Pushing open the front gate, they walked toward the open door. Janine seemed too weary now to mind the humiliation of being pushed upon Esther Mary Pennywell as an uninvited guest, and Jeremy's mind was too occupied to dwell on the niceties of the situation. A booming masculine laugh rose from somewhere inside, and the newcomers quickly moved toward the sound. They entered the dining room, and in front of them sat Esther Mary Pennywell and Dirk Friendly, enjoying a hearty breakfast.
The four young people stared at each other. Then Dirk whooped loudly, jumped to his feet, and he and Jeremy pounded each other enthusiastically on the back. "Jerry! Jerry, ye rascal! I might have knowed! Ye have a nose for trouble like a deer c'n smell a salt lick! Esther Mary, m' girl, we ought t' have guessed that Jerry would be a-showin' his face hereabouts!"
Jeremy's mind was working with surprising clarity, despite his exhaustion, and he looked long and hard first at Janine, then at Esther Mary. Both girls had been constantly on his mind; for many weeks he had been torn between them, unable to decide which of them he preferred.
But now, seeing them together, his doubts were settled. Esther Mary was attractive, vital, intelligent, but she was as nothing compared to Janine. He let his gaze rest on the drooping red-haired girl beside him, and his blood pounded. Here was all he had ever wanted or needed, and he marveled at his own stupidity. It had taken him so long to make up his mind, and yet he should have known all along.
He wanted to take Janine in his arms then and there, to tell her what he felt and to apologize for the pain he had caused her. But there were others present, and she herself was swaying slightly on her feet, fatigued almost beyond endurance.
With an effort he turned back to his hostess and Dirk, who were watching him and Janine with bright and sympathetic eyes. The vague thought crossed his mind that his old friend and the minister's niece were on exceptionally close, easy terms with each other. It occurred to him that this, perhaps, was why she had not responded to him in the Land of the Maroons. His own feelings having crystallized, he felt relieved, particularly as he could wish Esther Mary no happier future than she would have with Dirk. He grinned, then tried to conceal a yawn.
Esther Mary shook hands warmly with both of her tired guests, and if Janine seemed rather distant, she pretended not to notice. "Uncle Jonas is out," she said. "There have been riots all over town for the past twenty-four hours, and with so few troops still in Port Royal it hasn't been easy to keep the peace. So he's trying to do what he can. Meanwhile Dirk has moved in here. Uncle Jonas insisted on having him here to protect me."
"Only it's a-workin' the other way round," the giant chuckled. "This here is the smartest girl I ever seen, 'n' she's been a-lookin' after me somethin' fine. But we don't want t' go a-jabberin' on like this here. What's brung ye down from the Maroon country?"
Jeremy told his story quickly, leaving out no essential detail. Esther Mary seemed sympathetic, and when he told her where he had hidden the beached dugout canoe, she promised that it would be returned to its rightful owners. And she accepted the responsibility of Janine's presence in the house so casually that the French-English girl's antagonism thawed slightly, to Jeremy's relief.
Only when the young gunsmith announced his intention of seeing the Duchess of Glasgow did Dirk and Esther Mary-object. "Sizzlin' Jehos'phat, Jerry!" the big American protested. "D'ye want t' get sent back t' Death Island? Is that what ye're a-aimin' t' do?"
"He needs some food and some sleep," Esther Mary said firmly. "We can decide the best course of action after he's rested."
Jeremy swayed on his feet but took a tight grip on the back of a chair. "I'll sleep first," he agreed, "but I'm seeing the Duchess. Today. Nothing will make me change my mind, so don't try!" He glowered fiercely at Esther Mary, who finally averted her eyes.
"He's very determined about this," Janine said softly. "And as he won't be satisfied until he's had the opportunity to persuade Her Grace to intervene for him with the governor general, I'm afraid we'll have to let him do it."
Esther Mary waved her guests to chairs, then pushed platters of broiled kingfish and hot bragadaps bread at them. Running her fingers through her short black hair, she nodded thoughtfully. Apparently the idea of Jeremy's going to Caroline of Glasgow was not as bad as it had first appeared to her. She was about to say something when Dirk, taking a bite of yellow fruit and swallowing quickly, jumped to his feet again.
"If Jerry's a-seein' that there she-wolf, I'm a-goin' with him. He got hisself into a heap o' trouble without me last time, 'n' he needs me around t' be a-givin' him a helpin' hand, so t' speak."
"You'll keep your nose out of this," Esther Mary told him succinctly.
The giant regarded her fondly. "Woman," he thundered, "there's nobuddy I got more respect for than ye, but this here is m' friend. A couple o' days ago I'd have swore I'd never set eyes on him again. But here he is, 'n' I don't rightly intend t' let him get away from me another time. If n they send him off t' Death Island, he'll have comp'ny. Me. Ye're a smart wench, Esther Mary, 'n' we both know it, but there'll be no arguin' me out o' this!"
The girl was about to reply when she glanced at the new arrivals. Janine had fallen forward in her chair and was sound asleep with her head cradled in an arm on the table. Jeremy had slumped back and was snoring gently. Esther Mary jammed her thumbs into her boucanier belt and grinned. "I'd say we have a few hours in which to argue about your future course of action. Brother Dirk. Meanwhile I'd suggest you carry these two off to bed. Take Janine first and put her in my room. Then you can carry Brother Jeremy in to Uncle Jonas' bed. Try not to awaken him, for he has a hard road ahead of him, far harder than he knows. And I have a few things to do myself."
"What kind o' things?"
Her eyes sparkled, and she laughed. "I shall need to find a few of my friends who'll guard your impetuous Jeremy. Remember that the cause of the Maroons comes first with me, and I don't want our former impostor to do or say anything that will cause the brigade to intensify its campaign against my people. As he's escaped from the hills, I can't deny him his chance to plead with the Duchess. In fact, his presence in town might even serve as something of a diversion and bring Sir Arthur Bartlett back here. I don't think Jeremy quite realizes what a prominent fugitive he is—or how much the government would like to get hold of him again. . . . You see, while we can't allow that to happen, we mustn't let the Maroons be hurt— Oh, never mind, Dirk. Do as I've bidden you, and let me do the worrying and thinking."
Vastly refreshed after a long morning's sleep, Jeremy ate heartily, repaired his travel-stained clothes as best he could, and started out with Dirk in the direction of the Golden Bucket, where, according to Esther Mary, the Duchess of Glasgow was spending the day. Janine Groliere was still asleep, and the young gunsmith was pleased, for it meant he would not have another unpleasant scene with her. By the time she awoke he would have had his interview with Caroline and would either return to her in triumph or would again be a prisoner. He had caused Janine enough anguish and he was determined to come back to her a free man or not at all.
He and Dirk stepped through the open gate of the Penny-well house, and as they swung into the road he fingered the ornamental hilt of his Maroon sword nervously. Dirk, he noted, was heavily armed: two heavy horse pistols were jammed into the big man's belt. Someone, Jeremy felt, was following .them down the road; he looked over his shoulder and saw two tall, broad-shouldered Negroes, each holding a cutlass. His right hand slid toward the pistol he himself carried, and he whispered to his friend urgently.