Devil of the High Seas, page 7
They seemed to ride for ages before they came in sight of a little village that she recognized as a place called Jack’s Cove, near St. Ives Bay. She was shivering with cold by the time they reached the small waterfront village. He removed a cloak from his saddlebags and wrapped it around Josephine. Her heart warmed with the thought that he’d taken such care to keep her warm. Until she glanced down and noticed that the way he’d tucked the cloak around her also conveniently hid her bound hands. He tugged the gag out of her mouth, and she licked her lips to wet them.
“Remember to keep quiet, lass. We don’t want to raise any alarm,” he warned.
She was tempted to tell him that she wouldn’t scream, but she kept silent because it was too quiet on the street. She feared that even speaking other than in the lowest of tones would wake up the sleeping village.
It was dark, with the moon barely a sliver in the sky, lending enough shadows to conceal her and Gavin as he halted the horse by an inn.
He slid out of the saddle and helped her down. But he waited for a long moment, watching the darkness for something she couldn’t see. He straightened his shoulders as a figure emerged from the darkness.
“Cap’n?”
“Here,” Gavin replied quietly.
A red-haired man stepped out of the alley by the inn and looked at Josephine curiously before focusing back on Gavin.
“Where’s the ship?” Gavin asked the man as he came toward them and shook Gavin’s hand with a broad smile.
“There, out in the bay. We’ll have to row out to it. It already has a crew in place.”
“Good. See that this horse is returned to Castleton Hall, and then meet us on the dinghy.”
The red-haired man grasped the reins of the horse and led it toward some stables farther down the street. Gavin escorted Josephine away from the inn and down a small dock to where a dinghy was tied up. He helped her climb down into the boat, and then he began to unwind the ropes that kept it tied to the dock. Gavin collected the oars just as the other man returned and leapt down into the boat with them. Josephine watched the two men take up the oars and row in perfect rhythm together as they headed toward the distant ship.
When they reached the ship, Gavin removed the binding from her hands.
“I don’t think we’ll need this anymore, will we?” he asked, a hint of a warning in his tone, but she knew it wasn’t necessary. She wasn’t going to call for help.
She nodded, her heart pounding hard as she stared up at the towering bulk of the ship. A long ladder was draped down the side toward them.
“Ladies first,” Gavin said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She grasped the rungs and lifted herself up onto the ladder. It wasn’t easy keeping her skirts out of the way of her feet, but she managed to draw the fabric up to her knees with one hand and use the other to climb. It took far longer than anyone expected, and the red-haired man kept muttering about skirts and nonsense. But what was she to do? Gavin hadn’t exactly given her an opportunity to change.
When she reached the waist deck, she leaned back against the ship’s railing to catch her breath while the two men climbed aboard. Gavin and the other man dropped almost silently onto the deck beside her. Several of the crew of the ship stood there, watching them expectantly.
“I’ll see my prize below, Ronnie. Have the crew make ready to sail at once. Tell them I’ll make my introduction later.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.” The red-haired man headed in the opposite direction toward the waiting crew, while Gavin grasped Josephine’s arm and led her belowdecks. She was familiar with ships and realized they were heading toward what was likely the captain’s cabin at the stern.
“Gavin—”
“Hush, not yet.” He opened the door to the cabin at the far end of the ship. It was a large room with tall glass windows facing the sea. A bed with a gilded headboard sat against one wall. A table was covered with sea charts, a compass and sextant, all neatly arranged. The ship felt new. Josephine noticed that every surface seemed polished and the wood positively gleamed. This couldn’t be the ship that Gavin had lost.
Gavin closed the door and flipped the latch to lock it before he turned to face her. Was it finally safe for her to speak?
“Gavin, why did you take me?” she asked. Her blood was still rushing through her body too quickly from the excitement of the ride and the steep climb over the side of the ship. It made it hard for her to think as clearly as she wished to.
He came toward her and she held her ground as the pirate gently grasped her chin, his smile rakish and almost hard as their gazes locked.
“Because I wanted you. We will enjoy each other’s company while we sail the West Indies, and then once I’ve reclaimed my ship you will be free to do as you what you like and go where you wish.” His brown-eyed gaze fell to her lips, and his intense focus made her tremble. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, and the feel of it was incredibly sensual. It didn’t escape her notice that he made no mention of her returning to marry his brother.
“You would not let me go home now, even if I begged you?” she asked, but a dark voice whispered that wasn’t what she wanted at all. Going home meant marrying Griffin. She had to know how much Gavin truly wanted to keep her.
Gavin’s mouth twitched in another dark half smile. “No, not even if you begged sweetly enough to make the angels weep. My brother had his chance to seduce you and he did not.” He smiled wider and leaned closer to her, a dangerous sensuality rolling off him that nearly made her knees buckle. “As for me, I want you, lass. And I shall have you.”
His words sent her flying with hope and excitement.
“You won’t ever want to think of Cornwall again.” He leaned in to whisper, “Not when I can show you everything worth having in this life.” He grasped her waist and turned her so she stared out at the dark sea through the windows. He pressed his body against hers from behind and reached around to grasp her neck, but the hold was gentle, soothing rather than restraining.
“No harm will come to you when you’re with me. There will only be pleasure for you, sweet Josie.”
No doubt he could feel the frantic beat of her pulse and could mistake her excitement for fear. She was strangely aroused by the thought of him taking control like this, making her gently bend to his will. Josephine couldn’t help but press the boundaries of her situation. She wanted to be sure that he truly wanted her, not out of some need to take what was his brothers, but because he genuinely desired her.
“And if I say no to this grand offer of yours?”
His rumbling laughter was followed by soft kisses along her neck. She vibrated as the heat of his body and hers seemed ready to ignite some ancient fire within her.
“I’m a pirate, lass, and a pirate takes what he wants. And I want you.” He bit the lobe of her ear, and the hint of pain made her moan and lean back against him, wanting more.
Gavin turned her head toward his with a hand upon her cheek and kissed her. The kiss was hard, ruthless, piratical to its very core. She groaned helplessly and melted. A proper lady would have been resisting him, fighting him like a wildcat and crying out for help, but Josephine was not a proper lady, no matter how hard her parents had tried. The truth was, she wanted this adventure and this man. She had been relieved to be willingly kidnapped but also excited beyond words. This was her chance to live, even though she knew that she would end up in Gavin’s bed. Yes, she’d be ruined for marriage to any other man once she was no longer a virgin. But she believed all of that was such foolish nonsense.
Shouldn’t a woman have the same freedoms as a man? It was what Roberta and Brianna, the former pirate that her brother’s best friend Nicholas had married, always whispered about when the men were out of the room. They thought she didn’t hear them, but she knew they were of the same mind. Women deserved freedom, especially freedom to enjoy their bodies and their lives as men did. So distracted in her thoughts, she suddenly realized he wasn’t kissing her any longer. Instead, he was watching her eyes closely.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked. “You look so serious.” He traced a fingertip over her brows as if to smooth away her concerns.
“Just that . . . I am free.”
At that he grinned and tipped her chin up again. “You’re still my captive,” he reminded her seductively and bent his mouth to hers again. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought, And you’re mine—you just don’t know it yet.
Gavin finally broke the kiss and held her a long moment, his breathing as hard as hers. He pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed as he seemed to come back to himself. Then he stepped back.
“I have to see to our departure and speak with the crew.” With one last scorching look at her, he departed the cabin.
She heard the door lock behind her, but it didn’t matter. She was here, a willing captive, whether he believed her or not. She crossed the room to the bed and sank down on it as a tidal wave of relief swept through her. There would be no wedding tomorrow. She was safe. She was free. She lay back on the bed, exhaustion overtaking her, and let the waves and the rocking ship soothe her. She tried not to think of what her family or Griffin would do once they realized she was missing.
I’m free . . . Well, free enough. That’s all that matters.
Gavin crossed the deck to join Ronnie. The crew were gathered on the opposite end of the deck to meet him.
“What ship is this?” he asked Ronnie in a low voice so as not to be overheard.
“A good one, Cap’n, a new one.” Ronnie beamed proudly at him as he patted the nearest railing. “Some rich fool just had it made for his new merchant fleet. He didn’t have a master hired yet, just a waiting crew. I told the men you were their new cap’n.”
“What?” Gavin couldn’t believe his own luck. “What fool would leave a fully manned ship without a master in the harbor?”
“Some fool named Greyville,” Ronnie chuckled.
Gavin’s smile slipped. “Not Dominic Greyville?”
“Er . . . I don’t rightly know. I only ever heard the name Greyville.”
The name hit him like a smithy’s hammer striking an anvil.
“Bloody hell, man! We’ve got to leave. Now!” Gavin raced toward the new crew, shouting orders and not bothering to introduce himself. They had to get the ship underway and out to sea as soon as possible.
Ronnie scrambled after him. “Why?”
“Why?” Gavin hissed as he whirled and grabbed his quartermaster by the shoulders. “Because I took another pirate’s ship and kidnapped his younger sister to be my mistress. Greyville is Dominic Grey’s true name.” Gavin had known it was reckless enough to steal another pirate’s little sister, but he’d been willing to bet that Dominic wouldn’t guess that it was him. But a missing ship and a missing sister would be too much of a coincidence for Dominic to miss if Griffin told Dominic he'd returned. He would put the pieces together
Ronnie’s face drained of color. “Not the Dom Grey . . . ?”
“The very one.” Gavin and Dominic had been childhood friends, but as pirates they’d had mutual respect for one another. Ronnie had met Dominic in passing as their crews had met at the Black Isle for Brethren of the Coast gatherings. Dominic was a legend to all pirates in the West Indies. If he hadn’t been caught up in marriage to an admiral’s daughter, he likely would have become Admiral of the Black instead of Gavin.
Ronnie counted their sins numbly on his fingers. “We took his ship, his crew, and his sister . . . Oh, Cap’n., we’re dead men.”
“Only if we don’t get out of this bloody harbor!”
The ship sparked to life as the crew dashed to their stations to carry out the orders Gavin had given them. No one questioned the mad escape from the harbor, but even as they sailed out into the open sea, Gavin kept glancing back, fearing he would see a second ship chasing them at any moment.
No one could outrun Dominic Grey once he had his sights set on them . . . except Gavin . . . if he had the right ship. Dominic had retired from piracy a short time ago, but that didn’t change who he was. Once a pirate, always a pirate. Dominic would be furious enough to find Josephine gone, but at least he hadn’t known Gavin was involved. But if Griffin told Dominic that Gavin had come home and then discovered his ship and sister were missing, the two men could put their heads together, and . . .
“Blast!” Gavin cursed into the wind as the sails unfurled and the ship began to glide away from the coast of Cornwall. He prayed this vessel could fly like the wind, or else the Royal Navy prowling the waters hunting for pirates would be the least of his worries.
Once he was certain the ship was safely out to sea, he would make proper introductions as the new master of the Cornish Pixie. He had to make sure the crew was satisfied that Dominic had hired him to be the master of this ship.
With Ronnie in charge of the ship, Gavin retired to the master’s cabin and unlocked the door. He braced himself for a female in fine fury after being locked in the cabin. As he stepped inside the room, he was surprised to see that his fierce captive lay on the bed in the midst of a waterfall of pale-blue silk, fast asleep, as sweet as a kitten.
He hovered by the bedside, drinking in the sight of her. She wore what was no doubt supposed to be her wedding dress. It was too exquisite for a day gown. He could tell by the pearls embedded in the bodice and sleeves and the fine lace at the elbows that this was the gown that Griffin should have seen her wearing for their wedding. A stab of jealousy mixed with smug arrogance tumbled within his chest. His brother would not have this woman. He would not see her like this now. She was to be Gavin’s and Gavin’s alone.
“Sorry, brother, but you took my woman. It is only fair I take yours.”
The pretty lass asleep in his bed did not stir, but he didn’t mind that she slept tonight. They had a long voyage ahead of them to chase down the Lady Siren. There would be plenty of nights ahead to seduce his prize. With a wicked smile, Gavin sat on the edge of his bed and pulled off his boots. He stripped off his trousers and lay down beside Josephine, pulling her back against his body. He buried his face in her hair. She smelled like a garden just after a rainstorm. Her scent of roses and lavender filled his head as he breathed her in.
“Yes, I think I shall keep you, my darling Josie,” he murmured in her ear.
Josephine let out a soft sigh, as though she'd heard him, and turned to burrow closer into him. Something tugged at his long-shattered heart, but he ignored it. He would never love anyone ever again. Not even this bewitching woman with fire upon her lips and her eyes full of dreams that sailed like ships in the clouds.
CHAPTER 6
“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Griffin stood behind his desk in his study. The three men who faced him from the other side didn’t flinch at his tone. Josephine’s father, Lord Camden; her twin brother, Adrian; and her elder brother, Dominic, had arrived two hours before he’d planned to be at the church to marry Josephine.
He tried to calm the sudden fear in his chest for the woman he’d planned to tie his life to. “Where is she? Did she leave a letter?” After speaking with his brother, he could quite believe that Josephine might cry off and hide to avoid marrying him. While that stung his pride, he was more concerned that she was safe and unharmed than that she’d run out on him.
Lord Camden and his two sons exchanged worried glances before Camden spoke.
“I’m afraid we have no idea what’s happened to her. My daughter was being fitted for her wedding gown last night when my wife last saw her. She and Josephine’s lady’s maid left to prepare her bridal presents, which would be a surprise for her today after the ceremony. When the maid returned to her chamber, she found it empty and the bay window open.”
“Is the maid here? May I speak with her? Perhaps she witnessed something that can help us find Josephine,” Griffin suggested.
“Yes, she’s out in the corridor. Adrian, fetch her,” Camden ordered.
Adrian returned a moment later with a young woman at his side, whom he introduced as Vesper Lyndon. The woman had her head down respectfully and was clearly too frightened to look at anyone. Griffin walked around his desk and approached her. She stiffened when he stopped just in front of her.
“Miss Lyndon?” He spoke the girl’s name uncertainly.
“Yes, my lord?” Her voice was soft, but he heard a note of strength in it. She wasn’t afraid of him—she feared for her lady’s safety. She lifted her tearstained face to meet his gaze.
The sunlight touched upon her golden hair, and her green eyes struck him like a bolt of lightning. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. It felt like his head was spinning, and yet he was grounded at the same time, like an ancient tree stretching its roots deep into the soil and binding itself to the earth so that it might go on living forever. Was he falling?
Dear God, he thought with a warmth that seemed to cloud his head, and he nearly reached for something to steady himself.
Vesper stared at him expectantly, those green eyes seeming to drink him in the way he had just done to her, as though she never wanted to look away, couldn’t look away from him.
“I . . . er . . .” He struggled to regain his thoughts. “What I wish to ask you is . . . when you last saw Josephine, was she acting in any strange manner? Did she say or do anything that might give you any insight into what happened?”
Vesper licked her lips nervously and her gaze grew distant, as if she was replaying the last encounter she’d had with her mistress.
“She seemed . . . distracted during the gown fitting. She didn’t seem overly anxious, but it was as if she was miles away. That is all I can think of,” Vesper said.
“Thank you, Vesper,” Griffin murmured as he released her chin. He hadn’t realized he’d reached out and touched her. It had felt so natural that he’d not even noticed.
