The Petticoat Pirate (Immortal Pirates Book 1) by C. R. Pugh

Author:C. R. Pugh [Pugh, C. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-09T22:00:00+00:00

Twenty-One

Nathaniel had seen Josephine leave the ballroom, and it was he who had suggested she do a bit of snooping around under the guise of going to the lady’s room. But an hour had nearly passed and she was nowhere to be seen in the ballroom. Surely, she knew that it wouldn’t do to be gone for such a length of time.

Perhaps she’s made her escape.

Nathaniel shook his head. It was a ridiculous thought. Josephine knew the consequences of disobeying his instructions. That boy, Oliver, and her Aunt Genevieve would pay for that mistake, and she would never do anything to put them in jeopardy.

Excusing himself from the gentlemen in his group, Nathaniel marched out of the ballroom and into the corridor where he’d seen the ladies escape to all evening. He checked each room and shouted Josephine’s name, but she didn’t answer. It wasn’t until Nathaniel began to smell smoke that he started to worry.

Nathaniel paused and looked in both directions. The hallway was getting hazy. This much smoke couldn’t possibly be from the kitchens, he thought. His stomach sank with the realization that the house was on fire.

Nathaniel covered his mouth with his handkerchief and sprinted back to the ballroom, which was thick with black smoke as well. The guests were coughing and screaming, while running frantically toward the exit. Red and orange flames were climbing up the back of the ballroom by the veranda.

How did the house catch fire? This was no accident. A guest would have sounded an alarm much sooner if someone had dropped a pipe or cigar. Have Patriots rebels done this?

Nathaniel spotted the Graves in the thick of the mob and pushed toward them.

“Have you seen Josephine?” he asked them, his stomach clenching in dread.

Mattie yelped as a man with wide, terrified eyes rammed into her from behind. Mr. Graves pushed him away.

“I haven’t seen her since she was dancing, Mr. Runik!” Mattie shouted over the noise. “Oh, I do hope you find her!” Mr. Graves clung to his wife, desperate to keep her at his side. The crowd swallowed them up, pushing them through the corridors and away from the deadly smoke.

In the ballroom, fire had engulfed the back wall. Someone had torched the building from the outside. Or a witch is responsible, Nathaniel thought. Only a fire made from magic could consume the manor this rapidly.

He could not leave without Josephine. Had it not been for the smoke, he would have stayed to search the ballroom, but it seemed that everyone had already escaped.

Keeping his mouth and nose covered by his handkerchief, Nathaniel raced through the house, shouting Josephine’s name, searching every room he could find. The hallways were empty, save for a few stragglers - mostly maids who hadn’t figured out what was going on.

As Nathaniel passed them in the corridor, he barked, “The house is on fire! Run!” He continued to search rooms as the servants cried out and hurried toward the exits.

He burst through another door, revealing an empty and smoke-free guest room.

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