Of Noble Birth Read Online Free PDF Page B

embankment on the other side, Nathaniel came
to a stream. He couldn’t hear anyone behind him, but he wasn’t
about to wait to see if he was being followed. Nudging his horse
with his heels, he spurred it into the stream, then gasped as the
icy water soaked him almost to his thighs.
    Heading up a small dale
and around the outskirts of the village, Nathaniel hoped to find
Richard as he circled back to the east. But except for a few
rambling carriages heading home from some dinner party or play, the
road remained empty. Perhaps Richard was ahead of him.
    Known for its hot wells
and the medicinal spring rising out of Saint Vincent’s Rocks,
Bristol drew tourists by the droves, and Nathaniel
encountered more carriages as he came into the city. He
passed Queen’s Square, then turned left, heading to Farley’s
Tavern.
    Trenton was waiting there, as planned, when
he arrived.
    “Where’s Richard?” Nathaniel asked, still
breathless with excitement.
    Trenton looked up from the table in
surprise. “What do you mean? He was with you.”
    Nathaniel glanced around, still wary, then
slipped into the booth. “Someone surprised us, and we had to split
up.”
    “Then he’ll come.” Trenton stared at
Nathaniel for a few moments, his fingers drumming agitatedly on the
table, then added, “Maybe you should head back to the ship and get
ready to sail. With that arm of yours, you’ll hardly go unnoticed.
I’ll wait for Richard.”
    Trenton’s logic made sense. Nathaniel’s arm
would only increase the chances of getting them all caught if he
stayed. Nodding, he stood and tried to imbue his next words with a
conviction he didn’t feel. “If he hasn’t come by three o’clock,
we’ll have to sail without him.”
    “God willing, he’ll be here by then.”
    “God willing,” Nathaniel repeated, and
headed out.
    * * *
    Nathaniel encountered nothing more exciting
than a drunk beggar lying amid the garbage in the gutters as he
wound through the back alleys of the city toward the wharf.
    The ships waiting at the docks tugged and
swayed against their ropes, groaning loudly, as if protesting their
captivity, while the familiar scents of salt, guano, and rotting
wood rose to Nathaniel’s nostrils. He easily spotted the Vengeance and hurried aboard, but the wait
proved agonizing.
    When Trenton finally arrived at the ship, it
was after four in the morning. Unfortunately, he was alone.
    “What happened?” Nathaniel asked as soon as
his first mate climbed aboard.
    “Let’s get out of here. Mary sent a note to
the tavern. The duke’s got Richard.”
    Nathaniel groaned and dropped his head in
his hand. “Did they catch her, too?” he asked, looking up.
    “Evidently not. With over fifty servants in
the house and on the grounds, it could be some time before your
father figures out who you were there to meet. With any luck, he
never will.”
    “We can’t leave Richard,” Nathaniel said,
watching Richard’s brother John make his way over to them. “I’ve
changed my mind.”
    “Well change it back. There’s nothing we can
do for him now,” Trenton argued. “The duke has hired some men, and
they’re scouring the city looking for us.”
    Nathaniel glanced back at the lights of
Bristol and cursed. What now? He hadn’t known Richard long, but the
man had already proven himself a loyal friend. Still, getting them
all caught served no purpose. “Raise anchor,” he said at last.
    “Wait! We have to go back,” John
exclaimed.
    “No, Trenton’s right,” Nathaniel told him.
“No doubt my father hopes we’ll do just that. We’ve got to outsmart
him somehow, get Richard back another way.”
    “And how are we supposed to do that?” John
asked incredulously.
    “By using our heads.” Nathaniel pinched the
bridge of his nose, hoping some brilliant idea would occur to him.
“Anything is possible with a little bit of leverage,” he said at
last. “What if we took something the duke wanted badly enough that
he’d be willing,