Tears stung her eyes at his dig to her character, but she chose fury in place of self-pity. "How dare you speak like that? Nothing about me is soiled, and you know that for a fact, sir!"
"Says the captain's whore." He sat down on the edge of the bed.
Eden felt herself blush; knowing she had kissed Caspian and let him hold her… and told him she loved him. She still found that last part rather shocking to believe.
Yet she had done nothing wrong! There was absolutely nothing immoral with innocently kissing a man as she had done. Besides, there was no way Lord Rutger had of knowing what had happened between her and Caspian. He was assuming far too much.
Eden raised her hand to slap him, but he rose and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her violently. She bit back a cry of pain at the sharp shock that riveted through her.
"Now, listen to me, my intended. We shall marry tomorrow, and you will obey me and be mine for the rest of your life." He sank his iron-like hands onto her waist so tightly it felt like he was crushing her insides and her bones. “Ah, you are not used to obeying a man, are you, my little flower?”
"I would not marry you even if you were the very last man on this wretched earth!" she spat at him, seething with anger.
Eden tried to wrench her arm free from his grasp, but he struck her yet again. She sucked in a deep breath to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes. Long ago she had learned that her tears only gave the man’s twisted mind pleasure, although maybe if she just gave into the tears, the beating would finally come to an end.
“You have no right to choose whom you marry, and you have no right to speak to me like that, my little flower! You will marry me or your little captain from that ship will die. That little boy who was sleeping in your cabin, also. I will make sure the boy’s death is especially slow and long.” He chortled. “You know that you and your father need my money. You know no other wealthy lord will propose to you when they hear what you have been doing, whoring yourself to this… this… pirate." His nasally voice shook in anger.
Eden found herself backing away.
That tone of voice meant she would be struck yet again. She wanted to go cower in a corner, let him hit her again and again just so it would be over finally. But no. There was no way she would back down and be some weak little thing he could bully anymore. All that had ever led to was her running away from life… from everything, and she would not have it anymore. Eden had done enough running, whether it be from an argument with a friend or a life and death situation with Lord Clive Rutger. No. She would cower in the shadows no longer.
"I will die first, and there is no way you could ever overpower Caspian, I can promise you that!"
"Ah, the blasted man’s name is Caspian, then. How sweet of you to use his Christian name. And you just proved to me you do hold some affection for him! Well, I assure you I will make him regret ever taking you aboard his ship if you refuse to marry me. You just mark my words, little flower!” He roared, shaking her by the shoulders until she felt dizzy.
“I—I…” Eden found it impossible to say anything more. How could she have given Caspian away? Why, she had virtually just forced herself into marrying this… this fiend by revealing that she cared even a little about Caspian. She knew if she refused Rutger’s proposal he would stop at nothing to track down Caspian and Reed and kill them… after he beat her to near death, most likely. There was nothing to do to avoid this fate anymore. Nothing.
“Yes. That is much better, woman. I think I rather like hearing nothing from you.” He leaned closer to her, a cruel smirk on his face. His emerald green eyes sparkled. “Now while you are being silent, how about you use your pretty mouth to give a nice little kiss to your dear husband, my flower?”
Eden recoiled in disgust. The foul man had forced her to kiss him many times before and each time she hated it even more than the last. She certainly did not want to relive the experience.
Eden decided she would never let her lips be tainted by another man’s touch, and she would definitely not be spoiled by Lord Rutger. She wanted to save everything she had for Caspian and Caspian alone, if he would have her.
Rutger leaned his head down toward hers, his mouth slanting downward. His hands grasped her waist, and his thumbs roved around her body, taking far too many liberties. She had to stop this. Immediately.
Sucking up all of the saliva she could find in her mouth, she spat at the monster as hard as she could. The thick liquid hit him square in the face, dripping down into his eyes.
Clive sputtered for a moment, a look of pure disgust and anger on his face, before he raised his arm and struck her across the mouth, hard. He spun on his heel and stormed out of the cabin, practically growling in anger.
Although Eden felt the sting and the sharp, bitter taste of blood where her teeth had cut her lip from his strike, she could not stop herself from giggling. He had seemed horrified that she had even thought of spitting on him.
And the man most certainly had deserved it.
Chapter Seventeen
Lord Clive Rutger stood at the bow of his ship, fuming. That fool of a woman was not to be tolerated. How dare she be so disrespectful of him? No woman spat upon him and got away with it. No woman ran away from him and got away with it. The last time someone had acted like that, it had been his father. Clive deeply regretted he had been too small then to make the man pay for his thoughtless actions.
He sometimes wished Lady Trenton did not force him to beat her, but if he did not do it, she would be more than out of control.
The reckless woman’s father should have disciplined her more when she was a child. Really, she had to learn she needed to obey the men in her life because they were only put there to help her. If only she had just done her father’s bidding, Clive himself would not have been forced to hurt her. She just needed to learn how to obey, and they would have a long, happy marriage.
If it worked out differently than his parent’s marriage.
But it would, because he would force Eden to obey him.
Since Clive could remember, his father had beaten both him and his mother. He told him it was just to teach them a lesson and that once they learned it, the beatings would stop. But they did not. Whatever lesson it was, they seemed to fail in learning it. The beatings had just gotten worse as he got older and his father picked up a drinking habit.
One night, when Clive was eight years old, his father had come home, reeking of whiskey. Clive had mistakenly not done his chores that day, and his sire was not happy with that fact. He thrashed young Clive until he was sobbing and bleeding, and his mother woke. His mother came into the room and begged her husband to stop… but instead, he had turned to the woman, and in a fit of rage for defying him pulled out a knife and stabbed her to death. Right in front of Clive’s young eyes, he murdered the child’s mother and taught him how to be a man.
Clive ran away from his father that night and spent two years begging on the streets of London before, in a twist of events, he was taken in by an earl and his wife who longed for children but had never had any little ones of their own. When the man had died in a carriage accident, eighteen year old Clive became a wealthy earl, and every day he had regretted not giving his birth father what he deserved for shaming him so.
Even though he did not get his retribution on his father, Lady Eden Trenton would get what she deserved for shaming him. He would tame the little flower’s wild nature no matter the cost.
****
Caspian could not sleep. Even if he had been on his soft bed and not hard wooden crates, he knew he would still have the same problem. He had spent his fair share of days sleeping in obscure places. No, it was not the discomfort at all. It was the woman.
He could not stop thinking of her.
He could not stop thinking about how soft, how utterly perfect and right she had felt in his arms.
He should not have left her up there, alone, without telling her where he was spending the night. The poor, dear woman was probably
out of her mind with worry. If she even cared about him. Maybe she had not even noticed that he was missing. She certainly always seemed happy to be in Reed’s company and not his.
But she had said she loved him, however disoriented she had been that night. He had to see her. In all reality, he should not leave her alone. Caspian climbed up the stairs and marched across the companionway to his cabin. The sun was rising, casting a soft pink hue over the ship.
Caspian hoped she was not asleep… which was selfish, in all reality, because the poor woman needed her rest. But he wanted to talk to her. He found he had begun to crave her companionship. He could only hope she was thinking the same of him.
His hand hovered over the thick oak slab as he thought. Did he truly want to wake her? She was probably sleeping, and from what had happened in the past, the woman did not enjoy being woken from her sleep. Caspian chuckled at how upset she had been with him and how she had slapped his hands away. The woman was all the prettier when she got all riled up with him. He loved how her cheeks turned pink and those pretty brown doe eyes flashed in fury.
Just before he could knock to give her some warning of his arrival, the door burst open. Gage stepped out of the cabin. A grin sped across his face like it did whenever he saw his captain and best friend. The man never seemed to be without a smile.
"Hello, Captain. I haven’t seen you in a while," he greeted cheerfully.
"Blast it, man, you startled me." Caspian frowned. What had the man been doing in his captain’s cabin? In the middle of the night, while the beautiful Lady Trenton was sleeping in there?
"I am sorry, Captain. I just… I did not mean to alarm you. Um… Lady Trenton is…" The man’s eyes searched around the companionway, a worried look tightening his features.
What was going on here? Caspian had to get to the bottom of this immediately.
"Hang it, Gage, what were you doing in my cabin? You know I do not permit anyone to go in there without my bidding, not even you," Caspian stated.
He did not believe Gage, his best friend, would hurt Eden, but he could never take any chances with the woman he loved. Surely it was all some innocent mistake. Caspian peeked through the door. Reed was sleeping alone on the bed, curled onto his side. Caspian's gaze swept over the cabin, but the beautiful woman was nowhere in sight. That was certainly a change.
And most likely a problem. Why would Eden be out of the cabin at this time of night? Something was wrong. Utterly wrong.
Panic began to run through Caspian’s body in thick, sharp waves. It had to be Kelton. Where had the blasted man dragged her off to now? Kelton had been locked up into the hold…
But why had Caspian not heard her screams? The only reason could be that Kelton had hurt her too much for her screams to be heard…
Caspian’s heart accelerated to a rapid pace. Gage remained silent, looking down. His expression was hidden by a shadow.
"Why were you in my cabin, Mr. Thompson? What have you done with Eden? Where is she? Where’s Lady Trenton?" Caspian’s voice shook with emotion, but he did not care if he appeared weak in front of a member of his crew, even if he was his first mate. He loved Eden and had to discover why she was gone and where she was. There was nothing weak about being in love with a woman.
"I-I, but, I had thought—" Gage stammered.
"Quit your stuttering already, man. Where is Eden — Lady Trenton?"
"I heard a scream coming from your cabin, and the door was unlocked so I entered, afraid someone was hurt. Your son had just had a nightmare, and he was sobbing, so I consoled him. He was terrified something was wrong because he had woken up and neither you nor Lady Trenton was there with him." Gage’s words sped out of his mouth rapidly, like minnows darting into a reef.
"And Eden? What of her? Why was she not there? Where is she?"
"I had… assumed that… that she was safe with you somewhere…"
"Well, you assumed wrongly, Mr. Thompson! We must find her! Send a few trustworthy men to search with us. I'll ask Reed if he knows anything and then help search. It must have been that blasted Kelton! I thought I told you to put him in the hold and post a guard…"
Gage left, his head down, and Caspian barreled into the cabin to shake his little son awake. He hated waking the child so early in the morning, especially after he knew he had been awake with a nightmare, but he needed to get to the bottom of what was happening. Caspian had to find Eden and save her from whoever had stolen her.
"Good morning, Papa." The boy beamed at him, stretching. He yawned. “What time is it, Papa? It feels almost as if I just fell asleep.” Reed peered around the room with cute, sleepy eyes.
"Where is Eden, Reed? Lady Trenton? Where has she gone?" Caspian brushed a lock of tawny hair out of his son’s face.
"You mean Miss Eden, Papa?" He rubbed his eyes.
"Aye."
"I saw her before I went to sleep. She tucked me in and kissed me good-night like always. Then I had a really bad dream that some horrible man was hurting Miss Eden, and when I woke up she was gone. Master Thompson came in, and he told me she was with you so I wasn't worried. She is with you, right, Papa? Miss Eden is all right, right?"
Dread clenched its bony fingers around Caspian's heart.
She was gone.
Kelton had stolen her.
She was probably lying somewhere, naked, on his ship, sobbing, sullied. Broken.
Whatever was happening, he was certainly too late to save her.
But not too late to punish Kelton.
He was not certain he would be able to stop himself from killing Kelton if he found out the man had done something to harm her…
"Stay right here, Reed, and do not leave unless I tell you to. I will go find Miss Eden." He could only hope she would be safe and sound when he found her, but he feared she was not.
****
Gage stepped onto the main deck. He had assigned three men — the ones he trusted most to not hurt Eden, should she be found — to search for her below decks. Gage wandered above, searching in every nook and cranny he could think of for Lady Trenton, but to no avail. Where could the woman have run off to? She had all but vanished into thin air.
Gage scanned the deck. He spotted Hawthorne, the night watchmen, dozing on the main deck.
"Hawthorne!" He barked. The man leapt up, a startled expression written across his face.
"Aye, Master Gage?" The stout man rubbed a lump that was protruding from the top of his head.
Had there been a fight below decks that Gage and Caspian had not been aware of? That was odd. Hawthorne was not normally one to get into disagreements with other men.
"What happened to you?" Gage inquired, leaning forward to examine the wound.
"I-I'm not certain of that, Master Gage. I'd been a'sleepin' peacefully, when I woke to a noise. After lookin’ around I saw there was a ship pulled next to us. Just as I ran to tell the Cap'n, I got knocked in me head! That's 'bout all I remember."
"Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. That will be all. I will let the captain deal with your laziness later."
Hawthorne gulped but stomped away.
Gage leapt down from the forecastle deck and hurried toward the captain's cabin.
Someone must have stolen Lady Trenton. Otherwise why would there have been a ship next to theirs, and why would someone have knocked Hawthorne unconscious?
The poor girl. Who would have taken her?
In his rush to the captain's cabin, Gage ran straight into Caspian. The poor man's eyes were red-rimmed and moist with tears. Gage had never seen his captain this upset, not even when his wife had died. Sure, he had been clearly upset that day, but he had not been reduced to tears in the presence of any member of his crew. It showed he truly did care about Lady Trenton. A lot.
"Any news of her, my friend?" Caspian asked, rubbing the moisture from his eyes. His voice shook with emotion. Gage felt sorry for his captain and best friend.
"Aye, Caspian. Hawthorne saw a ship right next to ours. He was knocked uncons
cious when he came to alert you. I am guessing Lady Trenton was stolen."
Chapter Eighteen
Ivy scurried up on deck, deep in thought. She stepped up to the railing and glanced at the full moon that illuminated the black seas and washed the deck with a pale blue light.
She liked the calming rush of the water against the hull, and she would do anything to be relaxed. It had been quite a few nights since she had last slept peacefully. Ever since they had left for Port Royal, she had been beside herself with worry. Of course Ivy was still worried about her brother’s safety, but the gnawing fear inside of her belly had been not only for little William as of late. No, she had a sinking feeling something terrible was happening to Eden. It seemed like they should have found her days ago.
Her thoughts were interrupted, and she started when the sound of scuffling boots came from behind her.
****
Matthew’s footsteps seemed loud in the silence of the night as he paced about the deck. He had adopted the restless habit of pacing ever since a certain beautiful, blond woman had stepped aboard his merchantman. His steps halted when he passed by Lady Shaw. Her hands were folded together, and her face was tightly drawn.
"You couldn't sleep either, Lady Shaw?" he inquired, stepping up next to her.
"Nay, not with Eden in such grave danger."
"I understand." To his shame, Matthew's sleeping troubles were caused by something entirely different than worrying about Lady Trenton. There was just something about that blond beauty that was sleeping below on his ship that made his heart beat faster.
What was the matter with him? She was nothing but a spoiled, useless little girl like most women were. Something must be wrong with him. Maybe she had put some type of a spell on him, like a little witch.
"I am so worried about her, Captain Emery. What if Lord Rutger finds her before we do? Surely he will murder her and cover it up as a drowning or something because of the disgrace she has caused him. And, she stowed away passage on a ship — only the Good Lord knows what kind. Perhaps she was found, and the crew attacked her. Mayhap she has faced her death already!" Ivy ranted, holding a hand to her hair, which was wound tightly into a proper bun.
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