by Connie Mason
Responding in fluent Spanish, Morgan said, “It’s imperative that I see my wife.”
“Your wife? You are mistaken. No one here…” Her words faltered. Luca was the only married woman in the convent at the present time. Could this man be Luca’s husband? Was the handsome man demanding entrance the pirate referred to as El Diablo? Madre di Dios, no wonder Luca had fallen in love with him.
“I know Luca is here. Luca Scott, my wife. Perhaps you know her as Luca Santiego.”
“You are Luca’s pirate?”
Morgan smiled wryly. “Si Now will you open the gate?”
“No. It changes nothing. It is much too late for visitors. The Reverend Mother does not admit visitors after dark. You will have to return tomorrow.”
“Perhaps we should find a bed in the town we rode through earlier and return tomorrow,” Stan suggested as he stepped into Renalda’s view.
Until Stan made his presence known, Renalda had no idea that Morgan had a companion with him. She stared at Stan in the dim light, thinking him nearly as handsome as Luca’s husband. Neither of them appeared as fearsome as rumor made them out to be.
“No, I will not leave,” Morgan said with grim determination. “I want to see Luca, and I want to see her now. Will you let us in, Sister, or must I scale the wall?”
Renalda swallowed convulsively. She knew instinctively that nothing would keep the Englishman out if he was determined to gain entrance. But she had to make certain that admitting the pirate was in Luca’s best interest.
“Why do you wish to see Luca? I am her friend, I do not wish to see her hurt.”
“Look, Sister…”
“I am not a nun. Like Luca, I am a guest here.”
“Very well senorita…”
“Renalda. Renalda Cortez.”
“Senorita Renalda. My wife does not belong here. She belongs with me. I’ve come to take her home.”
“Home? To England?”
Morgan and Stan exchanged meaningful glances. “No, not to England. I am no longer welcome there. I am taking Luca to Andros bland in the Bahamas. Now, Senorita, will you let me in?”
Renalda was torn She knew Luca still loved her English pirate, but according to Luca, Morgan hated Spaniards and wanted no children with Spanish blood. She debated whether to allow the Englishmen entrance without Luca’s consent or to insist that he come back tomorrow.
“Senorita, if you are worried that I might harm my wife, you can put your fears to rest. I care deeply for Luca. I don’t know what she told you, but I’ve changed. By a quirk of fate Luca became my wife and I…” He found it difficult to bare his soul before strangers, but he wanted Luca’s friend to know how deep his feelings for Luca went “I love Luca. If she will forgive me, I will spend the rest of my life making her happy.”
Morgan’s sincerity impressed Renalda. Something in the pirate’s expression told her that his love for Luca would endure the ages. If a man were to love her like that she’d be the happiest of women.
“Very well, senor, I will let you in to see Luca, but I will probably earn severe punishment from Reverend Mother for this night’s work.”
She slid aside the heavy bar and swung the gate wide. Morgan stepped inside; Stan followed close on his heels.
“How do I find Luca’s room?” Morgan asked. He’d waited so long for this day that he could barely contain his excitement.
Renalda regarded Morgan through narrowed lids. Suddenly she viewed Morgan’s appearance as a sign from God. Her keen mind saw it as a way to escape the impossible situation imposed upon her by her father. Her eyes glowed with dark defiance as she lifted her chin to challenge Morgan. “I will not tell you. And you cannot find it on your own without awakening the entire convent The halls are a maze of tiny cells, all housing sisters and postulants.”
Morgan’s eyes narrowed angrily. Grasping Renalda’s shoulders, he gave her a violent shake. Renalda flinched but remained stubbornly mute. “Why did you let me inside if you had no intention of leading me to Luca?”
“Morgan, you’re hurting her,” Stan warned. His tone was gentle as he spoke to Renalda. “My name is Stan Crawford. You must have a reason for refusing Morgan’s request.” His Spanish was halting and not as good as Morgan’s but Renalda appeared to understand him.
Renalda’s mouth went dry, unable to form a reply.
“Renalda, do you understand? Why won’t you take Morgan to Luca?”
“I will storm every room in the convent if I have to,” Morgan promised.
Renalda stared at Morgan. She had to wet her lips with the tip of her tongue before she could speak. “I will tell you where she is only if you promise to take me with you.”
“What! Surely you jest.” Astonishment colored Morgan’s words. “What would your family say?”
“I am dead to my family,” Renalda said sadly. “I committed a terrible sin. They disowned me and sent me here as punishment. I will probably spend the remainder of my days behind these walls.”
“You are so young. What terrible sin have you committed?” Stan asked.
Renalda hung her head in shame. She couldn’t find the words to tell virtual strangers what had caused her family to disown her.
“My sin is of no importance. I ask only that you take me with you. Luca and I are friends. I can be of great help to her. She will need a woman’s attention.”
Morgan stopped short. “What do you mean?”
Renalda remained silent. It wasn’t her place to tell Morgan that he was going to become a father.
“Bloody Hell! Just tell me where to find Luca. I can’t take you with me, It’s impossible.”
“I say we take her,” Stan said quietly. Something about the girl reached out to him. If Renalda was so desperate to escape the convent, Stan could see no reason not to help her.
Morgan’s eyes narrowed. He’d never seen Stan so adamant about aiding a distressed woman before. “I won’t accept responsibility for her. There is a price on my head, and danger abounds in this foreign country.”
Morgan spoke to Stan in English; Renalda looked from one to the other, wishing she understood what they were saying. Obviously they were talking about her.
“I will take full responsibility,” Stan argued.
Morgan had neither the time nor the inclination to stand there exchanging words with Stan. Impatience gnawed at him. He was so close to attaining his goal, that he would have agreed to anything.
“Very well, but make sure she causes no trouble. I noticed an inn in the town of Lebrija as we passed through earlier. Engage rooms for us. I will follow with Luca as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Morgan. I don’t know why, but I feel strongly that this is right.” He turned to Renalda, explaining to her gently, “We will take you with us.”
Renalda’s eyes glistened with tears. Until these Englishmen arrived she had despaired of ever finding her way out of the convent. She was so grateful that she threw her arms around Stan and proceeded to blubber on his jacket.
Impatience got the best of Morgan. “The directions, Senorita Renalda. How do I find Luca?”
Renalda dried her eyes and gave precise directions to Luca’s tiny cell. “The door will not be locked, senor,” she said. “We are allowed little privacy.”
Morgan nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and limped off into the darkness while Stan then led Renalda through the gate, lifted her onto his horse, and mounted behind tier.
“Where are we going?” she asked breathlessly.
“I’m taking you to town, where we will wait for Morgan and Luca,” Stan explained. His arm tightened possessively around her waist, and suddenly Stan wanted this woman. He hardened immediately, wondering if Renalda was still a virgin, or if her “terrible” sin had resulted in her loss of innocence.
Morgan crept through the deserted corridors, following Renalda’s directions to the letter. It was dark except for candles left burning at each intersection, but they allowed Morgan sufficient light to make the right tur
ns and count the doors lining each side of the long hallways. When he finally reached the door indicated by Renalda’s directions, he paused, sucked in a steadying breath, and lifted the latch. The door opened noiselessly, and he stepped inside. A shaft of bright moonlight spilled through the window. Since his eyes were already accustomed to the dark, they needed little adjustment to see Luca kneeling beside the bed, wrapped from neck to toe in a voluminous white nightgown.
Engaged in prayer, Luca failed to hear the creak of me door opening and closing, or the sound of Morgan’s approaching footsteps. Mesmerized by the play of moonlight upon her bent head, Morgan stood perfectly still, staring at her with desperate longing. He noted with pleasure that her hair had grown, falling around her shoulders like a shimmering black curtain. Her feet were bare, and her perfect pink toes were all that was visible of her body except her hands and head. Starved for the sight of her, he seemed unable to move or think.
Luca prayed fervently, a habit she faithfully followed each night before retiring. She prayed that Morgan was nappy and well wherever he was, that her unborn child would be born healthy, and that Renalda would be released one day from her forced imprisonment. Though Luca had resigned herself to an austere life, she knew Renalda yearned for something more.
Suddenly Luca sensed that she was not alone. Her first thought was that Renalda had returned.
“I’m glad that you decided to return for a visit Renalda,” she called out. “I will be finished in a moment”
Her words released Morgan’s frozen limbs, and he moved silently toward the bed where Luca knelt in prayer. He smiled, recalling that she had been on her knees most of the time during their first days together.
He stood behind her now, close enough to reach out and touch her. Her special scent, sweetly seductive yet subtly elusive, enticed him beyond endurance. His hand shook as he placed it with great gentleness on her right shoulder. He sensed the precise moment when she realized it was him and not Renalda in the room with her. Her body tensed, and she sucked her breath in sharply. Then she turned slowly, his name leaving her lips on a trembling sigh.
Luca knew the precise moment she became aware that Morgan was in the room with her. She sensed the powerful allure of his presence, felt the heat of his body. She breathed in the heady scent of leather, horse, and something else uniquely his. Then she felt the jarring current of his touch and knew she wasn’t dreaming. Turning slowly, her lids fluttered upward, stunned by the look of raw hunger burning in the depths of his eyes.
“Luca…” Raising her to her feet, he stared into her eyes, his own dark and seeking, and suspiciously moist But he didn’t try to embrace her. Not yet. Not until he knew how she felt about him. “Thank God I found you. I’ve been living in Hell since you left. Why? Why did you leave me?”
Luca’s mourn went dry. How could Morgan ask such a question when everyone at court knew he’d been pursuing Lady Jane as if he’d been a free man?
Her voice was bitter. “Where have you been all this time, Morgan? Are we still married? Have you already made Lady Jane your new wife? The queen must be ecstatic. Lady Jane told me you wanted an annulment so you could marry her. Why are you here? I thought I was doing you a favor by leaving.
“Favor!” Morgan all but shouted. “I was worried sick about you. All those weeks that I lay helplessly in bed I imagined all kinds of terrible things that could have happened to you.”
“You were ill? Were you wounded at sea? Oh, Morgan, I’m so sorry.” Her hands roamed over his shoulders, his arms, his chest, searching for signs of injury. She felt nothing but hard-muscled flesh, and she let out a shaky sigh. She couldn’t have borne it if he had been gravely wounded.
“I took a musket ball,” Morgan said without elaborating.” This nothing, It’s healed now … well almost,” he added, thinking about the limp he might never lose.
“Oh, Morgan, why have you come? What about Lady Jane?”
“I don’t care about Lady Jane. I never wanted her. You’re the only woman I’ll ever want.”
Luca wanted to believe him, truly she did, but there were so many unresolved differences preventing their happiness. And there was still the baby he couldn’t accept.
“I’ll always be Spanish, Morgan,” she reminded him.
“It no longer matters. I’ve lived with the burden of hatred too long, ‘this time I put the past behind me and concentrate on the future, our future. You gave me incredible pleasure each time we made love, Luca, but it was guilty pleasure. Because of my vendetta against the Spanish, making love to you stripped my pride and filled me with anguish. I wanted you so desperately, but I felt as if I were betraying my family and myself. Thank God I no longer harbor those feelings, Luca. My heart is now free to love you as you deserve. I do love you, sweetheart. Will you forgive me for all those terrible things I did and said to you?”
Luca regarded him with astonishment “You love me? You want me?”
“I’ve always wanted you. What do I have to do or say to prove it to you? Will you trust me in this?” The moment the words left his mouth, Morgan branded himself a fool. How could Luca trust him when he’d done nothing to gain her trust?
Trust was an awesome burden, Luca decided. Especially when it involved an innocent child. How would Morgan feel about a son or daughter who carried her Spanish blood?
“Bloody Hell Luca, I need you! Let me take you home to Andros. I’m giving up the sea for good.”
The need to have Luca in his arms, to feel her softness melting into his hardness, became a raging inferno within him, one he had kept banked until he could no longer contain it. His arms came around her and his lips found hers, kissing her fiercely, delving into the deepest recesses of her mouth with a soul-destroying sweep of his tongue. Cupping her rounded bottom, he pulled Tier against him, aware of every lush curve of her fertile body.
Morgan blinked in confusion. Memory must have failed him, for he felt curves Luca hadn’t had before, curves mat… The breath slammed from his throat and he stared at her with a dazed expression His hands slid downward. By the time they reached the unmistakable bulge of her stomach, they were shaking. He made a sound of strangled delight deep in his throat Luca mistook the sound for disgust and tried to shove his hands aside.
“My God, you’re expecting my child!”
Luca finally succeeded in freeing herself. She stepped back and glared up at him. “I know you didn’t want a child with me, Morgan, but I’m not sorry. I’ll love this child even if you won’t Under the circumstances die convent is the best place for me.”
Morgan exhaled sharply. He had only himself to blame for Luca’s mistaken belief that he didn’t want their child. Bloody Hell! He was going to be a father, and Luca never intended to tell him. If he hadn’t come to Spain he might never have known. The thought was frightening in the extreme. He prayed he’d find the words to convince Luca that he wanted their child. That he would love it as much as he loved her.
“Luca, listen to me, It’s true I didn’t want to get you pregnant before I sailed out to meet the armada. But that was because I feared I might not come back and worried that you’d be left in a strange land with a child to raise. I didn’t mean to imply I never wanted children with you.”
Luca made a sound of disbelief deep in her throat. Morgan quickly added, “I won’t deny I felt that way once, but I’m not the same man I was when we first met I’ve said a lot of things I’ve since regretted, sweetheart.”
Luca touched his face, his eyes, his mouth, her fingertips moving lovingly over his dear features. He grasped her hand and held it to his mouth, placing a kiss on her palm and closing her fingers around it.
“Luca, come with me now. You’re my wife. You’re carrying my child. I need you both desperately. The Avenger is waiting in the harbor at Cadiz. The longer we delay, the greater the danger.”
He kissed her again, his mouth gently coaxing. She tasted his desperation, felt his need, and answered with a need of her own, her lips clinging to his in p
rofound yearning. When he finally broke off the kiss, she was gasping for breath. She loved him! Dios, she loved him.
“Tell me you’ll leave with me now, sweetheart,” Morgan pleaded. “Tell me you love me. You and our child are all I have left in the world that mean anything to me.”
His sincerity touched a place in Luca’s heart where slim hope had survived. The moisture glistening in the corners of his eyes and his heartfelt declaration of love convinced her that miracles do happen.
“I love you, Morgan. I’ve loved you for a very long time. I left because I didn’t want to burden you with a child you didn’t want and couldn’t accept. I thought you would be happier with Lady Jane.”
“I can be happy with no one but you. Now get dressed, Stan is waiting for us in town.”
“I can’t leave without telling Reverend Mother,” Luca protested. “She’s been very good to me. And Renalda. She’s my friend. I promised I’d take her with me when I left. I want to …”
“Leave a note for Reverend Mother,” Morgan interrupted. “As for Renalda, she’s with Stan. You’ll see her very soon Hurry, there’s bound to be a fuss if I’m discovered here. I’m still a wanted man in Spain.” And in England, too, he thought but did not say.
Luca gave Morgan a startled look. “Stan abducted Renalda? Whyever for?”
Morgan gave her a wicked grin. “I would suspect for the same reason I abducted you, only Stan did not have to resort to force. Renalda was quite eager to leave.”
Luca smiled. “You never cease to amaze me, Morgan Scott.”
Chapter 21
The small town of Lebrija boasted only one inn. Stan Crawford engaged three rooms, earning a suspicious glare from the innkeeper for his faulty Spanish. But since Stan offered hard coin in payment, the innkeeper grudgingly handed over the keys to the foreigner.
Renalda fidgeted nervously, wondering what the English pirate expected in return for helping her escape the convent. No matter what the price, she would willingly pay it in return for the opportunity to experience fife outside convent walls. And she would be with Luca; that fact alone gave her courage. Not that Stan Crawford was hard to take. Besides, she was so steeped in sin now, one more improper act wouldn’t hurt, if it came to that. She prayed that it wouldn’t. She was no puta and hoped the pirate realized it. The fact that he had paid for three rooms gave her hope.