by Lorri Dudley
He raised his brows. “You didn’t believe it a blessing when you begrudgingly walked down the aisle.” He chuckled. “As I recall, you forced your vows through tight lips.”
“I was afraid. Being forced to marry was not how I envisioned God answering my prayers, but God sees what I can’t. He turns all things around for His good, even my mistakes.” She sighed. “Especially, my mistakes. All this has taught me to trust Him. He is greater than my fears, and He’s more powerful than the curse of a slave woman.”
She reached up and her full lips captured his in a persuasive kiss. Then she pulled back enough to say, “I’m not afraid anymore.”
His mind reeled from the heady sensation of her soft mouth. When had his wife become so brave? If only he held the same confidence. He backed away and cupped her face in his hands, memorizing the way her eyes revealed everything she was thinking. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I could live to be one hundred, or I could die tonight. Only God knows when my time is up.” She placed her hands over his. “Until then, I want to live life and live it to the full.”
The carriage stopped in front of the Cockleshell. Boisterous laugher rang inside.
He wavered, his mind weighing the arguments. Did he dare believe her? Did he dare take a chance? “Lottie, I—”
“After all you went through with losing your mother and siblings and father, would you have preferred never to have known them? Was the pain so great you’d wipe them from your memory?”
Certainty wrapped around the old familiar ache. “Never.”
“Then, please, don’t wipe me from yours. Give me a chance. Give us a chance.”
Paul unlatched the carriage door and pulled out the steps.
Grateful for the chance to gather his thoughts, Nathan alighted and helped her descend. Her fingers trembled, and her eyes were shimmery pools. Her words sounded so sure, her argument sound, yet her hands quaked. Was she nervous or frightened? Of him? Of the curse?
Her mere presence drove him to distraction. How was a man to think clearly?
He escorted her into the inn and hesitated in the front lobby. The crowd in the taproom had dispersed, except for a few men slouched over their pints of ale. She peered at him with wishful eyes. Their vivid blue held a calm reassurance that wiped away his doubt. She was a miracle. His heart clenched. Had God blessed him, and he’d been too blind to see it? Lottie had been honest with her feelings, and now here she stood, her soft mouth beckoning him. A tiny sliver of her pink tongue moistened her lips.
His decision was made. “I’ll walk you to your room.”
Her brilliant smile was reward enough, but he had much more in mind. He only made it to the steps when his self-discipline slipped. He scooped an arm around her waist and pulled her into an alcove behind a bookshelf. His hands plunged into her thick hair, and his mouth claimed hers in a searing kiss. She melted into him and responded with reckless abandon. Pins scattered about their feet as he trailed a path to her earlobe for a nibble and then down the tender skin of her neck.
She was his. She was his wife. His miracle. And he was never going to let her go. Tonight he would do what he should have done the first night they were together. He would unite them.
He released a low growl and pulled away, only to hurry her up the stairs. He felt young again. The weight of his problems fell from his shoulders, releasing the vigor of a young lad. She slowed at her door and fumbled for the key tied on a ribbon around her wrist.
She yanked it off. The metal key slid out of her shaky fingers and fell to the floor.
It was taking too long. He reached down and snatched it up, but before sliding it into the lock, he pressed her back against the door and kissed her speechless.
A female voice sounded from within the room. Blast. He forgot about her maid. How quickly could he send her on her way? Without ceasing their kiss, he lined up the key and inserted it into the lock.
A thump sounded from within Lottie’s room, followed by a murmur. A murmur that came from a man’s voice. Nathan froze mid-kiss and pulled back. The baritone voice spoke again. Lottie stiffened in his arms. A man was in Lottie’s room. An intruder?
Nathan pushed Lottie behind him, turned the key, and slammed the door open. It hit the wall with such force that it shook the frame.
Franny screamed, and her fingers dug into the back of a young male nibbling on her neck as they sat on the mattress. The young man straightened and stood with his hands raised. He slowly turned, eyes wide.
“Char-lie.” Nathan hissed out his name one syllable at a time through clenched teeth. He lunged to strangle the boy, but his fingers curled into balled fists near Charlie’s face. He closed his eyes and hunched over, battling to subdue his anger. Of all the ill timing. He raked his hands into his hair. He’d seen the long glances Franny and Charlie cast one another on the Katherine. He should have suspected. He should have said something.
“Franny, what in heaven’s name is Charlie doing here?” Lottie stepped around Nathan into the center of the room. “Do you understand the repercussions of your actions?”
Lottie’s eyes flashed, and her anger helped to quell his own.
Franny burst into tears.
Charlie lay a hand on Franny’s back. “Franny is not to blame. I came to the door hoping to find her here. I convinced her to let me in.” He tried to look Nathan in the eyes, but couldn’t quite meet his gaze. “I’ll suffer whatever punishment you deem acceptable, but please don’t dismiss her. She needs the work.”
“Maybe you should have considered that before you planned this clandestine interlude.” Nathan’s voice barely concealed his anger.
Charlie visibly shook but stood his ground.
“We’ll discuss disciplinary measures on the way home.” Nathan pointed to the hall. “Have my carriage brought around.”
Charlie hesitated and peered at Franny, who was weeping as she sat on the bed.
“Get out of my sight now!” Nathan barked.
Charlie jumped and bounded into the hall.
Franny sobbed into the palms of her hands.
“I’ll deal with her.” Lottie’s eyes shone her disappointment.
He stepped forward and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “I have business tomorrow in Nevis, but I’ll come by the day after. I promise.”
She nodded and saw him to the door.
In the hall, he bid her goodnight with a stiff nod. Had it only been minutes ago he’d pressed her against that same door? Indeed, his lips still burned from their kiss.
Lottie flashed a remorseful smile before she closed the door and muffled the sound of Franny’s weeping.
Nathan spun on his heel and stomped down the stairs. He exited the building and spied Charlie, pale and sullen, sitting in the raised seat and holding the reins. He stiffened as Nathan climbed up beside him.
“You are too young to be playing the part of a libertine.”
Charlie’s mouth quivered. “I…I’m not… We’re in love.”
“You are too young to understand the complexity of love.”
“Perhaps.” He looked Nathan straight in the eye. “But, maybe I know a boon when I see one. A young lady like Franny is hard to come by. I’d hate to let her slip through my fingers.”
Nathan gritted his teeth. He didn’t need a lecture, especially not from the young man who caused this night’s boon to slide out of Nathan’s grasp. “You’re on deck duty for the rest of the year. Any free time will be spent attending to my wishes. You’ll be too busy for your thoughts to stray where they shouldn’t. Am I understood?”
Charlie’s shoulders slumped, exaggerating his bony frame. “Aye, sir.”
They rode in silence along the dark lane with only the thumping of the horse’s hooves and the distant thundering of the waves crashing onto the shore.
He forced thoughts of Lottie from his mind, but their kiss had opened Pandora’s Box. No matter how he tried, he could no longer suppress his feelings for her, nor his
thoughts, especially of what they might have been doing this very moment if Charlie and Franny hadn’t ruined it with their own lustful desires.
The carriage hit a deep hole in a washed-out section of the road. A loud crack sounded and a jolt shot through him.
The axle.
The seat beneath them tilted. Nathan grabbed the side of the carriage with one hand and gripped Charlie’s shirt with his other just as the lad pitched over the side. Nathan strained with everything in him to hold the boy as he dangled over the edge, dangerously close to a deep gorge that dropped off the side of the road.
The broken axle dug into the ground, yanking the wagon and horses to an abrupt stop. The animals strained into their harness, and Nathan released his hold of the wagon to grasp Charlie’s arm with both hands as he pulled with all his strength. He braced his legs against side of the wagon before they both toppled down the steep precipice. Charlie clung to Nathan’s sleeve as a lifeline while his feet pedaled air.
Blast it all.
Nathan heaved a final pull and hauled Charlie back into the carriage.
The lad lay half across the seat as he gasped for breath. “You saved me.”
Nathan wiped his brow with a shaky hand and tried to calm his ragged breathing. “You’re not hurt?”
“Thanks to you.”
Nathan nodded, and the two of them climbed over the other side of the wagon to safe ground.
“I didn’t see the hole.” Charlie gripped the wagon as though his legs weren’t strong enough to hold him. “Honest, Mr. Winthrop. It’s too dark even with the oil lamp. I can see only a few feet in front of my face.”
Nathan unhooked the oil lantern swaying on the carriage pole, then leaned down and surveyed the damage.
He should have known. Here he’d allowed himself to hope again, but happiness eluded his grasp. His opportunity to be with Lottie had been thwarted and Charlie almost lost his life. It was too dark to fix the broken axle, and they didn’t have the right supplies or tools with them. He and Charlie would have to unhook the horses and ride them home. He’d come back in the morning to deal with the carriage.
A gust of wind rustled the leaves.
Nathan swallowed and tried to block out the sound of haunting laughter hissing among the swaying palm branches.
Chapter 21
I hope you and papa are faring well. Saint Christopher’s Island is beautiful and the people are much like those in England. The horrid picture of a disease-infested isle was undoubtedly over exaggerated.
~ From Lottie to her mama, Lady Etheridge
Mama had always warned her not to befriend the staff because they would take liberties. Now Lottie understood. After staying up several hours lecturing Franny about morals and propriety, Lottie had spent the following day and a half comforting her.
“But we love each other.” Franny broke down crying while she fixed Lottie’s hair.
“You’re too young to understand true love.” Her words sounded hollow. Did she understand love herself? Her heart leapt when Nathan was near, but was that love? Or was it the deep ache she felt when she wanted to take away the pain of his past. Or perhaps the victorious joy that swept through her when he smiled.
“You don’t understand.” Franny wiped her tears away with her apron. “We spent so much time together on the ship. With you being ill, I had no one to tend, and Charlie would sneak away from his duties. We spent hours together each day.”
No wonder Nathan was always searching for Charlie.
“Since we reached St. Kitts, we’ve barely said a word, only a secret wave in passing. I thought I might die from longing. But then he sent me a note and arranged for our meeting. We were so delighted to see each other, we got carried away.”
“Indeed.”
“He’s sailing out in a week. We didn’t know if we’d see each other again before he left, and then he’ll be gone for a sennight. I shall die pining for him.”
“You most certainly will not die from pining.” Lottie inhaled a slow breath and prayed for patience. Her face felt warm, probably from irritation, for her tolerance wore thin of Franny’s drama.
As Franny pinned up the last curl, a knock sounded at the door.
Lottie rose from her chair, and Franny opened it a crack to see who it was. Franny’s head bowed. “Good morning, Mr. Winthrop,” she murmured into her chest and backed away, opening the door as she did so.
He strode into the room, tall and confident, but in that relaxed way of his. He wore the island style—light cream-colored breeches with a matching cream jacket.
“Are you ready for another shooting lesson?”
“Indeed, I am.” She grabbed her bonnet from the table and tied its ribbons under her chin.
“Very well.” Nathan tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.
Lottie peered over her shoulder at Franny. “Stay here, and no visitors while I’m gone.”
“You’ll have nothing to fear.” Nathan started for the door. “Charlie has a mound of work to keep him out of mischief until the Katherine sails.”
Franny’s shoulders slumped.
Lottie felt sorry for the poor chit, but it was for the best.
Nathan gestured for her to go first down the narrow hall, but he took her arm as they descended the main stairs. Julia and Captain Fielding were entertaining patrons in the tavern already, and Nathan nodded to them as they passed. A footman swung the door wide, and Lottie stepped into the sunshine. The streets bustled with carriages and wagons as vendors sold their wares at the market.
“It’s a beautiful day.” Nathan peered up at the sky. A few scattered clouds provided relief from the powerful sun’s rays. “There’s a good breeze by the ocean. I thought a walk on the beach might be nice.” He shaded his eyes from the sun and pointed between some buildings to a cluster of rocks up the beach. “We can do the lesson there.”
He turned back, and their eyes met. His gaze held a sensuality that hadn’t been there before the Carlton dinner party. His lips curved into the barest of smiles, and she remembered their velvety feel.
Dizziness washed over her, and she exhaled to clear it. “A walk sounds lovely.”
Nathan waited for a carriage to pass before guiding her across the street. He veered toward the short pier, and Lottie called to Baby and Gus, who were loading supplies into a rowboat. They removed their hats and waved them in the air as a salute.
“They’re preparing for the next voyage.”
“They leave in a fortnight?” Lottie picked at her fingernail.
“Indeed.”
“Will you be aboard?”
He sighed. “I probably should be, but Captain Fielding can manage. It’s a short run to pick up goods from San Antonio, but the gulf is a rough area, full of privateers who attack British ships.”
He led her down a sandy path, and the sound of the crashing waves grew louder.
“You can trade with a Spanish colony even though they fought for years over control of St. Kitts?”
“It’s hard to fathom, but a peace treaty was signed between Britain and Spain. We can’t trade with America nor the French. If we couldn’t trade with the Spanish colonies, many of the slaves on the island would starve.”
“The wars have taken their toll on the people of St. Kitts.”
“Very much so. There was a time we could only trade with our mother country. I was young, but I remember us not being able to afford tea. There were times even our sugar jar was empty.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “That time has passed. If only the land weren’t so tired, we’d be flourishing once more.”
He stared out into the ocean. “How did you fare with Franny after I left?”
Lottie released a heavy sigh. “She believes she’s in love with Charlie and the world will end if they’re separated for too long.”
Nathan chuckled. “Charlie is much the same. I sent him to the ship to peel potatoes because I could no longer stand his deep sighs and sulking about.�
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They drew near the crop of jutting rocks and entered the cove.
“What are we to do with their young love?” Lottie sighed.
“Part of me wants to wring his neck, but another part of me, one that is new to all this, sympathizes with the lad.”
Lottie’s breath caught. Was he implying he was in love with her?
He stopped in a secluded area in the shade of the rocks. Propping his foot on a black stone, he unbuttoned his jacket and scanned the area.
His chiseled profile held the confidence of a man commanding a ship. He turned her way, twisted an arm around her, and pulled her close.
She gasped at the suddenness of his move, but his gaze was a soft caress of silent expectation. He tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. “I’m beginning to understand his despair at being parted.”
Her pulse leapt, and her stomach swirled wildly.
His lips gently brushed hers, coaxing a response.
She rose onto her toes and slid her arms under his jacket.
He crushed her against his body, as if to weld her into his being. His kiss deepened, and Lottie lost herself in the dizzying whirl of heady sensations.
Nathan softened the kiss and pulled away. “This is not the place. Boats and fisherman often cruise through this cove.”
She nodded even as her head spun. She clung to him for support, but her world still tilted. Her hand moved to the nearby rock to keep her from toppling over.
“Are you all right?”
“Lovely.”
A smile split his face. “Time for a lesson before I throw caution to the wind and chance being spotted.”
She inhaled a deep breath, and her equilibrium returned.
“Do you see the washed-up bow of a ship right there?” He inclined his head to the half-buried side of a boat, its wood damp and covered in moss and algae. “I want you to hit it.”