In truth, Colin was already a hostage: of his late sire’s financial ruin. Could being a prisoner of pirates really be as bad—or worse—than what he’d been facing in England?
As though following Colin’s thoughts, the captain’s scowl deepened. “The lucky captives of pirates are ransomed. The unlucky ones are sold as slaves or tortured for any bit of information that can be bartered for the buccaneers’ gain. And the women….”
Colin thought of Evelyn in their cabin below deck.
“The women are used day and night until the pirates grow bored of them. Then they are sold or slain. Not, I vow, a fate you’d wish upon any of the fairer sex, let alone your wife who is carrying your babe.”
“No.” Imagining Evelyn facing such horrors made Colin’s gut clench. While they hadn’t wed for love—their fathers had arranged a marriage between them—he’d known her since they were children, and he cared about her. He had a responsibility to her, and he’d honor it until his dying breath.
If pirates did end up attacking the ship, he’d do all he could to protect her. Guilt grazed his heart, because it was, after all, his fault they were sailing to Barbados. His fault they were on the run and practically penniless. His fault she was lonely and miserable, as she’d reminded him every day since they’d left port.
As the wind rose to a hiss, and the Guinevere tilted hard to the left, Colin struggled to stay upright. Stinging raindrops began to fall from the heavens.
The helmsman, gripping the ship’s wheel, shouted down to the captain then motioned to the water.
Colin glanced in the direction the helmsman had pointed, but could see only sea spray and churning waves.
“Go below,” the captain said to Colin.
“Tell me how I can help.” Colin didn’t have much experience with ships, but since the Guinevere had set sail, he’d learned to tie knots, the basics of reading charts, and had fixed a window in the captain’s cabin. “I realize you and your crew have sailed in storms before—”
“This is no ordinary storm.”
The captain’s words echoed Colin’s own sense of dread. He’d experienced some strong thunderstorms in his lifetime, watched one recently from the leaded windows of the manor house he knew he was going to have to abandon. Yet, he’d never seen clouds as ominous as the ones overhead.
“Go below,” the captain said again. “Stay with your wife.”
Colin swiped away rainwater running down his face. “If you need my help—”
“I will call—”
The ship lurched to the left again. Men yelled over the hissing wind, while the soles of Colin’s leather boots slipped on the deck and he careened into a post, pain jarring through his shoulder.
He steadied himself, to see the captain staggering toward the helmsman.
A wave crashed over the side of the vessel. Cold water sprayed over Colin, soaking his white linen shirt, and he gasped before grabbing hold of ropes nearby and making his way to the door and the cramped stairway that led to the cabins below.
As the ship groaned like a rusted gate, he stumbled down the hallway to his and Evelyn’s room at the far end. Beyond the closed doors he passed, he heard frightened moans, worried voices, and crashes of objects hitting the floor. He’d met the Bells and Harrisons and most of the other passengers, and they were clearly terrified. There were cats on board too; Sherwoods, the captain had called them, a breed that had mask-like markings around their eyes. Two felines were huddled by his and Evelyn’s cabin.
Colin thought to knock on the doors and quickly check on the people inside—the captain and crew needed to focus on the ship, not the passengers—but when he heard a cry from the direction of his cabin, he hurried to see to Evelyn first.
He knocked twice then opened the door. The heat and stuffiness of the dark room hit him, along with a sour smell. Evelyn was clinging to the edge of the bunk, doubled over, her left arm wrapped around her belly. As the ship swayed and the door slammed inward against the cabin wall, she looked up. Tears streamed down her ashen face and onto her gown that even before the storm had badly needed washing.
“Colin—”
She threw up. As he stumbled into the room, following the cats that had darted inside, he saw more vomit on the floorboards. A pang of sympathy ran through him, because she’d already suffered for weeks from severe morning sickness. From the day they’d set sail, she’d been seasick. Being on the storm-ravaged boat must be utter hell for her.
Breathing hard, Evelyn dragged the back of her hand over her mouth. “I…can’t stop….”
“It’s all right.” He managed to shut the door; the cats were now under the bolted-down chest of drawers, where they were welcome to stay. He lurched over to the bunk and on the way, snatched up their spare, clean chamber pot that had been sliding across the floor.
Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, tears welled along her bottom lashes. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”
“Come now.” He handed her the chamber pot, sat beside her, and put his arm around her waist. As he gripped the bunk to try and maintain his balance, he said, “The captain and crew—”
“They can’t outwit nature.” Her brown eyes blazed as she gestured to her rounded belly. “No one can.”
He swallowed hard, wishing she hadn’t brought their innocent, unborn babe into the discussion. Neither of them had expected her to get with child so soon after they’d married. It had happened so quickly, she must have conceived on their wedding night. But, a child—any child—was a miracle.
Colin very much looked forward to being a father. He’d vowed to be a far better parent than his own sire had been. Perhaps, if the child were a boy, he’d also be interested in inventing things. Surely Evelyn was excited to be a parent, despite their current predicament.
He stroked Evelyn’s hair that was a rich brown color, like polished oak. She’d pinned it up earlier, but now most of her tresses tumbled to her lower back. “I spoke with the captain moments ago,” Colin said. “We must trust his experience with storms—”
The ship rocked, and she groaned.
“—and you must trust me,” he said.
She glared.
“Trust that I will protect and provide for you, as a responsible husband should.” He sincerely meant those words. When Colin had asked about safekeeping important documents on the journey, the captain had told him that the Guinevere’s former owner had been a smuggler; there was a secret cavity in the cabin Colin had booked. Colin had brought all of his sketches, protected by layers of canvas and stored inside a watertight wooden tube. After finding the secret spot concealed by crown molding, he’d hidden the tube in it.
Once they reached Barbados, he’d work hard to support Evelyn and not only the child they’d soon have, but any other offspring.
Moaning, she bent over the chamber pot.
He held her hair back from her face until she’d finished vomiting. Then he pulled the linen pillowcase from her pillow and handed it to her to wipe her mouth. He would have offered her water to rinse away the taste of bile, but the pitcher had fallen off the iron-bound trunk they’d used as a table and had shattered.
“I wish we’d never left England.” Her words ended on a sob.
“Evelyn, we’ve talked about this.”
“Don’t you dare tell me to be quiet.”
Colin gritted his teeth. “I wasn’t going to. But—”
She averted her gaze. Her spine stiffened, and misgiving rippled through him. She was withholding something from him. Something important.
He gently squeezed with the arm around her waist. “What is it?” When she didn’t answer, his misgiving deepened. “Are you hurt? Were you injured while you were alone?”
“No,” she bit out.
He fought a welling of panic. “The babe. Is it all right?”
“As far as I can tell, it’s fine.” Tears dripped onto her bodice.
With an eerie creak, the ship listed to the right. She clutched
the sloshing chamber pot with white-knuckled hands as he steadied them both.
The vessel finally leveled. The cabin, though, seemed to be growing smaller, closing in on Colin. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck to blend with the seawater soaking his hair and shirt.
“I was going to wait to tell you,” she said.
Bloody hell. He struggled to keep his voice steady. “Tell me what?”
She drew a sharp breath. “It’s…it’s about—”
A muffled thud.
The ship juddered.
As he and Evelyn were thrown several yards across the room, shouts and screams sounded down the hallway. The chamber pot flew from her hands and broke, its contents spreading over the floor.
“What’s happened?” Evelyn cried, pushing up on one elbow.
“I don’t know.” She’d landed on her belly. His heart hammering, Colin struggled over to her. “How are you? Is the babe—?”
“We’re all right,” Evelyn said.
A muffled crack; the sound of splitting wood. Another thud that jolted the deck above their heads.
More urgent cries.
“I must go,” Colin said.
“No.” Wild-eyed, Evelyn caught his hand. “Stay with me. Please.”
“I must do my part.”
Her fingernails dug into his skin. “You’ll abandon me? Our child?”
“No, I’m going to try and save you and everyone else on the ship. I promise, I’ll return as soon as I can.”
Read the rest of Colin and Luna’s romantic adventure in A Witch in Time, available in eBook, print, and audio.
Don’t miss the other Cat’s Paw Cove Romance stories:
Her Homerun Hottie by Wynter Daniels
Gambling on the Artist by Wynter Daniels
Meows & Mistletoe: A Holiday Anthology by Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Sharon Buchbinder, Kristal Hollis, Debra Jess, Candace Colt, Mia Ellas, Kerry Evelyn, and Darcy Devlon
Coming soon from Cat’s Paw Cove:
Love Overrules the Lawyer by Kerry Evelyn
Magical Blessings by Candace Colt
About Catherine Kean
Catherine Kean is an award-winning, Kindle Unlimited All-Star author of medieval romances whose creative muse has coaxed her to also write in other romance genres. Her love of history began with visits to England during summer vacations, when her British father took her to crumbling medieval castles, dusty museums filled with fascinating artifacts, and historic churches. Her love of the awe-inspiring past stuck with her as she completed a B.A. (Double Major, First Class) in English and History. She completed a year-long Post Graduate course with Sotheby’s auctioneers in London, England, and worked for several years in Canada as an antiques and fine art appraiser.
After she moved to Florida, she started writing novels, her lifelong dream. She wrote her first medieval romance, A Knight’s Vengeance, while her baby daughter was napping. Catherine’s books were originally published in paperback and several were released in Czech, German, and Thai foreign editions. She has won numerous awards for her stories, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her novels also finaled in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the International Digital Awards, and the National Readers’ Choice Awards.
In 2019, she co-founded CPC Publishing with author Wynter Daniels and is busy writing books for the Cat’s Paw Cove Romance series.
When not working on her next book, Catherine enjoys cooking, baking, browsing antique shops, shopping with her daughter, and gardening. She lives in Central Florida with two spoiled rescue cats.
Connect with Catherine
Cat’s Paw Cove Romance Website
Catherine’s Website
Facebook
BookBub
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Books by Catherine Kean
A Knight and His Rose (Novella)
A Knight to Remember (Novella)
A Knight’s Desire
A Legendary Love (Novella)
A Witch in Time (Novella)
Bound by His Kiss (Novella)
Dance of Desire
Her Gallant Knight (Novella)
My Lady’s Treasure
One Knight in the Forest (Novella)
One Knight Under the Mistletoe (Novella)
One Knight’s Kiss (Novella)
That Knight by the Sea (Novella)
Knight’s Series Novels
A Knight’s Vengeance (Knight’s Series Book 1)
A Knight’s Reward (Knight’s Series Book 2)
A Knight’s Temptation (Knight’s Series Book 3)
A Knight’s Persuasion (Knight’s Series Book 4)
A Knight’s Seduction (Knight’s Series Book 5)
A Knight’s Redemption (Knight’s Series Book 6)
Boxed Sets
The Knight’s Series: Books 1-5
Table of Contents
Hot Magic
Reader Letter
Hot Magic Blurb
Copyright
Dedication
The Legend
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Also Available from Cat’s Paw CoveA Witch in Time
About Catherine Kean
Connect with Catherine
Books by Catherine Kean
Hot Magic Page 24