by Dayna Quince
“You watch me very closely.” Olivia broke into his thoughts.
“Pardon?” Colton shifted uncomfortably. He had been staring at her rather intently.
“You watch me,” she smiled. “I’ve caught you numerous times simply watching me.”
“You are rather pleasant to look at, Livie.” One side of his mouth curved up.
She blushed. A tender pink swathed her cheeks and ears. “What I would dearly like to know is what you were thinking, but I doubt you will tell me.”
Colton thought about it. He shrugged. “I was thinking about how you came to be the way you are.”
“The way I am?” Her brows rose in question.
“Yes, there are few women of nobility as open and caring as you, Livie. I was just thinking that after growing up under such restriction, you came to be so—”
“Reckless?”
Colton chuckled. “I was thinking selfless. You care so much for your friends and family—to the point of reckless, I might add—when so many other young ladies of your station only care for dresses and balls. You are different in a lovely way.”
Her breathing hitched and then she came to where he stood by the table.
He arched a curious brow as she approached.
“You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” she said.
“What?” He smiled but his brow furrowed in confusion.
She took his face in her hands and pulled him to her, covering his lips with hers. He flinched but he did not move away, and then something magical happened.
Colton could feel the strength of his resolve give way like a vibration through his muscles. Her kiss was achingly tender, but like a spark to kindling, it set off an explosion of desire inside him. He crushed her to him in a torrent of want and need. He kissed her harshly, forcing his tongue inside her mouth and taking everything. He pushed her back to the bed, and she complied as they shuffled, and then he collapsed them onto it in a tangle of limbs and clothing. They broke apart for only a moment, gasping for a breath, and then he stole her mouth again, submerging her in a tidal wave of his passion.
Colton was only aware of the wildness of his need. Everything around them faded until he existed in a bubble of only Olivia. Olivia warm and pliant beneath him, Olivia kissing him back wantonly and submitting to his uncontrolled passion with abandon. She wiggled beneath him, setting fires in his body, uncontrolled wild fires that smothered all rational thought beneath the smoke and flame of desire. He pinned her with his body, aware that she could feel the evidence of his need and gloried in the feel of it naturally cradled against her body. He couldn’t stop himself. He thrust against her with intent, showing her exactly what he wanted. She responded ardently, raising her hips, and torturing him in return. They repeated the torture several more times, crushing each other in their arms, dueling with their tongues, and breathing as if their only source of breath was their next kiss. It was his wildest dreams come true, only it wasn’t a dream, it was agonizingly, erotically real, and that was the scariest thing of all.
He broke from her suddenly, tearing himself out of her arms and off the bed. It was painful—physically painful, and he watched as she sat up, befuddled, and beautifully disheveled, all at his hands. He was the monster he had feared he would become, the man who defiled her without the honor of being her husband. He shuddered with emotion and backed away even farther, all the way until his back was to the door. She watched him, but he didn’t know what she saw. With one look, she asked for all the answers he couldn’t give her.
“Olivia… This can’t happen again. This is why it is so dangerous to be near you. I am only a man and have limited control. I am warning you not to test me again.”
“I’m not trying to test you, Colton. I’m trying to show you something. I know you think I am naive and sheltered, but there is one thing I know. From the time I was a small girl, you have been everything I think a man should be. I’m in love with you, Colton, desperately. I want you to see me not as that young girl but as a woman. I am a woman now, and I want to be with you.” By the time she was done with her confession, her hands were shaking so badly she tucked them under her skirt.
“Livie... I can’t give you what you want.” His voice choked. He was stunned beyond words. It was everything he’d wanted to hear, and yet it was painful to know. How was he supposed to respond to such a declaration, when he couldn’t say what he wanted to say? The only thing he could say would hurt her tremendously, and yet it was his only option.
“Why?” she asked in anguish.
“You deserve so much more than me, Livie. I could never give you what you need.”
Olivia turned her back to him. “Please leave. I need to be alone.”
His feet felt heavy as he pivoted to leave. He entered his small cabin and closed the door. Leaning against it, he closed his eyes. He thought keeping his distance from her was the hardest thing he had ever done, but this was so much worse. She had said she loved him and wanted him, and he turned his back on her.
Chapter 7
For the next two days, Olivia pretended to blend into the wood. She saw Colton rarely. Willy was kept away as well, except when he brought her meals at morning, lunch, and dinner. In the afternoons, he would escort her on deck, show her around the main deck, and then back into the cabin she went. Most of the time she stared at the horizon, napped, and when she couldn’t stand the tedium any longer, she rifled through Colton’s desk drawers and found a book to read. Willy, God bless his soul, gave her some paper and a pencil after asking if she liked to draw. Olivia was not a proficient artist, but it was something to do, something to keep her hands and mind busy instead of thinking about Devon…or worse, thinking about Colton. She preferred to be alone now.
When Willy had come to take her plates that evening, he told her they were making good time and should reach Amsterdam in another day. Good. The sooner they found Devon, the sooner they would return to England, and Olivia could begin her life anew as a spinster. Becoming a companion to an eccentric woman up north sounded positively lovely now. After this final humiliation, she no longer cared about returning to society. What did town life have to offer her? Even seeing her friends sounded awful. Seeing Lilly happily married would be agonizing, and Lydia... Well, she didn’t know what was going on with Lydia. Her only companion now was time. It moved steadily on and brought the end of this foolish voyage closer.
The day wore on and with it, the sea became rougher. The sky darkened as it was consumed by the black clouds, and the sounds of the ship were drowned out by the crash of waves against the hull and the roaring wind. Olivia was reading by the light of an oil lamp when the patter of rain on the windows startled her. The ship rose and fell in varying degrees, and every so often, she had to train her eyes on the horizon to maintain her equilibrium, but the longer it continued the harder it became. Her stomach began to rise and drop with the ship until Olivia gave up on reading and stared solemnly out the window.
She gave up staring out the window when she could no longer see the horizon. Praying sleep would come, she climbed into Colton’s bed shortly after Willy took her dinner tray, and let the rain lull her. The rocking of the ship had eased somewhat and was actually quite soothing as she lay there and tried not to think of Colton. Instead, she thought of Devon and of what she would say to him when she saw him. She hoped she would find him well, so that she could blister his ears all the way back home.
When morning dawned, the sun hid behind a thick blanket of soggy gray clouds. Olivia woke to the sounds of ship life beginning, and the merry tune of male voices joined in song. She couldn't make out the words but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Willy was humming when he brought her breakfast, and his hair sparkled with the morning mist.
“Everyone seems to be in a cheerful mood,” Olivia remarked.
“Aye, m’lady, it's a mite chilly on deck and it be slick, but everyone has a skip in their step this morn.”
“What were the men singing just now?”
/> Willy blushed. “Oh...that, well...”
Olivia raised a brow. “I'm guessing it's something rather colorful for a lady’s hearing?”
“That is a fine way to put it.”
Olivia decided not to press him. “The weather seems to have improved, don't you think?”
“Cap’n say's we’ve sailed around most of it, but by tonight we will have to go through it.”
“How does he know that?”
Willy shrugged. “He just does, I suppose.”
Olivia shrugged. “Well, I certainly hope he is wrong. Last evening was rather uncomfortable for this landlubber. I hope tonight will not be as bad.”
Willy nodded sympathetically. “Sully can make ye some ginger tea to help. Would ye like that?”
Olivia smiled. “You are so thoughtful, Willy. I would love some ginger tea.”
The ginger tea had helped, but by evening, the seas and Olivia's stomach seemed to mirror each other, or so it felt. Willy brought her a supper tray and she looked at it mutinously. The boy watched her with a worried frown before removing it and leaving the cabin. He retuned shortly much to Olivia's surprise.
“It might help, Lady Olivia, if ye come below deck. Ye see, the rocking isn't as bad the closer to the center of the ship ye are. I asked the crew, and they were all right about it. It’s a little dark, and the animals don't smell as nice as here but it might help. Calvin is telling his stories again. I promise you, he tells the best stories. They give ye chills, they do.”
Immediately, Olivia knew Colton would not approve of her going below deck, least of all sitting with the other crewmen. He had made that quite clear. But she was miserable here in the cabin and would do anything to calm her stomach.
“If you think it will help, I would be glad to come and listen to Calvin’s stories for a bit.”
Willy nodded. “Do ye have something warm to put on?”
“I usually wear Captain Colton’s cloak.”
Willy went to Colton’s closet and opened the doors. He pulled out the cloak and held it for Olivia to step into. She pulled the hood over her hair and followed Willy out of the cabin and through the short hall to the main deck. He opened the door and a blast of cold air struck Olivia in the face. She looked around quickly as they came out, and was taken aback by the drastic difference of the ship from night and day. Relentless drizzle fell from a sky so black it looked as if it appeared from nothing. Lanterns lit the deck dimly and swayed with each roll of the ship. The deck looked and felt slick under her as Willy tugged her to the hatch, and they hurried down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, Olivia hesitated as she was enveloped in the heavier, warmer air coming from the galley.
They went down another stairway deeper into the ship where it was even warmer, and the soft sounds of chickens could be heard. A hush fell over the group of men huddled around a lantern, in front of what looked like a group of stalls for the animals. The men sat on stools and benches, some holding chickens and one a goat. Willy pulled her forward, and a divide opened for her as Willy led her to an open stool.
“This is the crew of My Darling Emerald, Lady Olivia.” Willy gestured to all the men surrounding them and then rattled off each of their names.
Olivia was too bewildered to remember any of them. She watched them with wide eyes, and they watched her, until finally one man cleared his throat and handed her a chicken.
“Oh.” Olivia took the chicken. She had never held a chicken before. “Thank you?”
“She’s frightened of the storm.” The man nodded and smiled.
Olivia smiled in return and relaxed just a little. The man was missing two of his front teeth and looked old enough to be her grandfather. She slowly sat on the stool and hugged the chicken to her chest. Around her, the other men sat and a great big red-haired man cleared his throat.
“Did I ever tell ye lads of the Banshee of Rhone Isle?”
They all shook their heads, already hushed, and in awe of whatever this man might say. Olivia deduced that this must be Calvin, and he must be a great storyteller indeed to so easily entrance them. His voice was low and gruff with a thick Irish accent.
“They say she searches for the man who broke her heart, a married man who plied her with lies and promises. But when she heard tell about ‘is wife, she took her own life. She jumped into the Keegan River crying his name, wailing for the pain of her broken heart until the waters swept her away, never to be seen again. But every night when there’s a full moon and the fog is thicker than cotton, her wail carries over the island like an evil wind. She searches for a man, any young man, to lure to the river’s edge. Many men have been lost to her, always deep in their cups and lured by her sad aching voice, nary one of them will be seen again.”
“Has she ever been seen?” Willy asked in terrified awe.
“Aye,” Calvin nodded. “I’ve seen her. When I was a lad of two and twenty, I was walking home from the pub. Good ol’ Molly McCreedy had the best—” His eyes darted to Olivia. “Uh, pies in town, and I had me a slice after finishing a few pints.”
Olivia looked around in confusion as the men around her snickered.
“I was mindin’ me own business and whistling a merry tune when I heard it.”
Every one leaned in, including Olivia. The chicken she held was quiet and nestled tightly against her, which was somehow soothing. It was oddly cozy here in the underbelly of the ship. The air was warm and musky, the walls and roof above her creaked and moaned with the rocking of the ship, like her father when he tried to get up from the overly plush settee in the west parlor. The animals answered in a low chorus of mews and coo’s from time to time to express their displeasure.
“A sultry moaning cry came from the wood. I thought to meself, someone else was having pie too, but then I heard it. A woman’s soft voice cried ‘help me.’ So I turned off from the path and entered the wood and called out to her. At first, I heard nothing and could see nothing. The fog was growing thick, like a river of white overflowing its banks and creeping through the wood. I called out again, ready to turn tail for home but then I saw her. A shadow in the fog was moving toward me, a soft voice singing... ‘Come to me in the full moon light, follow my voice, twill lead to delight. I’ve waited for you, my sailor bold. Give me your heart and I will give you my own,’” Calvin sang in his deep raspy voice.
“I knew there was no bonnie lass to be found in such wicked woods, but I waited. The shadow moved closer and became a woman. Her hair whipped in the wind, her eyes glowed red with the wrath of a scorned woman. I turned to flee, and as I did, she lashed out at me with fingernails like claws and scratched me down me back. She screamed a wicked scream so loud it made me ears ring and bleed. I ran as fast I could, I ran until I had no breath in me lungs and me legs felt like mud. You can call me a coward, but I’ll never walk those paths again, and you better believe that when the full moon sits high and the fog grows thick, you’ll see nary a soul by the Keegan River.”
Olivia shivered. She had never seen nor heard of Rhone Isle or Keegan River, but she would never go there now, or any river on a foggy night during the full moon, for that matter. “What song is that?”
“Full Moon Light,” a voice said from the back of the group.
Olivia ducked her head down, and Willy actually squeaked in alarm. All the other crewmen were silent as Colton stepped forward and made his way to Olivia’s side. She didn’t look up, only wrapped the cloak more tightly about herself and stood. He moved to grab her elbow but she pulled away from him and turned to face Calvin.
“Thank you for the entrancing story. I’m very glad you got away. You are a gifted story teller.”
Calvin nodded. “Thank you, m’lady.
Olivia turned and made her way to the stairs. She could feel Colton’s presence following her, but he said nothing. Once up the stairs and away from the ears of the crew, she spoke but did not look at him. “I don’t want Willy punished for helping me. I won’t stand for it.”
He said nothing but
continued to plod behind her as she climbed the stairs to the main deck. He moved to lift the hatch, closed against the growing storm, but suddenly he reached past her and held it open for her. She kept her eyes on the steps, but she could feel his eyes on her face.
The crew was silent until the captain and his charge reached the deck above.
“You’re in for it now, Willy.” Bastion poked him in the back with a thick finger. “A pretty face has led many men to ruin.”
“What about me hen?” Wilton asked. “I gave her me prettiest, fluffiest hen to hold.”
“She’s still got it,” Willy spoke up and smiled a little. “I think it made her feel better. That’s all that matters to me.”
“Let her have it. She won’t do anything to it. Women like to hold things and cuddle things. Cap’n won’t be happy in the morning when he finds chicken shit all over his cabin. It will be on you, Willy.” Calvin squeezed the boy’s shoulder fondly.
“I don’t care. She was feeling sick, and we all made her feel better for a little bit.” Willy lifted his chin proudly.
“You’re a good lad, Willy. But remember this proud feeling when the cap’n returns to strip your hide.”
Willy paled.
“With words, lad, with words. You know the cap’n would never lay a finger on ye.”
Chapter 8
Olivia bowed her head against the cold mist and wind. She stepped out onto the wet deck and took three steps before her feet slipped out in front of her and she began to fall back. Colton caught her under her arms, and setting her up right again, he kept one arm tightly around her shoulders until they entered her cabin. At that time, Olivia stepped away and walked to the table and kept her back to him.