Quin nodded. “I will. Thank you.”
“What?” Clarence shouted. “This is an outrage.”
Quin didn’t wait to see what happened to his brother. Grabbing his wife and Mary Dover, he hurried away. At the end of the alley, they turned west, away from King Street, on a roundabout route toward Edward’s house. The crowds had thinned, but tension still ran high as shouts of murder echoed in the cold night.
A cart rolled up beside them. “Let me give you a lift,” a youth called out.
Quincy stopped. The boy looked familiar. “Do I know you?”
The boy grinned. “Aye, I once helped you out when some sailors were after you.”
“You’re the boy from the print shop. Which direction are you going?”
The youth looked around and leaned toward Quin. “I’ll take you to where your family is gathering. I promise.”
Quin helped the ladies into the back of the cart, then jumped in beside them. The boy drove the cart, serpentining through the lanes and alleys ’til he arrived at the back gate of a plain house with brown riven siding.
“This way.” He led Quin and the women into the house through the back door.
In the parlor, Quin found Jamie with the two boys, George and Josiah. Virginia ran to hug her father.
“Uncle Quin!” Josiah leapt at him.
Quin gave Josiah a big hug. He noticed another boy in the corner. “I know you. You’re the boy who sold chestnuts by Mary Dover’s house.”
The boy grinned. “I was doing me job.”
Jamie ambled over to Quin and offered his hand. “Good to see you free, laddie.”
“Thank you.” Quin shook his hand. “Do you know whose house this is?”
“No. The mob overturned the carriage, so we were making our way to the jail on foot. Then the lad in the corner said to come with him, that he knew where ye would be. He seemed to know a great deal, and Josiah and George recognized him, so we came.”
The youth from the print shop joined the boy in the corner, and Quin noted the similarities between the two. “Are you boys related?”
His question went unanswered for Edward and Caroline arrived, accompanied by another youth.
“Mary, you’re safe!” Edward grinned at her, then his face lit up when he saw Quin. He grabbed him and hugged him tight. “Thank God you’re free.”
Quin patted him on the back. “I thank God I had you for a father.”
Edward’s eyes filled with tears. He turned to Mary and enveloped her in his arms.
Caroline took a turn hugging each person and laughing.
Quin leaned close to Virginia. “Does the boy who came with Edward and Caroline look familiar to you?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “He’s the boy who delivered the books you ordered, and he gave me a ride to my aunt’s house when I escaped from Clarence.”
Quin noted the boy’s brown hair and brown eyes, just like the other two in the corner. “There’s something odd going on here.”
“Welcome. I see you have all arrived.” A feminine voice sounded at the parlor door.
Quin blinked. “What the hell?”
Virginia gasped. “Sukey? What are you doing here?”
She smiled as she entered. “I live here. I’m so delighted to see you safely together once again. I told Father I’d never forgive him if you two were separated.”
Quin frowned. “Your father?”
“Aye,” Sukey replied. “Come along, boys. ’Tis time for you to be in bed.”
The three boys grumbled and shuffled from the room.
“Thank you for helping us,” Virginia called after them.
“Who are you?” Quin shouted.
“They’re my children,” Johnson answered from the hallway. “Good night, boys. You did well.” The short man, dressed as usual in brown, paused by the parlor door. “You said it once yourself, Quincy. A child can go about unnoticed. My children are spread all over town, learning different occupations and hearing bits of information they pass on to me.”
“Wait a minute.” Quin held up a hand. “The boy selling chestnuts—he was stationed outside Ginny’s house before I even asked her to stop spying.”
Johnson shrugged. “I suspected she was the woman you were protecting. I knew how you felt about her, even if you did not.”
Quin frowned at his know-it-all employer.
Virginia grinned. “How many children do you have, Mr. Johnson?”
“Nineteen, at last count.”
Quin snorted. “Johnson, you randy old goat.”
His mouth twitched. “I shall miss you, Quincy. No one makes me laugh like you.”
Quin exchanged a doubtful look with his wife.
Sukey chuckled. “For my father, that was a laugh. I hope you didn’t take offense at my behavior in the coffeehouse. I was merely teasing two fellow spies.”
“Enough with the pleasantries.” Johnson walked to the center of the room. “Edward, you will return to your house. Whether or not Mary Dover continues to live with you, will be for you to decide.”
Edward looped an arm around Mary and pulled her close. “Mary has agreed to be my wife. George, you’ll be staying with us. And I have good news. Your sister will be arriving soon.”
Congratulations and hugs circled the room.
Johnson cleared his throat. “How quaint. Now back to business. Mr. Munro, you will borrow another coach and leave with your family. An acquaintance of mine owns a tavern along the Boston Post Road. He’ll be expecting you. If the redcoats stop you, you will say tonight’s horrid events frightened your girls so much, they wanted to go home to North Carolina.”
“What did happen tonight?” Quin demanded.
“Death,” Edward answered. “I saw it. The bloody redcoats shot Americans down in the street.”
Johnson shrugged. “It was supposed to be a mere demonstration, but there is a faction that is pushing for war. They may have succeeded.”
“What happens to me?” Josiah’s eyes widened with fear.
Jamie winked at him. “Ye’ll come with us, lad.”
“Me, too.” Quin rubbed his whiskered jaw.
“No, you won’t,” Johnson replied. “If the redcoats search for you, they’ll look for your wife first. ’Tis best for you to separate.”
Quin frowned. “Then how do I get out of Boston? They’ll search the ships in the harbor.”
“Not all of them. There’s a ship of indentured servants due to set sail tomorrow. ’Tis the perfect place for you to hide. They’ll never look for you amongst a group of criminals.”
Quin shook his head. “I don’t like it. The captain would know I was a false passenger. He could turn me in.”
“We’ll sneak you on board,” Johnson explained. “As many people as they cart around like animals, they won’t question your presence. No one would volunteer to be shackled as a prisoner and sold like livestock.”
“Wait a minute. You’re saying I’ll be sold?”
“Aye, Wednesday, in Newport,” Johnson continued. “Your wife should be there to make the purchase. I’ll loan her enough money to buy you. Edward can reimburse me.”
Quin scoffed. “And if she doesn’t make it in time?”
Johnson’s mouth twitched. “You’ll have to trust her.”
Virginia and her family arrived in Newport late Tuesday. Jamie took rooms for them in a tavern near the harbor so they could see each ship as it came into port.
The first to arrive was the fast-moving schooner, the newly finished sister ship to The Forbidden Lady and The Wedded Lady. Edward had sent the new ship ahead so Quin could take possession.
The British frigate docked Wednesday afternoon, and Virginia prepared to board the ship for the auction. With her money in her purse, she left her father on the wharf, insisting that Quin would not want her fam
ily to see him in chains.
The ship’s deck bustled with activity as shoppers examined the human cargo and haggled over prices. Virginia winced when she spotted Quincy, already surrounded by females appraising his form. Even filthy, unshaven, and in chains he collected admirers. She scurried over before any of the women could make an offer for him.
Suddenly, they shrieked and ran away, bumping into each other in their haste. One plump, older woman remained. She circled behind Quincy to study his backside.
Quin scowled at her over his shoulder. “I told you, I killed my last owner.”
“I don’t believe you,” the portly woman answered. “They would have hanged you then.”
“Good afternoon.” Virginia smiled at her husband.
He whipped his head around at the sound of her voice. “Thank God. Get me off this ship now.”
She tried to recall the words he had once said to her. “I say, you’re a fetching sight for someone who has traveled on this godforsaken ship for weeks—”
“Very amusing,” he interrupted her. “Now buy me, and be quick about it.”
“You’ll not buy him.” The plump woman waddled around to the front of Quin. “I saw him first, and I’ll pay handsomely for him.”
He gritted his teeth. “Madam, you bear a remarkable resemblance to a walrus I once sliced to pieces just for the pleasure of it.”
The woman huffed and stalked away.
Virginia wrinkled her nose. “You cut up a walrus?”
“No. I wanted rid of the walrus woman.”
“Tsk, tsk, such impertinence is sure to lower your price.”
He snorted. “I’ll be glad to go cheap, since the money used to buy me will be my own.”
She smiled. “I say, dear fellow, what is your price?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re enjoying this.” He lifted his chained hands. “Just wait ’til I get my hands free.”
“Oh, are you threatening me? I’ll leave you chained up.”
“No threat, little mermaid, just excellent service. Before the night is through, you’ll know just how valuable I am, every delicious inch of you.” His gray eyes glimmered as they roamed up and down her body. “Satisfaction guaranteed.”
She drew in a deep breath as her skin tingled with anticipation. “I’ll be right back.” She returned shortly, minus a great deal of cash, with ownership papers in hand.
“Excuse me,” she called to the bosun. “I’ve bought this one here. Can you undo his chains?”
She watched the chains being removed from Quin’s ankles and calmly fanned herself with the ownership papers. Her eyes met his, and she smiled. “He’s awfully big. Is it possible for me to keep those chains?”
“No, ma’am. The chains stay on board.” The bosun dragged the shackles away from Quin’s feet with a loud scrape against the wooden deck.
She feigned a look of helplessness. “At least let me keep the handcuffs. He’s so big and fierce. I’m a wee frightened to be alone with him.”
The bosun scratched his chin. “Ye should have thought of that before laying out yer money.” He turned his back to her as he unlocked the handcuffs.
Over the sailor’s head, Quin winked at her.
“There. He’s all yers.” The bosun gathered up the armload of chains and walked off.
Quin lunged toward her and snatched the papers from her hand. “I’ll take those.” He nabbed her by the elbow to escort her off the frigate.
“Wait a minute.” She grabbed for the papers in vain. “I need those papers. They prove that I own you.”
“Did my ship arrive?”
“Aye, last night.”
“Good.” He helped her cross the gangplank. “The first thing I’m doing after I board my ship is burn these damned papers.”
“You will not. I paid a great deal of money for those.”
“Aye, my money. Under the circumstances, I would say I own myself.”
“You forget, Quin, you gave all your wealth to me.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her and strode down the wharf. She spotted her father in the distance with Caroline and Josiah and waved at them.
She raced to keep up with Quin. “Must you walk so fast?”
“Sorry.” He slowed his pace to match hers. “I was enjoying having my feet free from those damned chains. The second thing I’m doing is having a bath.”
“I’ll not argue with that.” She wrinkled her nose.
His cheeks reddened under the grime and whiskers. “Can you purchase some food for me while I bathe? The bloody British only fed us enough to keep the fleas alive.” He scratched at his chest.
She grimaced at the sight of the clothes he had worn for three weeks. “We’ll burn those clothes. Edward said he would make sure all our clothing was on board your ship.”
“I won’t need clothes ’til tomorrow.”
She gave him a suspicious look.
He grinned.
She shook her head. “I knew I should have kept the handcuffs.”
“I’ll tie you up if you want, saucy wife, but I would prefer to feel your bare arms and legs wrapped around me.”
She snorted. “I meant the handcuffs for you, you silly man.”
“Oh. Well, you needn’t restrain me, Ginny. You can have me whenever you like.” His eyes gleamed. “I’m insatiable, remember?”
She smiled. “Aye, you never let me forget.”
He stopped in front of his new ship and eyed her proudly. “Our new home.” He took her hand in his. “We can drop your father and sister at the port of their choice. Then we can sail to the Bahamas with Josiah and start a new life together.”
She examined the pristine ship before her. “She doesn’t have a name.”
“Aye, we’ll have to name her before we leave.”
“Will she be another Lady?” She thought of suggesting The Expectant Lady but decided to wait ’til Quin was well fed and rested to tell him the news of her pregnancy.
“I haven’t decided which name to use. I wanted to name her after you. I thought perhaps The Treasured Lady or The Cherished Lady.”
She smiled. “Those sound nice.”
He reached out to touch her face. “Then I thought The Beloved Lady would be best, for I do love you, Ginny, with all my heart.”
She rested her cheek against his palm. “That one will do.”
Keep reading for a sneak peek of
Wild About You
by Kerrelyn Sparks
Coming December 2012
from Avon Books
CHAPTER ONE
In the dim light of a cloud-shrouded moon, Shanna Draganesti cast a forlorn look at the flower beds she’d once tended with care. They’d become choked with weeds since her death.
To be honest, gardening had ranked low on her list of priorities for the past three months. She’d had bigger things to fret about, such as adjusting to a steady diet of blood when six years ago she would have fainted at the sight of it, and dealing with an increased amount of psychic power that made it too easy to hear people’s thoughts whether she wanted to or not.
Practically overnight, she’d been expected to master all the vampire skills. Levitation? Downright scary to look down and see nothing beneath her feet. With no way to ground herself, she kept tipping over. Mental note: never wear a skirt to levitation practice.
And what about teleportation? She was terrified she’d materialize halfway into a tree or a rock. And why the heck couldn’t she materialize ten pounds lighter? Her scientific genius of a husband couldn’t answer that one. Roman had laughed, under the impression that she was kidding.
Then there were the fangs. They tended to pop out at inopportune times. Thankfully she couldn’t see her scary new canine teeth in a mirror. Unfortunately she couldn’t see herself, either. She’d nearly dropped her three-yea
r-old daughter on the floor the first time she’d seen Sofia floating in a mirror, held by an invisible mother.
And that was the most difficult part of being a vampire. She was no longer the same mother she’d been before. Every scraped knee or bruised feeling her children experienced in daylight hours would be soothed away by someone else. Because during the day, she was dead.
She’d never fully appreciated what the other Vamps went through each day at sunrise. Death-sleep was easy enough, since you just lay there like a lump, but getting there was the pits. She had to die. Over and over, as the sun broke over the horizon, she experienced a burst of pain and a terrifying moment of panic. Roman assured her it would get easier in time when she learned to relax, but how could she remain calm when she was dying? What if she never woke again? What if she never saw her children or her husband again?
There was no comforting light in the distance, reaching out to her with the promise of a happy afterlife. There was only a black hole of nothingness. According to Roman, that was the way it was for vampires. As a former medieval monk, he had interpreted the darkness as one more indication that he was cursed and his soul forever lost.
He now believed differently. When he’d fallen in love with her, he’d accepted that as a blessing from above and a sign that he wasn’t entirely abandoned. And then dear Father Andrew, may he rest in peace, had convinced the rest of the Vamps that they had not been rejected by their Creator. There was a purpose to everything under heaven, Father Andrew claimed, and that included the good Vamps. They were the only ones with the necessary skills for defeating bad vampires and shifters. The good Vamps protected the innocent, so they served an important purpose in the modern world.
Mental note: remind yourself every night that you’re one of the good guys. It should make that glass of synthetic blood easier to swallow.
“Come on, Mom!” Constantine ran ahead of her and charged up the steps to the front porch.
Not to be outdone by her older brother, Sofia clambered up the steps, too.
“I don’t have to wait for Mom to unlock the door,” Tino boasted. “I could teleport inside.”
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