Mary Nichols - In the Commodore's Hands

‘When will he go?’ Jay asked, trying not to show his disgust at the casual way the man had spoken. ‘I hope it will not be before I have made my deal with the Comte’s daughter and taken delivery of the merchandise.’

‘We have to wait for the summons from Paris. Henri Canard has gone himself to get the necessary papers for his transportation.’

‘Then I will do my deal as soon as may be and hasten my own departure.’ He produced three more gold coins and put them on the table. ‘For your co-operation,’ he said and left them.

He strode back to his grandfather’s villa in a pensive mood. The Comte was barely more than skin and bone and much older than he had imagined. He had assumed that he had fathered Lisette in his twenties and, as she was surely no more than twenty-five or six, then her father would be in his fifties. But he was seventy if he was a day, about the same age as his grandfather. Sir John was hale and hearty, but the Comte looked as though a blow from a feather would knock him over. Had he been like that before he was thrown into prison or had prison itself aged him? How on earth was he to get two old men and a young lady out of France and on a boat to England without one or the other of them collapsing on him?

He found both Sam and Lisette with his grandfather. ‘I thought I told you to go home and wait,’ he said.

‘I did not choose to. I knew you would come back here and I wanted to hear what went on.’

Jay threw himself into a chair. ‘Nothing went on. I paid the dues and had a few words with the Comte.’

‘What did he say?’ she asked eagerly. ‘Did you tell him we were going to try to get him out?’

‘No, of course I did not. We had an audience.’

‘Then it was a waste of time.’

‘Not at all. I established that he is going to be sent to Paris for trial. Henri Canard is too impatient to wait for the summons and has gone to fetch it himself.’

‘Oh, no! We are lost. We will never get him out of a Paris prison.’

Jay heard the distress in her voice and found himself wanting to reach out to comfort her. The feeling was so alien to him, he was taken aback. He could not allow her to penetrate his reserve—sympathetic to her plight he might be, but that was all it was. Nothing would be achieved by becoming soft. He pulled himself together. ‘Pray, do not distress yourself, mademoiselle . If I have my way, he will never reach Paris. He will not leave Normandy, except on the Lady Amy.’

‘You have a plan to break him out before they come for him?’ Sam queried, his eyes lighting up.

‘I do not think breaking him out is a good idea,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘There are other ways, but I need more information. I need to know how the Comte is likely to be transported and when.’ He turned to Sam. ‘Do you think you can continue your comradeship with those gaolers?’

Sam laughed. ‘It is a good thing that my understanding of French is a deal better than my speaking of it, then. And I can hold my drink better than most.’

Jay turned to Lisette. ‘Now, mademoiselle , I will escort you home. You have still to make yourself ready as I suggested and keeping your horses out late is not going to help if we have the call tomorrow morning.’

‘I do not need your escort,’ she said haughtily, standing up and shaking out her skirt.

‘I beg to differ. I will see you safely home and I will repeat my instructions to your maid, then I may be sure they will be obeyed.’

Lisette did not answer, but marched out of the room, head held high. He shrugged and smiled at the other two men and went after her.

They had almost completed the journey in silence when she spoke. ‘Do you think it will happen tomorrow?’

Her voice was conciliatory and he smiled in the darkness of the coach. For all her defiance, she was a frightened girl and needed someone to lean on. Well, she could lean on him, that was why he was there, but only for as long as it took to get her, her father and his grandfather to safety. He was doing it because his mother had asked it of him and for no other reason.

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘But we must not be caught unprepared.’

‘I will be ready,’ she said quietly.

He almost regretted his defeat of her. He did not like to see her spirit broken, but it was necessary if they were to succeed. ‘Good.’

The coach stopped, he jumped out and held out his hand to help her alight. She took his hand and stepped down. ‘You wish to speak to Hortense, monsieur?’

He smiled. ‘Do I need to?’

‘No. I will tell her what you have said and Georges will make sure the horses are ready.’

‘Then I will bid you goodnight.’ He lifted her hand to his lips, then strode away.

Lisette went indoors. The strain of the last few weeks and especially today had exhausted her. She trusted Sir John, and as Sir John trusted his grandson, she had no choice but to do so too. Jay Drymore was obviously a man used to command and today he had been especially cool and practical, but she wondered how good he was at dealing with the French people whose mood was volatile and bloodthirsty. If anything went wrong with the rescue attempt, his gaolers would not hesitate to kill Papa and the rescuers too. Did the Commodore realise that? Louis d’or would not save them.

She found Hortense anxiously waiting for her. ‘Lissie, where have you been all day? I expected you home hours ago. It is not fair of you to worry me so. I do believe that Englishman has you in thrall.’

Lisette flung herself down on a sofa. ‘That’s nonsense. He has come to rescue Papa and it is natural that we need to talk. It is no more than that. Besides, I have not been with him all day. We parted before we reached the prison.’

‘I’m glad he had the sense not to take you to that dreadful place with him, but where have you been?’

‘I went to the market and bought food and listened to the gossip. The Assembly has taken away all the King’s power and there is talk of putting him on trial.’

Hortense gasped. ‘Surely they will never do such a wicked thing.’

‘Who knows? And they say Marie Antoinette is plotting with the Austrians.’

‘I would not put that past her. What else?’

‘I heard Henri Canard is going to stand for the legislature at the next elections. His hatred of the nobility is spreading to everyone. I shall be glad to leave, but we have to free Papa first. I went to visit Sir John on the way home. Monsieur Drymore joined us after he had been to the prison. He said there is talk of Papa being moved to Paris for a trial. I think he has a plan to waylay the guards, but he would not tell me the details.’

‘Why not?’

Lisette shrugged. ‘I do not think he trusts me.’

‘Then he is an arrogant fool.’

‘No, Hortense, he may be arrogant, that is an Englishman’s way, I think, but he is not a fool. He bade me be ready to move at a moment’s notice. You may come too, if you wish it. I know it will be a great upheaval for you, so I will not insist.’

‘Naturally I will come. Do you think I will let you go without me?’

‘Thank you, Hortense. I am so tired, I am going to bed and you must do so too, but tomorrow morning, we must pack.’ She rose and together they climbed the stairs where Hortense helped her mistress to bed and then went to her own chamber.

In spite of her tiredness Lisette could not sleep. She found herself going over and over everything she and the Commodore had said to each other, every nuance, every meaningful look, every curt response, every compliment he had paid her, every censure too. None of it helped her to understand him. She had to take him as she found him, a complex individual who was charming one minute and annoying the next. But none of that mattered if he saved her father.