To Tame the Wind (Agents of the Crown Book 0) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Hawkins pulled his pipe from his mouth. “I’ve a
thought ye might want to consider, Cap’n.”
    All eyes turned to the old bos’n whose advice, though rarely
given, was seldom ignored.
    “And that would be?” Simon raised a brow.
    Elijah took a draw on his pipe, then blew out the smoke.
“I’d heard tell Donet had turned to privateerin’, so I did some sniffin’
around, askin’ about ‘im on the quiet like. Knew it was only a matter o’ time
before he tangled with us.” He laid the stem of his pipe along the side of his
nose, a sly grin deepening the multitude of wrinkles carved into his face.
“Last time we slipped into Paris to see the Scribe, I learned somethin’ I
reckon will be right useful now.”
    Elijah’s reference to “the Scribe” stirred Simon’s interest.
It was their name for the British spy who worked as a secretary for the
American mission in Paris. “And?” he asked impatiently.
    Speaking out of one side of his mouth, holding his pipe in
the other, Elijah leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Seems Donet has
somethin’ he prizes more than his ship.” The old seaman sat back in his chair,
a satisfied smile on his face as he puffed on his pipe.
    Simon narrowed his gaze. “Enough mystery, Elijah. What could
he possibly prize more than la Reine Noire ?”
    A gleam came into Elijah’s pale blue eyes. “A daughter,
Cap’n—”
    “He has a daughter?” Jordan blurted out, his brows rising.
“I didn’t even know he had a wife.”
    “He’s not had a wife fer many a year,” said Elijah. He
turned the stem of his pipe toward them, stabbing the air as he spoke. “That’s
why he keeps the daughter in a convent near Paris.” He scratched the side of
his nose with the end of his pipe. “Must be young if she’s there, I should
think.” Then to Simon, “If ye had her, I ‘spect ye’d soon have yer ship.”
    “Hmm,” murmured Simon, thinking of the possibilities. They
could sail to Dieppe, the closest port to Paris, and after a days’ carriage
ride, take the girl from the convent.
    “You know where this convent is?” he asked Elijah.
    The old bosun sat back in his chair, his pipe resting on his
chest and a smug look on his face. “It just so happens I do.”
    “It might work,” said Simon, letting his gaze drift over his
men to judge their reaction. “If there are no objections, gentlemen, we’ll set
our course for Dieppe, not Lorient.”
    Every head at the table nodded.
    In less than an hour, Simon and his men were back on the Fairwinds gathered round a map of the area surrounding Paris, planning the raid that
would gain them a treasure for ransom.
    “We need some intelligence,” insisted Simon after they’d
agreed on the plan. “I’d not want to grab the wrong girl in the dead of night.”
    “I’ll do the scoutin’, Cap’n,” offered Elijah. “I can take
Mr. Berube with me. The sailmaker speaks the Frenchie tongue as well as ye an’
me. Once in France, we can travel by horse. If all goes well, we’ll be back in
a little over a week.”
    Simon thought Giles Berube a good choice for the mission.
He’d spent his youth in France before coming to England to live with his uncle
who was a sailmaker in Dartmouth where Simon had first met him. Simon nodded to
Elijah. “Aye, and while you are there, see if the Scribe has left any messages
for me. This business with Donet has delayed my return.”
    “Aye, aye, Cap’n,” said the trusted old seaman.
    Simon turned to his first mate. “Mr. Landor, see to the
transport for Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Berube to the port of Dieppe.”
     

     
    True to his word, a little more than a week later, Elijah and
Giles stumbled into Simon’s cabin where the Fairwinds was anchored in
Rye. The wide grin on the old seaman’s face and Giles’ eyes twinkling with
mirth told Simon the two had been successful.
    “Well?” Simon asked, eager to hear the news. “Sit down and
tell me.”
    “Before I ferget,” said Elijah, “here are