Ginny started to shake her head, but the action made her dizzy. Instead, she said, “I didn't kill him. He was drunk and tripped over a small table and hit his head. All I did was try to get away from him.”
Both men exchanged a glance. As soon as Ginny saw it, she became incensed. “I don't care if you believe me or not. The fact is that neither of you were there and I was. It's not my fault that my former mother-in-law has enough power to cover up the simple truth.”
Clearing his throat, Spencer said, “I was there, my... Corliss.”
Ginny turned her head and gave the man her full attention. “What do you mean?”
“I was the physician they called in to examine the body. I know you are telling the truth. I wrote it in my report to the constable, but...”
“But, what?”
Spencer hedged for a moment, sputtered, then went silent. Gideon saw his discomfort and went to his aid. “It was like you said, Corliss. The dowager had the power to suppress whatever she did not like.”
Ginny opened her mouth, but then a thought occurred to her. If she hadn't been accused, if she hadn't been convicted and transported, she wouldn't be here. The story had to go where it had to go, and who was she to stop it. The question still remained about who she was actually there to fall in love with.
“Have either of you informed your captain of this?” she asked instead. Both men remained silent.
“What is he going to do with me?” she whispered.
It was Gideon who spoke up. “He plans on bringing you to the plantation owner you were supposed to be brought to. He feels it would only be right for you to receive your original sentence.”
“So I'm stuck in this hole until we reach St. Lucia, is that it?”
Before either man could respond, the unmistakable sound of boots coming down the steps stopped them. Another man with a lantern appeared, causing Spencer and Gideon to rise to their feet. No one made a noise for some time, as the new man approached.
Ginny caught sight of the man and her breath hitched in her throat. Finally, all was revealed as her mega-hunk appeared in the lamplight. His hair was dark, but shiny and clean. At first it appeared cut short, but when he turned his head to regard Gideon, she saw that it was pulled back in a ponytail. His facial features were chiseled out of marble, with sharp lines and a strong jaw. In the lack of light, she couldn't tell the color of his eyes, only that they were dark. She barely registered his body, although he was tall and his shoulders broad. The man looked like a male model, just stepped out of GQ.
“I see that our guest is awake. Why is it no one thought to inform me?”
With only a few words, Ginny already disliked the arrogant bastard. It didn't take a lot to figure out the man was the captain. Why he cared about her so much, she didn't know, but figured it was only a matter of time before she found out.
After giving the hairy eyeball to his crew members, it was Ginny's turn. His careful assessment took only a few seconds, but afterwards, Ginny felt violated.
Without taking his eyes from hers, he asked, “So, Sherwood, will she live?”
“Aye, Captain,” was his pained response.
“Leave us, please.” His use of the word please told Ginny he wasn't a complete heathen, even if he treated her like the worst kind of scum.
Both men retreated, with Gideon taking his time climbing the stairs out of the hold. When he was finally out of sight, the captain once again gave his full attention to his prisoner.
“I am Nathaniel Webster.”
As if that explained everything, Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. She was practically biting her tongue to keep from saying something that would make matters worse. After four novels where she hardly ever held her tongue, the feeling wasn't sitting too well.
“I can see you are unfamiliar with me.”
Ginny didn't know what to do. Normally, she would resort to sarcasm, if only to make her captor feel like an idiot. Now, she had to come up with something else, if she were to play nice.
“No, sir, I don't know you.”
She didn't even sound like herself and that scared her a little. What did she care what this man thought. Oh yeah, she had little desire to spend the rest of the voyage living in a hole.
“Timothy was my cousin,” he said, careful to keep his attention on her face.
“Timothy?” she asked, perplexed by his response.
Nathaniel's jaw dropped at her question. How could she not even remember the name of her husband? The man she murdered, presumably for her own folly. There could be no other reason, considering his wealth and influence. Now, she couldn't even be bothered with remembering his name.
“Timothy. Lord Gammage. Could you disgust me more, my lady?” His voice was filled with venom as he uttered the last part.
Looking him in the eyes, even when his face got blurry from her lack of food and head injury, Ginny responded, “Your cousin did not feel it was necessary for me to call him by his Christian name. Even when he was courting me, he never told me it. I think I heard it once at the actual wedding ceremony.”
Now it was Nathaniel's turn to look surprised. “I find that hard to believe, my... madam.”
“When was the last time you saw your cousin, sir? Perhaps he'd changed.” Ginny was treading a fine line. She so wanted to put him in his place. Ever fiber of her being wanted to smart talk him, but she really didn't want to spend any more time in the brig than she had to.
“I have not seen him in ten years. But he was never like that. When we went to school together, he was ever the charmer.”
“A lot can change in ten years. Your cousin was cruel and sadistic. He beat me if I didn't get pregnant... even if he hadn't visited my bed that month. He kept me at home, away from my friends and family. I never attended the season. Whatever he was before, I wouldn't know. I only knew of his cruelty.”
Nathaniel stood up quickly and backed out of the cell. Slamming the door shut, he made quick work of locking the door and climbing the stairs, carrying both lanterns to leave her once again in darkness. Ginny watched him leave, until the last of the light was gone and she was once again alone. She didn't know what to make of his departure. It could be good or it could be bad. Either way, she was still stuck in the hold, surrounded by filth and stink.
Chapter 15
Ginny must have fallen asleep, for a sound from the stairway startled her awake. Thankfully, it was Gideon, carrying a tray of something. When the cell door was opened, Gideon knelt on the floor and pushed the tray in front of her.
“I have some bread and cheese, my lady. Something to drink as well. How are you feeling?”
Ginny stared at the man across from her. Half his face was in shadow, but what she could see projected kindness. Assuming that this was a pirate ship, it seemed strange for this man to be so compassionate. He should have been mean and cruel, much like her dead husband.
“I'm feeling better, Gideon. My head isn't pounding near as much. Thank you for asking. And thank you for the food.”
Handing her a chunk of cheese and black bread, he said, “Many of the crew would not be so kind to you, my lady. I have had to make sure that they stay away.”
Great, Ginny thought wearily as she ate her meal, now she had to worry about being raped. She was beginning to wonder when the romance part would begin. The down trodden part was getting old.
“Have you tried to talk to Webster again? Did the doctor tell him what he knew?” Her voice was desperate.
“Nay. We have tried, my lady, but the captain will not listen. But I have yet to give up on anything, and I will be damned if this is the first.”
Ginny gave him a weak smile. “I'm not sure how much longer I can take this pit, Gideon. In all my life, this is the worst thing I've ever had to endure.” She wasn't kidding. Although she hadn't lived the perfect life, she had never been left alone in the dark, surrounded by pestilence, while trying to recover from a nasty blow to the head.
His hand reached out and caressed her
cheek. “I will keep trying, my lady. You remind me so much of my sister, Anne. She was a beauty too.”
“Was?”
Gideon's head dipped down, but not before Ginny saw the reflection of a tear in his eye. “She was married to a cruel man, much like yourself. Before I could help her, I joined the navy.” Ginny could hear the irony in his voice. Gideon had joined the navy like Ginny lived romance novel lives. Neither had had much of a choice.
“I bet she would be proud of you right now, Gideon. Taking care of someone much too weak to care for herself.”
Before he could respond, the sound of boots rang out loud and clear. Ginny felt Gideon stiffen, so she knew who it had to be. When he stood up, Nathaniel strode over and flicked his head. The larger man, without a word, left the room and went above. Nathaniel took a seat on the floor.
“Feeling better, madam?” His tone was acerbic.
“I've been better, Captain. What can I do for you?” Ginny asked as she continued her meal. If the man was angry enough, he could easily take it away from her. After not eating for a couple of days, Ginny needed the food to get better.
Nathaniel leaned back against the opposite wall. He kept quiet a few minutes while Ginny ate. He seemed to be regarding his surroundings, but since there wasn't much to look at, Ginny figured he was trying to formulate a question. She wasn't disappointed.
“Why did your family not help you? Why would they leave you in such an untenable position?”
Washing down a bit of bread with the ale Gideon had brought her, it took a moment before she could answer. His head turned to regard her a moment, watching her put the cup down on the tray.
“I did get one chance to speak to my parents about the situation. They dropped by one day and Gammage couldn't think of a decent reason to keep them from seeing me. But they decided it wouldn't be in their best interest to help me.”
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “And why was that?”
“Because your aunt would have destroyed them. I assume you've met her, Captain.”
His breath caught for a moment. Yes, his aunt was a bitter, old bitch. Would it be so hard to understand why his cousin had turned so cruel. Timothy spent little time with his mother growing up, being left in the care of others. It wasn't until they had parted ways, some ten years earlier, that his cousin would have spent more time in her presence. Now Nathaniel was forced to concede that another piece of her story made sense. Could he be so wrong about her?
Ginny knew she was shifting his opinion, so she decided to push her advantage. “I found out that the doctor is familiar with your cousin's death. He was the one sent to examine the body. He confirmed my version of events, but his report was never seen because it didn't fit with how your aunt wanted things to be.”
That bit of information had Nathaniel whipping his head around to face her. “What?” he asked, incredulous.
“Ask Spencer yourself. He's been wanting to tell you since he realized who I was. Apparently you haven't been willing to listen.”
Now he stood and locked the cell door once again. He left so quickly that the lantern was left behind. Ginny got to finish her meal in peace, without having to fumble around the cell to do it. Perhaps things were looking up.
********
“Sherwood, where the devil are you?” Nathaniel bellowed as he entered the surgery. The unassuming doctor was no where to be seen. Leaving the room that Sherwood used as both his exam room and office, Nathaniel went up on deck to have a look around. He finally found his quarry tending a small injury on one of the crew.
“Sherwood, it seems we need to speak. If you would,” Nathaniel motioned toward his cabin.
Once both were ensconced in his cabin, sitting in the available chairs, Nathaniel wasted no time getting down to business.
“Our guest informs me that you have some vital information about my cousin's death. Is that true?” His tone was slathered with impatience as he regarded the meek man.
“'Tis true, Captain. I had tried on several occasions to discuss the matter with you, but you seemed unwilling to listen.”
With pursed lips, Nathaniel was able to state, “Well, I am willing to listen now.”
Removing his spectacles to clean them with a cloth he removed from his pocket, Sherwood spoke without looking at the man across from him. It wasn't that he was afraid, well, not exactly. He was worried about what might become of him if he displeased the captain. It wasn't lost on him as to what happened the last time he'd displeased his captain's relative.
“I was sent from the Royal College to examine the body. With the victim being a peer, the constable wanted to make sure that everything was in order, especially if he were to send a woman to Newgate.”
Webster shook his head to indicate he understood and to get on with it.
“When I examined your cousin, his cause of death was fairly obvious. He had a large gash in his forehead, made when he hit his head on a buffet table in his parlor. One thing that was fairly obvious was a strong alcohol smell emanating from his body. He also showed signs of prolonged alcohol abuse.”
“For instance,” Webster asked impatiently.
“I am sure you have seen it yourself, Captain. Rheumy eyes, swollen, red nose.”
“He could have been coming off a bender, Sherwood. It was not necessary a long term issue.”
Sherwood gave his companion a dubious stare. “You need not trust my opinion, Captain, but give me credit for recognizing the difference between someone who over imbibed once versus someone who made a habit out of it.”
Nathaniel had to admit that it was the first time the man had asserted himself in his presence. He also had to admit that he hoped it wasn't the last time.
“Go on, Sherwood.”
“Very well. When I examined the parlor, it had already been cleaned up. Unfortunately for the staff, it was still apparent what had happened. The man hit his head on the corner of the table, thus causing the deep gash.”
Interrupting, Nathaniel said, “There, she pushed him.”
Sherwood shook his head. “He was drunk, to be sure, Captain, but your cousin outweighs Lady Gammage by several stone. I cannot see her managing it. And several of the staff said she was in front of him when he fell.”
“My aunt never said that in her letter. She said Lady Gammage was directly responsible, which I assume meant she pushed him down.”
“Impossible. The size difference alone makes it difficult to believe. As well as the eyewitness who stated that Lady Gammage was in front of her husband. I cannot see how she pushed him forward when she was in front of him.”
“Was that fact brought up at her trial?”
“What trial, Captain? Once I issued my report, I suddenly found myself on a ship bound for the Canary Islands. I have no idea what was presented at trial, but from what Corliss has told me, my report was never used in her defense.”
Nathaniel sat quietly for a moment. It wasn't such a stretch to think that his aunt had lied, but for what purpose. He must have asked his question out loud, because Spencer began to answer it.
“Maybe she had not wanted society to think of her son as a drunken sot. Truthfully, they would have already known. Vanity can be a soul wrenching sin, Captain.”
Suddenly, Nathaniel wasn't angry any longer. Could it be that Captain Northwood knew something he didn't? After all, he came from England, would have been present during whatever trial was held. He may have been employed by her family to see that the justice that his aunt had decided upon wouldn't be meted out. But why would she become the man's lover? She was obviously of loose morals.
Had she been cheating on his cousin? One couldn't blame Timothy for becoming incensed at the idea of being cuckolded. Did he keep her away from society because he couldn't trust her? The problem with all his questions was that he only had one source for answers, and she had everything to lose. In the meantime, she was languishing in his brig, injured from his abduction and quite possibly completely innocent of the charges made ag
ainst her.
He decided to speak to her once again. Nathaniel had always considered himself a good judge of character. Surely he would know if she was lying. If she could convince him of her innocence, then he would take her back to Hispaniola and allow her to live out her life as she wished. If not, she would be transported to St. Lucia to live out the life his aunt had wished. Either way, he would wash his hands of the whole situation.
Nathaniel made his way back to the hold where the brig was. His prisoner was lying on her side asleep, the lantern still lit, but pushed to the side. At first he was annoyed by her waste of fuel, but it didn't take him long to realize that she'd been living in darkness for the past couple of days and the light was probably a Godsend.
A Lesson in Presumption Page 10