by Phoebe Conn
Randy hesitated for a moment, but his loyalty to Raven would not allow him to remain silent. Although infuriated to find himself in such a difficult position, he walked to Raven’s side. “I must speak with you privately, Captain.”
“What?” Annoyed by that interruption, Raven scowled as he turned to face the mate. “What could possibly be more important than making certain the deck is safe to walk on?”
“It’ll take only a moment,” Randy assured him.
Randy was so angry his face was nearly as red as his hair, and after assuring himself that Eden was all right, Raven joined him a few steps away. “Yes, what is it?”
After making certain Eden could not overhear them, Randy explained what he had seen, concluding with, “It was no accident. Max will deny it, of course, but I saw him do it. He was deliberately being mean to your wife.”
Raven glanced over his shoulder at the sailors in question. They were still mopping the deck while Eden shook out her dripping skirts and tried to stay out of their way. When he turned back toward Randy, his disgust was plain. “You told me the entire crew shares your misguided view of Eden. How many others would dare to do her physical harm?”
“None I hope. I was just on my way to tell those two to be more respectful when you called to me. If I’d been just a few seconds faster, this would never have happened.” Raven clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his voice slightly. “I told you to warn the men that I’d flog any who even dared frown at my wife. Did you convey that message?”
“Yes, sir, that I did,” Randy answered, and he had the sinking suspicion Raven meant to carry out that threat now.
“I’m going to take Eden below to change her clothes. It’s almost time for the noon meal, so she’ll probably not want to come up on deck again. I’ll be back in a few minutes, though, and I want the men assembled and waiting for me. It’s only because Eden is such a graceful woman that she didn’t suffer a serious fall. That might have been far more costly than any of the men imagines. I’ll not have any others stooping to such malicious pranks. I’m going to order you to whip both Max and Samuel for being not only incredibly stupid, but unforgivably mean to a woman who deserves their respect. If you can’t carry out that order, say so now and I’ll whip them myself, but I don’t want any arguments between us in front of the men.”
Randy looked over at Eden, who appeared to have been completely fooled by the two sailors’ excuse of clumsiness. As always, her expression was delightfully sweet, but he was unmoved. “I can’t stop the talk about her. I should have been quick enough to stop Max, but there’s nothing I can do about the talk.”
“Not unless you try,” Raven pointed out. “Now are you going to flog them or will I have to do it myself?”
“It was a thoughtless trick, and she could have been badly hurt. None of us wants that. I’ll do it.”
“Good.” Raven turned away and, as promised, escorted Eden to his cabin, where he insisted she change out of her damp clothes.
Pleased by his concern, Eden brushed Raven’s cheek with a light kiss before he returned to the deck. She had seen the anger still smoldering in his eyes and was relieved it had not been directed at her. An overturned bucket was an insignificant matter to her, but she knew he expected the best from his crew and would not tolerate such sloppiness.
She had been amazed to learn Alex had given Raven command of the Jamaican Wind when he was no more than nineteen, but after seven years as captain, he had impressed her as knowing his business better than some men she had met twice his age. She had seen him settle disputes between sailors with the wisdom of Solomon, and his navigation was as precise as her father’s. That he took such great pride in his ship and the performance of the crew that served him was justifiable in her view.
Eden had just begun to remove her soggy stockings when she heard a peculiar shout from up on deck. When it came again, she realized it had been more of a cry of anguish than a shout and grew alarmed. What could have happened now? she wondered. She hoped no one had fallen from the rigging or suffered some serious accident. She sat still, straining to hear the sounds from up on deck and heard the cry a third time. Too curious to remain below and wait for Raven to explain what had happened when he returned, Eden stuck her bare feet in her damp shoes, and hurried up the companionway to the deck to see for herself.
The crew were gathered around the mainmast, and Eden had to come forward to peer over the shoulders of the men in back to discover what held their attention. When she saw Max and Samuel had been stripped to the waist and that their hands were tied to the mast her heart leapt to her throat. It had been Max’s cries of pain that she had heard, but the fact he had passed out before Randy had delivered ten lashes had not stopped the mate from completing the task with slow, deliberate strokes.
As Eden watched in horrified disbelief, Randy’s whip sliced through the air with a threatening hiss, then ripped the skin from Max’s back with a dull slapping sound that belied the sharpness of the cuts it inflicted. Eden felt each blow send a jarring wave through the crowd but the men remained silent. Only Samuel, who stood cringing helplessly as he awaited his turn, uttered a terrified whimper at what was to come.
Thoroughly sickened the sailors were being punished so brutally, Eden turned away without looking for her husband. She knew it would only infuriate him all the more if she questioned his orders in front of his crew, and not daring to embarrass him in such a fashion, she went below. Even in their cabin she had to hold her hands over her ears to shut out the sound of Samuel’s piercing shrieks. She could not believe that either man deserved to be whipped. When Raven came to join her at noon, she told him she did not feel like eating.
Although she had not seen him, Raven had noted Eden’s brief appearance on deck and he could read volumes in her averted glance. He was then faced with an extremely difficult decision. He could either refuse to explain his actions and allow her to think the worst of him, or he could tell her the truth. While he did not want to hurt her by revealing the crew’s insensitive opinion of her, they had agreed to be honest with one another, and recalling that vow, his choice was made for him.
Kneeling by her side, he placed his hand under her chin to force her gaze to meet his. “I didn’t want you to know I’d ordered Max and Sam whipped, but since you do, you ought to know why it happened. I’m not a cruel man, Eden, I swear I’m not, but when Randy told me that Max had drenched you on purpose, I—”
“What?” Eden studied Raven’s pained expression, and was instantly convinced he spoke the truth. “Your men have never been friendly, but do they hate me that much?”
Raven shook his head sadly. “I’m sure they don’t hate you. It’s just that, well, they have little experience with cultured ladies and—”
Fearing he would never get to the point, Eden finished his sentence for him. “They think I’ve been disloyal to Alex, is that it?”
“You mustn’t concern yourself with their ridiculous beliefs, Eden. You know Alex hoped we’d be together, and surely his opinion ought to be the only one that matters to us.”
Eden believed that too, and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Raven’s neck. “No one else is ever going to understand, though,” she whispered as she hugged him tightly.
Caught off balance, Raven had to grab for the edge of the table. Once steady, he rose and pulled Eden up with him. “My men may be as ignorant as goats when it comes to being polite to a lady, but Max and Samuel will not risk playing another trick on you and neither will any of the others. Getting your clothes wet could be seen as no more than a schoolboy’s prank, but if you’d fallen, and you know you almost did, you might have been so badly hurt you could have lost the baby.”
That he had been so concerned about her child when she had not even considered the consequences of a fall left Eden all the more shaken. She still felt wretched in the morning, and with each passing day she was more certain she was pregnant. To have Alex’s child was her fondest wish, but she had not until
that very instant realized what a baby could mean to Raven. She took a step back to make it easier to converse.
“You know I’m unfamiliar with many British customs even though my mother is English.”
“Treating women well is not only a British custom.”
“No, of course not, but that’s not what I meant. Forgive me if this question seems silly, or stupid to ask, but I know you’re the earl because Alex had no sons. What if I
succeed in bearing one?”
Her question was so obvious Raven could not understand why they had not discussed it when she had first told him of such a possibility. “You’re my wife, Eden, and any child you have while we’re married will be considered mine. If your child is a son, he’ll be my heir, and become the earl upon my death. Our marriage will not have cheated him out of his rightful title. He’ll still be the Earl of Clairbourne one day. Although I hope it will not be anytime soon,” he added with a teasing grin.
When they were on deck in the bright sunlight, it was possible to tell that Raven’s eyes were a deep brown. In his cabin, they appeared as black as the thick fringe of lashes that framed them. It was only when he was angry that Eden could read his mood in his glance; at other times, like now, it was impossible. While he frequently made jokes of serious matters, she never did. “And if we had not married?” she asked very softly.
“But we are married.”
“But if we were not?” Eden asked again.
Raven frowned slightly, uncertain what she expected him to say. “Alex named me as his heir in his will. When we reach Jamaica, we’ll have to go to Kingston and inform Alex’s attorney of his death. You can read the will then. Alex had no other male kin. His title is rightfully mine.”
The pride that filled Raven’s voice as he announced that fact was warning enough that she ought not to pursue the matter with him. Eden was deeply disturbed, however, for even if her child had not lost the chance to inherit his father’s title and wealth, Raven had certainly seized an opportunity that he might not truly deserve. She still did not understand enough about how titles were inherited to know if what he had done was illegal, or perhaps simply dishonest, but she intended to ask the attorney for his opinion on the matter.
A knock at the door signaled the arrival of their noon meal, but as Eden took her place at the table Raven knew she had not been satisfied with his answers to her questions. The very last thing they needed was another issue to create mistrust between them, but try as he might, he could not think of any way to erase the pensive frown from her brow.
When Eden lay down for a nap after Raven left her, she had far too much on her mind to sleep. As she had so often, she wished she could go to her mother for advice. Unfortunately, not only was her mother out of reach, but every other responsible person in the world as well. She was stranded on board a ship with at least a hundred men, none of whom was fond of her. The fact that grim group included her husband only made matters worse.
She did not want to believe Raven had taken advantage of her grief to rush her into marriage to preclude the possibility of her providing Alex with an heir. That was almost diabolical, and knowing Alex had had great faith in him, she hated to jump to what she feared was becoming the most obvious conclusion. She certainly could not confront Raven about their marriage when she was sure he would simply remind her that had she not been in “his” bed on the night of Alex’s funeral, there would have been no need for them to marry. He would undoubtedly remind her of that night as often as it took to silence her questions concerning his motives. She had no doubt of that, for unlike Alex, Raven was no gentleman.
When he returned to his cabin that evening, Raven hoped to find Eden in a better mood. When she did not accuse him of plotting against her as they ate dinner, he considered the evening a success.
“As soon as we get home, I’ll do what I can to send any message you’d like to your parents,” he offered graciously. “It won’t be easy, but I’m sure a way can be found to do it. They ought to know that you’ve married and left England.”
Surprised he would be so thoughtful, Eden was at a loss for what to say. “That would be wonderful, but I’ve no idea how I could possibly convey any sort of a coherent message that would adequately describe what these last few months have been.”
Raven drummed his fingertips on the table in an impatient cadence. “Why not simply say you’ve married the Earl of Clairbourne and have taken up residence on his plantation in Jamaica?”
Eden opened her mouth to argue that scarcely did justice to the truth when she suddenly had a better idea. “Raven, instead of failing to mention I was married to Alex when we reach Jamaica, why don’t we keep our marriage a secret? After Alex’s child is born, if we still want to be married, we can have another ceremony. There would be no scandal then, everything would be quite proper. My aunt will be far too embarrassed to tell anyone in London about us, and who at Briarcliff would have the opportunity? As for your crew, they seem to be so offended by our marriage that I’m certain you could convince them to keep it a secret.” Eden’s topaz eyes were radiant with delight, as though her sudden inspiration was the best of all possible solutions to their problems. Raven could neither understand nor believe how she could suggest such a stupid thing, however, and looked for something to throw to illustrate his opposition. His pewter plate was still handy and he flung it against the door with a force that dented the wood.
“Have you lost your mind? I did not force you to marry me; it was your choice. You’ve told me over and over again that the month you spent with Alex was worth whatever scandal your elopement caused. Are you completely unwilling to put up with any gossip to stay with me?”
Eden had explained her idea the instant it had come to her mind. Now she realized how truly desperate, and how insulting, it sounded. She had not dreamed she would hurt Raven’s feelings as she so obviously had. “It would also work to your advantage to delay the announcement of our marriage.”
Raven rose to his feet, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward as he refused to consider her absurd suggestion. “You chose to be my wife, Eden, and I’ll not allow you to deny it!”
Feeling at a disadvantage in her chair, Eden stood to confront him. “I married you because I refused to become your mistress. Don’t try and make it sound as though I truly had a choice because I didn’t!”
“You don’t have one now either!” Raven shot right back at her.
“Oh yes I do,” Eden boasted, overwhelmed by the frustration he continually caused her. She had tried her best to be a good wife to him, but she didn’t need to waste the rest of her life on a marriage that was so one-sided. “When we visit Alex’s attorney, I can ask him about an annulment. I was far too overcome with grief to have been thinking clearly and that’s reason enough to void a marriage. If it’s impossible to get an annulment, there’s always divorce. I’ve had plenty of time to think since we left England and I’m much stronger now. I can manage on my own, I’m certain I can.”
Raven circled the table. “That’s a damn lie and you know it.”
“It is not.”
Rather than reply in words, Raven sought to prove his point by drawing her into a crushing embrace. When she turned her head to avoid his kiss, he grabbed her chin and held her still as he pressed his mouth against hers with a demanding pressure that swiftly parted her lips. When he tasted blood, he did not know if it was his or hers, but he did not care.
As Eden struggled to break free, she realized what a terrible mistake she had made in seeking to reach him with the passion it was so easy to arouse. That she had encouraged him to be an ardent lover, but had won neither his friendship nor respect, was shockingly evident now.
She was wearing a pale green gown of lightweight wool. She didn’t bother wearing several layers of starched crinolines on board the ship and there was so little between them she could easily discern Raven was fully aroused. As if that fact could have escaped her notice, he slipped his arm around her waist and g
round his hips against hers. Disgusted by that blatant gesture, she tried to back away only to find the sturdy oak table at her back. Anchored securely to the floor, it was as unyielding as a brick wall.
Trapped in Raven’s arms, Eden gave up her attempts to escape and relaxed against him. She hoped for a softening of his aggressive stance, but none occurred. Instead Raven leaned forward, bending her backward over the table until she was forced to grab his shoulders to retain her balance. His mouth had yet to leave hers, and gasping for breath, she was outraged to find herself completely at his mercy when she knew that was a quality he sorely lacked.
Raven was past the point at which he could analyze his actions. All he could do was react with the violent emotions she had aroused. He wanted Eden for his own with a desperation he could no longer disguise, and yet at the same time he understood why there was no room in her heart for him. That was a torture that continually plagued him until he could no longer contain his inner rage. He wanted her to love him rather than mourn Alex and he had not another minute of patience to wait for that miracle to occur.
Eden felt the muscles in Raven’s shoulders flex as he tightened his grasp. His linen shirt had been softened by a dozen washings but its smoothness provided no comfort as she dug her fingers into his well-muscled flesh. His skin was as hot as his fevered kisses and she felt seared by the heat. Convinced he intended to force her across the table and rape her, she grew faint, and it wasn’t until Raven began plucking the pins from her hair that she realized he had at last slackened his hold on her. In the next instant he had pulled her upright and his kiss took on the magical sweetness of the very first kiss he had ever given her.
Not about to allow him to turn his abusive assault into a seduction, Eden finally succeeded in breaking free and turned her head. What had possessed her to threaten divorce she didn’t know now, but in the heat of their argument it had seemed like her only choice. Had she expected him simply to walk out on her as he had so often? Now she wished that he had for his penchant for leaving in the midst of their arguments was certainly preferable to the violence he had just shown her.