A Captain and a Corset

by Mary Wine

  His on-guard stance swept away the last of her happiness. It had been so simple to relax during the night, but she realized that she’d really just been naïve.

  As an Illuminist, she needed to watch out for herself, not depend on Bion. To travel north with the caravan would be foolish.

  “You’re right,” she admitted, the admission squeezing her heart a little.

  The caravan got underway, giving her the privacy to deal with her emotions without Bion noticing. Being lovers did not mean she didn’t have to make her own way. Even as that idea brought her heartache, it filled her with a sense of pride. Her future would be something she earned. The matrons of society’s upper crust were very fond of preaching about how young ladies enjoyed security, but the same walls were also a method to keep women from achieving the same positions as men. She smiled because she knew that those matrons would never have the opportunity to shred her reputation. Their opinion meant nothing in the Illuminist world and Sophia was going to be a Navigator.

  She’d bloody well earned the right.

  ***

  He was being an ass and he knew it. Bion let the label sink in as Sophia settled into the seat beside him. She was struggling with her emotions, her eyes full of uncertainty. But only the strong survived.

  Tender feelings could translate into death so easily when fate turned her nose up. Captain Aetos would have gladly used Sophia’s kindness against her. Training her entailed stripping away anything that might hamper her survival. It was his duty.

  So why did he feel like such an ass?

  ***

  The caravan stopped outside a small village the next night. They parked their wagons in a circle and began to cook an evening meal. Sophia went with the other women to pull fresh water from the river. But Bion reached out from behind a tree to stop her from returning to the camp with them.

  “We need to leave.”

  “Now?”

  He lifted the yoke off her shoulders and left the buckets where they landed.

  “Yes, now. Anyone watching us will think we’ve retired and not miss us until morning. With any luck, there will be a Solitary Chamber in the next village.”

  “What if Captain Aetos is there instead?”

  Bion motioned for her to begin walking away from the Roma camp. “He might as easily be coming up the road behind us.”

  It felt odd to be leaving the caravan, and yet, she hadn’t known their hosts for very long.

  “Stop looking back, Sophia. I assure you, there is at least one man among them willing to sell us out for the right price.”

  “Well, that is a very harsh way to put it.”

  “And you don’t care for how it wounds your pride? As a Navigator, you need to always control your impulses and carefully weigh the consequences of your actions.” Bion peered at her over the rim of his glasses. “It was foolhardy of you to impair my abilities while in such precarious circumstances.”

  She propped her hands on her hips, his words stinging. “Do you mean to tell me you are going to quibble over the timing when you have been waiting for years for a Root Ball?” Bion’s face tightened. He was fighting to contain his emotions and that stung her too. In fact, it felt as if he’d delivered a harsh slap to her cheek. “You should be thanking me,” she declared.

  “Impossible.” Bion’s tone cut through her attempt to maintain her dignity. “Once again you have failed to grasp my level of dedication to duty. I would never place my needs above the mission goal. You allowed the desire to please me to interfere with sound judgment.”

  “You might wear an Illuminist pin, but you still think that because I am a woman, I need a protector. Well, I dealt with things quite well while you needed protecting.”

  She almost broke through his stern exterior. Something flickered in his eyes that hinted at his true feelings, but he made a slashing motion with one hand before she decided just what it was.

  “You do need a protector, Miss Stevenson, and I plan to perform my duties without fail.” He stared forward, denying her the chance to see his expression. The gravel crunched under her feet as they made their way up the road.

  “Oh yes, you are a man of action. You’ve proven that time and again.”

  Only today the action was breaking her heart. At least the sun was going down, offering her darkness to hide the tears flooding her eyes. She blinked them away, satisfied at least with the fact that none slid down her cheeks. There were few people on the road now and those who were hurried to make it to their homes before the night made it too difficult to find their way.

  They were no different, and yet, the darkness was no longer something to shut the windows against. Now it was the time of day when she could at last take off her glasses and be at ease.

  It was also the time of day when Bion might be her lover—if only until sunrise.

  “It should be on the east end of the village.”

  “Have you been here before?” she queried as Bion tugged her along behind him with a firm grip on her wrist.

  “I grew up in Russia and have a good recollection of most of the major Solitary Chambers.”

  In spite of the darkness, the man was still in his stubborn, commanding form. She twisted her hand up and over his wrist, breaking his grip. He stopped and glared at her.

  “I am not a child to be pulled around.” She continued past him, offering him a contented smile as he glowered at her. “I understand that Russia is a very large country. How could you recall a single village?”

  “Because there are not many Solitary Chambers here. The czar is not fond of secrets,” Bion answered. “Still, he has gained little for the number of our Chambers he’s burned.”

  “Burned?” She hesitated and Bion captured her wrist once more.

  “Did you think I was hurrying you because I long to be rid of your company? Quite the opposite in fact. The promise of a private bedroom draws me like a lighthouse.”

  For just a moment, his tone held a teasing note. She fought off the urge to giggle, horrified as a soft sound made it past her lips. Only simpletons giggled.

  Bion answered her with a soft chuckle. “I do believe that was a challenge, my sweet.” He stopped and surveyed the road where it split in front of them. His fingers gently massaged her wrist, sending little ripples of delight up her arm. He shot her a look that was hard to decipher in the darkness. “I’ve yet to enjoy your charms in a bed that wasn’t owned by a ruthless pirate or a gypsy.” He tugged her close, his warmth wrapping around her like a cloak. She wanted to snuggle against him. The impulse was so strong, it hurt to resist it. Bion leaned over to place a kiss against her throat. “Let’s find our brethren and a bed free of impending peril.”

  “Yes.” She was breathless and unsure of which of his suggestions she was agreeing with. Her thoughts had clouded so quickly, frustrating her with how fast he reduced her to naught but a creature ruled by her passions.

  He made a growling sound that cut through the fog holding her wits hostage. His pleased tone was impossible to miss. She broke his grip once more.

  “You are entirely too sure of yourself, Captain Donkova.”

  She walked past him, intent on using action to clear her thinking. A firm slap landed on her backside, earning him a hiss as she jumped with surprise.

  “No gentleman spanks a lady,” she protested.

  Bion Donkova grinned at her, the starlight illuminating his teeth. “Yet as you have so often noted, I am a pirate.”

  “What happened to your sense of duty?”

  He shrugged and pointed. A few paces away were a pair of doorways with the seal of the Illuminist Order painted on them. Her shoulders suddenly felt lighter and every muscle in her body began to ache. Bion hooked an arm around her waist, his teasing demeanor vanishing. She looked away, fearful that he’d transform into the stern taskmaster again, the man who knew so much more
than she did, the one she couldn’t quite seem to best.

  “Easy, Sophia.” He held her close for a moment, placing a soft kiss against her temple as she shuddered. Control was slipping through her fingers like sand, the days of uncertainty taking their toll now that safety was so close at hand.

  “You’ve done as much to bring us here as I did,” he admitted. His voice was gruff and she lifted her face so their eyes locked. He cupped the side of her face. “And I do appreciate the gift you managed to bestow on me, even if I could not say thank you until I knew you were safe.”

  She shivered but not from the cold. It was emotion and the certain knowledge that she stood on even footing with him. For sure, she didn’t expect him to tolerate it for long, but she realized she didn’t want him to. Part of her enjoyed being possessed. At least by him.

  “Let’s see if anyone is home,” he muttered, sounding as reluctant to end the moment as she was.

  ***

  The street might have looked deserted, but a wise man learned at a young age to be unnoticeable—at least in a country such as Russia, where men were still bound to the land as serfs. Sergey was no different. He might have been named for an important man, but he himself was very common and a serf. He made his way as best he could, for tonight there was a man willing to pay for information. Sergey watched the couple, feeling a stirring of pity for them. The fact that they were lovers was clear. It was there in the way the man touched her and in the trusting way the woman leaned against him.

  Sergey stiffened. Pity would see his children crying in the winter when he had nothing to feed them. One man’s misfortune was another’s gain. There were men who paid well for information, and it was easier to produce than working all day in the coal mines.

  A pair of Navigators arriving at the Solitary Chamber dressed as Roma gypsies was certainly something unusual. The Illuminists didn’t travel in wagons like a common man such as himself. One good thing about there still being serfdom in Russia was that it made it easy to spot outsiders. Sergey waited long enough for the couple to disappear behind the doors of the Secret Order, then hurried off to wake up his friend who ran the telegraph office. Information was worth money, but only if it was fresh.

  Six

  The Solitary Chamber was small. Used to the blocks and blocks of hallways that the London one had, Sophia found herself rather disappointed—except for the sense of relief that came with seeing the seal of the Order on the large double doors. Bion had pounded on the door.

  “I just hope someone is home. These outposts are often deserted during the winters, and it’s still early enough that no one may have returned yet. Winter lasts longer this far north.” Bion knocked again as the last of the villagers made their ways home for the night. It left the small town deserted, the homes all shuttered now that the sun had set. A prickle of suspicion touched her as she looked up and down the streets. There was absolutely no one in sight. Since it wasn’t too cold, it was odd. It was like no one wanted to be seen.

  “Why are the streets deserted?”

  Bion wasn’t keeping his back to the streets for long. He continued to watch every possible approach as he knocked again. “This is Russia. Most of the people are serfs and the landowners like them obedient. Drawing attention to one’s self isn’t wise when you are owned. Anyone suspected of plotting rebellion will be shipped off to Siberia. Solid evidence isn’t a requirement, so it makes it wise to disappear as often as possible.”

  “That is barbaric.”

  Bion shrugged. “Many corners of the world are. But there is also adventure if you are willing to abandon the notion that Britain is the only place with anything worth experiencing. Life can be bigger than the confines of the society you were raised in.”

  “I’ve noticed that.” And honestly, she felt she was better for it.

  The door suddenly cracked. “The church is at the other end of town, gypsies.” Without their pins, the doorman wouldn’t open the door for them.

  “We are Illuminists. Navigators.”

  Bion stuck his foot inside the doorway, wincing when the man tried to close it. “We were shanghaied by Helikeians and need assistance.”

  Sophia wasn’t sure if the doorman believed Bion or not, or if it was just pure response to the authority in Bion’s tone that made the man pull the door open. Bion didn’t bother to discuss the matter further. He crossed the threshold with a determined stride, taking her with him.

  “I need to see your Chief Guardian immediately.” Bion was already moving down the hallway looking for the office. “Where is he?”

  “Another two doors down, but you shouldn’t go in there just now…”

  Bion didn’t listen. His grip remained firm around Sophia’s wrist as he headed straight for the door to the Guardian’s office. He applied a quick rap with his knuckles before opening it.

  “I told you. I ain’t no Helikeian. I was shanghaied. It’s the truth,” a man argued. He was facing the Chief Guardian and didn’t turn around.

  “Who are you?” the man behind the desk demanded. He was an older man with spectacles perched on the end of his nose. His face was lined with wrinkles and his waistcoat was ten years out of date with worn patches at the tops of the pockets.

  “I am Captain Bion Donkova. This is Miss Stevenson, Navigator trainee. We require immediate assistance.”

  “Captain Donkova, I am conducting a very sensitive investigation into the pirate attack upon one of our vessels.”

  “If it was the Crown Jewel, I can provide you the details of the matter.”

  The Chief Guardian stiffened and the man facing him turned. Sophia gasped, recoiling as she recognized Mr. Graves.

  “Oh, they know right enough, since they were on the pirate ship that done the deed.” Mr. Graves had abandoned his shipboard attire in favor of something that looked almost respectable and he pointed a finger straight at them. “They are pirates. It was these two who put an end to your son.”

  “This man is a member of the pirate crew.” Bion didn’t have any difficulty standing up to him. He stalked across the office toward Graves. “You really believe you can accuse us?”

  Mr. Graves didn’t back down. “You’ve got gall, I’ll admit that, for thinking you could get away with pushing the Guardian’s son over the rail. Poor bloke was only twenty-six.”

  “We were escaping when that happened,” Sophia interrupted.

  “See? See there?” Mr. Graves shook his head. “She admits it.”

  “Of course she does,” Bion snapped. “And it was your finger that pulled the trigger of the rifle that shot him. As Illuminist members, we’ll be happy to make a full report of what happened aboard the Soiled Dove and your part in it.”

  “Enough,” the Chief Guardian shouted. “For all I know, you are all in league with the Helikeians.”

  Sophia jerked around to argue with the man but the words never crossed her lips. Tears glistened in his eyes, but he drew himself up stiffly as grief clearly tormented him. “I will send for a Marshal.”

  Bion slowly grinned. It was a menacing expression and one he aimed at Mr. Graves. “I look forward to it.”

  Mr. Graves lost some of his color but he began blustering to cover it. “So do I. Why I’ve got plenty to tell and don’t you think I won’t.”

  “In that case, we shall make sure all three of you are here for the occasion,” the Chief Guardian decided. He pressed the earpiece covering his right ear and the door to his office opened. Several muscular men entered, their stiff composure making it clear they expected to act as jailers.

  Bion moved back toward Sophia, reaching out for her wrist. She offered him her hand instead. He cut her a surprised look before the Guardians led them down the hallways to a section of rooms. Unlike the London Solitary Chamber, this one had no gates to make it harder to escape from. Only a pair of Guardians stood guard.

  Bion’s fin
gers tightened on her hand. He looked back at Mr. Graves as he was escorted into a room across the hallway and then back at the two Guardians on duty.

  “That man is a Helikeian pirate. I insist that he be better secured.”

  The Guardian escorting them pointed through an open door. “He will be.”

  There was an ominous promise in his tone that perplexed Sophia until she followed Bion through the doorway. The chamber wasn’t really a room; it was more like a prison cell. Beyond the wood-paneled hallway was a room constructed of stone blocks. She felt the chill immediately, making it clear that the stone was thick enough to not warm during the early summer days.

  A rattle of chain interrupted her study of the walls and her inattention proved costly. One of the Guardians had snapped an iron manacle around her wrist before she realized his intention.

  Bion wasn’t so easy to subdue. He flung away the Guardian who was foolish enough to try and shackle him. The man hit the floor but was back on his feet a second later. Bion was ready for him and his comrades.

  “Well now,” the Guardian cooed like he was trying to calm a spooked horse, “here I thought you were worried that we didn’t know how to secure things.”

  “Sneaking up on me isn’t a wise idea,” Bion answered, his tone lacking any hint of apology.

  The Guardian wiped a handkerchief across his lower lip and scowled at the bright red stain left behind. “I’ve a mind to let the boys drag you down the hall. You’re big but you’re outnumbered sure enough.”

  “I am also a captain,” Bion declared firmly. He sounded as if he were on the bridge of an Illuminist ship, attired in a freshly pressed uniform, instead of in a stone prison with chains set into the mortar.

  “That hasn’t been proven yet,” the Guardian argued.

  Bion stepped up so that he was looking down at the man. “Nor has it been disproven.”

  The Guardian weighed Bion’s threat and it was clearly a warning. Sophia could practically taste it. Tension filled the room as the moments felt like they were stretching. She set her teeth into her lower lip, horrified by the concept of being separated. She jerked away from the chain binding her, the iron links clattering. The sound bounced off the stone walls with an eerie effect.