Pressing his advantage, Gideon stuck his foot in front of Jane and wriggled his toes again. “Want to smell my foot?” When she shook her head with another giggle, he waved his foot in the air in front of her. “Maybe you’d like to check to see if I’ve hidden a hoof somewhere? Behind the toes maybe? Under the heel?”
A couple of the other children giggled.
“Go on then. See if you can find my hooves.” Jane reached out a tentative hand to touch his toes. “Now, don’t tickle me,” he warned. “I’m very ticklish.”
Sara suppressed a smile. There wasn’t a ticklish bone in that man’s body, and she should know, having explored every inch of him quite intimately.
Jane brushed his heel with her fingers, and he let out a fake laugh. “Stop, please stop!” he cried in mock fear. “I told you I’m ticklish!” That, of course, prompted bolder attempts to tickle him, and soon the other children were trying to make him laugh. Before long, they were swarming all over him, a mass of tickling, squealing, laughing children.
She watched, a lump forming in her throat. He would make such a good father. She could imagine him tumbling around in the sand with his own dark-headed boy or wide-eyed girl. How glad she was that she was marrying him!
Now if only she could be sure that Jordan wouldn’t ruin everything.
She brightened. He might not come, of course. Thanks to Gideon’s change of heart, she’d been able to send a letter to Jordan telling him not to. With any luck, it would reach him in enough time to convince him that she was fine and that he need not come after her. After all, only three weeks had passed since Petey’d left, and he probably hadn’t even found a ship sailing from the Cape Verdes to England yet. Why, her letter might end up leaving on the same ship as Petey’s.
And even if the letter reached England after Jordan left and even if Jordan did show up on the island, it would be too late anyway. The minister would be here in two days, and then she and Gideon would be well and truly married. No one could part them then. Even Jordan wouldn’t expect her to leave behind her husband, the man she loved.
The man she loved. A pang gripped her chest. She did love Gideon, so much she could hardly bear it sometimes. She’d realized it the night he’d told her about his mother, the night he’d made love to her with such sweetness, it had nearly broken her heart. She’d wanted to tell him then, but her feelings were so fresh, so new, she didn’t think she could stand it if he didn’t say the words back. There was a part of him that still didn’t quite trust her, no matter what he said, and he wouldn’t feel completely sure of her until they married.
How had this happened? When had making a former pirate captain happy become the most important thing in her life? She didn’t know; what’s more, she didn’t care. Her feelings weren’t going to change.
That’s why she’d agreed to marry him. There’d no longer been any point in pretending that she could just blithely sail away with Jordan if he came for her. She could no more leave Gideon than she could stop breathing.
Besides, she had no desire to exchange the serenity of Atlantis for London. In London she’d always felt as if she were sticking her fingers in a leaky dike to keep the dirty flood of poverty and crime and death from inundating the city. She’d gotten little help from the people who were supposed to be her peers, and indeed, they’d scoffed at her for her efforts. No matter how hard she tried, there were always far more losses than gains.
On Atlantis, however, she could really help people. Thanks partly to her, the women had begun to rely on themselves. The men had begun to show a newfound respect for the women, to ask what they wanted, and to make little courtly gestures that endeared them to their sweethearts. They truly were nice men, most of them.
Together the men and women were building something lasting. It did her heart good to watch people who’d been discarded by their countries regain their self-respect and find a useful purpose in life. Every day she woke up eager for the new day to begin, eager to explore more of the island and find new enjoyments to share with Gideon.
There was only one thing she felt guilty about-that she hadn’t pressed Gideon on the issue of the women. They’d both avoided the subject of the marriages, afraid to tear the fragile thread of happiness that joined them. But she’d have to bring the subject up soon. The month he’d given the women would end in two days, and though most of the women had chosen husbands, some still balked at marrying, particularly those who’d left behind devoted husbands or sweethearts in England.
Surely when she explained their reasons to Gideon he would make an exception for them. She’d come to realize in the past weeks that Gideon was a rational man, capable of great generosity. For all his cynicism, he hoped for something better and was willing to strive to find it. He would see her side of it once she showed him it was the best thing for the colony.
She watched him settle the laughing children about him and begin to tell them a story about One-Eyed Jack, the ship’s parrot with a liking for salt beef. Trailing her hand idly in the sand, she watched him with her heart in her throat, lovingly memorizing his every feature. His scarred cheek, which she’d once thought looked ominous and now looked so dear…his blunt, capable fingers that had brought her to wild fulfillment several times in the past few days…his absurdly naked feet with the black hair sprinkled across his toes….
Oh, yes, she loved him top to bottom. And though he hadn’t yet said the words, she knew he would. He had to. She wouldn’t let him not love her.
He finished his story and the children clamored for another, but he held up his hands as if in surrender. “I’m sorry, children, but I can’t. Not just now. Silas and the others are waiting for me. We’re going on a hunting expedition.”
When there was a chorus of discontent, he said, “You all like roast pork, don’t you?”
The children nodded.
“Well, then,” he went on as he stood and brushed the sand from his breeches, “we must get some for you. But we’ll be back before nightfall, and then I’ll tell you another story, all right?”
“Yay!” the children shouted.
When he went to Sara’s side, Ann stood, casting him and Sara an indulgent smile as she motioned to the children to gather around her. “Come, children, let’s go down the beach a ways. I think I saw a turtle’s nest not far from here.”
Sara cast her friend a grateful smile as the children tripped off down the beach, leaving Gideon and her alone.
“You’ll be gone all day?” she said as soon as the children were out of earshot, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
He grinned as he came up and drew her into his arms. “You sound like a wife, and we’re not even married yet.”
“Do you mind?” she said archly.
“Not for one second.” He kissed her soundly, his hands roaming to places they certainly shouldn’t. Not on an open beach, at any rate.
When he drew back, she clung to him, feeling inexplicably reluctant to let him go. It wasn’t as if they normally spent every waking moment together. But for some reason, today she couldn’t bear to part from him. “I could go with you.”
He laughed. “And do what? Load our rifles? Butcher the meat and dress it? Carry it back for us? You’ve got better things to do than trail through the brush with a group of smelly men on the hunt.”
“You know that’s not the reason you don’t want me to go,” she accused. “You and the others just want to be free to grunt and scratch yourselves and swig grog without having to worry about what we women will think of you.”
“Now that you mention it—”
“Oh, go on with you,” she said in a tone of mock disgust, pushing him away. “Just don’t expect to come to bed tonight stinking of grog and pig’s blood.”
“Don’t worry.” He caught her to him. “After half a day of grunting and scratching myself and swigging grog, I’ll be more than ready for a bath.” He tugged the neckline of her blouse out with one finger and peeked inside it wickedly. “And a few
other pleasures I can think of.”
“Gideon!” she protested, a blush staining her cheeks. Would she ever get used to his bold behavior?
Probably not, she thought as his eyes darkened and his hand tightened on her waist. She was already trembling in anticipation of his kiss.
“Captain!” shouted a voice from inside the forest. “Are you comin’ or no?”
With a groan, he released her. “Yes, confound it,” he called. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She reached up to kiss his cheek. “Go enjoy yourself. And bring us back a good fat porker for the wedding feast.”
“That’s exactly my intention, my love,” he said with a smile. Then he turned and strode up the beach toward the trees.
Her heart pounded as she watched him stop to wave, then disappear into the forest. My love. He’d called her my love. It probably meant nothing, but it gave her hope. Soon he would say more than that; she was sure of it. She could hardly wait until then, so she could say the words back.
Lifting her skirts with a sigh, she wandered along the beach. She was so absorbed in her dreamy thoughts of Gideon that she didn’t notice how far she’d wandered from the others.
Until someone grabbed her from behind. Clapping a hand over her mouth, he dragged her back toward the trees. Terror struck her, and she began to struggle furiously in the man’s arms.
“Let go of her, Petey!” hissed a voice as she and her captor entered the woods. “You’re scaring her!”
“Don’t scream, little miss, all right?” a familiar voice murmured in her ear. “I’m letting go of you now.”
Her only answer was to jab him in the ribs with her elbow.
“Ow!” he cried as he released her. “What the bloomin’ hell was that for?”
She whirled on him, eyes blazing. “For scaring the bejesus out of me, you dunce!”
“Bejesus?” said another familiar voice. Jordan moved from behind a tree, looking gaunt and pale and very out-of-place in his tailored frock coat and trousers. “Your vocabulary has changed somewhat since last I saw you, Sara.”
“Jordan!” she cried, her heart leaping into her throat at the sight of her dear, dear stepbrother. She threw herself into his open arms and buried her face in his shoulder. “Oh, Jordan, you’re here!”
“Yes, moppet, I’m here.” His arms tightened painfully around her. “Are you all right? Have those devils hurt you?” He held her at arm’s length as he scanned every inch of her. “You look all right, but I know that doesn’t mean anything.”
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Truly I am.”
He brushed her hair from her cheek as his eyes searched her face. “You have no idea the tortures I’ve suffered, imagining what horrors—” He broke off, a grim expression on his face. “But it doesn’t matter now. I’ve got you back at last. You’re safe now.”
Guilt struck her. Safe? How was she to tell him she’d been safe all along? Here she’d been enjoying herself, making a new life and falling in love, while Jordan had been suffering on her behalf.
It wasn’t all her fault, though. Oh, if Gideon could only see her brother now, he’d understand just how unfairly he’d behaved by kidnapping them all.
Gideon! Good heavens, what was she to do about Gideon and Jordan?
She pulled away from her brother. As she groped for some way to tell him how matters had changed in the past month, she covered her confusion with questions. “How did you get here so quickly?”
“As soon as the Chastity returned to London, the captain came directly to me with his tale of the capture. I set off at once for the Cape Verdes, the last place where the ship had made port. As I worked my way through the islands, hoping for some information about where the pirates camped, I found Petey on Sao Nicolau, waiting for a berth on a ship back to England. He led me here.”
She hadn’t even considered that such a thing could happen—although if she’d been thinking, it would have occurred to her that Jordan would leave as soon as the Chastity docked in England. Now he was here. And she wasn’t the least bit prepared for him. “Where’s your ship?”
“Petey did a hasty survey of the island before he left here, so he brought us into a secluded harbor where my men could wait while he and I fetched you and his fiancee.”
“Speakin’ of which, guv’nor—” Petey began.
Jordan waved him off. “Yes, go on and find her. But make it quick, before the ship is discovered. Sara and I will wait here for you.”
Good, she thought as Petey hurried off. She needed a few moments alone with Jordan without Petey’s interference.
He turned back to her, his face grim. “I know you want the other women rescued, Sara, but I had to be sure you were safe first. Once Petey finds his fiancee, we can return to the Defiant.”
She looked at him in surprise. The Defiant was the pride of his fleet. She could hardly believe he’d risked it for her.
“I would have brought the Navy right to this place,” he went on, “but I knew if I did, your reputation would be sullied forever. I had already paid the captain of the Chastity to lie about what happened during the pirate attack, so I thought I’d best bring one of my own ships and not risk a scandal.”
“But Jordan—”
“Don’t worry,” Jordan went on, as if she hadn’t spoken. “I have enough armed men and cannons of my own to put an end to this nest of pirates. We can sink the Satyr before the bastards are even aware of what happened. Then we can—”
“No! You mustn’t do that!”
He looked at her as if she were mad, then his face altered. “Oh, yes, I’d forgotten. Petey told me that the women were sleeping aboard the ship. Well, then, there’s nothing for it but to take the Satyr safely out to sea before we attack. I have enough men—”
“Jordan, please! You can’t do any of that!”
“Why not?”
She wrung her hands, searching for a way to tell him. “Because I won’t let you. I can’t let you hurt Gideon.”
“Gideon?” he echoed, his eyes glinting hard as oak in the dim sunlight that filtered through the trees. “You aren’t by any chance speaking of Captain Horn, are you? The Pirate Lord? A man who has plagued English seas for the past decade? A ruthless criminal with—”
“He’s not ruthless! And he’s not a criminal. Not anymore.”
“You mean, because he claims to be settling on this island? Petey told me all about the man, whom he absurdly seems to admire. But I’m not blinded by romantic legends of piracy, Sara. I see the man for what he is.”
“But he’s not what you think! He’s not this…this terrible creature they’ve made him out to be in the papers. He’s intelligent and kind and—”
“And he kidnaps women for sport.”
She swallowed. That one was hard to justify. “Not for sport. But yes, he did kidnap us. It was a foolish thing to do, and if you give me enough time with him, I can persuade him to release those women who wish to leave the island.”
“Give you enough time?” He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Sara, this isn’t one of those pulling old men on the Navy Board whom you can sweet-talk into doing what you wish! This is a war-hardened criminal!”
“You don’t know him!”
“And you do?” His eyes narrowed as he scanned her form, taking in her casual attire and bare feet. “Exactly how well do you know this pirate?”
Fighting down a blush, she averted her face. “Well enough. I love him, Jordan. He’s asked me to marry him, and I’ve accepted. We’re to be married day after tomorrow.”
“Over my dead body!” he exploded. “If you think for one minute that I’ll stand by and let you make a mistake like this—”
Her gaze snapped back to his. “It’s not a mistake! I know perfectly well what I’m doing!”
“Yes, just as you knew what you were doing when you set your sights on that deuced Colonel Taylor!”
She jerked back from him. “Why you…you…�
� She broke off, dragging in great gulps of the air in an attempt to control her temper. “How dare you compare them! Colonel Taylor wanted my fortune! Gideon wants nothing from me but my affections!”
Jordan rubbed the back of his fisted hand, looking as if he wanted to plant it in someone’s face. Probably Gideon’s. “Listen to yourself, Sara. You’re defending a man who’s hated the English nobility from the day he first set sail. Do you have any idea how many Englishmen that pirate has stolen from? How many women he has ravished, how many—”
“He would never ravish a woman—not unless she begged it of him,” she blurted out. Then furious color stained her cheeks, making her look away. Bother it all, she shouldn’t have said that, not to Jordan, of all people. “I-I mean—”
“You mean he has seduced you,” he said, his voice thunderous. He stuck his hand in his breast pocket and pulled out a pistol. “Now I’ll have to kill him.”
She threw herself at him, holding on to his rigid arm with all her might. “If you hurt one hair on his head, I’ll never forgive you!”
“I can live with that,” he growled as he tried to thrust her away. “Now where is the bastard—”
“Don’t you dare! I’ll…I’ll betray you to the pirates before you can leave this island! I swear I will!” Gideon’s men wouldn’t harm Jordan without her say. They’d come to trust her, and perhaps even respect her.
Gideon, however, she wasn’t so sure of. If Gideon thought for one minute that Jordan had come to take her back, Gideon would throw him in irons. She must do whatever she could to keep the two men apart.
Jordan stared at her with mouth agape. “Turn me over to the pirates? You would do that?”
“I can’t let you hurt him, don’t you see? I can’t let you bring your men in here and destroy Atlantis! We’ve worked too hard to see it ruined. Can’t you understand? This is a town now, a place where people live and work and have families. You can’t just bring your…your cannons in here and level the place. I won’t let you!”
“It means that much to you, does it?”
“This place means everything to me,” she said quietly, and meant it.
The Pirate Lord Page 29