The Forgotten Duchess

Chapter Fifty | Darkness

VIVIENNE COULD HEAR the loud thump of her heart as it beat rapidly. She tried taking deep breaths to slow it down to no avail. Crouched on the dirty ship floor behind a stack of crates, she did her best to stay hidden. Vivienne could hear shouting, screams and thuds above her. Briefly, she wondered if she would even make it alive out of here. This was the last thing Vivienne had expected. She had believed that she would be travelling to Italy to reside with Lady Westmorland's sister. Instead, she was in the crossfire of military espionage between two powerful nations.

Her uncle hadn't had the chance to finish his story, but Vivienne understood what happened next. Her and James' father had evidently been murdered by the French because they knew too much. It was ironic that she was to face the same end as them.

She clutched the emerald pendant around her neck and slightly leaned her head towards the left. Vivienne saw her uncle holding his flintlock pistol to the side. Their eyes briefly met, and he frowned. She quickly moved back to the middle, until she was hidden once more. 

The rhythmic pounding of footsteps grew louder, as did the voices. Before she could decipher what was being said, there was a loud thud, and the cabin door was split apart. Broken pieces of wood scattered across the remains and more light filtered through the opening.

Vivienne heard the sound of a pistol firing, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from making noise at the shock. Her heart rate increased, and she forced her eyes open, removing her hands from her ringing ears. She didn't know who had fired the shot.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she risked peeking, and had to clamp a hand over her mouth from gasping out loud. A man lay on the ground in a pool of blood with her uncle standing above him. Another man entered the room, his pistol drawn at her uncle.

"Oswald," the newcomer said, finger brushing over the trigger of his pistol.

Her uncle gritted his teeth, "Pierre, you always were a coward. Sending in another man before stepping forward, it seems little has changed."

The man raised an eyebrow his dark voice giving Vivienne shivers. "It is called being intelligent Oswald. Something you evidently lack. Did you really believe that this measly little ship would keep us away?"

Pierre glanced around the cabin flippantly and Vivienne hoped that she blended enough into the wall that he couldn't spot her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw two other men coming in behind Pierre. Their sharp eyes travelled the room and the pistols they held glinted in the sun's rays.

Vivienne's fingers were clammy, her uncle was severely outnumbered. She glanced around her, there was nothing she could do to help him. Deep in her soul, she knew this was not going to end well. 

"Where are the letters?"

Vivienne saw her uncle's knuckles tighten over his pistol, "I do not know."

"Are you lying Oswald?" Pierre asked softly, the words even more chilling in his low tones.  "I received reports that your niece was onboard. Perhaps she may be a bit more relenting in revealing some information."

Vivienne shivered and she shrunk further into the wall.

"She doesn't know anything."

Vivienne was glad that her uncle was defending her, but she did not know what that meant for him.

"That remains to be seen." Pierre said, glancing at the other two men who stood silently. "One of you, search the boat, the girl couldn't have gone far."

Vivienne held her breath as one of the men passed by her. Thankfully, he seemed not to notice her.

"The letters could also be in this cabin," the other man said.