"Sunset. He had promised her until sunset. "If something goes wrong, we need to get her out." Miles Dorrington looked thoughtful. "I say, we could raise the Jolly Roger and storm the fort as pirates. While they're panicking, you sneak in and retrieve Jane." "Too many cannons," said Jack tersely. "You'll be blown to splinters before we can get inside. Next?" Lizzy raised her crossbow. "I could--" "No," said Jack and his father in unison. When Jack had finished glaring at his father, he said, "Jane and I discussed this. If she's not back by sundown, Lord Richard and I"--Jack nodded to the blond man, who nodded back--"will go after her disguised as dragoons." Lord Richard quickly took charge. "I'll see that my men acquire the relevant uniforms." "No," said Jack's new stepmother. "No?" Jack looked narrowly at his stepmother. "What do you propose, then?" His stepmother paced decisively down the deck. "Richard"--Lord Richard leaped agilely out of range of her parasol--"will stay and mind the Bien-Aimee . If Jane isn't back by sundown"--Jack's stepmother regarded him imperiously--"you and I will go after her." "Gwen is very good at rappelling down walls," said Jack's father, looking at his bride with gooey eyes. "Up them, too." "We're not rappelling," said Jack. If there was anything he hated, it was rappelling. It was as showy and useless as swinging through windows on ropes. "We're going through the door." "I've known that girl since she was born." His stepmother stalked towards him, parasol point glinting. "I've protected her from more assailants than you've had hot suppers. If you go, I go." "How lovely," said Lady Henrietta brightly. "You can get to know each other." Miles Dorrington prudently lifted his wife by the waist and deposited her out of parasol range. "We don't know that she'll need rescuing," said Jack, staring down his new stepmother. "The plan might go as planned." His stepmother snorted. "With the Gardener? I'll go get my pistols." And she departed, leaving Jack with a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach as he tried not to contemplate what the Gardener might be doing with Jane right now."