Page 53 of The Allure Of Lord Devlin
She’d worry about getting up onto the dock later. As long as she escaped Fencourt’s hold before Devlin did anything foolish like try to board the ship.
Taking a chair near the door, she said, “I feel as if I’m going to be sick.” And she gagged. “Would you mind opening the door for some air?” The sailor looked at her and noted her paleness. He opened the door, probably never dreaming she’d be stupid enough to jump.
She took a chair by the door to the balcony and, while trying not to draw attention to herself, reached around her back and undid the hooks of her gown. Even if she could only get some hooks undone, it might be enough to rip apart the rest as she hit the water.
Time seemed to drag, but the clock on the other side of the stateroom showed it was getting close to midnight. When had the Captain said they’d set sail? Time was running out. Plus, she was getting tired and hungry, with fear the only thing keeping her awake.
A rifle shot jerked her awake. Was it Devlin and his men? The man guarding her moved towards the door to the stateroom. Dharma took her chance and gathered her half undone gown, and raced for the open door onto the balcony. She didn’t have time to look at the surrounding chaos. Instead, she scrambled over the railing and, before her guard could reach her, she jumped to the water below.
She sank like a cannon ball, the freezing water soaking into the many layers of her clothing, the weight pulling her under. She tore at her half undone gown, and finally the hooks gave way and she slipped free. She tried to kick her legs to untangle them from her garments. Her lungs tightened to bursting point and soon black spots swarmed in front of her eyes. With one final kick, her gown drifted away, and she stretched toward the surface. Almost there. She could see the thick anchor rope of the ship twisting down to its anchor in the dark depths, and on a prayer she gave an extra kick and broke the surface, gulping in much needed air.
Chaos reigned all around. Shots rung in the air and there was so much shouting and cursing she could hardly hear herself trying to breathe. She could see Devlin’s men trying to board the ship. She had to let them know she wasn’t onboard. But how to get up on the dock? She couldn’t climb up the thick rope covered in slime. She looked along the dock and saw a ladder. Each berth had a robe ladder where the ship met the dock. If she could sneak onto the dock and let Devlin know she’d escaped, then hopefully no one would get hurt.
She kicked out to swim the fifty feet toward the ladder. She swam the last few feet underwater and was thankful for the dark night as the clouds rolled in, obscuring the half-moon.
Shivers accompanied the goosebumps on her skin as the chilly night air hit her when she emerged from the dirty river water and climbed carefully up to the dock. Modesty was something she couldn’t think about. Embarrassment be damned, she thought to herself as her shift clung to her body revealingly.
She flopped onto the dock, her teeth chattering so hard she thought a few pearly whites might fall out, trying to gather the strength to stand, when a large, cold, wet, hand grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet.
“Just as well I’m a better swimmer than you. I saw you dive from the quarter-gallery.”
Fencourt! God damn it. If she’d swum straight for the ladder she would have beaten him, but he knew it was there and she had not. “Let me go. My brother will never give up hunting you if you take me. And good luck getting back on your ship. His men have you surrounded.”
To her surprise, he dragged her along the dock towards where her brother and Devlin were fighting his crew. They were almost to the gangplank when a touch of cold steel at her neck made her lift her chin up and begin to pray.
* * *
“We have to get on board. They’re weighing anchor. Fencourt’s getting away and Dharma’s on that ship. I can’t lose her.”
“Calm down, Devlin,” shouted Tobin. “I don’t give a fig about Fencourt. Dharma is all I care about. She’s my sister, but getting ourselves killed by storming the ship won’t save her.”
Devlin crouched behind a roped set of barrels waiting to be loaded on another ship. Dharma was all he cared about, too. He fought the panic that she might be taken from him. He’d lost so much already, and it was because of Fencourt’s father, and he wasn’t about to lose anything else.
“Can we swim and climb up the ropes?”
Devlin shook his head. “They’re already lifting them.”
“The rope closest to the dock won’t be raised until they are ready to sail and the large schooner coming up river won’t pass for a good half hour.” Tobin pointed. “They can’t sail until it passes. We have time to think through our options. Keep a level head, man.”
Devlin was about to respond that he could not sit by and do nothing while they held Dharma on the ship with Fencourt doing god knows what, when a voice he knew too well spoke from behind them. He twirled and almost stop breathing. A dripping wet and barely clad Dharma had a large glinting knife at her throat.
Fencourt called out, “Lord Devlin and Lord Clayton. Lay down your arms and let me board my ship or I’ll slit Lady Dharma’s pretty little neck.”
“You’re not leaving England with my sister,” Tobin called.
You’re not leaving England full stop,Devlin thought to himself. He needed Fencourt to back up the evidence the parchment they’d found revealed, and confirm the traitor was Lord Longton. Devlin rose from where he crouched behind barrels full of brandy. “One shot through the head, and you won’t have time to slit her throat.”
“Are you willing to take that risk?” Fencourt said above Dharma’s squeal.
“If you let me on the ship, I’ll release Dharma if you give me your word of honor that I can set sail without interference.”
“Don’t do it,” Dharma uttered. “You need him to verify the details of his father’s crime.”
“Shut up,” Fencourt hissed. “If I die, she dies.”
Devlin didn’t hesitate. Dharma was what he wanted most. Why hadn’t he listened to her? They had the parchment, that would have to be enough. She was right. He can't change the past, but he can create a wonderful future with her. Those of thetonwould choose to believe what they wanted to believe, but the parchment should be enough to pacify Lord Whetton for Rosemary to wed Hawthorne. Lord Whetton may well believe the truth. Once they told him the story, and his son backed it up. He wasn’t a friend of Longton’s.
There was only one problem. There was no way he would allow Dharma to walk onto the ship with Fencourt. The man’s honor wasn’t to be trusted. “I’ll give you my word as a gentleman that you can board the ship, but Dharma stays here with me,” and he crossed his arms and stood in front of the gangway, showing they were now at a stalemate.
