Page 45 of Any Duke in a Storm

She’d tell them to bugger off, but Lisbeth wasn’t the captain of theSyrenat the moment, so she had to be more diplomatic. Moreladylike. Her eyes canvassed the busy city as she strolled toward the main street. “Oh, look, a milliner’s!” She clapped her hands, feigning a giddy delight that seemed to convince the two men. “I must have a look.”

“Be quick, miss,” Gibbons said. “The Cap’n won’t like it if we take too long.”

Guilt flashed through her. The captain didn’t even know she’d left and definitely wouldn’t like that she had lied about having his permission to come ashore. The two men had taken her word for it, considering she had been rather haughty and demanding, hardly giving them a chance to question whether she had the authority or not.

Act as ifhad always served her well in her profession. Uncertainty always led to hesitation and questions,whereas if one behaved like they were supposed to be where they were, most people went along with it. Confidence with a dash of arrogance was the key to selling a facade. As such, she’d dangled the fat pouch of money in front of them and said that darling Captain Saint wanted her to buy a nice dress for something special he had planned. And didtheywant to disappoint Captain Saint if he didn’t get what he wanted?

The answer had been a resounding no.

Lisbeth should have felt bad for manipulating them, but business was business. She might not have another chance like this, especially if they went back to Exuma.

She shot the men a beaming smile. “I’ll be quick, I promise. I only need twenty minutes or so to have a look.” She dug into the pouch and handed them some money. “There’s a tavern just over there. Have a quick pint on me, and I’ll be done before you know it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell, if you won’t.”

The two men exchanged a look before grudgingly taking the money from her outstretched hand. Lisbeth admired that they were at least thinking about it for more than a second. That kind of loyalty was rare, and it made her feel even worse for the trickery.

Gibbons frowned. “Twenty minutes, miss. And then we’re coming in after you.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Strolling into the shop as if she didn’t have a care in the world, Lisbeth ducked out of sight of the nearest window. To her dismay, Gibbons remained at his postnear the entrance while Balzac ambled across the street to the tavern.

Damn and blast!She would have to leave via another exit. Swearing under her breath, she waited to see if Gibbons would join Balzac, but no such luck. She’d already wasted two valuable minutes! Lisbeth walked over to the salesperson who was folding bolts of fabric. “Excuse me, but is there by chance a back entrance to this shop?”

The girl eyed her with suspicion. Lisbeth’s dress and bonnet were sturdy but not expensive, and from the amount of silk on the shelves, this shop catered to a much wealthier clientele. Lisbeth ducked her head and bit her lip, making her body smaller and more helpless. “May I be honest with you? There’s a man outside who has been following me, and this seemed like a safe establishment.” She suppressed a fake sob, clutching her knuckles to her mouth. “But I think he’s still out there.”

Lisbeth knew she’d convinced the girl when she walked over to the window and spotted Gibbons’s hulking form. Her eyes widened. “Husband?”

“A stranger from the docks. My ship only just came in, you see. I fear if I go back outside, I might be in danger. They could be thieves!”

The seconds ticked by before the girl nodded. “The owner of the shop is out doing a fitting but she will return soon. You can stay here in the meantime. Or shall I send for help? The local constable office is just up the street.”

“No, I can do that,” Lisbeth said hurriedly. “That’s where I’ll go if you have a back exit.”

“Very well,” the girl said. “There’s a small alley that leads to a mews. If you cut through there, you’ll be able to come around to the top part of the street. But I warn you, it’s disgusting.”

“No matter!” Lisbeth said. “You probably will have saved my life or at least my purse.” She rummaged in the pouch and withdrew some folded bills. “Please take this to show my gratitude for your assistance.”

The girl blushed but accepted the money and then led her through a narrow corridor to the even smaller alley that stank of piss, shit, and rotting garbage in the back. “Sorry, I told you it was vile.”

She wasn’t wrong. It was more of a passage for sewage than anything. But Lisbeth didn’t have much choice and she was running out of time. “This will do. Thank you, again. Us women have to stick together.”

“Good luck to you, miss.”

Holding her nose from the foul stench, Lisbeth bypassed the puddles of sludge as best she could and made her way to the end. Hopefully no one would toss out dirty bathwater or worse from the dwellings above. She’d have a hard time enough convincing the men at the customs house that she needed to see someone in charge without smelling like a sewage drain.

Luckily she made it to the end without mishap. Calculating the directions and distance in her head, she took off through the mews, breathing in the scent of hay and horse a lot more readily than she had the putrid alleyway. The soft nicker of horses came from the stalls on the side.

One of the grooms looked up. “Oy, miss. Can I help you?”

“Don’t mind me,” she called out in a cheery American accent. “I forgot my riding boots like a silly goose and must go back to retrieve them.”

It didn’t take her long to reach the next street—about five minutes—which left her about ten before her time was up and Gibbons went in after her. She winced as she thought of what the girl might say or do, and then shoved it down. This was more important, and she would make amends to Gibbons later, if it came down to that.

Crossing the intersection, she hurried to where she remembered the customs house offices were located on Second Street in the Parson and Hale’s General Store building. With any luck, she’d be able to pass on a message and ask for reinforcements. And if she was really lucky, she’d be able to pass on a message to Estelle, Smalls, and the rest of the crew of theSyrenif they were in Tampa.

Lady Luck seemed to have deserted her, however. Either of those things would take a miracle. She had no doubt that Saint would have already discovered her unannounced leave and would be hot on her heels. The man was relentless. She’d bet her last penny that he would come after her now with the sole intent of keeping her out of danger.

Something deep inside of her went warm at the thought, even though she didn’t need rescuing by anyone. The pistols strapped to the inside of each thigh were more than enough to defend herself, thanks to the hastily cutslits in the pockets of her dress, and Lisbeth wasn’t above using her fists, if she had to.

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