“Then you weren’t named for the Archangel Raphael?”
“No, I was not! I was named for my paternal grandmother’s family.” He clamped his mouth shut, afraid that he had already revealed too much.
“And here I had such a romantic ideal of you. I would like to meet your mother. I shall be very interested to see what sort of a woman could possibly raise you.”
He observed her for a moment, and then decided that she was purposefully trying to irritate him.
He tried to keep his voice as civil as was possible, beneath the stressful situation.
“You shall adore my mother, I am sure of it. She is a woman of beauty and wit. A woman in a class of her own.”
“I have no doubt. For you certainly do not lack physical attractiveness.”
“You do realize that Antonio will be coming back to intercept us before we reach England, do you not?”
“I doubt that he will be able to find you. We are at sea, and as soon as he took Chastity, he must have charted a different course.”
“Sometimes I fear that the man is not entirely human, for he seems to know things that others do not.”
“Complete and utter balderdash. We shall reach England in a matter of days, and you will find that we will have clear sailing.”
“Aye, perhaps you are right. But I, my dear, have learned to never bank on supposition. I prefer to let the Fates take me where they will.” He watched, as she tilted her head to the side.
“Yet, you took fate into your own hands when you kidnapped me.” Her voice was soft, and there was something resembling betrayal glimmering in her eyes. She walked slowly toward him, and placed her hands firmly on his chest. “Why do you insist on giving me heartache?”
Her voice rocked him to his very core. “I do no such thing.”
“Oh, but you do. I may have been pampered with riches untold for my entire life, but I do know there is more to life than money and jewels.”
“There is love, like my love for you.” He was waiting for her to confess her own love to him, but for some reason, she was remaining disturbingly quiet. He lowered his lips toward hers, and brushed against them, ever so slightly. She tensed, but wrapped her arms around him. Pulling her close, he lifted her off of her feet. He twirled her around and lowered one hand to cup her bottom.
“We must leave,” she gasped out. Their hunger for each other would never be abated. Somehow they made it to the next cabin, and where words had failed them, they took over in the joining of their bodies. He stared at her at the height of their passion, and wondered if she would ever be his.
“I am happy you never accepted another man’s proposal. I suppose I shall have to deal with your infernal cousin at some point in time.” He brushed a lock of her hair off of her face, and decided that he loved the way that she looked after a bout of hearty lovemaking. Her forehead shone with sweat, and her eyes filled with wonder.
“My cousin will not challenge you. My aunt, on the other hand, well, you just might have to fight a duel with her. She wanted all of my money, and wasn’t pleased when my grandfather gave part of his money to me. I can still hear her talking about me when she thought I wasn’t around. She said to her son, why did that old man have to leave anything to that little stupid bitch?
“She has it all—she’ll get all of her father’s money, what right does she have to get the money that you were owed? I knew that night that I had to leave England…even if my father wasn’t poorly, I would have left. At least with my father, I know where I stand…I couldn’t stand the way that my aunt smiled to my face and stabbed me in my back when I wasn’t around. She was a Brutus. It has only ever been about the riches I had…but I thought you were different…” Her voice trailed off, and there was a catch to it that made him give her his full attention. “At the masquerade ball, you stared at me as if I was the only woman that mattered. I could not believe that I had been given such a blessing. That was why I agreed to go out with you to the maze.”
He pulled her closer to him. She was right. Though revenge had been on his mind, it had not been in his heart when he’d first laid eyes on her.
“I…when I first saw you…all of my lust for revenge slipped away. I was put under a spell. My mind still yearned for revenge, but my heart did not.” His voice was low, and filled with the shame he still felt about what he’d been set to do. She propped herself up on her elbows, and stared quizzically down at him.
“If you knew who I was that night, why didn’t you come back to claim me? Why did you abandon me?”
How could he answer her question? He, himself didn’t know why he’d stayed away. Perhaps, it was because he’d hated what he’d almost become. Hated what he’d almost done to her.
He could see by the intense expression on her face that she was thinking once again.
“You mentioned earlier that you knew Mary. How do you know her? Was she another one of your conquests?”
He chuckled at that ludicrous thought and sighed heavily. “No, she was not one of my conquests. She knew my brother.” His voice had become flat at her new line of questioning, and he could see that she had noticed the change.
“In what capacity did she know your brother?”
“She was his partner in crime, his partner in all things. His confidant, his everything.” He stared over at her to see if she was going to flinch at all. “You do not know much about Mary, do you?”
“Only that she is a formidable woman, and one that does not need to be protected.”
“Aye, that is what my brother soon found out. They had plans to wed you see, and I do believe that my brother would have done anything for her. I suspect that he would have even died for her, if necessary. But she had problems of her own on land, and he had responsibilities at sea.”
“What sort of problems did she have?”
“She was fighting for her land, and for her title. Fortunately, she eventually regained everything, but when it came for the time of their nuptials, my brother was killed. I did not believe that Mary would ever recover, but it seems that time evidently heals all wounds.”
“I am sorry. Ronald is a good man.”
“Aye, but my brother…my brother Malcolm was a far better man.” His voice was heavy, and he blinked back tears. He wanted to get off the subject of talking about his brother. He and his brother had been very close, and witnessing his death had nearly broken him.
Two loud raps sounded at the door, and Mallory stood up to answer it.
“Mallory?” Elizabeth whispered. Turning around, he was surprised to see the wistful expression that had taken hold of her features. “I shall never be close to another man the way that I am close to you.” He nodded his head, momentarily unable to say anything.
No matter how hard he tried, she was still unwilling to tell him that she loved him. She’d professed it once, quite unwittingly it seemed, and now, now, she seemed intent upon making the same mistake twice. Squaring his shoulders, and buttoning the last button on his jacket, he moved to swing the door open.
“They have come.” Ethan’s voice was emotionless, though his hand rested comfortably on his sword. “And this time the bastard brought more ships. They outnumber us two to one.”
Mallory bit his lip, and turned back to stare at Elizabeth.
“The men are making ready, but I do believe that we will be facing a close fight—this shall be a bloody battle.” Ethan seemed troubled, but Mallory was not worried in the slightest. Perhaps this would be the day that Antonio would finally receive his reckoning.
“Make sure that everyone is armed, right up to Old Pete.” Mallory’s mind had turned from worrying about Elizabeth’s inability to confess her love, to worrying about the welfare of everyone onboard his ship.
There would be deaths this day, and he had to make sure that he kept her safe from the carnage. A sea battle was something that could terrify the wits out of grown men. Elizabeth had fared spectacularly well on the last one, right up until the time when she had been o
verwhelmed and captured.
“Aye, Captain.” Ethan motioned for him to step outside, and Mallory obliged. “What if he has come for her?”
“He shall never get her.” Mallory’s voice was hard, and Ethan’s brows were raised.
“Be careful, Rafe.”
“Why should I be careful? I love that woman in there. I love her deeply, with all that I have to give.”
“Aye, and I loved her mother. Look at where it got me. Just pray take care, for you never know what she might do. If you recall, you did kidnap her. What if she is playing right into your hands?”
“Out of the question. I shall not even consider it.”
“Just watch your back, savvy?”
“Yes, I understand. I shall take great caution when dealing with her.” Mallory did not want to be on guard with Elizabeth, but he would stay on his toes, until he knew whether or not she was his forever.
“Have you told her who you really are, yet?”
“I have told her part of who I am. I will tell her the whole story soon.” He shuffled impatiently, and glanced back wearily at the door. He had to keep his answers short and to the point. Elizabeth had a habit of listening at the door. She was a well-accomplished eavesdropper.
Ethan simply did not understand the difficult situation that he was in. He was between a rock and a hard place, and he did not know what to do.
“Women really hate men that lie to them. It’s way up there on their list of most despicable men.” Ethan’s eyes searched his features, and Mallory sighed. He was annoying him to no end, but he knew that he only had his best interests at heart.
Ethan had been a dutiful, trustworthy friend, and he had to have him know their friendship was not being strained in the slightest.
“Thank you, mate. I shall keep everything that you have said in mind. You are too paranoid for your own good, sometimes, my friend.” He slapped Ethan on the back, and then turned at the sound of extra activity onboard the ship. “But I do believe that you still have to make sure that this ship is battle ready. Have you sent out the necessary signals to the other ships?”
“Aye, it’s been done. They are scrambling for action. What about The Lady’s Warrior? Shall we protect them as well?”
“Most certainly. The Countess is a personal friend of mine. I don’t think my mother would be overly happy if I allowed anything to happen to her goddaughter. Splendid. Now allow me to get back to my woman. I must convince her to stay down below while the fighting is going on.”
“Do you think that’s very wise? Miss Elizabeth has never been overly accommodating in following your wishes before. She comes from stubborn stock that one does. I would wager that most of her unbending ways come from her mother’s side of the family.” Ethan stopped mid-step, and threw him a doubting frown.
“Duly noted, old man.” He stared at Ethan, and puckered his lips into a frown. The man was treading a fine line with his intimated remark, but Mallory would let it pass for their good friendship allowed for a certain amount of leeway. Besides, Mallory and Elizabeth were distant cousins at best. “If I keep her in her cabin, I shall have the peace of mind of knowing that she is safe. During a heated battle, I do not want to worry about having a woman underfoot.”
“Have it your way, then. Who am I to argue with a duke and a prince of a pirate? I should have my head examined for doing such an absurd thing.” He bounded up the companionway, and left Mallory with his own unsettled thoughts.
Elizabeth would never leave him. She was his, forever and always. But what would he do if she did manage to escape him? He would go mad that is what he would do. Opening the cabin door, he walked in as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elizabeth was slowly losing her mind. She paced the length of the cabin for about the thousandth time, and stopped when she heard the door open. Whirling about, she served Mallory with a cunning stare.
“I would like a sword or a cutlass, or whatever the hell that sharp thing is that you carry.”
“Good morrow, to you to,” he mumbled, reaching inside of his pocket for a letter. He handed it to her and then strode over to his writing desk.
“I have no need of such a letter,” she muttered, staring down at it quizzically.
“Keep it. You may find the information that it contains to come in handy someday. Especially if I do not make it out of this fight alive.” Silence blanketed the room, before Elizabeth rushed over to him and pulled him around to face him.
Had the man taken leave of his senses? Whatever possessed him to say such horrendous things?
“Stop this at once!” she shouted, stamping her foot. “I will not hear of your death. You handle yourself quite well in a fight.”
“There are uncertainties when it comes to the type of fight that we are facing.”
“Uncertainties?” she laughed, but it sounded hollow and bitter to her ears. “Of course there are uncertainties. Some poor bastards are going to lose their lives this day. Hell, we could be those poor bastards!”
“I don’t want you to be one of those poor bastards. That is why you must promise me you will stay down here where it is safe. I shall post two guards outside of your door.”
“And what if the guards are overpowered?” she snorted. “Blister it! You listen to me, Mallory,” she said, striding up to him, and poking him on the chest. “I shall not allow myself to put my trust in others.”
“I will make sure that you do not have to worry about being ruthlessly killed. The fighting shall remain above deck.”
“You stupid pillock!” she spat out. “Here I stand, telling you I wish to fight, and yet you are being implacable with me.”
“I only have concern for your safety.” He made to put his arms around her, but she pulled away from him, and served him with a foul stare.
“You shall not placate me that easily. I have always been a woman of my own making. Why do you think that I distance myself from my father so much?”
“Just this once, can you not give me the ability to have my heart at rest?”
She bunched her hands into fists, and stared up at him through lowered lashes. She would not let him leave her behind. If he were out of her sights, she would not be able to warn him of any impending danger. Thinking on her feet, she approached him, by plastering the best pout on her face that she could muster.
“You say that you love and adore me, and yet you will not allow me to fight by your side as your equal. Tell me, Mallory, am I your equal?”
“Aye, I would say that you are. Though I would warrant I could lift a few more stones that you can.”
“That goes without saying. But in this relationship, do you view me as your equal?” Everything hinged on the answer to this one pivotal question.
“Certainly.” His voice sounded sincere and his face relayed no other sentiment to her.
“That is good, then. I shall have you know that I have been trained in the ways of combat.”
“Not in this type of combat. There are no rules of honour here, my dear. The Royal Navy has rules of engagement and rules of war, but here on the open seas with no law around us, we pirates fight of our own code. And the code is every man for himself. There will be dirty fighting of that much you can be sure.
“Most of these pirates that we shall go up against are the lowest of the lows. They only know the power of destruction. They will do anything to take over these ships, and the cargo and people that they hold. Why do you think women do not travel with me on a regular occasion?
“Our life is a hard, and sometimes a terrible one. I have seen things that would make your hair stand on end. I am not willing to have you at the mercy of Antonio again. Because this time there will be no escape for you. If we do not win this battle, all hope will be lost.”
“Then, I would rather die fighting.” She stared up at him, and ran her hands over his chest. “Just because I am not built like you, does not mean I do not have fire in my heart and in my ey
es. I swear to you that I shall give each and every pirate that boards this ship one hell of a run for their money.”
“I do believe that you would, my dear Elizabeth. But it is out of the question. You stay here. That is that. No room for any other form of discussion. You shall stay in here with Charles and with Seamus.”
“Charles?” Her mind reeled, as she tried to comprehend what he’d just said. “But that is the most foolish thing that I have ever heard you say. You cannot be actually considering keeping Charles? You said yourself that he was not your boy. If Phillip…I mean Antonio, knows that he is onboard this ship, he will be in a towering rage until he gets him back.”
“Men like Antonio do not care about their children. Especially when those children are illegitimate ones.”
“Ah, but I disagree. I know for a reason that Antonio will want Charles back.”
“If we give him Charles, the boy will grow up to be a tyrant like his father, and like his father, he will haunt me until the end of my days.”
“Pray, do let Charles go back to his father and mother.”
“How is the boy feeling now? Has the fever lessened?”
“Aye, it was almost gone when we left, and um…came here,” she coughed, and averted her gaze from his smoldering one.
“Lying with you is truly one of the most glorious pleasures I have ever experienced. When I am with you, I swear that I have died and gone to heaven.”
“Yes, well, if you keep Charles away from Antonio, the man might just oblige you.”
“Would you in good conscience be able to allow that boy to go back to a certified monster like that? Be serious, Elizabeth, I know you would not.”
“If he were my son, I would protect him with my last breath.”
“That is just what I want to hear, for I do believe you shall make a fine mother. Namely, a fine mother of my children.”
Her breath lodged in her throat, and she had to gasp for breath. This could not be how it was going to end. If they made it out of this battle alive, she would leave Rafe or Mallory, or whoever the hell he was, as soon as they reached England.
His to Hold (Regency Scoundrels Book 1) Page 20