FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

A Gift For His Bride

William rubbed his beard in consternation as he sat across from the captain in the older man's quarters. It was a large room with white walls and a checkered floor covered with a large, worn rug. Most of the ship's occupants were retiring for the evening and the secret wedding would soon take place, but William's thoughts were too muddled to make sense of what Captain Roberts was saying.

"You had one chance to end this war, my lord. For the safety of my ship and crew, I cannot smuggle you back to America again," Captain Roberts said from behind his heavy desk that was cluttered with loose papers and maps. 

The captain's position as a merchant provided the perfect cover for the retired naval commander to take spies across oceans, but this mission had been unsuccessful. He'd kept the Eurydice off of the coast enough to give William and Edmund a chance to escape, but it had been dangerous. Now that the war had started, he wasn't willing to take the risk again of having his ship confiscated by the Americans.

Edmund paced the short distance from one wall to the other be­hind William, muttering under his breath. His mood had been foul since they had made their escape, and it had worsened after William had told Miss Palmer that Miss Atwell was his wife. William could make neither heads nor tails of the man's frustration.

William, for his part, felt more confused than anything. He should be focusing on their plan now that his mission had failed, but instead he was preparing to marry a woman that drove him to the edge of in­sanity. What sort of cruel trick had she been playing on him with Miss Palmer earlier? They needed to pretend they were in love, and instead she was engaging in dangerously witty banter in front of the ton's worst gossip! And then there was Miss Thorpe . . . William shook his head. Whatever understanding he may have had with Miss Thorpe had been unraveled by the declaration of war. A spy had no time for such things as courting a high-class woman. The thought made him snort aloud. Here he was, on the verge of getting married anyway, and to a woman most unsuitable both in station and temperament.

"Are you listening to us, William?" Edmund asked. William blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts.

"Forgive me, my mind was elsewhere."

The captain grinned at him and leaned back in his polished, wooden chair. "I would be surprised if it weren't, my lord. You have a beautiful bride awaiting you."

William's neck heated, and he stared at the man. "Beautiful, perhaps, but the sharpness of her tongue is far more detracting."

Edmund grunted and crossed his arms. "You still have time, William. Just tell Miss Palmer that you spoke incorrectly and that Fidelia is my wife. I will marry her, and you can wash your hands of this mess."

William glanced at him. "Unfortunately, Miss Atwell has already dug our grave deeper with Miss Palmer. There is no way to convince her otherwise, certainly not after today's battle of words." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. When had things become so complicated? He needed to focus on ending a war, for heaven's sake! "What were you saying, Captain?"

Captain Roberts cleared his throat and sat forward, pointing to a map of Eastern North America that rested on one half of his desk. "Our sources closest to President Madison say that American forces, under the command of General Hull, intend to take Canada within the month." William squinted, trying to see the area the captain was pointing out. The sun was setting, and even though the stars were be­ginning to appear outside the quarter's large windows, they alone did not provide enough light.

Captain Roberts moved the candle closer and continued. "Our armies are limited, and it is likely that there will be great losses. How­ever, if our men can hold out twelve weeks for reinforcements from England, we may have a chance of pushing Hull back."

William frowned, and his chest grew hot with frustration. He had been tasked with preventing this senseless bloodshed, but he had failed miserably.

The captain looked up. "If America weakens itself enough, we may even reclaim the lost colonies for good."

"America is as stubborn as our Miss Atwell, I'd wager," William replied. "We would not reclaim it without a great price, one which we can ill afford with Napoleon eager to gain the upper hand on the Continent."

Edmund nodded, pulling a map of Europe out from under the messy stack and placing it on top of the American map. They had been going over possible plans for hours and Captain Robert's desk was beginning to look like William's desk back in England when he was preparing for a meeting with the House of Lords.

"Czar Alexander has begun to withdraw from his agreement with the emperor, and it's rumored that Napoleon plans to invade Russia soon," Edmund said.

William tried to focus but his mind kept drifting back to the night before, to the desperation in Miss Atwell's eyes as she looked back toward America. Could they, being enemies, truly marry? He knew they had no choice, but he was looking at a lifetime of tongue-lash­ings and verbal battles. The thought drained him of what little energy he had left.

He needed to find some sort of common ground with Miss Atwell, to make peace with her somehow. They would never be a love match, but surely they could be amicable? They had been when they were chil­dren, but something was different about Miss Atwell now, which made him doubt the possibility of a new friendship between them. The res­ignation that had dampened the fire in her eyes made him itch under his collar. Although he did not wish for anything more than friendship with his future wife, he could not bring himself to let her fiery spirit be broken by their marriage.

The captain rustled through his papers and pulled out a blank sheet, preparing to write Edmund's instructions down. William snatched the paper from him.

"Might I take this?" he asked, but he was already getting to his feet. A plan was developing in his mind.

"Of course, but what for?" the captain asked. Edmund seemed to share the older man's confusion as William strode to the door.

"A gift for my bride."

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