Hampton looked at her, weighing her comments. Finally he said, “Then I guess perhaps I should hope it’s not the Susquetack.” He rose. “I have to get back on deck. Thank you for your information; you never cease to amaze me. Come here.” He put his hands on her shoulders and she tensed at his touch. “Don’t be so stiff, girl. I only want to kiss you.”
He bent and kissed her full on the lips; his mouth felt warm and soft against hers. His kiss was neither passionate nor gentle, but a sort of firm, warm reassurance. She wasn’t sure whether the reassurance was for her or for him.
“I must go,” he said, paused as if to say something, then shrugged and said, “Come up if you like.”
Katherine picked up her cloak and followed him out the door. He allowed her to look at the ship through the telescope.
“There is one bad thing about the sea,” he said. “There’s no place to hide.” He clenched his fist. “If only I knew whether they intercepted that ship.”
“It’s not a heavily armed ship,” Katherine said. “It’s too light and speedy.”
“Yes. It won’t be so bad if I have to do open battle with it. But I prefer to avoid that. Too chancy, as poorly armed as we are. And I can’t afford to lose any men; my crew’s too small. Worst, these men have very little experience together—tricky maneuvers might be difficult.”
“How do you feel when you go into battle?”
“Tense, excited, scared to death. How do you feel?”
“I’ve never battled with anyone but you.”
“I know.” He smiled down into her face, his eyes shooting into hers. “That’s what I mean.”
Her stomach began to dance. “The same, I guess.” Her voice was small; she could hardly get it out.
“Foolish girl. I won’t hurt you. Don’t you know that you have only to surrender to conquer me?”
“I don’t understand.”
Lightly his fingertips grazed her cheek. “Someday you will.”
Nervously she turned away and returned to the subject of battles. He followed the change without comment, and they passed some time discussing ships, wars, and maneuvers. Katherine was so interested in the subject that she forgot her animosity and questioned and listened to him eagerly. He found that he enjoyed explaining things to her, for her questions were bright and knowledgeable, her understanding excellent, and her interest flattering. It helped to ease the tension of waiting as the other ship crept closer.
As the afternoon wore on, the naval vessel gained steadily. When it came within signaling distance, Hampton decided to go on the offensive. He signaled to them, stating the name of his ship and requesting them to identify themselves. The answer came back U.S.S. Susquetack. Hampton raised his eyebrows and made a faint bow toward Katherine.
“It seems your fiancé‘s captain is upon us.”
“Do you think he knows?”
“If we presume that he is one of the ships sent after us, doesn’t it seem strange that he wouldn’t question us about whether we had seen the stolen ship? That would seem to indicate he knows we are what he is looking for. On the other hand, perhaps he is not one of those ships, knows nothing about us, and then it isn’t odd at all.”
“Why else would he have chased us all day?”
“I’m afraid you’re right.” Decisively he turned and began snapping orders to his men. They raced to do his bidding. The ship turned gracefully and swooped back toward the Susquetack.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her heart leaping into her throat.
“Attacking,” he replied calmly. “We shall see how well a good conservative sailor can fight against unusual tactics. And you, my dear, are going below.”
“I most certainly will not,” she answered heatedly. “I am staying right here, where I can see everything.”
His brow contracted thunderously. “You’ll do as I say. I won’t have you hurt. And I can’t afford to have my mind wandering to how you’re faring. Besides, you’ll get in the way.”
“I won’t,” she pleaded. “Please let me stay. I promise I’ll stay out of the way and I will not get hurt.”
“How can you promise that you won’t get hit by a shell?”
“Please.”
“Absolutely not. Now get below.”
She glared at him, not moving.
“Katherine, I haven’t time to fool with you. If I have to pick you up and carry you down there and lock you in, I shall do so,” he threatened.
She turned and flounced away. Hampton turned his attention to other things and didn’t notice that she got no further than the stairs, then hid herself behind a pile of ropes and boxes to watch the battle.
The Susan Harper ran down her U.S. flag and replaced it with a makeshift Confederate flag, then fired a neat shot with the six-pounder which hit the other ship broadside. Hampton fired on the run, made a graceful sweep, and got off a second round before the enemy gunners were ready to fire. The Susquetack’s first shot went wide, giving the Susan Harper a few spare minutes in which to circle and attack from the other side. Katherine sucked in her breath in admiration of Hampton’s skill.
Suddenly Hampton swung, presenting a narrow target to the other’s next broadside, and scurried away. Within two volleys they were out of range, with little damage incurred. The Susquetack gave pursuit, but as it came within range, the Susan Harper again turned and engaged battle. This time, however, a broadside smashed into it, shaking the ship and sending wood flying. Again Katherine’s ship twisted out of range, and the deadly dance continued.
Katherine realized what Hampton was doing. He was slapping at them, darting in and out, keeping control of the battle in his hands, and eating up valuable time. No doubt he was hoping to elude them when dark came. Also, he Was attempting to inflict enough damage to keep them from following or at least to slow them down. Hence he was using his limited firing power on the masts. While the Susquetack’s captain was good, his nature nullified the advantages of his ship. His craft was smaller and speedier, but his methodical slowness lengthened the ship’s reaction time too much; he could not counter Hampton’s quick, wasplike darts and retreats. He was caught off-guard by the other’s unorthodox approach; he was puzzled, uncertain. He shot to cripple, not to slow, but the Susan Harper was larger and could withstand more punishment. What Camberton didn’t realize was that Hampton did not intend to settle down to a full-scale fight, that he was just trying to escape.
One of the Susan Harper’s balls hit a mast directly and it toppled. Katherine wanted to cheer, then realized she was supporting her enemy. She heard her name called and turned reluctantly, fearing the captain’s wrath. But it was Dr. Rackingham signaling to her. She quickly made her way to him.
“Have you ever done any nursing? I need help with the wounded,” he shouted above the roar of the wind and guns.
“No, I haven’t, but I have a strong stomach and won’t faint.”
“You’ll do. Come with me.”
Katherine followed the doctor around, carrying his supplies, holding broken limbs as he set them, handing his instruments to him, swabbing gently at wounds. At first she thought she had been too confident in her estimation of her abilities, but she forced down her nausea and steeled herself to the awful cries of pain, knowing that a display of her sensibilities would not help. Time crept by. She kneeled, pulled, crouched, shoved, carried until her muscles and joints ached. Her head pounded from the vibration of the guns. Her face had frozen into a mask of concerned reassurance. She soon felt infinitely weary, but there was no rest. Beneath her the deck shuddered as they were hit; the guns pounded; the ships swerved and turned and raced; the air reeked of gunpowder. But she was oblivious to the battle, oblivious to everything but the wound of the man in front of her, oblivious even to the blood splattering her dress or the gash in her arm where a flying splinter had hit her. Hampton, catching sight of her, felt the anger flare in him—didn’t she realize the danger she was putting herself in?—and almost went to snatch her away. But he stopped an
d gave a rueful shrug. She was needed and making herself useful, and it just would not be Katherine not to be in the midst of things. He might as well tell the wind not to blow.
It was not until she turned to the next patient, only to see there was not another one waiting, that she realized it. was over. Somewhere along the way it had grown dark; the guns had stopped booming. She looked dazedly up at Dr. Rackingham. He smiled wearily.
“Is it over?” she said. “What happened?”
“We are giving them the slip,” said Matthew behind her.
She whirled to face him. “We’ve escaped them?”
“It’s night and difficult to see us; cloudy, no moon or stars. And we are sailing south instead of in our original direction. We will lose them by morning. We cut their speed in half, and by the time they repair mast and sails—if they can—we will be very far away.”
Peculiarly she almost felt relieved. “And what of us? Are we damaged?”
“A few holes in the hull; we’ll make it. As for the men, well, that is what I came to see the doctor about.”
“You’re lucky. No dead. Only one critically wounded—a gut wound. I’m afraid he will be gone before long. A couple of fractures. Several cuts from flying wood or pieces of shell. Probably three of them will be out of commission for a while. The others will be able to do at least some work.”
“You mean we tended no more than that?” Katherine asked, astounded. “It seemed like hundreds.”
“No, Miss Devereaux, there were only about five or six serious cases. But here, you are cut yourself. Let me see that.”
Numbly she extended her arm to him. She saw him clean the wound and swab it with antiseptic as if she were very far away from him and quite unconnected with the injury. He bandaged it carefully with clean white gauze. Peculiarly he and Hampton seemed to move away and grow smaller. They were talking but she couldn’t hear their voices, only a faint roaring in her ears like the sound in a seashell. Suddenly they and the ship began to tilt crazily, and then darkness rushed in on her.
“My God!” Matthew cried, catching her limp body before it hit the deck. “She’s fainted.”
“She’s had a rough day,” Rackingham said. “I suggest you put her to bed. Here are some smelling salts.”
Hampton swung her into his arms and carried her like a child back to his quarters, where he carefully laid her on the bed. He waved the bottle of salts beneath her nose, and her eyes fluttered open. She wrinkled her nose and coughed, pushing the vial away.
“Get that away from me. What are you trying to do?”
“Bring you back to life. You fainted on me, my love.”
“I never fainted in my life,” she protested weakly.
“There’s a first time for everything. Now if you’ll just stand up, we’ll get you undressed and into bed, and then you’re going to take a nice sleep.”
“It’s silly to be so weak,” she said, clinging to his arm to help her stand.
“Even you are allowed to be weak sometimes,” he replied, supporting her with one arm and unbuttoning her dress with the other hand. “You have had a rough time today.”
“You didn’t faint,” she said and yawned.
“It was not my first battle, either. Besides, I just stood around shouting orders. You were doing actual work.”
She tilted back her head to look at him. She felt strange, light-headed, with little control of herself. “Why are you being so nice?”
Hampton looked down into her wide, luminous eyes and breathed in sharply. How lovely she was, even with a sweat-and dirt-streaked face. “Relief that we’re not dead or captured, I guess. Anyway, you’re not up to it tonight,” he grinned. “Tomorrow I plan to be very severe, however, about the fact that you disobeyed me. You could have been killed, you know.”
“I know,” she sighed, and rested her head wearily against his shoulder.
“All right, now.” He pulled off her dress, then unfastened her hoop and petticoats so that they dropped to the floor. “Into bed with you.”
She crawled in obediently and he tucked the covers in around her shoulders, then bent down to kiss her cheek.
“Sleep well. I’ll join you as soon as we’re out of danger.”
“Goodnight.” She was asleep almost before he reached the door.
She slept fitfully, dreaming harried, confused dreams, still hearing the boom of cannon fire. A few hours later, she woke up as Hampton crawled into bed beside her. He was large and warm and smelled still of gunpowder. She snuggled up against his back and fell sound asleep.
The sound of his chuckle awakened her the next morning. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked at him.
“Good morning, Katherine,” he said and kissed her lightly.
“What is so funny?” she asked sourly.
“You. You look like a chimney sweep.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your face, dear. And mine, too, no doubt.”
He was indeed covered with soot. She crawled over him and went to the dresser to look in the mirror.
“Good heavens!” She gasped at her reflection; her face was smudged and streaked with gunpowder.
Immediately she poured water into the wash basin and began to scrub her face and neck and arms with soap and water. When she finished he took her place, washing off the grime, stripping off his dirty shirt to scrub his chest. Katherine began to dress, pulling the light flowered dress from the trunk. The other was dirty and splashed with blood and needed a good cleaning before she could wear it again.
“Very attractive,” he said and she turned.
Katherine glanced away uneasily at the sight of his bare chest, firm and well-muscled, little droplets of water still glistening on the crisp brown hair.
“A little girlish for me.”
“A little, for your personality,” he agreed. “But still very pretty. The neckline shows off your lovely bosom.”
She blushed, then shivered. “I’m afraid it leaves too much uncovered. I am freezing.”
“Well, it won’t be high fashion, but you could wear one of my shirts over it.”
“Could I?”
“But of course. My generosity is boundless. Anyway, they belong to Captain Sloane.”
“That’s true,” Katherine said, as though the idea made her feel better.
As she put it on, he said, “Katherine, what I said last night is true. You should not have disobeyed me. I realize you were a great help to Dr. Rackingham. But I want you in the safest place, not the most exposed. I did not bring you along to get you killed or even to put you to work as a nurse. You know that a captain’s word is law on his ship.”
“I know,” she said petulantly, feeling herself to have been in the wrong. “But I just couldn’t stand to miss it.”
“I am sure you couldn’t, and your bravery is commendable. But during a battle, during any crisis, it is imperative that everyone obey quickly and exactly. You could endanger everyone by disobeying. Surely you understand that. No matter how you react to me personally, you have to obey my commands as captain.”
“Oh, all right. I won’t do it again.”
“Good girl. Now how about some breakfast?”
She wanted very much to pout, but instead assumed a dignified air. “As you wish.”
He winked at her. “No sulking. You know I’m right.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and felt better. He grinned.
After breakfast, he went out to set the ship back on its course and attempt to repair some of the damage that had been inflicted. Katherine tried to read, but found it dull, still feeling the overflow of tension and excitement from the day before. Soon she gave it up, put on her cloak, and went up on deck to survey the situation.
Hampton was too busy to notice her and she observed him undetected. She had to admit that, no matter how low he was as a human being, as a captain, a sailor, a warrior, he was superb. Calm, quick, daring, respected and obeyed; she had seen him in a different light when s
he watched him coolly outwitting and escaping a faster, better-armed ship. Before she had thought of him only as her hated enemy, a swaggering, conceited brute. Now she saw him as his men did, a trusted leader, competent, bright, responsible. And she felt a pang of hopelessness. What chance did she have against such an opponent? Implacable, a master of strategy, quick-witted, strong—he was sure to defeat her.
Her gloomy thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Rackingham, who took her down to visit the men she had helped nurse the day before. It improved her spirits to see their gratitude and to cheer them and make them feel better. She promised a man with a broken arm to write a letter at his dictation and was immediately swamped by requests from many of the men who were illiterate. She agreed, feeling useful and needed. Then she proceeded further to improve her attitude by soundly defeating the doctor at a game of chess.
Soon after the doctor left, Hampton came in for lunch. Katherine greeted him coolly. She might feel moments of despair, but that did not mean she was about to give in easily. He responded to her icy demeanor with a sardonic smile. So the companionship of the day before was gone. Well—he shrugged mentally—the excitement of yesterday had caught her off-guard, causing her to reveal herself more as she really was. Today, she had recovered her image. He didn’t expect to win her over that easily. Still, it was a little disappointing.
“I see you are as ingratiating as ever,” he said. She merely raised an eyebrow.
She was too cool by half, he thought. He came up to her and lightly traced the neckline of her dress, running one finger down the valley between her breasts. Katherine looked at him, startled out of her composure for a moment. He bent to kiss her neck, his lips lingering over her smooth flesh. She simply stood stiffly.
“I would like to eat lunch,” she said crisply. “I am rather hungry.”
“I have a hunger of a different sort,” he murmured.
“You’re mad. It’s the middle of the day!”
He chuckled. “Have I offended your sensibilities? Can’t it be done by light of day? I think I will enjoy looking at your body in full light.”
Gregory, Lisa Page 18
