“I thought it was you,” she said slowly. Her voice was hoarse. “I felt it—”
Owen reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. She gave a little sound, half sob, half laugh, and then he held her against him and felt her arms go around him. Her heart was beating wildly against his and he kissed her, clumsily, desperately, with all the passion that was in his soul, and she was warm and vibrant in his arms and he felt at peace at last, sloughing off the darkness and dread of the prison cell and stepping into the light. He tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her again and tasted her tears and heard her muffled protest.
“You’re so dirty!” She drew back. “You didn’t even trouble to change before you came to find me!” But she could not let him go, touching his cheek as though she could not quite believe he was there.
“I love you,” Owen said. “I never told you. And I am so sorry I did not believe you when you said you had not drawn the cartoons.” He stopped as Tess pressed her fingers to his lips.
“Hush,” she said, drawing his head back down to kiss him again. The lanterns guttered and hissed in the snow and the crew gave a ragged round of applause.
“You’ve been busy,” Owen said. He blinked to see the number of men on deck now.
“I had plans,” Tess said demurely. Her eyes sparkled. “I still do. You can sail with me if you like.”
Owen kissed her again and tasted the hot salt of her tears once more mingled with the cold snow.
“Let’s go below,” he said as he released her. “I don’t want an audience for this.” And Tess nodded and pulled him down the companionway as the crew cheered her on.
“WHERE ON EARTH DID YOU FIND the crew?” Owen asked. It was some considerable time later and Owen had told Tess all about Tom and his release from the Tower, and she was lying in his arms in the captain’s cabin. There was a bottle of bumbo on the table, more than half-finished, and Tess was feeling happy and a little dizzy and yet very safe because Owen was holding her, his arms strong and hard about her, and she knew nothing would ever part them again.
“I asked your broker to recommend a boatswain,” she said, “and then he and I went into the Eagle Tavern and asked if any man wanted to crew for you.” She pressed a kiss against Owen’s jaw. “And then we stood back in order to avoid being trampled in the rush,” she added drily.
“Really?” Owen looked so surprised Tess felt the need to kiss him again for his modesty, a kiss he returned with interest.
“Really,” she said. “They all admire you tremendously.”
“Except that they would have been crewing for you, not me,” Owen said.
“Only until we got you out,” Tess said. She looked at him under her lashes. “That was the plan,” she said. “To sail upriver to the Tower and rescue you.” She saw Owen’s shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter and poked him sharply in the ribs.
“You ungrateful wretch!” she said. “It might have worked.”
Owen slid his hand into her hair, cupped her head and kissed her again. “With you in charge,” he said, “it would surely have worked. I defy even Sidmouth to withstand you.”
He released her and studied her face, his eyes so warm with love and happiness that Tess felt she might drown in the unguarded emotion she saw there.
“So you love Sea Witch,” he said softly.
“Almost as much as I love you,” Tess said. “This was the only place I felt close to you,” she added, looking around the sparkling little cabin that she and Margery had scrubbed so lovingly. “I hated the house. It felt unbearably empty and cold. So I came here because I knew there was so much of you in Sea Witch and so much of her in you that surely I would find you again. And I did.” She snuggled closer into his arms. “I can scarce believe that we have another chance.” She raised her head and looked at him. “Where shall we go? We could visit all the Rothbury estates by sea rather than land.”
“That,” Owen said, “sounds like an excellent idea.”
“And Joanna wishes us to visit them at Fenners for Christmas so we had best put into Bristol in a couple of weeks,” Tess said.
“Capital,” Owen said. His voice was sleepy now, content. He smiled at her, twining his fingers in her curls. “We’ll sail together,” he said. “I love you so much and I thought I had lost you forever.”
Tess sighed. “Alas that I will have no chance to find husband number five now,” she said.
She squeaked as Owen ruthlessly tumbled her beneath him on the bunk. He smoothed her hair back from her brow with gentle, loving fingers. “Do you remember asking me how it was possible to make love in so enclosed a space as this?” he questioned softly.
Tess blushed. “I did not ask that!”
“But you were thinking it,” Owen said. “Would you like to find out?”
He kissed her and the happiness burst through her like starlight, dazzlingly bright. Her heart expanded with all the love she had thought never to find. Tess gave herself up to it and stepped into the light.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8163-9
DESIRED
Copyright © 2011 by Nicola Cornick
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