by Jo Goodman
The men were lined single file on either side of the mainmast where Ross Booker had been secured by his wrists. His shirt lay at his feet and his broad, naked back glistened with the sweat of fear. He sensed his accusers had come on deck by the sudden stillness of the men around him. Ross tried to twist his head to see them but his bonds made it impossible. He strained against the ropes and cursed viciously under his breath.
Rob Durham was the one who would be wielding the water-soaked cords of the cat, and he poked Booker in the ribs with the whip handle. "You'll hold your tongue," he whispered harshly. "Cap'n Jack would just as lief have you strung up in the yardarms."
Noah saw Booker's struggle against the mast and he glanced down at Jessa. Her entire body was rigid with tension but her face was composed. He realized then that she was not really looking at Booker or the crew or even at the captain. She could see them all, yet she saw none of them. Her eyes held only the vaguest awareness of her surroundings. She was shielding herself from everyone, everything.
Noah led Jessa to their place beside Captain Riddle. He nodded shortly to Jack to indicate they were ready and pressed Jessa's arm to his side.
Riddle raised his hand and motioned to Rob Durham to begin the flogging. "Twenty lashes! Count 'em out!"
Three strokes were called before Ross Booker cried out. His back was scored with thin red lines of beaded blood. At ten he was screaming. The cuts were laid open; salty sweat mixed in the wounds. Fifteen. Sixteen. He was moaning softly and slumped against the mast. His fingers curled and uncurled weakly above his bonds. Droplets of blood stained the waistband of his breeches. Nineteen. Twenty. He was cut down, nearly unconscious.
But not nearly enough. As Noah and Jessa turned to go, he beheld Jessa's blank stare. The murderous intent in his own eyes was enough to spear the shield she had carefully erected. When he saw he had captured her attention he raised his fist and railed, "I'll see you in 'ell for this, bitch!"
Noah would have picked up the whip himself, but Jack was already directing two men to fasten Booker to the mast again and Rob Durham was prepared to do the deed.
"A half dozen more will still his tongue!" Jack ordered.
Jessa never heard the command. As soon as Noah's grip on her arm relaxed she slipped to the deck in dead faint.
Three men left the line to help Noah and he waved them all away. He bent on one knee and lifted Jessa in his arms, carrying her toward their cabin before Rob had counted out his first stroke.
"Open the door for me, Cam!" he called.
Cam scrambled to his feet. He was carrying Gideon on his shoulders. "Yoww! Gideon, you're pullin' my hair!" He opened the door and stepped back. "Oh, Lord! What's happened to Mrs. McClellan? Is she dead?"
"She's fainted." Noah strode over to the bed and laid Jessa on it. "Would you please take the child off your head and fetch a cloth and the basin? And put fresh water in it!"
Cam hunkered down, untangled Gideon's sticky fingers from his hair, and put him on the floor. "D'you mean fresh saltwater or fresh, fresh water, sir?" he asked hurriedly. "Coz if you mean fresh, fresh water then I'll have to be goin' out to get it. Your drinking barrel's empty." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, anxious to please and prepared to run in any direction once he knew what Noah wanted.
"Fresh, fresh water," Noah said, hardly believing the ridiculousness of this conversation. "And be quick!" God, but it seemed to him that a woman should be able to faint and then be cared for with a little more dignity than was given to this occasion. Cam danced around as if he were about to wet himself and Gideon was slobbering all over a chair leg.
Sighing, Noah sat down on the edge of the bed and took Jessa's hand in his. His other hand brushed back a tendril of hair from her forehead. Her lashes fluttered. He traced the line of her eyebrows with his fingertips. "Jessa?"
"I'm all right." she said tonelessly. She squeezed his hand lightly. "I did not give a good account of myself, did I?"
"You were braver than any of us had a right to expect. The punishment was brutal and... and Booker's threat was ugly." His green and gold eyes regarded her solemnly. "I'd say you gave a very good account of yourself."
"What will happen to him?"
He realized she didn't know about the additional flogging Jack Riddle had ordered and he decided not to mention it. "He'll be locked away for the remainder of the voyage. You have nothing to fear from him. Now or later. Jack won't let him leave the ship once we're in Virginia. When the Clarion sails again, Ross Booker will be on it. He'll be set ashore in London or somewhere equally distant."
She nodded. "Thank God. I would have worried... he was so angry... I think he meant what he said."
Noah placed his forefinger across her lips. "Shh. Don't think about it. No one's going to hurt you, least of all Ross Booker." His finger slid away and his mouth replaced it, whispering a healing, tender kiss across her lips. It didn't mean anything, he told himself. She just looked so damn vulnerable that he couldn't help himself. He owed her a little kindness, he supposed. After failing to protect her he could afford to be magnanimous.
Noah would have given her another kiss but behind him he heard a throat clearing and realized Cam was back in the room. He turned to the boy, who was nervously holding a pail of water in front of him. At least he wasn't dancing, Noah thought, a glimmer of a smile coming to his lips. "Empty the pail into the barrel, Cam. Do you want some water, Jessa? Yes? Cam, just bring a cup of the fresh, fresh over here and endeavor not to spill any, please."
"Noah, don't tease him!" Jessa whispered. "He's only a boy. And what's fresh, fresh?"
He didn't answer her. "Thank you, Cam," Noah said soberly when the boy returned. He took the cup, and as Jessa propped herself up on her elbows he offered it to her, holding it to her mouth and tipping it gently. "And Cam?"
"Yes, sir?"
"I'd be obliged if you'd crawl under the table again and pull Gideon out. You didn't teach him to nibble on the furniture, did you?"
"Yes, sir... I mean, no, sir... I didn't teach him that." He hunkered down and pulled Gideon out, screeching a little when Gideon tugged on his hair. "What should I do with him, Mr. Noah?"
"Well, don't put him on your head again. That nearly turned my hair white." Noah took the cup away and quickly set it on the floor as Jessa sputtered. "There's no cause to choke," he said tapping her back. "Gideon wasn't really on Cam's head. Just his shoulders. And he had a firm grip. Not Cam. Gideon. Cam most likely would have dropped him on his head. Not on Cam's head. Gideon's. That is, Gideon would have fallen on his own head. Not Cam's."
Jessa sat up a little straighter and found that her smile did not take as much effort as she would have thought. She appreciated Noah's attempts to coax that smile even though she suspected his motives. "I think I understand," she said gently, patting Noah's hand as if he were seriously addled and she was patronizing him. "Bring Gideon here, Cam. You can put him on the bed beside me." Cam did so and Gideon sat on the comforter, leaning back against Jessa with his head resting just under the curve of her breasts. She stroked his hair with her fingertips, making little curls. "Have you eaten anything at all today, baby? Hmm? Have you? Is that why you nibble on the furniture? That's what your papa says you do." She shot a guilty glance in Noah's direction. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"It's all right." he said without inflection. "He's too young to understand." He turned away then rather than let Jessa see that he was more than a little moved by the thought of being Gideon's father.
Their exchange thoroughly confused Cam. He thought it best to pretend he hadn't heard it. "Gideon ate some of that porridge for me," he said. "He didn't like it much, but I sort of insisted."
"Thank you, Cam."
"Yes, thank you," Noah repeated, recovering himself. "Jessa, if you don't mind I'd like to go on deck with Cam. There are some matters I want to discuss with Jack."
"I don't mind." She didn't. She was content that he had even thought to ask her. "I think Gid
eon and I will both take a nap."
"You're certain?"
"Mm. Go ahead. I'll be fine. I am fine." Jessa gave him a shove to start him toward the door.
"All right, I'm going," he said, raising his hands in surrender. He picked the cup off the floor, set it on the table, then h followed Cam into the companionway. Before he was five feet from the door he heard the grating noise of the bolt being thrown. As much as he was grateful to hear that sound, he also deeply regretted it was necessary.
Jessa returned to the bed beside Gideon. They fell asleep almost immediately and neither of them heard the commotion of Ross Booker being hauled to the lower decks. They were blissfully unaware of the strangled curses he heaped upon Jessa's head.
Gideon woke first and amused himself by playing with Jessa's braid until she was roused out of sleep by the constant, less than gentle tugging. Cam returned shortly after that with their midday meal and fresh milk for Gideon.
"Is Mr. McClellan still with the captain?" she asked while Cam set everything out for them.
Cam's eyes skittered guiltily. "Yes, ma'am. He and Cap'n Riddle are still... well, they're together, Mrs. McClellan." Cam carefully refrained from revealing that they were drinking. That's what they were doing, at least Mr. Noah was. Putting the grog away like it was all water. Two drinks to Cap'n Riddle's one. Cam didn't know if Jessa would care, but he was sure he wasn't going to be the one to tell her.
Hours later when he returned with dinner, Jessa raised the question again and Cam gave her the same evasive answer. He regretted it when the captain tagged him soon after to assist him in getting Noah back to the cabin. Cam could just imagine how they would be received. He had seen his own mother take a broom to his father when that worthy had returned to the house with one sheet to the wind... and Mr. Noah, well, Mr. Noah had at least three sheets aflutterin' in the breeze!
Chapter 7
"You're foxed!" It was all Jessa could think to say when she opened the door and confronted the unsteady trio in the companionway. Captain Riddle and Cam were both faltering as they tried to support Noah between them. Noah stood so much taller than either of them that his arms were wrapped around their necks and rested heavily on their shoulders. He looked as if he had somehow grown a head under each armpit.
Noah glanced at Jessa's face. He still had enough sensibilities to look sheepish, and the smile he gave her was endearingly crooked. "Indeed, I am. Good evenin', wife." He attempted a small bow and nearly brought his companions to the floor in the process.
Jessa could not help herself. She burst out laughing. She motioned to the captain and Cam. "Please! You'd better bring him in. Can you get him to the bed?" She stepped away from the door as the three of them tried to enter. Cam managed to squeeze through the threshold under Noah's arm without sustaining any injury. The captain, however, winced when his shoulder was thrust hard against the door jamb as Noah lurched forward. At this stage it was difficult for Jessa to tell who was carrying whom. She bit back more laughter, doubting Captain Riddle would appreciate her amusement at his expense, and ran over to the bed and pulled back the covers. "Just drop him here," she said.
"M'wife wants t' get me in bed," Noah told his companions, wiggling his eyebrows in an absurd parody of wickedness. Then gravely, "But she don't want me when I'm there."
The tips of Jack's ears reddened. "Don't mind him, Mrs. McClellan," he said as Jessa raised her hands to her burning cheeks. "He doesn't mean anything by it. I had him almost sobered once this afternoon, then, well, you can see he didn't have much use for that state. This ain't a common thing with him, ma'am. Fact is, this is the first time I've seen him foxed without a brother on each arm." Simultaneously, Jack and Cam gave Noah a hard shove and he tumbled onto the bed.
Noah groaned softly and rolled on his back, covering his eyes with his forearm. The entire cabin tilted alarmingly. "Can't you find calmer waters, Jack?"
Captain Riddle shook his head. "It's not the sea that's giving you a spin," he said unsympathetically. He turned to Jessa. "I have to be goin', ma'am, but if you want, Cam will stay and give you a hand."
Since Cam was already edging toward the door, clearly wanting to make his escape, Jessa declined the help. "I'm sure I can take care of my husband, Captain Riddle. My father was inclined to drink more than was good for him. This is not entirely a new situation for me."
"Very well," he said a trifle uncertainly, glancing at Noah. "I think he's goin' to sleep it off, though he's bound to have a sore head come morning. If he gives you any trouble, you come straight to me. You're a little bit of a thing to be tanglin' with this bear."
"I'll be fine," Jessa assured him. "Thank you for bringing him back. I suspected something like this was in the offing when Cam couldn't quite answer my questions earlier."
Cam ducked his head. "Thought you'd be angry, ma'am."
"It's difficult to be angry at such a sorry sight as the three of you teetering in the doorway," she said. "And you, Captain, look as if you could use a little help getting to your own cabin as well. I don't think Noah was drinking alone."
"Aye, we tipped a few together," he admitted, failing in his attempt to square his shoulders and stand perfectly straight. "Didn't seem fittin' that he should drink by himself."
Jessa's smile was wry. "I'm certain."
Cam slung one thin arm about Jack's waist and let the captain lean on him. "We'll take our leave now. G'night, Mrs. McClellan."
"I'll see you in the morning, Cam." Jessa bolted the door after them and then turned her attention to Noah. "You, sir, are indeed a sight to behold."
Noah lifted his forearm a fraction. "I am?"
"I thought you were sleeping."
"S'whish I were," he slurred, lowering his arm again. "Another pint would do me fine." He kicked clumsily at his shoes, trying to remove them. "Deuced uncomfortable."
"Another pint would do you in," she said tartly, walking toward the bed. She sat down on the edge near his feet. "Here, let me help. You have all the coordination of a newborn calf."
"Please, madam, your compliments will turn my head."
Jessa grinned, shaking her head. "Fool." She slipped off his shoes, dropped them on the floor, then loosened his breeches at the knees and rolled down his stockings.
"Are you undressing me?"
Jessa's hands stilled. "I won't if you don't want me to, but I doubt you'll sleep well in your clothes."
"Oh, Jessa," he laughed shortly, "I want. I want."
Rather than being offended or even frightened by what it was that Noah really wanted, Jessa found herself smiling. He was no more threatening to her in his inebriated state than Cam ever was. In fact, he seemed as young and helpless as the veriest schoolboy. She pinched his calf lightly. "Behave yourself or I shan't be held accountable for my actions."
"Yes, ma'am," he said solemnly. He lay very still while Jessa divested him of his stockings and breeches. Because he wanted to be contrary, he wasn't much assistance when it came time for Jessa to help him out of his jacket, vest, and shirt.
The jacket and vest came off by turning Noah back and forth on the bed until she managed to work the garments down his shoulders and arms. The shirt was another matter. It had to come off over his head. Frustrated when her best efforts came to nothing, Jessa straddled his waist and tried easing the shirt upward.
"Put your arms over your head," she said.
Grinning, Noah dutifully held his arms straight up in the air.
"Not like that!" Jessa took his wrists and pushed his arms to the bed so they rested above his head. She was leaning over him, her breasts only inches above his face.
Through the fan of his thick lashes Noah had a pleasant view of what Jessa's rounded bodice could not quite contain in her present position. "Hmm. Juss like m'dream. Mebbe even nicer."
Jessa jerked up so quickly that Noah groaned as her weight settled more forcefully on his taut belly. "Wh-what did you say?" she asked, adjusting the neckline of her gown with a sharp tug.
&nb
sp; Noah blinked up at her, his eyes a little vague as she seemed to sway above him. "M'dream," he said again. "When I was sick... I dreamed that you and I... that we... juss like this. Made love. S'beautiful."
"Oh, my God!" Jessa scrambled off Noah and sat on the far side of the bed, her heart racing. He remembered! She wanted to bury herself under the covers and never face him again. Unfortunately, Noah was at this moment tangled in his own shirt and struggling to get it off. One arm was free, but the material was hopelessly caught over his head and his other arm. He looked so ridiculous that Jessa gave in and helped him. What did it matter if he remembered what had happened at the cottage? It was only a dream as far as he was concerned. There was no reason he should ever learn it was more fact than fantasy.
"Thank you," he said in solemn tones when he was at last freed. "S'very kind of you t'help."
When Jessa climbed off the bed she gave him a tiny mocking curtsey and began gathering his clothes.
"Juss leave 'em," he said, pointing to the pile in her arms. "You don't have to pick up after me."
"All right." She dropped his things on the floor, happy to oblige his mood. "I think it's best if you get some sleep," she said, turning away. "The devil will take his due on the morrow." After peeking in on Gideon, Jessa sat down at the window seat and picked up the mending she had been doing earlier.
"Come to bed, Jessa." Noah was laying on his side, hugging a pillow to his chest. He was staring at her with a little-boy-lost expression. "Please. Can't sleep when you're not here."
"But I'm not tired."
"Then we'll talk."
"If you will pardon me for saying so, you are not at your most eloquent."
"Then we'll do something else."
"That's rather what I want to avoid."
Noah sighed dramatically. "You wound me." He clutched the pillow tighter as if it would stem the flow from his bleeding heart. "Juss thought we could cuddle."