A Lesson in Presumption

by Jennifer Connors

  Ginny's head fell back at all the sensations she was feeling at once. Different parts of her body were stimulated, but it all came together in a sudden burst of light as her orgasm shook both of them. Seeing his face, Ginny knew he was desperate to hold out a little longer. But when her insides constricted around him, he was lost, pulling out suddenly and spilling his seed on her stomach.

  Releasing her legs from around his hips, Ginny sat up and pulled his face up to meet hers. He was still breathing heavy, but there was his unmistakable smile over a very good orgasm. Caressing his cheek, Ginny kissed him. Not a sweet kiss of a thank you, but a rough, hard kiss to let him know exactly what she thought of sex on the desk.

  After a few minutes, with still no conversation between them, the two got cleaned up. Ginny returned to her cabin and fell on her berth. Staring at the ceiling of her tiny room, she was still wordless. Anymore of that, and she wouldn't be walking very well. Her last thought before falling asleep was that she could definitely get used to living on a ship if Jeremy was captain.

  Chapter 11

  Now that Nathaniel knew her ultimate destination, he didn't worry much about following the Phoenix too closely. It would take time for Northwood to reach Hispaniola, and once he dumped off Lady Gammage, it would take nothing to go in one night and abduct her. Standing on the deck of his own ship, Nathaniel considered his plans carefully.

  Gideon came to stand next to him, knowing better than to disturb the captain when he was thinking. Instead, he stared out at the view. The ocean was a large and lonely place. A ship could go weeks without seeing anything besides the dark, blue beauty of rippling water. Not being a poet, Gideon had no way to put what he saw into words, only to feel its humbling effects.

  A third man approached the captain, also waiting to have a word. Spencer Sherwood was the ship's surgeon. Unlike most men who took on medical duties aboard ships, Sherwood actually studied medicine under some of the best doctors in England. After his life took a harrowing turn, he ended up on the Victory Sound and thankful for it. He owed a great deal to Nathaniel Webster.

  Webster turned and faced both men. The two couldn't be more different. Other than their height, they bore little resemblance, with Gideon being broad shouldered and hulkish, Sherwood was thinner, with a face just shy of gaunt. Although he'd put on some weight from when he'd found the man, Sherwood had a long way to go before he was back to his full potential.

  “What can I do you for you, gentlemen?” Webster asked, with his usual ironic tone.

  Gideon snorted. Gentleman indeed. “I was wondering what you had in mind for this trip, Captain.”

  Webster raised an eyebrow, knowing full well what his first in command was asking. Instead of answering, he turned to the doctor and indicated he should ask his question instead.

  “I wanted to tell you that I was able to find all the supplies I needed in Las Palmas. I am fully prepared to care for any injuries that might come about.”

  Gideon snorted again. “And if a cannonball should take off my head, what have you for that?”

  Sherwood regarded the man for a moment before saying, “I should not think anyone would notice a difference.”

  Webster laughed out loud, while Gideon sneered. Truth be told, Gideon thought it was a good answer, quick and inventive. Although he would never admit it, he rather liked the new doctor, despite his unfortunate past.

  “Good to know, Sherwood.” When the man still didn't walk away, Webster asked, “Was there something else?”

  “I was curious as to where we are heading as well. Unless that is information I should not know about.”

  Webster had yet to inform either man of his plans to kidnap a woman and bring her on board. He trusted Gideon with his very life, and knew that Sherwood would never betray him either. But, there was a niggling feeling like he should be ashamed of his plans and maybe consider finding another course. But every time he thought about the woman living it up, avoiding her very lenient punishment, he was fueled again with the need for revenge.

  “We are headed to Hispaniola. There is someone there I wish very much to meet.”

  Gideon, who had known the captain a long time and had never seen him act as such, asked, “And just who would this bloke be? Must be pretty important to take you away from our usual business.”

  “Not a man, Gideon. A woman. The woman who killed my cousin, as a matter of fact.”

  Sherwood looked confused, but Gideon understood immediately. “Never got a chance to speak to her then, eh?”

  “No. I found out some disturbing information and need to reconcile it. The only way to do that is to speak to the woman herself. And she is on her way to Hispaniola.”

  “But I thought you said she was to go to St. Lucia?”

  “She was supposed to...” Nathaniel stopped his thought and shook his head. “Never you mind. We head to Hispaniola, where I can take care of my business, then we can head out and see if there are any plump chickens available for the plucking.”

  “That is what I wanted to hear, Captain.” Gideon turned on his heel and went back to directing the sailors.

  Sherwood bowed his head and went back to the surgery. Not much for him to do, except wait until someone needed his assistance. And Webster went back to staring out toward the horizon, waiting for any inspiration that might come to him.

  Chapter 12

  The rest of the journey was quiet. No threats made by pirates, no storms, good wind. It rather surprised Ginny that it was so uneventful. She would even call it boring. Her days were still spent learning the day to day operations of a large sailing vessel and her nights were still spent in Jeremy's bunk, but nothing else.

  The day they reached Las Salinas, a small fishing village in the south of Hispaniola, just outside Ocoa Bay, the day was bright and warm. Ginny relished the opportunity to get off the ship for the first time in weeks. Jeremy had explained that he owned a small sugar plantation a few miles from the coast. She could live there as long as she desired, but he had hoped that she would wait for him to retire.

  It didn't take a degree to know that she would not be there long. The story had to go somewhere, and Ginny certainly wouldn't have read a romance novel about a woman waiting around for an indefinite period of time. Whatever was to happen, she would just have to wait and see what it was.

  Before anyone could leave the ship, another British naval ship came into view. The warning of its approach came soon enough that Jeremy was certain no one would have spotted his passenger. Taking no chances, he whisked Ginny away and hid her in the bowels of the ship. He gave little explanation, only that she was to remain where she was and stay quiet.

  Could this be it? She wondered as she sat on a barrel, waiting for word that she could finally get off the ship. Her surroundings were exactly what she feared when she was first brought on board the Phoenix. It was dark and dank, with the stench of bilge water. No windows to let her know what was going on. Ginny wasn't afraid of the dark, only the things that lurked in darkness.

  After what seemed like hours, one of the crew members came to fetch her from the hold. Her first sight of sunshine was brilliant after sitting in the dark for so long. She was shepherded into the captain's cabin and left to wait once again. At least there were windows and no sounds of little scratching feet on the floor below her.

  Jeremy came in a few minutes later, taking the seat across from her behind his desk. His manner was of pure business, as if the past few weeks of intimacy had never occurred. Ginny figured that it was finally time to find out her destiny, so to speak.

  “That was a command ship, carrying Admiral Holsten. It was just dumb luck to run into him here, as he was on his way to present orders to another ship docked in Santo Domingo.”

  “Have I caused a problem for you, Jeremy,” Ginny asked, scrunching her eyes together in concern.

  “No, Corliss. Nothing has changed, except my next destination. I will still bring you to my home, where you are welcome to stay.”

&nb
sp; Ginny was confused. “Then why the long face?”

  “I have been ordered to do patrol work, off the coast of Massachusetts. It seems that the colonies are up in arms over some such nonsense and a large number of our naval ships are being ordered further north.”

  Ginny looked out the window for a moment. It was 1775, which meant that the colonists had already engaged the English, although the Declaration of Independence still had over a year before it was written. Yes, the British navy would be very busy for the next few years.

  “Are you concerned that it will be some time before you return?”

  Letting out a heavy breath, Jeremy came around the desk. Kneeling next to her chair, taking her hands in his, he said, “Corliss, I have no idea of when I might return, if ever. If we go to war with the colonies, and Admiral Holsten feels it is a possibility, I could be...”

  “You've done so much for me, Jeremy. Would it be too much to ask that you not worry about me now? I will take care of your house for you and perhaps someday, after everything is settled, you will come back.” What an actress she'd become, since she didn't believe a single word of her own speech. But there was still compassion in her, even for a fictional character.

  “Let me take you to my home,” he responded, rising to his feet and helping her from her chair. By the time they'd reached the deck, the command ship was long gone and the crew was preparing what was needed to set sail for Massachusetts. The long boats had already been dropped, so crew members could go ashore for supplies.

  Once on shore, Jeremy found a local to drive them out to his property. As they sat side by side on the back of the pony driven cart, Ginny asked, “What did you say about me to the Admiral? Did he even know your mission?”

  “No, he didn't know of it, but I had to tell him something. I said that my primary mission was to see you to St. Lucia. But when you died of a sudden illness on board, I took the opportunity to stop here to make sure that my home hadn't suffered any damage from storms.”

  “Clever. What did I die of again?” she asked, smiling to let him know she was teasing.

  “Whatever it was, it caused you great suffering, but was not infectious.”

  Laughing, Ginny caught sight of the stately manor of her companion. It was white clapboard, with an enormous front porch and wicker furniture. The house was surrounded by trees, shading it through most of the day. The sugar cane fields were not visible from the driveway, but the home itself gave off an important air. Ginny thought that she would be very comfortable there, for however long she had.

  Jeremy gave her a quick tour before passionately kissing her goodbye. Not one for sentimentality, he still left her with a haunted look, like he would never see her or his home again. Ginny was disturbed as she watched him on the back of the cart, making his way back to the harbor, of which she had an unparalleled view. Deep down, she was suddenly scared of what was to happen to her. After receiving so much compassion, it stood to reason that the next part of the story would truly suck... at least for her.

  Chapter 13

  The Victory Sound dropped anchor off the coast of Hispaniola, near the the small fishing village of Las Salinas. According to Nathaniel's information from Lieutenant Monroe, his quarry would be sitting in a pretty house above the town. He and Gideon would row ashore and do some reconnaissance. When he established who Lady Gammage was, they would return at night and kidnap her.

  It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out who she was, considering there were very few whites in the village. He didn't spot anyone who looked like a lady, so the two made their way on foot up the hill toward the white house situated perfectly against the green trees. Thinking it would be better for Nathaniel to stay out of sight, Gideon approached the house and found a beautiful, young woman sitting on the front porch, a sewing basket by her feet and what looked like a shirt on her lap.

  At first, Gideon completely forgot his speech, his reason for approaching the house. His tongue went dry and stuck to the roof of his mouth. He had seen pretty girls before, but there was something almost angelic about this girl. She had light, auburn hair, that was currently tied tightly behind her head, leaving a long hanging pony tail. Soft tendrils framed her face, in a lighter shade, probably from the sun. Her oval face had a healthy color to it, unlike the English ladies who were so fond of being pale and translucent. When she turned her almond shaped eyes in his direction, Gideon saw the fathomless blue he'd only seen in the Caribbean waters.

  The angel smiled at him and Gideon was sure he would pass out from the pleasure it gave him. Putting down her sewing, the girl came forward on the porch and spoke in a sweet, lyrical voice.

  “Can I help you?” she asked. Could she help him indeed. Gideon had to shake his head to try to release himself from his initial shock.

  Clearing his throat a few times, he finally muttered, “I was wondering if I might speak to the gentleman of the house.”

  Her smile returned as she responded, “It must be hot in the sun. Come up here on the porch and I'll get you a cold drink.” Turning on her heels, the angel entered the house and Gideon felt his feet move of their own volition. Up the steps, he sat next to the chair she had occupied before going into the house.

  Not a few minutes later, his vision returned, carrying a small tray. Placing it on the table between the chairs, the woman grabbed a glass and handed it to her guest. Once complete, she sat back down and asked, “Why did you need the gentleman of the house?”

  After an awkward pause, Gideon took a quick sip of the lemonade and placed the glass back down on the table. Knowing he was making a fool of himself, but unable to remember the lie he and Nathaniel had concocted, he slowly lifted his gaze to hers. Big mistake, as it wiped his mind clean once again and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

  “Tell me you are not married, miss.”

  Ginny giggled. The big man was so displaced that he might burst. He was a big guy, bald and looked as though he could intimidate anyone, but at that moment, he looked lost.

  “I'm afraid that the owner of this house is not home at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?”

  Help him with? She had to be mad. The best thing she could do for him at that moment was kiss him. Then maybe remove all her clothing, but Gideon was willing to take it one step at a time. This was bad, he thought as he continued to struggle with his body's reaction to the woman across from him. He had to start slowly, with something that he couldn't mess up.

  “My name is Gideon,” he responded, showing all his teeth in an enormous smile.

  Returning his grin, the blue eyed goddess said, “I'm Corliss. Nice to meet you, Gideon.”

  Ginny thought she should be more concerned, that this had to have something to do with the rest of the book. She had only been at Jeremy's home for less than a week, but the story had to pick up again soon, right?

  “Your home is beautiful,” Gideon managed to say, knowing that part of the lie he was to tell her had to do with purchasing her home. It was coming back to him, as his body became more used to the sight before him.

  “Thank you, but it's not my home. A friend of mine owns it and has allowed me to stay here. The view is stunning, isn't it?” she asked, while gesturing to the view of the bay. It was then that she noticed a ship. “Is that your ship?”

  Looking out at the bay, Gideon thought it best to be as honest as possible. “Yes, that would be the Victory Sound.” As he was more able to talk, the lies came easier. “I would be the captain and I need a home to settle in during the autumn months. When I spotted this house, I knew I had to have it.”

  “I'm afraid I can't sell it to you. And, unfortunately, the owner is a British naval captain and he's just been sent to Massachusetts to defend the colonies against... well... themselves, I guess.”

  Nodding dumbly, Gideon should have taken his leave. Instead, he picked up his lemonade and continued to drink it. “'Tis a shame, really. I have more money than Croesus and nothing to spend it on.”
<
br />   “I'm sure you'll find some way to spend it, Captain.”

  “I would make a fine husband,” came out of his mouth before he could stop it. Not only would he make a terrible husband, he wasn't as rich as all that and not even a captain. But, in for a penny, in for a pound.

  His lady hostess looked a bit uncomfortable, but rallied herself to say, “I'm sure you would, Gideon, but I'm not really looking for a husband right now. I'm sorry I can't help you.”

  Taking her cue, Gideon placed the empty glass back on the table and rose to leave. “I will return again. Maybe I can convince the owner to sell. Thank you for your time, Corliss.”

  “Good day to you, Gideon. And safe travels.”

  Gideon walked back down the road, disappearing behind some trees. Nathaniel was on him in a moment, pulling him into the safety and privacy of the trees.