by Lucy Monroe
“No. No. He was just there. But, it was him, Drake. I know it was him. He ran away when the old lady opened her door after I screamed.”
“You screamed?”
“Yes. Sacré bleu. Do something. Do not just stand there.” She tried to shake him, but he was an immovable object.
“I didn’t see anyone on deck when I came up.”
She frowned over that statement. “I can’t explain it. He must have run very quickly. I didn’t follow him at first. I tried to go to the lady in the cabin, but she shut her door and I decided to follow him. He had a short head start.”
She couldn’t seem to control her mouth as words tumbled out willy-nilly.
Finally Drake moved. It was to turn her toward the staterooms. He pushed her through the door, into the corridor. “Go to your cabin. Lock yourself in. Open the door to no one. I will get the captain.”
She craned her neck around to see his face. “Don’t be ridiculous. How will you know who to look for without me?”
He continued to propel her toward the cabin. “You can describe him to the captain and myself.”
She stopped and strained against his hold. “I want to go with you to search. I must ask him some questions.” She had to find out who he worked for in order to protect Uncle Ashby.
Drake grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward her cabin again. “You aren’t going with me.”
His tone of voice suggested she didn’t argue.
She tried to yank her arm from his. “I am going with you. I have a bigger stake in this than you do. We are talking about my safety.”
“Aboard my ship. You will obey me on this, Thea.”
He stopped in front of her room and pulled a key from his pocket. The arrogant man had gotten one for himself. She wondered what his aunt would think about that. He shoved her through the door quite rudely and turned to go.
She felt fury rise in her. “Is this what marriage to you would have been like? You would demand my obedience like a well trained dog and when I disagreed, you would strongarm me?”
He stopped and turned to face her. He looked haunted. She felt instant contrition at her words. Which was foolish, indeed. She should be angry with him, but she could not stand the hurt she saw in his eyes.
“We’ll never know, will we?”
She shook her head, unable to speak under his pain-filled scrutiny. She extended her hand to touch him and he jerked away as if burned. She sighed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
His face became an emotionless mask. “I will get the captain. He knows every sailor on this ship as well as he knows the rigging.”
His cold demeanor unnerved her. How could he talk of her attacker with such calm detachment? Flicking her a glance empty of feeling, he turned again to go.
“Pierson, wait. Please.”
He stopped, but did not face her.
She didn’t know what to say, but she could not leave things as they were. “I need to explain.”
He turned slowly and she saw that his mask had slipped. His face wore a savage scowl. “On the contrary. Your actions speak for themselves. A bastard is good enough for a lover, but not good enough for a husband. Unfortunately, it is not a new idea for me. You will pardon me if I do not wish you luck in your hunt for a more suitable partí this season.”
She stared at him. “That is what you think? That I would take you to my bed, or er, your bed and then search for another gentleman to marry?”
He glared at her. “What would you have me believe? You refused my offer of marriage.”
“But, it’s not because I believe that I can do better.” She twisted her hands together. “It is essential that you believe that.”
He grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her to within inches of his body. She felt his heat emanate toward her and she longed to burrow against him, recapturing a small measure of the intimacy they had experienced earlier.
“Then. Tell. Me. Why.”
She might have been able to refuse if he had not sounded so tortured.
She would not allow him to believe that her father’s actions colored her view of him. “I don’t want to marry, Drake. Not ever. After what happened to my mother, I will not allow a man to have the power to hurt me like that.”
“I would never treat you as your father did your mother.”
“How can you be sure? You’re used to getting your own way.” She pointedly looked around the cabin where he had dragged her.
He glared. “You cannot compare my concern for your safety with your father’s baseless suspicions.”
She sighed. “You don’t understand. You never knew my mother, but losing my… me and then my father tore her apart. She grieved always. It was in her eyes, a sadness that tinged every smile. I won’t risk losing part of myself that way.”
“Not all marriages end like your parents’.”
She knew that, she had lived with Uncle Ashby and Aunt Ruth all her life, after all. “Marriage gives men too much power over women. Even so called good marriages. Aunt Ruth is happy in her own way, but she left all that she knew for Uncle Ashby’s sake. The worst part is that he expected her to. She never had a choice. I won’t put myself in that position.”
“Does she complain about living on the island?”
Thea frowned. “No, but that’s not the point.”
“Do you think she regrets letting her husband take her from England? Does she want to move back?”
“No, but you are ignoring the real issue here.”
“If her happiness is not the issue, what is?”
Confused frustration welled up in Thea. “You’re twisting things.”
He laid his hand on her cheek. “I’m trying to make you see reason. Marriage is not bondage. I’m sure Merewether would have willingly made the same sacrifice for his wife.”
“Society would never expect it.”
“Who cares? Society’s expectations have nothing to do with marriage between us.”
She wished she could believe him, but even if society’s expectations did not rule them, the laws of England would. And once she became his wife, he could treat her almost any way he wished without impunity.
Her mind felt muddled with the events of the afternoon and his reasoning.
“We do not have time to discuss this now. My attacker could be getting away as we speak.”
Leaning forward, he kissed her firmly on the lips. Then he stepped back. “You’re right. The closer we get to port, the more chance he will jump ship and swim for safety rather than risk being caught.”
In her desire to be rid of Drake, she gave into the inevitable. “I’ll wait here.”
He nodded and then stopped at the door and turned. “We will discuss it, though. I will not let you go.”
CHAPTER NINE
There are more English on the island than I expected, both businessmen and plantation owners. However, Ruth and I find the latter unpleasant. We cannot reconcile ourselves to the institution of slavery and I regret that perhaps I have become too vocal in my disapproval. Ashby warns me for my own sake not to go too far, but has never asked me to be quiet for the sake of him and Ruth. So, I am not.
December 3, 1799 Journal of Anna Selwyn, Countess of Langley
The captain looked more like Lady Upworth’s description of a dandy than a ship’s officer.
He wore a carnelian waistcoat, the bright red fabric embroidered with multi-colored parrots and his shirt was an immaculate white lawn topped by a collar much too tall to be comfortable for a man in his position. Even his golden windswept hair looked purposefully casual, rather than unkempt.
He smiled in a most charming manner when Drake introduced him to Thea and she could not help smiling back. “Miss Selwyn, are you certain the man you saw in your corridor was the same man that attacked you?”
“Absolutely certain.” She nodded for emphasis.
“She recognized his smell.” Drake moved to stand between her and the ship’s off
icer when he made the comment.
The man gave his charming smile again. “Unfortunately many of my crew do not avail themselves of the opportunity to bathe, miss. I find it hard to believe you could distinguish one from the other based on such a consideration.”
Thea moved to sit on the edge of her bed, suddenly tired by the events of the day and the thought that a man had truly tried to kill her. She didn’t have the energy to argue her certainty that the man she had seen was indeed her attacker. Drake followed her to the bed and sat next to her. She looked up at him and frowned. Surely he should not behave so familiarly in front of the other man. Word was bound to get back to his aunt.
He winked at her and took her hand. He squeezed it and she felt strength return.
She turned her gaze to the captain. “I have no doubt that the man I saw in the corridor was the villain who tried to throw me overboard.”
“Besides, what excuse would a seaman have for being in the passenger stateroom corridor? And why would he run when Thea screamed if he were not guilty?” Drake posed the questions and she warmed at the knowledge that he obviously believed her.
The captain shrugged. “As to that, I couldn’t say. I would like to think that my crew are not such a simple lot that the mere sight of a screaming woman would send them running.”
He tugged at the edges of his waistcoat. “Would you mind describing him to me?”
“No, of course not, but first please take a seat.” Having him hover above her made Thea nervous and she involuntarily tightened her grip on Drake’s hand.
He rubbed his thumb along her palm and she felt comforted.
The captain pulled the single chair away from the small table and sat down. Thea hid a smile at his correct posture. He was unlike any other captain she had ever met.
However, as she began describing her attacker she realized that he was intelligent and no doubt did know his crew as well as Drake had implied. He asked very pointed questions until she had described the villain with more detail than she thought she had remembered.
“Did he have a tattoo or anything of that nature?”
She tried hard to remember if that had been the case. She had seen the man for such a short time. “He had a gold earring, I think. Oh, and when he turned to run away, I noticed that his pants were ripped on the backside.” She felt her face heat. “I don’t think he was wearing any smalls.”
A spark of recognition gleamed in the captain’s eyes.
Thea leaned forward expectantly. “Who is it, sir?”
“A bloody bounder that should have been tossed off the ship before now for slacking. Hartford P. Fox.”
Drake tensed next to Thea. “Who?”
“The lazy good-for-nothing that got caught sleeping on watch and demoted from his position as second mate. I made him a regular sailor and sent him back to live in quarters again. It appears he’s as disloyal as he is lazy.”
Relief washed over Thea. “Then he will be easy to find, won’t he?”
“Yes,” said the captain.
She turned to Drake. “You will allow me to question him, won’t you? It’s very important that I discover who hired him.”
“You aren’t coming within ten feet of the man. Have you forgotten that he tried to throw you overboard?”
She ignored Drake’s glare and the officer’s grunted agreement. “And I stopped him. There will be no danger. After all, you will be there and he will be bound, I am certain.”
She looked to the captain for confirmation.
“He’ll be put in chains the minute I get my hands on his worthless carcass.” He assured her.
She turned back to Drake. “There, you see.”
“No.”
“I must insist.”
“You may insist until your voice grows hoarse with it, but I won’t allow you to be in danger.”
She tried to yank her hand from his, but he held tight. “You are not in charge of me, Mr. Drake, and I will not have you dictating my actions. I will speak to this villain, whether you like it or not.”
She probably should not have spoken so forcefully because Drake’s manner became acutely intimidating. He leaned over her until she had to arch her neck to maintain eye contact and she could feel the heat of him, he was so close. “While you are on my ship, I am responsible for you.”
She swallowed. He certainly had an overweening sense of accountability to her person.
“Is that clear?”
She nodded. He had made his stance perfectly clear, but that didn’t mean she had to like it or submit. However, she didn’t think that right now was the time to tell him so.
“We’ll find the bloody infidel and take him below deck for holding,” the captain said, “I’ll send word when we have him in custody.”
Drake acknowledged the captain’s words without breaking eye contact with Thea. “Thank you, Captain.”
Thea heard the man get up and cross to the door and then leave, shutting it behind him. Still, Drake kept his gaze fixed on hers. “Explain to me why you are so determined to talk to the man, yourself.”
She could no longer keep her secret. She had to have Drake’s cooperation in questioning the villain and he wouldn’t give it as long as he still believed she’d offended one of the passengers aboard ship with her abolitionist rhetoric enough to incite revenge.
“It began about six months ago, although it’s possible that it has been going on longer. I did not become aware of the problem until recently and I’ve only had time to review the last six months of ledgers.”
As she spoke, Drake’s gaze turned from angry intimidation to uncomprehending surprise. “Someone has been trying to kill you for six months?”
She frowned. “Do not be melodramatic, Pierson. That is not what I am saying at all.”
“What the bloody hell are you saying then?”
She opened her mouth to answer his question and the stateroom door opened.
“Mr. Drake. What are you doing here with Miss Thea alone? It’s not at all proper.”
Thea groaned. “Melly, you are returned from your visit.”
“Yes, and it looks like I’ve arrived just in time, too. What your sainted mother would say if she saw you right now, I cannot be saying.”
Drake stood and pulled Thea to her feet with the hand he kept locked firmly in his own. “She would undoubtedly wish us happy.”q11
Thea’s gasp of outrage was drowned out by her maid’s exclamation of delight. “I knew you were a man of honor, sir. I told myself, Melly, Mr. Drake wouldn’t come visiting and wreaking havoc with the young miss’s reputation without he had courting on his mind.”
This time Thea succeeded in removing her hand from Drake’s. “Stop right now. Melly, I am not engaged to Mr. Drake.”
“Of course you are. He said so, didn’t he?”
“No he didn’t. He made a comment about my mother wishing us happy, which given the nature of the implication, she was not likely to have done.” Thea glared at both Drake and Melly. “Mama did not believe that there was anything resembling bliss in the wedded state.”
Melly snorted. “The poor thing had her own reasons for feeling as she did, but it’s every mother’s dream to see her daughter wed to the right gentleman.”
“It wasn’t my mother’s dream and I cannot believe that you have deluded yourself into believing it was.”
Melly looked undaunted. There were definite disadvantages having a maid that was more family than servant. “Deluded I may be, but I’m that happy you’re going to marry Mr. Drake. I am.”
Thea very nearly gave into the urge to scream. She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed both her maid and the irritating Drake with a look that said she meant to be listened to. “I am not going to marry Mr. Drake.”
When Melly opened her mouth to speak, Thea put up her hand to forestall her. “I mean it. I will not marry.”
Drake still looked entirely too pleased with himself to be convinced, but Melly’s sullen expression said that s
he’d finally accepted Thea’s statement.
She sat back down on her bunk. “There is a perfectly good reason why Mr. Drake is here.”
They were close enough to port that Thea no longer saw the need for subterfuge. If she told Melly the truth, or at least the truth about the attack, her maid would cease hounding her about marrying Drake and the propriety of them being caught in a room together.
Drake watched the emotions flitting across Thea’s face. After what had transpired between them in his stateroom, how could she deny that she belonged to him? Evidently the stubborn little baggage could, because she had convinced Melly that she truly had no intention of marrying him.
He put the thought aside for later because what he wanted now was the continuation of the explanation she had begun when her maid entered the stateroom. He sensed that he was going to get just that. So he waited.
Thea bit her lip, a sure sign she was thinking. It occurred to Drake that she might not tell the whole story to her maid. He bit back his frustration.
“The other night I couldn’t sleep. So, I decided to take a short walk on deck and explore the ship a little more.”
Melly’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you went on deck alone at night. Why, it isn’t decent. What would your sainted mother have said?”
Drake didn’t have a clue, but he wished the woman, sainted or not, had not said so much on the subject of marriage to her daughter. Thea’s views reflected a very skewed perception of marriage based on her mother’s experience.
Thea waved her hand, dismissing Melly’s comment. “The thing is…” She let her voice trail off and then taking a deep breath, she plunged on. “When I was on deck, someone attacked me and tried to throw me overboard.”
Melly’s face turned ashen and she collapsed on to the side of her bed as if her knees had given way. “Someone tried to throw you overboard?” She glared at Drake. “How could you let something like this happen? A respectable woman should be safe walking the decks of your ship. I’ve a good mind to, to…”
She clearly didn’t know what she had a good mind to do and Drake had no intention of giving her time to figure it out. The maid acted more like a mother hen than a servant. “Your mistress had no business on deck alone, particularly at night.”