Blackhearts (Blackhearts, #1)(94)

them.”

Teach ran his tongue over dry lips, trying to fight down a

rising sense of panic. “We don’t know that.” But he did. Hadn’t he caught Anne red-handed?

“Edward, it’s useless to pretend otherwise. Margery followed

Anne and discovered the chest hidden among the willows. While

I have been quite generous, I have not given her leave to take anything from this house. Please, do not do me the disservice of trying to pretend otherwise.”

“I’m not trying to pretend anything. I’m simply trying to

understand it from Anne’s perspective. You treat your employees only marginally better than someone else would treat their slaves, and yet you seem surprised that someone would steal

from you. Perhaps she did it because you barely gave her enough to survive on.”

His father’s face turned a deep shade of puce. “I have never

had trouble with my servants before now.”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Teach said.

Drummond went to the decanter near his bed. He poured

a glass of brandy and downed the contents. “It doesn’t matter.

The damage is done.”

Teach tried to come up with a reasonable explanation he

could give his father. She’d told him there was nothing else.





3 3 8


He’d believed her. If he’d known she’d taken this much . . .

What would he have done?

It didn’t affect the way he felt about her. He was disappointed, yes. And frightened for her. If only she’d confided in him. He could have returned everything himself, and his father would never have found out.

Drummond placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “I

know this must come as quite a shock to you, Edward, and

I’m sorry for that. I’ve seen how you look at her. I know that you care for her. There is no denying she’s attractive. Not as attractive as Miss Patience, in my opinion . . . But the fact

remains that Anne is nothing more than a common crook.”

He shook his head ruefully, turning back to the damning

chest and closing the lid with a loud bang. “And to think

I offered her shelter. To think I somehow felt obligated to

watch out for her.”

Teach jumped to his feet. “You’re wrong. Anne deserves our

protection. And our love. If it hadn’t been for her, you would have made me marry Patience. You said so yourself.”

“When it comes to Anne, I am often—mistaken,” Drummond said gruffly. He made a face, as if the word left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“What are you going to do?”

“I should contact the constable.”

“You can’t,” Teach said. “She’s Andrew Barrett’s daughter.

You promised him you would take care of her.”





3 3 9


“I did, but that was before I knew she would behave like this. She should be hanged, but I won’t have her blood on my hands. She’s gone now.” His father’s voice wrapped Teach in its destructive web. “She used you, Edward. I hope you see that

now. She doesn’t care for you.”

“What have you done?”

Drummond retreated a step, his hands raised in a defensive

gesture at the look on Teach’s face. “If you don’t believe me, see for yourself. She left you a note.”

A cold fist clenched around Teach’s heart as he grabbed the

paper Drummond pulled from his pocket.

Dear Edward,

By the time you receive this, I will be gone. I’m sorry I did not get the opportunity to say good-bye, but it’s for the best.

We’re not right for each other, and it was wrong of me to allow you to believe otherwise. I regret my actions, for I never had any intention of staying. We both know what my greatest desire in life was, and now I am achieving it. You deserve a queen, Edward. Go and find her.

Always,

Anne

Teach shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts. He

reread the note, stumbling over the clumsy phrasing, trying to piece it together with the girl he knew in his mind. We’re not 3 4 0

right for each other. Teach knew she didn’t believe that.

You deserve a queen, Edward. Go and find her.

Something wasn’t right. She’d never called him Edward.

Why would she suddenly— His breath hitched in his throat.

The clever, beautiful girl. She loved him. She was his queen, and she wanted him to find her.

Her goal had always been to search for her family. And

she’d always planned to leave England by ship. On the Deliverance. That meant he had to get to the docks. John would help him.

Aware that his father watched him, Teach forced the muscles

in his shoulders to relax, resisting the temptation to race from the room. He would have to be careful. Drummond must never suspect that Teach intended to go after her.

“She was not for you. In time you will see that.”

“Just like Miss Patience,” Teach said in a low voice.

“Yes, just like Miss Patience.”

Except Anne was nothing like Miss Patience. Knowing that

she was out there somewhere, alone, filled him with ice-cold