The French Admiral

Charleston.'

'You must reveal nothing to her of our plans, but you must learn more about those French troops who visit here, how many come at any time, how they're armed,' Governour said. 'Your man Feather and that sailor, Coe, can keep the work on the boats going, but we must have information. You work on that while Burgess and I build up some defenses at the narrows and in the woods.'

'Well, if that is what's needed,' Alan said. He shrugged. Damme, I've put the leg over lots of times for pleasure, but this is the first time I've ever been ordered to do it in the line of duty!

CHAPTER 12

After being awakened from a drugged sleep on a straw pallet in the front parlor at four in the morning, Lewrie put his seamen to work on the boats. They dragged them ashore onto X-shaped cradles so they could get to the keels, screened from sight with brush, should any patrolling boats enter the narrow inlet and began to repair them.

Alan's barge was in the most obvious need of fixing; most of the morning was spent ripping out her broken strakes, stiffening her broken ribs, and nailing pieces of long tobacco-barrel staves into the gaps, while other hands began the work of shaping heavier timbers for the keels. The household was awakened by the sound of one of their outbuildings being demolished for timbers, yielding two twelve-foot-long beams, eight inches on a side. The beams were adzed down on either end to improve their shape for traveling through a liquid medium, tapering to blunt points much like the beginning of very long and narrow log canoes. A start was made on a center trough in each beam with augers drilled down to a depth that would accept the shallow wooden barge keels, to be routed out later with small axes and chisels.

Other seamen chopped down four decent pine trees for masts and began to strip them of limbs and bark. Round holes were cut into the thwarts that Feather and his older seaman considered the best for holding a mast erect in the most advantageous position for boat trim and efficiency of sail pressure, and pieces were shaped as mast steps for the keelsons.

All in all, it was a profitable morning's work. The lower parts of the extemporized masts would have to be filed down to a smaller diameter, the steps would have to be nailed in, the scavenged barn siding—one-by-six board for the splash guards on the gunwales—still had to be sized and fitted (and were soaking in seawater to soften for bending to match the gunwales), but they had made a good start.

A large pot of pine tar was simmering over a fire, which they would use to pay over the repairs and the entire bottoms of both boats after dinner so that they would not leak any longer; or at least not as badly as they had before.

Alan went back to the house in a much happier frame of mind for his midday meal, thinking that a day and a half would see them off that cruel coast and across the bay, where they could expect to be rescued by a passing British ship. The maid Sookie met him, still flirting heavily even though he had rejected her. But she had his uniform for him.

Once changed, he sat down to a good lunch on the front terrace, where the cook had moved their dining table, it being a lovely fall day, too pretty to spend inside. Governour and Burgess joined him, removing their red tunics before sitting down at table.

'Our hostesses do not dine with us, I see,' Governour said ironically. 'They were on the back patio. Probably don't want to breathe the same air with us in the house.'

'Mrs. Hayley was exercised about our tearing down that shed,' the younger Chiswick said. 'Alan, she said that if we were to tear her house down around her ears, some of that gold should be forthcoming.'

'What do you think a shed is worth, Burgess?'

'Oh, one guinea, at least.' Burgess shrugged and poured them all wine. 'And perhaps one guinea a day for victuals and such. I cannot really blame them. They won't have a chicken left by the time we get through with them.'

'You're being awfully free with my guineas,' Alan complained.

'For which we shall gladly reimburse you as soon as we catch up with our paymasters,' Governour promised grandly. 'We were in arrears before leaving Wilmington, so they owe us a good round sum by now.'

'How are the boats coming?' Burgess asked.

'Less said around the house, the better,' Governour cautioned. 'After dinner we may take a stroll down to the woods where we may talk freely. Alan, have you had a chance to discover any information from Miss Nancy?'

'Not yet.' Alan sighed. 'I was busy this morning. It may be tonight before I can begin my campaign with her.'

'Don't leave it too long,' Governour pressed, then shut up as a black serving wench brought out a heaping platter of fried chicken.

It didn't take as long as Alan had thought. Once he had taken a cup of suspiciously good, strongly brewed coffee, he went back toward the northern end of the plantation to rejoin his workers on the boats. But suddenly, there was Miss Nancy, strolling idly in the same direction, shielding her fashionably pale complexion from the autumn sunshine with a parasol. She was turned out in a dark green dress and had obviously spent some time at her morning toilet to make herself more attractive. She was making a great production of swaying her hips, stopping to see each late-flowering bush or meander about as though she was waiting for him to catch up with her, which he did. The sight of him, when she finally turned to face him, was full of sudden alarm.

'Lah, Mister Lewrie, ya gave me such a fright!' she gasped, as though totally unaware of his presence until that moment. Alan tried not to smile; she was about as subtle as an unruly mob of drunks. He had run into her sort before, and the artifice of courtship or the mechanics of the trade with high-classed prostitutes were no mysteries.

'I did not intend to startle you, ma'am,' Alan said, approaching her more closely. 'Though I must own to appreciation of the color that my fright brought to your cheeks And I am flattered that you would remember my name. I did not recall our having enough time to be formally introduced.'

'Oh my, yes, Sister mentioned your name ta me, sir,' she said, making motions as though she would have appreciated having her fan with her so she could flutter it before her face for more air.

'And you are Miss Nancy.' Alan grinned. 'I wish to thank you for the loan of the clothes last night, and Sookie's tending to my uniform. From the greeting we received, I did not think any charity would be given to a King's officer.'

'I am so glad ya found my actions charitable, sir,' she simpered. 'Tory or not, British or not, you are a young man far from home and not a personal enemy. How could I do any less for a fellow Christian?'

'It was most welcome, Miss Nancy.'

'Oh, please, Mister Lewrie, do not be sa formal! I am Nancy Jane Ledbetter. But why don't ya just call me Nancy?'

'I would not presume any gross informality, Miss Nancy,' he said, playing the gallant buck and enjoying the game. 'While I may have your leave, I doubt if your sister would appreciate it, or her son.'

'Oh, pooh!' she pouted. 'Sarah's such a prune since Elihu died. Not that they were that loving a couple when he was alive. Since he was killed, she's been vindictive ta everyone. What do your friends call you, Mister Lewrie?'

Little bastard, he thought wryly, but said, ''Tis Alan.'

'And where ya from, Alan?' she asked, beginning to stroll once more, spinning her parasol coquettishly.

When he told her London, she went into paroxysms of delight and begged to be told all about it, having always wanted to go there. Alan filled her in about St. James Parish and the Strand, the restaurants and the gaming houses, the theatre and what had been new and entertaining when he was last there, what the fashions were and all the gossip that a still-youngish woman would delight in had she the chance to see it.

He was careful, however, during his discourse, to steer her away from the woods at the back of the plantation and the creek where they were working on the barges. If she was disappointed, she gave no sign of it, allowing herself to be led more easterly on their stroll, toward another woodlot on the back of the property that overlooked the marsh.

'What a commotion ya'll started this morning, Alan!' she cried. 'We were all roused from our beds thinking the Apocalypse had come. Sister was beside herself when she saw what ya'll had done ta her shed. I suppose ya