Bittersweet Endeavors (44 page)

“Surely your crimes have not bee
n such as that,” she said, hard-pressed
to believe
that
someone who
had
shown such kindness was
a surreptitious
rogue
within.

I’m a privateer,
Senora
, and t
he
bastard son of a privateer
to whom was
reared by an English whore…
T
is
in my blood to be a
scoundrel
,” he smiled.  “As such, I am certain the
y have
some due cause to arrest me
.
”

The man approached and raised his matchlock musket at
Benitez
.  “What is your name and
position
within
this household?” he demanded.

“He’s my maid’s husband.” Myra interjected.  Realizing
Benitez
’s accent, although faint
in dialect
,
worried it
would reveal his identity, and
added, “He’s a mute.”  From the corner of her eye, she saw
Rico
grin.

“And who are you?” the man demanded.

“I am Lady Myra of Brunnington
,” she said angrily
. 
“
Tis my
husband’s
home you just burned down
.”

“You are the wife of Zachary Frederickson?”

“Aye.”

“Are you aware of his
acts of piracy upon our own English ships
,
madam
?”
he asked angrily.

“I know naught of my husband’s affairs.  He shall be returning from Baltimore within a fortnight.  I wou
ld advise you
to
speak with
him o
n
such matters,” she said.
  “If true, I shall hope you punish him to the full extent of English law.”

“And that we shall,” the man said.  He looked again at Benitez with derision.
  “I’ve yet to hear his name,” he
stated,
a
n
d nodded Benitez’s direction.

“Oh Myra, you are
all
safe!” Lucia called
and ran
toward them.
  She wrapped her arms around her and Jonathon. 

“Tis the maid
in which
he is married,” Myra said to the man.
 

Lucia looked at her queerly. 
“I am?  Aye, I am,” she said to the man.

“Mister and Mrs. Anders,” Myra supplied. “Now, if there’s nothing further, I have an infant in which I now find need to shelter since I no longer have a home.”
  T
he man looked properly embarrassed,
and
Myra wondered if he only then noticed that she had a child with her
. 

“I apologize for the damage
to
your home, milady
, but it was
by way of
the Governor’s
order.”  He began to back away.   “Fare well, milady,” he said, and after a curt tip of his hat, he walked away.

“Tis best you leave, Rico,” she
said,
concern
ed
once the Cavalier
walked away and
out of
their
sight.
  “
Certainly Zachary will understand why you needed to flee. 
Find
safe
passage out of the colonies
before they capture you
.”

He took her by the
hand and bowed over it.  “T’was
very pleasant to have made your acquaintance,
Senora
,
”
he said, and h
e kissed her hand.  “
I truly hope that our paths cross again someday
.”

Myra nodded.  “I would be delighted if that should be so,
Senor
Rico Benitez.  Fare
well and I shall pray you
find your way to
safe
ty
.”

He began to walk away, but
paused a moment and
turned around and returned to them.
He pulled
Lucia into his arms,
and
kissed her hard and
long
,
and she returned his kiss,
as she reached
her arms around him
and
held him tight
. 

Benitez pulled away and stared adoringly into Lucia’s eyes and smiled. 
“
And you,
Sen
orita, I will most definitely meet again someday.  That
, I promise
.”  He released her from his embrace and walked away.

“I knew he fancied you,” Myra said, grinning. 

Lucia stood there, stunned,
and
her fingers
went to
her lips.  “Twould seem so.”

             
As they had nowhere else to go, Myra and Lucia found themselves at the front door of the Preston home.  With the baby in tow,
a
s well as
the hour so late and
the weather turning bitterly
cold,
they knew t
hey needed to find him shelter.

“Tis not going to pleasant, I suspect,” Lucia whispered
, and
she
nervously shifted from one foot to the other
.

“I suspect
you’re right
.  “Yet we shall see what happens
since we have naught for another option
.” 
Myra swallowed hard and kno
cked on the door
,
and
then
sighed heavily
as she glanced at Lucia
.  “Let
us
pray
tis not Margaret who receives us,” she quietly added.

Margaret answered the door.

“
Excuse us for coming at such a late hour, but w
e
need your
help,” Myra quickly blurted out
as she hoped
to prevent being
disregarded
before Margaret s
lammed the door shut on her
. 
However, she didn’t. 
M
argaret stared at her for a moment
,
and
Myra was completely taken aback
when Margaret
smiled.
It wasn’t spiteful
,
nor mean, and
wasn’t even
misconstrued into a being grimace, but an actual warm and pleasant smile.  Myra
didn’t know what to make of it.

“Is that the baby?  Seth’s baby?” she asked excitedly.
  “I saw you coming down the lane and so prayed he made his safe arrival into this world
.  Seth shall be well pleased.”

Myra and Lucia didn’t hide their astonishment
,
and they
glanced in each other’s direction
with
their
mouths
agape
.  Myra
didn’t reply but
positioned
Jonathon
securely
into Margaret’s
awaiting
arms
, and she received him with excitement.

“No one could ever deny you’re a Preston with those eyes,” she said,
and
leaned
down
and kissed him on the forehead
.
“Now, give Auntie Margaret a smile,” she cooed.

“There was a fire at the Frederickson home,” Myra interrupted
, and M
argaret looked up at her. 
“We have nowhere to go and Seth said if we shall need refuge for any reason, to come here.”

“As Seth has requested it, you are
most
welcome to stay
at our home, Myra.”

Margaret opened the door
wider
and allowed them to make their entry.
It didn’t pass Myra’s notice that Margaret didn’t ask about Zachary’s safety as he was not with them, and she wondered if perhaps Margaret no longer cared
about him
.
  Particularly since
she hadn’t shown any sign of ill
feelings toward her
upon their arrival
.

“We appreciate your kindness as we have nowhere else to go,” Myra said
, and smiled
. 

“Father
and Seth are
in
the
study.  I shall go and let them
know
you are here
.”  She quickly scurried off
down the hallway
.

“
Wait!” Myra called after her.  “Seth is back?  He is home?” she asked excitedly.

Margaret turned around
and her smile broadened
.  “Aye, he arrived home a couple
of
hours ago.  He was eager for morning to arrive so he may see you, but now that you are here, he’ll be in great merriment, especially to see him,” she said,
and nodded her head down toward Jonathon
, who still remained in her arms.

“Myra!”  From the stairway, a young child
with long black curls that bounced as she descended each step
ran to
ward
her.  The girl’s arms flailed widely
open and
a smile
,
that
nearly overtook her face, appeared with
great eagerness to see
Myra.  “Tis so good to see you;
  I’ve missed you
so
,”
the girl
cried.

“Mary,” Myra called out, and ran toward
Mary to
embrace
her
.  “Thank God, you’re safe,
”
Myra said, and
wrapped
her arms
tightly around
her
and wept
.  Myra pulled her back and examined her closely.  “Did he hurt you?  Did Ashton h
arm
you in any way?”

“Nay,” she assured.  “I only saw him that first night when he arr
ived at Brunnington.  He had
my things
pack
ed
and
immediately
sent me away to live
in the country
with one of his courtesans
, and she was very kind to me
.”

“
And it was fortunate
that the servant who had performed the
task
of packing her things
finds as much distaste for Ashton as you,” Seth interrupted, as he walked into the hall.  “She was more than accommodating
and offered the woman’s
direction in order
for me to find Mary
.  She said her name is Agatha, and she sends her regards
,
” he smiled.  “She was very relieved
to hear that you are
alive and
well.”

Agatha had been with her family since before Myra had been born, and she was thankful that she
was the one who assisted
Seth
, especially since she’d k
eep her silence
on who had taken Mary. 
Myra turned to Seth
and closely
embraced him. 
He looked in good health, and handsome as she remembered in his deep blue breeches accompanied with a matching waistcoat. 
She closed her eyes and gave a quick prayer of appreciation for his safe return.  She stared into his
alluring blue
eyes and she saw that he was as eager to kiss her as she was him.  Yet it was
already
inappropriate enough
the way they intimately held one another,
and Myra didn’t risk appalling
the
onlookers
by
additional improprieties.

“
Tis go
od to see you are safe, as well,
”
she said
, and she reluctantly
released him.

Jonathon wailed in Margaret’s arms, and Seth spun around on his heels
and faced
them.

“The babe has been born,” he said
happily
.  He
hurried
to Margaret and took the baby from her arms and plac
ed him carefully into his own.