“I love you, Samael Delacost. Don’t you ever forget.”
“That sounds final.”
“I don’t mean it to,” Esta said. “It’s just that we’ve had so little time together, you might believe you’re not important.”
There was a long pause during which Esta’s nerves stretched taut. What if he doesn’t want me?
“How did you know exactly what I needed to hear? That I matter to you?”
“You matter more than anything else in my life.” She fumbled under her cloak for the knife and pulled it out. “That’s why I want you to have this.” She passed the weapon through the bars and was rewarded by Sam’s gasp.
“I can’t take this.”
Anger flared. “What do you mean? If all else fails —”
“If all else fails then we will have tried everything.”
“Not everything! I can’t let you give up. If your sentence isn’t changed, you must fight your way free. Or I will break you out with Katrine’s help.”
The knife dropped to the stone floor. His hands found hers again. “I must take a stand for what is right. I’ve lived the life of an outlaw and people have suffered. If the Goddess sees fit to condemn me then so be it. In the end, I will have honor.”
“Honor! And how will that sustain me when you are gone or in prison?”
He let out a long breath. “I know you love me but I want you to respect me as well. I want that for myself too. What life would we have if I escaped with that sentence hanging over my head? I’d rather die than be hunted.”
“But, Sam—”
“No!” His voice was sharp, determined. “No more, Esta. I’ve drawn a line in the sand and I won’t step over it again. Not for you or anyone. I’ve had a lot of time to think in here. A lot of time to ponder all the hurt I’ve caused. To reflect on all the men who won’t come home to their loved ones because of me.”
“It wasn’t entirely your fault.”
“Then whose? I raised that crew. I decided on its purpose. At the time, I thought it was the only life I could choose. Now I know better. I won’t go back to that.”
“Then there is naught for me to do but speak to your brother.”
“There is one more thing you can do.”
“Anything!”
“If the worst happens and I hang for this, find my mother and father and tell them what happened to me. I couldn’t stand it if they never knew why I didn’t come back.”
Esta couldn’t help the sob that escaped. “I will.” She clutched him through the bars. “Goodbye, my love.” His lips touched hers and then she pulled away, leaving him in the dark and leaving her heart with him forever.
Chapter 24
Esta hadn’t slept for two days and now the time had come for the King to make his final decision. She had made two more pleas to Nikolas for him to declare that Sam was his brother but they had fallen on deaf ears. Nikolas was a good man but in this he had let Sam down. Esta tried to be impartial, endeavored to see both sides of the issue but the truth was, blood was blood. Nikolas owed his brother and Esta would not allow him to shirk his duty.
She took her place in the hall, in disguise, as she had been told not to attend today. Nothing would keep her away from Sam in his hour of need. She couldn’t use the invisibility spell today as she needed to be able to be seen if the worst should happen.
Sam was led into the hall in chains and tethered again to the ring before the throne. Esta trembled at the sight of him. He had lost more weight and was in desperate need of a wash. Her free-spirited man was not coping well in the dungeons and nobody seemed concerned about his health.
Damn them all!
She watched him scan the hall and knew he searched for her but he’d never recognize her in the black wig and workaday clothes. Esta had donned the garb of a farmwife as many petitioned the King on occasions like this. Sam’s eye swept over her with nary a pause. Her heart ached when she realized he’d think she hadn’t come to his sentencing.
But there was little she could do about that. Esta straightened her shoulders, breathed her nerves away and kept hold of an image of Sam as she had first seen him—handsome and defiant and free. He would be that way again.
The prosecutor cleared his throat. “The next matter before His Majesty is the sentencing of Samael Delacost, pirate, murderer and traitor.”
“Counselor,” King Beniel said. “This man was not convicted of murder.”
The prosecutor’s face turned bright red. “Sorry, Your Majesty, please forget I mentioned it.” He turned back to the people. “You will recall there was a two day stay of sentencing owing to new information that was presented at the recent trial. The King has considered the matters brought before him and is ready to announce the sentence. Delacost, prepare yourself.”
Esta couldn’t breathe. Nikolas stood on the dais as though he’d been turned to stone. Esta searched for some indication of his intent but found none.
The King stood. “Samael Delacost, you have been declared guilty of piracy and treason. I have deliberated on the news I received two days ago and have found it not sufficient to reverse the death sentence.”
Esta froze, unable to think, to take in the enormity of the news. She had hoped it wouldn’t come to this but now she knew she had sullied her reputation for naught.
No! It had given her precious time with Sam that no one could take away, not even the King.
He continued. “This leaves me with only one duty and that is to authorize your execution which will take place this afternoon.”
Esta sagged against the wall, desperate to think what she should do. Nikolas looked more on edge than ever.
Do something! Soldiers had surrounded Sam and untethered him from the ring in the floor. Soon he would be beyond help. She started toward the front of the hall, quietly, while blood pounded in her head. Soon, she was steps away from the group around Sam. Nikolas caught her eye and seemed to recognize her for he frowned. She sent him a silent plea and he shook his head.
Very well, Admiral, Esta thought, I have given you every chance to reveal your secret.
“Your Majesty,” Esta said, but nobody seemed to hear. She tried again. “Your Majesty!” People nearby turned to her but not those who mattered. Nikolas strode toward her.
“You’ll ruin everything,” he said.
“What? Your precious naval career? Your standing in this shallow court? Merielle must be so proud of you!”
Nikolas clutched her arm, tight enough for her to feel the strength of him. “I have a plan.”
Esta hesitated for just one second before making her decision. She screamed at the top of her lungs and collapsed at the admiral’s feet. The hall went deathly silent and Nikolas crouched beside her, patting her face and muttering under his breath.
“Don’t you dare expose me, lady. I have a plan.”
Esta pretended to be unconscious until she spied the royal slippers from under her lashes. She moaned and tried to sit up. When her eyes opened, it was the King’s face in front of her. “Are you well, madam?”
“I must speak with you, Your Majesty. There is something you must know about the admiral and Samael Delacost.”
Nikolas hissed. “Your Highness, Lady Aranati is making mischief.”
The King helped her up, his face red. “Has this court not been disgraced enough of late? Must we have women in disguise screaming and collapsing? Not to mention your scene of the other day. Madam, explain yourself.”
“Your Majesty,” Nikolas said, “let me take care of this matter.”
The King turned to Nikolas. “I wish to hear what she has to say, Admiral, and I will. Speak lady.”
Esta couldn’t look at Nikolas for fear his very expression would freeze the words on her tongue. This must be said. “Lord Cosara and Samael Delacost are brothers, Your Majesty,” Esta whispered.
The King lurched backward, his eyes wide. He turned to first Nikolas and then Samael, his eyes narrowed. “Can this be true? Lord Cosara?”
Nikolas looked away and then at Sam. Finally he turned back to the King. “It’s true, Your Majesty. We share a mother.”
“And you were going to keep this secret? You would allow your brother to go to the gallows?”
“I would never have allowed that to happen, Your Majesty.”
Esta snorted.
“As the brother of a Thorian lord,” King Beniel said, “Delacost has certain privileges and one of those is to choose life in prison over death.” He turned to his soldiers. “Clear the court. I wish to speak to the admiral in private. Leave this woman and the prisoner here as well.”
The King was silent as the hall was cleared. When they were alone, Esta joined Samael.
“You came,” he said. ‘What did you do this time?”
“I told the King about Nikolas,” she said. “I couldn’t let him deny you. He said he had a plan but I couldn’t wait any longer.”
Sam nodded. “That’s why the room was cleared. Good disguise, Esta, I hardly recognize you even now.”
“What do you think will happen, Samael?”
He shrugged. “One thing is certain, they won’t hang me now.”
Esta’s head spun and she clutched Sam’s arm for support. A small sob escaped despite her attempts to suppress it. “You are saved!”
“And the credit is all yours, lady. However, I won’t spend the rest of my life in prison.”
Fear replaced elation as Esta wondered what he meant by that remark. “Don’t do anything silly, I beg of you. I’ve already told you I can’t live without you. We’ll find a way to exist.”
“Are you listening to yourself? As if I could merely exist when I’ve lived with the waves across my bow and a fresh wind in my hair. I won’t swap that for a prison cell.”
“Have I risked everything in vain?” Esta said, her fingers digging into his forearm.
Someone cleared their throat behind her and Esta turned to the stormy gaze of the admiral. “What have you done, lady? I told you I had a plan.”
“I did what you refused to. Sam deserves to be acknowledged and now he is.”
Nikolas looked Sam in the eye. “I wouldn’t have let you hang, please believe that. I had a plan that would have saved you and left my family unblemished. Now I fear the King will replace me as he replaced Kain Jazara. King Beniel doesn’t like scandal.”
The King joined them but Esta barely noticed. Had she treated Nikolas unfairly? She didn’t wish to believe her actions might ruin him but she also couldn’t have risked Sam.
“You’re correct, Admiral,” the King said. “We do not like scandal. When the Queen hears of this she will haul you over the coals.”
Nikolas squared his shoulders. “I will face what must be faced now that Lady Aranati has exposed my relationship to Delacost.”
Esta winced at his tone.
“We have to decide on a plan now that this information has come to light,” the King said. “What to do with this pirate who seems to have some good at his center and a valid blood connection to one of my biggest supporters? Also, do we make this relationship public?”
Nikolas’s jaw tensed. He would not wish to be publicly linked to Samael but as long as her pirate was safe, Esta didn’t care.
“I would suggest caution, Your Majesty,” Nikolas said. “Let us keep this between us for now.”
“There is still the matter of what to do,” the King said. “Delacost will not hang but a prison sentence must be served.”
“Your Majesty,” Sam said, “might I suggest hard labor? Lock me away in that cell and you may as well hang me now.”
Esta held her breath as the monarch considered.
“I will take counsel from my wife. She will know what to do in this instance,” the King said. “Until I make my decision, the admiral must take responsibility for Delacost. Do you agree to this Lord Cosara?”
Nikolas drew a long breath and slowly exhaled. He glared at Samael and then turned to the King. “Your Majesty, I’m sorry this has threatened to bring scandal down on your throne. I did everything I could to prevent that. It’s generous of you to allow Delacost prison release under my care and I will see to it that he doesn’t escape your justice.”
“Now wait a minute—” Sam said but Esta dug her fingers into his arm again.
“Did you have something to add, Delacost?” the King asked.
Sam frowned at Esta who shook her head.
“No, Your Majesty,” Sam said. “You’ve been very fair.”
“What will the arrangements be, Admiral?” King Beniel fixed Nikolas with his sharp blue gaze, his slippered foot tapping the stone floor.
Nikolas straightened and looked the King in the eye. “Delacost can come back to my estate until you make your decision. I’ll stay there to ensure nothing happens. If you could send a rider as soon as you’ve reached your decision I would appreciate it, Your Majesty.”
The King nodded. “Very well. Retire to your estate and I’ll do as you request. Delacost, this is possibly more than you deserve. I might still throw you in a cell. See that you do not do anything to make me regret releasing you.”
Sam bowed as well as he could in irons. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The King swept from the hall and when Esta turned to Nikolas, he was shaking his head. “I hold you completely responsible for this Lady Aranati. If I live to regret this, let me assure you, I have a long memory.”
Esta’s face went hot. She had made herself a powerful enemy but it was for Sam and she couldn’t regret it. “So be it, Admiral.”
Nikolas led Sam from the room via the back door and Esta followed, wondering what the next few days would bring.
Chapter 25
Esta sat by the crackling fire in her sitting room on the Cosara estate. She tried to concentrate on her embroidery but sharpening a knife would have been more useful with her nerves so on edge. After being smuggled out of the castle she had endured an uncomfortable carriage ride to the admiral’s estate and had retired to her room exhausted. A fitful night’s sleep had done naught to make her feel better and then today Sam had virtually ignored her. He had spent the day mucking out the stables and when he was inside the house, he took care to speak to her as little as possible.
She didn’t know what to believe. He must be angry with her though she could not puzzle out why. Or perhaps he had realized he didn’t love her after all? Esta didn’t wish to contemplate a life without Sam but it seemed she must. After all she had given up, she wondered if there was anything left worth salvaging. Her reputation was in tatters, she had no finances left and even more debts and if her smuggling past came to light, her liberty would be under threat. Nikolas was angry enough with her to look into her estate finances and what would happen then?
It was all such a mess but if she had Sam, she could deal with anything. Without Sam…Esta didn’t even wish to contemplate that. Her mind went blank very time she imagined her life without Sam in it. Perhaps a move to another city would make it easier to bear the grief. Even as she had the thought, she knew she could never leave her mother or her employees.
There was a knock at the door and, stupidly, Esta’s heart started to pound. She took a deep breath, put down her embroidery and went to answer it.
Sam stood without, freshly shaven, his hair cut and combed and wearing soft grey breeches and a white shirt. Her heart doubled its pace.
“May I come in?”
“Of course.” She stood aside for him to enter. Her stomach flipped as he brushed past her but he continued to the fire and Esta closed the door, resting her forehead against the cool wood. Was this the moment when he would reject her once and for all? She drew in a long breath and turned to find him studying her, the green of his eyes brilliant and compelling. Had there ever been a man so splendid? Esta couldn’t remember meeting anyone who could rival Sam in looks, physique or sheer magnetism.
Esta took herself in hand. There was absolutely no point worshipping Sam if he was preparing to set her free. She
drew herself up and looked him in the eye. “You’ve been busy since we arrived yesterday,” she said, unable to help the accusing tone.
He shook his head. “I thought it best to stay away from you. Away from temptation, you know. But I couldn’t do it. I had to see you. See if what we have is what I think it is.”
His words were frank and exposed so much of his insecurity Esta was astounded. “I doubted you. I’ve longed to speak with you, to hold you but you’ve been so aloof. I was so desperately afraid…”
Sam crossed the room, wrapped her in his arms and pulled her so tight against him she could hardly breathe.
“My darling Esta,” he said, “I’m sorry I gave you cause to doubt. It’s a weakness I have that I believe no one will truly love me. I had no intention to hurt you.” He held her face between his hands, his gaze feasting on her eyes and then her mouth. Esta watched mesmerized as his lips lowered to hers and then there was no more thought as he swept her away on a wave of pure pleasure.
Esta gave herself up to him as she had wanted to do on the ship and before that in her house. He was the master and she, his willing servant. The thought didn’t sour her as once it might. Sam was all hands: in her hair, over her breasts, brushing her nipples and then ensnaring her waist to pull her against him. He was hard for her and Esta could wait no more. She needed him inside her and there was no time to lose.
“Now, Sam, I’ve waited for you. It’s been so long.”
He caught her up and carried her through to the bedroom and the big bed where she had been so alone. Sam laid her down and lit a candle on each side of the bed. The warm glow enhanced his good looks but …
“Sam!”
He grinned and unbuttoned his shirt as he stalked her, his eyes never leaving hers. By the time he knelt over her, her breath came in quick gasps. His gaze took in her state, her heaving breasts, her nipples so tight it was almost painful. Esta imagined he could smell her arousal and he perhaps he could, the way his nostrils flared. He was wild, untamed and she the prey, so different to the way she normally viewed herself—a capable, feisty woman who could order her own life.
The Lady and the Pirate Page 19
