Beautiful Tempest
Page 54

Jack turned back to Jeremy first and gave him a significant look, saying softly, “I had hoped we could take the ship from him and sail home, but that was before I saw how many men are on it.”
“I’d rather continue on to save Father, but what truths is he talking about?”
“I don’t know, but he’s implied we’re not here for the reason we think.”
Jeremy chucked her chin with a grin. “Then let’s hear him out and play it by ear.”
She nodded and took her usual seat at the table. Jeremy and Percy sat on the sides nearest her, which left Damon isolated at the other end. But he hadn’t sat down yet. He went to the door to signal they were ready for the meal.
Jackie had the help of two sailors tonight in bringing everything in. A bottle of wine, glasses, four plates filled with food, and a tray of desserts. Four? Jack realized that Mortimer wasn’t coming to help keep the peace. No doubt guards were standing outside the opened door to do that. Then Damon closed the door and took his seat. He was obviously confident that he could manage all three of them if it came to that, which was possible considering how damned strong and fast he was. Then again, he could simply be armed. A single pistol would stay their hands.
“Any relation to the East Sussex Reeveses?” Percy asked Damon as Jackie filled his glass.
“It’s just a fake name, Percy,” Jacqueline put in.
“No, it’s my legal name,” Damon said. “It was a stipulation of my great-grandfather’s will that I take the family name to receive his estate. Yes, those Reeveses, Lord Percival.”
“Know the property, ’deed I do,” Percy mentioned. “Lovely location and quite large as I recall, though that was years ago. Went there as a child with my mum. Was there a title involved?”
“No, he was a second son. The titles are on my grandmother’s side. She’s the only relative I was able to locate while I was in England. Unfortunately, she’s quite tetched with the loss of her memories, doesn’t recognize her own servants, didn’t even remember her own daughter, my mother. And she swears she doesn’t have a grandson, so after my first visit with her I have been repeatedly turned away from the house that’s now mine. Quite frustrating.”
The wry smile had Percy say, “I had a great-aunt like that. She would fire servants just because she didn’t recognize them.”
“As does my grandmother.”
“Then how did you find out about the inheritance?”
“There was one old servant who’d been there long enough to know my mother and refused to leave when she kept getting fired. She despised me without reason and wouldn’t answer a single question I had about the family, but apparently, she sent word to the family’s solicitor to complain about my first visit, and he tracked me down.”
“Which begs the question,” Jeremy said drily, “if what you just said is true, what are you doing here on a pirate ship, working for a pirate, and abducting a young lady and two noblemen?”
“I’m temporarily committed to another path.”
Jacqueline waited for him to say more and was incredulous when he didn’t. “I could have sworn you said this was a night for truths.”
“The night is young.”
She probably looked as angry as she was at his evasion because Jeremy nodded toward the bottle of brandy on the desk, saying to Damon, “How about a drinking contest after dinner, mate? First man to pass out loses.”
“But you can’t be beat at that game, old chap,” Percy reminded Jeremy. “Everyone knows it.”
“He didn’t,” Jeremy growled at their friend.
Percy looked so abashed that Jack refrained from kicking him. Percy let information roll off his tongue without the first thought to consequences and always had. This part of his endearing charm was usually amusing—at least for anyone not keeping the secrets he inadvertently revealed.
Damon laughed at the byplay. “Just out of curiosity, what prize were you after, Malory?”
“Full freedom aboard your ship.”
“And the prize you were willing to offer me?”
Jeremy shot to his feet. “Not beating the living hell out of you.”
Damon didn’t stand up as well, but he did raise a brow. “So is that contest still on the table?”
“No, it’s not,” Jacqueline interjected sharply, and motioned to Jeremy to sit back down. “At least not tonight. Can we first hear why Damon invited you here?”
“Yes, you can,” Damon said. “We’re nearly to the Caribbean. I can no longer wait to form an alliance with the three of you.”
Chapter Thirty-Five

JEREMY LAUGHED. “I’M SORRY, did you expect a response to that other than laughter?” Jacqueline had been about to laugh, too, but she frowned instead, guessing that Damon had suggested an alliance because he was truly worried about the pirates on his crew.
“I’m not out to harm Jack or your father,” Damon assured Jeremy.
“Liar, you want him dead!” Jeremy retorted.
“I never wanted him dead. I just have other objectives that involve him. Jack’s presence was and is nothing more than a means to an end for me, a way of luring your father into helping me put Lacross back in prison.”
Jacqueline’s anger flared. “When you took me from Bridgeport, you had every intention of turning me over to Pierre Lacross! If you try to deny that, we’re done talking.”
“I had no intention of turning you over to them. That was part of Catherine and her father’s plan, and I’d been assured you wouldn’t be hurt, but I had doubts from the start. I just wanted to draw your father to Lacross’s hideaway—”
“Which is located where?” Jeremy interjected.
Damon ignored his question. “At the time, I didn’t really care who won that fight, I just expected there would be a fight, not a willing surrender that would have been a slaughter. Mort was to get you off the ship in St. Kitts while I took Catherine ashore so she wouldn’t notice. But you escaped on your own before he could help you.”
“If that’s true, you wouldn’t have sunk all those ships in Bridgeport!” Jacqueline said.
“And if I didn’t, how do you think the situation would have progressed? I didn’t want to end up dead or imprisoned after a fight at sea with your relatives. Besides, my intent was just to get your father’s attention.”