Another burst of laughter came from Rogers, the only person present who seemed to find anything remotely humorous in their predicament. “The lady knows you well, Kane,” he claimed. “She might also have given us the key to this dilemma. If you insist on retaining the same characters, perhaps they can be rearranged in a different order to spell yet another name. Would that suit?”
Devlin thought for a moment, then gave a reluctant nod.
The next few minutes they spent trying to arrange the six letters into some sensible order. At last, Devlin achieved one. “Margie,” he pronounced to one and all.
Eden frowned up at him, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Who is Margie?” she demanded. “The name came to you with wondrous ease, Devlin, leading me to believe you have known such a woman.”
“Well, there was a tavern maid in Lisbon, who sported a similar name,” he mused. “What was it she was called? Maigo? Marlie? Nate, do you recall?”
“I might, if you could describe her looks to me,” Nate offered.
“Never mind, Nate,” Eden told him firmly. “We’ll simply have to find something else. I refuse to sail on a ship named after one of Devlin’s doxies.”
“Now who is being stubborn?” Devlin accused irritably. “That being the case, ’tis up to you to find another name, or ’twill rest on your head if my pardon is denied for your jealousy.”
“I am not jealous,” she objected heatedly. Still, she applied herself to her given task, with the aid of pen and paper supplied by the governor, and soon offered an alternative. “Mirage,” she announced with a satisfied smirk. “Now, I defy you to find fault with that, for ’tis of a nautical theme and also fitting to your present circumstances, Captain Kane,” she added slyly.
“What circumstances?” Rogers questioned, not understanding Eden’s reference to Devlin’s ghostly demeanor, while the others present grasped her meaning immediately and chuckled.
Eden gave a feminine shrug. “Nothing much, really. ’Tis more a private jest than aught else, referring only to the way Devlin seems to come and go on a whim.”
“Will it do then, Devlin?” the governor asked.
“Aye. Is all else settled as well?” Again, he remained silent about the ship he’d won from Swift. When the proper time came, if ever it did, he would then register the Dame Anise under the British flag using similar methods of disguising her true identity.
“There is one additional matter to address,” Rogers stated authoritatively. “Since I am well aware of your awesome reputation as a pirate, and the delight you have taken in your brigandry to date, I fear I must attach a condition to your pardon, and to Mr. Hancock’s as well. If, in the course of the following year, it should come to my ears that either of you have resumed the activities you are about to renounce, your amnesty will be immediately revoked, and you will be considered an enemy of the Crown, as if this meeting had never been. On the other hand, if you remain lawfully Employed during this period, you will receive a commendation from the King, and quite possibly a reward of some kind for honoring his faith in you.”
“I see,” Devlin said, frowning. “Does this mean that you are taking a personal interest in my cause, Rogers? I little care for a warden on my tail.”
“Then I suggest you keep a clean slate, Kane. Mayhap you should return to Charles Town with your lady and your friend, and apply yourself to some enterprising endeavor there for a time.”
“The better for you to account for my whereabouts and my actions?” Devlin’s brow rose sardonically.
Rogers merely smiled. “It would simplify the process greatly,” he concurred.
With a helpful nudge from Eden’s elbow, and much grumbling, Devlin complied. The proper papers were signed, and the frigate duly registered under her new name of Mirage. At the conclusion, Rogers presented Devlin with a British flag, reminding him to display it alongside a new banner of more suitable representation than his current pirate pennant.
They were on their way out the door when Rogers suddenly said, “Miss Winters, I should like to extend my belated sympathies on the death of your grandfather. I met him just once, but was much impressed with the man. For a brigand, he was a good sort, and had a reputation of being inordinately fair in his dealings with his friends and crew.”
Eden could have melted through the floor, especially when Devlin stopped short and speared her with a dark look. “Thank you, sir,” she replied meekly, attempting to pull Devlin from the room before anything else could be revealed.
Devlin refused to be budged. “Excuse me, but I seem to have missed something,” he stated quietly. Too quietly for Eden’s peace of mind. Turning to Rogers, he said, “Eden has spoken of her grandfather being a sailing man, but she failed to mention that he was a corsair of some notoriety.”
Rogers chuckled. “Does the name Black Jack Blake ring a bell in your mind, Devlin? He was a bit before your time, but quite renowned. He barely missed swinging on the gallows, retired from piracy soon after, saw his only daughter married to Eden’s father, and settled in Charles Town, to spend his remaining years in leisure.”
“How very enlightening,” Devlin said with the smile of an alligator contemplating a tasty morsel. “Thank you for illuminating Eden’s celebrated ancestry more clearly to me, Rogers. I bid you a good day.”
Chapter 26
With every step back to the ship, and despite Nate’s hovering presence, Devlin railed at her. “You deceitful little baggage! All the while you were berating me for my nefarious trade, you were deliberately concealing the fact that you are not so far removed from such dealings yourself. Why, I’ll wager your father’s business was built, at least in part, with funds from your grandfather’s coffers!”
“ ’Tis not exactly the sort of thing one shouts from the rooftops,” Eden declared in her own defense. “Nor does it make me a brigand by association or relation, so do not try to tar me with the same brush. From what little I remember of him, I adored my grandfather, and from the things she has told me of him, my mother loved him as well. That does not mean we approve of his methods, or that we follow in his shadow, imitating them.”
“Blood is said to be thicker than water, my sweet. And the apple does not often fall far from the tree.”
“My, you are simply running over with proverbs this morn, all nicely suited to your purposes, of course.”
“What I am is angry, Eden. Both you and your mother conspired to pull the wool over my eyes.”
“We did not lie to you, Devlin.”
“Nay, you merely neglected to tell the whole truth of the matter.”
“What difference could it possibly make, whether my ancestors be pirates or preachers? Would it make me any more or less than I am? The only thing my grandfather’s life has done is to teach me some very important lessons that I might not make the same mistakes he and my grandmother did.”
“Such as?” Devlin prompted.
“He taught me the price one pays for greed. While my grandfather was about his pirating, my grandmother nearly worried herself into an early grave. He, too, almost met an untimely end, more times than any of us can count. He came very close to being hung for his crimes, only a corrupt official and a hefty bribe saving his neck, even as the gallows’ rope was being fitted around it. Fortunately, he decided not to tempt fate further after that harrowing experience. However, ’twas too late to save my grandmother. Her poor heart gave out soon after.
“So you see, Devlin, I have learned how devastating this lawless life can be to all concerned. It robbed Grandmother of her youth and her health, Grandfather of his beloved wife, and Mother and me of their loving presence. I scarcely got to know either of them, except through the stories my mother related to me, that their memory should live on.”
This explained much to Devlin, now that he considered it. Why Eden had been so worried about him, why she’d done everything in her power to convince him to cease pirating—even to the point of sacrificing her virtue and offering herself as his mistress. All
to the cause of saving him from the same grief Black Jack Blake had met.
Only partially mollified, Devlin turned a scowl on his quartermaster. “Did you know of all this, Nate?”
“Aye,” his friend admitted readily. “Janie told me when I asked for her hand. O’ course, she swore me to silence, and I thought if she wanted ye to know, she’d tell ye herself. Or leave it to Eden.”
“See there, Eden? Your mother told Nate. You might have been just as honest with me.”
“There is a difference, Devlin. Mother and Nate are to be married.”
“So should we,” he answered gruffly.
Eden stopped and stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me well enough. I think we should marry.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” he countered. “Damnation, woman! If I’m good enough to be your lover, then I’m good enough to be your husband.”
Nate bit back a chuckle. “Ye two certainly are a pair! Usually, ’tis the woman wailing such nonsense, and here Devlin is, miffed to his ears, his male pride takin’ a whipping, while Eden drags her heels in a grand show o’ reluctance.”
“You’re only suggesting such folly because you know I’ll refuse,” Eden stated obstinately. “Should I agree, you’d most likely run for your life.”
“Agree then, and find out if you’re right,” Devlin challenged.
She was tempted. Ever so tempted. But her better sense won out. “I still say the primary reason you want me is that I’m the only female available to you in your lamentable state. What if I should consent? Suppose we married, and in a few months you regained your body? What would you do then, Devlin? Regret your choice? Sail off one day and never return? Bemoan your hasty action and take solace in the arms of other women? When I wed, I want a faithful husband, one who loves and desires only me, always and forever.”
His eyes were as soft as black velvet, his voice gruff with emotion as he bared his soul to her. “I do, Eden. I fear I’m well and truly beguiled by you. Never has any woman touched my heart as you have done. I want no other for wife—or lover. I never shall. Laughing, loving, or spitting mad, you are the most bewitching wench I’ve ever known, and my world would be empty without you to brighten it for me.”
Eden gazed up at him, tears swimming in her eyes. “Oh, Devlin! You cannot know how long I’ve yearned to hear those words from your lips. But there are so many problems in our path. Though my heart tells me yes, my head warns against it.”
“Listen to your heart, my darling,” he implored her. “Together we can face the difficulties and overcome them.”
Eden still wasn’t sure. “How would we manage it?” she asked hesitantly. Glancing about at the throng of pirates crowding the streets, she added, “I doubt there’s a minister to be found within leagues, or any duly sworn captain, for that matter.”
“There is Rogers,” Devlin reminded her. “Not only is he a legitimate captain, but governor as well. He has the authority.”
“Aye, but he’s so busy with the pardons. Would he have the time, or even be inclined toward the idea?”
“I’ve no doubt he’d find it vastly amusing,” Devlin assured her. “The man has a twisted sense of humor. Believe me, he’ll make the time, if only to have a part in seeing me relinquish my freedom.”
“I always thought, if I were to be wed, that ’twould be in church, with my mother and my friends to share my joy,” Eden said wistfully.
Then she looked up into Devlin’s face and saw the hope and adoration shining there, the promise in his eyes. On a sigh, she shoved her regrets aside, and her worries with it. Devlin was right. They were meant for each other, and there wasn’t anything they couldn’t brave together. Somehow, some way, they would endure, and with enough faith and prayer, perhaps someday Devlin would regain his visibility. But to wait until then to marry him could cost her the one true love of her life.
“I yield, most gladly,” she told him softly, her heart overflowing.
No sooner were the words free of her lips than Devlin grabbed her into his arms and whirled her around until both were dizzy with delight. Nate went into a jig, cheering with glee. All about them people stopped to stare. When at last Devlin set Eden on her feet again, it was only to grab her hand and rush off with her to gain another appointment with Rogers before his bride-to-be could revive all her previous objections.
Rogers’s wide grin threatened to split his face. “I vow, Kane, you and your lady are providing me with more entertainment than I’d hoped to find on this assignment. I get to lend a hand in ushering you not only into a lawful life, but also into holy wedlock.”
“When you are finished crowing and patting yourself on the back, mayhap we could get on with it,” Devlin suggested impatiently.
Rogers gave a final chuckle and began shifting through the papers on his desk. Finally he found the book he sought. “Ah, here ’tis,” he said, turning to a marked page. Glancing up, he told them, “You must forgive me, but yours is the first marriage ceremony I have had the privilege to perform under my new title as governor, and I would hate to omit anything important through my lack of practice. After all, we do want it completely correct and legal.”
“What of the banns?” Eden asked, frowning as she suddenly recalled that point.
“Fortunately, not only do I have the power to marry the two of you, I have also been granted the right to waive the banns, should I see fit,” Rogers stated importantly.
He turned to his clerk, who was standing nearby. “Do we have all the proper papers and witnesses?”
The man nodded.
“Well then, let us begin. Miss Winters, Devlin, please stand before me and join hands.”
Although he had to read the ritual verbatim, Rogers’s resonant voice added just the right touch of solemn dignity and sincerity. As she listened to the words that would bind her to Devlin for a lifetime, and recited her vows, Eden’s last-minute nervousness deserted her. There was a sense of rightness, of completion, about pledging herself to the handsome man at her side, as if two halves of a whole were finally being united.
Her gaze met Devlin’s, searching for any doubts she might find lingering there—and found only love and adoration lighting his warm dark eyes. That, and a twinkling of amusement as she promised to honor and obey him, for richer or poorer, for better or worse.
Aside from his brief touch of humor, Devlin was as proud as he’d ever been as he took this wondrous woman for his wife. Indeed, for all the rush, she looked particularly beautiful this day. Her hair was a tumble of curls, artfully arranged in a shining cascade of fire-kissed waves and topped with a coronet of delicate blossoms. In her slender hands she carried the bouquet he’d given her just this morn, a glorious array of vivid tropical flowers he’d picked for her himself. But the glow on her face outshone the brilliant petals, bespeaking her happiness more eloquently than any words she might offer. She was a vision, the embodiment of all his hopes and dreams. .
At the end of the rite, Devlin accepted a plain gold band from Nate and slipped it upon Eden’s finger. It had the look of having been worn, the feel of having been prized by another woman before her. Even as she was wondering where he had gotten it, he said earnestly, “Jane entrusted this to Nate, with the wish ’twould soon be put to its proper use, almost as if she knew what was to come. Thus, ’tis with the very ring which your father bestowed upon your mother’s hand, that I now wed my own lovely bride.”
Tears welled in Eden’s eyes as she accepted this shining symbol of her mother’s blessing and Devlin’s pledge. “I shall cherish it dearly, but not half as much your love, which I shall treasure endlessly and with all my heart.”
After such a hurry-up, few-frills wedding, Eden was delightfully surprised when Devlin arranged for a short honeymoon. Prior to meeting Devlin, if Eden had been asked where she dreamed of going on her wedding trip, she might have said England, or Rome, or even Boston, simply for a change of scene from Charles Town. Never had she expe
cted to spend her first night as a married woman in a tropical paradise, with an entire island all to herself and her new husband.
Almost before the ink was dry on their marriage document, Devlin whisked Eden back to the Mirage. With a minimal crew to man the ship, Devlin directed them through a maze of islands. By mid-afternoon, the newlywed couple had been willingly marooned on a tiny, remote isle.
“Return for us in three days, and not a minute sooner,” Devlin instructed Nate, as he handed Eden and their supplies into the jolly boat. “Unless the entire world is at peril, do not dare to show your face until then, old friend.”
At her first step upon the beach, Eden was enchanted. “Devlin, look!” she exclaimed in awe. “The sand! ’Tis pink!” Quickly, as if to explain this strange phenomenon, she glanced about, sure that the sun must be about to set and was painting the beach with its rosy hue. The sun, however, was still riding high in the sky, blazing its white heat earthward. “How can this be?” Devlin laughed. “I ordered it so,” he teased her. “Just for you.”
For an instant, before she caught the twinkle in his eyes, she nearly believed him. Which made him laugh all the more. “Actually, duchess, while ’tis not a common occurrence, neither is it truly rare. I believe ’tis a result of the waves hitting the reefs and shore in a specific manner, differently from the way it does in other places. When it does so, it first deposits numerous shells, and then proceeds to crush them into sand; but under these special conditions, with these particular types of shells, the result is colored sand.”
His explanation made sense, at least as much of it as she understood, but she was almost sorry she’d asked. No matter how it had happened, the effect was spectacular. As was the tiny isle itself. Palm trees swayed gently in the breeze. Flowers blossomed in profusion. Gaily colored birds dotted the trees, lending their voices to the soft, salty air.
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