"That is much better, milady." He chuckled and swooped down to kiss her on the cheek. His scent of salt and leather teased her nose. "And don't you forget, sweetheart, you told me you loved me last night."
Eden felt her face flush to what she was certain was an uncomely red. Had she told him that last night? She had barely come to recognize the fact herself. Her mind certainly had been in a fog after Kelton had attacked her.
The captain simply grinned at her reaction.
"As you have declared your love, might I have the privilege of a good-morning kiss?"
She frowned at his nerve. What gave the man the audacity to ask such things of her? But as he leaned toward her purposefully, she could not resist him. She did not care how early in the morning it was and how improper it would be. All she cared about was how badly she wanted to kiss him.
His lips devoured hers, and she felt her insides and her knees turn to mush. She drank in his strength, winding her arms around his strong neck. She needed his strength.
When he finally released her, both of their breathing had become labored.
"Thank you ever so much, my love. I believe no matter what happens; now I shall have a good day at work." And with a quick wink, he strapped on his weapons and left.
****
Aimee plunked down onto the narrow cot and sighed. Captain Emery definitely was an infuriating little man. She did not care one whit if she had been rude to him above decks. Truly, she had developed a headache. Whenever Captain Emery was around, she seemed to acquire one.
She closed her eyes, trying to get him off of her mind and focus on the reason she had agreed to go on a voyage with him.
Eden.
Aimee felt something in her stomach tighten. They had been sailing for a long time and had not run across a single ship on the list Captain Emery had made. She could not help but think of the terrible things that could have happened to dear Eden.
She squeezed her hands together and wondered if they would ever find her friend. Aimee glanced down, below the cot she was perched on, and scanned the deck below her. Luckily, she had not seen a rodent in a couple of days.
Captain Emery actually had done something she had asked him.
She groaned out loud. Why did every thought that passed through her head lead her straight back to the infuriating, ego-centric idiot who was sailing the ship?
****
Ivy had to chuckle at Aimee and Captain Emery. With how vehemently the two people despised each other, she knew there was some kind of affection or at least attraction growing between them, whatever it might be. Ivy found their squabbles quite entertaining on her voyage over to the colonies.
If only Eden were here to join them…
Ivy missed their happy little trio. It caused her to shiver to think they might never be together again. She knew it was the right thing to do to go searching for her dear friend, but she could not help but worry about William back home, also.
She needed to find Eden and get back home as quickly as she could.
****
Caspian watched the myriad of twinkling stars in the midnight sky above him. They were truly quite beautiful, a work of God. But nothing compared to the woman resting in his cabin.
Eden had told him she loved him! Why, he was nothing short of elated. Perhaps she would agree to marry him when they reached the port. He definitely could not wait to claim her as his own wife if she would just have him.
He yawned and realized it must be well past midnight. His night watchman looked close to sleep, but Caspian was in too good of a mood to chastise the man for slacking on his job. He was tired of being the grouchy captain.
He thought of returning to his cabin, but after Eden had declared her love for him, and after she had let him hold her like she had last night, he knew it would be improper for them to sleep in the captain’s cabin together, even if Reed was there. A sleeping six-year-old did not make the best chaperone.
Instead, Caspian relocated down to the belly of his ship where there was a small, relatively tidy storage cabin. He hoped that down there, he could at least catch some form of rest.
****
Lord Clive Rutger stood at the bow of the ship he had rented to search for his runaway sweetheart. He could not be too far away from that blasted woman by now. How could she have done something like this to him, her own fiancé? Their wedding had been planned to take place nearly a week ago. Did she know what a disgrace she was bringing down upon him? After all he had been through, she had brought yet another embarrassment to his name. All of London had been snickering and gossiping both behind his back and in front of him ever since they heard she had run away.
Clive would show her. He would teach her he would not be dismissed easily like some common servant. He had every right to own her, and he would in time. She was his, and he would have what he had been promised.
This would not turn out like last time, when she had run away into her bedchamber and barricaded herself there. He would not let the little flower escape him. He would have his own wife. She was no one else's but his.
Before that happened, however, the girl would pay dearly for what she had done to him. She would rue the day she ran away from Lord Clive Rutger and rejected his advances.
Clive’s gaze found the ship they were nearing every minute under the cover of night. Was Eden on it? He somehow sensed she was.
As soon as they neared the vessel, the captain whose services Clive was paying for announced they approached a ship called Dawn’s Mist.
After Rutger had interrogated some men at the docks, he had found out the Dawn’s Mist had left London the day Eden turned up missing. He had been told it was sailing for the Caribbean.
Clive discussed the situation with the captain.
They came to the conclusion that, rather than starting an unnecessary battle, Rutger should sneak onto the ship and scout out any signs of the woman. He was ready to do so.
Eden would deny him no longer.
Chapter Sixteen
Aimee watched as Ivy laid herself down on the narrow cot across from hers in their small cabin. "Any news of Eden's whereabouts?" She had been wondering about the progress they had made on the voyage, but she had no wish to talk to the captain of their ship.
"Nay, but we shall reach Port Royal in less than a week, according to Captain Emery. We should hopefully see her before then. Captain Emery checked with the docks before we left and according to their records, the only ship that left for Port Royal that day was called The Dawn's Mist. He says we will keep an eye out for a vessel with that name and the one Lord Rutger hired. From what Captain Emery can tell, with how the winds and the currents are acting, there is a chance we could outrun Lord Rutger and find Eden first. If not, we will have to intercept him or save Eden if he already has her.”
Aimee inhaled a deep breath. Everything would be much easier if they could only find Eden first. "I certainly hope we find her before he does because I fear for her safety if that monster finds her first."
****
Eden leaned back against the armchair, inhaling its rich smell of salt and leather. Caspian's scent. She had not seen him all day. How she missed his strong, comforting presence. She began to wonder, should she be craving a man's company like that? Perhaps not. Maybe she truly was a woman of loose morals as Lord Rutger had always accused her of being.
The cabin door was propped slightly open because Eden had wanted to allow a slight breeze to enter the cabin. Heat out at sea could get quite stifling. Eden frowned when she heard a sudden scuffling noise outside the door. Was Caspian finally back? It was already later by far than when he normally came back after his duties as captain. Generally he would spend a majority of the day up on the decks with her cooped up in the cabin and in Reed’s company and come back inside to her for their evening meal at about what she thought, according to what Caspian had explained to her about the ship’s bells, was six o’clock. After that, he would go back up on deck and sometimes take her for a wal
k in the evening’s cooler breeze, and he would return to his cabin about the same time as when she was preparing to go to sleep. They had formed a comfortable little routine between the two of them.
But today he had not even stopped by to eat his evening meal with her. Eden had already tucked little Reed into bed. Maybe there was trouble brewing within the crew, and Caspian was simply settling it and he would return in no time. Surely that was the case and nothing had gone terribly awry. She was afraid to go up on the main deck to find out.
Eden glanced over at Reed, who was sleeping on the bed, looking like a tiny angel. His long eyelashes were lowered, casting a shadow onto his flushed cheeks. She stepped closer to the dear boy and brushed some of those reckless blond curls out of his face, and then pressed a soft kiss onto his forehead. Not only had she grown quite fond of Caspian, but she had also come to love his little son. She loved him as if he were her own child.
Which she almost wished he was. Quickly, she bid the thought from her head. No matter how great of a man he was, she could never think of marrying a man. She had vowed to herself she would never marry, and she planned to stick to that promise. Even though her heart warned her against it…
Eden shook her head to clear it of those troubling thoughts and stepped up from her position in Caspian’s armchair to look through the porthole at the vast night sky. The ocean was almost as black as the night, and the sky was dotted with bright, white stars. She sighed. Nights at sea were truly beautiful. That was one thing besides two others she would miss if she stayed in Port Royal.
The sea seemed endless during the night, but sadly, she knew that was not so. Just a couple of days ago, Reed had mentioned seeing palm trees on the horizon during the battle. Soon they would reach land, and she would have to bid Reed and Caspian farewell.
The sharp creak of a wooden plank jerked her from her thoughts.
She laughed silently at her own foolishness. The ship made noises like that all the time. Yet why had this one frightened her? Glancing at Reed who still slept peacefully, she leaned back against the bulkhead behind her.
The door opened.
****
Eden could not move from her position. Her throat constricted in terror. This had to be a dream. Just a nightmare. That was all. This just could not be happening. It could not be real.
Lord Clive Rutger took a step toward her. She shriveled against the bulkhead. All of those old fears of being hurt by a man were reignited again in a full, petrifying blaze.
All of those fears that had finally been put to rest by Caspian’s love.
Where was Caspian? Why was he not here, protecting her, saving her from this wretched man like he had promised her he would?
Lord Rutger sneered at her, and when he saw Reed lying on the bed he grabbed her by the top of her arm. Rutger dragged her out of the cabin. Eden struggled to take one last look at Reed. She knew she should scream, but the sound would wake Reed, and she did not want the poor, sweet boy involved in her issues. He would not be hurt by this evil man if she had any say in the matter.
"What were you doing inside the captain's cabin, you blasted little trollop? Are you his new mistress? Is this how you are paying for your voyage? I know your father told me none of his money was missing when you left so you had to have paid for your voyage in some other way."
Clive sneered at her, and she wished she could slap him in the face. But the last time she had done that, it had only triggered a rather harsh beating from the monster. How could she stop him from saying such horrible things about her character? She had done nothing to deserve these atrocious, degrading words.
"Why you… how dare you?" Her voice cracked, it was so terribly dry.
She could not scream. Her throat failed her. This was a nightmare, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening. She was forced to go through this horrible experience yet again.
Lord Rutger seized her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder like he would a sack of potatoes — a battered sack of potatoes.
Eden kicked and clawed, trying frantically to obtain her freedom. Her nails dug into his skin, drawing blood, but he did not budge. Even though she used all of her energy, she was no match for a man's strength. She had learned that fact months ago when this exact same man had overpowered and abused her. The only hope she had of survival was to outsmart Lord Rutger, but she saw no opportunity, and right now her mind felt so weak… so weak with terror.
Even if she had it in her to scream, she could not. If she did, Reed would wake up and try to save her, and she knew Lord Rutger would hurt him without a second thought. She could not let that happen. Reed’s life was much more important than hers, so she watched helplessly as she was dragged to the top deck of Caspian's ship.
Clive positioned her differently in his arms and a ship moving directly next to Caspian's was brought into her line of vision. The deck bowed underneath them, causing Clive to stagger. Rutger caught his balance and threw her to the deck of the other ship. She realized she was too far away from the cabin to wake Reed, but she could still cry for help and maybe one of Caspian’s sailors would come to her aid.
Her weak scream was strangled.
She hit the floor with a thud. Pain knifed through her shoulder, and the breath was knocked out of her lungs.
Clive jumped beside her. Eden struggled to rise. The second she filled her lungs with air, she screamed with all of her might. It was a pathetic little noise, but at least it was something. She could only pray Caspian had heard her.
She knew he had not.
Rutger slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her away to what she assumed was his cabin. She tried to grab at the bulkheads along the way, but her hands kept slipping.
He opened a door and threw her onto a bed.
She screamed.
He gave her a violent backhand that sent her sprawling from the bed onto the floor. She cowered as the ship lurched. They were speeding away. Away from hope. Away from life. Away from Caspian.
****
Gage was not sure why, but he had trouble falling asleep that night. He rose from his hammock and patrolled the companionways of the ship.
His stomach was queasy. Was that a cry he heard echoing around the ship? He rushed above decks only to notice the reflective white sails of a ship was speeding off into the night. The scream had probably come from the other vessel. Maybe an amputation was occurring over there. It was odd that another ship was sailing so near to them, but under the cover of night, he supposed it was easy to accidentally drift next to another ship.
Gage headed back below decks. There was no sign of a struggle there. The noises were most likely just his imagination.
However, on his way back to the crew’s quarters, the heart-wrenching sounds of sobbing emanated from the captain's cabin. He paused at the door. Was it Lady Trenton? Had Caspian somehow upset the poor girl? Should he interfere? Maybe not.
Gage knocked on the door anyway. Caspian might be angry with him for interfering, but if the man was treating Lady Trenton poorly for some odd reason, it would be best for Gage to put a stop to it, whatever it may be.
"Lady Trenton? I trust all is well, milady?" He called, resting his forehead on the rough wood of the door.
The sobbing continued.
Gage opened the door a crack. When no one objected, he moved it an inch further.
Reed was face down on the bed, weeping into a pillow.
Gage shoved the door aside and sat down beside the distraught child. The boy spun around to face him. His blond curls were soaked with tears. His blue eyes sparkled, and his little cheeks were stained red.
"Whatever is wrong, little man?" Gage brushed the hair away from the boy's eyes. Reed threw his skinny little arms around Gage's neck.
"I… I had a bad dream, Mister Gage," he murmured shyly.
"What happened in it?" Gage urged gently. He loved children and was glad to interact with one whenever he could. If only he could find a suitable, respectable woma
n to marry, he would have a little family by now. But, unfortunately, that was not the case, at least not yet.
"In my dream, Miss Eden was… she was taken away by someone bad. A very bad man. He was hurting her, and when I woke up, she was gone. Papa isn’t here, either. No one was here."
Gage awkwardly hugged the boy. "It’s all right, Reed. Lady Trenton is safe: I am sure of it. She is off somewhere with your papa, I think. I have not seen either of them in a while, but I am certain both of them are safe."
The boy studied him for a moment, and then let out a sigh. "Mr. Gage?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think Papa and Miss Eden like each other, Mr. Gage?"
Gage squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "Yes, I believe so, Reed. I pray both of them will only realize that.” He patted Reed on the back. “Now go back to sleep. I will stay here by you until you do. The captain and Lady Trenton will be back here soon, I am sure. You just relax."
****
Lord Rutger sauntered toward her.
Eden backed away, screeching, "Get away from me. Please, let me go!" She did not know why she begged him so. No amount of pleading with the man ever seemed to work. He actually seemed to derive pleasure from hearing her terrified pleas.
He loosened his cravat and removed his coat. “Well, my intended, are you excited for tomorrow? I know how utterly anxious you have been to become my bride.” He sneered down his thin nose at her.
Eden shivered. She could not become this horrible man’s wife.
She had vowed never to marry a man, but she… she discovered she would marry Caspian the second he asked her if only he cared enough to ask her. But of course he did not. He probably roved from one woman to another with how often he left on all of his voyages. Why, he probably did not want to commit to a woman any more after what had happened with his poor wife.
“I believe I have made it clearer than crystal that I will never consent to marry you as long as I live.” Eden sent a cold glare his way.
"And why would you care if you marry me or not? You have no right to object. In all reality, you should be glad I will have you, soiled goods that I know you are.”
Swept to Sea Page 15
