“Well, I’m not now,” she said and grunted through clenched teeth. “Let me go.”
“Not yet. We have business to discuss.”
She rattled the chain linked to the bed. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
LeBlanc stuck out his lower lip. “But I like this. Besides, I got all undressed for you, as I remember how much you liked it before.”
Her eyes grew wide, and a blush rose into her cheeks. She blurted out the words before she could stop herself. “I’m still a virgin. You can still sell me.”
She would do anything to get away from him. He merely smiled at her naiveté. “Thank you. That was my first question. My third question is based on your response to my second question. Would you like me to set Dulac free?”
Jesse narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s the trick question, LeBlanc?”
He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not until you answer.”
Cautiously, she nodded. “Aye, you know I would.”
He smirked. “I shall set him free for you...as our wedding gift. Will you marry me, Jesse?”
The ship felt like it had plummeted down a huge wave as her stomach dropped. “What do you mean by free?”
He chuckled. “Very good, ma chere. I shall set him adrift.”
“With plenty of provisions to see him safely until he is rescued?”
“He shall have as much as the row boat can hold.”
“Do I get to tell him goodbye?”
LeBlanc’s eyes darkened for the first time. “Absolutely not.”
She swallowed as she weighed her decision. In the end, she knew it was the only reply she could give. Her shoulders sagged as her heart broke. “Aye, LeBlanc. I shall be your wife.”
Chapter 17
July 16, 1900, Evening
LeBlanc’s plantation
Jesse sat on her private veranda overlooking the ocean. Her rooms were on the third floor of LeBlanc’s huge plantation. From the ground, the veranda was well hidden by trees, but there were none close enough for her to jump to and climb down. He had taken great pains to cut off any routes of escape.
She welcomed her prison, however, as LeBlanc had forced her to either go naked or wear a dress. No one but himself and Della had been allowed in her rooms. She wasn’t sure why she still cared about keeping her gender a secret. Her upcoming nuptials would open everyone’s eyes. She supposed it was because she had pretended to be a boy for so long that anything else seemed unnatural.
Jesse sighed and twisted the heavy engagement ring on her finger. She had thought often about throwing it into the sea of trees. She refused to think of what life as LeBlanc’s wife was going to be like. She had already gotten a glimpse of it. She knew he’d never let her out of his sight again.
Her thoughts turned to Dulac, and she wondered for the millionth time where he was. He had been set adrift in a little dinghy filled with supplies. At least, that’s what LeBlanc had told her. She hadn’t seen it with her own two eyes, and doubt nagged her. LeBlanc was notorious for going back on his word. Unfortunately, she could either drive herself insane with the thought that Dulac was still LeBlanc’s prisoner or live in the fantasy he was well on his way home.
The door to her rooms opened and closed quietly. She remained where she was and tried not to flinch when LeBlanc placed his hands on her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head, and she heard him inhale.
“You smell good,” he whispered. “I’d ravish you right now, but I promised myself to wait until our wedding night.”
“How noble of you.”
He took the wicker chair beside her and crossed his legs. “I think you’ll find I can be a gentleman when etiquette demands. Unfortunately, you have only seen my business nature.”
“Don’t you mean your dark, evil and twisted nature?”
LeBlanc stared at her momentarily before giving her a rueful smile. “You know, I was born a gentleman. Della can assure you our father is quite the man about New Orleans.”
For the first time in days, her interest perked up. She’d forgotten LeBlanc was from New Orleans. She tried not to show her sudden excitement in her words. “Might we travel there one day? I’d like to meet your father.”
“No need for that, love. Father will be here for the wedding. ’Tis the only reason we wait.”
Jesse tried to squelch her disappointment. He was never going to let her off this island. She stared at her hand. “Oh. That’ll be nice. Is your mother coming as well?”
He was quiet for so long that Jesse looked to see what the matter was. His mouth was pursed, and his brows furrowed. He stared at her with anger. “Why? What did Della tell you about her?”
Her ignorance felt like a noose around her neck. She dreaded his personality swings and had quickly learned the signs. She licked her swollen lip which was still healing from the beating she had received the day before. She jumped out of her chair and put it between them.
“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He rose slowly, and she took another step back, pulling the chair with her as a barrier. She briefly wondered when she had lost her courage to this man as he descended on her like a black cloud. He ripped the chair out of her hands, leaving her vulnerable to his attack.
Jesse turned to flee and fell over a plant. She scrambled over it and almost got to her feet when LeBlanc pushed her from behind. She fell onto the hardwood floor. He took two steps and loomed over her. She remained still, knowing better than to even attempt to get to her feet.
“How dare you talk about my mother behind my back? What did she tell you?”
She kept her face to the floor and shook her head. “She didn’t say anything about her.”
“Lying bitch,” he snarled. His fingers dug into her forearms as he hauled her to her feet. He forced her to face him. “Tell the truth now, Jesse.”
“I am telling the truth. I’m not a liar.”
“Oh, you’re not? So everyone knows you’re not a boy? Does Dulac know? Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”
He shook her. “Did ya’ll find it amusing to talk about a dead woman? Did Della describe how long it took for the rope to strangle her?”
“What are you talking about, LeBlanc? She’s never mentioned your mother.”
LeBlanc’s lip curled up into a snarl. “I’m surprised. You see, my mother was hung for piracy, and we all watched her swing.”
Jesse blinked. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
He crushed his lips to hers and took her mouth in a kiss that seemed to rape her soul. His arms were made of steel, but she knew better than to try and resist. So she suffered his attentions, but just when she began to hope she’d died from lack of air, he released her. He smiled down at her and pulled her body tight against his erection.
“I love playing with you. ’Twill make our wedding night more...special.”
She cringed inwardly. “Can’t wait.”
Just like that, his mood swung to the lighter side. “I came to tell you I won’t be in to see you tomorrow. I have to make a trip to the other island. I’m building a wedding gift for you.”
She raised her left eyebrow. “Why not build it here? It’s not as if I’ll be roaming about anyway.”
LeBlanc glared at her, as his dark mood shimmered under the surface of his lightheartedness. “That’s right. You’ll not roam anywhere...ever. And my gift will ensure that.”
Great. Something else to worry about.
He kissed her on the nose. “I will give you one hint. After it’s built, you’ll have much more space without any prying eyes. And only I shall hold the key to your heart.”
I doubt that.
She smiled weakly. “You’re building me a house. How lovely.”
He pouted but with humor in his eyes. “Ah, you guessed, but it shall be like none other, and we shall honeymoon there.”
Jesse frowned. “But, building a house takes time.”
He smiled. “Love, I’ve been working on it since the day you
left my side. I realized I made a mistake selling you to the sheik.”
He gathered her in his arms. “I’m just glad I found you.”
Someone knocked on the door, and LeBlanc reluctantly let go of her. Della rolled in a cart filled with food. She kept her head down and refused to look at Jesse. That had been the extent of their relationship for the past month.
Their meal was set up on the veranda. Numbly, Jesse took her seat at the table for two and stared at the china and silverware. She recalled the first night LeBlanc had made her dine with him. She had stubbornly refused to use utensils. Of course, they had fought...physically, and she had almost ended up with a fork embedded into her hand. That was the first of numerous lessons she would learn about LeBlanc.
“Darling, aren’t you hungry?”
Jesse snapped out of her reverie and forced a polite smile. “Yes.”
LeBlanc raised his glass in a toast. “To us.”
Jesse simply smiled and pretended to sip the wine. Then she focused on the meal. If LeBlanc was leaving at first light, then she would too. Unbeknownst to her fiancé, beneath her bed lay a mess of sheets, which she planned to tie to the veranda and escape.
The idea had been Della’s. Even though LeBlanc had always been present when she was, Della had left the sheets crammed under the bed. Jesse had discovered them one day after LeBlanc had beaten her and left. She had thrown her ring in fit of rage, and it had rolled under the bed. At first, she hadn’t been able to make heads or tails of what the sheets were doing there. Then it had come clear, and from then on, the looks she exchanged with Della were filled with thousands of words. Of course, it had taken awhile to get the opportunity to use them, but the day had finally come. Jesse had worried about where she would go as the island was a prison in itself, but she decided to take it one step at a time. Get free of the room, then decide how to get off the island. She secretly hoped Della would help her with that as well.
“My, aren’t we in another world,” LeBlanc commented.
Jesse blinked him into focus. “Just wondering if your father is as handsome as you are.”
She nearly choked on the words and forced a smile. LeBlanc seemed a tad shocked, but then his face lit up. Good. Let him fall for my lies.
“Perhaps in time...” He faltered, for once unsure of himself. “Perhaps in time you could come to even...”
Don’t say it. Please don’t be so predictable.
“Love me.”
She felt the bitterness in her smile, knowing she would always love another. She was amazed at how easily the lies flowed from her lips. “Time will tell, won’t it?”
* * * *
July 17, 1900, Morning
Jesse leaned against the rail of the veranda, mindless of the morning dew on its wood. She watched the sails of LeBlanc’s ship move from the right to the left until they were well out of view. She couldn’t see the other island but knew it was north of this one and not far away at all. He said he’d return on the evening tide, much to her dismay. She had hoped he would spend the night there.
She looked at the pile of sheets at her feet, knowing the reason Della didn’t just help her out the door was because of the guard stationed beside it. She didn’t know why she had even bothered to pull the sheets from under the bed. There was no way off the island, and nowhere to hide. She wouldn’t survive in the jungle behind the house. She looked at the white chemise she wore, despising LeBlanc for taking all of her clothes before he left. She couldn’t traipse about in the only garment she had. She imagined stumbling into one of his crew and shuddered at what might transpire.
Despondently, she sank to the floor and pulled the white sheets about her. She was trapped. Irrevocably and undeniably trapped by a madman. He was insane to think she would ever love him.
She snorted. He probably doesn’t even know what love is. I mean, for Pete’s sake, his mother was a pirate.
Jesse instantly felt the worse for her thoughts. Pirate...that is, after all, what I am as well, isn’t it? I hope he doesn’t think to make me a lady.
Then an idea popped into her head. Perhaps he does, and if he does, then he’s got another thing coming. Just wait ’til his dear father arrives. I’ll show LeBlanc just how much of a lady I can be.
Chewing on the inside of her lip, she began searching the room. If only she had some breeches, she could at least stretch her legs a bit. Unfortunately, the closets and dressers were bare. She turned her attention on the door. Perhaps it was left unlocked, but her hopes were instantly shattered upon testing.
Jesse walked absentmindedly into the bedroom, and her gaze fell upon the bedspread. Beneath that was a thin blanket. She shrugged and pulled it out. She could wrap it around her and at least take a walk. LeBlanc had let it slip most of the crew was going with him, so if she kept hidden, she might not even come across anyone else.
Determined to get out of her rooms for at least a few hours, Jesse shimmied down her makeshift rope. Her bare feet touched grass, and she quickly picked up the blanket she had thrown down and wrapped it around her.
LeBlanc loved his garden. He talked about it incessantly, but as he wasn’t ready to reveal her womanhood to his crew, she had yet to see his lavish flowers. So she followed a freshly mowed path around the house in hopes of stumbling across it.
Jesse took her time, enjoying her newfound freedom. She dearly wished she had a means off the island, and the thought occurred to her that perhaps there was a boat lying around somewhere. She supposed a little snooping wouldn’t hurt, as long as she remained undetected. She would also have to remember how to get back to her veranda.
Jesse cautiously approached the next corner of the house. This made the sixth corner, and she shook her head in astonishment. The design of LeBlanc’s house knew no rhyme nor reason. She could tell he added on in a haphazard fashion, paying more attention to the inside than the outside layout.
Just as Jesse peeked around the side of the house, somebody walked around it. She was knocked flat on her behind before she even had a chance to make a sound. Strong arms hauled her up, and her blanket fluttered to the ground, leaving her chemise bare to the eye. As she bent to retrieve her cover, she looked up and froze. “You!”
Dulac’s mouth fell open at the sight of Jesse in a chemise. The garment exposed the top of a pair of creamy breasts, and the fact that she was a woman slammed him right between his eyes. Jesse quickly wrapped the blanket around her and eyed him warily.
“Well shiver me timbers.” Dulac let out a low, appreciative whistle. His eyes remained focused on her half-exposed bosom. “Damn. This certainly explains a lot. You’re not a boy! You’re a girl, er, woman. Oh thank God.” The relief washing over Dulac’s face was almost comical. “Somehow, I knew you weren’t a boy.”
The relief on his face was almost comical, and a weight lifted off Jesse’s shoulders. She no longer had to pretend around him. She could be herself and tell him her true feelings. Jesse reeled her swirling emotions back in, refusing to let the bubble of excitement in her chest take over her composure. She tugged the blanket higher. “What are you doing here? LeBlanc told me he set you free.”
Dulac rolled his eyes. “And you believed him?”
She shrugged. “No, not really.”
Transfixed, he grabbed a lock of her shoulder length hair. “No wonder I can’t get you out of my mind. I thought I was going crazy.”
He stepped closer, and she took a step back. He grabbed her arms. “No, don’t run. We have to talk.”
He looked over his shoulder as if he heard something. “Where can we go? Bonny doesn’t know I’m gone yet.”
Jesse furrowed her brows. “Bonny?”
“I promise I’ll explain.”
Curious, she merely nodded. “Follow me.”
His grip relaxed, and as she stepped away, his hand slid down her arm and caught hers. Heat blazed between them, and she looked at their hands as if they were on fire. Her gaze lit on his face. A mixture of emotion played in his eyes.
<
br /> “I’m sorry I man-handled you when we were in the attic,” he whispered. “Women are to be treasured, and it won’t ever happen again.”
She shrugged as something warm wiggled its way into her heart. “I probably deserved it.”
He shook his head, and she wondered at the glistening in his eyes. “No woman deserves to be hit.”
Ever so gently, Dulac pulled Jesse against him. His right hand lifted her chin, and he lowered his head to seize her lips with his. Her eyes closed, and she allowed herself to relax into him. His tongue swirled with hers as if they had kissed a thousand times before.
He slowly pulled back and looked at her in confusion. Then his blue eyes lit up. “That was you I kissed in the dark.”
Dulac kissed her again, and Jesse forgot everything in the world but his sweet perusal of her mouth. When it ended, she searched his eyes for an answer she knew he wasn’t ready to give. She saw a glimmer of hope, however, and a smile bubbled on her face. He smiled in kind.
“Amazing,” he whispered. His eyes darkened as the world crashed back around them. “But we really must go. Bonny’s gone for the day, but she’ll be back by nightfall.”
Jesse’s eyes narrowed. “She must have gone with LeBlanc. He went to the other island to work on some gift for me.”
“Gift?”
She refused to meet his eyes. “Wedding gift.”
His ensuing silence meant everything to her. It said volumes of how he felt about her, even if he had denied it in the past. “Is this something you agreed to?”
“Aye.” Her throat tightened on her words, and embarrassment filled her soul. “But only because he promised me he would set you adrift.”
The lines around Dulac’s eyes smoothed out at a realization swept over him. “Which explains why he put me in that boat...”
“What?”
“He did set me adrift, but only for about ten minutes. Then he let Bonny pull me in and rescue me. Since then I’ve, um, I’ve been her prisoner.”
Anger flared over Jesse. She was sick of LeBlanc’s crazy lies. “We have to find a way off this island.”
“I agree.” Dulac stared at her and shook his head with an odd, boyish grin. It made him look years younger. “Thank God you’re not a boy. I knew I wasn’t spending too much time on a ship instead of in the arms of a woman.”
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