the blanket to cover her bare flesh. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to find someone who can give me some answers. You’d better wait here.’ Essie opened the door and stepped outside into a narrow passage. She could feel the engine pulsating beneath the deck as her bare feet padded along the corridor to the next cabin. She knocked on the door.
‘Who’s there?’
Essie breathed a sigh of relief as she recognised Lady Alice’s cultured tones. ‘It’s me, my lady. Essie Chapman.’
The door opened and Lady Alice stood aside to let her in. She was wearing a man’s velvet dressing robe and her long blonde hair hung loosely about her shoulders. ‘Are you all right, Essie? I was afraid you had injured yourself.’
‘I’ve got a sore head, but that’s all. I want my clothes and I must get home before Pa wakes up.’
‘I’m going to find the captain and order him to put us ashore, but first I need to make certain that Raven is being cared for. You can come with me because I don’t want to wander round this ship on my own and in a state of undress. It’s highly improper.’
The sudden desire to laugh took Essie by surprise. They were in a dire situation, having aided a felon to escape the law, very nearly drowning in the attempt, and now they were on a ship, bound for heaven knows where. It was utterly ridiculous, but she could see the funny side even if they were in serious trouble. ‘I’m sorry, my lady. I know I shouldn’t find it amusing.’
Lady Alice stared at her, frowning. ‘No, it most certainly isn’t the least bit comical. Raven might die from blood loss, and I’ve put myself beyond the law by helping him to escape. I don’t know what I was thinking.’
‘You said you wanted to pay the captain to look after him, my lady. Did you lose the money when my boat sank?’
A slow smile curved Lady Alice’s lips. ‘I had it concealed around my waist.’ She moved to the bunk and drew back the coverlet to reveal two large leather pouches. ‘These are filled with gold. If I’d gone overboard I would have sunk to the bottom of the river.’
‘Were you going to give it all to the captain?’
‘Don’t be so naïve, Esther. Of course not – I’ll treat him generously, but this is for Freddie. He sent word some time ago that he’s ill and in desperate need, and this will help him in more ways than one. He’ll be able to hire a good lawyer to plead his case and he’ll be able to live well until he’s free to return home.’
‘But it’s Raven’s money, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it’s a small part of his fortune. His solicitor, Watkin Gilfoyle, has invested the rest and no doubt taken a large fee for representing Raven and Freddie, but then he’s the best solicitor in London.’
‘And will he continue to plead their case, even though they’re absent?’
‘Of course he will. That’s what he’s paid for. Anyway, I’m going to find the captain. I want a word with that gentleman.’ Lady Alice opened the door and, wrapping the robe more tightly around her slender figure, she marched along the passage, knocked and entered a cabin at the far end without waiting for a response.
Essie hurried after her. Wearing nothing but a thin sheet made her feel vulnerable and extremely uncomfortable, but she forgot her own problems when she saw Raven prostrate on a bunk with a strange man standing over him.
‘How is he, Capitano Falco?’ Lady Alice asked anxiously.
‘I am not a doctor, my lady. All I can say is that he is a strong man, and I have seen worse injuries. By the time we reach Brindisi he should be able to leave the ship.’ He spoke perfect English, with a strong accent that Essie found very attractive, and with his dark good looks he had the romantic appeal of a corsair.
‘But you will put us ashore as soon as possible, Capitano.’ Lady Alice gave him a direct look. ‘And we need our clothes, whether or not they are dry.’
‘Alas, I cannot put into port along the river, my lady. If what you said is true, the authorities will have been alerted and the police will be looking for him. We make our way full speed to the Channel where we will be safe.’
‘But you must allow me to go ashore,’ Lady Alice protested. ‘I will be missed and you will be accused of kidnapping me and my maid, not to mention this poor girl.’ She waved her hand in Essie’s direction. ‘Her father will be distraught.’
Falco shrugged his shoulders. ‘Perhaps you should have thought of that before you boarded my ship, my lady. I am not responsible for you or your companions. Now, please go back to your cabin. Your clothes will be returned to you when they are dry.’
For a moment Essie thought that Lady Alice was going to argue, but she merely nodded and walked out of the cabin with her head held high. ‘Come with me, Esther. I know where I’m not wanted.’ She marched out and headed for her own cabin, swaying with the movement of the ship as it met the opposition of the incoming tide.
‘What are we to do?’ Essie asked anxiously.
‘Come inside and close the door.’ Lady Alice slumped down on the bunk. ‘There must be a place where Capitano Falco could put us ashore. I refuse to accept his decision, but perhaps a little tact and a few charming smiles might do the trick.’
‘Pa won’t notice I’m missing until morning, but I’m afraid he will call a constable and report me as lost, stolen or strayed – like a pet dog.’ An irrepressible giggle bubbled to the surface and Essie covered her mouth with her hand. ‘I’m sorry – I know it isn’t funny, but our predicament is so unbelievable that any minute I think I might wake up and find it was all a dream.’
‘A nightmare, more like.’ Lady Alice ran her hand through her hair. ‘I really don’t understand you, Esther. This isn’t at all funny – I haven’t got a hairbrush or a mirror, let alone a change of clothes. When I’m dressed I’ll speak to the captain again, and this time I’ll back my demands with money. It never fails to work; everyone has a price.’
Next morning, seated in the small saloon where the captain and officers ate and took their brief moments of leisure, Lady Alice was even more downcast. Sadie seemed to be the only one of them who was enjoying the experience, and she chattered endlessly until Lady Alice silenced her with a searing glance. Sadie subsided, eyeing her mistress nervously, and Essie felt sorry for her. None of them had had a good night’s sleep, and, as there was not a spare cabin for Sadie, she had slept on the floor in Essie’s cabin. Her groans and the sound of thuds as she turned over and bumped herself on the bulkhead had kept Essie awake until the small hours, and even then she had slept fitfully. The movement of the vessel and the rhythmic throbbing of the engine created an alien environment, and she could not help worrying about Raven, whose life might hang in the balance. Captain Falco had insisted that he would be cared for by the first mate, who had a smattering of medical knowledge, but Essie had met the man at supper and she was not impressed. She had come across many seafarers during her days on the river, and the officers and crew of the Santa Gabriella were more like her idea of Barbary pirates than a disciplined bunch of professional mariners.
Lady Alice toyed with a slice of stale bread and rancid butter. ‘If this is their daily fare no wonder the crew look like rabid dogs. What possessed Raven to hire the captain’s services is beyond me.’ She pushed her plate away and sipped her coffee, pulling a face.
