Page 33 of Pride of Duty

Willa inhaledthe smells of land, taking in the sounds of the busy military port. The barking of dogs drifted across the water as their launch neared the North Mole. She remembered how most of the Genoese fishermen native to Gibraltar seemed to have a dog or two trailing after them in the bustling squares.

Army regiments ranging from Royal Engineers and Fusiliers to regular Foot moved in and out of Gibraltar with thousands of troops at the small but critical post on any given day. They maintained and guarded the town and surrounding military batteries. Several other Royal Navy ships in addition to theArethusawere anchored nearby in the wide bay. Gibraltar served as sentinel to the strait’s narrow access to the Mediterranean, critical to British interests. As a consequence, the military presence was always strong here.

She’d volunteered to go to the fruit and vegetable market in Plaza de las Verduras to secure more limes and lemons for the ship’s provisions. The juices were added each day to the men’s grog allotments to prevent scurvy.

Although Cullen had worried over the expedition and warned her to have a care in the port town, she was escorted by one of theArethusa’smarines, a cook’s mate, and Captain Still’s cabin boy servant, Charles. Ever since she’d plucked him from a disastrous slip from the mizzen, he’d followed her like a small shadow whenever he had free time from his shipboard duties. When Lieutenant Dalton had asked for volunteers to accompany Willa on the provisioning expedition, the boy had quickly pleaded to be allowed to go along.

She hadn’t argued with her husband’s warning, but seethed silently, reminding herself everyone assumed she’d never ventured beyond the small Scottish town in which she’d grown up. Cullen alone knew the truth, which made his worries even more annoying.

Willa resented his concern, even though she realized it was because he cared. Nonetheless, she’d given him a sharp look when she’d left him in the midst of directing cleaning and fumigation of the lower decks of theArethusa.

“Have you ever seen anything like the rock?” Marine Sergeant Claridge interrupted her resentful thoughts, pointing toward the summit of the rock formation towering more than a thousand feet above them. Willa forced herself to think through her reply for a few moments. TheArethusa’scoxswain had just lowered the sails on the launch and deftly threw the looped end of the dock line over a piling at the North Mole breakwater.

Willa gave Sergeant Claridge a considered look. “Of course, I’ve seen rock croppings back in Scotland, but nothing this imposing.” When conversing with crew members, she tried to take her time and make up plausible replies as she went. The noonday angle of the sun drenched the sides of the rock with plenty of light, but within a few hours, shadows would creep beneath the summit, throwing the switchbacks slashing up the sides into an early dusk.

“I’ve never been to a latitude this far south, though. The sun feels good on my face, and I’m looking forward to seeing the palmettos and geranium hedges up close. I’ve heard about them for years in letters from my brother and father.”

TheArethusa’scoxswain secured the dock lines before moving toward Willa to help her from the boat. Young Charles beat him to the honor, jumping ahead of her to the dock and extending his hand. She handed her parasol to the boy and joined them, followed closely by the cook’s mate who carried stacks of empty woven baskets for bringing back the fruit.

Once they’d walked along the breakwater to the small town of Gibraltar, she began to understand why Ariadne had affected the dramatic dark red cape edged with black velvet she’d been wearing on the deck of theArethusaever since they’d left Portsmouth. Everywhere Willa looked, local women walking in groups or stopping to talk were wearing the ubiquitous scarlet cape, with hoods that served to hide their faces.

Ariadne most certainly would have blended in and disappeared the night before when she’d left on a shore boat headed to the harbor town with her partner,MonsieurDuvall. Willa shuddered to think what they were up to now, or who the she-devil spy would terrorize next.

Willa had no trouble keeping up with the marine sergeant’s long strides. She was happy to find provisions as soon as possible and get back to theArethusa. She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that Ariadne might be lurking around any corner. But that was ridiculous. She and her partner had probably contacted the captain of a private ship, or maybe another Royal Navy ship to take them on to Naples. But who knew if that story she’d told had been true?

“Mrs. MacCloud…” The small voice startled her. She’d almost forgotten young Charles was still with them. She turned in his direction. “Yes?”

“How much farther to the lemons?” He was skipping in an attempt to keep up with the rest of the party.

“Soon, Charles,” she said. “You’ll see a line of donkeys the farmers use to cart their wares to market and deliver to ships down at the mole.”

“Donkeys?”

“Yes, they wait patiently all day, their ears flicking at flies.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she stole a furtive look at Sergeant Claridge. Willa MacCloud would have no way of knowing that much detail about the fruit and vegetable vendors’ pack animals.

“Do you think I could pet them?”

“You should ask, but I don’t think anyone would complain.”

The marine lieutenant snapped a warning at the boy. “Show a little decorum there. You’re not on an outing, you’re on the King’s business.”

He quieted and lowered his head, but as soon as the marine turned away, Charles gave Willa a sideways wink, and mischief danced in his eyes.

The marine suddenly leaned close to Willa’s ear and whispered. “That ninny-hammer has a lot to learn. I hope he survives his wool-gathering on deck without any more accidents like the one you saved him from.”

When a hot flush flooded her face, the lieutenant continued in a low voice. “Yes, I was there.” The knowing look on his face made her stomach drop like a bird shot out of the sky, fluttering and turning over and over. He’d seen her race up the mizzen, skirts flying.

Once they entered the plaza, she spied another clutch of women in red capes but forced herself not to stare to see if Ariadne was one of them. With any luck, the bitch was already gone from Gibraltar.

She’d no more than convinced herself to cease worrying every time she saw a woman in a red cape, than a large group of swarthy men stormed quickly through the square, heading north. A shiver of a premonition snaked up her spine, and she quickened her steps toward the vendors’ stalls. She motioned to one of the men to load as many limes and lemons as he had for sale into their baskets for ferrying back to the mole.

She and the cook’s mate made a quick perusal of the remaining stalls, and she chose a few items for herself and Cullen: Some bunches of greens and bright yellow and red peppers. As a self-indulgent afterthought, she also chose two plump oranges to save as a surprise for Christmas when, God-willing, they’d be on station at St. Helena.

The unsettling appearance of the large group of men sweeping through the plaza apparently had affected Sergeant Claridge as well as Willa.

“Right. Young Charles, let’s pack these baskets of fruit onto the carriers on yon beasts. And no dawdling.”

The marine officer and the ship’s boy made quick work of the bundles, and within minutes they were setting a brisk pace back to the mole along with the balky, heavily laden creatures and their handler.