by Bree Wolf
Claudia knew that they were suspicious of her, and, of course, they had good reason to distrust her. Still, Claudia had come to realise as she had lain awake during her first night out at sea that there was very little she could do.
As much as she wished she could simply turn the ship around, she knew not how to go about accomplishing such a task.
Since Mr. Adams had warned the captain as well as the crew, painting a rather disturbing picture of her as a woman who had lost her mind, Claudia doubted they would be willing to help. If she were to tell them that Mr. Adams had kidnapped her and her son, the captain would most likely return her to her kidnapper, offering his sympathies.
No, she could not count on their assistance.
Sabotaging the ship and thus hindering its progress had been another option Claudia had spent hours contemplating. However, she knew near to nothing about ships and what was needed to steer them through the waters. In turn, she could not even guess what to do in order to slow them down and give Garrett more time to catch up.
Where was he? She wondered. Had he managed to board a ship and was he now in pursuit? Or was her trust in him only wishful thinking? After all, they had known each other a matter of days. What did she truly know about him?
And yet, in her heart, Claudia had no doubt that Garrett was on his way, that he would come for them, that he would do whatever it took to return them home.
Sighing, Claudia looked down at her son’s sleeping face, his blue eyes closed and his tiny lashes resting peacefully against his rosy skin. She could feel his fast heartbeat against her hand whenever she lay it on his small chest, ensuring he would not overheat in the stuffy cabin.
When Claudia looked up, she found Mr. Adams’ gaze on her. Although he looked mostly in control, merely an underlying hint of anger on his features, there were moments of indecision or even regret. He seemed in doubt about what he had done, about what he was doing since learning of her changed circumstances. Still, she could see that there was no way for him to take a step back, to change his course without losing face, and so Claudia was certain that he would not merely allow her to go free once they reached the colonies.
No, he would not change his mind, for it would mean he had been in the wrong and that would cripple him. His whole sense of self-respect seemed to rest on the idea of him being the knight in shining armour rescuing the damsel in distress. And he clung to that conviction with an iron will, knowing what devastation awaited him if he were to consider that he had been wrong, that in this story he was in fact the villain. Sophie seemed to see her brother’s indecision as well for she appeared subdued and spoke very little, her eyes filled with sadness.
If not for the situation Claudia found herself in at present, she would have felt sorry for the siblings. In fact, she was ready to accept any apology they might offer her if only they were to return her home.
However, they did not.
There was no turning back.
Claudia sighed. Garrett was her only hope. Would he come for her? For their son? She prayed with all her heart that she would not be disappointed for placing her trust in him.
Days passed, and without a plan, Claudia simply tended to her son. She ate and slept and spoke only to the little bundle of joy she held in her arms. At night, she would hold him close, sleeping on her side on the small cot, Aiden resting safely between the cabin’s wall and her body so he would not fall out. She spent hours staring down into his little face and tickling his small toes. His blue eyes would look up at her at times and come to rest on hers as though he truly knew who she was and that he meant the world to her. His smiles and soft cooing sounds were a balm to her battered soul, and whenever his little fingers wrapped around one of hers, the world seemed right.
Even if only for a moment.
Since Claudia had followed Mr. Adams’ directions to the point and not tried to alert anyone to her situation, she was soon allowed out of their cabin. With her son in her arms, she walked beside Sophie across the deck, watching the sailors climb the rigging overhead as the ship cut through the waves. The wind blew strong, and the sun shone brightly. It was a beautiful day, and Claudia welcomed the fresh air, delighting in the soft rosy glow on her son’s cheeks.
Knowing that any attempt to speak to the crew or even the captain would only result in a disaster − would Mr. Adams take away her son? − Claudia made no attempts to address anyone as they proceeded toward the bow of the ship. Still, she kept her ears and eyes open. After all, one never knew what small piece of knowledge might prove essential.
As time wore on, Claudia and Sophie began to walk up and down the deck twice a day while Mr. Adams kept to the cabin, his scowl darkening with each day. Although he was still unwilling to admit to any wrongdoing on his part, Claudia could see that at least a part of him deep inside had realised the truth, torturing him with what he could not accept.
One afternoon, the wind caught in Sophie’s bonnet and blew it clear off her head. Shrieking, she tried to reach for it as it tumbled along the deck always moving on whenever she drew close. The sailors laughed at her attempts as well as the aghast look on her face.
Claudia, too, could not suppress a grin. “It’s only a silly bonnet,” she told Aiden, laughing when she saw his lips curve upward in an innocent smile, his blue eyes fixed on hers as though trying to understand what she was telling him. “Don’t ever worry about such silly things.”
Sinking down onto a water barrel lashed to the side of the ship, Claudia sighed, beginning to feel the strain of seeing nothing but the far ocean for days on end. What she would not give for the sight of a tree or even a bush?
Shaking her head, she laughed, but then stopped when her gaze touched something lying on the wooden boards between the back of her heels and the barrel she sat on. A frown came to her face as she squinted her eyes, shifting Aiden to the side so she could lean forward. As she did, the sun caught in its smooth, metallic surface, blinding her momentarily.
A knife!
Claudia’s breath caught in her throat, and her gaze ran over the small blade. It appeared to be a carving knife as wood chips lay scattered at her feet.
Glancing around, Claudia found herself alone with no one standing nearby. Sophie was still a good distance down the deck, refastening her bonnet, the sailors’ attention focused on her. However, it would not be for long.
Without another thought, Claudia reached down and picked up the small knife, hiding it in the folds of her dress. Then she moved it upward and wrapped it in the shawl slung around her shoulders. She would have to find a good place to hide it−preferably on her body−as one could never know when such a device might be of use.
“Is something wrong?”
At the sound of Sophie’s voice, Claudia’s head snapped up, and to her utter shock, she found the young woman standing only a few paces away, her forehead in a slight frown as she looked at Claudia.
“Are you all right?” Sophie asked when Claudia failed to answer, quick steps carrying her over. “Is something wrong with the child?” Brushing a hand over Aiden’s head, she gazed down at the boy, her eyes running over him in concern.
Drawing in a steadying breath, Claudia willed a smile back onto her face, relieved that she had not been discovered. “No, he’s fine. I…I was only lost in thought.”
Standing back, Sophie nodded, a hint of relief in her eyes. “I’m glad.”
For a moment, the two women looked at one another, and Claudia thought that under different circumstances they might have become good friends. There was kindness and regret in Sophie’s gaze, and Claudia wondered how her brother had convinced her to go along with this scheme. Had he threatened her as well? Or had she simply not had anywhere else to go?
After all, Sophie’s father−Claudia’s uncle−was dead, and from what Claudia could remember, the siblings’ mother had passed on as well. Where they alone in the world? Had they banded together in order to survive, only trusting one another?
As strange as it was�
��given the situation they found themselves in−they were her cousins. Part of her family.
Or they should have been.
Claudia could not deny that a world where people were disregarded simply for being born out of wedlock was a world in dire need of change, of improvement. After all, an innocent creature like her son could not be faulted for coming into the world the way he had.
Should not be faulted.
It was not right.
It was not fair.
“May I ask you a question?”
Looking up at her cousin, Claudia found the young woman watching her with utter curiosity. “You may,” Claudia replied, “if I then may ask you one as well.”
For a moment, Sophie hesitated before she nodded her head in agreement.
“Ask me then.”
Sophie sighed, and then her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she found the words to express what was on her mind. “You said…that man at the docks was your husband.”
Claudia swallowed as the sight of Garrett on his knees, his eyes filled with despair, returned to her. “He is.”
“If you had a husband,” Sophie asked, a sense of unease in her eyes, “then why did you give up your son, saying he was born out of wedlock? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Many a young lady would marry just about anyone to prevent her ruination, to give her child a father.” Consternation creasing her forehead, Sophie shook her head. “I cannot wrap my mind around why you would have done as you did.”
Claudia sighed, wondering if for the rest of her life she would be telling this tale. Once she got home, her family would ask her the very same thing. “Because I didn’t know,” Claudia simply said, seeing Sophie’s frown darken.
“You didn’t know? That you had a husband? How is this possible?”
Claudia cleared her throat, her gaze drifting down to the sleeping child in her arms, wondering if one day he would hear this story as well. “I eloped to Gretna Green,” Claudia told the young woman, seeing no reason to keep this a secret. Not here. Not now. “However, his brother followed us and prevented the marriage. Stubborn as I am, I refused to return to England with them and stayed behind.” A small smile came to her lips as she remembered the bits and pieces of that night that had returned to her after Garrett’s kiss. “Later that night, I met my husband. However, not before, I had consumed significant amounts of ale or whatever it is they serve in those parts.”
Sophie’s gaze widened, and a hint of horror came to her face. “Do you mean to say he took advantage of you?”
Claudia laughed, relishing the feeling as fleeting as it was. “He would never,” she whispered with a conviction that surprised even her. Despite their short acquaintance, Claudia doubted she had ever known anyone as well as she knew her husband.
As Sophie listened with rapt attention, Claudia told her story and before long Sophie’s eyes glowed with longing, a soft smile playing on her features. “And he came to find you?”
Claudia nodded. “He did, but he didn’t know about Aiden.” Her gaze sobered, and she turned her eyes to Sophie with a new intent. “He’s never even seen his son. Not once.”
Sophie dropped her gaze, guilt resting on her features for all to see.
“Please,” Claudia whispered, reaching out and squeezing the young woman’s hand. “Please. We need to get back. My son deserves to know his father. It is cruel to keep them apart. I know what you did came from a good place, but this is wrong. Can you not see that?”
A sniffle left Sophie’s lips before the young woman lifted her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I cannot betray him,” she whispered, and Claudia could see that she was torn between her sense of right and wrong and the loyalty she felt for her brother. “He’s always looked out for me. He’s always been there.” She drew in a deep breath. “It would destroy him.”
Claudia exhaled, feeling hope float away. “Then help him see the error of his ways. Help him understand that what he is doing is not right. One wrong cannot be righted by another.”
“I’ve tried,” Sophie sniffled, her cheeks reddening as tears rolled down her face. “Believe me I’ve spoken to him again and again since we left Glasgow.” She sighed, resignation in her eyes. “But he will not listen. Sometimes he says you’re confused and will be glad for what he did for you later. Then he says that all this is a ruse to…”
Claudia frowned. “To what?”
“I don’t know,” Sophie whispered, her head bowed in shame. “Sometimes what he says doesn’t make much sense.”
“Is that not proof enough that what he is doing is wrong?” Claudia demanded, feeling her last chance to convince Sophie slip through her fingers.
“It’s no longer about believing you or him,” the young woman whispered, her eyes holding Claudia’s, deep regret in them. “Whether what he did was right or wrong, I owe him my loyalty as I’ve always had his.” Shaking her head, Sophie took a step back. “I’m sorry. I promise I shall speak to him again, but the decision is his. I cannot go against him.” Then she turned and walked away, leaving Claudia behind.
Gritting her teeth, Claudia suppressed the growl of frustration that rose in her throat lest she draw unwanted attention and her behaviour be reported back to Mr. Adams. Instead, she turned and walked farther down the deck, gently rocking in her steps to ensure her son would sleep on. “Garrett, where are you?” she whispered when she had reached the bow, gazing out at the open sea. “Will you come for us?”
Despair settled on her heart, and Claudia felt tears sting her eyes. Still, for the sake of her son, she could not allow herself to break down. She needed to be strong and not abandon hope.
Although the separation from her husband pained Claudia greatly, she knew in her heart that it would not be for good. One day, they would be together again.
If only that day was not too far off.
But Garrett had found her once. He would find her again.
Lost in her thoughts, Claudia only belatedly heard the cry from the crow’s nest. “Sail ho!”
A ship?
Her heart tightened in her chest, and the air lodged in her throat. Turning to look in the direction the man in the crow’s nest was indicating, Claudia spotted sails on the horizon.
“Garrett,” she whispered, and all of a sudden, her heart felt a thousand times lighter.
Then a deafening shot rang through the air, and a cannon ball splashed into the water on their starboard side.
Chapter Thirty-One – Duncan MacKinnear
Cursing the swaying of the ship, Garrett made his way up the ladder and to the quarter deck, Finn and Ian following close behind. Annoyed, he noted that their feet moved with greater steadiness than his own, and for the thousandth time, he cursed the dancing waters below.
Finn chuckled, “Ye were not born a sailor, were ye?”
“Quite obviously not,” Garrett retorted, gripping the rail as the ship pitched onto another wave. “My feet must think I’m drunk.”
Again, Finn chuckled, his good humour unfailing as always. Ian, on the other hand, remained as taciturn and sullen as Garrett had always known him.
Upon reaching the quarterdeck, they found Duncan MacKinnear, second-in-command of Clan MacKinnear at the wheel, his bear-like hands wrapped around the spindly looking wood as he shouted orders. His deep voice bellowed down to the main deck, and his clansmen scrambled to do his bidding.
Despite his enormous size and hulking appearance, Duncan MacKinnear was a kind and considerate man and−to Garrett’s great relief−a man very much in love with his wife, a wife who had only recently born him a son.
Upon hearing Garrett’s tale, Duncan had been outraged, his brows had drawn down dangerously, and he had let loose a tirade about the wickedness of the English. “No offence to yer wife,” he had said, welcoming Garrett and his two companions on board. “Her marrying a Scot proves her good taste.” A low chuckle had sounded in his throat then, and he had slapped Garrett’s shoulder good-naturedly. “Dunno worry, my friend,
I give ye my word that I will do what I can to return her to ye.”
Garrett had liked the bear-like man instantly, and relief had flooded his heart upon receiving such devoted support. Still, after two days at sea, his hope began to fade, replaced by dread and doubt.
Certainly, he knew that the merchant vessel had a two-day head-start, and yet, Garrett could not silence the fears that sneaked into his mind whenever he was not occupied. What if the ship had encountered a storm and sunk? What if they had changed course? What if they had been set upon by pirates? What if the earth had opened up and swallowed them whole?
Shaking his head, Garrett forced his thoughts to focus as he came to stand beside Duncan. “Anything?”
Duncan chuckled, giving him a rather indulgent look. “She’s fast,” he said, almost lovingly running his hands over the wheel, “but even she canna overcome a two-day head-start in such a short time. Patience, my friend. We shall find them.”
Garrett nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest so he would not do anything foolish and run them through anything essential in order to alleviate his frustration. Duncan would not look kindly on him if he were to destroy the man’s beloved ship.
“What do we do when” − when not if! – “we catch up to them?” Garrett asked, feeling the need to plan, to do something that was of help instead of staggering around deck without anything to occupy his hands. “Have ye ever boarded another ship before?”
Duncan laughed, a booming sound even above the churning of the waves. “I canna say that I have,” he chuckled, “but ye said the merchant vessel is English?”
Garrett nodded.
“Well, in that case, I do believe that they will surrender easily,” he boasted, his eyes alight with a sense of adventure, “especially when they hear we only want to retrieve yer wife and son.”
Garrett frowned. “Why do ye think so?”
“These men are no soldiers,” Duncan explained. “They’re tradesmen, who seek to make a profit. What do ye think they will do when faced with a savage crew of highlanders?” A dark chuckle rose from Duncan’s throat, and he grinned at Garrett, a devilish twinkle in his eyes. “As strong as they pretend to be, the English still fear us, especially in these circumstances where ‘tis not two armies meeting in a meadow.” With conviction in his eyes, he shook his head. “I doubt they will stand and fight for a woman and child who mean nothing to them. A woman who wishes to return to her husband.” Again, he shook his head. “Nay, they willna fight.”
