Devil of the High Seas, page 13
“Did you tell the officers that Gavin kidnapped her?” Griffin asked.
At Griffin’s question, Dominic’s face darkened. “No, I didn’t mention that.”
Griffin was both relieved and confused. “I’m glad to hear it, but why not?”
“Because the men on my ship are former pirates or sailors who are down on their luck, looking for honest work. I promised them all a safe and legal way of earning their living aboard the Cornish Pixie. Anyone associated with Gavin, assuming he’s captured for piracy, will most likely face piracy charges as well. If I told the officers on the Torrington that we were chasing a pirate, they would be obliged to run him down and condemn the crew right along with him. I think it’s best if we keep His Majesty’s navy unaware of our little rescue mission.”
“I agree. I’ve no desire to see my brother hang. I only want to rescue Josephine and see your ship returned to you.”
“I’m glad we agree,” Dominic replied, his gaze solemn. “But I feel he may be heading into more danger than you originally expected.”
“What do you mean?” If a former pirate was worried about danger, that didn’t bode well for any one of them.
“Your brother was the Admiral of the Black, the ruler of the pirate court, the Brethren of the Coast.”
“Yes, so you said,” Griffin said, urging him to continue.
“This fellow Beauchamp who mutinied on Gavin and stole his vessel . . . Well, let’s just say the other pirate captains will not approve of Beauchamp’s actions. They do not hold with mutiny. Beauchamp must know this, which makes me believe Beauchamp has some trap laid that I cannot see yet. If he meets with any of the other captains, he may tell them Gavin and the rest of the crew were killed when they engaged another ship. He won’t want Gavin alive to tell the tale of his mutiny, which means Josephine is in danger while she is with him. I want you on your guard.” Dominic cleared his throat and glanced away. “If something happens and we end up in dire straits, my father, Nicholas, and I will attack. I want you and Adrian to take the ladies and Nicholas’s son to safety.”
“But—”
“I know you are no coward, Castleton, and that’s why I am asking you. If we face true danger, I am trusting you with their lives. They’ll need you.”
Griffin knew from the look in Dominic’s eyes that he understood the nature of what he was asking Griffin to do. That if it came down to it, he would give his life for the women and the babe. That he could do so without hesitation.
“I promise to do what is necessary,” Griffin said.
“Good. I’m sorry I woke you, but I believed you would want to know the moment we had news.”
“I’m glad you did,” Griffin said. “But now that I’m awake, I should get some fresh air on deck.”
The two of them went to face the dawn above deck. Griffin was surprised to see Vesper was already standing by the railing of the waist deck. The pink skies illuminated the bright—blue gown she wore. Griffin came toward her, pulled again by that invisible force that drew them together.
“I see you’ve lost your fear of the sea,” he said as he leaned on the railing next to her.
Vesper shot him a shy look from beneath dark-gold lashes.
“The water still frightens me, my lord. But it’s so beautiful, isn’t it? I suppose that’s human nature, to crave things that are beautiful and frightening.”
“It is,” he agreed. “The sea speaks to all of us in her own way. She gives life and in a temper, she can take it away. Nature is like that, both protector and destroyer all at once.”
Vesper’s hands tightened on the railing. He reached over, covering her left hand with his right.
“We haven’t talked about it,” she said softly.
“About what?” He tried to act oblivious, but he knew what she meant. The kiss. The one that had sent a surge of life back within his body.
“It cannot happen again,” she said, her expression stoic.
Griffin watched the sunlight stretch across the water ahead of them with sparkling diamond glints.
“I suppose you’re right, but not because I wouldn’t claim you as my wife. I would if I could.”
“But you can’t. Because of my family, the disgrace . . .”
“That means nothing to me,” he replied, squeezing her hand. She hadn’t tried to pull away from him, and he clung to that sliver of hope. “But I asked Josephine to be my wife before I met you. If she still wishes to marry me when we rescue her, I am honor bound to see that obligation through.”
Vesper was silent a long while. “And if she refuses you?”
“Then I shall be free to follow my heart . . .”
Her hand trembled beneath his as neither of them dared to look at each other.
“And would your heart lead to . . . me?” The hope in her voice sent him soaring.
“It would . . . if you would have me.”
Vesper’s joyful expression was all the answer he needed. Griffin’s heart ached with a mix of joy and grief. True happiness, not mere contentment, was so close within his grasp. But he did not know which would be his fate until Josephine was safely returned to her family and he could see where her heart lay. If she wanted to be free of their engagement, he would give it to her. He wanted to assume she would refuse to marry him, but assumptions were a fool’s game. He had to wait to see if fate believed in giving him a second chance at life.
Josephine was aware the moment Gavin left the bed. He’d returned sometime in the night to lie beside her and after a few hours had pulled her against him. She’d been sleepily aware of his presence whenever she’d briefly awakened. Rather than feeling shy and uncertain, his body quietly claiming hers just by sleeping at her side had sent a thrill through her.
Now his absence caused her to roll over and stretch her hand along the cool sheets where he had lain. She placed her palm on the indent of his pillow and replayed every moment of last night as she ached with a longing for him to come back to bed.
She’d been frightened, excited, and finally brazen as she had surrendered to the teasing removal of her clothing. And then . . . heavens . . . how it felt to let him touch her in so many wonderful ways and places. The sensations were familiar to her. She had explored her own body in the last few years, feeling things she’d been too shy to ask her mother about. What she had felt was nothing compared to how Gavin had brought her to those same peaks.
There was a purity in the pleasure she’d experienced at Gavin’s hands. It was so clear, so perfect. She couldn’t imagine any other man touching her like that and feeling the same euphoria. She rolled onto her back, giggling with the realization that she was completely naked in a bed that was rolling over the high seas. What would everyone think if they knew just how free she truly was now?
The warm sun bathed her skin, and she indulged in lying in bed another half hour before finally getting up and dressing in Dominic’s clothes again. She walked up to the door and halted, her hands inches above the handle. What if Gavin had locked her in again? She would go mad if he kept her closeted away for a month and a half.
She touched the handle and it turned. With a sigh of relief, she exited the cabin and went in search of food in the galley. Olive was cooking up a stew and gave her a bowl to sample, as well as an apple.
“Best eat up while the fruit is still fresh,” Olive said. “Now, while you eat, tell me all about that fancy dinner last night. What vittles did those fine navy men have?”
Josephine detailed her meal between spoonfuls of stew and discussed some of the conversation she’d had with the captain and his men.
“So they are hunting for pirates, are they?” Olive asked quietly.
“Yes, but they won’t find any here,” Josephine was quick to add.
Olive gave her a strange look before she masked it with a smile. “No, of course not. Run along now. You shouldn’t be distracting me or the biscuits will burn. I refuse to make hardtack for the men at least for the first week while we’re at sea. If I burn these, the lads will be in fits over it.”
Having been politely dismissed, Josephine went above deck, still pondering the expression on Olive’s face when she’d mentioned pirates.
The seasoned old sailor who had helped her was already on the deck, cleaning. “Back again, lassie?”
“I am.” Josephine smiled at him.
Bartholomew returned her warm smile, and her heart swelled with affection for the salty old fellow.
“Have you seen . . . my husband?”
“Aye, he was running gun drills earlier this morning. They just stopped a few minutes ago. He’s over there on the forecastle.”
She looked over her shoulder at the ship’s bow. The smallest and highest section of the deck at the front of the vessel, the forecastle, had but one lone figure standing atop it. The flying jib front sail billowed above and ahead of him, stretching out into the endless blue of the sea and sky. Gavin stood with his hands braced on the railing, his tall figure displaying his broad shoulders and narrow waist while showing off his powerful thighs. The glint of a short sword shimmered at his hip. Excitement flared within her again.
“My pirate,” she whispered with a dreamy smile. My lover, she silently added with a blush.
She strode across the deck, dodging sailors who took a moment to glance at her before resuming their tasks. After the previous day of seeing her in men’s clothing, they were growing accustomed to it. She had no desire to disrupt the crew as they saw to their duties. Gavin might use it against her as an excuse to keep her belowdecks in his cabin all day if he thought the men were distracted by the sight of her.
She climbed the steps to the forecastle, and Gavin turned his head at her approach.
“Am I to assume this will be a habit with you?” He nodded at her clothing.
She joined him at the rail. “Yes, at least during the day. I want to explore the ship and learn how to sail. Would you teach me?”
He was quiet a long while before he spoke. “To what end, might I ask? What will you do when we part ways, lass? You can’t go to sea, you can’t have this life. You’ll have babies and the task of mothering them and running a grand estate. Why ask to learn about something that the world will deny you?” There was a hint of pain in his words, rather than judgment or censure.
She took her own time answering him and tried to ignore the stab of pain in her chest at the thought of them parting ways someday.
“I believe souls are neither male nor female—they are simply souls.” She gestured to herself. “This body, simply because it’s female, should not rob me of my dreams. I live and die like any man does. Why not let me hope for a future where my daughters aren’t told their only value is in being wives and mothers? I don’t want my identity erased. Motherhood and bearing children are important, but that isn’t all that women are. We aren’t only mothers. We are so much more, if only men would let us be so. Let me dream, Gavin, even if it’s all I’ll ever have. Sometimes holding on to the light of a dream is enough to survive a century in the dark.”
Gavin placed a hand under her chin and turned her face toward his, his nose brushing hers as he leaned in.
“Very well, lass. I’ll give you your dreams. But remember, the higher the climb, the farther the fall. I may not be there to catch you.”
She kissed him. “Not all damsels need to be saved by heroes. Some save themselves.”
He smiled as she kissed him again.
She shoved his shoulder with bold resolve. “Stop delaying. Show me how to be a pirate.”
He threw his head back and laughed in pure delight. “So I’m to make a pirate of you now?”
“The fiercest one on the Atlantic,” she said without any teasing now. “Give me a pirate’s freedom.”
He traced her lips with his thumb before he leaned down and delivered a most wicked kiss to her lips.
“Your first lesson is stealing a kiss from a pirate captain.”
“Is that all? I will certainly get top marks,” she promised as she threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled his lips back to hers. Then she showed him just how much of a pirate she could be.
CHAPTER 10
Pirating, it turned out, was not as easy as Josephine had imagined.
Despite the number of books she’d read on the subject, nothing had prepared her for the sheer intensity of work that went into being a sailor. There was no question that she loved the ocean and being on the ship, but she simply hadn’t fathomed the sheer intensity of a sailor’s duties. The first part of her morning had been a mental test in her ability to memorize and recite the names of the masts, yards, rigging, and sails, all while running up and down the ratlines to point at each one. There was the foremast, mainmast and mizzenmast. She’d been most familiar with those, but she had no idea that even the wooden spars affixed to the masts had names.
When the masts and spars were completed, a ship was considered “rigged,” which meant all the ropes, cables, and chains used to support the masts and bars were set up. Gavin had drilled all of this information into her over and over with rigorous quizzing while she’d run about the ship like an excited young powder monkey, learning the work to be done on the deck level.
“Climb the shrouds,” Gavin ordered for the second time that day as Josephine reached wearily for the rigging that ran from the ship’s sides up to the masts. A ratline had been constructed on the ropes that formed a ladder for any sailors going aloft. After the second ascent and descent from the rigging, her lungs heaved and her arms and legs shook with the effort. Sweat dewed on her skin, and now that she was standing still, she shivered a little as she started to feel cold.
Gavin, hands clasped behind his back, watched her closely, his face a polite but cool mask. “Perhaps a third time will help you master the climb.” The stern persona he assumed when he was playing the part of captain sent nervous flutters through her and made her heart pound from something other than excitement. It was so different from the man who’d been such a sweet lover the night before. With a shock, she realized she liked when he pretended to be stern with her. It made her more aware of him as a man, in a way a woman is when she can barely think of anything other than wanting to be in his bed and in his arms. In short . . . Gavin, the captain, aroused her.
“I think I’ve mastered scaling the shrouds.” Josephine’s hands rested on her hips as she took in a few deep breaths. Her heart was still pounding hard. Gavin arched a dark brow, his lips twitching as he seemed to fight off a smile. If she hadn’t been so bloody tired, she would have smacked him for that.
“As a member of this crew, there are things you must always be aware of . . .” He began to drone on about her duties, but she was more interested in the crew who’d been observing her as she learned her tasks. Bartholomew chuckled openly as he and two other sailors descended the rigging. They watched her and Gavin with no small amount of amusement. He’d teased her about it earlier when she’d passed him as she’d been climbing back down.
“The cap’n has an odd choice in foreplay,” he’d said to her.
She had paused briefly on the ropes to speak to him. “Foreplay?”
“Aye, most men would have taken their wife to bed and . . .” He then seemed to remember he was talking to a lady and trailed off. Josephine guessed what he likely meant.
“I asked him to teach me all of this. I wish to learn what it means to be a sailor.”
“Aye, I can see that you do, lassie, but I think the cap’n has other desires. He stares at you something fierce when you aren’t looking at him, like he wants to tup you right there on the deck. So I ask myself, why does he look like a man who wants to but hasn’t yet bedded his wife?” The older sailor’s eyes sharpened with interest as he watched her face for any reaction to his words.
“I . . . Well . . .”
“So he hasn’t bedded you yet,” Bartholomew confirmed with surprise. “But it’s clear he wants to.”
“Move, Josie!” A blush had risen in Josephine’s face when Gavin bellowed at her from below.
“Off you go, lassie!” Bartholomew had laughed again as she’d finished her climb down.
That was how she now found herself facing her stern pirate captain as he finally ended his pacing and lecturing. He then caught her chin in his hand.
“Tired already?” he asked, a teasing tone in his voice.
“I could climb the ratlines all day,” she fired back, but her challenge was undercut by the shaking weariness in her limbs. They both knew she was exhausted, and she would be a fool to try to prove otherwise.
“Adventure sometimes comes at a cost,” Gavin said softly.
“My mother said anything worth having isn’t easy to claim,” Josephine replied.
Gavin stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “She’s right. I suppose we could shift our focus to those duties that relate to the mind rather than the body. Mr. Phelps!” He called for his “first mate,” as she had been instructed to call him. Apparently, pirates had quartermasters, but merchant ships had first mates. It was important she learned the differences so she didn’t betray Gavin and Ronnie to the crew.
“Aye, Cap’n?”
“Man the ship. We are taking our studies below deck for the afternoon.”
Ronnie snorted. “About bloody time. A good tupping—er, some companionship with your wife is a fine thing indeed.”
Gavin cut his gaze to his friend. “Do not disturb us unless you absolutely have to.”
“Understood, Cap’n.” Ronnie prowled the length of the deck, issuing orders to adjust the sails as the wind moved across the ship’s mast from a new angle.
“Come with me,” Gavin said to Josephine as they descended the companionway to the decks below.
She followed him, but a little more slowly, her legs still weak from the activities of the morning.
When they reached the cabin, he pointed to a chair by the table in the middle of the room.
