Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (45 page)

Sebastian stubbed out his cigar. "I wonder if you would
allow me to see my sister-in-law. My wife is concerned
about her, and I would like to report firsthand that she is
not suffering from her confinement."

"It is not my impression that the two sisters have a high
regard for one another."

"As you saw from your visit with her today, Liberty can
be willful and strong-minded. Bandera is of a gentler nature, and the two of them often quarrel. But nonetheless, Bandera worries about Liberty."

Having met both sisters, Colonel Newman favored
Liberty's open honesty to her sister's secretiveness. "I will
allow your wife to visit her sister tomorrow ... if your wife is still concerned about her welfare." He had been told that Mrs. Montesquieu had not thus far inquired about her sister's well being.

Sebastian shifted his eyes and stared at the toe of his
boot. "But I thought if I could see-"

"I consider the matter closed," Colonel Newman snapped, rising to his feet. "Since the hour is late, I am sure your sister-in-law is in bed. I suggest we both seek
our own beds. In the event that Judah Slaughter comes to
rescue his wife, rest assured that we will be ready for him."

Later, as Sebastian paused at his bedroom door, he
glanced down the hall to where the guard was posted at
Liberty's door. He thought of her, lying soft and lovely in
her bed, and he felt an ache deep inside. Why did she always torment him? He wanted her, and one day he would have her, just as he would one day have Bend of the River.

Sebastian now knew the one way to get even with Judah
was through Liberty. But at the moment, with her under the protection of Colonel Newman, he could not get to her any easier than Judah could…

21

January 6, 1814

For over a week Judah and Zippora had attempted to
rescue Liberty, but Briar Oaks had become an armed fortress. Over twenty guards patrolled the grounds, and up to now, it had been impossible for Judah to get close to the house.

"It's tonight or never, Zippora," Judah whispered, ply
ing the oar to the water. "With this fog, we just may succeed."

Zippora brought the boat in close to the riverbank,
while Judah checked his pistol to make sure it was loaded.
"We are fortunate that the mist is so heavy, Judah Slaugh
ter," she whispered. "It will be impossible for the guards to see you, and that will work to your advantage."

"You are an amazing woman, Zippora. I'm not even
sure I can find the house in this mist, yet you were able to
find your way down the river."

Zippora pulled her hood over her head and huddled in
the bow of her small boat. "You must have a care when I
put you ashore. Keep to the trees on your left, and the
path will lead you to Liberty's bedroom. Do you remem
ber which window I told you to look for?"

Judah was grim-faced. "I hope so. I would sure be out of luck if I ended up in the wrong bedroom."

The boat bumped against the bank, and Judah shoul
dered the rope and stepped ashore. He listened for a
moment to see if there were any guards nearby. Hearing
nothing, he moved up the embankment.

Zippora followed him to the first tree. "I will wait here
for you,
M'sieu.
You must hurry and return before the mist clears."

"If I am not back in an hour and a half, it will mean I
ran into trouble, and you must leave immediately. Is that
understood?"

"I hear you," she said, feeling the cold mist against her
face. "I scouted the area yesterday and discovered there are five guards at the front of the house. They are no more than fifty paces apart, so have a care. There is also
a man that walks the pier. It is best to avoid that area
completely."

"Wish me luck," Judah said, staring into the total
darkness ahead and wondering if he would be able to find
Liberty, let alone rescue her.

"Luck will be with you. You must use your wits, but you have the courage of a lion, Judah Slaughter."

His dark cloak swirled out about him as he turned and
moved away, soon to be swallowed up by the eerie dark
ness.

Unable to sleep, Liberty threw the covers back and made her way to the window. It was past midnight and
she stared out at a mist so thick she couldn't even see the tree that stood outside her window. Once in a while she
would hear the voice of a British sentry calling out to report his position.

A chill passed through Liberty's body, and she shivered and pulled her shawl about her for warmth. Would this
nightmare never end? She was desperate for news of the
war, but no one would tell her anything. There had been cannon fire for the past two days, now even that had
stopped. Two warring forces had come together, so why
was it so silent?

She was desperately alone. She hadn't seen a friendly
face since the Zippora had come to visit. Had everyone
forgotten she existed?

A tear made its way down her cheek. Perhaps it was
good to have all this time to think about her marriage to
Judah. If he had married her just to get his hands on
Bend of the River, it was her own fault. She had gone into
marriage knowing that Judah did not love her.

"Oh, but I do love him so desperately," she cried out,
burying her head in her arms and giving in to total
melancholy. "I just wish I knew where he was, and if he is
safe." Liberty had half-expected Judah to make an at
tempt to rescue her. In some part of her mind she felt sad
because he had not at least tried.

"Fool," she said to herself. "Didn't you ask him to stay
away? Do you want him to be captured?" A tear made a
trail down her cheek. "I must really be getting desperate—
I am starting to talk to myself."

Judah carefully placed one booted foot in front of the
other, knowing any sound would be magnified in the darkness. He had hardly gone twenty paces when he
heard someone coming toward him. Quickly, he flattened
himself against a tree trunk and pulled his cape about him.

The guard paused an arm's-length away from Judah and stood as if listening for something. Judah's senses became alert, and he was prepared to strike in case the
man discovered his presence. He gripped the handle of his
pistol, and then decided that if he fired his gun, the shot
would alert the other guards and his chances of rescuing
Liberty would be lost. He would have to take the man on in hand-to-hand combat.

Judah was ready to spring when the guard turned on
his heel and moved out of sight. Judah breathed a sigh of
relief, and waited until the man's footsteps faded into the
distance before he continued toward the house.

He ducked from one tree to another until the house
loomed out of the mist before him. Then his eyes sought
the window that would be Liberty's. Cautiously he walked
to the tree just below it, and he assessed the situation. There was no way he could get to Liberty without using the rope. He grabbed a branch and swung himself into the tree, just in time to avoid the sentry that walked by.

The English soldier paused in his duty, and propped his
rifle against the tree trunk. Minutes passed, and the man
still didn't move. Judah became irritated, for precious time was passing. He had to rescue Liberty before the
mist cleared. They would have no chance at all when the
morning sunburned it away.

Liberty had fallen asleep curled up on the window
ledge. She awoke with a start; a sudden noise had shaken her out of her sleep. She listened for a moment, but there
was no sound. Cold and stiff, she stood up and tried to
restore circulation to her legs.

A sound, like someone throwing pebbles against her
window, caught her attention. She listened until it came
again. Someone was outside her window. Pressing her
face against the frosted pane, she could see nothing. She had convinced herself that she must have imagined the
whole thing, when she heard it again.

Liberty slowly opened the window, and before she could react, a dark shrouded figure swooped inside,
knocking her to the floor and landing on top of her.
Immediately enfolded in a dark cape, Liberty fought to get free. But a man's hand clamped over her mouth, and panic rose up inside her. She pushed against the strong hand that seemed to cut off her breathing.

"Have no fear, my lady wife," a beloved voice whis
pered in her ear. "I have come to get you out of here. I am going to take my hand away from your mouth now, but do not make a sound," he cautioned.

"Judah," she whispered as he scooped her up in his arms and held her tightly against his broad chest. Joy threaded her words. "You came for me."

He pressed his cheek to hers, and tightened his arms
about her. "Did you think I would not? Surely you knew I
would never allow you to become anyone's prisoner." He
smiled. ". . .   Except mine."

Her heart sung with happiness because he had come for
her, yet she feared for the man she loved. "Judah did you
not get my note warning you not to come? Do you not know you are in danger?"

His lips brushed against hers and he laughed softly.
"Madame,
do you not know your husband is accused of
being a pirate who thinks nothing of danger?"

"Judah, be serious. You are in peril here. You must leave immediately."

He set Liberty on her feet. "I will not leave without
you. Dress quickly. I had to deal with one of your guards below. I fear he will regain consciousness at any moment
and alert the house."

Liberty's hands fumbled, she was in such haste to get
dressed. Pulling on her gown, she felt Judah's hands at
her back, tying the bow at the neck. "I would rather be
undressing you," he whispered against her ear, sending
shivers of delight to dance down her spine.

She reached up to place her hand on his, but Judah had already moved across the room to look out the window. Liberty gathered up her cloak and pulled it around her.

"Come on," he called to her, as he tested the rope he
had tied in the branches of the tree. "We must leave now.
It sounds like the changing of the guard. Hurry!"

Liberty flew into his strong arms, and to her surprise,
he threw her across his shoulder. She hardly had time to
gasp in surprise, before they went flying through the air and he landed softly on the sturdy tree branch.

Judah set her down beside him and caught her about the waist to steady her. "So far, so good," he laughed.
"Now you must clutch me around the neck, and I will
descend the rope. Are you frightened?"

"No, not with you."

"Good girl," he said, feeling great pride in his wife. He
had known many women who would have been hysterical
under similar circumstances, yet not once did Liberty
express fear or doubt. She did not hesitate to follow his
every command without question.

Her hands went around his neck, and he lowered them
both down the rope. Judah could hear the moaning of the man he had knocked unconscious. He knew they had to
hurry. When his feet touched the ground, he pulled Liberty behind the tree.

He realized that it was long past the hour and a half
Zippora was supposed to wait for him. If she had followed his instructions, she would be gone by now, and their chances of escaping were very slim.

Judah clasped Liberty's hand. "Do you feel up to running?" he asked urgently.

"Oui,"
she said, lifting her gown. "I can run very fast
when the need arises."

Their feet seemed to fly as they headed in the direction
of the river. Behind them, Liberty heard a voice calling out. "Intruder on the premises! Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!"

They ran and ran until Liberty felt that her lungs were going to burst from lack of air. Her legs would no longer
hold her and she slipped. She would have fallen to the
ground had Judah not grabbed her. Without breaking his
stride, he swung her into his arms and continued toward
the river. He was hoping Zippora would meet them when
they got there.

The mist was beginning to clear, and the first rosy glow
of morning touched the Eastern horizon. Several shots
rang out, and then bullets were whizzing all about them.
Judah jumped behind a tree, listened to the sound of running footsteps. "Pray we have a boat when we reach
the river, Liberty," he said, clasping her to him. He took a
deep breath and bounded down the embankment, his black cape flying behind him.

"Over here," Zippora called out. "Hurry!"

Judah seemed to sail through the air as he leaped off
the embankment and landed softly in the boat. When the
small craft stopped rocking, he deposited Liberty in the rear, and pushed her head down. "Keep low," he cautioned. He then picked up an oar and helped Zippora row, knowing they must get out of range of the British guns.

Bullets whistled past them as several soldiers gathered
at the river's edge. Others were ordered into boats and were soon in pursuit.

Zippora only laughed. "The
Anglais
would be wiser to
stay on land. In no time at all they will be hopelessly lost
in the mist. We are safe from them now. Besides I took
advantage of the time while I was waiting. Those boats will not remain afloat for long."

Liberty drew in a deep breath. Her heart felt light as
she hugged her cape about her. Judah did care about her.
Had he not risked his life to rescue her tonight?

As the sound of English voices faded behind them, they
caught the current and headed downriver.

"Where are we going," Liberty asked, when they moved
past the bayou that would take them to Zippora's cabin. Not that she cared. It was enough to be free.