Authors: Connie Mason
After their visit Luca had languished in welcome boredom, devoting her days to prayer, but not even prayer could heal the ache in her heart Then she was befriended by another woman who had been banished to the convent by her father.
Renalda had been born into a rich and powerful family. She’d been betrothed at birth to a man her equal in station and would have been married at eighteen if she hadn’t done the unforgivable and fallen in love with Antonio, a vaquero’s son. Desperate to find happiness, they had run away, intending to be married by a priest in a small village where no one knew them.
Her father and fiancé had followed them. Antonio had been killed when their carriage overturned during the chase. As luck would have it, Renalda suffered only bruises. Because she and Antonio had spent one night together, her fiancé had backed out of the marriage, and her father had beaten her and packed her off to the convent. Renalda, like Luca, was neither a nun nor a postulant. But unlike Luca, who was mere by choice, Renalda was a prisoner within the convent walls, unable to leave without her father’s consent For her part Luca knew she would never love again, so she chose to remain with the holy sisters.
A knock on the door roused Luca from her reverie. The door opened almost immediately, and a slim young woman with lustrous black hair, dark eyes, and skin as translucent as fine porcelain entered. Luca greeted Renalda with a smile and beckoned her inside.
“Is mere anything you need before you retire?” Renalda asked with concern. She worried that Luca wasn’t eating enough to nourish both herself and the child she carried.
“Nothing, thank you,” Luca replied, “unless you care to stay awhile and visit”
Renalda sent Luca a wistful look. “You are lonely for your babe’s father.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I have to learn to live without Morgan,” Luca said brokenly. After all This time it was still painful to talk about the man she loved. “If he’d cared for me he would have come after me. He’d done it before, with great danger to himself.” She shook her head sadly. “No, Renalda, by now Morgan is married to Lady Jane. It’s what his queen wanted for him.”
Renalda took Luca’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “After your child is born you can leave here and find a new love, but I will likely die of old age without ever setting foot beyond these walls.”
“If I decide to leave I will take you with me,” Luca promised.
Renalda sighed dispiritedly. “I fear that is impossible, but your friendship means everything to me. It is the only thing that has kept me sane. At least you will have a child to remind you of your love, while I…” She shrugged expansively. “I must go. I promised Sister Maria that I would set out the bread dough for tomorrow’s meals.”
“Good night, Renalda, go with God.”
“Bribing Don Eduardo’s servant was a wise move, Morgan,” Stan said as they left Cadiz behind. “You’re a wanted man with a price on your head. Had you revealed your identity to Don Eduardo, he would surely have reported you to the authorities.”
After learning that Luca was living at the convent, they had passed the night at an inn outside Cadiz and started out bright and early the next day. Morgan drove a rented carriage. To his chagrin his leg hadn’t been able to bear the strain of mounting a horse. Stan rode in the carriage beside him, tying a horse behind the carriage to take him back to die
Avenger
when Luca replaced him in the carriage with Morgan.
“That’s why I approached the servants first Most men will do anything for a price. All I want to do is find Luca, convince her that I care about her, and get the Hell out of Spain as fast as possible.”
A formidable task, Morgan thought but did not say. So much time had elapsed since Luca left that she probably thought he had forgotten her. He was going to need all his wits about him if he wanted to convince Luca she was the only woman he’d ever wanted.
Renalda sighed tiredly as she placed a clean doth over the last pan of bread dough By morning it would be ready to bake in the oven. One of her favorite tasks was helping in the kitchen. Keeping busy helped to relieve the boredom and sameness of each day. Sister Maria had already retired, and she was headed in that direction herself. The halls were dark and deserted. The sisters rose early and usually retired immediately after evening prayers. Renalda looked forward to her own hard bed, for only in sleep could she forget that she had been the cause of a young man’s death.
Renalda had truly believed she was in love with Antonio, but they had both been so young. She’d never forget his sweet smile and gentle nature. Causing his death had been traumatic. The convent had seemed a welcome haven at first, but it had soon become her prison. She was young, she yearned for life beyond these confining warn. She prayed most diligently that her father would relent one day and come for her, ending her isolation. It was the only way she would ever leave the convent, until death freed her.
Renalda’s footsteps echoed sharply down the silent hallway as she made her way to her bed. She started violently when she heard a ruckus at the outer gate. Visitors were rare this time of night and never admitted. Whoever was rattling the gate was most insistent. If it didn’t stop. Reverend Mother and all the sisters would be rudely awakened. Renalda didn’t want that to happen.
Concerned only with maintaining peace within the convent walls, Renalda pulled open the heavy oak door and hurried out to the gate. The night was cool, and she shivered. Suddenly she realized she was not shivering from cold but in anticipation. She had never felt this way before and approached the gate with a sense of destiny. Or was it dread she felt? The feeling was beyond definition.
The bolted gate was constructed of solid oak. A small hinged door in the center of the gate opened from the inside, allowing the gatekeeper a glimpse of the visitors. Renalda’s hands shook as she opened the small door and peered into the darkness beyond the gate. A full moon allowed her a shadowy glimpse of the large man standing on the other side of the gate.
“What do you want? It’s late, everyone is abed. No visitors are allowed after dark.”
Responding in fluent Spanish, Morgan said, “It’s imperative that I see my wife.”
“Your wife? You are mistaken. No one here…” Her words faltered. Luca was the only married woman in the convent at the present time. Could this man be Luca’s husband? Was the handsome man demanding entrance the pirate referred to as El Diablo?
Madre di Dios,
no wonder Luca had fallen in love with him.
“I know Luca is here. Luca Scott, my wife. Perhaps you know her as Luca Santiego.”
“You are Luca’s pirate?”
Morgan smiled wryly.
“Si
Now will you open the gate?”
“No. It changes nothing. It is much too late for visitors. The Reverend Mother does not admit visitors after dark. You will have to return tomorrow.”
“Perhaps we should find a bed in the town we rode through earlier and return tomorrow,” Stan suggested as he stepped into Renalda’s view.
Until Stan made his presence known, Renalda had no idea that Morgan had a companion with him. She stared at Stan in the dim light, thinking him nearly as handsome as Luca’s husband. Neither of them appeared as fearsome as rumor made them out to be.
“No, I will not leave,” Morgan said with grim determination. “I want to see Luca, and I want to see her now. Will you let us in, Sister, or must I scale the wall?”
Renalda swallowed convulsively. She knew instinctively that nothing would keep the Englishman out if he was determined to gain entrance. But she had to make certain that admitting the pirate was in Luca’s best interest.
“Why do you wish to see Luca? I am her friend, I do not wish to see her hurt.”
“Look, Sister…”
“I am not a nun. Like Luca, I am a guest here.”
“Very well senorita…”
“Renalda. Renalda Cortez.”
“Senorita Renalda. My wife does not belong here. She belongs with me. I’ve come to take her home.”
“Home? To England?”
Morgan and Stan exchanged meaningful glances. “No, not to England. I am no longer welcome there. I am taking Luca to Andros bland in the Bahamas. Now, Senorita, will you let me in?”
Renalda was torn She knew Luca still loved her English pirate, but according to Luca, Morgan hated Spaniards and wanted no children with Spanish blood. She debated whether to allow the Englishmen entrance without Luca’s consent or to insist that he come back tomorrow.
“Senorita, if you are worried that I might harm my wife, you can put your fears to rest. I care deeply for Luca. I don’t know what she told you, but I’ve changed. By a quirk of fate Luca became my wife and I…” He found it difficult to bare his soul before strangers, but he wanted Luca’s friend to know how deep his feelings for Luca went “I love Luca. If she will forgive me, I will spend the rest of my life making her happy.”
Morgan’s sincerity impressed Renalda. Something in the pirate’s expression told her that his love for Luca would endure the ages. If a man were to love her like that she’d be the happiest of women.
“Very well, senor, I will let you in to see Luca, but I will probably earn severe punishment from Reverend Mother for this night’s work.”
She slid aside the heavy bar and swung the gate wide. Morgan stepped inside; Stan followed close on his heels.
“How do I find Luca’s room?” Morgan asked. He’d waited so long for this day that he could barely contain his excitement.
Renalda regarded Morgan through narrowed lids. Suddenly she viewed Morgan’s appearance as a sign from God. Her keen mind saw it as a way to escape the impossible situation imposed upon her by her father. Her eyes glowed with dark defiance as she lifted her chin to challenge Morgan. “I will not tell you. And you cannot find it on your own without awakening the entire convent The halls are a maze of tiny cells, all housing sisters and postulants.”
Morgan’s eyes narrowed angrily. Grasping Renalda’s shoulders, he gave her a violent shake. Renalda flinched but remained stubbornly mute. “Why did you let me inside if you had no intention of leading me to Luca?”
“Morgan, you’re hurting her,” Stan warned. His tone was gentle as he spoke to Renalda. “My name is Stan Crawford. You must have a reason for refusing Morgan’s request.” His Spanish was halting and not as good as Morgan’s but Renalda appeared to understand him.
Renalda’s mouth went dry, unable to form a reply.
“Renalda, do you understand? Why won’t you take Morgan to Luca?”
“I will storm every room in the convent if I have to,” Morgan promised.
Renalda stared at Morgan. She had to wet her lips with the tip of her tongue before she could speak. “I will tell you where she is only if you promise to take me with you.”
“What! Surely you jest.” Astonishment colored Morgan’s words. “What would your family say?”
“I am dead to my family,” Renalda said sadly. “I committed a terrible sin. They disowned me and sent me here as punishment. I will probably spend the remainder of my days behind these walls.”
“You are so young. What terrible sin have you committed?” Stan asked.
Renalda hung her head in shame. She couldn’t find the words to tell virtual strangers what had caused her family to disown her.
“My sin is of no importance. I ask only that you take me with you. Luca and I are friends. I can be of great help to her. She will need a woman’s attention.”
Morgan stopped short. “What do you mean?”
Renalda remained silent. It wasn’t her place to tell Morgan that he was going to become a father.
“Bloody Hell! Just tell me where to find Luca. I can’t take you with me, It’s impossible.”
“I say we take her,” Stan said quietly. Something about the girl reached out to him. If Renalda was so desperate to escape the convent, Stan could see no reason not to help her.
Morgan’s eyes narrowed. He’d never seen Stan so adamant about aiding a distressed woman before. “I won’t accept responsibility for her. There is a price on my head, and danger abounds in this foreign country.”
Morgan spoke to Stan in English; Renalda looked from one to the other, wishing she understood what they were saying. Obviously they were talking about her.
“I will take full responsibility,” Stan argued.
Morgan had neither the time nor the inclination to stand there exchanging words with Stan. Impatience gnawed at him. He was so close to attaining his goal, that he would have agreed to anything.
“Very well, but make sure she causes no trouble. I noticed an inn in the town of Lebrija as we passed through earlier. Engage rooms for us. I will follow with Luca as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Morgan. I don’t know why, but I feel strongly that this is right.” He turned to Renalda, explaining to her gently, “We will take you with us.”
Renalda’s eyes glistened with tears. Until these Englishmen arrived she had despaired of ever finding her way out of the convent. She was so grateful that she threw her arms around Stan and proceeded to blubber on his jacket.
Impatience got the best of Morgan. “The directions, Senorita Renalda. How do I find Luca?”
Renalda dried her eyes and gave precise directions to Luca’s tiny cell. “The door will not be locked, senor,” she said. “We are allowed little privacy.”
Morgan nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and limped off into the darkness while Stan then led Renalda through the gate, lifted her onto his horse, and mounted behind tier.