Chapter Ten

Pre-dawn the next day, and the Justice rocked gently on calm waters. She anchored safely in one of the many hidden coastal coves, sheltered by picturesque, dramatic sea cliffs. A brisk breeze carried away the groan and creak of timbers.

Zach stood at the helm. His palm ran over smooth, worn wood. Here he’d spent countless hours in control of a carefully calculated destiny, with the added responsibility of keeping his crew safe.

And now he’d taken Eloise under his wing.

Last night he’d kissed her as if in pursuit of a gold-laden galleon. He’d tasted the spoils of victory in the capture and plundering of her sweet mouth. Intoxicating treasure. Instead of fighting back, she’d joined forces with him, leaning in, fingers kneading his flesh. Her soft, supple lips had robbed him of logic, reason and reality.

For the first time in ten years he’d forgotten about vengeance and retribution. Desire and lust had blinded him, until something inside shook him so violently, he’d pulled away.

She was the fiancée of his nemesis, for God’s sake! In her own words, that made them enemies.

He’d let his resolve weaken. If he hadn’t removed himself from her presence, she’d have been the victor in capturing him. That must never happen. He had more at stake than slaking his lust for her.

Viscount Derby would return home from London to find the ducal ring and Zach’s written note explaining his hasty departure; that he’d abducted the duke’s fiancée. Had Derby now discovered Eloise was Shafford’s sister?

Zach cast his gaze over the craggy shoreline, impatient for news of the outcome between Derby and the lawyer.

He spun on his heel at the sound of approaching footsteps. ‘Morning, Seth.’

‘No sign of the viscount’s messenger?’

‘Soon, I hope.’

‘This London lawyer, do you believe he’ll do the right thing by you?’

‘He was my father’s closest friend. I expect nothing less from him. My father and he had the greatest respect for each other. They valued truth and trust.’

‘Why would this lawyer believe you over your half-brother?’

Zach gave a derisive laugh. ‘He knew us both well enough to form his own opinion.’

‘And Gareth is none the wiser to you being his anonymous benefactor?’

‘He never had a head for business and I know he’d go to great lengths to conceal the dwindling family fortune. He’d be eager to accept the first, and no doubt only, financial helping hand extended him.’

‘You’ve exercised great will and patience over the years, Captain. I find it hard to believe your ordeal will soon be over.’

‘Then why the pensive look?’

Seth paused. ‘When all this is behind you, what will you do? Where will you choose to make your home? You’ll have responsibilities to your seat in England and to those who rely on their livelihood from your plantation. You can’t be in two places at once.’

Zach rubbed the wooden wheel. Since the age of eighteen, demons had driven him to clear his name of murder, to one day take back all that was rightfully his. Beyond that, nothing mattered. ‘I’ve plenty of time to address those decisions.’

‘And still you enjoy no respite.’

‘I’ll not rest until my private war is won.’

‘What of your heart?’

Zach threw Seth a sharp look. ‘What are you talking about?’

The lieutenant held his tongue. His expression unreadable.

‘If you have something to say, Seth, then out with it.’

‘The Lady Eloise.’

The mention of her name roused Zach’s protective instincts. ‘What about her?’

‘Her unfortunate condition appears –’

‘Promising.’

‘I see.’ Seth walked to the rail and asked over his shoulder, ‘What are your plans for her?’

‘She remains aboard this ship. Under my protection.’

‘For how long?’

‘Indefinitely.’

Seth about-faced, his eyes wide in stark surprise. ‘She sails with us to Mercy Island?’

Zach gripped the wheel with stoic determination. ‘I won’t abandon her, Seth. Consider the facts. Gareth has placed his eggs in one basket. Me! I’ll intercept his final shipment. He’ll be financially and socially ruined. It will be the end of him.’ He turned and folded his arms, the solid wheel at his back. ‘As is the fickle and shallow way of society, those who were once drawn to Gareth shall revile him, just as if he has Cupid’s itch.’

Seth’s face relaxed into a smile.

‘Without a title, money or land he’ll be reduced to the scum that he is. I’ll acquire his estate, my estate rather, the downside of which is I’ll have creditors aplenty scrambling to discover my identity and rip me apart. They’ll demand settlement of all outstanding debts.’ Zach waved a dismissive hand. ‘I’ve funds aplenty to deal with them.’

‘How does this concern Lady Eloise?’

‘Before the news of his ruin becomes public, Gareth will seek the only option available to him in order to maintain his place in society.’

‘He’ll marry into an inheritance to save himself.’

‘Exactly.’

Seth threw his arms wide. ‘Then you’ll be back to square one.’

Zach shook his head. ‘Not quite. Under a pseudonym, I’ll have achieved my goal by obtaining all that is legally mine.’

‘But until your legal name is cleared of murder charges, you won’t see any of it.’

‘Hah! Legalities. Easily fixed. And don’t think I’d let Gareth jump from one inheritance to another. I want to destroy him, not the woman he takes to wife, or her family. Eloise is key to his strategy. Which is why I won’t let her out of my sight.’

Zach glimpsed the burnished pinks and reds of the impending sunrise, comparing it to those he’d witnessed under clearer Caribbean skies. He idly wondered whether Eloise had ever witnessed a sunrise. Would it move her, as it did him?

Seth frowned. ‘Gareth’s title and perceived wealth allows him to marry anyone he chooses. He doesn’t need Eloise to replenish his purse. Once he realises his desperate situation, he’ll take to wife the first woman who’ll have him. One with a sizable dowry. There is any number of wealthy women sharpening their claws for the privilege.’

‘A valid point, but tell me something. Given, as you’ve pointed out, Gareth could have his choice of any woman to wed, why then, to date, has he not married?’

Seth shrugged. ‘He prefers the whorehouses?’

‘Or perhaps he wants only one woman. Eloise.’

‘You think he’s actually in love with her?’

The question hit a nerve. It forced Zach to acknowledge his interest in Eloise ran deeper than keeping her as a tool of revenge.

‘Love?’ Zach scowled. ‘Whether it be an honest emotional attachment or for the benefit of his coffers, I couldn’t say. I’m willing to bet the latter. Regardless, I’ll do everything in my power to keep Eloise as far away as possible from the likes of Gareth. I owe her at least that much.’

‘Have you considered the anguish her family suffers, not knowing her fate, or why she was taken from them?’

Zach nodded. He understood their torment. When he’d been forced to flee England, he’d despaired over his father’s fate and well-being. ‘If I could spare them their anguish, I would. As far as Shafford is concerned, Eloise was taken while under my brother’s protection. Let him sweat under their scrutiny. If word leaks of his depleted coffers, he’ll come under direct suspicion as being the very person who abducted her in the first place.’

‘Of course.’ Seth’s mouth stretched into a smile. ‘That would set tongues wagging.’

‘Yes. I believe we hold him on a very tight leash.’

The sun cleared the horizon. Zach relished its warmth on his face. ‘I’ll be in my cabin. Let me know the instant the messenger arrives. In the meantime, brief the crew. Have them prepare the ship and re-stock supplies for the homeward voyage. All going well, we sail tomorrow.’

‘Aye, Captain.’

Zach detoured away from his cabin. Like a sailor lured by the call of a mythical water siren, he went to check on Eloise.

Judd stood aside. Zach pressed his ear to her door and heard not a sound from within. Hopefully, she still slept. With so much to occupy his time today, he would conveniently avoid any discussion with her and make his visit brief.

He turned the key in the lock and carefully lifted the latch before pushing the door wide enough to slip inside. She lay facing the wall. Thick chestnut hair, free of its usual pins, spilled over her pillow. She wore a practical dress that once belonged to the viscount’s daughter.

He stepped closer. She rolled onto her back, lost in sleep.

Zach could not take his eyes from her. Long, dark lashes rested on porcelain skin. Her cheeks looked slightly flushed. Soft breaths escaped through parted full lips. He tempered an overwhelming compulsion to reach out and touch her.

The blanket lay askew across her waist. Zach pulled it up to cover her chest and shoulders; to keep her warm. For pity’s sake, he couldn’t help himself. He ran a fingertip down one cheek, lightly, at the risk of waking her. He would forever protect this woman.

He turned to leave, but spied her shoes and bent to pick them up. Like her dress, they looked the worse for wear. Little wonder, given the time and distance she’d spent wearing them. Life aboard ship required practical attire, not the fashions of a London court. He mentally added a few more things to his errands list and stepped softly towards the door.

‘Is someone there?’

Her sleep-ridden voice brought Zach to a jarring halt. He risked a glance over his shoulder. She’d sat up, rubbing her eyes.

‘Hello? Is someone there?’ she called again.

Only when she’d settled back down to sleep did he quietly close and lock the door.

Zach dipped the quill in the ink pot and looked up at the sound of a knock on his door. ‘Come in.’

Seth entered the cabin and approached the desk. In his extended hand, he held an envelope with the viscount’s seal. ‘The messenger is aboard. He awaits your instruction.’

Zach set the quill aside, broke the wax seal and unfolded the parchment. He read the message and let his gaze wander to the window, to the stretch of sea beyond.

‘Captain?’

He handed the note to Seth. ‘Read it aloud.’

‘Friend. Promissory note signed. Deeds to the estate and ownership of the company are yours should the next shipment fail to deliver. Return voyage to pass your island in late July. Congratulations. You have the Queen of Hearts in your hand.’ Seth looked up from the note. ‘It is done!’

Zach smiled with satisfaction. ‘Yes.’

‘The viscount knows about Eloise?’

‘He knows we have Gareth’s fiancée. I have to wonder, when he wrote this, whether or not he’d discovered Eloise’s identity.’

‘I’d say he knows exactly who she is.’

‘I’ll clarify that in my reply to him. Read on.’

‘Finally, Lily has agreed to accept your offer. Her belly grows large with each passing day. I’ll make the necessary arrangements. Good luck.’ Seth cleared his throat and studied the letter. ‘And … ah … Lily. You will provide for her?’

‘Of course.’

‘In what way?’

‘A roof over her head, for one thing. The child’s father has abandoned them both. I accept full responsibility for her. The options available to a young woman in her situation, with no family to support her, are far and few between. She and her child will enjoy a better life on Mercy Island. They’ll be well cared for and kept safe.’

Seth had suddenly turned sheepish. How odd to see him stand there, eyes downcast, fumbling with the note in his hand. Zach took up the quill and scratched in haste along the parchment. ‘When I’m finished here, I’ll accompany the messenger back to shore.’

‘What for?’

‘Provisions.’

‘We already have men taking care of that.’

Zach lifted the parchment and blew on the wet ink. ‘I need to collect provisions of a … female nature.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Seth lingered.

Zach folded the parchment and stamped his seal in hot wax. ‘You’re behaving a little peculiar, Seth. Is something on your mind?’

‘What? No.’ He shook his head and pursed his lips.

Zach put his hand out for the viscount’s note. ‘Seth?’

‘Yes? Oh, here you are. I’ll prepare the skiff.’

Zach quickly scanned the viscount’s message. Something tripped him up. The corners of his mouth lifted into a knowing smile. Lily. His gaze lifted to watch Seth hurry from the cabin.

With the viscount’s letter and a reply in hand, Zach made his way above deck. He reread Derby’s missive for the last time, before ripping it into tiny pieces. A flick of his wrist scattered them to the breeze. Like snow, they fluttered down to the water. Each piece drifted further apart.

When the Justice reached Mercy Island, the crew would have ample time to unwind before setting sail to intercept the riches aboard Gareth’s merchant vessel. It carried cargo unbeknownst to Zach. Inconsequential, really, when Zach had finally entrapped his half-brother.

Revenge lay within reach.

Eloise stretched and opened her eyes. The cold reality of being blind hit as if for the first time. Would she ever get used to it? Then came the daunting uncertainty of her whereabouts.

A ship. A cabin. The most uncomfortable bunk.

Loud thuds came from above deck. Booming male voices, obscenities, shouts and clipped retaliations. Salt and sea brine had replaced the scent of lavender and roses from her previous prison.

How frustrating not to be able to check something as simple as the time. Her stomach growled. She sat on the edge of the bunk, feet planted on cold wooden floors. Assessing and readjusting her state of dress had almost become routine. Like the captain coming to her in her dreams. She could still smell his masculine scent.

She swept the floor with her hands in search of her shoes. Had they slid along the cabin floor? Strange, since her keen sense of balance confirmed the vessel did not pitch to and fro. Seagulls cried outside her porthole. A comforting thought to know the ship lay off shore.

Land. Home. Loved ones. She located a strip of linen on the table beside the cot and tied it around her head to protect her eyes. Doctor’s orders. She twisted around to kneel on the cot and ran her palms over the panelled wall. There. The porthole. She opened it as wide as it would allow and filled her lungs with crisp salty air.

Exploring her cabin meant feeling her way around the perimeter walls. It didn’t take long. The locked door lay beneath her palms. She rested her forehead against the timber slats. Is this what it would be like to stand entombed inside a coffin?

‘M’lady?’

The voice startled her. ‘Welsh? Is that you?’

‘Aye! With hot tea and Cook’s freshly baked bread.’

‘A minute please.’ She groped her way back to sit on the bed. ‘Come in.’

The door opened. Footsteps passed in front of her. Something slid across the table. ‘Thank you, Welsh.’ Again, footsteps, the door closing, the key turning. No exchange of polite conversation. It wasn’t hard to guess who’d given him orders to deliver the food and leave.

Ravenous, Eloise ate and sat waiting for what seemed an eternity before receiving another visitor.

‘Morning, my lady.’

Eloise sensed the lieutenant’s awkwardness, and a touch of reserve in his voice. ‘Good morning, Seth.’

‘You are to come with me.’

‘Where?’

‘The captain has arranged for you to enjoy the luxury of a warm bath in his quarters.’ Her indignant shock had him hastily adding, ‘He’s employed a woman to assist you with … with … your needs. You will have complete privacy. Come.’

His hand closed around her upper arm. ‘Wait. My shoes.’

‘You won’t be needing them.’

‘But –’

‘Trust me.’

As Seth guided her to the captain’s quarters, she sensed the presence of another person nearby. Her skin turned to gooseflesh, and her nose wrinkled in reaction to a whiff of foul air. Wary instincts faded once they’d reached the captain’s cabin. Her attendant, a matronly-sounding woman, established the rules the instant they were left alone.

‘A warning, miss. I don’t know who you be, and I don’t much care. The captain has given his strict orders that if you start rattling off about me helping you and getting off this ship, I’m to let him know. Says he’ll plonk you in that tub and scrub you down himself if need be. That captain’s a man of his word. As am I. Understand?’

Eloise nodded. The alternative was out of the question.

The woman whisked her charge through her toilette. From working long, thick hair into a soapy lather, to securing the final button on a blouse. The captain would have treated her with finesse. The woman’s rough-and-ready handling left her a little battered.

‘Now stand there,’ she ordered. ‘Let me take a step back and admire me handiwork.’

Eloise flinched at the sound of hands clapped together.

‘You look a sight better, deary. Such a shame you can’t see for yourself, but for what it’s worth, your skirt and blouse be the colour of spring’s daffodils. Maybe just a few shades lighter. The captain’s been generous enough to buy you a few outfits. Nightclothes, too. Chosen well, he has.’

She clicked her tongue. ‘Them shoes are the same size as your others. Perfect for getting round on this ship.’

How did the captain know her shoe size? Had he taken her previous pair? When? She gasped. So it wasn’t in her dreams that she’d caught scent of the captain, or that he’d tucked the blanket about her. Nor had she imagined he’d touched her cheek. It had all been real.

The woman said her goodbyes and shuffled out of the cabin. Heavy footsteps entered.

‘Feeling better?’

The captain’s voice startled her to the point of losing her balance. He was suddenly at her side, lending his support.

‘What can I get you?’

‘Fresh air.’

He scooped her up in his arms. Her head rolled towards his chest. Too soon her feet touched the solid deck. Large hands steadied her, with fingers splayed around her waist.

Her palms spread flat against his chest: a hard wall of muscle. He made her feel safe and secure. Dizzying pleasure disarmed Eloise. Or was that because the day’s warmth enveloped her?

‘Breathe gently,’ he instructed.

She hadn’t realised she’d been panting. How she longed to match his face to his voice. Would he be just as appealing in the flesh as he was in her mind?

‘Gently,’ he repeated, while rubbing her back. ‘You look beautiful, Eloise.’

His intimately stated compliment gave her pulse momentum. ‘Thank you …’

‘Zach.’

‘Zach.’ She didn’t recognise the name as being anyone of her acquaintance. ‘Thank you for the use of your cabin. For troubling yourself with my needs and personal comfort.’

She felt awkward in the ensuing pause, as if she were an admirer stealing away for her first discreet rendezvous. Did he feel the same?

‘Close your eyes. I’ll replace the blindfold before we take a turn about the deck.’

Eloise shivered beneath his touch. He manoeuvred her to his side, one arm around her shoulders. ‘Where did that woman go?’

‘Ashore. I hired her services to attend you.’

Strangely content, Eloise tilted her face towards the sun. She hadn’t forgotten her resentment over being held captive, nor her irrational trust for a man whom she knew nothing about. A man who concerned himself with her every need and comfort, but revealed so little of his true self. How was it possible to feel desire for someone who wouldn’t let her into his heart or mind?

With his support and guidance, they strolled the deck together in an odd yet companionable silence.

Around them, the crew conversed, seagulls squawked overhead, ropes and rigging rattled and a brush scrubbed over wood. Her mind’s eye formed a picture of her surrounds. Home to all these men.

‘Tell me, Zach, do you enjoy life aboard a ship?’

‘I enjoy it well enough.’

Hardly an answer. She tried again. ‘What is it that draws men to pursue a life at sea?’

‘There are as many reasons as there are stars in the sky.’

He was making conversation difficult. ‘Tell me about your family here in England.’

‘I have none.’

His terse response gave her pause. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.’ She raised a hand to her temple and rubbed gently.

‘The pain has returned?’

‘A little.’

‘Better you lie down and rest rather than walk about in the sun.’

A convenient excuse to avoid further scrutiny. By the time he returned Eloise to the cabin, the pain behind her eyes had intensified. It wouldn’t stop her from seeking answers to her questions, to try to understand why the captain’s behaviour towards her had been so arbitrary. Why did he draw close only to pull away like the unpredictable shift of winds?

Her patience had worn thin. ‘Why do you keep me here? What have I done to deserve this?’

‘You’ve done nothing.’

She squeezed his arm. ‘Then what? Why?’

‘In time you’ll understand.’

‘In time? I deserve an explanation now. Who are you? A highwayman? A pirate? Is stealing your profession?’

He pried her hand from his arm. ‘You have every right to think ill of me.’

Her eyes pained as if her head lay between a tightening vice. ‘When my brother finds me, you’ll hang for steal–’

‘I do not steal anything that isn’t already mine.’

‘And yet you’ve stolen me!’

The truth of her words sent him away. In a few short strides he had re-established more than just a physical distance between them.

She lay on the bunk, facing the wall in dark despair, feeling helpless and alone.