Counterfeit Lady Read online

  “May I sit down? I’d like to talk to you.”

  He pointed the rum bottle at a chair.

  Nicole told her story quickly and succinctly. When she finished, the captain was silent. “When do you think we will be able to get back to England?”

  “I ain’t goin’ back to England.”

  “But how will I get back? You don’t understand. This is all a terrible mix-up. Mr. Armstrong—”

  He cut her off. “All I know, girl, is Clayton Armstrong hired me to kidnap some lady and bring her to him in America.” He squinted his eyes at her. “Now that I look at you, you ain’t much like he described.”

  “That’s because I’m not his fiancée.”

  Waving his hand in dismissal, he took a deep drink of the rum. “What do I care who you are? He said you might give me some trouble about the marriage, but I was to do it anyway.”

  Nicole stood up. “Marriage! You cannot think—!” she began but calmed herself. “Mr. Armstrong is in love with and wants to marry Bianca Maleson. I am Nicole Courtalain. I have never even met Mr. Armstrong.”

  “That’s what you say. Why didn’t you tell my men right off who you were? How come you waited this long?”

  “I thought they would release me when they found out who I was, but I wanted to be far enough away from Bianca so I knew she would be safe.”

  “Is this Bianca the fat one the men said told ’em who you were?”

  “Bianca did identify me, yes. But she knew I would be safe.”

  “Like hell she did! Are you expectin’ me to believe that you kept your mouth shut to protect a bitch who would happily turn you over to kidnappers? I can’t believe that. You must think I’m stupid.”

  There was nothing Nicole could say.

  “Go on. Get out of here while I think about this. And on your way out, tell that man you came with I want to see him.”

  When Nicole was gone and the captain and the first mate were alone, the captain spoke. “I guess you heard, since you spend most of the time listenin’ at doors.”

  Smiling, the first mate sat down. He and the captain had been together a long time, and he’d learned how useful it was to know what the old man was up to. “So what do you plan to do? Armstrong said he’d see we were locked up because of that shipload of tobacco that disappeared last year if we failed to bring his wife to him.”

  The captain took a drink of rum. “His wife. That’s what the man wants, and that’s what he’s gonna get.”

  The mate thought about this. “And what if she’s tellin’ the truth and she ain’t the one he wants to marry?”

  “I figure there’s two ways to look at it. If she ain’t this Maleson woman and the other one is, then Armstrong is askin’ to marry a bitch that’s a liar and who’d betray her best friend. On the other hand, that pretty little dark-haired lady could be this Bianca and she’s lyin’ just to get out of marryin’ Armstrong. Either way, I think there ought to be a weddin’ in the mornin’.”

  “And what about Armstrong?” the mate asked. “If he finds himself married to the wrong woman, I don’t think I’d like to be around.”

  “That’s what I thought, too. I plan to collect my money before he sees her and then be out of Virginia immediately. I don’t think I’ll even wait to see whether she is or isn’t who he wants.”

  “I think I agree with you. Now, how do we go about persuadin’ the little lady? She didn’t seem taken with the idea of marriage!”

  The captain passed the rum bottle to his mate. “I can think of several persuasions that might work on that little doll.”

  “I take it you couldn’t talk the captain into returning to England?” Janie asked when Nicole returned to the little cabin.

  “No,” Nicole said, setting down on the bed. “Actually, he didn’t seem to believe me when I told him who I was. For some reason, he seemed to think I was lying.”

  Janie grunted. “A man like him’s probably never told the truth in his life so he doesn’t believe anyone else has. Oh well, at least we can enjoy the voyage together. I hope you aren’t too upset.”

  Hiding her feelings, Nicole smiled at the large woman. Yes, she was very disappointed. By the time she sailed to America and back again, her cousin would have found another partner. And also, she thought of the money she’d saved, hidden in an attic room in Bianca’s house. Rubbing her fingertips together and feeling the many little sore places where the needle had pricked her fingers because she’d worked by the light of one very small, very cheap candle, she thought of how hard she’d worked for that money.

  But she wouldn’t let Janie see her disappointment. “I’ve always wanted to see America,” she said. “Maybe I can stay a few days before returning to England. Oh dear!”

  “What is it?”

  “How will I pay for my return passage?” she asked, her eyes wide at the thought of this new problem.

  “Pay!” Janie exploded. “Clayton Armstrong will pay for your return, I assure you of that. I told him again and again not to do this but it was like talkin’ to a brick wall. Maybe after you see America, you won’t want to return to England. We’ve got lots of dress shops there, you know.”

  Nicole told her about the money she’d saved and hidden.

  For a few minutes, Janie didn’t say anything. In Nicole’s version of the kidnapping, Bianca was innocent, doing what should have been done, but Janie heard more than the words, and she wondered if Nicole’s money would be there when she returned. “Are you hungry?” Janie asked, opening a trunk on the top of the pile against the wall.

  “Why, yes, I am. Quite hungry, actually,” Nicole said, and she went to look into the trunk. In those days, before ships catered to passengers, each traveler had to bring his or her own food for the long voyage. Depending on the skill of the navigator, the swiftness of the ship, the winds, the storms, and the pirates, a trip could take from thirty days to ninety, if it arrived at all.

  The trunk held dried peas and beans, and as Janie opened another one Nicole saw salted beef and fish. Another trunk held oatmeal, potatoes, packets of herbs, flour, hardtack biscuits, and a box of lemons and limes. “Clayton also had the captain buy some turtles, so we’ll have fresh turtle soup.”

  Nicole looked at the foodstuffs. “Mr. Armstrong seems to be an especially considerate man. I almost wish I were marrying him.”

  Janie was beginning to think that, too, as she turned and opened the doors of the corner cabinet and pulled out a tall, narrow hip bath. A bather could sit in it, knees drawn up, and the water would cover her shoulders.

  Nicole’s eyes sparkled. “Now, that is a luxury! Who would have thought a ship voyage could be so comfortable?”

  Cheeks pink with pleasure, Janie grinned. She’d dreaded an ocean voyage in a tiny cabin with an English lady, thinking the English were terrible snobs and king-worshippers. But, then, of course, Nicole was French and the French understood revolutions. “I’m afraid we’ll have to use sea water, and it’ll take a long while to heat the water on that little stove, but it beats a sponge bath.”

  Hours later, after a delicious bath, Nicole lay in the bottom bunk bed, clean, fed, and tired. It had taken a long time to heat enough water for the two baths. Janie had protested that she was supposed to wait on Nicole, but Nicole had insisted that she wasn’t Clayton’s fiancée and therefore could only be Janie’s friend. Later, Nicole had washed her only dress and hung it up to dry, and now the gentle rocking of the ship was lulling her to sleep.

  Early the next morning, Janie pulled her hair back into a tight little bun before she began to arrange Nicole’s hair into a fashionable chignon. Producing an iron, she pressed Nicole’s dress while Nicole laughed and said Mr. Armstrong had thought of everything.

  Suddenly, the door burst open to admit one of Nicole’s kidnappers. “The captain wants to see you—now.”

  Nicole’s first thought was that he had decided to return to England after all, and she gladly started to follow the sailor, with Janie right behind her.
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  With one sharp shove, the sailor sent Janie back into the room. “He don’t want you. Just her.”

  Janie started to protest, but Nicole stopped her. “I’ll be all right, I’m sure. Maybe he’s realized I was telling the truth.”

  As soon as Nicole entered the captain’s cabin, she knew something was wrong. The captain, the first mate, and another man she’d never seen before were there. All of them seemed to be waiting for something.

  “Maybe I should introduce everyone,” the captain said. “I want to be sure everything’s proper. This is the doc. He can sew you up or whatever you need. And this is Frank, my first mate. I guess you already met him.”

  The sixth sense Nicole had acquired during the terror in France made her aware now of a feeling of danger. As always, her eyes reflected her emotions.

  “Don’t back away,” Frank said. “We want to talk to you. And, besides, this is your weddin’ day. You wouldn’t want it said you were a reluctant bride, would you?”

  Nicole was beginning to understand. “I am not Bianca Maleson. I know Mr. Armstrong instructed you to perform a proxy marriage, but I am not the woman he wants.”

  Frank gave her a lascivious look. “I think you’re about exactly what any man would want.”

  The doctor spoke. “Young lady, do you have any proof of your identity?”

  Taking a step backward toward the door, she shook her head briefly. Her grandfather had destroyed the few documents he had managed to save in their wild flight from the terrorists, saying their lives could someday depend on people not finding out who they were. “My name is Nicole Courtalain. I am from France, a refugee, and I was staying with Miss Maleson. It is all a mistake.”

  The captain spoke. “We were talking, and we decided that it doesn’t matter who you are. My contract says I’m to bring Mrs. Clayton Armstrong to America, and I plan to do just that.”

  Nicole straightened her back. “I will not marry against my will!”

  After a crisp nod from the captain, Frank was across the room in seconds, grabbing Nicole roughly to him, one arm around her waist, the other about her shoulders, pinning her arms to her side.

  “That upside-down mouth of yours has been drivin’ me crazy ever since I seen it,” he murmured, crushing her to him as he brought his mouth down on hers.

  Nicole was so bewildered that she could not react quickly. Never had anyone treated her like this. Even when she had lived with the miller and his family, the people around her had been aware of who she was and had treated her with great respect. This man smelled of fish and sweat, a filthy, overpowering stench. His arms cut her breath off; his mouth touched hers in a way that made her want to gag. She moved her head away, gasping, “No!”

  “There’ll be more of that,” Frank said, and he bit her neck quite hard, running his dirty hand over her shoulder. With one violent jerk, he tore her dress, the chemise tearing away along with it, and her breast lay bare to his touch and to the sight of the other men. His big hand cupped her flesh, his thumb roughly bruising her nipple.

  “No, please,” Nicole whispered, struggling against him, feeling sick.

  “That’s enough,” the captain ordered.

  Frank did not release her immediately. “I hope you don’t marry Armstrong,” he whispered, his breath hot and foul on her face, but he moved away from her, and Nicole clutched at her dress. With weak knees, she collapsed into a chair, running the back of her hand across her mouth, sure she’d never be clean again.

  “Looks like she don’t like you much,” the captain laughed before turning serious and sitting down in a chair opposite Nicole. “You just got a taste of what’s gonna happen to you if you don’t go through with this marriage. If you ain’t Armstrong’s wife, then you’re a stowaway and mine to use however I want. First, I’ll throw that big woman Armstrong sent over the side.”

  Nicole stared at him. “Janie? She’s done nothing to you. That would be murder.”

  “What do I care? You think I could ever go near the Virginia coast again if I don’t do what Armstrong says? And the last thing I want is a witness to what I’m gonna let the men do to you.”

  Seeming to grow smaller in the chair, Nicole caught her lower lip between her teeth, and her eyes almost swallowed her face.

  “See, lady,” Frank said, “we’re givin’ you a choice, real kind of us.” His eyes never left her dress, which gapped at her breast. “Either you marry Armstrong or you come to my bed. That is, after the captain here gets through with you. Then, when I’m done with you—” he stopped and grinned. “I doubt if there’ll be much left after I’m done with you.” Leaning over, he put a dirty finger on her upper lip. “I never had me a woman with an upside-down mouth. Makes me think of all the things I could make that mouth do.”

  Nicole turned her head away and felt her stomach turn over.

  The captain watched her. “Which is it gonna be? Armstrong or me and Frank?”

  Concentrating on breathing deeply and evenly, she tried to think. She knew it was important to keep her mind clear and working properly. “I will marry Mr. Armstrong,” she said evenly.

  “I knew she was smart,” the captain said. “Come, then, my dear, let’s get it over with. I’m sure you want to return to the—ah—safety of your cabin.”

  Nicole nodded and stood up, her hand holding her dress together.

  “Frank here will stand in for Armstrong. It’s all done legal-like. Armstrong had a lawyer draw up papers sayin’ I could choose a man to act as his proxy.”

  Numbly, Nicole stood beside Frank in front of the captain, who would perform the ceremony, and the doctor, who would act as a witness.

  Frank readily answered the captain’s questions in the traditional ceremony, but when the captain said, “Bianca, will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Nicole refused to speak. It was all so unfair! She’d been abducted, taken away from a country she was just becoming accustomed to, and now she was being married against her will. She’d always dreamed of her wedding, a blue satin gown, roses everywhere. Now she stood in a filthy cabin, her dress torn half off, her mouth bruised and tasting of a disgusting foulness. The last three days, she’d been thrown about like a leaf in a turbulent stream. But she would not give up her own name! At least she could hold on to that, even if everything else was out of her control.

  “My name is Nicole Courtalain,” she said firmly.

  The captain started to speak, but the doctor nudged him.

  “What do I care?” he grumbled, rereading the sentence and inserting Nicole’s name for Bianca’s.

  At the end of the ceremony, he produced five gold bands of different sizes, pushing the smallest one on Nicole’s finger.

  The ceremony was finally over.

  “Do I get to kiss the bride?” Frank leered.

  The doctor firmly took Nicole’s arm and led her away from the man to the table in the middle of the room. Taking a pen, he wrote something, then turned and handed the quill to Nicole. “You must sign it,” he said, thrusting the marriage certificate at her.

  Her eyes were filled with tears, and she had to wipe them away before she could see. The doctor had put her real name on the marriage certificate. She, Nicole Courtalain, was now Mrs. Clayton Armstrong. Quickly, she signed her name at the bottom.

  She watched impassively, feeling numb, as Frank made his mark on the bottom of the document. It was legal now.

  The doctor held her arm and escorted her from the captain’s cabin. She was so numb that she was back at her own cabin before she realized it.

  “Listen, my dear,” the doctor was saying. “I’m very sorry about all of this, because I do believe you are not Miss Maleson. But, believe me, it was better for you to proceed with the ceremony. I don’t know Mr. Armstrong, but I’m sure that an annulment can be arranged easily when you reach America. The alternatives were…much worse. Now, let me give you some advice. I know the voyage will be a long one, but stay in your cabin as much as possible. Don’t let the m
en see you on deck. The captain isn’t worth much, but he does control his men—to an extent. But you need to help him by making the men forget your presence, at least as far as that is possible. Do you understand?”

  Nicole nodded.

  “And smile. It’s not as bad as it seems. America is beautiful. You may not even want to return to England.”

  Nicole did manage to smile. “That’s what Janie says.”

  “There, that’s better. Now, remember what I said, and try to look forward to your arrival.”

  “I will. And thank you,” she said as she turned and entered the cabin.

  For a moment, the doctor stood still. Personally, he thought Armstrong would be a fool to let a woman like that get away from him.

  “You were gone so long!” Janie said when Nicole entered the cabin, her voice rising sharply. “What happened to your dress? What did they do to you?”

  Collapsing on the bed, Nicole lay back, her arm across her eyes.

  Suddenly, Janie grabbed her left hand and studied the shiny gold wedding band. “I was with Clay when he bought these. He got five sizes so he’d be sure one of them fit. I bet the captain kept the others, didn’t he?”

  Nicole didn’t answer as she held her hand out and studied the ring along with Janie. What exactly did it really mean? Did this bit of gold hold her to the promise she’d just made to love and honor a man she’d never met?

  “What made you agree to the ceremony?” Janie asked, touching Nicole’s neck where an angry red mark was forming.

  Nicole grimaced. It was the place where Frank had bitten her.

  Janie straightened. “You don’t have to tell me. I can guess what happened. The captain made sure he got Clay’s money,” she said, tightening her lips. “Damn that Clay Armstrong! Pardon me, but this whole thing is his fault. If he weren’t so pig-headed stubborn, none of this would have happened. Nobody could talk any sense into his head. No, he wanted his Bianca, and he meant to have her. Do you know he went to four ship captains before he found one low enough to do the kidnapping? And now look at everything! Here you are, an innocent little thing rough handled by a bunch of filthy men, threatened in disgusting ways, forced to marry someone you don’t even know and, after this, probably don’t want to know.”