to the other, at a loss of what to say. First Creel’s surprise visit, then his surprise revelations and threats, and now her sister’s surprise hatred.

How had such a perfect day turned so horrible?

Mac met Robert’s eyes across the table, wondering at Pearl’s reaction to his best friend. He hadn’t deserved the disgust he’d seen in the beautiful woman’s expression, but there was nothing either of them could do about it now.

They had bigger things to worry about.

Creel
knew
. And it sounded like he was determined to prove that the
Polaris
’s crew were smuggling. Mac needed to know the Major’s timeline: did they have a few hours or a few days to come up with a plan to thwart the army? Was it even worth trying? If the
Polaris
sailed out as soon as possible, would they be able to take Creel’s suspicion off of Beckett? How much power did Creel even have on Edisto, anyway?