The Captain of Her Heart

by Anita Stansfield

  * * * * *

   

  “Kyrah,” Daisy shouted, coming through the door and running into the kitchen. “Kyrah! Where are you?”

  “I’m here,” she replied, coming in from the back porch. “What is it?”

  “I’ve got it,” she grinned, taking Kyrah’s hands as she tried to catch her breath.

  “You’ve got what?” Kyrah laughed, bewildered.

  “I’ve found passage for you . . . back to England.”

  “Oh, Daisy.” Kyrah sat down quickly and put her hand to her heart. “Are you certain? Is it really true?”

  “Of course it’s true. I’d not steer you false. I’ve talked to the captain of the ship himself. And it took a little talking, mind you. But I told him that you had the diamond necklace you were willing to pay with, and he said he’d talk to you.”

  “He wants to talk to me?” Kyrah asked, more excited than afraid.

  “There’s nothing to be worrying about. He’s a nice man . . . once you get to know him.”

  “But Daisy, I’m . . . I’m not certain I should go out like this. I . . .” She pressed a hand over her well-rounded belly that felt as if it would burst at any moment.

  “Just wear your cloak. You’ll be fine. It’s practically high noon out there. I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll walk with you part way if you’ll hurry.”

  Daisy left Kyrah at a corner only a few steps away from the tavern where she’d told Kyrah the captain could be found. She unconsciously put a hand where her baby grew, knowing it would only be a few weeks before it arrived. She hoped the baby would not deter this man’s willingness to take her on board.

  Kyrah hesitated at the door of the tavern, wondering what kind of lowlife existed inside. Entering stoically, she ignored the skeptical glances of the crowd and approached the table in the corner where Daisy had told her the captain would be. She paused when she saw the man sitting there, and scrutinized him carefully before he saw her. From his appearance, it was tempting to turn around and leave. But if Daisy had recommended him, he couldn’t be too bad.

  “Captain Garret?” she asked, stepping to the table’s edge as she pushed back the hood of her long cloak.

  “Yes,” he said and stood. As their eyes met, time seemed to briefly stop. He had the most penetrating eyes she had ever seen—yet they were kind, somehow, which lessened her apprehension.

  Garret told himself to stop staring and motioned for the woman to sit down. The very fact that she looked so completely out of place in this town made him wonder if she might be the woman Ritch was looking for. She certainly fit the description he’d given—except for being quite pregnant. But then, those things happened. As their eyes met again across the table, he found it difficult to look away. He felt instinctively drawn to her for reasons he couldn’t explain.

  Kyrah met the captain’s bold gaze, considering this an opportunity to exercise her new-found courage. She refused to let this man intimidate her—even though she suspected that was not his intention. While his aura itself was intimidating, there was something about him that Kyrah found intriguing.

  “So,” he finally broke the silence, “what is it that I can do for you?” She was surprised by his mellow voice and eloquent speech, but she couldn’t deny feeling a bit unnerved as he continued to stare at her with deep-set, intense eyes.

  “I’m looking for passage back to England,” she said quietly. “I hear you have a ship that will be going there soon.”

  Garret had been apprehensive when Daisy asked if this friend of hers could go back to England with him. But she had pleaded and begged and convinced him that she’d been good to him and he owed her many favors. Now as he watched this woman, he was glad he’d consented to see her. He sensed something fine about her. Her determined air was inspiring somehow, while a barely-concealed trepidation showed in her eyes. Instinctively he wanted to do everything he could to help her—whether this was Kyrah Payne or not.

  “Might I ask your name?” he said and held his breath.

  Kyrah was caught off guard. She recalled Daisy once mentioning that it might be wise to use an assumed name in order to avoid her husband. She quickly came up with her mother’s maiden name. “Mrs. Griffin,” she said.

  “Mrs. Griffin,” Garret repeated, and knew she was lying. But he stuck to the business at hand. “Well, it’s not my ship,” he said, “but I’m sailing it. I don’t suppose the owner would mind if we took a woman on board.”

  “I have this,” she said, pulling the velvet box from beneath her cloak. She opened it discreetly, just enough for him to see the brilliant diamond necklace.

  It looked much more expensive than Daisy had made him think. He closed the box quickly and pushed it toward her. “Don’t let anybody else see that,” he cautioned with a smile.

  “Will you take me to England,” she all but pleaded, “in exchange for the necklace?”

  “I will,” he said coolly, “but that necklace is worth a great deal more than passage to England.”

  “Would it better if I sold it and—”

  “You could probably get more for it in England,” he said. “You can pay me when we get there.”

  Kyrah sighed and briefly closed her eyes. The relief was indescribable. At last, she would be going home. Home to the Cornish wind, the church ruins, her mother. Ritcherd. The thought made her heart quicken. Oh, to see him again!

  Kyrah reminded herself she was not alone and focused on the captain. She resisted the urge to tell him he was an answer to her prayers, not certain how he’d take such a comment from a stranger. “When are you leaving?” she asked.

  “A week, maybe two at the most. We’ve been in port nearly three months. It’s about time we got moving.”

  “That should be fine,” she said, biting her lip slightly.

  Garret wanted to ask if she’d be bringing the baby or having it on the ship, but he figured they had the means to handle it either way. Not wanting to offend her, he opted to say nothing about it.

  “Where can I contact you when we’re ready to sail?” he asked.

  Kyrah explained where she lived, and told him she’d be ready to leave and waiting for his word.

  “I’ll send someone to get you,” he said.

  “Thank you so much, Captain. You are my deliverer.” She stood and was surprised when he took her hand and gave it a lingering kiss.

  Their eyes met again while Garret held her hand longer than he knew was appropriate. He wanted to blurt out the words on the tip of his tongue: Does the name Ritcherd Buchanan mean anything to you? But since she would be sailing with them, he figured it was only a matter of time before he would know if she was the one.

  “Thank you again,” she said, graciously retracting her hand.

  “By the way,” he added, “the ship is called the Phoenix. That’s where you can find me if you need anything.”

  She smiled again, and he couldn’t help thinking how pretty she was—in a sweet and simple way. Women like her just didn’t exist in places like this. If she wasn’t Kyrah Payne, he wondered where she might have come from. For that matter, if she wasn’t Ritcherd Buchanan’s woman, he might consider pursuing her himself.

  “Perhaps I’ll have a look at the ship,” she said.

  “Feel free,” he said proudly. “I’ll even give you a tour if you like.”

  “I’m certain I’ll see it well once we set sail.”

  “Indeed,” he smirked, and Kyrah thought that Daisy had been right. Captain Garret was a very nice man.

  “Thank you again,” she said, and he nodded slightly.

  Kyrah wrapped the cloak tightly around her and pulled the hood down around her head as much as possible in order to avoid the odd glances she had gotten on her way in. The tavern was more crowded than when she’d arrived, and she had to push her way past several people to get to the door. But her mind was caught up in the arrangements she had just made. She was going home.