“Nay,” she said, shaking her head.
“I thought mayhap those trunks might have gowns in them,” he continued. “After all, you will need something other than that to wear.” He nodded at her torn dress that now came above her knees, leaving her legs bare. Her wimple was gone as well.
“Nay, I don’t want anything that will remind me of that evil bastard.”
“All right, then,” said Aaron. “Well, Mardon, you choose first and then I’ll get my double share and then my share and a half.” He smiled from ear to ear.
Mardon looked over at Nairnie. “I give first choice, and my share to Nairnie.”
“What?” The old woman’s head snapped up. “Why would ye do that, Grandson? I’m no’ a part of yer crew. I mean, no’ really.”
“Aye, I agree,” shouted one of the men.
“She doesn’t get a share,” called out another.
“Nairnie, I thought you might find another ladle in there,” said Mardon, loud enough for everyone to hear him. “Or, if not, mayhap you’ll find an iron pan or possibly a whip.”
“Aye, I could use another ladle,” she said, sounding interested. “And somethin’ else to hit these bluidy fools with when they get out of line. Let me at that booty.” She rubbed her hands together and waddled over toward the pile of plunder with every man there following her and probably hoping she wouldn’t find a whip or an iron pan of any kind.
“Thank you, Mardon,” said Emmaline once everyone had left. Her teeth started to chatter.
“For what?” he asked, pulling her closer to warm her.
“You have been more than kind to me. Plus, you saved my life.”
He chuckled. “The way I see it, you saved my life as well. If you hadn’t flung that dagger at Jean Philippe, he might have killed me.”
She hugged herself, looking down at the deck rather than out at the remains of the burning, sinking ship. “How do you do it?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“How do you not let it bother you at all when you raid a ship or . . . or kill a man?”
“I suppose you get numb to it after a while. I’ve been doing it so long that I guess I just don’t think about these things anymore.”
“Well, I do,” she told him wiping away a tear. “I killed a man today. I took a life. And although Jean Philippe deserved to die for the things he did to me . . . I still can’t help feeling like I am naught more than a . . .”
“Pirate?” he asked, looking down at her.
Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “Nay. I was going to say murderer. But then again, I guess there isn’t much of a difference.”
Mardon was speechless and didn’t know how to respond to what he’d just heard. The woman he’d fallen in love with just called him a murderer, and it cut him to the bone. He supposed she was right in a way. He’d spent so much time raiding, pillaging, plundering and killing, that it didn’t even bother him anymore. His father had taught him to push aside his emotions years ago. Only since Emmaline stepped foot on this ship had he started to question what he did – the way he lived. Was he just a thief and a cutthroat in her eyes? God’s teeth, he hoped not. He cared for Emmaline and he wanted her to see him in a better light than that. She’d told him she loved him. Was that the truth? Or was it just fear talking since she thought she was going to die?
“Let’s get you to my cabin,” he told her. “You need to get out of those wet clothes.”
“I have nothing else to wear,” she told him.
“I will find something for you. For now, use a blanket. I’ll be there in a few minutes with some wine and food.”
“Thank you, Mardon,” she said, flashing a smile. Then she turned and headed to the cabin while Mardon walked back to join the others.
“Cap’n, Nairnie found a whip as well as a new ladle and several iron pans,” said Ramble, hurrying over to report to him.
“Aye, this will work well,” said Nairnie with a chuckle, snapping the whip in the air. All the pirates darted out of her way, giving her plenty of room.
“Nairnie,” said Mardon, stopping behind her and holding out his hand. “Give me the whip.”
“Why?” she asked.
“After the pain Emmaline endured at the end of a whip, I will not allow whips anywhere on this ship anymore.”
“Och, I suppose ye’re right.” She handed it to him and Mardon tossed it over the side of the ship. There was another whip hanging on a post that Tristan had once used on crewmembers gone bad. Mardon hesitated, but then tossed that whip over the side of the ship as well. Things were going to be different from now on, he decided. He didn’t want Emmaline reminded of the pain she’d had to endure at the hands of that evil bastard.
There were a few gasps from the men and several of them ran to look over the sidewall.
“Leave it,” he warned them.
“Let’s see what’s in here,” said Aaron, opening a trunk. “Damn, it’s all stuff for wenches.”
“Let me see.” Nairnie pushed her way through the crowd, swinging her new ladle, hitting a few of the men.
“Are there clothes in there?” asked Mardon, coming up behind her.
“Aye, there are clothes as well as beautiful headpieces and even some shoes.” Nairnie held up a pink soft slipper.
The men all moaned.
“Oh, here are a few jeweled necklaces as well,” said Nairnie, looking down into the trunk.
“Jewels?”
“Necklaces?”
Excitedly, the pirates all pushed each other, running up to look into the trunk.
Nairnie slammed down the lid and plopped down atop it. A large smile spread across her face. “I was just jestin’,” she said with a chuckle. “My, ye all can run fast when ye want to, canna ye?”
“I don’t believe ye. Let us see for ourselves,” said Goldtooth, reaching out and taking her by the arm to move her.
“Aye, I want to see what’s in there, too,” said another man.
“Stop it! Leave me alone!” Nairnie started swinging the ladle and the pan at the same time.
“That’s enough,” said Aaron, breaking up the commotion. “Since I’m the quartermaster, I’ll decide who gets what.”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to let Emmaline take a look in that trunk,” said Mardon.
“She said she didn’t want anything,” complained Aaron.
“She also has nothing to wear,” Mardon reminded him.
“Mayhap she can go naked then, like that whore in the paintin’,” yelled out one of the men.
“Enough!” Mardon called out, not wanting any of them to even think of that painting, because he didn’t want them to know it was Emmaline. “I tossed the painting overboard, and I’ll not hear another word about it.”
“Tossed it?” asked Coop.
“Whatever for?” asked Goldtooth. “Every man here loved that paintin’.”
“That’s why,” said Mardon, clearing his throat. “It was . . . too distracting. I need you all to focus more on your duties.”
“I didn’t see ye toss it,” said one of the crew.
“Aye, neither did I,” said Ramble. “And I’m always with ye, Cap’n.”
“Aaron, get that trunk to my cabin,” Mardon instructed. “Nairnie, as soon as you change into something dry, I’ll expect a hot meal today for all the men.”
“Hot meal? So I get to cook again?” asked the old woman, sounding excited. “Guid. I’ll try out these new pans.” She held up the pan and knocked on it with the ladle.
“Good. No more cold fish stew,” complained one of the crew.
“Does this mean we can have those tasty biscuits again?” asked Aaron. “You know, the ones with all the butter and little pieces of herbs on them?”
Suddenly, everyone forgot about the painting, thinking about their stomachs instead. Mardon knew it didn’t take much to distract his men and his plan worked. Now, he only needed to come up with a plan for what he was going to do with Emmaline. As much as he didn’t
want her to go, he couldn’t keep her on the ship. He was a pirate and she was a lady. No matter how much they thought they loved each other, they were from two different walks of life. He wished the best for her and would be sad if she left, but there was no way a woman could stay here and he knew it. The crew was right. Emmaline was going to have to leave. Now, he just needed to find the right moment to tell her.
Chapter 15
Emmaline stood dripping wet on the floor of Mardon’s cabin with her teeth chattering. Her body shook, and her mind became muddled after everything she’d just been through. Her eyes focused on the empty frame on the wall. The painting was gone now, and she hoped that part of her life was gone forever as well.
She was glad she had burned the painting. However, in doing so, she ruined any chance of proving she destroyed the evidence that would earn her another chance to marry a nobleman. Her father told her that the king was willing to pardon this action, but he needed to see the painting before it was destroyed to know what she said was true. She had it in her hands, but had no way to get it to the king. Panic had filled her when Jean Philippe imprisoned her in his clutches, taking her back to France. That wasn’t supposed to happen. The man was supposed to have been dead!
Now, all she had left was her word that she had accomplished the task, but who would believe her? Was it good enough for a king? She sincerely doubted it. Especially since now her father was gone, and couldn’t speak to the king on her behalf.
There was a knock at the door and she walked over and opened it.
“My lady, Mardon wanted this trunk brought to you.” Aaron held a handle on one side, and Ramble held the other.
“I told him I didn’t want anything from the French ship,” she answered.
“Aye, but he also told us ye needed something to wear,” answered Ramble as they came into the room and dropped the trunk in the middle of the floor.
“Nay, I don’t want it,” she said adamantly.
“Are you really going to walk around the ship looking like that?” asked Aaron. His eyes scanned down her body. “You know you should at least cover up your legs. Now that the men know you’re not a nun, they’ll be looking at you in a whole new light. Just like they used to every time they looked at that naked painting of you.”
“What?” Ramble was perusing the trunk, but his head popped up at that. “Are ye sayin’ that naked lady in the paintin’ was her?” His eyes scanned down her body. “Oh, yes, it was.” His face turned red. “I see that now. I should have known by that silvery-blond hair.”
“Stop staring at her!” Aaron hit Ramble on the arm.
Ramble cleared his throat and looked the other way. “Sorry about that, my lady.”
“Ramble, please, don’t mention this to the rest of the crew,” begged Emmaline.
“Aye, Mardon doesn’t want them to know,” added Aaron.
“Well, thank you both for bringing the trunk,” said Emmaline with a sigh. “Mayhap I should change into something warmer. I am wet and very cold.” Her teeth still chattered.
Both men still stood there, waiting for her to open the trunk. Their eyes were fastened to it.
“Was there something else you wanted?” she asked.
“What? Who us?” asked Aaron. “Nay, of course not.” He turned and headed to the door, stopping to look back at Ramble still standing there, staring at her now.
“Ramble, there is work to do. Leave Lady Emmaline alone. And God’s eyes, stop staring!”
“Oh!” Ramble jumped and turned around, heading toward the door. “I wasn’t starin’ at her,” he said. “Really. I just wanted to know what was in the trunk.”
Emmaline followed them to the door and closed it. Laying her head upon the wood, she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She didn’t belong here with these pirates. If she stayed, it would only be a distraction for Mardon. Plus, the men were sure to all know she was the girl in the painting, now that Ramble knew the truth. Being stared at all day by a bunch of randy pirates wasn’t something she wanted or needed.
Flipping open the lid of the trunk, she looked down to the clothes inside. This had been her trunk with her things in it. She lifted up a gown made of blue velvet with white lace and long tippets. The train of the gown was too long for her and would be dragging across the deck of the ship with men constantly stepping on it. Plus, these long sleeves would only get in the way if she had to grab on to something quickly in order not to fall. Nay, this would never do. These were the clothes of a lady meant for castle life where she sat still doing needlepoint all day. They weren’t made for wearing on the sea.
She looked at a few more gowns, but each was more inappropriate than the last for wearing on a ship. Next, she held up a shoe. Even that wasn’t going to work. The soft slippers would always be soggy. The side buckle shoes had smooth bottoms and she’d be sure to slip on a wet deck. The last thing she needed was to end up like Nairnie and fall into the sea.
Looking around the room, she spotted a trunk against the wall. She walked over and opened it. Inside were the clothes of a man. She picked up a tunic and held it up. She decided it must be Mardon’s since it was so big. This would never work.
Then she went to the other side of the room and opened another trunk. It, too, was filled with men’s clothes. They were smaller and must be Aaron’s. However, she was too small to wear these either.
There was a knock on the door and she answered.
“Come in,” she said.
The door opened and Ramble walked in.
“Excuse me, my lady,” he told her. “I forgot to mention earlier, I keep some of my clothes in here. I just want to get a fresh tunic.”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
He dug down to the bottom of Aaron’s trunk, pulling out a tunic and holding it up. “Ah, here it is. Aaron lets me share his trunk since he doesn’t have enough to fill it.”
She eyed up the size of the tunic and had an idea.
“Do you have more of those?” she asked.
“Nay, just this one and a pair of hose. Oh, and I have boots in here somewhere, too.” He dug down to find them. “They were Aaron’s boots but he outgrew them. Plus, he never wears shoes so he gave them to me.” He held them up and showed them to her. “Nice, aren’t they?”
“We’re about the same size, wouldn’t you say?” she asked.
“What?” His smile disappeared. “Well, I know I’m small, but I’m still young yet. I’m sure I’ll grow to be the size of Mardon by the time I’m his age.”
“Of course, you will,” she said, looking at the clothes and boots and then glancing back at her trunk. “Ramble, I’m willing to make a deal with you. It’ll be a deal that you won’t be able to refuse.”
“I might be interested. What would ye need?”
“All I need from you is that tunic and hose and your boots. Also, bring me a pair of shears, a needle and some thread.”
“What for?” asked Ramble, not understanding at all.
“I have an idea, and I need to make a few adjustments.”
“So what do you think the clue means?” Aaron asked Mardon. Aaron was at the helm, taking his turn so Stitch could have a break.
“How the hell should I know?” Mardon stripped off his wet tunic and then his trews, standing there in nothing but his braies. He sat down on a barrel and stretched out his long legs, closing his eyes and turning his face up to the sun. He had been busy for the last few hours and hadn’t even had a chance to change out of his wet clothes.
“What are you doing?” asked Aaron.
“What do you think I’m doing?” With his eyes still closed, he let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to dry off from my near death experience earlier.”
“Aye, I can see that.”
“Then why the hell are you asking? You know I always dry my clothes in the sun.”
“Aye, but there are women on board now.”
“Relax, Brother. I’m sure Nairnie isn’t going to mind
. It takes a lot to shock her.”
“Well, not just her. What about Emmaline?”
Mardon chuckled. “That won’t be a problem.”
“Oh, that’s right. She’s already . . . seen all that.”
“She didn’t seem to mind, either. As a matter of fact, I think she liked it. A lot.”
“Mardon, you’ve been distracted since the girl came onto the ship. You really need to focus on finding the treasure. We’ve got Emmaline back like you wanted, now let’s get the damned treasure.”
Mardon’s eyes opened. “What do you suggest?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that Nereus is looking for it, too. Last time, he beat us to the spot. This time, we need to move faster.”
“I don’t think Nereus knows where the treasure is either,” said Mardon. “After all, it seemed like he was following us.”
“Or mayhap he just wanted to raid the French ship, same as us.”
“Same as you,” Mardon corrected him. “I wanted to go solely for the purpose of getting Emmaline away from that evil bastard of a husband. I only decided we’d raid the ship, because I knew the crew would protest otherwise.”
“So. She’s a widow. Again,” said Aaron, looking out to sea instead of at Mardon when he spoke.
“What are you really trying to say, Brother? And notice I didn’t say little brother.”
“You just did,” Aaron mumbled under his breath. “All I meant is, what are you going to do with her now that you saved her?”
“I don’t know.” He got up and stretched. “I haven’t figured out that part yet.”
“Well, you might want to think of something soon. That is, before she starts turning this ship upside down.”
“She won’t do that! Why would you even say that?”
“Take a look.” Aaron pointed down at the deck. Ramble and Emmaline appeared from the cabin, and were headed toward the galley. They were both wearing some very odd clothing.
“What the hell are they wearing?” asked Mardon, stretching his neck and trying to see.
“I’m not sure, but I think we’d better find out. Goldtooth, take the helm,” said Aaron, calling the man over.
Mardon (Pirate Lords Series Book 2) Page 16
