by Jewel Adams
“You enjoy my finery, Miss McCloud?”
“Yes, it is beautiful.”
“One does not expect such as this on a remote island. Unfortunately, my upbringing put the taste of elegance and beauty in my blood; hence it is also what led me to my current profession. I like beauty and will do whatever necessary to obtain my possessions. Is it not the same with you, Dragon?”
“Every man has a reason; no two are the same.”
“If not greed, then what force drives you to this life?”
“Your questions are too personal, monsieur. In time, should we become associates, sharing life’s course would come naturally.”
“You are right, of course.”
Corin’s appetite deserted her for the wonderful courses set before them.
The conversation turned to ships and the sea. Her nerves should have calmed instead of playing havoc with her stomach. But the more she watched and listened to the man, the king of all surrounding them, the more her senses screamed out their warnings.
Diamond oozed polite manners, too much the gracious host, and all Corin kept asking herself was why? And he gave nothing away.
“Ah, but we must be boring your fiancée with our talk of ships.”
Rogan answered before she could. “Yes, I’m sure we are. My lady will never make a good sailor, I’m afraid.”
“Such a pity… the lady has a flaw after all.”
Rogan’s gaze danced in delight over Corin’s look of indignant indulgence. “Yes, I’m the first to admit I hate the sea. Sharks are everywhere, but you know that.”
She took Diamond’s laughter graciously, giving Rogan a look that said he’d hear about this later.
“But it is necessary for us, and most men love the sea.”
“And most women are jealous of its hold on their men.”
He raised his glass in salute. “But then you will soon be in your home, and all will be well again.”
Corin nearly upset her wine glass. “Please excuse me.” Rising from the table, she went to the hall and followed the servant Diamond pointed out.
Once alone, Corin sat down to gather her shattered composure. His words took her off guard. Her escape was more to prevent Rogan from seeing her reaction than for Diamond.
~ * ~
“She is a remarkable woman, Dragon.”
Rogan wished Corin would return. “Yes, she is.”
“I believe you will still be able to join me on the raid. It is not for some time.”
He had worked two years to achieve this, but right then, Rogan felt nothing for the reason. The thirst to avenge his brother was still there, but Corin needed him. He needed to finish this and now.
“I can return by the end of three months.”
“There is no need. We will be doing our business out of New Orleans. The ship I want can be raided from there. You are going to the American Colonies with your fiancée?”
“Yes, but it will be close for me to get the Tempest there in time.”
“You have until the end of September. I will wait until then for your arrival.”
“Are you setting sail for there now?”
“Ah Dragon, to use your own words, trust comes in time. We will meet in New Orleans…my man will make contact with you when you dock. And one more thing, before she returns—leave Billings to meet my justice. I don’t tolerate failure or intrusion.”
Rogan raised his glass to the man in consent.
“Ah, Miss McCloud, we missed your company. Shall we return to my study for a brandy?”
Taking his offered arm, Corin glanced at Rogan, frowning over the dark concentration holding him.
While they were drinking the brandy, Diamond paced the room by the open doors. “Miss McCloud, I would like you to take one of my orchids as a gift.”
“I’d love to, thank you.”
“Good. I’ll have one of my men deliver it in the morning. When are you sailing, Captain?”
“With the tide.”
“You maneuvered my reefs, Dragon. Most ships that try unescorted fail. I hope your departure is as safe.” His cold eyes fell on Corin, their intensity more than she could handle.
Rogan must have sensed her need to leave. “We must be going.”
She rose. “Yes, I thank you, your home is beautiful and I enjoyed the evening and the company, monsieur.” For a second she thought her stab at politeness failed, the monsieur stayed at the door as if they weren’t there any longer. When he didn’t turn, breathing became difficult over the hardness evident in the man.
“Yes, you must go. I too enjoyed the company, Miss McCloud. If you ever make the journey again, you must both be my guest here at the villa.”
What he said and what his thunderous eyes held sent a shiver up her spine. Getting as far away from the man as possible became Corin’s main objective.
They rode in silence to the docks where Terry still waited for them.
Once out on the water, Corin couldn’t keep her ill feelings contained. “He knows!”
“Corin, you can’t be sure.”
“Rogan, I’m telling you he does. Something, I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right. He scares me.”
Terry tried to help. “Did he try anything?”
“No, he was the perfect host.”
“And that’s the problem, Rogan, he was too perfect for all that hidden anger.”
“We’ll be gone in the morning.”
“Tonight would suit me.”
“Unfortunately, the tides won’t oblige.”
It was useless to argue. Even if Rogan believed her, she knew he made up his mind to go ahead with whatever Diamond wanted. Corin couldn’t shake the ill feelings.
Chapter Eleven
Escaping the danger
Standing on the Tempest deck, Corin looked like she belonged to the open ocean. The breeze framed the sea blue gown to her shapely figure. Rogan came up behind her, catching the wild dark waves of her hair in his palm. “The coast is beautiful.”
“The lady is prettier. I don’t think I’ll ever enter land again without remembering how you look standing here.”
Corin leaned back against him. “The time went too quickly.”
“The winds were good.”
“How long are we docking in Savannah?”
“By noon we will be on our way to Dèsirèe. Do you ride, Corin?”
“A horse?”
His laughter carried on the wind over her stunned gasp. “They are the way of things here.”
She pulled his arms back around her. “I’ll manage.”
“Yes, I know you will.”
Corin tried only to feel his body and strong arms about her, and not think of what their arrival meant. They still had weeks left together before he would meet Diamond.
The man’s image gave her chills. She refused to bring him up again. Rogan would have only thought her womanly intuition silly, especially after nothing during or after their departure indicated she might be right.
The orchids arrived as promised, with instructions on their care written by Diamond. His salutation didn’t help her anxiety much, ‘May I see your beauty again very soon. Take care of my orchids…they are as rare as the lady.’
She didn’t like his familiarity or the fact everything had gone so peacefully. Corin didn’t want trouble; she just would have felt better if he’d done something obvious. She couldn’t help but feel he was up to something.
~ * ~
Savannah’s docks were a beehive of activity that left Corin exhausted. When Rogan brought the carriage around for their journey, she wasted little time in leaving the ship.
Terry would bring the Tempest through to New Orleans for the meeting with Diamond. Rogan made a point of letting it be known he decided to take Corin to his home, and then rejoin them by land. He appeased her fears over his open presence, telling her no one knew the Tempest as one of the Drake ships. The Tempest posed as a merchant ship that left Savannah. If Diamond were suspicious, Rogan tried
to cover all possibilities. They would travel by horseback to New Orleans; Diamond would be looking for them in Savannah if he looked at all.
The carriage took them out of town to a small inn where Rogan dismissed it.
Corin decided it was all cloak and dagger, and her nerves were a mess by the time they switched to the horses. She watched everyone and everything on the road, sure someone would jump out at them at any moment.
“Corin, you are working yourself into a fine state… no one is following.” Rogan called a rest, helping her down from the horse once they stopped.
“How do you know no one is out there, Rogan? I don’t trust him.”
“He’d have to be a magician to beat us here without being sighted. I am only doing this as a precaution so he’ll not know you are in New Orleans.”
She spun about and looked at him.
“Yes Corin, I do believe he is dangerous.”
“Then why did you dismiss everything I said?”
Pulling her to him he laid his lips on her brow. “Because, my dear cat, you would have made yourself sick with worry if I hadn’t.”
He tilted her face up to his. “I’ve no intention of losing you by not being careful, understand?”
“Yes.” Corin’s smile filled with relief. He hadn’t dismissed Diamond’s unseen threat. She should have realized he wouldn’t have done something that foolish.
The kiss he gave her ensured she understood how he felt. If they weren’t so exposed, they both knew they would never have remounted the horses.
~ * ~
They were on the road for only a few hours more when Rogan led them off the main thoroughfare and into the woods. After some time, he stopped and helped her down.
“How are you doing?”
“I like riding.”
“Good, because we will be doing enough to make you hate it before long.” Holding her to him, “Corin, it’s not going to be an easy journey. I don’t want to stay at the inns.”
“It is fine, Rogan, I’ll be okay.”
He gave her such a sheepish look she pulled back and stared up at him. “What?”
“I never thought I’d say this, but…” he turned from her and took a bundle from the saddle bag. “Would you mind changing back into a boy?”
Corin’s mouth dropped over the clothes he handed her. The laughter came so hard, she held on to a tree trunk to stay upright.
Ducking behind some bushes, she hurriedly exchanged her lovely dress for the pants and shirt. With less pleasure, she donned the knit cap to hide her long hair… the pirate turban would have stood out too much in the forest. A little selfishly, Corin kept on her satin chemise. After weeks of wearing feminine clothing, these clothes felt rough and scratchy against her skin.
Stepping out from the bushes, she saw that Rogan had also changed into leather pants and a fringed shirt, of all things. The sea captain had been replaced by a rough-looking frontiersman. Her cheeks flamed over the desire she felt looking at him, and she nervously tried to hide it. “How do I look?”
“Deplorable, but hidden.” Rogan was angry, and she knew it wasn’t only because of the return of the disguise.
“Rogan?”
“Come on, we’ve miles to cover before dusk.”
When her hand touched his back, he spun about and pulled her to him, kissing her hungrily. His breath grew ragged and strained before he forced an end to the embrace. “I promise I’ll make this up to you.”
“It’s all right, Rogan, there is no choice. I’m not upset.”
“It’s dangerous, and I hate myself for dragging you into this! Damn it, Corin, I never meant to put you in a position to hide and run.”
Her fingers covered his thinned lips. “Hush, I love you, and I’d do whatever it meant to keep that love safe, just as you would.”
They held each other until they could delay no longer. Rogan hid their discarded clothes under some brush.
He kept them off the main roads. More than once, Corin wondered how he knew where to go. The country was beautiful, open and wild. She actually felt a loss for what would be sacrificed for civilization and progress.
Once when they were walking the mounts to rest them, Rogan turned to her. “I don’t think I could ever see the land the way you tell me it will someday become. I see the loss in your eyes. Is it so terrible?”
“Oh no! Really, it’s just so beautiful like this, but there is still beauty, Rogan, and many more wonders you’d love as well.”
“No, Corin, I don’t think so, not when I see what you show me in your gaze. This is where we both belong.”
~ * ~
The journey was as Rogan told her it would be…exhausting. Corin pushed herself to the limits to keep up with him without complaining. He slowed their pace more than once when she failed to hide her aches and tiredness. She didn’t let him see it again. Ending the trip and getting on something that didn’t move held her resolve.
Corin gave up counting the days as they skirted settlements and avoided meeting any other travelers. She almost didn’t hear him when he told her they were on Dèsirèe land; she was practically sleeping on the horse.
But Corin came fully awake over the activity that quickly began to appear around them.
Tall flowing stalks like a green sea spread out from both sides of the road they entered. People could be heard in the rows singing and working, but she couldn’t really see anyone through the dense foliage.
Then it was like a parade. Dark figures came from out of everywhere, yelling and clapping, racing all around them. Men came up to Rogan and shook his hand in welcome. She saw their pleasure and happiness in seeing his return and Rogan’s, too, as he called out their names one after another.
A very large black man rode up to meet Rogan. They clasped each other like brothers. Corin hadn’t thought about Dèsirèe being a plantation, but any concerns she might have felt were dismissed by what she saw in the people.
Rogan pulled up and waited for her. “Corin, I’d like you to meet Sam Long. He is my manager in my absence.”
Corin held out her hand to the man. He almost didn’t take it, but her smile earned his and she felt relieved that he did, deciding she wanted him to like her.
“Corin, will you wait here a minute while I talk to Sam and the others?”
She nodded her consent and dismounted, needing to get her feet on the ground.
All the people, and there seemed to be hundreds of them, converged around Rogan and Sam. They were out of hearing distance, but she saw one younger boy take off running. It wasn’t long before they all dispersed and Rogan came back to her.
“Ready?”
“Can we walk?”
“Yes, tired?”
“Hmm, but happy.”
Rogan laughed and reached over to pull the cap from her head.
“I’d forgot.”
“I hadn’t, and I’ll probably burn it.”
“What was the meeting about?”
“I just told everyone I’m not really here and neither are you, at least not yet.”
“Oh.”
“It’s better if the neighbors don’t know.”
“What about your shipping line? Aren’t you going to check on it?”
“Glen Andrews has been sent for. He’ll be here tomorrow. I’ll have to handle everything rather carefully for a while. Diamond said the first of September… if he’s already here, I’ll know soon enough.”
Corin listened to everything he told her, but what she saw as they walked out of the woods into a clearing froze her in her tracks.
“Welcome to our home, Corin… Dèsirèe.”
She didn’t know what to say, looking at him then back at the… mansion!
Settled between giant magnolia trees sat the large, two-story house. The massive white doors glowed beneath the sun, looking very inviting. An open balcony encircled the entire house off the open French doors on the second floor. And the house went back further than she could see. Flowers bright and fragrant ab
ound up the walks and drive, then back to the tree-covered garden.
“Oh Rogan, I never… it is so large and beautiful.”
“My grandfather built it, and my folks added to it.”
“It is the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen.”
He put his arm around her shaking shoulder. One thing he discovered about Corin… she couldn’t and didn’t try to hide her feelings from him. Her pleasure with his home filled him with pride and happiness. “It is yours, Corin.”
Corin was in awe of Dèsirèe and the man beside her. She couldn’t say she wasn’t pleased or excited about becoming the mistress of such a fine home, but Corin felt all her inadequacy come to the surface. Smiling up at him, she prayed he’d not notice how upset she really felt… spoiling his homecoming was the last thing she wanted to do.
Their arrival must have preceded them to the house because men and women were coming out onto the steps to greet them. But Corin’s attention rested on the lady in their midst.
“Grandmere!” Rogan waved to her.
“Go to her, Rogan, I’ll wait.”
His smile of thanks filled her heart; how she loved this man!
The lady he raced to and swung up in his large arms looked as petite as herself. Even from the distance, Corin could see the regal beauty the woman possessed. Her silver hair still held the satin highlights that told where Rogan gained his bold midnight coloring. And the eyes, they too held the same exciting darkness, and the woman’s still matched her formidable grandson.
A warm smile graced the woman’s lips as those eyes came to rest on Corin. Walking up the stairs, Corin’s knees shook. She had never desired approval from a stranger. Her hands ran down the dusty pants, and inside, she cried over how filthy she must appear to this woman.
“Corin…” Rogan took her hand, “this is my grandmere, Alicia Boviar Drake.”
“How do you do, Madame.”
The soft girlish laughter came, and Corin wasn’t sure what to do. “Ah Cherie, it is I that must ask you.” Her small hand came and touched her cheek. “My Rogan has been insufferable to drag you through the frontier.”
Corin’s eyes flashed without thinking. “Oh no, Madame, it is all right, really. Rogan was very careful and had no choice in the matter.”