by Sara Orwig
He turned to look at her. Deep within her something constricted, taking all her breath. He was rumpled, his hair hanging free, his brown locks framing his face. His white shirt was open at the throat and his breeches hugged slender hips. As her gaze lifted, he leaned against the bulkhead and tilted his head, his smile knowing. She blushed because he had caught her looking so boldly at him.
“Lianna, how difficult you make it for me to move you to another cabin,” he said huskily.
“You said I could go,” she replied, yet she felt an unaccountable excitement.
“Can I trust you to go quietly?”
“For now, yes.”
“Good. It will gain you nothing to cause trouble. Let’s go quickly.”
As soon as they were in the small cabin, she faced him. “I don’t want to stay locked in here.”
“Sorry, my love. You’re no longer home, where your every wish is a command.”
“My every wish never was a command.”
His brows narrowed and his voice became gentle as he asked, “Were your parents unkind?”
“My mother died when I was a babe, and my father is…a cold man. He wasn’t unkind,” she said stiffly, hating the pinch of hurt she felt when she thought about her father’s uncaring attitude.
“Yet he pledged you to a man you don’t love, a Spaniard so far from home. Ah, my sweet Lianna,” he said tenderly, stroking her cheek, and she was tempted to step closer, wanting his arms around her.
“How can you say that one minute, then lock me in here the next?”
He smiled. “If I didn’t lock you in, we both know what might occur. Deliberately or accidentally, you could betray us all and bring down the wrath of Lucifer.”
“How could I?” she asked quickly, feeling a flare of excitement as she watched him. “You’re Old Ned in the flesh!” The sparkle in his eyes made her smile.
“You call me Old Ned, yet I recall your lips pressed eagerly to mine.”
“It was because of your devilish charm!” she teased.
He laughed. “So I’m charming! Lianna, how flattered I am.”
“Don’t give yourself airs! You know you can be charming.”
“Every second makes parting more difficult. I want to take you back with me to my cabin.”
“Then I won’t say another word, so you will go.”
A mocking smile made creases in his cheeks. “Good night, Lianna.”
He brushed his mouth over hers and her lips parted as she closed her eyes and waited. She opened them to find him watching her. She blushed, knowing that she had wanted his kiss badly, and that he had seen her desire. He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, holding her, and she saw his intent in his eyes. Her pulse drummed as she realized he would kiss her.
“You want my kiss,” he whispered.
She stared at him, unable to deny it because every fiber of her being quivered in anticipation.
“Say it, Lianna! Admit that you do.”
She wanted to say no for so many logical reasons, but as she watched him, the word wouldn’t come. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and she felt longing tug at her like a net towing her along.
“Say it,” he demanded gruffly.
“Yes,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and his mouth came down as he pulled her into his arms, crushing her to him while his tongue thrust against hers. “Kiss me back, Lianna,” he whispered. “Kiss me like I kiss you.”
She was powerless to do otherwise, wanting him in a way she hadn’t known she could want a man.
He leaned over her, his hand caressing the nape of her neck while his other arm tightened around her waist. She moaned softly, and suddenly he released her, looking at her intently. “I’ll keep my promise to you,” he said. He kissed her fleetingly on the lips and turned and left, locking the door behind him.
Her body trembled with desire as she listened to his footsteps fade away. She sat down on the bunk and gazed at the yellow glow of the lantern swinging from a hook. How Josh could charm her! The man’s seductive ways melted her objections with total ease. “I will give you time…” she remembered. She wondered if in time she would be his completely, willing to throw aside everything for him. And suddenly she wondered how many broken hearts had been left behind by Joshua Raven in the past. She shook her head vigorously. What she felt for Josh wasn’t love—love was reserved for the one man who had given it freely to her, to Edwin. Josh Raven had awakened her desire, taken her from girlhood to womanhood, but he didn’t love her, and she knew he never would. He was a hard man, and one who had known many women—of that she had no doubt. Pity the woman who loved him.
She touched her lips with her fingertips, feeling her emotions war inside her. She loved Edwin and she shouldn’t accept Captain Raven’s kisses or return them, yet she couldn’t resist! She flung herself down on the bunk, wondering why she couldn’t control her own feelings, wondering again why Josh Raven could stir her in a manner Edwin never had.
Josh went above to check on the consequences of his fight with Lianna. Silently he took the wheel from Fletcher. Around them, gray fog rolled in off the sea, swirling and closing them into visibility of only a few yards.
With a hushed voice Fletcher said, “There were questions about a woman on board, sir. One of the Spanish sailors thought he heard a scream.”
“Was an explanation given?” Josh asked in a voice as low as Fletcher’s. Fine mist blew coldly against his cheeks.
“Aye, I explained that a cabin boy cut his wrist. The surgeon sewed him up and ordered sleep.”
“You think that satisfied everyone?”
“Who knows?” Fletcher shrugged.
“She’s back in her cabin, safely locked away. She hoped to reach the Spanish.”
Fletcher swore softly.
“She’s young, Fletcher.”
“And beautiful,” the first mate said bitterly.
“Do not distrust all women because of the treachery of one.” Seldom did Josh refer to the unhappy love affair Fletcher had had before he joined the crew of the ship, but he now was goaded into the reminder. Against the rolling fog, Fletcher’s broad shoulders were darkly outlined. His thick golden hair was a patch of yellow in the night.
“Hasn’t this one already shown her treachery?” Fletcher asked. “She is supposed to be aboard a Spanish ship sailing to La Coruña to be wed to a nobleman, not here on El Feroz.”
“She said she only wanted to go ashore in Spain. She swore she wouldn’t have revealed our plans.”
“And you believe her?”
“Yes. She’s young and she’s truthful.”
“Josh, take care. You’re letting her addle your brains. She would do it again if she had a chance. She is a ‘lady’ and thinks only of herself. She’s been reared in a pampered life, and to her the universe revolves around her whims. Do you think she cares a fig about anyone on board this ship?” Fletcher asked angrily.
“Fletcher, don’t condemn all young women who have been born into wealth, because one used you wrongly and betrayed you.”
“If it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve been hanged in prison for the crimes her highwayman lover had done. My fine lady wanted a scapegoat, and all her vows of love were to keep me entangled to protect him. You’ll see. They’re all alike. This one will be the same.”
“My head pounds,” Josh said sharply. “Take the wheel while I see if I need stitches.”
“Aye, captain,” Fletcher replied.
Josh descended the hatchway, moving briskly down the passage toward the surgeon’s cabin.
As the empty carriages and their drivers covered the final miles to the Melton manor, a rider appeared in the road ahead. Hatless and pounding down the lane, his cape flying behind him, he galloped toward them. Edwin was the first to recognize Byron, and his curiosity stirred. Byron pulled up sharply. “I ride for a doctor. The squire’s had an accident.”
“What happened to him?”
“His foot slipped and he stepped on his
broken ankle and lost his balance. He fell down the main staircase, and we need a doctor desperately!”
Byron waved to them and the carriage moved ahead while Edwin mulled over the bit of news.
When they reached the manor, they found Squire Melton in as dire a shape as Byron had indicated. The doctor arrived that afternoon and took up residence there for the next few days. Squire Melton had injured his back and his leg seriously, and suffered internal injuries that Dr. Frampton could not identify and could not get to respond to his treatment.
It was time for Edwin to return to London, yet he wanted to see what happened to the squire because now the doctor said the squire’s life hung by a thread.
Edwin paced the floor on sleepless nights while Byron sat late drinking ale with him. “You’ll wear yourself thin,” Byron drawled, watching Edwin move restlessly around the narrow room.
“I should be riding for London right now. Damn! What a turn of fate. If only this had happened months ago! Lianna may inherit everything.”
“A lot of good it will do her if she has given Quita her identity.”
“Quita will never return to claim it. She would run too great a risk—provided she tricks the Spaniard at all.”
“I don’t know how a Spanish peasant maid could pass herself off as an English lady,” Byron said dryly. “She’ll end up in a dungeon.”
“She may succeed if she wants it badly enough,” Edwin said, his mind momentarily on Quita. Then his thoughts went back to his own situation. “Should I go or should I stay? If Lianna inherits, I’ll search this earth over for her.”
“You said she is sailing where?”
“To a land called Chile that’s on the other side of the earth.”
“You’re let in the attic with your wild thoughts of finding her or of gaining the squire’s inheritance. Daft as bats, you are!”
“I’m going to London,” Edwin said, suddenly reaching a decision. “It would be just like the old bastard to languish for months, and I’ll miss my chance to sail with Captain Turner. Come with me, Byron. We have a chance to gain a fortune.”
“Or lose our lives at the end of a knife. No thank you. I’ll stick with simple pleasures.”
Edwin pulled down his cape and hat and pocketed the money he had saved. He picked up the bundle of belongings he’d hidden in preparation for his departure for the sea. He turned to offer his hand to Byron.
“How I wish you would come with me.”
Byron shook his hand. “No. It’s not for me. I don’t have the stomach for it.”
“I do. I’m hungry. Try to send word to me in London at the Boar’s Head tavern. Nan will save my letters.”
Byron grinned. “You moan about Lianna and talk about Nan all in the same hour.”
“They’re different. Each serves a purpose in my life. I intend to find Lianna.”
“She may be greatly changed if and when you do find her.”
“Byron,” Edwin said coldly. Byron’s head snapped up. “Never a word that she has served a sea captain. No one in England knows except you and me.”
“Of course, Edwin.”
“And if she comes home before I do, tell her I’m looking for her, that I’ll come back at the end of my voyage. Tell her I love her. Take care of yourself.”
He left swiftly, wanting to ride away without encountering his father. At the end of the lane, he glanced back, feeling a swift rise of hope that Squire Melton couldn’t live through this week. Lianna would own everything, including two ships. After this voyage, Edwin intended to know how to handle a ship. He would learn everything he could possibly learn. He turned the horse to the road for London.
When he dismounted in front of the Boar’s Head at the end of his journey, it was late at night and he was weary from the hard ride. He had another eight hours before he had to board the ship. Eight hours. He entered the warm tavern and looked for his companions. Not spotting them, he sat down at a table and searched for Nan, catching sight of her as she stood filling glasses from a barrel of ale. She turned and saw him, and a smile lit her eyes. He was hungry and he intended to eat first, but when he saw her, his gaze dropped to the full curve of her breasts revealed by her low-cut gingham dress, his loins tightened, and he wanted her more than dinner.
He crossed the room to pay the tavern keeper for an upstairs room, then motioned to Nan. Smiling up at him, she said, “Yer back to see yer Nan.”
“That I am. I have a room upstairs for the night, and I’ve paid for you to serve my ale there.” He winked at her and her smile broadened knowingly.
“Yes, sir.”
He tucked a coin in the front of her dress and smiled, feeling the warmth of her flesh. He went ahead, taking the stairs swiftly and finding the room he’d been given at the end of the hall. He lit an oil lamp and surveyed the simple room, which held only a washstand, bed, and one chair. A fire had already been built in the hearth, and the room held a cozy warmth. Laughter and muffled voices drifted up from below.
He moved restlessly around the room, looking out a frosty pane at the blackness, knowing beyond the buildings and rooftops was the sea and Lianna was sailing on it, sailing in the arms of a sea captain…
He swore and turned angrily from the window, wondering what was keeping Nan, when he heard a slight knock.
“Come in,” he said, and crossed the room.
She smiled as she swept inside. “I brought your ale, sir.”
He closed the door and turned the lock, taking the tray from her hands. Suddenly he wanted her with a hungry violence. He turned her to him, yanking the dress off her shoulders.
Her eyes flew wide. “Sir! You’ll tear—”
“Shut up. I’ll pay you well,” he murmured as he lowered his head to kiss her flesh while he shoved her dress to her ankles. The rough cotton shift was in his way and he ripped it down the center, seeing a flare of fright in her eyes, yet wanting to possess her and drive the demon images of Lianna from his mind.
Ten hours later, he watched Portsmouth recede into the coastline as the ship sailed out to sea. “Stafford!”
He turned to find the captain watching him, and suddenly, Edwin realized how inexperienced he was and what a task lay ahead of him. Captain Turner jerked his head, and Edwin hurried to him.
“You can sign on now. Here…” Captain Turner unrolled a scroll of paper and held it for Edwin, who read, “Articles of Agreement.”
Edwin scanned the paragraphs, reading slowly in a soft voice the details that laid out everyone’s responsibilities and shares. “…whoever first discovers a sail that becomes a prize shall receive one hundred pounds as a reward…” Edwin felt his pulse quicken as he read eagerly, “…whoever enters the enemy ship after boarding orders are given shall receive three hundred pounds…” He looked up and grinned at the captain. “I’ll sign.” Slowly he penned his name, then handed the paper back to the captain. Another seaman, a slender dark-haired man who looked only eighteen, stood beside them.
“Dunsten here will show you the ropes. Now, look alive or you won’t sail long with me.”
“Aye, sir. That I will. I want to know everything possible about sailing.”
“Learn a little about fighting—it will serve you as well.”
He followed Dunsten belowdecks through the captain’s quarters, the galley, the berth deck with the cannon. Deep in the hold beneath the main hatchway Dunsten showed him where the shot and cannon balls were stored.
“This weight serves as ballast. There’s the powder locker. It’ll take a while, but you’ll learn.”
“I intend to learn fast,” Edwin said grimly, giving his full attention to every detail. Dunsten showed him where the casks of drinking water and grog were stored. Top and forward of these were the provision barrels.
“I’ll show you were to put your things,” Dunsten said, leading him to the crew’s quarters.
“How did you get into sailing?”
“I was a chimney sweep and an orphan as a child. I signed on as cabin boy
early, and later I was on a ship taken by Cap’n.”
As he looked at the dank, cramped space he would share with the other seamen, Edwin saw he would have to adjust after the comfortable quarters he’d had at home. “We all crowd in here?”
“No!” Dunsten laughed. “Cap’n’s lieutenant, Pringle, the prize master, Gettys—they have officers’ quarters down the port fore and aft gangway. Next, certain crew members have better quarters on the berth deck, where the boatswain, the gunner, carpenter, steward, and captain’s clerk bed down. You’ll sleep on a hammock here. Here’s an empty sea chest left behind. It’s yours.”
“Thank you.”
“And here’s your best friend of all.” He handed Edwin a cutlass. Edwin felt the weight of it in his hand. He shook his head. “I don’t know how to use one.”
“Just use it. It takes no special skill. You’ll learn.”
Edwin turned to slice it through the air, making several swings as he became more accustomed to the feel of the weapon.
“Wear it at your side when we sight another ship. Now, come along and I’ll show you the ship and give you a task.”
“I’m coming.” Edwin put the cutlass in the chest along with his meager belongings and hurried after Dunsten. “Where’s our destination?”
“The islands. Jamaica, to buy rum and sell English goods.”
“Are these islands near Chile?”
“Great Hades, no! I’ll show you a map.” Dunsten shook the long braid of his dark hair back over his shoulder and straightened his canvas cap.
Edwin nodded. “Can I have a cap like yours?”
“Ask the sailmaker, Wooderston. It’s made from ship’s canvas and waterproofed with tar.” He watched Edwin drop his things into the sea chest. “Each man gets a nooner, a gill of grog a day.”
Edwin laughed as he stood up. “What’s that?”
“A quarter of a pint of rum.”
“We sail the same direction as if we were going to Chile, don’t we?” Edwin asked, returning to the subject on his mind.
“Aye, for a time. Only we stop in the islands. If you were to go to Chile, you would keep sailing south down the coast of the New World and around Cape Horn—the most treacherous seas in the world. No, thank you, man. There’s treasures enough to find not far from home. We don’t need to risk our lives to sail to strange seas and enemy lands. No foreign ship can put into Spanish ports in the New World.”