Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (28 page)

No longer seeing the
Freemont
as a threat, Judah
turned his attention to the other English ship, the
Royal
George.
The American Naval ship was in trouble, and since it was apparent that she was sinking fast, Judah
wanted to finish off the
Royal George
quickly so he might
rescue the American crew.

As the English ship bore down on the
Winged Victory,
Judah ordered the sails filled so it would look like he was
trying to escape. "Make ready for a sharp turn, men,"
Judah bellowed. "Pass the word on for everyone to grab
hold of something and wait for an impact!"

With the enemy in close pursuit, Judah quickly turned
into the wind and caught his opponent by surprise. The two warring ships came together with a grinding crash
that was felt from bow to stern. As Judah had hoped, the
enemy had been taken by surprise, and many of her crew
had been sent flying across deck, whereas most of Judah's
men had braced themselves and were now armed and ready for a fight.

"Toss grapples!" Judah commanded, as he swung himself over the side and onto the deck of the
Royal George.
A mighty roar rose up from the crew of the
Winged
Victory
and they followed their daring captain into battle.

The captain of the British ship, seeing the mass of men surging onto his deck, ordered his gunners to fire on the
Winged Victory,
but he had missed his chance. The fight
was now limited to hand-to-hand combat, with the priva
teers clearly having the advantage of surprise.

Amid the confusion, Judah had no trouble finding the
English admiral on the forward deck. "I have no wish to
see more bloodshed," he declared, brandishing his rapier.
"Do you give quarter, sir?"

"Not on your life," the Englishmen returned, bravely
lunging forward to meet Judah with his own blade.

With a slight smile, Judah defended himself against the
thrust. The two men crossed swords again and again,
taking little notice of the chaos around them. There was
fighting on the upper and lower decks, on the platforms
and riggings. The planking was slick with blood spilled by
both sides. Judah thrust and parried, agilely side-stepping
his opponent's thrusts, and it was soon obvious to the
British commander that he was outmatched by the Ameri
can captain.

The admiral of the
Royal George,
seeing the tide of
battle was going against him, and knowing he had already
lost one ship, threw down his sword and, to be heard above the noise, yelled loudly, "Quarter, sir, we beg quarter!"

Judah order an immediate halt to the hostilities, then
turned to see how the crippled American ship was faring.
She was riding low in the water and slowly beginning to
list to her right side. Judah knew that in another hour she
would be at the bottom of the sea. The
Freemont,
although not as severely damaged as the American vessel,
was likely to suffer the same fate.

"Make haste, men," he cried.  "Place the prisoners below. Philippe, put men at the helm and rescue the American sailors, then rescue the men from the
Freemont."
Judah grabbed a rope and swung back on board
his ship. "And, Philippe," he called out. "When you see
him, offer my respects to the captain of the American
ship and invite him to dine in my cabin with me and the
English admiral."

The Americans were grateful for their rescue, and
joyful shouts arose from the English ship as impressed
American sailors again tasted sweet freedom.

Captain Etienne Banard took a sip of claret from a
crystal wineglass while he studied the man who had saved
him and his crew from disaster earlier in the day. "The
dinner was excellent, Captain Slaughter. I feel fortunate
to be alive and able to indulge in such a feast. Can you
imagine how I felt today when I had all but lost hope?
Then I saw your ship with the American flag flying above
her mast. It was like a miracle!" He raised his glass to Judah. "Again, I thank you for coming to my aid. I owe this day, my life, and that of my crew to you, sir."

Judah studied his guest with a practiced eye. Judging
from his slight accent, he guessed the man was of French
descent and about his own age. In spite of the mishap
today, the American captain was meticulously dressed in
the white and blue dress uniform of the American Navy.

"Please," Judah dismissed Etienne's gratitude. "It was
nothing. To speak of it further will only cause me embar
rassment."

"It is I who suffer the embarrassment, gentlemen," the Englishman, Admiral Sills, Stated. "I thank you for your kind hospitality, but may I ask what you have in store for
me and my men?"

Judah nodded. "I will tell you of my plans tomorrow.
Rest assured that none of you will come to harm." Judah stood up. "I have given you my own cabin, and I hope you will pass a restful night there. My first mate, Philippe, will show you to your quarters."

"May I see my men so I can be satisfied as to their well-
being?" Admiral Sills asked.

"Yes. Philippe will take you below so you can see that
we Americans do not misuse our captives."

The admiral looked at Judah, respect evident in his pale
blue eyes. "I have fallen into the hands of a kind enemy,
sir." Bowing stiffly, he turned to be led out of the room by Philippe.

"What are your plans for the English admiral and his
men?" Etienne Banard inquired.

"I am not sure at this time. You will help me decide later."

"Again, I am grateful for your intervention today. I will
always know that I owe my life to you," Etienne declared
passionately, his French nature coming to the fore. "If
ever you are in need of a favor, you have only to ask and I
will immediately oblige."

A smile smoothed Judah's brow. "You can start by calling me Judah."

"And you will call me Etienne. I will be your friend for
life."

"To good friends," Judah said, tipping his glass to Etienne.

"Will you drink a toast with me, Judah?"

"I will. What shall we drink to?"

"To the United States of America, and to President
Madison. May we have a quick victory over our enemies."

Judah raised his glass, a sober look in his eyes. "To the
land of my birth, may she ever be free!"

Ballard, the ship's cook, cleared away the dishes and the remains of the meal, while Judah poured Etienne a
glass of brandy. The Frenchman waited until Ballard had
left the cabin before he asked, "What do you plan to do with the English ship, Judah?" He smiled. "I am just curious."

Judah took a sip of brandy before answering. "I will
tell you later. Right now I want you to look at something
and give me your opinion on it." Reaching behind him to
a shelf on the wall, Judah picked up a parchment and unrolled it. "As you can see, it has been burned around the edges. Apparently someone tried to destroy it."

Spreading the parchment out on the table, Judah mo
tioned for Etienne to examine it. "My first mate found this in Admiral Sills's cabin. It appears to be a dispatch from London. See what you make of it."

Etienne eyed the document carefully, before whistling
through his teeth. Quickly glancing at Judah, he shook his head, "It is hard to make out the exact meaning since
it is so charred, but apparently it is from someone named
Lord North. He seems to be very important."

"Yes, that is what I thought."

Etienne held the paper closer to the candle so he could
read the words. "I believe it has to do with —Good, God!
This talks about an attack on New Orleans! I am from
New Orleans. Those bastards are going to try to take
Louisiana!"

"That is what it looks like to me," Judah agreed, nodding slightly.

Etienne glanced up, excitement burning in his eyes. "It
is imperative that this dispatch reach the proper hands. It
could turn the tide of war in our favor."

"Yes, I agree."

"General Andrew Jackson would be the best person to
receive this."

"I agree," Judah said, shaking his head. "The trouble is, where do we find him?"

"If you will trust me, I will take you to General Jackson."

Judah stood and propped his booted foot on the chair.

"We hear rumors about Andrew Jackson. Some say he is
headed for Louisiana. It pains me to tell you this, but I
would not exactly be welcome in Louisiana. I am a wanted man there."

Etienne's eyes clouded with disbelief. "What have you
done that this should be?"

"To use an old, worn-out phrase, I was accused falsely."
Laughter took the edge off his words. "You may not believe this, but I fell into a trap that was set by a woman."

"I believe that you are innocent," Etienne said earnestly.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Judah found himself telling Etienne about his trouble,
taking care not to mention any names. After he finished,
there was silence in the cabin until Etienne stared into
Judah's eyes.

"I will put myself at your disposal and help free you of the false charges," Etienne stated with feeling. "I will tell
the authorities what you have done today, and they will
have to let you go free."

A smile twitched at the corners of Judah's lips. "I am
afraid that will not happen, my friend. You see, I have
powerful enemies."

"My father is also a power to reckon with. He is a judge in New Orleans. I know he will be grateful to you for saving my life, and will help clear your name."

"I would never ask a friend to put his good name on the line for me, Etienne. I will deal with my enemies in
my own way. Nevertheless, I thank you for the offer of
help."

"But if you are innocent . . .?

"I cannot prove my innocence." Judah's eyes lit up and he clapped Etienne on the back. "Do not distress yourself on my account. I will take care of the matter in my own
good time. Until then, I am a prisoner of the past."

Etienne saw the dangerous glow that suddenly lit Judah's eyes, but the naked hatred he saw in them was quickly masked by indifference. He wondered at the power of the hate that had driven this man to privateering?

"When will you go back to New Orleans, and try to clear your name, Judah?"

"Soon, I think."

"My family will be giving the annual masquerade ball
two months from now? Would that not be a good time
for you to return? Everyone who is of any importance in
Louisiana will attend. You would never be discovered if
you wore a disguise."

Judah was thoughtful for a moment. At last he spoke in a soft voice. "Are you issuing me an invitation?"

"Indeed I am."

"Perhaps it is time I revisited my past. If I come, will you send an invitation to Briar Oaks Plantation?"

"But of course." Etienne smiled. "Since I am from New
Orleans, I know Bandera Boudreaux very well. Would she
be the one you want to receive the invitation?"

"Yes."

"I have not been home in over three years," Etienne said, "but I still remember how lovely Bandera was."

Judah was in no mood to discuss Bandera. "Come," he
said, walking across the room. "Let us see about getting
you a ship. If I know my men, and I believe I do, they will be begging you to take the
Royal George
off our hands. It is my estimation that they have all imbibed a dose of patriotism today and are itching to get into this
war. When you take over the ship, you can also take the
prisoners off my hands."

Etienne's eyes lit up. "The United States Navy could use
men like you and your crew. We need all the good men we
can muster. Why do you not enlist your services in our
cause?"

"Understand me, Etienne, I love my country as much as any man. My father died in her service. But I am not
yet ready to expose myself to my enemies. If I help the
United States, it will be in my own way . . . and in my
own time." Suddenly Judah's turquoise eyes twinkled.
"Perhaps the way is through you, and the time is nearer
than we think."