“I arrest you, Alexander Montgomery, in the name of the king,” the admiral’s voice boomed, “for treason.”
Pitman rushed forward, grabbed Alex’s Raider mask carelessly tossed onto the rocky beach and looked at Alex. “This’ll teach you to play with me. Did you think I wouldn’t know about those pearls?”
“But Alex—” Jess began but Alex stopped her.
“Take your lanterns away and let her dress,” Alex said. “I’ll go with you.”
“Alex, no!” Jess cried.
The admiral motioned the lanterns away as Alex stood, as proud nude as at any other time.
She dressed in the darkness as she watched Alex, in the circle of light, pull on his clothes. The black silk, the way he stood, his broad shoulders, his flat stomach no longer concealed by padding, proclaimed who he was.
He never looked back as he walked away with the soldiers.
“I found him and lost him all in one night,” Jess said, then began running.
Chapter Twenty-three
ALEX has been arrested,” Jessica said, slamming the door to the dining room of the Montgomery house behind her.
“Oh my God!” Eleanor began to cry, her body shaking.
“Whatever for?” Marianna said. “Did his clothes frighten the sun away?”
Jessica gave vent to her anger and fear. “For being the Raider,” she screamed. “And your husband betrayed him.”
Nicholas entered the room before Marianna could speak. Immediately, he went to Eleanor and pulled her into his arms. “Alex?”
Eleanor nodded against his shoulder.
“This is ridiculous,” Marianna said. “Alexander is as likely as I am to be the Raider. He’d starve to death if Jessica didn’t cut his food for him. They’ll release him when they see the size of his belly.”
There were hot tears beginning to roll down Jess’s face. “He doesn’t have a fat belly. He doesn’t have anything wrong with him. He’s perfect, he’s…” She was crying too hard to finish.
“Perfect?” Marianna said. “Alexander? But he’s fat and—” She halted, then her eyes widened. “You mean Alex is the Raider?”
No one bothered to answer her.
“I have to tell his father,” Jess said, trying to control herself. She ran down the hall and burst into Sayer’s room.
His face changed when he saw her. “Alex,” he gasped.
Jess did what she often did when she was upset and ran into his arms. “Pitman told. He found out about the pearls and was angry. It would be easy to spy in this house. The admiral took Alex.”
Sayer stroked her back and let her cry for a while, then pushed her away from him and said, “We have to make a plan.”
“They’re going to hang him. My Alex.”
“Stop that!” Sayer commanded. “Nobody hangs Montgomerys. We get shot or die of sword wounds or get crushed under barrels, but we don’t get hanged. You understand me? Now stop that sniveling and let’s figure out what to do. First, get Eleanor and Alex’s Russian in here, then that Italian woman and young Nathaniel. Give Marianna a glass of whiskey and tell her to go to bed. We’ll try to make some plans tonight.”
It was Sophy who was able to think most rationally. Eleanor, Jessica and Nathaniel were every minute on the verge of tears, while Sayer and Nicholas were enraged.
“What proof do they have that Alex is the Raider?” Sophy asked.
“He’s my son,” Sayer bellowed. “Of course my son would—”
Sophy kissed the old man’s forehead and winked at Jess. She tried again. “It’s my guess that we have time. I don’t think the admiral will hang Alex tomorrow.” She put up her hand to stop the protests. “I think the admiral will want to gloat. He’ll send for more Englishmen to come observe him. At least, I think he’s a man of vanity.”