Seductive Wager

by Leigh Greenwood

  After each stop she would retire to her cabin with her purchases and cover the floor with patterns and material. She enlisted the help of Mark and Charles, even Brett on occasion, begging and cajoling them until they agreed. She would cut, pin, and sew for hours on end until she emerged with a simple gown of fine craftsmanship. In this way she gradually built a wardrobe of suitable dresses trimmed with embroidered lace, velvet ribbon, and, once, even a small piece of fur. They were extremely flattering to her slim figure, and she received some nice compliments from Brett and the captain.

  Though she still got angry whenever she remembered how she was forced to marry Brett, it had become important that he admire her. She didn’t like to admit she now dressed to please him, but she never failed to look for the glint of appreciation in his eyes. Though she might deny it—indeed, she invariably did when he made her angry—she looked forward more eagerly each day to the nights spent in his arms. But it was not enough to know she pleased him in bed. She had come to look for, to expect, to depend on the look of appreciation in his eyes whenever she appeared on deck or at dinner. In pulling him away from whatever was occupying his mind at the moment, she felt she was increasing her hold over him; only belatedly did she realize she was increasing her dependence on him at the same time.

  You’re a giddy fool, she told herself severely. You swore that no man would ever own you, yet now you run about doing anything you can to make him smile at you. He doesn’t have to force you to submit; you cant wait to do it yourself. But she never listened to herself any more. She knew her behavior would only intensify the heartbreak to come, but since it was going to come no matter what, she was determined to take every pleasure she could from the present.

  One afternoon Kate lay dozing in the hot sun. Her eyes were half open, and through the glare she absently watched a sailor as he moved noiselessly along the deck. He was always looking out to the sea and she found his slow steady movement back and forth almost hypnotic. Lazily she followed the line of his gaze, but they had met very few ships of any kind on this trip, and she wasn’t surprised when she saw nothing but sky and water. He called out something she didn’t understand to a man in the crow’s nest, and he called to someone on the other side of the ship, but his answer was lost in the breeze.

  Kate opened her eyes and tried to rouse her dull brain. What were these men doing? At the beginning of the voyage she had been able to enjoy the deck in comparative privacy, but for the last several days, two men who did none of the usual work had been stationed on opposite sides of the ship. They appeared to spend all their time looking out to sea, occasionally using a telescope, but most often talking to the sailor in the crow’s nest.

  An uneasy question grew in her mind and nagged at her so insistently it destroyed her contentment. Finally she abandoned her chair and went in search of Brett.

  “I’m sure it’s just part of the routine,” Brett answered, reluctant to admit there was anything unusual going on. “Maybe the captain is looking for a ship headed back to England. Whatever the reason, I’m sure it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Stop talking to me like I’m simple-minded,” Kate replied irritably. “Those men haven’t been there before—I know because I’ve been on deck every day—and they’re not watching for an English ship. Whatever it is they’re looking for, they mean to see it before it sees us. They’re using telescopes.” Brett realized Kate’s suspicions had been thoroughly aroused and she would only become more upset if she weren’t told.

  “We’re approaching Africa and some unfriendly waters,” he explained. “The whole coast is under the nominal rule of the Turkish sultan, but in actuality it’s controlled by the rulers of four countries. Below that, they break up according to tribes and ancient loyalties to carry on their ancient trades, one of which is piracy.”

  Kate’s hands flew to her mouth. “Pirates!” she repeated in a horrified whisper. “But they won’t attack us, will they, not a ship of the English government?” Her mind was filled with the gruesome tales she had heard of the torture and rapine practiced by pirates of the East.

  “The captain says not. We’re a large ship carrying no valuable cargo, so we have nothing to tempt them, but it’s always best to take nothing for granted. We aren’t armed for combat, and we have only two small guns for defense.”

  “But what about the Navy? You told me the British Navy patroled the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Surely they wouldn’t attack with them close by.”

  “The Navy does what it can,” Brett assured her, “but they can’t be everywhere, and some ships do get captured. But try not to let yourself worry. There is almost no chance they would be interested in us. We’re too big to be a likely target. Most pirate ships are small, sorry little boats that have no size or guns. They depend on surprise, slipping up on their victims unawares and boarding them before they can run away or mount a defense. But our captain is alert. There’ll be at least one guard on duty around the clock until we reach Algiers.”

  Kate’s fears were not put to rest by Brett’s glib reassurances. She suspected him of minimizing the danger to keep her from worrying, and from that moment her pleasure in the voyage was almost nonexistent. Still, when several days went by and no strange ships were sighted, Kate reluctantly admitted Brett must have been right, and she made up her mind to do what he said, to stop worrying and concentrate on enjoying the marvelous weather.

  But that same afternoon, while she was practicing with her knife on the deck, a shout from the port guard brought the captain and Brett running to his position. Kate could see nothing at first, but finally she made out a tiny pinpoint on the horizon. She couldn’t believe that anyone could tell what kind of ship it was, much less whether it flew a friendly flag or not, but the captain and Brett seemed to have no doubt.

  “Get below deck,” Brett ordered her abruptly after only a brief look. “And stay there until I send someone to tell you it’s safe to come up again.”

  Kate went meekly because she realized there was little else she could do. If there was trouble, her presence on deck would just endanger others. Her porthole window was on the same side as the sighted vessel and she sat with her nose glued to the pane trying to see what a pirate ship actually looked like. As it grew closer, she strained her eyes to discover anything that would tell her if it was a friendly or dangerous ship. She was soon able to see the flag, but as she was unfamiliar with the flags of other countries, it didn’t help her at all. She could tell that it had one gun, but it was a small ship and the men on deck gave no evidence of hostile behavior or of even being interested in their ship.

  One of them, a short, stout little man, was standing at the bow of the craft and occasionally raised a spy glass to his eye to inspect them more closely as they passed. It swept back and forth over the ship, never pausing in its arcs. Then suddenly it did stop, and for one unnerving second Kate was certain the glass was aimed directly at her. She quickly drew her face away from the window, but she continued to watch the man. Even though the glass resumed its sweeping arcs and the man put it away altogether after a little while, Kate could not rid herself of the feeling she had been seen. However, the ship did not come any closer and soon passed off over the horizon.

  “The ship has gone on by, but I want you to stay here until we’re sure it hasn’t turned around,” Brett said when he came down a little while later. “It was a strange flag and they didn’t return our salute. The captain feels sure it was just one of the many private ships that abound along the coast and it holds no threat to us. One of the most dangerous things we can do is to let them know we have a woman aboard.” Kate drew in her breath sharply, but Brett smiled at her, and every thought of telling him she had her nose to the window left her head. His look melted her bones, and every time he smiled at her she was helpless for hours.

  “One look at you and every pirate on the coast would be after us. I don’t know what they would do with the men, but I’m sure you would be destined for one of the great a
uction centers in Africa, maybe even as far away as Damascus.” Kate heard him in incredulous disbelief. “Do you realize the frenzy of excitement you would create? Half the potentates of the East would ransom their kingdoms to own a woman like you.”

  Kate could not believe her ears. “Do you mean they would put me in a harem?” she asked.

  “Probably. You might become the wife of some rich lord or the favorite concubine of a powerful soldier, depending upon who had enough money to buy you, but it’s most likely you’d end up as a favorite of some ruler.”

  Kate was immobilized by shock and disbelief.

  “Whatever they might like to do, I would resist with my last drop of blood,” Brett said, taking her hands in his and kissing her fingers lightly. “I have become very used to having you to myself, and I don’t think I could give you up now.”

  But Kate was not listening to him. Several hours ago, even several minutes ago, his words would have been music to her ears, but her fears had moved her beyond the reach of caressing and flattering words. Her mind was racing with thoughts that only yesterday she would have dismissed as too fantastic to be given credence. A harem! A concubine! She wasn’t sure she had ever actually believed such things existed. She had always accepted them as part of the colorful stories people told about foreign places to make them seem more exotic and exciting. Now she discovered they not only existed, but if the British Navy wasn’t watchful, she might find herself in the ardent embraces of some olive-skinned Oriental potentate. Her mind refused to even begin to grapple with the situation.

  The whole idea of being carried off into the desert by savages was too fantastic to be believed, but then two months ago she wouldn’t have believed any of what had happened to her since. It was as though she had been living in a dream, and instead of waking up to find that everything was foolish phantoms, she was sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss of the phantasmagoric. She sought to drive off the curious lassitude that threatened to overcome her, sapping the strength from her limbs and depriving her mind of its ability to function.

  She felt the warmth of Brett’s lips on her fingers and the light pressure on her hands as he held them in his firm grasp. This at least was real, and she clung to him with a renewed sense of urgency. But if Brett’s kisses were real, then so were his words, and the dangers around her must be real too, no matter how impossible that would have sounded just a few days ago. It would be better to die than to face such a future.

  She made up her mind to carry her knife with her at all times. Maybe she’d keep her pistols loaded, too. She didn’t know what good they would do, but they certainly wouldn’t be any help lying unloaded in their cases.

  “I’ll send Charles for you when it’s time for dinner,” she finally heard Brett say. “I need to talk to the captain. We’ll be approaching Gibraltar soon and we haven’t made any plans for the landing.” Kate couldn’t understand why he was thinking about Gibraltar when there were pirates lurking all over the Mediterranean, but he put his arms around her and it didn’t seem quite so important anymore.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’ve only just found you, and I mean to keep you with me forever, safe and sound.” He kissed her lightly. “Now try to get some rest. You’ll feel better if you can take a little nap.”

  Kate smiled up at him. “All right,” she said. “I do feel a little tired.”

  “I’ll make sure no one disturbs you.”

  “You’re sure we’re not going to be attacked?”

  “Yes,” he smiled at her, “I’m sure. Now lie down and try to put it all out of your mind. Think about Gibraltar instead.”

  “Ill try,” she said. Brett kissed her lightly and left her to her thoughts.

  Chapter 18

  At dinner the captain made a few remarks about the incident and then dismissed it as unimportant. What did interest him was Brett’s proposed expedition to Gibraltar. He was certain Kate would be anxious to see that recently acquired station.

  “It will be no problem to stop for the day. And the commander of the garrison can probably tell Mr. Westbrook something of the latest happenings in the Mediterranean. Positioned as he is, he can hear quite a lot about the movements of the lurks and Africans up and down the coast.” Even though Kate showed no more than a polite interest in seeing the famous station, he immediately made plans to stop.

  “I’m sure I’ll enjoy the excursion,” she said, feeling she ought to show some appreciation for the captain’s efforts to please her, but it was difficult to imagine why she should become excited about looking at a big rock. After all, the rock itself couldn’t be interesting, and she could see more impressive vistas of the ocean from the ship.

  The next day dawned clear and cool, perfect weather for the intended expedition. The commander welcomed them into his home and almost immediately sent them on their way before it became too hot. Kate agreed the views were magnificent, but having to walk so far took the edge off her pleasure. She didn’t have proper shoes for the rough ground and her feet hurt. They were throbbing painfully by the time everyone returned for lunch. With the commander’s wife’s encouragement, Kate took off her shoes and soaked them in warm water before it was time to eat.

  During lunch, Kate got her first real information about the nature of Brett’s mission. Though she was unable to get a clear picture of the political ramifications from their random remarks, she did understand that Brett was supposed to somehow convince the dey of Algiers to stop harassing the French. The Foreign Office feared if the French put an army in Algeria, they would conquer it, and England was determined to keep France from increasing her colonial holdings. Losing the thread of conversation completely after that, Kate tried to talk to the commander’s wife.

  But Kate’s life had been very isolated, and she soon found she didn’t know any of the people the commander’s wife knew, she had no knowledge of international events of the past few years, and she had never seen a play or been to a fashionable party. That effectively brought their conversation to an end.

  It was with a sense of considerable relief that Kate rose from the table to return to the ship and her pistols. That was something she did know about, apparently more than was considered proper for a well-brought-up young lady. The commander’s wife had made no attempt to conceal her scorn for a young woman, however beautiful, who showed so little knowledge and interest in London and English political life, and who had no accomplishments to compensate for this lack. In her mind, weapons were vulgar and no young lady of breeding would aspire to learn to use them, or be foolish enough to admit it if she did.

  Kate was made to feel ashamed of her poor education for the first time in weeks, but she was also angry at the woman for being so insensitive as to expose her ignorance and openly condemn it. With a little adroitness she could have talked of virtually anything else and spared her guest embarrassment. If I’m ever an important hostess, Kate thought angrily, I will make it a point to see all my guests feel appreciated.

  Kate returned to the ship with relief, and as they watched Gibraltar disappear in the distance, the sun turned the sky a fiery red with streaks of orange and purple running through it.

  “It’s much more beautiful when seen at a distance,” Kate mused. “You’d never know it was just a hot rock that hurt your feet.”

  “I don’t think you ought to tell the Foreign Office that,” Brett said, chuckling at her prosaic point of view. “They like to think they got a little more for their money.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it. There are times when a little ignorance is a good thing. Which reminds me …” she said, making an abrupt change of subject, “there’s one thing I’d like to be a lot less ignorant about, and that’s what you’re supposed to be doing on this mission of yours.”

  “Ill explain it after dinner if you’re really interested,” Brett offered. “At least I’ll tell you as much as I’m allowed to tell anyone. Charles already has a general idea, but Mark know
s less than you do. We can all gather in our cabin.”

  Kate had never been more anxious for a dinner to end. The captain kept droning on about first one thing and then another, and Brett did nothing to discourage him. Usually Kate laughed at his stories as much as anyone else, but tonight she was in no mood for amusing anecdotes. Her curiosity about Brett’s mission was eating away at her composure even more than she had expected.

  Kate had never forgotten Brett’s remarks about her being sold into a harem, and when the commander talked of Turkish activity in the Mediterranean, Kate’s interest was rekindled. Though she put less credence in the stories with each day they completed in safety, she wanted to know everything she could about the Turks. To her they seemed a nation of dangerous but terribly mysterious barbarians. She left the men to their brandy hoping Brett wouldn’t linger, but she didn’t expect him to hurry just because she was anxious to get started. Men never seemed to consider things like that, she thought to herself.

  Mark arrived first, then Charles, and the three of them waited impatiently. Charles refused to tell her any of what he knew. “It’s not my story, Mrs. Westbrook, and I know Mr. Westbrook would rather tell it from the beginning.”

  “That may be true,” Kate remarked irritably, “but he seems in no hurry to get started.” She paced the room, castigating the thoughtlessness of egotistical men in general and Brett in particular. When he finally did arrive, she pounced on him in such a fever of curiosity he burst out laughing.

  “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting, but I never thought you’d be so interested in dry political maneuvering.”

  “Not interested?” she echoed in amazement. “You drag me thousands of miles away from home, threaten me with pirates and sultan’s harems, say you’re going to leave me in a strange town where I don’t know a soul and can’t even ask for a glass of water, and you didn’t think I’d be interested?”