Bobbi Smith - Captive Pride

“A friend,” was his only reply.

Allowing his rescuer to take the lead, Noah followed him out the side door of the building to where two horses were tethered, awaiting them. Mounting up, they fled the scene without being noticed. Fearful of drawing unwanted attention to themselves, they passed through the streets of Boston at a measured pace. When his guide reined in behind a shabby two-story wooden building in a poor section of town near the docks, Noah followed suit.

“Come with me,” the man directed.

Noah was quick to comply and within minutes found himself safely ensconced in a small, windowless room on the second floor. As his rescuer lit a candle, bathing their surroundings in a flickering yellow light, Noah eyed the room curiously, noting that the only furniture was a single bed and a small washstand. “What is this place?”

“It’s one of our secure rendezvous points. You’ll be staying here until we can arrange safe passage for you out of Boston.”

Noah nodded in understanding and then asked, “Who are you?” His companion was tall and slim; his clothing, dark and nondescript as it was, revealed little about the man himself. Noah did not know him-in fact, he had never seen him before-and yet he had just risked his life to save him from almost certain death. Noah was humbled and grateful.

“A friend. My name doesn’t matter,” replied the man. “All that matters is that we get you out of here.”

“Where will I be sent? Where will I be safe?”

“Either Philadelphia or New York; it just depends on how hard they look for you.”

“Thank you,” Noah told him solemnly. “I was beginning to think that I had very little hope of ever being free again.”

“Well, it’s not over yet by any means, but with any luck at all, you’ll soon be free. For right now, you just stay in this room. We’ll bring you everything you need.”

“I will,” he promised as the man started from the room.

“Graves will arrange for you to visit with your brother as soon as possible, but the authorities will no doubt suspect him first, so it may be a while.”

The man’s mention of Ryan Graves confirmed Noah’s suspicion that Matthew and the rebels were the ones behind his rescue. “Will you tell Graves that I’m very grateful for his help?”

“You helped us. We’re just returning the support.” He put Noah more at ease. “You know, our country could use more men like you…”

“Your country?”

The man smiled. “We’ll be free of this British tyranny one day. The calls for revolution and independence are growing. In fact, if sanctions are brought to bear on Boston over the tea episode, I suspect the break may happen much sooner than we all think.” He paused, studying Noah with fathomless dark eyes that seemed to be assessing his worth. “Give it some thought. You’re young, and you’ve got a cool head on you. We Americans need all the help we can get. Think about it.” He glanced about the room. “I’ve got to go now. Someone else will check back with you later tonight to make sure you’re all right and to bring you a change of clothing. Just stay in here and be quiet, and everything will work out fine.”

“Thanks.”

They clasped hands, and then his rescuer departed, leaving Noah alone with his thoughts.

“Americans…” Noah frowned as he said the word softly to himself, and he remembered the first time he’d heard the term used. It had been at Winthrop’s ball. That night he had had a different opinion of the rebels, but now…

Shrugging out of his coat, Noah tossed it aside and moved to the bed. He stretched out upon it and was pleased to find that its comfort was a vast improvement over the hard cot he’d had in his cell. Folding his arms beneath his head, he stared up at the ceiling. His thoughts were confused as he realized that he was now a hunted man. Noah knew he would never be able to return to England and could no longer plan on restoring his wealth and position. A month ago that possibility would have devastated him, but now, to his surprise, the pain was less than he’d expected.

As Noah pondered the bleakness of his future, CC crept into his thoughts. His heart ached as he remembered her, warm and willing, in his arms. How perfect they had been together! He had hoped to win his freedom in court and then face her with the truth of his feelings, but now he knew any chance of ever being with her was lost. Despite CC’s involvement with the rebels, she was still her father’s daughter. Even if she had meant it when she’d told him she loved him, Noah knew it would be impossible to ask her to marry him now, for he had nothing to offer her-no home, no security, no future. From this point on, his life would be only danger and intrigue, and who knew how or when it would all end? His only hope was to trust in Graves to get him safely out of town. Beyond that…well, he decided wearily, he would deal with it later.

Closing his eyes, Noah sought sleep. Rest had been elusive in the miserable confines of the jail cell, and he knew he was going to have to be fresh and ready to move whenever they came for him. As he finally drifted off, his last waking thought was of CC and of how sorry he was that he had never had the chance to tell her that he loved her.

CC was wildly angry as she paced her room. It was dark, and still her father had not come to speak with her or allowed her to leave her room! She was growing distraught over the thought that Kincade might have already been released from jail, and she was desperate to let Ryan know about his possible treachery.

A sharp rap at her bedroom door broke through her thoughts, and she hurried to open it, hoping it was her father coming to tell her she could come out. To CC’s dismay, she found only Anna standing in the hall with a dinner tray.

“Your father told me to bring this to you. He also said to tell you that he’s not quite ready to speak with you yet, and he wants you to stay in your room until tomorrow.” Anna explained her presence as she faced her mistress. Though she had seldom seen Miss CC in such a high temper, it was easy to tell that she was still angry, for her green eyes were sparkling with an inner fire, and her cheeks were flushed in agitation.

“What?” CC couldn’t believe it, and she planted her hands on her hips defiantly. “You can’t be serious, Anna.”

Anna gave her a sympathetic look as she moved past her into the room to place the tray on the bedside table. “I wish I was making it all up, Miss CC, but I’m not. Your father was still furious with you when he told me to bring your dinner up to you on this tray. What in the world did you do to make him so angry?”

“It’s a long story, Anna…” she snapped in irritation, “and one I’d rather not discuss.”

The maid nodded in deference to her wishes. “Can I get you anything else tonight? Would you like me to have a bath sent up?”

At the remembrance of Anna’s first comment about CC’s father, a plan had begun to form in CC’s mind. She refused the offer of a bath. “No, not tonight. By the way…are you sure my father said that he didn’t want to speak with me until tomorrow?”

“Yes, Miss CC.”

“Well then, since I won’t be interrupted tonight, I think I’ll just eat and go on to bed.”

“All right.”

“Thanks for the dinner, Anna.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I just hope everything calms down soon. I’ve never seen you and your father mad at each other before.”

“It doesn’t happen often,” CC assured her, managing a cool smile, “and it will probably all be over by tomorrow.”

“I hope so. Well, good night.”

“Good night, Anna.”

When the servant had gone from the room, CC locked the door behind her. Completely ignoring the meal, she rummaged through her armoire and pulled out her disguise. If her father was definitely not going to come up to see her tonight, there was no reason why she couldn’t sneak out of the house to give Ryan the news and then make it back without being missed. She undressed quickly and pulled on her boy’s clothes. After blowing out her lamp, CC opened the window and climbed out onto the welcoming branches of the tree. In short order, she was on the ground racing toward the Green Dragon in hopes of finding Ryan.