The man’s warm brown eyes had popped in her mind by chance one day. She’d watched Bella laughing with Gregory over some playful comment he made. The captain’s big smile and chuckle was reminding his wife she wandered about their home as aimlessly as she did his ship. Chloe had found herself ashamed to admit she had been envious of her dear friend and wished she had her own man, when those haunting eyes filled her memory.
Chloe found she was unable to keep the vision of him from her mind. He was such a brave, heroic man. Yes, perhaps he’d been less than perfect, but he’d been courageous enough to save her life. Not only hers—the lives of those she loved had been saved by him, and he’d done it at the expense of his own.
Chloe changed position once again and stared sadly out into the darkened room.
He was also a dead man.
A tear trickled down her face at the thought of how he had sacrificed himself so others could live on. He was now a ghost, a spirit of a man who changed his life for the better. Yes, she loved him…but it was too late. Sarah knew of him, though not that Chloe fancied herself in love with him.
In her dream, Chloe paused in her letter writing, seeing Sarah, a cook aboard the Arabella, waving a metal spoon in the air. “Child, you have no business fallin’ in love with a ghost. Dead men got no warmth. Start lookin’ among the living for a man to warm your bed.”
Chloe was unable to help herself. She held a silent, one-sided debate with Sarah. “I don’t need anyone to warm my bed. And you don’t have to lecture me about fancying myself in love with a dead man. I realize it’s hopeless. But matters of the heart know no logic.”
What drew her to this ghost? She had wondered time and again. Most likely, it was the pattern of his life, much like her own. He’d made foolish mistakes. He’d blamed others for his woes and seemed destined to be lost forever. Yet, at his darkest moment, stuck in a hellhole, he somehow had found the strength to do the right thing. Someone had to make a sacrifice or everyone would be lost. He stepped up to accept the role, like a hero.
She could trust someone like him. He would understand her childhood flaws, when she was arrogant and ungrateful. He would likely appreciate the rebellious way she responded when betrayed by her stepmother. Mayhap he would be able to look past her current flaws, too. If Lily could find love with a man who helped her work past her many issues of the past, surely, there might be someone for Chloe.
In her sleep, she reached a hand back to protect her backside. Lily often found herself on the receiving end of a correction atop her husband’s lap. Even Bella, who was as close to saintly in Chloe’s eyes as possible, had ended up with a tender bottom when her husband felt she needed to work on improving her behavior.
Ghosts could not spank, Chloe consoled herself. But neither could they draw a woman close, taste her eager lips, or protect her from evil barons and horrible family members.
The chiming of the clock awakened her with a start. Chloe sat straight up in bed, gasping. The hairs on her arms stood on end as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room. It was first light, and the sun had half an hour to go before it would peek through the windows. A strange feeling settled over her, almost as if someone had been in the bedroom with her, watching over her. A shadow…an apparition? Her eyes darted about the darkened room as her breath caught.
Yet, instead of feeling fear, she felt comforted by the ethereal being. The presence felt protective. Surely, if the baron had been spying on her, she would not feel so tranquil. Finally, her breathing slowed, and she relaxed a bit. It was time to get up and help Arabella finish her packing. She lit the oil lamp, and seeing the empty room, breathed deeply for the first time in days. They would be on the ship soon. And safe.
A new beginning awaited her.
The lush cushions of the carriage seats helped smooth out some of the rougher sections of the path they traveled that day. For much of the morning, it had been a silent ride, with Arabella dozing, her body demanding more rest now that she was carrying. Chloe reveled in the silence, staring out at the scenery, and let her worries about Baron St. John fade away. Liverpool was a good distance from where her stepmother was rumored to be visiting, so she should be safely tucked aboard the Arabella by this afternoon.
“From the smile on your lips, I am thinking you are lost in another happy daydream.” Bella startled her for a second with her words.
“I can’t wait to board the ship,” Chloe said as she looked out the window, wondering if she would ever be able to return this way again. If freedom meant spending her life on the ship, this was as close as she would ever get again to the grassy fields and thick groves of trees.
Arabella smiled across at her. “Chloe, Gregory and I have been talking.”
Chloe’s blue eyes slowly turned to meet Arabella’s, but she said nothing. Were they as fearful about her future as she was? Mayhap her presence put them in danger. Gregory was an intelligent man. He might well have considered it would be best for her to become a permanent passenger of the ship, just as she had. She waited, trying to keep her breath steady so as not to show her uncertainty.
But Bella’s words were as far as possible from the track Chloe expected. “We were wondering if perhaps you’d like to go to college.”
“You…” She frowned, staring. “What?”
Her friend leaned forward and continued. “I can see my suggestion comes as a shock. Wipe that frown from your face, dear friend. You don’t have to go; it’s just that you’re so smart and so well read, and you deserve the chance for as much education as you want. I’d love to keep you as my lady’s maid forever, but you deserve better than a life hidden away.”
Guilt filled Chloe as she gulped and leaned back. Her friends had not been trying to come up with a way to distance themselves for the trouble she might bring down on them. They were, instead, looking to her future, wanting her to find fulfillment.
Chloe had dreamed of going off to college. What fun it would be to have the chance to learn. During her youth, she’d taken for granted the education her father’s money afforded her. Once her freedom had been snatched away, thoughts of going back to school had filled her free time.
But in the past year, those dreams had changed. She’d begun to dream of becoming a man’s wife, starting her own family. Being loved. Being accepted.
If she went away to school, she’d be leaving Bella, Lily, and her other new friends behind. Did she even have the courage to begin all over again? Being accepted was not guaranteed, even if she could afford going off to college. Before her stepmother, Chloe had been blissfully blind to people who could hate based on something as superficial as skin tone. Did she really relish being a new face in a multitude of others who might hate her on sight?
“You aren’t happy about it,” Arabella said softly. “I hope I have not offended you, daring to even discuss such a notion with Gregory before speaking to you about it.”
Chloe grabbed Bella’s hands tightly in her own. “It isn’t that, Bella.”
“Then, what is it?”
Chloe turned to look out the window and shook her head. “The truth? I don’t know what I want out of life. Back when my decisions were not my own to make, I was filled with grand ideas of what I wanted to do with my life. But reality opened my eyes to things I never even knew I wanted. Sometimes, I feel like an ungrateful wretch. You and Gregory are kind enough to want to give me the freedom to determine my own future. It’s harder to know just how to spend it when my values in life have changed so much in this last year. Bella, may I think about it?”
“Of course, you can. And I’d be lying if I said I want you to go. I love having you, Chloe. You’re not only my maid, you’re my confidant, my friend. I’d miss you terribly. We—Gregory and I—just don’t want you to wake up someday and realize you regret having missed the opportunity.”
Chloe leaned across the carriage to hug her best friend. “Thank you, Bella,” she said softly. “I will think about it. I promise.”
Chapter 4
The dock…
He remained in the shadows, quiet, watching. He was sure no one had seen him as he hid between the buildings. He could see the warehouse from his vantage point. His first glance around was for the two thugs, but he saw them nowhere. The groom and the cook were back, in the distance, watching for his signal. The Arabella wasn’t far away, and her crew was already on deck. Captain Smythe appeared to be going over the bill of lading and checking supplies. Sarah, the cook, was pacing up and down on the deck and complaining about something. Benny, from the crow’s nest, was leaning over the edge, watching her and grinning, with his arms folded. Smythe seemed to be having trouble keeping a smile off his face.
From the corner of his eye, a carriage came around the corner and stopped. The coachman jumped down to open the door. He watched Gregory flash a big smile toward it as his beautiful wife, Arabella, stepped out. Next, a dainty little foot stepped out, and an equally dainty young woman descended from the carriage.
From the shadows, he drew in his breath. It had been a year since he’d seen her, and she’d blossomed into a beauty. Her hair was red, long enough it almost reached her waist now, and when she turned to look around with trepidation, her eyes were huge and a vivid blue. Her skin, a flawless caramel color, was stunning. She’d always been adorable. How could she have become so breathtakingly beautiful within just a year?
A kitten had run down to her and was wandering about her feet. She spoke softly to it and picked it up, looking up and down the street as if she was afraid it would be run over. She glanced toward the shadows where he stood, her eyes narrowing slightly.
His breath hitched, and he waited until she had moved her gaze away before stepping back further into the shadows. He mustn’t allow her to see him.
A moment later, the trunks were unloaded from the carriage and placed onto the plank, and the carriage pulled away.
It was then, all bloody hell broke loose. As soon as the coach had moved out of the way, he saw them—the men he’d been watching for. They began moving forward, armed with daggers.
He nodded quickly toward his groom and began running forward, himself. Someone yelled the word, “Fire!” and people began rushing from the direction of the warehouse. He, however, didn’t stop to look. It was the distraction he needed, as well. Doing his best to blend in, he raced toward the side where the ship was located while the groom and the cook brought the coach in, cutting off the two men with their weapons. Arabella was rushing swiftly toward the plank at the orders of her husband now.
Chloe, however, had failed to follow. She’d turned back with widened blue eyes, to watch what was happening. She’d spied the two men approaching and hugged the kitten to her chest, as if she was too frightened to move.
He very nearly called out for her to run and found himself put out with her lack of good sense. She was lucky she was not his woman, because he would redden her arse for such careless behavior. What if he was not here to protect her? What if he had not happened to hear the plot unfold and taken measures to foil the evil plans? He found himself angry she was in such obvious danger. Still, she just stood frozen, more concerned with a bloody kitten than her own safety.
Kidnapped!
Chloe was so distracted by the arrival of the little kitten, she didn’t follow Bella toward the ship immediately. The impulsive little cat didn’t have the sense be wary of passing carriages and horses.
“Here, Purr.” Chloe reached down to grab the little cat, calling her by the nickname she’d given her to soften the harsh moniker from the crew. The last time she’d been on the ship, the kitten had been too young to separate from her mother. The runt of the litter, Purr was a striking combination of colors orange from Copper, her mother, and gray from Cooper, her father, both of whom were the ship’s resident cats. It was their task to keep rats out of the food stores, and they were fat from success.
“Fire!” A loud shout pierced the air suddenly. Chloe straightened, and her eyes grew wide as she hugged the kitten tightly to her chest. Looking around, she saw a coach barreling down on her. Gregory’s loud shouts of warning followed, but before she could so much as acknowledge the words, the wheels of the coach protested as someone tried to slow its progress.
For a moment, she assumed the driver had realized he was about to run her over. Then she screamed with indignation as someone reached out for her. Strong hands went around her waist and lifted her high, as if she weighed as little as a child. Seconds later, she was pulled inside the coach.
Sheer terror followed. She kicked; she screamed. A hard, unyielding hand clapped over her mouth. She bit down hard, earning a muttered curse from her captor. Chloe tried to turn and see who held her, but his fingers, now lined with bite marks, grasped her tightly, and she was unable to move. Pulled back against a hard chest, she held the kitten to her and began praying.
Feeling the sway of the coach as they drove quickly around the corner, she could still hear Arabella’s cry, “Chloe! Chloe!” Gregory’s bellow of rage joined his wife’s, along with Benny’s desperate shout from the crow’s nest.
She felt it as Purrsnickety jumped out of her arms, fearing the kitten would be hurt in the struggle. Chloe heard the gasp of profanity from above her head. One arm released her, but only for a second.
“Bloody cat,” her captor swore softly under his breath. “I’ll throw him out if he does that again.”
“Don’t you dare hurt my cat!” she managed to scream before a gag was brought around her head and across her mouth and another cloth was put across her eyes. Her hands, however, were still free, and she immediately reached up to grab the blindfold and yank it off. Her wrists were seized, and it was tightened again.
“Be still,” he growled. “Or I’ll bind your wrists and ankles next.” He brought her wrists down and restrained them with his arm.
Loud hisses filled the coach, and she started fighting even more earnestly. As if realizing her concern centered on the safety of the cat, her kidnapper showed a bit of mercy.
A heavy sigh was slowly drawn out behind her, and a voice said deeply, “All right. But he’d better not do that again. I hate cats.”
The hissing stopped, and so did her struggling. Chloe was no longer able to move her arms but turned her palms upward, as if waiting for the kitten to come back to her. A brief moment later, she felt Purr land in her arms, as if someone had just picked her up and set her there.
The arms about her pulled her back further into his lap. He leaned down into her ear. “Quiet now,” he said, his voice almost gentle. “I have no plans to hurt you. I’m trying to save your life.”
Purr safely back in her care, Chloe started struggling again. Save her? Had the man who just yanked her into a moving vehicle, blindfolded and gagged her just claimed he was trying to save her? She was still trying to scream and used her foot to stomp down on his heavy boot.
She shouldn’t have wasted her energy. He held her more tightly and scolded her as if she were a wayward child. “Be quiet, my girl, before I find it necessary to take you in hand.”
He sounded mean enough to do it, Chloe decided. Holding the little cat closely again, so she couldn’t get away, she leaned back and forced herself to relax, saving her energy for the first chance she had to escape. But her fear rose like bile in her throat, the further they traveled. Chloe didn’t know whether she’d be heard. But she took a deep breath and screamed with all her might. Muffled sounds barely escaped the cloth binding her mouth.
“You couldn’t make things easy for us all, eh?” She could feel her kidnapper’s breath on her ear, suddenly. His voice was firm, and she felt herself lifted off his lap as he placed five hard swats on her bottom.
A first, she was shocked. One expected a villain to resort to physical harm when challenged, but she anticipated a smack across the face instead of a hiding. Maybe her captor had some semblance of a heart she could appeal to. “Please let me go,” she begged through the gag.
As if he understood her, he said in a husk
y voice, “I can’t release you, Chloe. I can’t trust you to behave and be still. I’m trying to save your life, and I swear, you’re fighting me every inch of the way. If you think that was hard, you won’t like what happens when I put you over my knee for a thorough spanking. Trust me. I’m quite close to it.”
There was not a doubt in her mind that he meant what he said, and she gasped but remained still. She held the kitten, now fast asleep in her arms, and finally sighed, leaning back.
A moment later, he loosened the gag and pulled it away, feeling the fight go out of her. “Do you promise to be still?”
At least, she was lucky enough to be taken by a man with some sympathy. “Please, would you take the blindfold—”
“No.” His reply was swift and solid. “It stays in place until we get to where we’re going. You might as well try to sleep.”
Chloe reluctantly leaned against him, holding Purr tightly. There was no way she’d be able to sleep, but perhaps if she was very still, he would drop his guard and she could escape. The coach rocked gently as they traveled. Something about the strong arms holding her, his woodsy clean scent, the steady beat of his heart and the soft purrs of her kitten made her want to close her eyes.
There was no harm in doing so, she decided. She surely wouldn’t be tempted to sleep. The blindfold made seeing anything but brief snatches of light impossible.
No. She wouldn’t sleep.
It wasn’t until the coach slowed and she felt herself being lifted and carried that she realized she had, indeed, slept. Still, she was barely awake enough to notice she was being held against a warm chest. The strong, comforting heartbeat against her ear lulled her back into a place that was safe and warm, engulfed by a familiar dream.
Conquered by the Ghost (The Conquered Book 3) Page 3