“What on earth are you doing up here, woman? I clearly asked Mr. Douglas to make certain you stayed safe below.”
“I…” She inhaled and wiped some of the wetness out of her face. It did no good. The constant shower of rain replaced what she had wiped off in an instant. “I was a little…frightened down below. I didn’t feel safe tied down there, so I cut us free with the knife Mr. Douglas gave me.”
Thunder cracked and Gage noticed her attempt to hide a shiver. She hugged the baby close to her body. The ship teetered yet again, and Gage could not stop himself from gathering the woman and child in his arms. When the lady protested, he explained, “I will not have you falling on my account.” He squeezed his eyes shut tight for a moment, enjoying the feel of having a woman in his arms for once. “Now, I need you to go back down to your cabin. I will send someone to help you tie yourself to the bedpost again. My men have already attached lifelines for themselves to the mast, so they will have to cut themselves free to help you.”
She shifted her eyes to his. They were the color the sky had been right before they’d sailed into this wretched hurricane. Emma let out a screech almost as loud as the howling wind. Gage pried the baby from Lady Shaw’s arms and rocked her until she settled down again.
After a second, he returned the child to the woman. She did not appear to be going anywhere in a hurry. He clenched his jaw. It was a terrible feeling to be harsh with her, but he needed to so she could be safe. Before speaking, he inhaled a deep breath. “Go back to your cabin. I will not ask you again.”
A frown creased her forehead, but she moved to leave at last.
She whirled back around. “Captain Thompson…” Rain dripped off her nose as she hesitated. “Stay safe, sir.”
****
Ivy exhaled deeply.
Rope cut into her arms as the cabin pitched to the side, but she remained in place. Emma squirmed against Ivy’s chest.
Captain Thompson had seen to it that Mr. Douglas had followed them back to the cabin and made sure they were securely tied to the bed. To make matters worse, he had taken her knife because he did not trust her to remain in place.
And now, although she hated feeling helpless, Ivy had to admit she was glad to be kept stationary in this cabin that was constantly pitching from side to side. She knew she would have been injured by now if she had not followed the captain’s orders. Well, maybe he was not so bad after all. He obviously had only hers and the child’s best interests at heart.
That still did not stop Ivy’s stomach from tumbling.
The ship pitched to the side. Ivy lurched, but the rope held her in place. Rain continuously poured down, smacking the deck above, forming a demented kind of music. Now, she was glad she was down below, safe from the effects of the tempest.
But what of the poor crew above? They were soaked to the bone, beaten and battered. All on her account. Lord, I am so sorry for my selfishness. Please see us safely out of this storm. Don’t let any harm come to Captain Thompson or his men.
A great crack sounded from above, followed by an ear-splitting thump. Men’s shouts and heavy footsteps rent the air. Emma shrieked. Ivy whispered comfortingly to the girl and squeezed her eyes shut tight. What on earth was that awful noise? She prayed Captain Thompson would send someone down to her soon, if only to keep her informed of what was happening up there.
Besides, she had been kept in the cabin all night. How long would it take to be free of this storm?
Ivy stared out the window, which revealed nothing but inky blackness. Perhaps they would never return to safe waters.
****
Gage shoved a lock of hair from his face. Fierce wind whipped it right back into his eyes. He groaned. They had been sailing in this tempest for hours now, and his entire body ached from fighting the storm beside his crew. His men were just as exhausted as he felt, if not more.
Now, he stared at the fallen mizzenmast. There was no way they would make it out of this hurricane safely. With the mizzenmast down, if they did survive, then it would be hard to get to land safely to repair the ship.
Their survival seemed unlikely. A wave of emotion swept through Gage. He had put everyone on this ship at risk, and for what? To make some foolish little lady who wanted nothing to do with him happy. No, this was his entire fault. He had wanted to sail through this hurricane to get to Addie, as well. What an imbecile he was. Now, Lady Shaw would drown, along with poor, sweet little Emma, and all of his crew. Addie would lose her protector and Lady Shaw’s brother would lose the one person who devoted her life to caring for him. What on earth was wrong with him?
A gust of wind slapped salty water against his first mate, Adam, who wobbled to maintain his balance. His clothes were soaked through, and his face ashen. The gray hue made his scars a pale white. He stared dully at the floor, seeming to ignore everything around him. A wave swept a chunk of the fallen mizzenmast and thumped it into Adam’s shoulder. The man did not seem to notice.
Gage worked his way over to Adam. His first mate clearly needed a reprieve, before he went mad. “Mr. Douglas?”
Adam froze for a moment. Finally, he tipped his head up. “Yes, Captain?” A wave crashed over them, soaking Gage to the bone—as if he were not already drenched enough.
“I would appreciate it if you could—“A gust of wind tore Gage’s hat off his head, but he caught it before it was swept into the swirling abyss of ocean. “—go below for a moment—I need you to check on Lady Shaw to make sure she is still all right.”
Adam blinked and wiped an arm across his forehead, batting away some of the water.
“Go and stay with her for a while.” Gage braced himself against the mizzenmast as he made his way toward Adam. “Perhaps it’ll clear your mind.” His voice strained in an effort to be heard above the din of the hurricane.
Finally, the man walked away, wobbling as the ship teetered underneath his feet. What on earth was going on in that man’s mind? When Gage had recruited him in his crew, he had not expected such an able-bodied man to freeze in the face of a storm.
Gage’s stomach sank as he brought his gaze back to reality. What were they going to do if their ship incurred any more damage? Besides the felled mizzenmast, punctures damaged the hull. A group of men were bailing and pumping out accumulated water, or they probably would have gone under already. Not that their chances of remaining above the surface were large, with the massive surges they faced.
While the men milled about frantically, obeying his shouted orders, Gage bowed his head and prayed. There was no chance but a miracle for them to make it out of this hurricane alive.
Chapter Nine
It will be a miracle if we escape this alive, thought Adam as he gave a warning knock on the lady’s door. Her muffled whimper sounded in reply, so he opened the door and let himself in. A wave of water followed him, saturating the deck of the cabin. Lady Shaw and the child were huddled on the bed, obediently tied to the bed post. Her vibrantly orange hair reminded him of someone else he had known years ago. Against his will, a smile curved his lips at the thought of the home he rarely missed.
A crack of thunder reverberated overhead, sending an icy shiver down Adam’s spine and shaking the thought from his head. Although he was below decks, relatively dry and away from the drama, he could still sense everything going on above, and he felt all the more like a deserter.
He knew Captain Thompson had been able to observe his cowardice with one look. And a coward he was, through and through. Still, he could not erase the image of James’s face from his mind.
“What is going on, Mr. Douglas? Is everything all right? We heard an absolutely dreadful noise a few moments ago. Is anyone hurt?”
Adam struggled to maintain his balance on the teetering deck. Finally, he sat down on a small, wooden chair. “Well, a few men have been injured, but I don’t believe it was anything life-threatening.” He sighed. They were lucky for that, at least. “The ship, on the other hand, has taken far too many blows. I don’t want to frig
hten you, but some men are pumping water out of the hold, and we have lost the mizzenmast.”
Lady Shaw’s face tightened. “What is the mizzenmast, Mr. Douglas?”
“It is the second tallest mast on the ship. We need it to be able to sail anywhere successfully.”
“Oh, my!”
“Yes, but hopefully Captain Thompson knows what he is doing. I have never sailed under his name before, but I hear he was trained by the best.” Adam ran his fingers through his hair. He could not stop his hand from shaking. Goodness, when would he ever get over his irrational fear? They were not going to lose another man in this storm. Besides, being down here, he would not witness anything that might happen. Yet why did he still worry?
“Are you all right, sir?”
The lady must have noticed.
“Yes, milady…I am fine. I…I should be going now. I am sure the men need me up there. I will see to it that Captain Thompson sends someone down here to keep you informed. Stay safe, milady.”
****
Ivy stared at the door Mr. Douglas shut behind him. The second he had opened it, water had gushed in, soaking the floorboards. A loud crash sounded from above now, making Ivy cringe. Was she imagining, or did she hear a man’s agonized scream follow it? An icy shiver raced down her spine. Emma whimpered, and babbled something Ivy could not quite understand. The child had spoken a limited vocabulary for her age, causing Ivy to fear her poor first few years of life had taken the words away from her. Ivy rocked the poor child. What good had she done, taking in this little baby to supposedly save her, when now she was in danger of sinking to the ocean floor.
Now she had brought the poor darling on a treacherous ship to sail her to her doom. Please, God, please let us be safe. Please don’t let us drown. For little Emma’s sake, if nothing else.
Thunder rumbled as lightning cracked across the sky in response, almost directly on top of each other. Would it ever stop? Surely they had been in this tempest for hours upon hours. She had never experienced a hurricane before, only heard about them in wild tales retold by the sailing merchantmen who attended her church.
Church. Oh, how she missed church. So many friends and loved ones back home probably missed her as much as she did them. Now she may never hear their voices again, at least until they were all reunited in heaven.
The ship dipped violently to the side, and then the tossing stopped for a moment. Thunder crashed again, and they wobbled on a wave, but it seemed more subdued than the last few. Exhaustion weighed down Ivy’s eyelids, until she finally gave in to the heaviness. Her head nodded against her chest. Tortured dreams kept her in a restless slumber.
Someone pounded on her door. Ivy jerked awake. “Yes?” The gentle rolling of the sea beneath her caused her to nod off in sleep once again, if only for a moment.
A man’s voice woke her again. “May I come in, miss? I trust you are all right?”
Ivy blinked rapidly and moved to sit up. Oh. She couldn’t. She was bound to the bedpost. Panic swept through her to wake up so immobilized, but after a moment her memories returned. The hurricane. The terrifying noises. Being tied to the bedpost for her safety.
“Yes, sir…please do enter.”
The door opened and Captain Thompson strode in, water dripping off his coat in rivulets.
A charming grin lit his handsome face.
What was going on? Hopefully something pleasant, guessing by the expression of mirth on his face. Then again, the man always seemed to have a smile on his face so that might not be the best expression by which to judge his feelings. Finally, he spoke, his grin never wavering. “Were you sleeping, milady?”
That was not exactly what she had expected him to say. Her face flushed and she suddenly felt self-conscious of her still-sleepy eyes. Was her hair mussed? She raised a hand to fix it, but found her arms still bound. A groan escaped her throat. Emma’s weight pressed against her chest. “Yes, I’m afraid I did nod off, sir.” She noticed how calm the ship felt. No pitching back and forth, no thunder, no lightning, no constantly pounding rain or sailor’s boots above her. “Will you please free me, Captain? Mr. Douglas took my knife away, and it is absolutely dreadful to be chained up like this.”
He winked at her. “Why, of course, milady, I will rescue the fair maiden.” The man pulled a knife from his pocket and, in a flash, slashed the ropes that bound her. Ivy sighed and rolled her shoulders. Emma stirred, but still slept, which Ivy was grateful for. She loved the girl, but was not really in the mood to handle a fit from her.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. Now, will you please tell me why you are here?” Ivy shoved the loose bits of hair that dangled around her neck back into her bun. She blushed when she realized how out of order she must appear in front of this pirate.
He bowed low before her and took her hand in his, kissing it as he did so. Her heart fluttered. What on earth was he doing?
“I just came here to inform you that we are free from the storm, miss. I hope you and the babe are well?” He raised an eyebrow at Emma, who fidgeted around in Ivy’s arms. The child whined. She was waking. Suddenly Ivy’s arms felt quite weak from holding the little one for so long. After a moment, she shifted Emma around and patted her on the back.
“Yes, sir, we are well. But how fares your crew? I heard so many men cry out, and the storm became so violent…Is everyone all right?” Ivy could not stop herself from wringing her hands together in fright of his anticipated answer.
“Well, miss, some men were injured doing various duties, but none are in serious condition, the surgeon says. We should be all right. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my ship.”
Ivy’s eyebrows knitted together in a frown. What was wrong with the ship? Were they going to sink now, after all they had endured? Surely that would not be fair. “What, Captain Thompson?”
He flung his hands together behind his back. “I’m afraid the storm really did not agree with her. We lost the mizzenmast, and then to top that off, some of our sails are ruined. There is also a fair amount of damage to our hull. Without the proper care, we could easily sink.”
Ivy gasped. “What are you going to do about it, sir? That sounds terrible.”
“We will have to stop somewhere and repair her. I know of an inlet not far from where we are, and we can get there safely to careen her to make the necessary repairs.”
Ivy’s heart seemed to sink to the bottom of the ocean. That meant even more time before she saw William. Too long. “How long would it take you to…to careen the ship, Captain? Surely it would not take too much time.”
“It would probably take us seven days to successfully repair the ship to make her ready to sail you home. Milady, it would not be safe to take any less time.”
No. No, no, no!
“Are you sure it will take so long? I…I understand you need to fix your ship, but do you think your crew could work a little faster? I need to get to William as quickly as is possible.”
“I apologize, miss. There is nothing else I can do to speed the process or avoid it entirely. I will ask the men to work as quickly as possible, and we may be able to cut back one day, perhaps two. But other than that, we need to make sure this ship is safe. There is no way I am sailing you all the way to the Carolinas in a ship that might sink at any moment. Besides, if we sail into any enemy territory by chance or if we would happen to get caught by any pirates, we cannot be sailing a ship that is deteriorating. There would be no way to outrun or outperform them if we left the ship in this condition. I could not keep you and Emma safe.”
Fire flashed through Ivy. “What about William’s safety?” Her voice cracked. She held back a sob. It would be too unladylike to cry in front of a man for no valid reason, especially a pirate. She sucked in a deep breath, but guilt and shame swept through her in a fresh wave of tears. Emma was just as important as William.
Captain Thompson seemed to notice her state anyway, and concern and pity softened his gaze. “I am sorry, miss. There’s no other way I know
.”
“Well, then you aren’t so intelligent then, are you, sir?” Ivy snapped.
****
Gage frowned at the woman’s statement. She had always seemed like a polite, well-spoken lady, but right now she was acting a vixen. Why must she hate him for maintaining her safety? He had done nothing wrong.
He glanced at the little girl in her arms, who was staring up at him. Her eyes, the color of the Caribbean Sea, were absolutely gorgeous. With her looks and sweet nature, this girl would probably have little boys fawning over her in a number of years.
The babe’s chin suddenly wobbled, and then her loud cry rent the air as she stretched her chubby little arms out towards him. Gage leaned forward. “Can I hold her, miss?”
She nodded tersely.
He wrapped his arms around the tyke, and his arm brushed against the woman. His breath halted for a second. Her eyes met his. There was no longer anger or pain in them. Instead, he saw wonder and curiosity and something else there. A little gasp escaped her pink lips, drawing Gage’s eyes to them. Oh, but she was a pretty little thing.
Gage leaned forward an inch more, but Emma launched herself between their faces. He leaned backward to balance her weight in his arms, and the moment between him and the lady ended. He sighed a long breath. Lady Shaw rubbed her hands against her cheeks, which were now a dark shade of pink.
Blast, was she an attractive woman. And he would have none of her. She was a proper young lady and he a pirate. Although everything had ended well for Eden and Caspian, a stowaway and Gage’s former captain, things were not guaranteed in any sense with Gage and a refined aristocrat. He had no right getting himself involved with her. No right at all.
Emma bounced herself in his arms. She played with the curls around his neck and giggled as she scratched her cheek against his stubbly jaw. Gage leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. What would it be like to have a little girl of his own?
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