Newberry’s scowl deepened as he glared at Lianne. “I find your tales amazing, Trevarian. Are you always the hero of your stories?”
“Not always.”
“Some border on the unbelievable. Such as the battle with the so-called pirates. A battle where your enemy was destroyed, but not one man aboard the China Shadow was injured.”
“I never said that.” Taking a flint from his pocket, he lit his pipe and puffed. “We had injuries, some quite serious. However, as you yourself know, any man with common sense can tend to a wound.”
“Medicine is an art to be learned through years of practice.”
“Odd, Newberry, because the best medical man on my ship is usually the cook. Creating a palatable meal out of salt pork and biscuits is a far greater skill than sewing a man’s wounds closed.”
Standing, Newberry caught the swing before it could rock too roughly. “Lianne, I find the company no longer pleasant. Would you walk with me to my carriage?”
“Of course.” She placed her hand in Newberry’s as he helped her to her feet, but did not look at either man.
Newberry whirled her to him and kissed her before saying, in what was undoubtedly a challenge to Bryce, “I’ll return tomorrow to discuss these matters when we shall not be interrupted. Captain.”
Bryce did not reply as Lianne walked with the pompous doctor to his carriage. When he could not restrain his chuckle any longer, he watched as Newberry pulled Lianne into his arms for another kiss. Even from the distance, he could see that Lianne stood stiffly. Because she normally treated her fiancé so coolly or because Bryce was here? She had been so sweetly soft when Bryce had held her.
Fiercely he forced that thought away. He could not let his mind became clogged with the fantasies which had fascinated him as the China Shadow neared Stormhaven. Instead, he laughed again at the doctor’s attempts to infuriate him. He did not care if Newberry heard as he drove away.
When Lianne turned back to the house, Bryce stood on the steps. “Going in already?”
She did not pause as she climbed the steps. “Weston has left, and I don’t feel particularly interested in chatting with you, Captain.”
“Then how about some work?”
“At this hour?”
“It’s not that late, and I thought you would be curious about the China Shadow.”
“True, especially since Father put me in charge of her repairs.”
“He what?” Biting back his outrage, Bryce forced a smile. “That is ridiculous. You didn’t know port from starboard when you came aboard.”
“English is not the only thing I have learned more about in the past four years. Let’s take a quick tour of the ship. Let me get—”
“Afraid to come with me?”
“We should not be alone. It is not seemly.”
“Several members of the crew are still aboard. Are you going to drag along a chaperon during all of the repairs?”
She flinched, then said, “Very well. Let’s go.”
He followed her down the steps and reached past her to open the gate in the picket fence. When she glowered, he grinned. He enjoyed Lianne’s many moods which flashed across her face.
When Captain Trevarian began to ask questions about her life in Stormhaven, Lianne answered cautiously. “Weston asked me to accompany him to a meeting of the Stormhaven Abolitionists’ Society,” she replied, in answer to the question of how Weston had started courting her. His queries worried her. Captain Trevarian had never been interested in gossip.
“Do you enjoy those meetings?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She glanced at him from beneath her bonnet. “I understand what it is to be forced to do as someone else wishes, with no thoughts of my own happiness.”
“Like marrying Newberry?”
Stopping, she gazed at him in surprise. “I’m marrying Weston because I want to. I meant my life in Canton.”
He took her hand and placed it on his arm. When she started to pull away, he used his other hand to imprison it against his sleeve. He continued walking toward the harbor, and she had no choice but to follow. “That’s odd. I never guessed you would choose that pale imitation of a man.”
“Captain, there’s no need to insult Weston!”
“No?” He smiled, but his expression was as cold as the moonlight dripping around them. “Then maybe I should say I thought you had more sense than to select a man who doesn’t have any idea how to run your father’s company.”
“The future of the Shadow Line is the concern of the Catherwoods, not their employees.”
He whirled her to face him. “Employee? Do you think that is all I am to your father?”
“What relationship you and my father share means little to me, Captain.” She hated how her voice quivered. “At this moment, I am interested only in ending ours.”
“Impossible.”
“What do you mean?”
He released her, but his hands lingered against her elbows. A flare of longing flashed through her, gone as soon as he no longer touched her, but the tingling remained. “Your father told you to oversee the refitting of the China Shadow. We shall see each other often during that process.”
“Whenever necessary.”
“Which is too often?”
“Far too often!”
When he laughed, Lianne bit back her exasperation. She started back up the street, then turned to see his smile. He wanted to chase her away from the China Shadow. She would not let him keep her from showing her father that she could handle any task for the Shadow Line.
“As an employee of the Shadow Line,” Captain Trevarian said, as she walked again toward the harbor, “I have an interest in what is going to become of the company.”
“It shall continue as it has as long as Father lives.”
He took her hand and placed it on his arm again. “Lianne, maybe you haven’t seen the difference because you are with Captain Catherwood every day, but—”
“I have seen the difference.”
“Yet you’re going to marry Newberry?”
“I love him!”
“Do you?” he retorted. “Then why do your fingers quiver against my arm?”
She tried to avoid his eyes, but his finger steered her face toward his. When the green glow of his gaze washed over her, she heard herself whispering the truth. “Because you frighten me.”
“Me or the passion you know we could share?”
“Captain Trevarian!”
“So you are afraid of me. Are you afraid of Newberry also?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Why not?”
“Because I am no longer your responsibility.”
“But I am yours,” he said as they walked along the wharf.
“Excuse me?”
“I have invested my profits from my voyages into the Shadow Line.” His smile broadened. “So you see, Miss Lianne, in a way, I am your employer.”
“That still gives you no right to ask about my private matters.”
One finger explored the inside of her wrist. She gasped and tried to pull away. His hand became a clamp. “Be honest. I represent temptation to you, Lianne.”
“Hardly!”
“Then a challenge, for you know you can never have me.”
She laughed shortly. “Has it ever occurred to you that I may not want you, Captain?”
“Not when your sapphire eyes suggest sweet secrets each time they look at me. You don’t look at Newberry that way. Why not? Because he’s never has tried to seduce you?”
“You don’t know what you are talking about, Captain.” Lianne rushed out onto the wharf. She was glad to be flooded with memories as she walked up the plank to the deck, so she did not have to think of him. The China Shadow moved to the rhythm of the waves. Smells which she always associated with her trip here assaulted her. She wondered if Captain Trevarian would laugh if she mentioned that she could not drink a cup of tea without r
ecalling the aromas of the tea chests in the hold.
She noted damage that even the shadows could not conceal. Grief struck her. If she could see such holes in the darkness, she could imagine how many more would be visible in the daylight. She had known it had taken skill to bring the crippled ship to port, but she had not realized how much.
Captain Trevarian picked up a lamp and lit it. “Worse than you expected?”
“Much.”
“She can be repaired.”
“And she will be if the cost is not too high.”
“Not too high? The China Shadow is a fine lady. All she needs are a few refittings.”
Crossing the deck, she stared at a hole in the railing. “This is more than minor damage. I’m not sure if the Shadow Line can afford to rebuild her. It might be better simply to let the Sleek Shadow replace her.”
“The Sleek Shadow does not have enough cargo space.”
“She is built like a Baltimore clipper.”
“Which is fine for Chesapeake Bay. Lianne, if you want to make a profit, you must have a ship which is fast and has room for a decent sized cargo. The China Shadow is both.”
She was shocked to see the naked emotion on his face. He loved this ship. “Captain Trevarian, what she is must be determined. I owe an obligation to my father and the stockholders in the Shadow Line to make a decision based on facts, not emotions.”
“Do you want facts? I can give you all you want.”
“Not tonight. Tomorrow.”
“Tonight,” he insisted. “In the morning, this ship will be swarming with landlubbers making decisions about things they can’t understand. I want you to understand. This ship was your brother’s sole command.”
She glanced about the deck, seeing Davis in her memory. She heard his soft laugh when he had comforted her in Sun Niang’s brothel.
“Don’t try to influence me that way,” she whispered. “It isn’t fair.”
“No, it isn’t, but I’ll do anything to save the China Shadow.”
Surprised at his honesty, she said, “Show me your facts, Captain, if it won’t take too long.”
“I promise to have you home soon.” He motioned toward the steps leading belowdecks. “Trust me, Lianne.”
Although the last thing she dared to do was trust him, she preceded him down the companionway. She paused to look at the pitted walls.
Captain Trevarian stopped directly behind her. His breath curled beneath her bonnet to tease her nape. “Those blasted Chinese pirates tried to board us. The crew fought them back off the ship.”
In horror, she jerked her fingers back from the indentations made by lead balls striking the wall. Her motion bumped her full skirts into him. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Captain Trevarian’s smile. When he brushed her cheek with the side of his finger, she trembled with a longing she could not halt.
Was she out of her mind? She was betrothed to Weston. She should not be thinking of how Bryce Trevarian’s kisses had thrilled her. She had been a silly child then. She was a sensible woman now. “Captain, show me why you think the China Shadow is salvageable.”
“Aye, aye.” He executed a sharp salute, and she smiled in spite of herself. “That’s better, blue eyes. I was beginning to fear that you had forgotten how to smile.” Before she could retort, he urged, “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Hurrying after him, Lianne was determined to keep distance between them, because being too close to him in the dusky corridor might be dangerous. When he opened a door, she entered.
Trying to appear nonchalant, she glanced about his quarters. “This hasn’t changed that much. Why don’t you give me whatever you think will influence me toward saving the China Shadow? I can take it home and read it.”
“I would rather you read it here, so you can ask me any questions tonight.”
“You are in a hurry.”
“I want to make sure you don’t destroy the China Shadow in some attempt to prove to your father that you are capable of overseeing its repairs.”
Lianne walked to the table so he could not guess how right he was. “Your facts, please, Captain.”
“Those are the facts. You should rebuild this ship.”
Facing him, she said, “If you have nothing else to say, good evening.”
He did not step aside so she could open the door. “Are you going to listen to me, Lianne, or are you going to continue this foolishness?” His eyes twinkled as his lips tilted beneath his kohl mustache. “Of course, blue eyes, if you continue jabbering about nothing important, I may have to find another way to silence those lips, which I recall are delicious against mine.”
Lianne sat by the table. “Very well. I shall stay only a few minutes, Captain.”
“A compromise?”
“Yes, for I would rather compromise my pride than myself.”
He grimaced. “You have made that clear, blue eyes.”
“Odd that my father believes I am to be trusted with this job, but you don’t.”
“No, it is not odd. I know nothing of you, except for the child who created all kinds of trouble.”
“And will again if you don’t get me the facts you promised.”
Captain Trevarian chuckled. “All right.” He reached under the bed and drew out a stack of papers. “Here is what I think is needed.”
Lianne examined each page closely. She asked questions and heard the growing respect in his voice as he answered each one. With a sigh, she put the last one aside.
“One of the masts is cracked from top to where it goes belowdecks?” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine how you kept it from capsizing.”
“It took some doing to keep it in place, especially when we hit rough weather near Tierra del Fuego.”
Taking the pages, she tapped them back into a neat pile. “Refitting her may be impossible.”
“She can be repaired.” There was no doubt in his voice.
“Don’t be blind to the facts, Captain.”
“Me?” he asked with a humorless laugh. “I could give you the same advice about Newberry, blue eyes.”
Lianne stood. “This is going nowhere. I’m trying to do business, and you are being insulting.”
“You’re right.”
“I am?”
“Yes.” Picking up the pages, he sighed. “The China Shadow may seem doomed, but I will do whatever I must to keep her afloat.”
“You’ve proven that already.”
He dropped the pages on the bed. “A compliment, Lianne?”
“A fact. You brought her back to Stormhaven. I cannot guess how.”
“Do you want to know?”
Lianne hesitated as she saw his tentative smile. Was this another trick to persuade her to repair the ship? When he pulled out the chair and motioned graciously for her to sit, she did. She took the glass of sweet juice he offered her. Pouring some rum for himself, he leaned against the desk and began the tale of the long trip back from China.
She was enthralled almost immediately. Weston had been wrong. Bryce did not make himself the hero of his stories. He gave credit to every man who had been a part of the battles against the Chinese pirates and the sea that tried to keep the China Shadow from reaching home. Soon she was laughing along with him, when he spoke of how the crew had plugged one hole in the ship just in time to find two more. She knew how horrifying it must have been at the time … and understood why he was so determined to save this ship that had saved him and his men.
When a knock on the door intruded, a pinch of regret surprised her. She stood when it opened, and Chester Simmons peeked in. He looked from her to the captain, his eyes wide.
“Cap’n,” he said, “I didn’t think you’d be busy at this hour.”
“What hour is it?” Lianne asked.
Captain Trevarian drew out a pocket watch and opened it. “After two.”
“In the morning?” She went to the door. “I must get home.”
“I will take you there.” Captain Trevarian smiled. “Not
all the pirates are on the seas.”
Lianne considered arguing, but knew, from the hard glint in his eyes, that she would just be wasting her breath. Bidding Simmons good night, she hurried up the stairs to the deck.
“Slow down,” Captain Trevarian said, as she ran across the deck.
“I must get home. If someone found out that I’d been here with you all night alone …”
He caught her by the shoulders. “Blue eyes, let’s get some things straight. You have not been here all night, and that someone you care about is Newberry.”
“No, it’s Father.” She shivered. “If this is known, it will ruin my reputation.”
“I won’t tell anyone. Nor will Simmons. That leaves only you.”
“I need to get home.”
Bryce released Lianne as she rushed down the plank to the wharf. He followed, cursing under his breath. Captain Catherwood should be more worried about the Shadow Line than his daughter’s reputation. Lianne meant well, but she did not understand the bond between a sailor and his ship. He might have convinced her if Simmons had not come in just then.
Catching up with her, he drew her hand within his arm again. She tried to pull away, clearly determined to run all the way up the hill to her father’s house.
She opened the gate in the picket fence. As she turned to close it, he put his hands over hers. He smiled as he stroked her soft skin.
“As you can see,” she said primly, “I’m quite capable of getting myself home. Good night.”
“I don’t make it a practice to let the lady who has spent the night in my quarters walk home alone.”
“Captain!”
Pushing on her hands, he opened the gate enough so he could squeeze through. He took her hand and drew her up the walk. She remained silent as they walked up the wide steps to the porch. Pulling her fingers out of his, she reached for the doorknob.
Hyett’s face was grim as he opened the door. Bryce cursed under his breath. He should have guessed the butler would remain by the door until Lianne returned home.
“Where have you been?” Hyett demanded. “If your father or Miss Tildy learned that you had been out this late with—” He gasped. “Captain Trevarian?”
The Captain's Pearl Page 9
