Read Online The Diamond King by PATRICIA POTTER - Free Book Online Page B

down the companionway, two of his men behind them. Ah, someone who followed directions. That was a promising turn after his young charges’ disobedience.
    An older man stepped up to him, his arm around his wife. He was pale but obviously determined. “I want assurance that none of the women will be ... harmed.”
    The woman was quaking.
    Alex did not change his expression. “Your name?”
    “Geoffrey Carrefour,” the man said. “My wife, Mrs. Carrefour. I have a plantation in Antigua.”
    He stared at them for a moment. He wondered whether they had any Scots as bond slaves. He’d heard that some had been shipped to English possessions.
    “The women will not be harmed,” he said. “You can find passage from Martinique to a neutral island, then passage to Antigua. I suggest you get your belongings quickly. One of my men will go with you. Any attempt to take a knife or firearm and you will take nothing.”
    He turned to the captain. “That applies to you and your men,” he said. “Any attempt to smuggle a weapon onto the
Ami
will result in my putting all your men in irons for the remainder of the journey.”
    He turned to the next passenger, the youngest of the men. “And who are you?”
    “David Edwards. I’m also bound for Barbados.”
    “With Jeanette Campbell?” He purposely omitted the courtesy title.
    “No. I just received a position with a shipping company.”
    Alex turned to the last two men. They were obviously nervous. Neither of them said anything. “Have neither of you a tongue?”
    The shorter of the two stepped forward. “Jonathon Pruitt. I... have been sent to Antigua.”
    “Sent?”
    “I... work for the government.”
    “The British government?”
    Pruitt trembled. He had obviously heard part of the other conversations.
    Alex turned to the last passenger, a large man with a bulbous face and a skewed wig. It was obvious he had thrown it on in a moment of haste. “And you?”
    “Thomas Turvey. I—I... also work for the government.”
    Alex glared at him. “Take what you can carry yourself. No more. Remember what I said about weapons. I won’t guarantee your safety if you try to smuggle a weapon on my ship.”
    There were three more men, none of whom posed a threat. He turned away. Claude was approaching with the logbook and bill of lading. “A fine cargo,” he said. “Poor wine compared to ours, but...”
    “You’ve tried it then?”
    “
Oui
,” Claude said with a quick smile. “To see what we had.”
    “Now that you’ve attended to that, let’s start getting the crew over to our ship. I don’t want to stay here like this any longer than necessary.”
    Claude nodded, and started barking orders. The first members of the
Charlotte’s
crew climbed down the ladder under the prompting of guns. When the boat was full, the sailors were pressed into rowing.
    One by one the passengers appeared. Captain Talbot stood by, obviously determined to stay by the side of his passengers.
    Alex’s admiration for him increased, though he continued to frown. Martinique was a few days’ sail from here. He did not want any trouble during the voyage. Fear was one way to insure there would be none.
    The quarter boat disgorged its occupants, and returned. Again it was loaded. The process took one more trip to finish the transfer of crew.
    The passengers were back on deck. Fear was still written on their faces, all but on that of Lady Jeanette. She was all outraged dignity. She now wore a bonnet that did nothing at all for her. She still wore the gloves that were oddly out of place. Her eyes sought to impale him.
    A moment of admiration ran through him.
She’s a Campbell with all the Campbell arrogance
. And she was looking at him as if he were the devil himself.
    Well maybe he was.
    And maybe that impression was the best possible thing that could happen.
    When the longboat returned, the male passengers hung back. “Lady Jeanette,” he said, wondering whether she would be as brave climbing over