by Merry Farmer
The more Ruby laid in bed and stared at the dying flames of the candle, the more angry and defiant she became. Would she spend the rest of her life with William? Yes, she would. But could she take a final opportunity to have the adventure her heart sought? Would she regret it the rest of her life if she did not take the chance? She already knew the answers.
Closing her eyes, she could still feel Callum’s grip on her waist, feel her breasts pressed against his strong chest, his heavy breathing and the way her body melted against his. She would never feel that again, not with William and certainly not with Callum, for she had to use all her strength to prevail against her strong attraction to the man. If she decided to go with him, she would have to promise not to touch him or ask for another earth-shattering kiss. It would do no good to further torture herself.
Hopping out of bed, Ruby swiped her hands down her face, exhausted yet restless. Sleep was an impossibility and by the glow permeating her window, dawn was upon her. Stay or go. Go or stay. Now was time to decide. She would either disappoint her parents or disappoint herself and neither felt like a fair option, but nobody had ever considered what was fair to her.
Either way, she needed to be dressed before her maid came to turn down her sheets and yank on her curls with that horrid metal comb. Running to her bureau, Ruby scanned her options and picked a comfortable green linen dress that she could manage to tie up herself, even if it was poorly done.
Spinning circles in her room for a moment, Ruby went to the door and back to her desk, and back to the door again. “Curse it!” she groaned and plopped on the bed, hastily donning her stockings and riding boots, then draping her cloak around her shoulders. She was not going to London with William. Never had she consented to do so, nor had she even been told so. Opening the door slowly, Ruby stifled a scream when she was met with a pair of dark brown eyes surrounded by wrinkles of flesh.
“Oh! Gerty, you frightened me,” Ruby whispered, placing her hand over her beating heart.
“I have come to get ye ready for the day, mistress. As always,” Gertrude replied, looking slightly irritated. Her maid was extremely old. Much too old to even be working still, or even standing, yet somehow the old woman got up every day before the sun and was usually kind enough, if not a tad stern. But, she was loyal and would keep to herself and Ruby valued that quality above all others just now.
“Yes, I know, thank you, Gerty. I could not sleep and thought to go for a ride. I have dressed myself as you can see.” The old maid wrinkled her already wrinkled nose, clearly not approving of Ruby’s appearance, but that did not matter.
“I cannae let ye out looking like that. Master will think I have lost me wits and sack me!”
“Nonsense,” Ruby soothed, placing a hand on the woman’s frail shoulder. “You will turn around now and simply say when you came to my room, I was already gone. In fact, I beg you to give me a quarter hour’s head start before you run to Papa and say I have gone missing.”
Narrowing her dark bushy brows, Gertrude’s nostrils flared. “Has this anything to do with that Mister Stanhope coming to visit ye?”
“What?” Ruby played innocent, doing her best to sound offended. “Absolutely not. He is my betrothed, after all. I have no reason to avoid him. I simply cannot sleep and wished to ride for a bit before breaking my fast. I trust this is acceptable and you will simply tell Papa I am nowhere to be found. I will return, I vow. I simply do not wish to be found until I am ready to be.”
Pursing her lips, Gertrude shrugged and huffed a deep breath murmuring something about it being Ruby’s hide, not hers, and shuffling down the hall.
Breathing deeply, Ruby shut her door carefully and ran down the stairs before reaching the hall, looking around the room. Bosworth was busy as usual, bossing people about in the dining area. Of course, she would not truly ride, she only meant for it to appear that way. Ruby took the opportunity to tiptoe over to the library where she had every intention of simply hiding like a small child beneath the desk where Papa rarely sat. Nobody would be in the room for hours. Once the house realized she was missing, the first thing Papa would do was ride out to find her and drag her back to William’s ship, but she would be nowhere to be found.
Sitting beneath the musty wooden desk with her knees tucked up, she laughed at herself for looking so foolish. But, freedom had its price and she was willing to pay it. Within a few moments, she heard the commotion start, and she pursed her lips and cupped her mouth with her hand.
“What do you mean Ruby was not in her room?” she heard Papa holler as he stormed down the stairs.
“Where could she have gone?” Mama wailed. “We never even had a chance to tell her she must leave today!”
“We must leave immediately, madam,” William said with an annoyed edge, and Ruby rolled her eyes at his pompous air. “My men are ready and the weather favors us. The queen expects us on time. I cannot tarry.”
“Yes, yes. We shall find her,” Papa said, staying calm. “The young woman must have gone for a ride. After all, she did not know she was to leave. I have Gertrude packing her bags as we speak. I will find her and you will have time to spare, William.”
“It was that damned Scottish pirate!” William spat, and his words made Ruby sit up straight beneath the table, straining to hear his words. “I saw how he was looking at her last night. He has abducted her! I will get her back!”
So, William had seen Callum’s interest in her? Why did that excite Ruby? She had seen him look at her a time or two, but never did she believe it to be anything beyond curiosity.
“I am certain Callum has nothing to do with her disappearance, William. He is a guest here and knows better than to do such things. However, we could use his help. I will ride out to search the surrounding lands. Penelope and Bosworth will search the grounds. William, you go to Callum’s ship and seek his help. We shall find her.”
Nobody spoke after that and when the door slammed shut, Ruby settled back beneath the desk, hoping to wait for the right time to reappear, which would only happen once William was long gone.
“Capt’n!” A knock resounded on Callum’s door and he cursed in frustration.
“What!” he shouted as he sat up in bed, looking down at the mass of blonde hair beside him, having no memory of the night once he left Berry Manor.
“There is an Englishman here to see ye, Capt’n!”
An Englishman? Had Thomas Berry come down here to kill him? If so, he had better make sure he was at least wearing breeches. That would be embarrassing. “Which Englishman? Does he have a name? There are so many of them.” Callum said as he climbed out of bed and swiftly pulled his breeches on before cracking the door open.
Being met by the wide eyes of his second mate, he raised a brow. “Well, which one is it?”
“Ye ken,” Samuel said softy so only Callum could hear. “’Tis him, Capt’n. The one with the bonnie bride. The one who… ye ken…”
Eyes widening, Callum scowled and pushed the door open wider. “Ye mean William Stanhope, the man responsible for my father’s death. He dares set foot upon my ship?”
“Yes. That one.” William stepped between the men, pushing Samuel out of the way. Callum wanted to remind the man whose ship he was on, but he was too curious as to why the man was here. “I have come looking for my Ruby.”
“Och, well. Ye ken I have many rubies but they are mine, nay yers. If ye want one, ye will have to ask nicely.” Crossing his arms and standing in his doorway, he smiled when his crew began to laugh, and William’s face turned bright red with rage.
“You know exactly which Ruby I speak of, Pirate!”
“That’s Lord Argyll to ye, lad. And ye are fortunate I dinnae kill ye where ye stand as I wish to. But I assure ye, if ye ever step foot on my ship again once we leave Cornwall, I willnae hesitate.
William sputtered and pushed Callum aside. “Let me in, you piece of scum!” Callum stepped aside and leaned against the doorway while the belligerent Englishman pushed through,
stopping to stare at the bed. Though he seethed inside, Callum reminded himself that killing William would not benefit him, though it would help Ruby. Perhaps another time, he decided and popped his knuckles.
Callum’s gaze followed William’s to the woman-sized lump beneath the sheets and he smiled widely, knowing exactly what the man believed. William stepped toward the bed, seeing a small mass of blonde hairsticking out of the top and Callum cut him off, putting a hand out. “I cannae allow ye to do that,” he warned before William could pull the covers back.
“How dare you stand in my way, you heathen! Is that my betrothed beneath those sheets?”
“Nay, ’tis not, and if ye touch the lass I will break yer nose.” Callum did not even remember the woman’s name, but she was his guest and already being forced to hide beneath the sheets in shame. He could see her shift and squirm uncomfortably and turned to William, scowling in warning.
“Stand aside!” William drew his sword and pointed it at Callum’s neck, who did nothing but stay still and continue to glower. Behind William, his first mate drew his sword and pointed it at his back, making certain the man felt its point in his spine.
“I assure ye, ‘tis not yer betrothed beneath this sheet and ye are harassing the woman. Leave now before ye regret it.”
“I will not until I see her face!” William shouted, yet had the sense to drop his sword at his side.
Before Callum could warn William once more, the woman sat straight up in the bed and uncovered her face before wrapping the sheet around her body. “Am I who ye are looking for, eh?” Looking him up and down, she scoffed and bent over to pick up her torn linen dress from the floor of his cabin. Callum could not remember a single detail of the night before and was glad of it when he saw her missing front teeth and odd beak-like nose. He must have drunk himself into an oblivion at the ale house after leaving Ruby the night before, and he held back a shudder. Ruby must have affected him more than he suspected, yet William was here seeking her out. That meant she had taken him up on his offer, which pleased him greatly, and not only because it angered her arse of a fiancé.
William’s mouth gaped open when he looked at the woman who was clearly not Ruby and before he could respond, the lass kicked him in the shin with her bare foot, then cracked him across the face with a right hook, making him step back in shock, sputtering a curse. Callum’s eyes widened and he crossed his arms, nodding with respect.
William lunged at the woman, but Callum stepped in between and pushed him toward the door. “Ye have worn out what little welcome ye had here, Vice Admiral. I havenae seen Ruby since the meal last night, and I will ask ye to leave now before I make ye.”
Shooting daggers at the whore with his eyes, William spat a glob of blood out onto the floor and stepped past her. “I do not have time for any of this. Lord Berry will regret his daughter’s poor behavior.” William stormed out of the cabin where he was immediately met with the stares of dozens of pirates as he walked down the gangplank.
Turning to look at Callum, the lass flashed him a toothless smile. “I had a grand night with ye, sir pirate. Now where be me payment?”
Payment? Devil’s bollocks… he had picked up a whore? He must have truly been out of his mind the night before and prayed he did nothing that would make him piss blood eventually. “Samuel, get this fine woman a shilling for her time,” Callum said to his second mate, signaling for the woman to follow him out.
“A shilling?” she gasped and dropped the sheet onto the floor, exposing herself as she slipped her well-worn dress over her head without shame. “But, we dinnae even do anything!”
Callum tilted his head at her and raised a brow. “We dinnae?”
“Ye dinnae remember? Och ye fell asleep, ye did. I cannae take a shilling. I only require half that!”
Relief flooded him. He had never fallen asleep before bedding a woman, but he had never picked up a whore either. He must have been extremely inebriated to have done so before falling asleep. “Take it, miss. For yer honesty and time.”
Shrugging, she followed Samuel out of the cabin and Callum took a deep breath, running his hands through his tangled shoulder length hair. That was one of the more interesting ways he had been awoken in his lifetime, and that was saying something. Miss Ruby Berry had a way of turning powerful men mad with possessiveness and lust. He would do well to remember this moment and take heed when dealing with the lass in the future. She was naught but trouble, and not the good kind. A man would kill to part her slim legs and taste her nectar, but he was not the man for the job.
Pulling his white tunic over his head, Callum slipped on his boots, strapped on his belt, and threw on his hat before leaving his quarters in a rush. He had to find Ruby and offer Lord Berry assistance in delivering her to London. By the light of day, Callum questioned his madness. Whatever had possessed him to plot with the likes of that siren? Perhaps the shadows had played tricks on his mind, or the wine he had been served was of a stronger variety. Surely he had lost his wits. But, he was a man of his word. He had told her he would take her on a high seas adventure, and so he would.
But, Miss Ruby Berry was untouchable. Off limits. Betrothed to another. And surely, not as bonnie as he had remembered her to be in his lusty mind the night before. He was most certain he would look upon her face once more today and she would be as homely as the whore he had just paid for absolutely no reason other than relieving him of the worry of acquiring a foul disease.
Nay, Callum was a pirate who had sailed the world and bedded many beautiful, exotic women. There was no way he could not handle a spoiled English miss.
“I cannot handle you, Ruby!” Papa shouted when she finally reappeared from her hiding spot in the library. Having ruffled up her hair and pinched her cheeks to better appear windswept, Ruby carefully tiptoed out of the library and into the hall, pretending not to understand why everyone was in a state of frenzy.
“I do not understand, Papa. I could not sleep, so I went for a ride. I did naught wrong. You never informed me I was meant to leave at dawn. And, I am angry at you for trying to ship me off with no warning!” she spat, putting her hands on her hips. She may be play-acting, but her hurt feelings were genuine.
“I went to the stables and your horse was still there!” he shouted back and Ruby blanched, not having thought of such details.
“I… I took a different horse! Did you check all the stalls?” she said, sticking to her story and praying he backed down.
“No… no, I did not,” he sighed, and his shoulders sagged. “I do not know what to do now. I am sorry, Ruby. We meant to tell you after the meal last night, but you disappeared to bed, and William could not tarry. Now what are we to do?”
“I can take her.”
All eyes turned to look at the man who seemed to have simply appeared from the shadows, and Ruby’s heart leapt into her throat when she spotted him. He was so tall and regal, clearly noble-born by the way he carried himself, yet he had an edge and a roughness about him that bespoke of a man well-traveled and a bit rebellious. And his brogue would never stop making her tingle from head to toe, she vowed, remembering how it sounded against her ear last night when he moved her onto his lap and kissed her like a man kisses a lover. Feeling her cheeks turning pink, Ruby looked away just as his olive-green eyes turned to her, and she looked back at her father.
“Callum. I did not hear you enter,” Thomas said, holding Penelope’s hand.
“I am sorry to intrude. Ye see, I had a visit from the Vice Admiral. He was in a rage, searching for Ruby upon my ship. When he found no trace of her, he was verra angry and said ye will regret it. I warn ye, Sir Berry. He kens ye do business with a Scot now. William may give ye trouble, he doesnae like pirates.”
Ruby bit her bottom lip and looked at her father as he turned red with bluster, not at all accustomed to being threatened and, not for the first time, she wondered why he wished to marry her to such a man. “I know he does not. But, he loves Ruby and will never cause me trouble, I
am certain. Besides, I have letters of marque from the queen. I am a privateer, not a pirate,” Papa stressed, and Ruby did her best not to roll her eyes. He convinced nobody but himself.
Callum stepped forward and stopped next to Ruby, looking down at her shrewdly before looking back at her father. Ruby’s stomach flipped just being so close to him. Why did he excite her so much? She had better control herself if she was to be with the man for several days… assuming her papa accepted Callum’s offer.
“I am on my way north. It would be no trouble at all to bring her to the port near London. From there, she can find an escort to find William. I can have her there safely and with time to spare. ‘Tis only a few days’ journey.”
Her papa rubbed his chin and looked at her mama, who nodded emphatically in support of the idea, which shocked Ruby. “Oh, yes. We must get Ruby to Westminster on time. We simply must, Thomas. Or else William will be displeased.”
Thomas looked at Callum, scrutinizing him with his eyes. “Can I trust you with my daughter’s virtue, Lord Argyll? I will call on your honor as a nobly born man to see my daughter safely to London, and I expect her to remain chaste.”
“Papa!” Ruby scolded, humiliation coursing through her blood.
“Ye have my word,” Callum said with a nod.
“You will keep her safe. I do not like the idea of Ruby aboard a pirate’s ship. It is the very thing I have fought to avoid these many years, and why I have arranged for her to marry a man who will keep her on a straight path. I would take her myself but gathering a crew and preparing for the journey would simply take too much time.”
“Papa…” Ruby began to point out his hypocrisy, to remind him that he was both a gentleman pirate and married to a good woman who had remained out of trouble, but also that she was smart enough to make her own choices. However, he put out a staying hand and stepped closer to her.