The Jezebel (Taskill Witches 3)

“I am most grateful for your time and attention.” Cyrus bowed his head, but was unable to keep the bitterness from his tone. It was almost impossible to act appropriately, given the night he had passed, the information he had gained and the fact he’d been kept waiting. Margaret was in the hands of a lawless merchant seaman. If Cyrus didn’t act quickly, she might be injured or exposed as a witch. Her precious powers might be spoiled, or worse still, aligned with someone other than Cyrus himself. “It is a matter of great urgency, and of a personal nature.”

Russell gestured languidly with his hand, urging Cyrus to continue while he flapped out the full skirt of his coat and took his seat.

“There was an incident in Billingsgate last night. Your men were there together with representatives of His Majesty’s revenue collectors. They were in pursuit of a merchant ship that sailed on the tide.”

Russell neither confirmed nor denied the matter, which was as Cyrus would have expected. The news might appear in reports the earl looked over, but it would be a menial matter for one such as him. Cyrus hurried on. “Eyewitness accounts of the ship’s departure reported that a young woman was taken on board the ship. I have reason to suspect that young woman is my ward.”

Russell raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Margaret?”

“Yes. I trust you understand my concern and my reason for raising you from your bed at this ungodly hour.”

“She has been kidnapped?”

Cyrus had anticipated the earl’s response. “I can only assume that is the case. She has no acquaintance with disreputable people such as they must be, and neither have any of her personal belongings been taken.” That was a lie. The most precious fetish items of her craft were absent from her chamber. He had discovered that himself before dawn. The knowledge had torn him asunder, for it indicated she had been prepared to go. Why? Why had she gone? Had someone forced her? If it was a foolish whim, it was out of character for her, but it could happen. His deepest concern was that she would be too afraid to protect herself by means of magic. It was his fault. He had drummed it into her often enough. Trapped aboard a ship with a bunch of superstitious, ill-educated shipmen, she would surely know it was not a wise place to unleash her magic. “She was due to meet me at the theater last night and never arrived. I can only assume she was waylaid.”

“Have you received a demand?”

“Not as yet, but I am not willing to wait until I do.” Cyrus took a deep breath. “I’m taking a great liberty here, but I wondered if I might request your assistance.”

“In what way?”

“I know from my investigations that your men already have good cause to pursue this ship. If you were to sign an order for a British navy ship to hunt down the vessel, and I were allowed to go aboard, I might gain an advantage, and in doing so rescue my ward before she comes to any harm at their hands.”

Russell reached out and rolled his blotter back and forth on his desk while he considered the request. “It is more than we would normally undertake in the matter of revenue and governing law.”

“I would be most grateful, and my allegiance will be yours in your future endeavors, should you need it.” The promise of backing in government matters was always tempting, and Cyrus felt sure that the earl would claim his return several times over in the future. But Cyrus was willing to do anything in his pursuit of Margaret. He had to have his precious commodity returned to him. He hadn’t groomed her all these years for her to slip away from him just as he was ready to reap the fullest rewards from her.

Russell cast a diminishing look in his direction. “I am the head of the admiralty. Whyever would I need your assistance?”

Cyrus twitched. It was what he might have expected, however. Russell wouldn’t want to be seen to acquiesce too easily. “It is often useful to sway men by means of the written word. I am adept at offering subtle, persuasive opinion in my discourse. Should you wish to gain power, my support in the written word would be one way to achieve it.” He paused, adding weight to his final comment. “On any matter, from this day on, the nature of my discourse would be yours to command.”

Russell considered him at length, then rose to his feet. “I will summon one of my best captains. He will know how easily we can purloin one of the ships ready to set sail on His Majesty’s business, and rearrange its voyage about this new task. While we await his arrival, we will breakfast.” Russell flicked his fingers and nodded at the servant who waited by the door.

The man disappeared immediately.

“Quails eggs today, if memory serves. Does that suit you?”

Cyrus felt his patience falter. He wanted to see orders given, people leaping to action on command. That was not the way with this man, so he nodded as graciously as he could.

Russell led him to the dining room, where the table was being laid out for breakfast.

Cyrus could neither eat nor drink, and when the naval officer arrived and he, too, was encouraged to sit and dine with them, Cyrus’s frustration only grew. Captain Giles Plimpton seemed a capable man, but Cyrus wished his case was being approached with more haste. Every moment that passed was squandered because it took Margaret farther from his grasp.

As the earl ate heartily, Cyrus summarized the situation for Captain Plimpton and ventured further suggestions about how the matter might be handled. “I’ve had several men investigating my ward’s disappearance overnight. We’ve already established that the ship in question was bound for Scotland.”

“Ah, yes,” the captain responded, heaping his plate. “I recall news of a recent sighting, the ship known as the Libertas, yes?”

“The very one.” Cyrus was relieved the officer was aware of the ship.

“The captain and crew are well-known to us.” Plimpton nodded sagely. “A heinous, sully bunch they are. They slink in and out of harbor under cover of darkness and without even a nod to the harbormaster or the customs man. It would be a pleasure to go after them to collect the ship’s dues. Alas, it is not a navy priority to chase a lone ship to Sc

otland for unpaid taxes alone.” He offered Cyrus a quick smile at that juncture.

Cyrus took it as a good sign. Kidnap together with tax evasion made pursuance more tenable. The mention of Scotland, however, made him restless and eager to press on. Margaret was a clever young woman and she often asked about visiting her kin in her homeland. That would not be wise at all, for Cyrus might lose her to them. But he had assured her he would arrange a visit, one day. If that was her motivation, Cyrus rued the fact he had made even a vague promise to take her back there. He’d been concerned that she might stray if she were shown her birthplace. Now it seemed as if she might have strayed, anyway. With hindsight, he knew he should have stomped out any desire to do so by reminding her how many had been ousted by the witch hunters north of the border. Had this happened because of some wild notion about finding her kin? If it was, she had put herself in great danger because of it. A shipful of rowdy, uncivilized seafaring men... Cyrus could barely stand to think of his precious toy in such hands. She was his instrument of power, his divining rod, and he intended to get her back.

The earl pointed at Cyrus’s plate. “The first rule of the sea, Master Lafayette, is to eat heartily whenever you can, for you do not know how long you will be out at sea, and rations aboard ship are far from savory.”

So that was their excuse for filling their bellies while urgent matters were dallied over. The comment did, at least, seem to indicate his request to go aboard the navy ship had been approved. “I beg you to understand my dilemma, sire,” he said, with false humility, gesturing humbly at his untouched plate. “I’m afraid I cannot eat. Nor can I rest, not until I know my ward is safe and unharmed.”