The Raven
Page 9
Relief washed through her body, and she let a soft smile play over her lips, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Master, thank you. I can never thank you enough for taking me in.”
“And you are not jealous about the thought of me being with Blue?”
“No, Master. I'm your slave. If you wish to be with half the women in London, then it's your right to do so.” She pressed her hands into her lap, folding them carefully, the tension carefully controlled in her body. She didn't dare let it be seen, or her entire idea would crumble down around her ears.
“So you do not care if I do not spend time with you?”
“No, Master. You misunderstand. Of course I would be upset, but I would assume it was because I wasn't pleasing enough for you, and I'd work at finding ways to be more attractive to you, a woman that you would want to be with. But that doesn't come from nagging, whining, or being a problem to you, Master.”
“Interesting. And you learned about this type of service how?”
“Master— I cannot lie. I learned some of this from Lord Blood. The way he expected me to serve him, but when I was learning it I kept hoping I would eventually come into your hands.” Her throat threatened to close. She knew it was dangerous to even mention Davien in any positive way at all, but it was the only thing that made sense. Where else would she have learned it?
He nodded slightly, his gaze never leaving her face. “You've given me something to think about, slave. Stay here. I need to have a word with the gate man before we leave for town.” He reached for the door of the carriage, looking at her for a moment longer. “You and I will do well together, my pet. In a few months you will not even recall Blood's name, or his presence in your life. He will be nothing more than a foul dream. And we will find a way to be rid of him forever. Either by leaving for the Island, once I find a way to control who has access to you, or by having Blood killed.”
“Yes, Master.” She nodded softly, lowering her gaze even as he left the carriage. She waited, counting silently in the back of her mind. She had a chance here, a slim chance, one that doubled when she heard the driver step down and follow after Tearlach at his call.
What were they doing?
The gate man? What about?
Dealing with Shaun? Of course, that was the only thing that made sense.
She peered out of the carriage. They were in the gatehouse now and not expecting her to run. She had a chance, this slender chance to make her move. Celeste removed her shoes, so the small heels would not clatter on the cobblestones as she moved. Then she pushed the door of the carriage open, slipping down onto the stones. Her heart pounded in her chest as she moved, her eyes wild.
If he caught her doing this, there'd be no going back. She'd be punished, maybe even killed, but there'd never be another chance to break free. Never again.
She pushed the carriage door closed, trying not to make a sound and then fixed her gaze on the gangplank of the very ship they had not long left. With her shoes in one hand, and her skirt hitched up in the other, she ran for the ship as if her life depended on it.
And perhaps it did.
She glanced back at the gatehouse. No sign of them yet. She had a chance, a real chance. Her stocking covered feet touched the wooden plank, a male voice calling out, not Tearlach's though, as she darted up onto the ship. Her voice shaking as she stumbled onto the ship.
“Captain Shaun. I'm looking for Captain Shaun.”
“Weren't you just here, girly?” A gruff sailor grabbed her arm.
“Yes, please. He knows me. Please I have to find him.”
“Why should he want to see you, wench?” The man's grip tightened.
“Hey, hands off her. If she's the Captain's girl, then we'll be in trouble for touching her without his say so. And if she's just some troublemaker then he'll let us sport with her so there's no point in making things worse for us all, is there?” A second voice called out, the owner of it walking toward them as he spoke.
“All right, take her to see the Captain then. See if I care.” The gruff man all but thrust her into the waiting arms of the newcomer.
Celeste barely had time to think as she was escorted across the ship. Her original arrival on the vessel had been done with her wrapped in a cloak, unable to see what was going on, and the only way they'd recognized her is the dress she wore, and the glint of silver white hair that she had known had slipped free of the cowl. But the cloak had been abandoned in the carriage, under Tearlach's instructions.
She was half led, half carried down the three steps to the door of the Captain's cabin, and the loud knock jolted her to the core. If Shaun didn't help her then all would be lost.
“Well, well, well. I wondered if I would see you again. Come in, Celeste. Mr. Batton, close the door and set word that we will be leaving on the evening tide, not the morning.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she moved further into the room and heard the door close. “Thank you, Captain.”
“Don't thank me, yet. The price might be one you're not willing to pay. But I want to hear from you, directly, why you're here.” Shaun picked up his maroon jacket and slipped it on, his gaze never leaving Celeste.
“I've run from Tearlach. I can't be with him. I'm begging you for passage to the Island he spoke of. If I arrive there as a free woman, as one who is dominant, then I will be safe from him.” She lifted her gaze to the Captain, a nervous tremble touching her lips. “I know it's asking a lot of you. But if there is a price that includes my body, then I'll pay it.”
Shaun waved one hand toward the nearest chair. “Sit down, Celeste.”
She did as she was told, setting her shoes on the floor, then folded her hands into her lap and tucked her feet beneath the chair.
“Normally you'd be whored out to the entire crew, it would be the only way to prevent them from rioting, but with what you've said about the Island, there might be another way. You could— well— train to be a dominant during the trip. There are more than a few men on the ship who would enjoy that. Although with me, in the privacy of this cabin, you will continue to be a compliant submissive.”
She sucked in on her bottom lip, listening to him. Her thoughts refused to settle down, at first, but as he continued they began to make sense.
“As a dominant they will not expect to gain your services for free, Celeste. It would give you some money for when you arrive at the Island. Though I should warn you that life there may be difficult. You will need to keep up the appearance of being a dominant. No matter what. Let a man see you are submissive, and they will push for you to take a collar, to become a slave again. So this trip will help you learn, it will be a way of you training with some measure of safety.”
Could she do this? Was there a way of pulling this off completely? She couldn't be sure but it was a chance she had to take. If she could learn then not only would she be free of Tearlach, but she'd be in a place where she'd be accepted as a woman in charge of her own life, with her own money and power.
She'd be the dominant, not the submissive. The Mistress, and not the slave.
“And you'll help me learn?” She looked into Shaun's eyes, searching for some sign that she'd be well treated, that this wasn't a cruel trick being played on her.
“Yes. You have my word on it.”
“Why though? Why are you helping me?” Relief washed through her body, and if she hadn't already been sitting down she would have collapsed, of that there was no doubt. “You were his friend... ”
“I was, before he turned into an arsehole under the control of that Blue woman. He's not a man anymore, though he pretends to be one. No, you need to be away from him. Maybe once he'd have brought the best out in you, but not now. And I gave him the chance to straightened up, to help him, he smacked that in my face.” Shaun gave a one-shoulder shrug as he buttoned up his jacket. “He used to be a damn good man, one I would have called brother, but he doesn't even realize that by taking Davien Blood's property he's turned himself into a walking corpse.”
Foolish question, she was all too well aware of how terrible the man could be. She'd seen him kill once before. Cold and emotionless, then used her body with the dead man lying within arm's reach. Her sex tightened at the memory, even as she felt the ship move, a soft rock that caught her off guard. Low voices reached past the closed door. They were starting to move. It wouldn't be long before they were out in the channel, on the River Thames herself, then off toward open waters.
“But you're safe?”
“Tearlach won't think you came back to me. He'd see it as too obvious, so when he finds you're missing he'll search the docks first. Then any docked vessels. He's already been warned that a woman on board would be tossed to the men, so again he wouldn't view a ship as the first option for you to hide on.” Shaun took a step toward the door. “I suggest you stay here, I have to go topside in order to oversee a few matters. If you've not been on a ship before the motion can take some getting used to.”
“He brought me over from Ireland on a ship.” Celeste recalled the trip all too well, it hadn't been comfortable for her, but at least she hadn't been violently sick.
“This will be a rougher trip, but at least you've got some idea of how it can be. Now settle yourself down in here and I'll be back shortly. I'd suggest getting some rest whilst you can. If you go through the door at the back it leads into my sleeping quarters. Not much in there, a bed, but looks like that is all you're going to need right now.”
To sleep, in a bed, and not worry about Tearlach coming for her. Even though she'd only been with him a few days the idea was one that filled her with sheer joy. “Thank you, Captain. You've no idea what this means to me. That you'd take such a risk and potentially lose your friendship with him.”
“That died earlier on today when he continued to be an arse. There's one of my old shirts over the chair there, feel free to use that. We're going to have to do something about your clothing, but we'll be putting in at two ports before we hit the Island. Now, hop into bed and I'll be back later.” He nodded toward the bed and turned, leaving her alone in the room.
Her fingers shook as she stripped off the dress and then the hateful corset. Her ribs ached from wearing it for so long and she tossed that into a corner of the room before she pulled on the shirt. It fell almost to her knees and she had no doubt it covered her far better than half of the clothing she'd been forced to wear for Tearlach such as that thin little chemise. The material was certainly thicker.
A yawn split her face, a soft shudder running through her body. Only now did she realize just how tired she was as she stumbled into the bed and pulled up the rough blanket about her body. But, even though she was exhausted, she couldn't fall asleep immediately. Her mind refused to grant her that bliss.
She closed her eyes and listened to sounds of the ship.
Water slapped against the sides of the vessel as it slowly moved away from the dock. The sounds of heavy steps across the wood, though muffled, still reached her ears. Low voices called out, the creak of the wood, the rope, sound of metal touching metal, heavy items being taken around the ship. It all combined into an odd musical played out for her benefit.
A soft smile touched her lips as she lay there, letting the gentle rock of the ship lull her into a deep sleep. Her concerns pushed to one side. She was safe here. Tearlach would be searching the docks and would never think to look for her here. Even if he did it was too late. They were no longer at the dock, no longer in easy reach for him, or his friends.
She was safe.
At least until she reached the Island, and faced whatever trials she'd need to go through there in order to be truly free of men like Tearlach and Davien.
Davien.
Tears seeped down her cheeks.
The man she loved, hated, desired, feared and needed all rolled into one. A man she did not dare go to, for fear she would never find herself again. He could never be told just how deeply he owned her, or how far into her soul his touch had reached. Not if she ever wanted to be free again.
THE END
-The End-
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