“How in the hell—” He spoke to Doc in a rasping voice.
Doc interrupted him. “No time to talk now. We’ve got to get you out of here. You can thank Julie for occupying the guard so we could slip up behind him.”
Derek lifted weary, swollen eyes to her, a weak smile touching his lips.
She saw the blood oozing around the steel bracelets on his wrists, and ground her teeth.
Doc told one of the men to go up the ladder and search the guard for the keys to the shackles. While they waited he told Derek how they had bound and gagged some of the guards. “We had to slit the throats of three of them. We hid all the bodies, but there’s no telling how long before they’ll be missed. We have to move fast, and the rest is up to you, Captain. I’ve no plans or ideas.”
Derek pulled at the chains, the muscles in his arms flexing and straining. “Just get me out of these things and I’ll think of something.” He bit the words off angrily.
“Hold on.” Doc was trying to examine Derek’s bloody wrists. “You aren’t doing a thing now but cutting your flesh to ribbons.”
The crewman scurried down the ladder to tell them he had searched the guard thoroughly but found no keys. Derek swore, then snapped, “Get something to break the chains. There’s a sledge hammer in that storage bin up there. Hurry.”
His gaze turned to Julie, eyes narrowed as though deep in thought. Finally he ordered, “Get her back to her cabin. Put her mother in there with her. Post a man with them, and make sure he has a gun and plenty of ammunition. I don’t want them harmed.”
“I don’t want to be locked in my cabin and not know what’s going on,” Julie protested. “I want to help…”
Despite the tension surrounding them, all of the men laughed, which infuriated her. Derek chuckled, “You’ve done all you’re capable of doing, pretty lady. You’d only be in the way now. There’ll probably be a lot of shooting and killing before the sun rises on this day.”
“Give me a gun and I’ll use it.” She gave her long hair a toss. “I’m tired of being treated like a child, and I refuse to go to my cabin.”
Derek turned his attention away from her as someone returned with the sledge hammer. A few quick, hard blows and the chain on his right shackle snapped. He held out his arm to Julie and said in a quietly commanding tone, “Come here.”
She obeyed and moved into the circle of his arm. He pulled her tightly against his chest and held her there while the men worked to free his other hand. Her head was tucked beneath his chin, and he leaned forward to nuzzle her thick, silky hair, his fingers moving up and down her back possessively.
As always, she marveled at his strength…the sheer beauty of his massive, glorious body.
When his left arm was released, he lifted her up so that their lips touched. The others looked away self-consciously, then turned to free the other officers.
Julie felt as though the very life were being squeezed from her body, and a tremor rippled through her with the realization that he could very easily kill her just by using his powerful strength to keep on hugging and squeezing her till there was no breath left in her body.
He placed one hand on her bottom, pressing her against him, and she felt the hardness, knew that even then, in the midst of danger and peril, he wanted her.
“Later,” he whispered, raising his lips only slightly above hers, so she could feel them moving against her mouth as he spoke. “Later, little one, I’ll be inside you, where you want me—where I want to be. For now, you’re going to your cabin.”
“No—” She struggled against him futilely.
“Julie, you’re going to learn that when I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it.” His eyes twinkled in the soft glow of the lantern. “You only waste your breath and try my patience when you argue.”
He bent his head to press his lips against her ear so no one else could hear his whispers. “You know what it’s like when I’m inside you? I feel like I’m wrapped in sweet, hot velvet. You’re so tiny, but you take all of me, and one of these nights I’m going to stay inside you till the sun comes up. I’ve never known a woman like you, so passionate, so eager to please. But there’s much you need to learn about a man, things I’m going to enjoy teaching you.”
Astonished, she jerked her head back to stare up at him in wide-eyed wonder. Then he patted her bottom soundly and grinned, “Be off with you! And no arguing. I haven’t time!”
With an insolent wink, he turned toward the others, releasing and dismissing her.
Someone touched her elbow hesitantly, but she jerked away and called out frostily to Derek, “Just how long do I stay in my cabin like a child? If it weren’t for me, you’d still be here rotting in chains!”
Without so much as a glance in her direction, he snapped, “Keep your voice down, dammit. You’ll stay in your cabin until you hear from me.”
“And if I don’t hear from you?” she cracked sarcastically. “How will I know when to come out?”
“Oh, Captain Guthrie or Shad Harky will show up if I don’t,” he replied matter-of-factly, and even though his back was turned, she knew he was smirking. “Don’t worry, misty eyes, your bed won’t stay cold for long.”
Soft laughter echoed around her as she scurried up the ladder, shaking with rage. Her escort had to hurry to keep up with her.
How could he—she thought with wild fury—How could he humiliate her so? And in front of the others! Oh, she was a fool to consider caring for him. He was conceited, arrogant, used to having his own way. He wanted to dominate her as he did his crew. He probably even wished he had the nerve to use the lash on her back! He was a savage!
Even though she had secretly dreaded marrying Virgil, she now looked forward to the respectability of being his wife so she would never again be susceptible to the likes of Derek Arnhardt. All she wanted was to get off the Ariane and never think of what had taken place aboard it.
“My name is Lyman Anastor,” her escort told her as soon as they reached her cabin. “It’s my job to defend you and your mother—to my death, if need be,” he added, pride heavy in his voice.
She whipped about and stared at him in the lantern’s glow, realizing with a start that he was hardly more than a boy—skinny, with a thatch of unruly strawberry-colored hair falling across his forehead.
He sensed her doubts about his capabilities as a bodyguard, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously as he shook his musket at her with one hand, using the other to open his coat and display a Colt Navy revolver which was tucked into his belt. “You’ve nothing to fear, Miss Marshal. I’ll gladly give my life, if need be, if that’s what my captain orders.”
“Well, that’s very noble,” she murmured, unimpressed. “But tell me why you worship Ironheart so. He’d as soon slash your back to ribbons as he would anyone else’s. He’s cruel and vile and vicious and—”
“Don’t be a-talking like that about him,” the boy snarled, eyes bulging as he cocked his head to one side. “It’s my duty to protect you, but that don’t mean I got to stand here and listen to you run down a man that I respect more’n any other I’ve ever known in my whole life. He picked me up outta the gutter and gave me a job—a reason to live. If he was to beat me, I’d deserve it.”
He paused to take a deep breath, then rushed on, “He’s a fine man, and you ought to be proud he cares for you like he does. Thinks right smart of you, everyone says. And you should be glad, ’cause he’s never taken to a woman for long at a time. Sure, he’d have one on board for a few nights, ’cause every man’s got a need, but—”
“Will you stop?” she cried incredulously, eyebrows raised, hands on her hips as she faced him, stunned. “I do not care to discuss Captain Arnhardt’s ‘needs,’ and I don’t have to listen to a lecture from you.”
They faced each other, eyes blazing. Then Julie shook her head, and covered her brow with one hand as she murmured, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to quarrel with you. It’s been a very unnerving night, and I’m sure you have
good reason to revere the man. We’re both facing danger, so let’s try to be friends.”
She held out her hand, and he took it without hesitation, grinning broadly. Then he said he’d go and awaken her mother. Julie was glad to leave that task to him.
A few moments later, hair falling loosely about her shoulders, her mother hurried into the cabin, wrapping a pink satin robe about herself. Mammy Sara was right behind her, looking very frightened.
“Tell me what this is all about,” her mother commanded, sinking into a chair as Lyman took his position next to the door.
Julie told her as briefly as possible, and Mammy Sara rolled her eyes and kept saying, “Oh, Lawdy…Oh, Lawdy…” over and over.
“I don’t believe it.” Her mother pushed her hair back from her face with trembling fingers. “You helped rescue the captain…there’s going to be another fight. I wish now we had just stayed in Rose Hill and let the damn cotton rot! We may all die now!”
Julie stared at her in wonder. She had never heard her mother curse before.
“Oh, I’m sorry, dear,” Mrs. Marshal said quickly. “It’s just that this trip has become such an ordeal. I wish we could turn around and go home. Virgil would understand.”
“Ma’am, don’t you fret,” Lyman spoke up confidently, and they all turned to look at him. “The captain is a smart man, and brave too. He’ll save us and the ship. You’ll see. All we gotta do is sit tight. I’m going to block the door, shove the desk in front of it, and I’ll do my best to keep all of you safe.”
“I wonder how long we’ll have to wait,” her mother murmured as they watched Lyman position the desk. “I suppose I should have dressed—”
“It’s all right.” Julie forced a tight smile, wondering how it could matter what they were wearing. Despite Lyman’s faith in Derek, in reality they could all be dead by morning. There were many Yankees, but only a few of Derek’s followers. He’d lost many to Harky.
Her mother perched on the edge of the bed and began to rock to and fro, hands locked about her knees. “We’ll think of pleasant things, not about what is happening above us. We’ll think of how soon we’ll be in Bermuda, then on a nice ship bound for England. And when we get there, Virgil will be waiting, and you’ll have a beautiful wedding. Then the war will end, and we’ll all come back to Rose Hill, and Myles will come home too, and…”
On and on she went, and Julie fought the impulse to scream. If it made her mother feel better to ramble that way, then so be it, but she would have preferred to just sit in silence and pray for safe delivery from their present peril.
“Did you hear me, dear?”
Julie’s head snapped up. She’d been lost in thought, thinking about Derek, about the way her body betrayed her whenever he was near.
“No, Mother. What did you say?”
“I know you’re going to be happy as Virgil’s wife, even though you might not think so.”
“I suppose,” Julie commented absently, not wanting to discuss it. Once the decision had been made, she’d found she did not want to talk about it. It was going to happen, and that was the way it was. There was no need to dwell upon it.
“Are you sure you aren’t marrying him solely because you know he can save Rose Hill and make it possible for Myles to come home?” her mother persisted.
Without realizing it, Julie looked Sara in the eye, and saw the old Negress give her a piercing glare. This she found surprising, and it was with a feeling of guilt that she lied to her mother when she answered, “I—I think I’ll be happy with Virgil. We can have a good marriage.”
“But do you love him?”
Again Julie locked eyes with Sara, who pursed her lips and frowned.
“I suppose.” The words almost choked her.
It was a lie. She knew it and Sara knew it.
Time dragged by slowly. Lyman extinguished the lantern, saying he was sure that the captain would want the ship in total darkness. So they waited, with only the sound of their harsh, anxious breathing to break the tense silence in the inky blackness that surrounded them.
The cracking sound of a shot split the stillness, then another followed. Julie’s mother screamed, covering her ears as Lyman hissed for her to be quiet. Julie crouched down beneath the porthole, covering her own ears against the sudden rain of gunfire all about them. Men were shouting, cursing, feet pounding on the deck above as they ran. The ship quivered and shook.
Julie felt a movement. Something hard and cold was being pressed into her hand.
“If I’m killed, use this.” Lyman’s voice cracked as he handed her the knife. “Defend yourself as best you can. God be with you.”
He was afraid. For all his brave talk about duty and dying, if need be, in following his captain’s orders, the boy was scared, Julie knew. And in between the shouting and screaming and shooting, she could hear her mother crying.
How ironic, she thought, dazed, that at such a time, I am the only one in control. But then she allowed as to how she was probably only in a state of shock, for she could feel her body tremble, knew that deep inside she was terrified…for at any moment, death could come.
And then silence fell.
For a long time, no one spoke, then Lyman said tersely, “We’ll know soon. Someone will come down here. Pray it’s the captain.”
The captain! Julie felt a hot flush surge through her body. That taunting smile on those handsome lips, the way his strong hands could perform magic upon her body—she had never known anyone like him. And she hoped she never encountered such a perplexing personage again. He had a mystifying hold on her; this she could not deny. Her body, her will, combined to betray her in his arms. And even if he did not possess such powerful, feral strength, he had other ways of making her helpless, she knew.
Suddenly the sound of hard sure footsteps descending the steps made everyone turn fearful, anxious eyes toward the door. Her mother’s fingertips went to her trembling lips as Lyman raised his musket, pointed, aimed, ready in the first rosy hues of dawn that streamed through the porthole.
Julie could only hold her breath, hands clenched tightly together. She could hear Sara murmuring a barely audible prayer.
“Let me in, Anastor. It’s over!”
“Praise God!” Sara screamed.
Julie let her breath out, swaying slightly as Lyman laid his musket aside to hurriedly shove the desk from the door.
Derek’s huge frame seemed to fill the open doorway, and he stood with legs apart, a triumphant grin on his sweaty, grimy face. “We took them,” he said quietly, his eyes searching for Julie.
He opened his titan arms, exposing his bare, rock-ribbed chest. So relieved was she that the Yankees had been defeated, Julie forgot everything and everyone and flung herself against him, sobbing with relief as he folded her tightly in his embrace. Instantly she was washed over with waves of emotion, knowing that as long as he held her, she was safe from any harm.
He rubbed his hands up and down her back comfortingly, affectionately, as he attempted to answer Lyman’s anxious questions. “We lost a lot of good men,” he said reverently, quietly. “We took them by surprise, but they were a large number. If we hadn’t had the advantage of catching them off guard, I’m sure the story would have had a different ending.”
Pressing his lips against Julie’s forehead, he whispered, “Are you sure you aren’t disappointed that it wasn’t Captain Guthrie at your door?”
“Derek, how dare you…” She jerked away from him, hating herself for losing control, as she always did in his arms. Then she saw it—the angry, bleeding slash across his chest. “My God, you’re hurt!” she cried.
“It’s not deep. Just a scratch. I’ll have Jenkins take a look at it later.” He turned to Lyman. “We slipped on board their ship and sabotaged their guns just as Harky’s friends did ours. We had most of their men overpowered before an alarm was sounded.”
“Captain Arnhardt…”
They all turned to see Julie’s mother getting shakily to her feet.
“Please spare us the gory details. Now that the battle is over and you’ve won, what we’re interested in hearing is how long it will be before we can be on our way to Bermuda.”
“We won’t be putting into port at Bermuda,” he replied matter-of-factly. “You see, word spreads, even at sea. The Yankees are going to be looking for us, because we are blockade runners. So now we’ve no choice but to turn back and head for port in Wilmington. I can get through there, and we can dock for awhile till things cool down. Then I’ll decide which course the Ariane will take.”
It took a moment for his words to register, and then Mrs. Marshal gasped, “Are you mad, sir? You were paid to deliver us and our cargo to Bermuda. We can’t turn back. My daughter is to be married, and—”
“That’s the way it’s going to be,” he snapped, rubbing at his wound with the back of his hand, smearing the blood as he winced with pain. “I’m the captain. I make the decisions. We’ll sink the Federal ship, set the survivors adrift, then turn and head north at once.” He told Lyman to go topside, as there was much work to be done.
Derek kissed Julie’s cheek and turned to go, but her mother had a conniption. “Will you stop trifling with my daughter? I will ask you to respect her state of betrothment. She belongs to another.”
He released her at once, stunned by the woman’s outburst.
“I’ll pay you anything you ask,” she went on in a rush. “Anything! Do you understand? I’ll divide the profit from the sale of my cotton. I’ll give you anything you want, but you must take us on to Bermuda.”
“Are you insane?” He was bewildered. “I’d be captured and hung. The Yankees would consider me a pirate now. I have to go into hiding for awhile. There’ll be a price on my head. In Wilmington I’ll be safe till I get both my crew and ship ready to sail once again.”
“Virgil will be worrying himself sick.” Mrs. Marshal turned to Julie. “We have to go on to Bermuda.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she wrung her hands in despair. Mammy Sara stepped forward and placed a plump arm protectively around her shoulders.
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