Rogue of the High Seas

by Cynthia Breeding

  Shane turned to greet him. “Thank ye for allowing us the use of the church on such short notice.”

  The man gave him a studied look and then nodded. “Temple Church always welcomes its brethren.”

  Shane’s eyes widened slightly and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. If Shauna had not been watching him, she would have missed it.

  Robert offered his arm and she placed her hand on it as they followed the priest down the short aisle in the chancel toward the altar. Jamie and Mari took places to the left while Shane and Ian stood to her right. Shauna wished Abigail and Jillian could have been here to share the moment, but she had no doubt they’d want her to go ahead without them present.

  “May we proceed?” the priest asked and began the ceremony.

  Robert and Shauna spoke their vows simply and sincerely without fuss, which Shauna felt was perfectly in keeping with the setting and history of the church. Less than fifteen minutes later, Robert gave her a sweeping kiss and she was a married woman.

  Even though they’d only been in London three days and Shauna had said she didn’t expect any kind of gathering, Mari said Abigail’s father, the Earl of Sherrington, wanted to arrange a wedding reception. When they stepped inside his foyer a short time later, they were greeted with the deafening crush of nearly a hundred voices.

  “Who are all these people?” Shauna asked after the butler had announced them and effectively commanded total silence before everyone began to applaud.

  “Ton,” Mari answered with a wave of her hand. “Everyone is in Town for the Season, you know.”

  “But why are they here? I am Scot and Robert American—”

  “You think they would turn down an invitation from the Earl of Sherrington?” Mari asked. “Besides, Ian is an earl as well, even if he hates to think any part of himself English—”

  “I am nae English,” Ian muttered.

  “Well, you also married my sister, who is a marchioness in her own right.” Mari smiled. “I do believe you are stuck, sir.”

  Abigail’s father made his way toward them, which silenced Ian, at least momentarily. Shauna knew the reason he’d turned over management of the Cantford estate to Jamie was because Ian hated being south of the Borders, but he wouldn’t embarrass Jillian, even though she were not here, by insulting an English host.

  “Thank you for having this…gathering,” Shauna said to the earl. “We had nae expected this.”

  “I am quite happy to do it. Any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine,” the earl replied and shook Shane’s hand. “How is Abigail doing?”

  “Well,” Shane answered. “Not that she listens when I ask her to take care and nae do anything that will risk hurting the bairn.”

  The older man laughed. “Abigail always was a bit strong-willed.” He gestured toward the other end of the ballroom. “You will find refreshments over there.”

  Before they could proceed, Owen MacLean broke through the crowd and came over to them. He gave Robert a long look and finally a short nod. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”

  “Thank you,” Robert replied, equally neutral.

  Shauna linked her arm through his. “I am happy, Owen.”

  He hesitated. “You might not be for long.”

  Robert frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Aye,” Jamie said as he, Ian and Shane closed ranks around them. “We willnae tolerate trouble today.”

  “You will not be getting trouble from me,” Owen replied and glanced at Shauna once more before looking back at Jamie. “I spotted Nicholas Algernon yesterday. I thought you should know.”

  “You are a damn coward.” Wesley glared at Nicholas from across the room of a modestly priced boarding house near Southwark Park. “If you return to France, you will have to live like this—” he gestured to the simple furnishings, “—for the rest of your life.”

  “At least I will be alive.”

  “If survival is your goal, you might want to step away from the window.”

  Nicholas turned around. “I want to make sure there is not a MacLeod lurking about on the street.”

  “Why in Hades would there be? Just because you spotted MacLean—”

  “He spotted me,” Nicholas interrupted.

  “How can you be sure? He did not speak to you, did he?”

  “Non, but our eyes met. I know he recognized me, even with my hair changed.”

  “So?” Wesley drained his brandy and poured another sizable amount into his glass. “MacLean was at the Exchange yesterday. You said he had clerked for Rothschild, so he probably came to London on business.”

  “It seems too coincidental.”

  “You worry like a woman,” Wesley said. “Remember the bitch said she told MacLean she would not marry him while she was at Glenfinnan. He would hardly be likely to help them search for her.”

  Nicholas sank into an arm chair. “If he agreed with her. Since when did a woman’s word start holding sway? MacLean has much to gain with that union regardless of what she wants. And if he helps search for her—and especially if he thinks he will find her—the MacLeods will be obligated to let MacLean marry her.”

  Wesley tried not to laugh. “Your imagination is quite active. Maybe you should start writing penny dreadfuls.”

  “Make fun of me if you like.” Nicholas got up and returned to the window. “Have you forgotten that Jamie MacLeod lives in London? How long do you think his brother and cousin will search before they end up here? Word may already have been sent to be looking for us.”

  “Why would they think we came to London?” Wesley asked as he poured another drink. “Besides, I booked passage for this Tuesday. The American Pride is leaving for Charleston. It is not Louisiana, but we can find another ship once we arrive in the States. We will not be here much longer.”

  “We have been here far too long already,” Nicholas answered without taking his eyes off the street down below. “We should have taken the first ship leaving for anywhere.”

  “That would have been pure stupidity,” Wesley said. “If word was sent to look for us in London, the first thing MacLeod would have done was check the ships leaving. None of those bastards would suspect that we would actually wait. My strategy is brilliant. Totally brilliant.”

  Nicholas glanced at him and then returned to observing the street. “We could have been in New York by now.”

  Wesley sighed and put his glass down. “I just told you bolting would have been madness.”

  “Madness is staying put once I have been spotted. I am sure MacLean will go to MacLeod with the news.”

  “Coward.”

  “Better cowardly than dead.” Nicholas stepped back from the window. “I am going to ride to Portsmouth and catch a ship back to France from there.”

  “That is insane.”

  Nicholas walked to the door and opened it. Before he stepped out, he turned and smiled. “You are the one who is insane, Father.”

  Shauna was pretty sure most brides didn’t spend their wedding day discussing revenge, but Owen had scarcely gotten the words out of his mouth before her new husband, along with her brothers and cousin had started talking about where to search.

  “So that’s why the bastards dinnae show up on any ship’s docket,” Jamie said. “I offered gold to any dock master who could provide information and I got nothing.”

  “Because they never left,” Ian said.

  “Why did they not just get on the same boat they used to abduct Shauna?” Mari asked.

  “I think they wanted an alibi,” Shane answered. “Since Shauna was supposed to go to the charitable home that day, they were the first suspects. If they’d been gone when we went there, we might have been able to pick up the trail. They wanted time.”

  Robert set his jaw. “Their time has just run out.”

  “Aye
.” Jamie frowned. “They could be anywhere. Where do we look?”

  “Nicholas recognized me too,” Owen said. “My guess is he will not be staying around too long.”

  “The docks then,” Jamie replied. “The sooner we get down there and spread out to search the better.”

  Mari put her hand on his arm. “You cannot all just leave. The earl is hosting Shauna and Robert’s wedding reception.”

  “Sherrington will understand.”

  “He might, but his guests certainly will not. If all four of you walk out, the gossips will have fodder for weeks, if not months. You know how vicious they can be with their on-dits.”

  “And ye ken I doona care about their tongues wagging.”

  “Yes, and I do not particularly care either. And whether the earl cares or not, what matters is the ton will see your leaving your relative’s wedding reception as a gross insult to her and to the earl. And remember, Shane is married to Abigail. The matrons do not need another reason to spread about that she married a barbarian.” Mari smiled at Shane. “Please do not take offense.”

  “I have been called worse. I agree that Jamie and Ian should stay, but I ken these docks better than any of ye, so I will explain to Sherrington. He will make an excuse and let me slip away.”

  “Good idea,” Robert said. “I wish I could go with you.”

  Ian raised a brow. “Ye might want to think about that.”

  “Aye. Your bride isnae looking happy about that thought.” Jamie grinned. “Ye might have to find a way to make up for that. If ye want my advice—”

  “He doesnae need it,” Shauna retorted and felt herself blush. That had not come out exactly as she intended. And blast Jamie for starting to laugh at her. Then she felt Robert’s hand at her waist as he bent down and whispered.

  “I fully intend to make you happy later. Trust me.”

  Hours later, as Robert walked up the stairs to their bedchamber, he wanted to kick himself for being such a stupid oaf. What kind of a man would even think—let alone say—he wanted to leave his own wedding? The look Shauna had given him earlier that afternoon when he’d said he wished he could go search had been one of incredulity. He wouldn’t blame her if she decided not to warm his bed tonight. As they were sharing the same room, he might very well be the one not warming the bed. He sighed and hesitated in front of the doorway. There was only one way to find out.

  Embers glowed in the hearth as he entered and the oil lamp had been turned down. Only a candle on the small table remained lit. Dimly, he could see the outline of Shauna’s body under the sheets of the bed. She was probably asleep. He cursed silently. He should not have waited to find out what Shane had to say when he returned, but he didn’t think it would take as long as it had.

  Quietly, he undressed and slipped under the covers. He turned his head on the pillow. Should he wake her?

  He was about to when he felt her hand on his thigh. The warmth of her touch made his cock begin to harden, and by the time her fingers had found his shaft, his erection was full-blown and hard. God have mercy. Could Shauna be asleep and dreaming? Or…

  He didn’t finish the thought as she curled under the sheets and he felt her soft breath on his belly and a minute later, the warmth of her velvety tongue as she began to lick the length of him slowly. A moan escaped him as she cupped his ballocks, squeezing with gentle pressure that sent pleasure pulsing through him. And then he groaned in earnest as her hot, wet mouth covered his head and she began to suck him. Christ. He was going to explode.

  Robert reached for Shauna, pulling her up across his belly and chest and pushing her knees apart with his thighs so she straddled him. He growled and thrust his cock upward, driving into her tight sheath hard and deep. Robert lifted her hips and brought her down on his shaft again until she picked up the rhythm and rode him on her own. He wanted to bring her pleasure, but he didn’t know how long he could hang on after she’d driven him nearly mad with desire with her clever tongue. Just when he thought he could hold out no longer, he felt her inner muscles clench around his shaft and he let himself go, taking Shauna with him.

  Even while trying to catch his breath, Robert remembered what a fiasco his wedding night might have been. Thank God, Shauna wasn’t one to hold a grudge. Robert grinned to himself. And it wasn’t over. The night was just beginning.

  When Shauna awoke Monday morning—or more accurately, noon—she decided being married to Robert surpassed anything in her wildest fantasies. Her wedding night had been wonderful, and even though Robert had joined her brothers and Shane in searching the docks and visiting ship offices yesterday, he’d suggested they retire early. She felt pleasantly sore and thoroughly satiated.

  Robert’s side of the bed was empty, so Shauna made quick work of her ablutions and hurried downstairs to find him in the breakfast room talking to Jamie, Ian and Shane.

  She slipped into a chair beside him and he laid a hand on her thigh under the table. Shauna resisted the urge to giggle and assumed the same neutral expression Robert wore. Mari gave her a knowing look.

  “Amongst us, we have inquired at every dock capable of handling anything larger than a skiff,” Ian said. “No one matching either Algernon or Alton’s descriptions have boarded a departing vessel since Friday.”

  “I have offered a reward for anyone spotting either of them,” Shane said and turned to Jamie. “I gave instructions to send a runner here.”

  “Aye, meanwhile we will continue to search,” Shane said just as the bell rang at the front door. He looked at the others. “Do ye think a runner has arrived already?”

  Jamie rushed out, only to return a minute later. “’Twas only the post,” he said, handing several letters to Mari.

  Mari thumbed through them. “Here is one for you, Robert. Abigail forwarded it from Edinburgh.”

  “It’s from my brother,” he said as he opened it and read silently.

  Shauna watched as his eyes widened and his face paled beneath his tan. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

  “I…I’m not sure,” he said and quickly reread the letter. “I…my brother says Jane has been found.”

  Shauna’s hands went clammy. “Alive?”

  He nodded. “Yes. In New York. She’s been arrested.”

  “Who is Jane?” Jamie asked.

  “My former fiancée,” Robert replied.

  Ian’s brow arched. “Former?”

  “Aye, former,” Shauna said since she could tell from the expressions on her brothers’ faces where this was going to lead. “Let him explain.”

  When he’d finished, Ian and Shane seemed placated, although Jamie still looked skeptical. But then he’d always been overly protective. “Ye doona need to fash about it,” Shauna said to him and turned back to Robert. Small hairs on her nape began to prickle since he looked troubled. She had a sense of foreboding. “Is something…else…wrong?”

  He folded the letter, handed it to Shauna and then looked at the others. “I am being accused of being an accomplice to fraud. Jane had a dowry of sorts and I…had given her some investment advice. It seems she went to New York and used her English connections to integrate herself with the Astors—”

  “John Jacob Astor?” Shane asked, both brows going up.

  “I would imagine through his wife or another female relative,” Robert answered, “but, yes, the same family. Why?”

  “The name is well known in the shipping business,” Shane said. “Your President Jefferson gave the mon permission to sail during the embargo. It made him very wealthy.”

  “Well, apparently Jane knew it,” Robert said, “and used her dowry as seed money to encourage him—or his wife—to help her set up a charitable fund. Only it wasn’t so charitable. Thousands of dollars the Astors contributed are missing, and Jane claims I left her and brought the money here to England.”

  Shauna unfolded the letter as her brot
hers and Shane all started talking at once. Robert’s former fiancée was sounding more and more like a trollop—albeit it one of financial means. She scanned the lines and then let out a small shriek.

  Silence ensued as all eyes turned to her. “What is it?” Mari asked.

  “This Jane,” Shauna said, not quite believing what she read. “You didn’t tell me her last name.”

  Robert pointed to the letter. “It’s right there. Litton.”

  “Lady Jane Litton was your fiancée?”

  Yes.” Robert frowned. “Do you know her?”

  Shauna shook her head. “Not personally, but Kier might.”

  “Kier?” Jamie looked puzzled. “What does Fiona’s husband have to do with this?”

  “Oh, dear Lord! You are right, Shauna!” Mari exclaimed.

  “Shauna is right about what?” Ian asked.

  “Just before Fiona and Kier returned to Ireland, she told us he had been duped by a former fiancée into giving her money and then she sailed off to America with the funds.” Shauna laid the letter down. “The woman’s name was Lady Jane Litton.”

  “It has to be one and the same,” Mari said.

  Robert grimaced. “So Kier’s money was the dowry she had come into. I should have known something was wrong with her story.”

  “Doona blame yourself,” Shauna said. “Kier was fooled by the woman too.”

  “I have to go back,” Robert replied. “I need to clear my name and get Kier’s money back if I can.”

  “I am going with ye,” Shauna said.

  “I could be arrested too,” Robert said. “I can’t risk taking you along.”

  Shauna folded her arms and looked at him.

  Jamie laughed. “Ye may argue the point, brother-by-marriage, but ye willnae win. Ye might as well save your breath for better things.”

  “Jamie is right,” Ian said. “Besides, since we suspect Alton is in London, ’tis better ye take Shauna with ye. That leaves us only Mari to protect.”