Chapter Twenty-Two

The mid-July sun reached its peak in a cloudless sky.

A ship shadowed the Justice as it coasted through calm waters into Mercy Cove. Sails hung limp against the masts with barely a breeze to push the vessels forwards.

Eloise ran down the beach to join the gathering crowd. How odd to see the Justice crewmen standing reverently still on deck. Strange that they didn’t wave or holler to those awaiting their arrival.

Lively chatter among the welcomers diminished to a deathly silence. Foreboding hung in the air. Collectively, it seemed they held their breath.

Despite the heat of the day, cold struck Eloise bone deep. Dread almost stopped her heart. Her eyes searched wildly for Zach. She craned her neck to look for him, her gaze sweeping the rails. The knot in her stomach unravelled when she saw him step up to the forecastle. She came alive with a rush of nervous anticipation.

His absence this past week had been a trial to endure. She’d gone over and over in her head the things she wished to say to him. To make amends for her accusations; for ever having doubted him. She smoothed her cotton dress then slid a hand down her long, sleek braid.

Timbers creaked as the Justice aligned with the wharf. Crewmen mechanically worked in silence, their expressions sombre as they secured ropes to the bollards.

Zach dug his fingers into unruly hair and rubbed the thick stubble on his face. A deep scowl made him look the fearsome fighter. It would appear he’d achieved what he’d set out to do and captured his prize. Why, then, did the captain and crew look like their mission had been an abysmal failure?

The second ship dropped anchor in the cove’s deeper waters. Seth’s voice could be heard issuing orders to the crew who then lowered a skiff.

Eloise shifted focus back to the Justice. Only then did she see them.

Coloured men and women rose from where they crouched on deck. Children clung to them. Young girls who looked to be on the threshold of womanhood, and boys soon to be men. They huddled together, their eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. They wore ill-fitting clothes.

Bewildered, Eloise looked from one ship to the other, confronted with the horrifying truth.

Slaves.

Gareth was trafficking slaves. The man was beyond redemption. To think her brother condoned her marriage to a man involved in buying and selling human life. The shame of it. Did Julian even know? Surely not! She couldn’t begin to imagine how this would galvanise Zach’s need for vengeance against his half-brother.

He strode to the ship’s rail and looked down at those on the wharf. ‘The people you see here on deck have been cruelly treated and taken from their origins in West Africa.’ He pointed across the water. ‘They were aboard that ship, destined to be sold into slavery.’

The island’s residents raised their fists. Above angry shouts Zach yelled, ‘The captain and crew have been dealt with. Our men have crewed it home. It’s now the property of Mercy Island.’

Zach raised his hands to settle the cheering crowd. ‘The island is home to these people now. I ask that you show them your acceptance. They’ll require food and clothing. Open your hearts and your homes until housing is built to accommodate them. Under no circumstance must children be separated from their parents or those they trust.’

He bent to pick up chains and manacles and raised them high for all to see. The natives cowered at the sight and jingle of the brutal shackles. Eloise had never seen Zach look so livid. ‘These barbaric irons are repugnant to mankind. They shall be destroyed!’

More shouts and cheers showed support for his decision. He tossed the irons aside. They landed with a loud thunk on the deck. ‘Secure the gangplank,’ he ordered, and proceeded to assist the traumatised newcomers with their disembarkation, entrusting them to the care of those who inhabited the island. It was not surprising that they gravitated to those of skin colour, and to those who spoke their tongue.

It sickened Eloise to see open wounds around their ankles and wrists. The bite of the irons had left weeping sores around one child’s neck. As the girl walked by, she looked at Eloise and, unexpectedly, volunteered a shy smile. Eloise returned the friendly greeting.

Had Zach not intercepted that ship, the terror and sorrow they would have endured was beyond thinking. Eloise felt a lump in her throat.

Familiar, comforting arms came quickly around her, steering her onto the beach to stand away from the milling crowd. She clung to Zach and laid her ear to his chest, listening to his beating heart. How marvellous his hand felt on her back, the other on her cheek. Warm lips pressed against the crown of her head. He whispered her name. ‘Eloise.’

Had she imagined the longing in his voice? The same desperate need that kept her awake at night, pining for his touch, his scent?

She lifted her head to glimpse hunger in his eyes. He moved his large hands to her upper arms and held her tight. Her heart thumped beneath her ribs.

His hands lifted to cradle her face. His head dipped with the intent to kiss her, only to then hover within an inch of her lips. In the space of two ragged breaths, he pulled back. In his dark eyes, Eloise witnessed his retreat. Stony distance eclipsed hunger and need.

No. A wave of pain urged her to cling to him, so desperate not to let him go.

He stepped free of her arms – unreachable in more ways than physical touch – and turned to stare out to sea. ‘They’re proud people, Eloise. One day they’re brave warriors in their native lands, hunting, fending for and feeding their women and children, and the next their lives are ruthlessly violated by men who imprison them; shackle and yoke them together like oxen.’

The chilling truth of it distressed her. The disgust in Zach’s voice proved even more telling.

‘They’re packed into every square inch of the cargo hold. The bigger ships carry over four hundred. Poor, wretched souls. They’re forced to endure weeks on end in atrocious conditions. Those who die on the ship are tossed overboard without as much as a second thought. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen –’

He shook his head and took a deep breath. ‘Are the dead the fortunate ones, or those who survive?’

Eloise choked on her anguish, unable to speak. She couldn’t begin to comprehend the full gamut of slave trade horrors. Her hand instinctively rose, reaching out to the man whose broad shoulders slumped as if he had personally failed the people he’d rescued.

His sharp, sideward glance said, Don’t. Murderous intent glimmered in his eyes. ‘My father abhorred slavery, and yet his youngest son sleeps soundly at night caring not a whit for anything but what might turn a profit.’ His fingers flexed and curled into tight fists at his side.

‘How many lost their lives on his ship?’ She’d been almost too afraid to ask.

His gaze returned to sea. ‘Fifteen. According to the ship’s records this was Gareth’s first foray in human cargo. Apparently he was planning things on a grander scale. The ship carried other goods to be traded for rum and molasses, but there was a spare pocket in the hold. There, they packed sixty lives.’

Eloise shuddered. ‘How did you dispose of the captain and crew?’

He threw her a sidelong glance. ‘We didn’t kill them, if that’s what you’re asking. The captain recognised our standard and gave his surrender swiftly. We set them down on a remote island, though not before insisting they disrobe to clothe naked natives.

‘The captain agreed to hand over his personal journal in exchange for his and the crew’s freedom. The journal details each of his voyages giving damning evidence of Gareth’s underhand dealings.’

‘Dare I ask?’

He held his silence as if contemplating a reply. ‘There are lists naming scores of youths kidnapped from impoverished English towns. They were sold as indentured servants to wealthy landowners of the Caribbean and New World. The captain had retained original letters in Gareth’s hand signing off on such matters and monies exchanged.’

More shocking news. It became difficult to breathe in the stifling heat. Eloise swayed with another bout of nausea.

Zach slipped an arm around her waist and walked her out of the sun to where sand met tropical rainforest. There, he eased her down to sit in the shade of a cluster of coconut trees. He picked up a fallen green coconut and hacked off the top with his blade. One hand supported the back of her head while, with the other, he placed the open end of the coconut gently to her mouth. ‘Sip.’

The watery liquid moistened her dry mouth. ‘Thank you. The journal and letters, they alone represent Gareth’s death warrant.’ It gave her a splinter of hope that Zach would feel vindicated knowing he had Gareth cornered. Death befits this crime. There was no reason for Zach to play executioner.

‘That may be the case, but I’ll not be denied the satisfaction of seeing his face when I reveal myself to him. What he did to me and to your family is as unforgivable as slavery, stealing and selling his fellow countrymen.

‘He has insulted and dishonoured my father’s name, the Arlington name, in the worst possible way. Men throw down the gauntlet for lesser indiscretions. I’ll do things my way. I will have my revenge, Eloise.’

At what price? She quaked under the full force of his intense stare.

‘Gareth expects his ship to arrive in England by late August. The captain was to arrange a meeting with him and make good with the profits. We must return before Gareth learns of his ship’s fate.’

The fight to win over Zach was futile. He’d pushed her away with implacable eyes and with his words, final and unbending.

Eloise had no place in his future. She would have to take stock of her life. Consider her options. Where would a single woman, with her sullied reputation, live out her days?

She almost laughed. She’d have four weeks at sea to give it ample thought. Right now, she had the burden of guilt to offload. ‘That night … before you left. I said things I shouldn’t have. I accused you of things you didn’t do.’

He wouldn’t look at her. ‘You don’t have to say –’

‘Yes. I do.’ Because I love you. ‘I jumped to conclusions. I shouldn’t have believed Letitia’s lies, but to see her standing in front of me with her clothes askew, gloating that she and you had –’ Laying bare her jealousy was akin to admit her true feelings for Zach. ‘I wasn’t strong enough to see through her ruse.’

He grabbed a fistful of sand and let it sift through his fingers. ‘Letitia and I shared a convenient arrangement. Nothing more than a commercial transaction.’ He looked at Eloise and opened his mouth as if to say more. He hesitated, and fell silent.

She wouldn’t press him to say or confess things he didn’t feel for her. ‘I paid Lily several visits this week. I understand now who she is, and why she’s here.’

‘I should have taken the time to explain.’

‘I had no right to question your private affairs. When I confronted you on the matter I was in no fit state to listen or reason with you. For that, I apologise. Your actions towards me were considered and justified. You did right by Lily in fetching the doctor. She asked me to thank you, by the way. She named her daughter Theodora.’

Waves lapped gently against the shore. Birds and insects sang in the rainforest at their backs and a hot breeze rustled palm leaves overhead. Eloise could detect Zach’s scent amid the spicy fragrant in the air. They sat so close, and yet there existed a yawning chasm between them.

Her future was less than promising. It need not be so for Zach. If he were sensible about things, he could honourably entrap their nemesis to ensure Gareth would be sentenced for crimes committed, and then get on with his life. Wherever that might be.

‘Promise me one thing,’ she said. ‘Before you go after Gareth, I ask that you first speak with, and confide in Julian. You fled home and country without giving him the opportunity to prove himself as your loyal and most trusted friend.’

Zach surged to his feet and stepped into the sun.

Eloise pushed herself up and stared at his proud back. ‘I want justice brought upon Gareth and I’m a willing pawn in your vengeful plan. Play me however you wish. I can never hope to salvage my reputation, given what it is now, so please, do this one small thing for me.’

When he turned, there was something indiscernible about him. Something Eloise didn’t recognise. Even had he been cleanly shaven and freshly bathed, she couldn’t have pinpointed the subtle nuance that gave him this new formidable edge.

‘Do I have your trust, Eloise?’ His even tone took on a regal air.

‘Yes.’

‘Then I gladly honour your request. I ask something of you in return.’

What more did she have to give?

‘From now on, I would like for you to call me Miles.’

She nodded. Had her mockery of his identity brought about this change in him?

‘It’s the name people remember me by. If I’m to assert and claim my title, I’d best get used to hearing it,’ he said flatly. ‘Your virtue and reputation will not be questioned when people learn that you’ve been in the protective custody of the real Duke of Arlington.’

And that’s how he’d wipe her slate clean? His words filled her with shame. She was made to feel like a mistress of whom he’d grown tired. When of no further use to him, she’d be discarded as no more than a memory. If that.

She held at bay the threat of hot tears. What did she expect from the cold-hearted man who’d dedicated his life to settling a score between himself and his sibling?

Though, were it not for Miles, she would be none the wiser to the truth behind her parents’ deaths. If nothing else, she had to be satisfied with that.

Alone inside the captain’s cabin, Eloise knelt over a pail and emptied the contents of her stomach into it. She rinsed the foul taste of bile from her mouth and fought for balance as she staggered back to the bed. What little she’d eaten of the morning meal had not agreed with her.

She might have Miles and the ship’s doctor fooled, but she could no longer blame her condition on four weeks’ worth of unsteady seas.

She was with child.

No one would know until the shape of her belly betrayed her secret. By that time she could be safely, and discretely, settled with her aunt in France. Miles would be none the wiser. He didn’t want her. Nor would he welcome the shame and burden of a bastard child. Another scandal to stain the Arlington dynasty.

Eloise curled into a ball on her side and slowly rubbed a protective hand over her stomach. How bitter sweet to be lying in his bed, in his cabin, the very place where they’d first assuaged their lust for one another. It should be a joyous occasion to share with him the certainty of her pregnancy. To tell him she loved this child as much as she desperately loved him.

During the return voyage, when she’d roused herself from lethargy, they’d met on deck like acquaintances taking a stroll and exchanging cordial conversation. Pride forbade she admit to needing him, or to ask if his nights, spent in a cupboard-sized cabin, were as sleepless as hers.

Time and again she replayed in her mind their time spent at the rock pool. He’d demonstrated how much he’d wanted her. She’d given her body and heart to him. Had she carelessly uttered words of love? Perhaps that was the catalyst holding him at arm’s length.

Loneliness pressed upon her like a slab of granite. Everywhere she looked, she saw Miles. From the sturdy masculine furniture to diagrams and maps on the walls and desk. Inanimate objects surrounded her, there to touch at will. Not one of them could embrace her with his strength or warmth, or leave her heady with his scent. They couldn’t sound his deep, rumbling laugh or look at her with the power to weaken her knees or send her heart racing.

She turned her face into the pillow to muffle a sob of heartache.

Her time on Mercy Island had been brief and already she missed the warmth of the tropics, bleached sandy beaches and Kamania’s soprano chatter. The island air had smelled different from England but had settled heavier on her skin and in her lungs. She’d rather enjoyed the liberating cotton clothes and loathed the thought of returning to shifts, rigid stays, and petticoats.

Lily’s youthful smile came to mind. How were she and baby Theodora getting on? Seth had been curiously attentive to mother and child when farewelling the island and its people. And Mary, all tears with a tremulous smile for Judd. It had been distressing to watch the twins pried from their father’s arms before he finally boarded the Justice.

Eloise thought of the future. She would finally meet Viscount Derby. Miles had confided in her the whys and wherefores of their alliance. Both men had in their employ the same lawyer and man of business, and shared the common bond of revenge against Gareth.

At least Miles had volunteered this information without her having to probe or ask him. If he felt nothing else for her, he had at least demonstrated his trust in her, which dropped a cloak of guilt around her shoulders. He had the right to know she carried his child, even if it didn’t mesh with his future plans.

Eloise knew that to tell him would be to trap him. She wouldn’t do it.

The thought of seeing Julian’s newborn filled her with delight. Was she an aunt to a niece or a nephew?

Did Gareth continue to fabricate lies? How had he explained her abduction to Julian? She worried over how her brother might react to the truth of being so thoroughly betrayed.

Gareth’s unmasking couldn’t come soon enough.

Miles steadied himself against the pitch and roll of the ship. He raised his fist to the cabin door with the intent to knock, and paused at the sound of Eloise’s retch.

Not again. She hadn’t coped so well during the voyage home. A handful of his sea-hardy men had suffered the same. Perhaps Cook had something to answer for this time around. Although food poisoning had nothing to do with Miles’s ailments.

Damned but if he wasn’t as lovesick as a debutante. No matter how many times he’d climbed aloft, or done battle at the helm or worked the sails, nothing had physically exhausted him enough by day’s end to ensure a thorough night’s sleep. He’d dozed in fits and starts and drifted in and out of sleep, with Eloise the focus of his dreams.

How many nights had he found himself outside her door, forehead and palms flat against the timber, wanting, needing, if nothing else, to take her in his arms and hold her close?

At times he’d awoken in a cold sweat, worrying over her wellbeing. The stubborn woman had refused his offer of help to weather her seasickness. She’d kept to her cabin, surfacing now and again for a breath of fresh air and polite conversation. Welsh and Judd, and even his lieutenant had managed to raise a smile from her but around him she was on edge and guarded.

No matter how much she had come to resent him, he had a plan in place. He would no more give up on that than he would the memory of his father.

That didn’t stop his heart aching for her. He rapped gently on the door and waited. ‘Eloise?’ The latch scraped from the inside and the door opened wide enough for him to see her face.

‘Yes?’

Her false cheer didn’t fool him. Not when she looked pale and drawn. ‘You’re unwell. Let me fetch the doctor.’

‘No! I’m well enough, thank you. I’m sure steady ground beneath my feet will be as good as taking the waters in Bath.’

He took heart in seeing the spark of defiance in her eyes. ‘Then you’ll be pleased to know we approach the Cornish coastline. We’ll drop anchor in the same inlet from which we departed. I’ve brought you clean clothes for our journey back to the viscount’s house.’

She pulled the door a little wider and looked at the knitted cap and bundle of masculine clothes in his hands. ‘How long must I remain dressed as a man?’

Dressed as a man or a woman, she was an exquisite piece. Even now, she looked ready for the taking in one of his best linens. It pleased him to see that she chose it in place of several nightshifts Kamania had packed for her.

‘You and I can’t afford to attract unwanted attention. Once we reach Derby’s house, I’ll arrange for you to have all the luxuries to which you are accustomed.’

This should have pleased her. Instead, she looked saddened. ‘What will happen to your ship, to the rest of the crew?’

‘Seth will take command. They’ll remain here and await my instructions. Our friends ashore will oblige the crew with whatever provisions they require in exchange for our rum and sugar. I’ll acquire a horse for you and me each. We have a long ride ahead of us, Eloise.

‘My men will mourn the loss of your company. Prepare yourself to farewell the Justice.’