A crash rang through the room. One minute, Megan heard the roar of the men and the feel of their cruel hands, the next minute she felt a soft blanket settle over her. Was it over? Maybe she was dead. She thought she heard her name.
Strong, gentle arms lifted her. Each bruise, each scratch pulsated on her body and she knew that she still lived. Fiery pain licked over her skin. She yearned for the black oblivion once again. She began to struggle in her rescuer’s grasp.
“Easy, now. You’re safe.” Jack’s voice. She slipped into the darkness.
****
Megan cracked open her swollen, salt-crusted eyes. A rainbow of light gleamed from stained-glass windows. She looked around and saw that she lay on the enormous bunk in the captain’s quarters. Jack’s room.
She tried to rise and piercing pain shot through her. She felt bruised and battered all over. Then the horrible memory of those men surfaced, and a choked sob escaped her lips.
“Megan?”
Jack stood nearby, frowning. Dark circles lay under his eyes and his brows dipped low. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly.
She swept her dry lips with a dry tongue. “Jack, did they…” A tear skidded down her cheek.
Jack lifted a cool glass of water to her lips. “Connor and I arrived in time to stop them.”
She inhaled a shuddering breath. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Almost eighteen hours,” he answered.
A light knock sounded. Jack’s cabin boy carried in a bucket of steaming water. Emily followed close behind, her face pale and full of distress. She stopped before the bed and wrung her hands. “Megan, are you all right?”
Megan smiled in reassurance, ignoring the pain it caused her cracked lips. “I’m fine,” she said.
Jack dismissed the cabin boy. “Megan, I will send something for you to eat in half an hour.” He spun around and left before she could object.
“I will assist you with your bath,” Emily explained. “If you’re too hurt to move, I can—”
“I think I can manage.” She lifted the covering from her bare body and grimaced. Bruises and scratch marks covered her skin.
She heard a gasp and looked up to see Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Megan, I am so sorry,” she sobbed. “And so is Stuart. He wanted to tell you, but the captain wouldn’t allow it.” She hung her head, tears dripping from her chin. “Forgive us.”
“Neither you nor Stuart is responsible for this. Please help me to the tub.”
Emily lifted her damp face, revealing red eyes full of grief and surprise, and did as she asked.
Megan eased into the tub, biting her lip until she tasted metallic saltiness. The steamy water stung her scratches as though her flesh was being torn from her bones. She let out a small sigh and began to wash the blood and grit from her body.
After the bath, she felt almost whole again. Her hair was scrubbed clean, and her battered body no longer ached. Salve and new bandages had been applied to the rope burns that marred each wrist and to the deeper scrapes on her body. Jack had found her a beautiful, cream-colored muslin gown embroidered with dark pink roses. She outlined one of the dainty rosebuds with a fingertip and wondered how she would wear something so pretty after… She gritted her teeth, praying the scars to her soul would heal as surely as the scars on her skin.
Megan sat before a large mirror while Emily pinned her hair into a twist. She lifted her gaze to Emily’s ashen face and frowned. “Emily? What is it??”
Emily covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.
Megan rose from the chair. Her heart knotted with fear. “What?”
“I-I’m afraid for Angie,” Emily sobbed. “The c-captain has announced that there w-will be a trial up on deck before the day’s end. Th-Those awful men claim that she put them up to h-hurting you.”
Megan sank into one of the chairs before Jack’s desk. Her mind filled with the image of Angela’s satisfied features when those men closed the door to her cabin. What kind of punishment would Jack inflict upon a woman?
A tap at the door cut through her musings. When the cabin boy stepped into the room with a tray of food, Jack’s voice wafted down to them.
Emily’s eyes filled with alarm. “The trial has begun,” she wailed, then hurried from the room behind the cabin boy.
Megan stood at the open door and frowned with indecision. Terror sliced through her at the thought of leaving the safety of the cabin. What would happen if Emily tried to interfere with the captain’s orders?
Straightening her spine, she stepped out of the room.
“…And that concludes the evidence against these five. What say you, men? What shall their punishment be?” Jack asked his crew.
Megan stayed within the evening’s shadows as she reached the deck. Jack stood before the five tied figures—Angela and those four horrible seamen. She shivered and turned away from the sight of them. The remainder of the crew conversed in a huddle several feet away. Then she caught sight of Stuart watching the proceedings near the rail. His shoulders were hunched, his expression despondent.
Connor spoke. “The men will be flogged at dawn. Twenty lashes each.”
Jack nodded. “And the woman?”
Connor’s gaze never wavered. “She’ll stay the entire night in the hold wi’ the men.”
“No!” Angela tried to scramble forward but Connor held her back. “You can’t do this to me.” She sobbed hysterically and shook her head.
“Everyone will be tied and a guard will be present,” Jack explained.
She glanced back over her shoulder. The men were scowling mercilessly at her. With a gagging sound, Angela turned away and vomited all over Connor’s shoes.
Megan shivered and returned to the captain’s quarters. Jack returned a short while later. She turned from the books she’d been studying on his shelf and sat on one of the chairs before his desk.
He poured them each a glass of wine, then eased into his own chair. She indicated the bookshelf. “How do you keep them from falling to the floor during a storm?”
With a smile, he leaned over in his chair. She watched in fascination as he pulled a brass handle and a wooden door slid shut over the books. Ingenious. She glanced back down at the book in her hands, surprised by her amusement. After what she just experienced, she never thought to be amused again. Perhaps, she could get past what had happened.
The next morning, Megan woke with a start to the clamor of running feet and shouting men. She rose from the bed and quickly dressed.
When she threw open the door, an enormous blast sounded. The bottom of her stomach fell away. Dear God.
That was cannon fire.
CHAPTER 25
Megan raced up on deck, her blood turning to ice in her veins. Men scrambled about, shouting to each other to prepare the cannons. They were going to war. The ship shuddered as it eased out of the cove. She gave a screech and held on to the rail. She looked out to sea and noticed the other ship. Royal Navy. Her knees went weak. The frigate dwarfed the Enigma and held almost four times as many cannons. Cannons pointing right at them.
Please, God, let her survive this.
With a ferocious blast and a belch of smoke, the frigate fired. The metal ball whistled through the air. Megan gritted her teeth and steeled herself for the impact. The ship moved just enough and the ball missed by inches. Water spewed up, drenching her and five of the crew. She gasped, nearly losing her balance, and coughed as salt water filled her mouth.
Megan shook uncontrollably. That had been the navy’s last warning. There would be a brigade of firing next time. Her stomach clenched. She could see the scuttle of red coats on board as they prepared the cannons.
They went off just as the wind picked up, snapping the sails overhead to attention. A long succession of deafening thunder sounded. She shrieked. Her ears rang. The Enigma found speed.
It wasn’t fast enough. One of the balls struck the top of the aft mast, raining splinters down on deck. The other ba
ll took out part of the rail just a few feet from Megan. Still more hit the side of the ship out of view. The ship jolted with each blow, the masts swinging side to side. She stood paralyzed with fear.
The rail gave way and she screamed. A hand snaked out and grabbed her just in time. “Can ye no’ stay below, woman?” Connor growled and pushed her toward the stairs.
“Are we sinking?” she asked, terrified of the answer. She swiped a wet lock out of her eyes with a trembling hand.
“No’ yet.” He pointed toward the stairs. “Go. Capt’n’s orders.”
On shaky legs, she made for the opening. She dodged wood from the mast and pieces of a barrel. A moan caught her attention. Beak Nose lay in a pool of blood, his left leg missing mid-thigh, the jagged white bone poking out of red-black muscle. She clamped a hand over her mouth and turned away. Her heart raced. She leaned back against the mast for support. God help her.
Jack roared orders. The men flew into action. The Enigma picked up speed, but it was wounded. It would not get away from the frigate. Her heart sank to her toes. It would overtake the Enigma within minutes. Oh, God. She could not stand another round of cannon fire.
“Look,” one of the crew yelled, “she’s a-reef.”
Megan swiveled around and found the navy ship unable to pursue. The men cheered. She put a hand over her heart, her breath choppy. How long until the frigate became dislodged?
One of the crew whistled. “Another ship.” He pointed to the east. Megan found a tiny black dot in the distance, heading toward them. Another navy ship? She leaned back against the mast. How much more could she take?
“Come, lass.” Connor pulled her along. “Ye be a stubborn one.” He escorted her to her cabin. “Yer no’ tae come out, aye?” Before waiting for an answer, he closed the door.
She sat on the bunk and willed her heart to stop pounding. She closed her eyes, her hands gripping the bedding in a tight fist. Within an hour, the Enigma slowed and came to a halt. Men ran about. She heard pistol fire and shouts. She put her hands over her ears, shaking from head to toe.
The door crashed open. She shrieked then gasped, scooting back against the wall.
Nicholas.
She didn’t trust her eyes. She could only sit there with her mouth hanging open.
“Megan?” He moved cautiously toward her, his voice gentle. “It’s all right, love, you’re safe now.”
“Nicholas?” she whispered, then flew into his arms.
She wanted to faint with relief. Tears poured from her eyes, blurring her vision. She held him tight as his warmth seeped into her bones. Oh, God, how she’d missed him. She breathed in his sandalwood scent. Sobs tore from her lips.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t worry, love. I am taking you home.” His words were thick and raw with emotion. He rubbed his hand up and down her back.
Her sobs subsided into shuddering hiccups. When she found a measure of control, she scrubbed the wetness from her cheeks.
Nicholas leaned back. His concerned gaze roved her face. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “You found me.”
He pressed his forehead against hers. “Always.”
Megan hovered near tears again, but she swallowed them back. Nicholas took her hand and led to the door. “Come, let’s get you home.”
Home. She closed her eyes and sighed, wanting nothing above putting this terrible ordeal behind her.
He led her up on deck. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the blinding sunlight. Julian’s crew held Jack’s at pistol point. Her numbness began to lift. She was really going home.
Nicholas started for Julian’s ship. “Come, love.”
Megan turned to follow. A woman screamed. She spun around in time to see Angela running toward her with murder in her eyes. The air left Megan’s lungs in a whoosh just as Angela made contact. They toppled over the gap in the rail, straight into the water.
“No!” Nicholas dove in after his wife, fear squeezing his heart. The cold water swallowed him whole. It stung his eyes as he descended into the ocean’s frigid depths. Kicking his legs, he released some air from his lungs and sank lower. His pulse pounded in his ears. His chest started to sting, but he continued to swim, hoping, praying...
Hair grazed his hand. Nicholas grabbed it and pulled the body to his, praying with all his might. With no air left, he worked his way to the surface.
His chest constricted like a knife had been jammed into his heart. Dear God, she was so still. He climbed the ladder, then lowered his wife’s inert form onto the polished wood. He searched her blue-tinted features and found no sign of life. Closing his eyes, he crashed to his knees and held her tight. Fat, scalding drops ran down his cheeks as he began to rock back and forth. “God, please, no!” The words tore from his throat.
He was barely aware of Julian’s hand clamping his shoulder. “Don’t you do this to me, Megan. Don’t you dare!” He paused to give her a shake as anger welled up within him. “Do you hear me?”
He halted. Had she just made a noise? He kept his eyes riveted to her blue lips.
They parted and seawater spilled out. She began to choke and cough.
Unable to move or breathe, he watched her eyelids flutter open. Her violet eyes stood out against her snowy skin. He released sob as he hugged her tiny body to his. Joy engulfed him. He scrubbed the dampness from his cheeks. His love was alive, in his arms…and he was never going to let her go.
EPILOGUE
London, three months later
Megan stood before the parlor window, stiff with anticipation. She worried her bottom lip in her teeth as she eyed the dark clouds billowing in from the north. The wind rattled the window. Behind her, the room rumbled with conversation and occasional bursts of laughter. Megan smiled when she discerned Emily’s happy chatter and Torie’s friendly response. Both Evie and Torie’s ready acceptance of Emily flooded her with joy.
A carriage turned the corner and her heart lurched. She kept her eyes on the black vehicle as it approached and willed it to stop before the townhouse. When it passed, she swallowed back her disappointment. Her fear grew. Where was he? He should have arrived hours ago.
Movement in the reflection of the glass pane caught her eye. She looked up and found her husband directly behind her. His eyes gleamed with love, and he smiled. She returned the smile and felt his warm body close the distance between them. His arms crept around her waist, and he settled a hand protectively over her middle, where their child grew. She placed her hands on top of his and rested against him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She squelched a sigh and turned in his arms. “I am perfectly fit.”
“Come sit on the sofa, love. You’ve been standing too long.”
She allowed him to lead her to the sofa. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.
“Yes, please.”
As soon as Nicholas crossed the room, the door to the parlor opened.
Megan stood and rushed to her brother. Julian gave her a warm embrace, then pulled away and looked her over from top to bottom. “Ah, darling sister, you’re glowing. Being with child certainly agrees with you.”
Megan felt like she would burst with pride. Then she sobered. “Did you find him?”
The joyous light within Julian’s eyes went out. “Yes.”
Nicholas returned and she took the drink he offered. “And?”
“Jack released Charles into my care without any difficulties,” Julian said. “That’s why I’m late. I took him straightway to Newgate.”
She smiled up at her brother and held out her hand. “You owe me one hundred pounds.” She wiggled her fingers. “And not a word of this to Mother. You’d be in as much trouble as I.”
Julian sighed as he reached into his pocket.
“I told you Jack would give the swine over,” she said smugly, stuffing the notes into her wrist bag. “If you’ll recall, he did send you quite a bit of gold to repair the Sweet Siren. Jack only takes f
rom those who deserve it.” She refused to acknowledge Nicholas’s grunt of jealousy.
“Have you forgotten about the pending murder charge against him, dear sister?”
Megan lifted her chin. “He did not murder his father.” She was not about to add that she had hired Thomas Porter to find the real murderer of Jack’s father. “Have you talked to Father about being a ship’s captain?”
“Master,” Julian corrected. “A merchant ship’s commander is called ‘Master.’”
“Well, then, have you?”
“Didn’t have to. I’m leaving the sea.”
“Oh, Julian.” Megan hugged her brother. “That’s wonderful news. I shall like having you around more often.”
“Yes, well… I think I need a drink.”
Megan watched him leave. Maybe now he would find a wife and be as happy as she was.
“Come, love. Sit and rest a while,” Nicholas insisted.
Megan sat on the sofa beside her husband and watched her friends. How she wished that they would all find the love and happiness she had. After all, she shouldn’t be the only one of them so fortunate. Ideas began forming in her head.
“You look like the cat that ate the cream.”
“That’s because I feel like it.” She snuggled closer to him. “Oh, Nicholas, you make me so happy.”
His expression softened with tenderness. “We make each other happy, my love,” he replied, then he leaned forward and sealed his words with a kiss.
The End
And coming soon, Duchess Beware. Will the duke choose love before the serial killer strikes?
Daniel could not get the ruddy woman out of his mind. He lifted his glass. Even the wine reminded him of Silver, the color of her hair, the taste of her lips. The pungent liquid exploded in his mouth, and he closed his eyes. The kiss they shared on the ship haunted him. He longed to march upstairs and…and what? Take her into his arms? Kiss her senseless? Make her his?
Hell, yes.
Innocence Lost (Secrets & Scandals Book 1) Page 21
