“Meaning?” “My duties kept me onboard for long periods and rather than moving from port to port, we simply stayed to sea for as long as we were able. Our primary purpose was to throw a rub in the way of any who would thwart America’s interests. When one’s life is stripped of all elements save survival, it is not the kind of existence I would call ‘rewarding’.” He turned his body toward her, still leaning on the railing. “But this,” his voice softened as he stretched his arm out to sea, “when you are sailing for home in so fine a ship in the company of friends and fair weather? Well, you see for yourself. It would be easy to become half-sprung with pleasure.”
“Aye,” Sarah agreed, feeling again the companionship they had ever so briefly shared over a month ago. She knew a strong desire to tell him how excited she was to be on this voyage, how much she was looking forward to the realization of her dreams; that his presence was much less a curse than a comfort to her. But it could not be. Her confession would make her vulnerable and that was something she could not afford, especially in this overwhelmingly romantic setting. “Do you think Captain Slade is ready for us now?”
“I think we’ve given him enough time,” Stewart answered. “I hope you’ve regained your appetite,” he continued, offering his arm to her. “Cook’s prepared a feast for us, I understand. And as an old seafarer to a new one, I recommend that you eat hearty for the food becomes less appetizing with each passing day. There are only so many fresh provisions we can store.”
Sarah rested her hand lightly on his coat sleeve as he guided her toward the hatchway. “How long will it take us to get to Boston now that we are not on a direct path?’
“If the weather continues and the winds are in our favor, we will be there before the month is out; probably sooner with Jeremiah so eager to be with his family. He pushes the ship and crew to the limit when he’s homeward bound.” As he handed her down the wooden steps, he added, his lips disturbingly close to her ear, “So don’t be offended should he leave us suddenly during dinner. We’re at full sail and he likes to make regular inspections.” CHAPTER 16
As Sarah listened to the banter between Stewart and Jeremiah, while Ezra cleared away the remains of the delicious meal, she realized she should not have worried that this intimate supper might cause her discomfort or stress. The gentlemen on either side of her were quite experienced when it came to putting a lady at her ease and she found herself thoroughly enjoying their company. Jeremiah was eager to answer any questions she had about their travels, their family and the strange, new country she was soon to visit. Stewart, too, seemed pleased with her presence; more relaxed and candid than she had ever seen him. He joked, laughed, and, she was relieved to note, did not chafe her with any smoldering glances or accidental touches that she would have found impossible to ignore.
With Ezra gone, the three shared a second decanter of Madeira and talked until Jeremiah needed to check their course with the watch on the bridge. After he left, Stewart turned his full attention to Sarah, noticing at once how the wine had added a blushing hue to her fair skin. “Perhaps you’d care for a little fresh air?” he offered kindly. “It’s gotten rather warm in here.”
“Ohyes,please,”Sarahsighed,pressinga napkin against her damp forehead. Rising with a nearly imperceptible lurch, she accepted Stewart’s strong hand on her elbow as he guided her to the cabin door. Trying to ignore her sudden lightheadedness, she walked very carefully to the wooden stairs, chattering all the way. “I had not realized it was so stuffy inside. Dinner was lovely, ever so much more sumptuous than I expected. Tell me, Mr. Chamberlain,” she continued as they moved toward the railing, shining white in the moonlight, “do you and Captain Slade always use bone china at your meals? I had envisioned dining at sea to be somewhat less ....”
“Tin cups and trenchers?”
“Why yes,” Sarah agreed, wide-eyed in the darkness. “Usually our meals are taken a bit more rustically, but this was a special occasion. It’s rare that we have such a lovely guest on board and we did want you to feel at home. I hope we’ve succeeded ....”
“Indeed you have,” Sarah gushed, eager to show her pleasure. “I am finding my adventure much more comfortable than I anticipated. I thank you for that.” She emphasized her delight with a genuine, if slightly lopsided, smile, and Stewart knew then for a certainty that she was quite drunk.
“I cannot promise you such luxury for the entire voyage, I’m afraid, especially should the weather turn. In that event, all hands are needed and our meals are not quite so leisurely.”
“Oh, I understand completely. I do not expect or wish to be catered to. It is enough that you have given up your quarters to me and my maid. We are so comfortable, I’m sure it was quite a sacrifice.”
Stewart gazed at her, a mirthful expression on his handsome face. “Only in that I could not share the comforts with you.” To his surprise, Sarah giggled, and looked up at him, her eyes shining mischievously, no offense taken.
“I am sure Tegan would be pleased with that arrangement. She is forever remarking on what a reassuring presence you are.” Delighted with her coyness, Sarah held onto the railing and threw her head back, giggling again. Stewart had never seen her so devil-may-care and the vision was enticing, but he cautioned himself to tread lightly, for he had seen before how quickly he could arouse her suspicious wrath.
“And do you agree with her assessment?” Sarah gazed up at him, scrutinizing his tanned face in the
formulate an evasive
moonlight, attempting to answer. Flirting with him
might be fun after all. But her mind could not, for some reason, focus on anything more than those dark eyes that expressed a desire her own body suddenly felt helpless to repel.
How lovely it would be to sample the tenderness of his lips again, to feel the strength of his well-muscled arms, to be pressed so close as to nearly suffocate in his passionate grasp. All her carefully reasoned arguments flew as she felt her own heartbeat pounding in her ears knowing that she could not struggle anymore. Turning slowly to face him, her arms seemed to move of their own accord to his shoulders and she closed her eyes to accept his lips on hers.
Ifheweresurprisedbyherboldness,his response did not convey it. With slow sureness, Stewart’s warm lips captured hers as his arms enfolded her. With a moan of pleasure, she opened her mouth slightly to allow his tongue easy access. Pressing herself closer so that her breasts were crushed against his unrelenting chest, Sarah caught her fingers in the curling hair at the nape of his neck, as it to thwart any attempts he might make to move away,
Stewart’s mouth slid from hers to her cheek, to her ear, the perfumed softness of her neck and then back hungrily to her waiting lips. Moved by the dizzying urgings of her body, her delicate tongue possessed his with a passion that surprised them both, Stewart’s skilled fingers caressed her hair and finding the combs Tegan had so carefully put in place, removed them so that Sarah’s luscious dark tresses tumbled over her shoulders, filling the air with its subtle fragrance.
With her hair unbound, Sarah’s response seemed to take on new fervor. She moved instinctively now, planting hot kisses on Stewart’s face, ears and neck as he lost himself in the sweetness of her shining locks. Pressing her closer, his mouth left a searing trail down her pale skin to the heaving flesh just above her ice blue gown. She reveled in the sudden tremors of desire that shook her when his lean fingers molded themselves to her firm breasts, massaging the peaks beneath the heavy fabric as his lips and tongue lovingly caressed the straining mounds of flesh. For a moment, she cursed the gown that had earlier seemed so immodest, but now was holding her breasts captive from his searching mouth.
Sensing her frustration, and feeling not a small amount himself, Stewart tenderly slid his hand up to her chin, and tipping her flushed face up, gazed wistfully into her puzzled, tormented blue eyes. With a sigh, he lightly kissed her passion-reddened lips and the tip of her slender nose. Pulling her head against his chest, he gently stroked her neck benea
th the tousled brown hair, and spoke. “Oh Sarah, what a bewitching temptation you are. You almost made me forget our setting is public. And I am too selfish to allow any other man to view your charms.”
Only beginning to realize the abandonment of her actions, Sarah stiffened at his words. “I’m quite sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She felt, rather than heard, the rumbling of a chuckle deep within his broad chest, “Surely by now you can tell when a man wants to make love to you. I think you want it as much as I”
“Sir, you are mistaken. I have no such thoughts,” Sarah responded breathlessly, pushing herself away from his silken touch. But he was not yet ready to let her out of his grasp, and held her slim fingers captive in his stronger ones. “Please, it’s late. I really must go.”
As if he hadn’t heard a word she uttered, Stewart brought his arm around her waist and held her close to his side, ignoring her resistance.
“Beautiful, innocent Sarah,” he murmured. “You must be very careful not to offer what you are not willing to give ... especially to me.” The threat was unmistakable.
Struggling against the e ffects of the wine and his kisses, Sarah realized the foolishness of her incautious actions, but her pride would not let her admit her deep longing for his caress. Defensively, she muttered, “Are you so weak that you cannot control your own lusts?”
“Are you?” he whispered seductively, his warm breath tingling her earlobe as his hand molded itself against her ribs.
“I was foolish to allow myself to be alone with you. I assure you it will not happen again!” She struggled to remove herself from his viselike hold but to no avail. “Unhand me before I scream.”
“Are you sure you wish to cause such a disturbance? You forget this is my ship. No one will interfere when they see you are with me. Besides, you should know you are quite safe. Didn’t I give your father my word that no harm would come to you?”
“Your promise was only too clever,” she sniffed haughtily, though a slur marred the confident tone, “for you do not consider your ravishment of me a danger. But I tell you this: My father would not hesitate to ruin you if I am returned to him in a-a trifled state.” Sensing that her threat was ineffectual in the face of this wellconnected and highly resourceful man, she cast her eyes downward, struggling in vain against his powerful arm.
“Then I suggest you take pains to bridle your desires, my sweet, for I cannot continue to protect you from yourself.” With a disgusted snort, he added, much to Sarah’s surprise and consternation, “”Tis ironic that you should be the one to warn me against trifling, since it is your game, not mine. I would do better to confine myself to women who are honest about what they want.”
“Like the woman at the dock?” The bitter words left her mouth before she had a chance to think. Stewart did not seem surprised, but neither, to her chagrin, did he comment.
Releasing her for a moment, he took her hand and placed the combs, stolen from her hair, into her palm. “Off you go, little one. It’s late and you need your sleep.”
Incensed by his paternal dismissal, Sarah snatched her hand away and with a burning look, flung her tangled mane over her shoulder and stalked off with what she hoped was great dignity. But his short, deep-throated chuckle told her the show of bravado was lost on him.
Had she been able to see the disquieted look in his dark eyes, she might have found some whit of satisfaction to take to her bed. But as she did not, there was nothing to comfort her; only silent tears of anger, humiliation and a sense of frustration she could neither name nor understand. CHAPTER 17
Just as Stewart promised, the weather as they edged southward grew increasingly warmer. Despite Tegan’s warnings, Sarah spent a great deal of time reading on deck, allowing the hot sun an occasional peak at her face.
“Your mother would dismiss me forthwith if she could see those sunspots. You look like a dairy maid,” she scolded Sarah one afternoon as they were having tea in their cabin.
“Butitfeelssogood,”Sarahargued, “Besides, they‘ll fade before we’re home again.” “Perhaps, but those colonists will have a hard time believing you’re the daughter of a Duke with your cheeks ruddy and all,” Tegan insisted.
“Captain Slade tells me his wife goes without hat and gloves all summer when they stay at their country home. And he thinks she’s beautiful.”
“What does Mr. Chamberlain think? ‘Tis his opinion you should be worrying about.” Tegan eyed her pointedly.
“Icarenotonefigforhisopinion,”Sarah replied sharply, “but if you must know, he says he thinks a woman should do whatever she wants. So there.”
“I thought you and Mr. Chamberlain would have hit it off better than what I’ve taken in so far,” Tegan remarked, without so much as a warning.
Sarah returned a suspicious look, her blue eyes glinting dangerously in the sunlight that streamed through the porthole in their quarters. Tegan had definitely struck a nerve. “God help me, I don’t know where you get your notions. Mr. Chamberlain does not appeal to me in the least. I have told you that before. You saw him in London with --- that woman. I’m sure he has others all over the globe. What use would I have for a man like that?”
“A man with experience makes a better husband. Gets his sporting out of the way before he’s wed, not after. Besides, you’d get the benefit of all that skill in pleasing woman, if you know what I mean,” she answered, her eyebrows arching suggestively.
“Iswearyouareimpossible,”Sarahshot back, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “You talk as if that is all that matters. What about trust, mutual interests, honor, respectability? Mr. Chamberlain is a scoundrel, I am convinced. Would you have me marry a pirate?”
Tegan laughed brightly. “There goes your imagination again. Do you really believe your own papa would send you off with a scalawag? Seems to me you are looking a tad too hard to find the muck. His only faults are that he’s a bloody Yankee – which you can’t blame him for – and he treats you like a grown woman.”
“If you only knew ....” Sarah began, and then, her eyes smoldering with disturbing memories, changed the course of her words. “How in the world did you manage to get on the subject of marriage to Mr. Chamberlain? ‘Tis a dead issue, Teeg. He has declared he does not wish to marry, and besides, I find him intolerable! Please, can’t we discuss something pleasant? Like ....”
Just then, the women were startled by shouts from above and the sound of heavy boots running in every direction. “What in the devil?” gasped Tegan, stiffening in her chair. Never in all their days at sea had they heard such unexplained chaos.
A prickle of fear stung Sarah’s nape as she strained to hear what the voices were shouting, but it was impossible to make out words above the clamor. Her heart thumping nervously beneath her blue-flowered day gown, she moved hesitantly toward the porthole, but could see nothing save the incredibly blue water shimmering in the light of the hot afternoon sun. Edging toward the door, she practically jumped out of her chemise when a loud pounding commenced. “What is it?” she cried?
“It’s Ezra, Lady Sarah. I have a message from the Cap’n.” In her relief, she lurched toward the door and fell back again, the latch in her hand. “Come in, Ezra! Tell us, please, are we in danger?”
The young boy, his face flushed with a combination of fear and excitement, panted, “A ship’s been sighted ... no colors ... could be pirates. Cap’n says you’re to stay here ... keep out of sight and quiet. I’ll lock the door from without when I leave ... don’t Make your presence known, understand?” The women nodded in dumbfounded silence. “Not a peek. Cap’n and Mr. Chamberlain have keys. They will let themselves in if there’s any need. Got that?” Again, the women nodded. “I’m off then ... don’t worry,” he added, though not quite convincingly.
“Ezra,” Sarah pleaded as the boy backed out of the room. She could see the sailors rushing past behind him, their faces grim. “What’s going to happen?”
The boy’s young face was straining
with emotion. “I do not know, Lady Sarah. I’ve only been to sea for nigh six months now. It’s never happened before ....”
Seeing the fear in his eyes, and remembering how kind and polite the cabin boy had been, Sarah was moved to grasp his arm in a brief squeeze. In a voice much more confident that she was, she said, “We will be fine, Ezra. Captain Slade and Mr. Chamberlain know what to do.”
Finding comfort in her words, the boy smiled with a bit more assurance and closed the door firmly, staying only to bolt the lock.
But the bravado used on Ezra disappeared the second his footsteps were gone. In their shock and fright, Sarah and Tegan clutched each other for a moment, unable to think what else to do. “My God, Teeg,” Sarah whispered, trembling, “this is a merchant ship. We’re at their mercy!”
“Maybe,” Tegan prayed, “maybe it’s not pirates. We’ve got to believe that it’s not.” “But they are not flying flags! Stewart told me that all friendly vessels show their colors. It’s the code of the sea.”
Suddenly the women heard footfalls coming from the stairs, and then, the sound of the captain’s door opening and slamming. Together they inched toward the wall that separated the two quarters, hoping to eavesdrop. Sarah immediately recognized Captain Slade’s voice, but the wall, covered with built-in furnishings, was too thick to hear specific words. At one point, however, she distinctly heard Stewart’s baritone scowl her name, and fervently hoped that he would come through the door and rescue them from their terror. But in a few minutes, the men left the cabin and rushed back on deck, not even pausing to shout a word of reassurance through the door.
The young women waited for hours, it seemed, in interminable silence, huddled together on the floor of the wardrobe. Hidden by the heavy doors and yards of fabric from Sarah’s gowns, the panic-stricken women perspired from both the heat and their raging fear stemming from a fate unknown.
Pirates! Sarah’s inner voice screamed, as the sweat trickled down her back and between her breasts in the overwhelming blackness. Robbers, murderers, rapists, all! There was no hope for salvation. Desperate, evil men had no respect for human life. They would take what they wanted from this defenseless ship, killing anyone who would stop them. Killing for sport if there were no resistance. Oh yes, she’d read about their wretchedness.
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