The Pirate Lord

by Sabrina Jeffries

  His eyes narrowed to menacing slits. “But that doesn’t mean that if you refuse my offer and stay, I’ll stand by and let you have her. I won’t. In the end you’ll lose, and you won’t even have the consolation of my gold.” He took his foot off the chair and leaned forward, planting his hands on the table as he eyed Petey with suspicion. “Why all the questions, Hargraves? You’d give up any hope of riches and adventure just to marry Miss Willis?”

  “No, of course not,” Petey said hastily, before the pirate’s suspicions could be truly roused. “You can be sure I’d prefer this scepter and the chance to be off this island to Miss Willis any day.” He paused, weighing his words. “I just don’t understand why you don’t feel the same.”

  Captain Horn drew himself up with the bearing of one of those nobles he so disdained. “That’s none of your concern. Do you want the thing or not? Because if you don’t—” He broke off as he reached for the scepter.

  Petey jerked it back. “I want it.” He wasn’t sure if he was playing this right, but it didn’t look as if he had any choice. “I want it. I’ll be off your island tomorrow.”

  For a moment, Petey could’ve sworn he saw relief in the captain’s face. Then the man’s expression hardened. “One more thing—you’re not to speak to her of any of this, you understand? You must promise to leave tomorrow without a word to her.”

  “But she deserves—”

  “That’s the bargain. Take it or leave it.”

  “All right. I’ll not say anything to her.”

  But that was one promise Petey didn’t intend to keep.

  London was never like this, Sara thought as she looked out over the lagoon from the porthole in Barnaby’s cabin. A quiet that was so thick your thoughts were like shouts in the night…smells that tempted the senses instead of offending them…the sky a heavenly blanket of stars unsoiled by the black fog of a thousand households’ smoke.

  Best of all, mankind’s influence was scarcely to be seen. How long had it been since she’d seen such a place? Even the countryside of England bore the marks of civilization. There were plenty of wild, unspoiled pockets in the British isles, to be sure, but she never got to see them. Any trip to such a spot would have taken her away from her work, and her work had inevitably carried her to the filthiest, most cramped corners of London. Until she’d sailed with the Chastity, she’d forgotten what it was like to breathe without having nauseous smoke or the fumes of horse leavings assault her lungs.

  Taking in a deep, satisfying breath, she glanced across the prow. There she spotted the stalwart pirate who stood guard, and all her enjoyment of the island dimmed at once. The guard was one of several. Gideon hadn’t been foolish enough to let the women stay alone on the ship. Though she doubted she and the others could have sailed the Satyr, they might have tried if given the chance, and Gideon had apparently guessed that.

  With a sigh, she turned from the window to stare at the luxurious cabin that was now her prison. At least for the moment. There was no telling what would happen after Gideon made them choose husbands. She refused to choose Petey now that she knew about Ann. But if she didn’t…

  One will be chosen for you. She swallowed hard. What would Gideon do? Assign himself to her as husband? Or was that more of a tie to her than he wished? Sometimes she thought all he wanted was to bed her and be rid of her once it was over. At other times she thought he felt something more, like today, when he was comforting her about the snake…

  A shudder skittered through her body. That awful snake. And Gideon had faced it so bravely for her.

  Now, Sara, she chastised herself, you’re thinking of him as some errant knight who wishes to rescue you. He’s not a knight. He’s a very wicked pirate with designs on you, and you must remember that.

  A pity that all she could remember was the gentle way he’d cradled her as she’d cried, the warmth of his mouth on hers, the sweet, hot slide of his hand over her breasts…

  Stop that! she told herself with a groan. You must put that…that arrogant beast from your mind!

  Only she couldn’t. To her sorrow, she just couldn’t.

  Suddenly she heard a noise. It was soft, almost like a knock. Surely she hadn’t heard right. The women were all below, and none of the men would be knocking gently at her cabin. Except Gideon, of course.

  She smiled at the absurdity of that notion. If Gideon were to come to her cabin, he’d be pounding on the door.

  The sound came again, and this time she was almost certain it was a knock. Curious now, she went to the door and opened it only to find Petey standing outside, glancing furtively around the now dark saloon that her cabin opened onto.

  Unfortunately, across from her cabin was Gideon’s. Jerking Petey inside, she eased the door shut. “Are you mad, Petey? If Gideon finds you here—”

  “He’s not on the ship…he’s in his hut. But I share your worry, miss, believe me. Especially now.”

  “Especially now? What do you mean?”

  Petey looked grim. “The pirate is payin’ me to leave Atlantis tomorrow with his men. He says I may go where I wish from there, long as I don’t return here.” At her stunned look, he added, “I agreed to go, of course. ’Tis the only way to bring your brother back.”

  It took her a moment to assimilate what he was saying, but when she did, hope leapt in her breast. “That’s wonderful! You’re leaving! You can bring Jordan to rescue us all!” Then a sudden doubt assailed her. “Do you really think you can find your way back? This island has been isolated for centuries.”

  “That’s only because it’s off the main trade route.” A fleeting grin touched his lips. “But I been watchin’ the compass and takin’ reckonings of our course ever since we left the Cape Verde Islands. I think I can find it again well enough. I’m sure he don’t expect that a low sailor like me would’ve paid attention, since I told him from the first that I jumped off the Chastity because I didn’t want to go back to England. I know that’s why he’s lettin’ me go.”

  Was it? She chewed on her lower lip worriedly. It didn’t seem right that Gideon would let Petey go so easily. “But Petey, this could be some awful trick. What if he has his men take you out somewhere and maroon you?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Or…or even murder you?”

  Cocking his head, Petey stared at her with the solemn intensity characteristic of him. “D’ye truly think he would? D’ye think he’s that sort of man?”

  The question took her off guard. Was Gideon a killer? Of course he was. He was a pirate, wasn’t he?

  Still, her heart couldn’t believe it, not after today. “No, I guess not.” When Petey nodded, she clutched his arms. “But I could be wrong. And if I am—”

  “He won’t kill me. He told me he wouldn’t. And I don’t know why, but I believe him.” He scowled. “But that don’t mean he won’t do other things. Soon as I’m gone, he’ll try to take you for his woman, Miss Willis, depend on it. ‘Tis the only thing that worries me about leavin’ you.”

  It was the only thing that worried Sara as well, but this was no time to think of it. If Petey didn’t go for help, they would all be forced into marriage, and she refused to see that happen. “You mustn’t worry about me. I can hold my own against Captain Horn, never fear. We still have a few days before we choose our husbands, and I may have bought us a few more days today. After all, it will take the pirates time to improve their homes, and perhaps if we continue to balk, Gideon will…will…”

  She hesitated. She could tell from Petey’s expression that he didn’t believe a word of it. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You must go. It’s our only chance.”

  Raking his hands through his hair, Petey nodded wearily. “I know. But I feel like I’m failin’ you somehow.” His voice softened. “You and Ann.”

  Sara chewed on her lower lip. Ann was another matter entirely. “You know she’ll wait for you.”

  “They won’t give her that choice.” His expression grew so woeful that Sara laid her hand around his bony shoulders to
comfort him. “I’d take her with me if I could, but the cap’n would never allow it. Besides, it’d alert him that I been lyin’ about you and me. In any case, she’s told me she can’t go. She’s a criminal now. If I go back to England, like I have to, she’ll be in danger of being caught again and somethin’ worse happenin’ to her. So I got to leave her here for the moment.”

  “Don’t worry,” Sara said, wishing she could sound more hopeful. “I’ll do what I can to make sure none of the other pirates has her to wife.”

  “I can’t bear to think of her bein’ forced into it—”

  “I know. It’ll be all right; you’ll see. You concentrate on getting away from here and bringing back help, and I’ll take care of Ann.”

  To her surprise, Petey suddenly threw his arms around her and clutched her in a bone-crushing hug. “Oh, Miss Willis, you’re too good. I’ve failed you every step of the way, and here y’are, lookin’ out for me and the one I love.”

  “Stop saying you’ve failed me. You haven’t. You’ve done everything humanly possible and then—”

  Whatever she might have said was drowned out when the door to her cabin swung open and slammed against the wall. She and Petey sprang apart at once, but it was too late. Gideon was staring at them with thunder on his face.

  “You and I had a bargain, Hargraves. And it appears you aren’t keeping your end of it.”

  Though the blood drained from Petey’s face, he pulled himself up straight. “It wouldn’t have been right to leave without sayin’ good-bye. An honorable man wouldn’t have done it.”

  “An honorable man wouldn’t have sold her out for gold, either. Did you tell her that? Did you tell her you were more than happy to take wealth over her?”

  When Petey merely shrugged, the look of fury on Gideon’s face made Sara’s heart skip more than one beat. The man was truly terrifying when he was angry, though she wasn’t quite sure why he was so angry about this. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen her and Petey together before.

  “Get out,” Gideon added in a low, threatening voice. “Get out of this cabin and off my ship. You’ll get your gold, though I ought to toss you to the sharks. Be on that sloop tomorrow, or I swear I’ll do just that.”

  Casting her a quick, apologetic glance, Petey sidled between her and Gideon, then fled out the door. For a moment, she felt paralyzed by terror, but she recovered her composure quickly. It wouldn’t do to let him know she was afraid of him. He’d take advantage of that.

  She took a deep, steadying breath as she crossed her arms over her chest to cover her trembling. “I suppose you think you’ve won now. You’ve gotten rid of Petey, so you assume I’ll just fall into your arms.”

  With an inscrutable look, he stepped further into the cabin and closed the door behind him. “I know better than to assume anything where you’re concerned. You never concede defeat easily. But at least I’ve eliminated your best ammunition.” His eyes roamed her with a familiarity that brought flame to her cheeks. “And I promise, sweetheart, I can handle anything else you throw at me.”

  He took a step toward her, then stopped. A grim purpose showed in his face as the lamp lit him in an unholy light. Stretching out his hand, he stroked the line of her jaw, leaving fire behind wherever he touched. Just this morning, he’d touched her like that, making her blood sing, dragging cries of pleasure out of her.

  But he was different now. She couldn’t put her finger on how. He was just different. In his steely eyes shone the same cold calculation she’d seen the first day of the capture. This wasn’t the Gideon who’d held her while she cried. This was a Gideon who wanted only her body, who would take her without a jot of caring.

  Though she found this Gideon as seductive as the other, this one terrified her as the other hadn’t. And this one had the power to destroy her.

  Carefully backing away from his outstretched hand, she whispered, “What happens after the battle is over, Gideon? You marry me? Is that what you want? For me to choose you as husband?”

  At once his expression grew shuttered. Tucking his thumbs in his belt, he stared at her, a sneer forming on his lips. “Are you saying you would marry me? A disgusting, blood-hungry American pirate?”

  “That’s not the question, is it?” She thrust the heavy weight of her hair back over her shoulder, and his eyes followed her movements hungrily, making her regret the gesture. Tucking her hands beneath her arms, she hastened to add, “You haven’t said that you’d marry me, an English noblewoman.”

  “Why don’t we skip discussion of our impending nuptials until we see if we suit each other?” With a sudden lunge that took her by surprise, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his embrace. “Unlike Hargraves, I like to sample the goods before I pay the price…milady.”

  He spoke the last word with such sarcasm that her heart sank. He only called her “milady” when he wanted to remind himself of how much he hated “her kind.” And the rest of his crude words, meant to demean her, were more of the same.

  “You won’t be sampling anything of mine!” She shoved against his chest. “Release me at once, you…you…”

  “Despoiler of women? Wicked ravisher? Come now, Sara, say what you like, but we both know you want me to make love to you. This morning—”

  “This morning you were different,” she blurted out. When his gaze burned into her, she added quickly, “You cared about me. And yes, I wanted you to make love to me. I admit it. But not now, not when you’re like this. Not when you detest me so.”

  “Do I act like I detest you?” He ground his hips against her until she felt his arousal. “Do I feel like a man who detests you?”

  She shoved her hands against his chest, now almost frantic to get away from him. “I’m not talking about what you think of my body, Gideon. I’m talking about what you think of me. I’ve heard the contempt in your voice when you speak of my class and my position in society. I’ve seen how you look at me sometimes, with anger and resentment, as if you hate me for being English and…and privileged.”

  “That’s neither here nor there.” He caught her chin in his hand, trying to force her head up so he could kiss her. “Your body wants my body, and God knows mine wants yours. So let’s satisfy both our needs and be done with it.”

  “No!” she cried, wrenching her head from his hand. “I’m not a plump hen for you to gobble up simply because you’re hungry! Nor will I bear the brunt of your hatred for my ‘kind’!”

  This time when she shoved at him, he released her, though his breath came hard and fast as he trained his frigid gaze on her. “What do you want from me? Undying love? A vow of constancy? A proposal of marriage? What’s your game?”

  “That’s just it, Gideon. I have no game. And since you can’t seem to believe that, I…I want no part of you. Leave me alone. If you can’t see me as plain Sara Willis, then stay away and let me find someone who can.”

  “You mean Hargraves.”

  “I mean, a man who doesn’t hate what I am.” Sadness laced her tone. “And I don’t think you can be that man.”

  A sudden coldness seemed to freeze his body, for he went rigid and pale. “You’re right. I can’t.” He started to leave, then hesitated. “But I doubt you’ll find anyone else here to fit your lofty expectations, now that your friend Hargraves is leaving. My men hate your kind as much as I do. Your tastes are much too refined for any of them anyway.”

  His voice lowered a notch. “And we both know I’m the only one who can satisfy your other needs, the needs you keep pretending you don’t have. So who will be your choice of husband, Sara? Who?”

  That question echoed in her ears as he bent his head to clear the doorway and then was gone. A thousand curses upon the man for knowing her so well! Yes, who could she choose if not him? Who?

  Chapter 16

  She fell in love with the Sailor strait,

  And on him she could ever wait,

  She loved him so tenderly,

  A sailor’s wife she fain would be. />
  —ANONYMOUS

  “THE LADY’S LOVE FOR A SAILOR”

  Taking a furtive glance around and seeing no one, Louisa ushered Ann into Silas Drummond’s tiny hut, which lay a few yards from the entrance to the communal kitchen.

  “I thought Silas said we wasn’t to come in here,” Ann whispered.

  “I don’t care what he said. The man clearly needs help.” Louisa waved her hand to take in the entire room. “This place is a pigsty.”

  Soiled clothing lay in discarded piles on the scarred wooden planks of the floor. Dirty dishes were strewn about the room. Obviously Silas didn’t believe in washing or putting away anything, despite the cupboard that sat in one corner and the wardrobe and trunk in another. The room looked like the cave dwelling of an ogre.

  Well, Silas might act like an ogre, but that was only a pretense. Louisa wasn’t about to let him live in this filth any longer. While he was off hunting grouse with Barnaby, she and Ann would set the place to rights. Although he’d complain about it later, he’d like it once he got used to it. What man wouldn’t?

  Besides, she could endure his grumbling as long as he never did more than that. In the five days since the capture, he’d mumbled and cursed and shouted, but he’d never once lifted a hand to her in anger. There’d even been moments when he’d shown her great kindness—like when she’d burnt her hand on that cursed galley stove. He’d found her an ointment to soothe it. And when she’d complained about the hardness of her bedroll on the ship, she’d gone back one night to find a feather mattress in its place. At the time she’d guessed he might have put it there, but now she knew for sure, because she could see her bedroll lying on his bed.