Counterfeit Lady Read online

  “May I sit down? I’d like to talk to you.”

  He pointed the rum bottle at a chair.

  Nicole told her story quickly and succinctly. When she finished, the captain was silent. “When do you think we will be able to get back to England?”

  “I ain’t goin’ back to England.”

  “But how will I get back? You don’t understand. This is all a terrible mix-up. Mr. Armstrong—”

  He cut her off. “All I know, girl, is Clayton Armstrong hired me to kidnap some lady and bring her to him in America.” He squinted his eyes at her. “Now that I look at you, you ain’t much like he described.”

  “That’s because I’m not his fiancée.”

  Waving his hand in dismissal, he took a deep drink of the rum. “What do I care who you are? He said you might give me some trouble about the marriage, but I was to do it anyway.”

  Nicole stood up. “Marriage! You cannot think—!” she began but calmed herself. “Mr. Armstrong is in love with and wants to marry Bianca Maleson. I am Nicole Courtalain. I have never even met Mr. Armstrong.”

  “That’s what you say. Why didn’t you tell my men right off who you were? How come you waited this long?”

  “I thought they would release me when they found out who I was, but I wanted to be far enough away from Bianca so I knew she would be safe.”

  “Is this Bianca the fat one the men said told ’em who you were?”

  “Bianca did identify me, yes. But she knew I would be safe.”

  “Like hell she did! Are you expectin’ me to believe that you kept your mouth shut to protect a bitch who would happily turn you over to kidnappers? I can’t believe that. You must think I’m stupid.”

  There was nothing Nicole could say.

  “Go on. Get out of here while I think about this. And on your way out, tell that man you came with I want to see him.”

  When Nicole was gone and the captain and the first mate were alone, the captain spoke. “I guess you heard, since you spend most of the time listenin’ at doors.”

  Smiling, the first mate sat down. He and the captain had been together a long time, and he’d learned how useful it was to know what the old man was up to. “So what do you plan to do? Armstrong said he’d see we were locked up because of that shipload of tobacco that disappeared last year if we failed to bring his wife to him.”

  The captain took a drink of rum. “His wife. That’s what the man wants, and that’s what he’s gonna get.”

  The mate thought about this. “And what if she’s tellin’ the truth and she ain’t the one he wants to marry?”

  “I figure there’s two ways to look at it. If she ain’t this Maleson woman and the other one is, then Armstrong is askin’ to marry a bitch that’s a liar and who’d betray her best friend. On the other hand, that pretty little dark-haired lady could be this Bianca and she’s lyin’ just to get out of marryin’ Armstrong. Either way, I think there ought to be a weddin’ in the mornin’.”

  “And what about Armstrong?” the mate asked. “If he finds himself married to the wrong woman, I don’t think I’d like to be around.”

  “That’s what I thought, too. I plan to collect my money before he sees her and then be out of Virginia immediately. I don’t think I’ll even wait to see whether she is or isn’t who he wants.”

  “I think I agree with you. Now, how do we go about persuadin’ the little lady? She didn’t seem taken with the idea of marriage!”

  The captain passed the rum bottle to his mate. “I can think of several persuasions that might work on that little doll.”

  “I take it you couldn’t talk the captain into returning to England?” Janie asked when Nicole returned to the little cabin.

  “No,” Nicole said, setting down on the bed. “Actually, he didn’t seem to believe me when I told him who I was. For some reason, he seemed to think I was lying.”

  Janie grunted. “A man like him’s probably never told the truth in his life so he doesn’t believe anyone else has. Oh well, at least we can enjoy the voyage together. I hope you aren’t too upset.”

  Hiding her feelings, Nicole smiled at the large woman. Yes, she was very disappointed. By the time she sailed to America and back again, her cousin would have found another partner. And also, she thought of the money she’d saved, hidden in an attic room in Bianca’s house. Rubbing her fingertips together and feeling the many little sore places where the needle had pricked her fingers because she’d worked by the light of one very small, very cheap candle, she thought of how hard she’d worked for that money.

  But she wouldn’t let Janie see her disappointment. “I’ve always wanted to see America,” she said. “Maybe I can stay a few days before returning to England. Oh dear!”

  “What is it?”

  “How will I pay for my return passage?” she asked, her eyes wide at the thought of this new problem.

  “Pay!” Janie exploded. “Clayton Armstrong will pay for your return, I assure you of that. I told him again and again not to do this but it was like talkin’ to a brick wall. Maybe after you see America, you won’t want to return to England. We’ve got lots of dress shops there, you know.”

  Nicole told her about the money she’d saved and hidden.

  For a few minutes, Janie didn’t say anything. In Nicole’s version of the kidnapping, Bianca was innocent, doing what should have been done, but Janie heard more than the words, and she wondered if Nicole’s money would be there when she returned. “Are you hungry?” Janie asked, opening a trunk on the top of the pile against the wall.

  “Why, yes, I am. Quite hungry, actually,” Nicole said, and she went to look into the trunk. In those days, before ships catered to passengers, each traveler had to bring his or her own food for the long voyage. Depending on the skill of the navigator, the swiftness of the ship, the winds, the storms, and the pirates, a trip could take from thirty days to ninety, if it arrived at all.

  The trunk held dried peas and beans, and as Janie opened another one Nicole saw salted beef and fish. Another trunk held oatmeal, potatoes, packets of herbs, flour, hardtack biscuits, and a box of lemons and limes. “Clayton also had the captain buy some turtles, so we’ll have fresh turtle soup.”

  Nicole looked at the foodstuffs. “Mr. Armstrong seems to be an especially considerate man. I almost wish I were marrying him.”

  Janie was beginning to think that, too, as she turned and opened the doors of the corner cabinet and pulled out a tall, narrow hip bath. A bather could sit in it, knees drawn up, and the water would cover her shoulders.

  Nicole’s eyes sparkled. “Now, that is a luxury! Who would have thought a ship voyage could be so comfortable?”

  Cheeks pink with pleasure, Janie grinned. She’d dreaded an ocean voyage in a tiny cabin with an English lady, thinking the English were terrible snobs and king-worshippers. But, then, of course, Nicole was French and the French understood revolutions. “I’m afraid we’ll have to use sea water, and it’ll take a long while to heat the water on that little stove, but it beats a sponge bath.”

  Hours later, after a delicious bath, Nicole lay in the bottom bunk bed, clean, fed, and tired. It had taken a long time to heat enough water for the two baths. Janie had protested that she was supposed to wait on Nicole, but Nicole had insisted that she wasn’t Clayton’s fiancée and therefore could only be Janie’s friend. Later, Nicole had washed her only dress and hung it up to dry, and now the gentle rocking of the ship was lulling her to sleep.

  Early the next morning, Janie pulled her hair back into a tight little bun before she began to arrange Nicole’s hair into a fashionable chignon. Producing an iron, she pressed Nicole’s dress while Nicole laughed and said Mr. Armstrong had thought of everything.

  Suddenly, the door burst open to admit one of Nicole’s kidnappers. “The captain wants to see you—now.”

  Nicole’s first thought was that he had decided to return to England after all, and she gladly started to follow the sailor, with Janie right behind her.