Katharine had helped her husband pack and dress for the trip. He wore a fawn suit she was fond of. The League had him send a cable home to inform them of finding the Mary Kate. He would add a signal message to it. If it worked out as planned, the Mary Kate would be detained at sea by the Royal Navy. If not, she would be dealt with by their people at sea or blown out of the water before docking. The message would be very clear. The Mary Kate was not to be allowed into port.
That would put Andrew in danger. If he could, he would jump ship.
Katharine had already stressed to him his need to survive. They had their son to raise. "It was still possible that Phileas and I could escape. Don't give up on us."
She had straightened Andrew's cravat and kissed him again before the guard took him away.
How did I stand so calmly watching him go?
Rules were rules. Since childhood, she knew a lady didn't cry until the ship was out of the port. She sat down at the table after the door was shut and held her calm just in case Andrew left something and had to come back.
Half an hour later, the door opened without a knock. One guard stood in the open door. Another stood behind him. "You are to move back to your original room. Repack your trunk. It will be moved with you."
Rebecca ordered five marines to watch their backs. The rest made their way down the stairs to the prisoners' rooms. Rebecca walked down ahead of her people holding the lantern Passepartout's guard had. She found the one guard at the head of the hall. The unlucky man was facing away from her, listening to what was going on in the cavern. He was dispatched quickly. The liberators entered the first room with the guard's keys and freed Phileas.
Phileas had grabbed up his stowed equipment when he heard the scuffle in the hall. He gave Rebecca's hand a quick squeeze and took in her new outfit. "Very fetching."
"The other would have been too hot," Rebecca said.
Fogg was apprised of their strength and the impossibility of rescuing the earl. He pointed them toward Kathrine's room, but Sir James was already there with the keys. He said, "If we can get the Aurora flying, we could aid the ships from the air."
"Jules and Passepartout are working on that," Rebecca said.
Sir James opened Katharine's room and caught his happy cousin to his chest once the door opened.
"Andrew?" she said.
"Not now," Sir James said. "We will get him at sea."
Katharine nodded and let him lead her out.
They rushed back up to the warehouse, leaving two to watch for trouble. They were setting up explosives, which would hopefully collapse part of the tunnel. That would give them extra time to get away.
Outside, they found Passepartout and Jules at work. The Aurora was already uncovered and horses, under Jules's coxing, were pulling it outside. Passepartout started the re-inflation process as the horses did their work. The Aurora wasn't as heavy as she looked. And being built on skids, she was easy to move. The process, however, might take longer than they had. Rebecca set the marines to hold the warehouse in case anyone below got past the explosives and through the door. They would be the last defense until the Aurora was ready.
The horses finished their work as the balloon started showing air pockets picking up its material. The main balloon was nearly inflated when the sound of the tunnel being blown rumbled deep underground. Everyone rushed aboard. The ballast balloons were only half inflated. She would wobble, but they would take off as is. They made their way along the coastline, picking up the last two sentries.
When the shore party could turn their attentions to the sea, they found a battle had already started. Bright blasts and deep percussions broke through the darkness of the night. The smell of smoke and the streaking flairs from gunfire studded the ships. The London Star and a league vessel were trading shot. The Dover Cliffs also attacked, sending cannon blasts at the ship's hull close to the waterline. Enough of that kind of damage and the ship would sink.
The Mary Kate was trying to run. She was at near full sail and picking up speed fast. She would easily outrun the schooner.
The Dover Cliffs broke off from the first battle and sent ten pounders after the Mary Kate's stern. If they hit the rudder, the clipper would be unsteerable. The next tactic would be to shoot for the masts. A few less sails would slow her down.
Phileas had thought of that, too.
The rudder was hit as the Aurora came within range to help. On Phileas's direction, several marines got on the winch platform, and were lowered to the masts. Climbing in the dark rigging, they cut sails, dropping the clipper's speed. Their preference was to take her rather than sink her. That was a tall order, with two hundred or more unfriendly soldiers aboard.
Aloft, Phileas gave Passepartout directions, and the marines took what weaponry he had to the observation deck firing at the League ship, keeping it from firing on the Aurora or the marines in the rigging. It would have been like shooting fish in a barrel, except they were bobbing around in the dark with a fitful wind. The Aurora was foremost, a pleasure craft, not built to withstand a fire fight. If anyone down there got lucky or they were down drafted enough to get the balloon within range, she would go down into the sea like a rock.
The Dover Cliffs caught up lashed itself to the clipper. Fighting went from man to man. The marines aboard the Aurora took turns getting lowered down to the masts to join the battle. When all were gone, Phileas ordered the Aurora higher for safety. They could do no more.
Katharine didn't stay in the main cabin to watch what was happening in the sea. Those were her close friends down there, her husband and family. Seeing cannon fire and hearing orders called out on the Aurora was more than enough. She left for Rebecca's cabin and shut the door.
At times like this, she reverted to the training her aunt gave her as a child, praying unceasingly until the situation ended. Mary Katharine did so when they knew ships were at sea in storms. She had gotten through childbirth the same way. She set herself to spend the next several hours on her knees beside Rebecca's bed until the noise of the battle quieted.