“Whatever happens, Elizabeth, be brave, and know that I would go to the ends of the Earth to keep you safe.”
“For what is worth, I think that I am finally beginning to believe you.”
They emerged into the Captain’s cabin, and he opened the door quietly.
“Stay close to me. With all luck, they will be busy with the rest of the crew, and they won’t realize we’ve made a run for it until it is too late.”
“But why are we running?”
“Because, my dear girl, if we remain here Chastity will, no doubt, slit your throat.”
“Oh, is that all? Well then, lead on, lead on, kind sir.” She hadn’t liked this Chastity to begin with, but now she thought more of the swine in the pigpen than she did of her.
“You’ll have to climb down the side of the ship with me, it will be the only way to keep things quiet.”
“We shall make quite the pretty picture. Fancy it, a pirate and an heiress running away from their own ship. First it was mine, and then it was yours, and now it’s hers. Seems it has made a full circle. My father purchased it, and he is a no-good rotten fellow, and now, Chastity has it under her wing, and she’s the rottenest woman that I’ve ever had the displeasure of coming across. How could you make love to her?”
“We don’t have time for your endless prattling right now, and just to ease your mind—love had nothing to do with what Chastity and I shared,” he muttered.
She watched as he climbed over the side, and then she followed his lead. He lent her a helping hand, but she found that she really didn’t require it.
“Where did you learn to scale a ship like that?”
“I climbed trees when I was little. You can thank Ron, his brother, and his sisters, for that. We ran wild. Like heathens, his mother used to say,” she laughed. “My mother said it was good for me, and I’ve climbed out of my bedroom window on more than one occasion, since then.”
“Why, Miss Elizabeth, I would never have pegged you for a certified hell raiser. You’re quite the wild one.”
“Well, that just goes to show, that appearances can sometimes be deceiving. Take Chastity for example. She looks like an angel, but acts like the very devil himself.”
“Shush,” he murmured.
They were but a drop to the waterline.
“Where do we go once we are in the water?”
“How about you come right back up here?” Chastity murmured, popping her head over the side of the ship just as they splashed into the water.
“Uh, oh,” Elizabeth muttered. Her eyes widened as Chastity directed her pistol straight at her. “Lucky Lizzie, my foot. Seems my bloody luck just ran out.” Rafe was coming toward her, but she didn’t want him to get shot instead. She shut her eyes, just as Chastity pulled the trigger. The last thing she heard, was the ear splitting sound of gunfire ripping through the air.
Chapter Sixteen
Mallory could feel his entire world slipping away from him. He dived under the water for the quickly sinking form of Elizabeth. He could distantly hear Chastity’s triumphant hoot, but he had to put it out of his mind.
There were far more pressing matters to attend to. He reached Elizabeth in no time and scooped her lifeless form into his arms. He knew he had to swim as far away from The Valiant as was possible. Though Chastity had succeeded in overtaking the frigate, his other ships would have been well warned of the deception, thanks to Ethan’s quick thinking. Their other ships would no doubt be on guard. The key was to reach The Red Dawn without being discovered. Once there, they would be safe.
He emerged out of the water, and gasped for air. Elizabeth let out a little moan, and her head lolled from side to side. He skimmed his hands over her body, but could not find any sign of a wound.
“Where is the pain?” he asked, when her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him for a moment, as if she didn’t recognize him.
“You know, I was hoping the last few days were but a dream.”
“Now what do you think?”
“Now I’m wishing that Chastity had a surer aim.”
“Elizabeth, why did you go under, then?”
“I thought that it would fool her, and it did,” Elizabeth said brightly. “I trusted that she wouldn’t be too swift. I’m so glad she didn’t let me down.”
“Are you strong enough to swim on your own power?”
“I think so. But you know, you owe me a full night’s sleep.”
“A full night nestled in bed next to you. Yes, I think that I could do with that.” As anticipated, her face flushed with anger.
“If we weren’t already in such a fix I would take a swing at you.”
“And at this point in time, I would gladly welcome it.” He grinned.
“Oh, good God,” she muttered, treading water in one spot for a moment. “What about The Warrior’s Lady? Presumably, they wouldn’t have recognized the signal that you and your band of pirates use.”
“Bloody hell.” He hadn’t thought of that one. She was right. The Warrior’s Lady was most certainly at the mercy of Chastity, and her band of merry men and women. “This isn’t what I need right now.”
“Aye, you are right there. But then I don’t think anyone of us thought that you would allow a turncoat to board your ship. I mean, here I thought you were the feared Captain Morgan,” she snorted.
“I try,” he muttered. He couldn’t believe what she was saying, even though he had fallen head first in Chastity’s trap. Ethan had tried to warn him, but he had forged ahead on his own, without giving his first mate’s counsel a second thought.
“Do you think we would have fared better if we’d stayed and fought?” she asked.
“I’ve already told you what Chastity would have done to you, if we had remained.”
“Of course you did. But now Mary and Ronald are at her mercy.”
“Trust me when I say this, Mary shall be able to hold her own against Chastity. Ronald will no doubt be locked up with the rest of the crew.”
“And the babe?”
“The babe shall be fine. Chastity is a great many things, but even I do not believe that she would be capable of harming a baby.”
Cannon fire rang out around them. “I think The Valiant is at this moment engaging The Warrior’s Lady.”
“They shall be fine. Come, Elizabeth, we must make it to The Red Dawn.” He glanced toward Elizabeth, and watched as her expression became transfixed.
“Dear God, they aren’t faring so well,” she muttered. Fatigue lined her features. “Ron will fight until the very end. Until the bitter bloody end.”
“I’m glad to hear that your Ronald possesses some back bone. However, Chastity is more foolish than I ever gave her credit for. Not only will she be wanted by the Royal Navy now, but she will also be wanted by the American Navy.”
“Yes, but she’s fired on an American ship by using another American ship.”
“That only goes to show that she is an intelligent fool,” he grunted.
“It gratifies me tremendously now to know that I learned how to swim. My father warned against it but my mother insisted.”
“Well, I shall be certain to say a prayer of thanks to your mother, then. I’m very happy to know that I do not need to carry your lazy arse around the High Seas.”
“At least we have a calm sea.”
“As to that, how is your sea sickness?”
“Fortunately, I am no longer on a swaying ship, so I seem to be just fine.” She flashed him a smile, and he felt his heart warm. They needed to reach The Red Dawn as quickly as possible. They were sitting ducks in the water, and, had attacking Mary’s ship not distracted Chastity, they would more than likely already be dead.
The Red Dawn seemed to have spotted them for they were moving to intercept.
“Sir,” the acting Captain of The Red Dawn called out. They dropped down a line for them, and he wrapped his arm around Elizabeth tightly.
“Hang on,” he whispered, as she plastered herself up against
him. He tugged on the line, and waited as they were heaved aboard.
“Welcome aboard, sir,” Harold Bartholomew said. Elizabeth was still clinging to him, and he glanced down to gauge her reaction to Harold. Harold was a seasoned seaman. He had lost his left arm, and his left eye to the French during the war with Napoleon and was scared right up that side. She blinked a few times, and sighed softly, but, the for the most part, she remained silent.
*****
“What is your plan of action Rafe?” she asked. He furrowed his brow, and managed to just barely suppress his admiration.
“My plan of action is to get you to safety.”
“You can’t be serious!” she said, following him up the stairs to the command deck. “I shall not believe that you would be that callous.”
“Chastity will no doubt deliver Mary and her child into safe hands.”
She quickened her pace, and nearly slammed into him, when he stopped suddenly.
“I must be labouring beneath a misapprehension, then.” Her voice had turned cold, and she was happy to see that it had caught his attention. He wasn’t shivering at all, and the fair sea wind was rippling his sun-kissed hair. Ignoring the men around her, she pushed her way to stand in front of him. “I thought you were a pirate. What’s more, you even admitted to once being a King’s man. You disgrace yourself. Mary is an innocent woman, and her child is both vulnerable and innocent.”
“The babe shall not be harmed, and I do not think that you knew Mary long enough. She is a force to be reckoned with, to be sure. Do not worry about her.”
“If I was on that ship, would you salute it, as it pulled away? Whatever happened to making a stand? This is ludicrous. You have more ships at your disposal, and yet you will allow Ron and his ship to fall prey to the worst sort of people imaginable. Whatever respect I did hold for you, sir, has now been blown straight to hell.”
*****
Mallory didn’t know what she was going on about. If he didn’t enjoy her little display so much he would have already told her that he had all good intentions of pursuing Chastity. But he was willing to see what Elizabeth would do to encourage his pursuit.
“I have the interest of my men to hold at heart. Taking you back to England, and marrying you as soon as possible furthers that interest.”
“You are a no good rotten bas—” he held his hand up for her silence, and she surprisingly, clamped her mouth shut.
“I have no time for your pitiful arguments.” She swayed slightly and put out an arm to steady her. “Are you all right, or do you require the attention of the sickbay?”
“I’m fine,” she murmured. “But you will not be, if you do not assist The Warrior’s Lady. I shall give you the fight of your life if you do not do so.”
“Shall you? Imagine that,” he said, grinning.
“If you give your help to Ron’s ship, then I will marry you willingly. As soon as we disembark, we may make ready to marry.”
“Indeed. Very well. I had not thought that you were so very eager. I hadn’t presumed that you felt so deeply about me.”
He watched as Elizabeth scowled. “You, sir, disgust me.” She reached out for his arm, as the ship made a sudden turnabout.
“What is going on?”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you, my dear? As soon as we boarded the ship, my crew knew to assemble into fighting mode. We shall have one roaring hullabaloo once we open our gun ports and engage The Valiant.”
“Rafe, I swear you never cease to amaze me.”
“Stick with me, my fair lady, and I’ll show you more adventure than your mind will ever be able to hold.”
“Sticking with you, now there’s a bet I’d rather not wager on.” She grinned at him.
“I might have to mess your ship up a bit, dear,” he mused.
“Mess away,” she said eagerly.
The Red Dawn’s cannon fire split through the air, and targeted the topmasts of The Valiant. “Fancy trick, but I’m afraid your men are a bit shy of the mark.” The shell missed the sheet, and hit The Warrior’s Lady instead.
“Christ’s teeth. Harold, sort out the men. If they aren’t accurate this time, I shall have a fit. We can’t afford another mistake like that again. Remember, I want The Valiant back, but I do not want it in tiny little pieces. And if anyone hits Mary’s ship again, I’ll string them up by their toes. Do I make myself clear?”
“Aye, Captain. Clearer than a night without fog.”
Another pirate rushed forward, and handed Rafe a dry greatcoat. He took it with thanks, and discarded his wet one.
“Good, man. On with it, then.” He smiled at Harold, and then turned back to Elizabeth. He loved the way that she looked with the sun glinting off her hair. They only had a short amount of time with sunlight left, after that they would be forced into waging a night battle. He hated night battles, and tried to plan against them at all opportunities.
“I do believe I may have been a bit rash in my judgment of you earlier. It was bad business on my behalf. I hope that you will take my apology, I shall not jump to any such conclusions in the future.”
“Truly?” he asked, quirking one eyebrow. “You shall have my trust, as well. Though my thoughts of you did not have to be influenced in any way. I already hold you in high esteem.”
He watched avidly as that wonderful colour peeked into her cheeks again. He noticed for the first time, that she was shuffling from foot to foot with her arms up to shield her breasts. He quickly slipped out of his dry greatcoat, and slipped it around her shoulders. “You could go down below, no one would think any different of it, if you did. You may reside in my cabin, and be quite comfortable.”
“And miss the rest of this battle? I think not!” She pulled the greatcoat closer around her shivering shoulders, and leaned into him for some warmth.
“Most women from your class of society would be shivering in their boots right now.”
“Well, to be truthful, I am.” She grinned up at him. “Though as you can see, I am not wearing boots.” She flexed her toes, and he smiled.
“Miss, I swear you are a conundrum.”
“Thank you. I shall take that as a compliment.”
The Valiant’s gun ports opened and discharged at them. Cries of men surrounded him, and Mallory grit his teeth. The price of battle was always something he never took pleasure in.
“Fire returning shots,” he cried out, taking charge of the situation. “Let’s show that little bitch what we’re made of.”
The men cheered, and the fuses on the cannons were lit once again. They discharged, and made several direct hits on The Valiant.
“I hope that you are not planning on blowing them out of the water,” Elizabeth’s voice had dropped to a mere whisper.
“My dear, who is the battle expert here?”
“You needn’t be so defensive,” she muttered, averting his gaze. “I’m just worried about the crew, that’s all.”
“Of course. As am I. I assure you I shall not do anything to impede their safety. Though I am a pirate, a good loyal and steadfast crew is hard to come by. My crew will stick with me through thick and thin, and I will not do anything to lose my men.”
“Chastity must harbour some ill will for you.” She mustered a tentative smile, and he could tell that she was trying to get him to open up about his past.
“Chastity harbours some ill will for me, because I left her to hang from a yard arm of a Royal Navy ship.” His voice was flat, and he kept his eyes pinned on The Valiant, so he wouldn’t be forced to meet her gaze. He knew that Elizabeth would think he was a good for nothing brute.
“I can understand why. But I wasn’t aware that The Royal Navy was in the sordid business of hanging women.”
“Chastity is a well-known pirate, and she has terrorized many of His Majesty’s ships. The Captain of the HMS warship, The Resolve, didn’t realize that she was a woman until the last possible moment. By that time, one of Chastity’s allies was on their way to aid her. The Resolve wa
s boarded, and any of the men that weren’t killed in the ensuing battle left the Royal Navy, and joined in with Chastity.”
Another volley of cannon fire was shot off at them and, to Mallory’s horror, a shell rolled onto the deck.
“Rafe!” Elizabeth cried, pointing horrifically at it. His men were running away from it, and cries of panic consumed the ship.
“Hells Bells,” he swore, without thinking, he ran toward it, ripping off his still damp shirt as he went.
The shell’s fuse sputtered out, before Mallory could reach it. Amazed that it was defective, he picked it up, and tossed it a far distance away from the ship. He turned back to smile at Elizabeth, and then it exploded. He heard ringing in his ears, and he was thrown forward. He crashed against the deck, and heard the soft patter of Elizabeth’s feet as she ran toward him.
“Rafe, don’t you dare be dead!” she screamed, falling to her knees. She rolled him over gently, so that he was staring up at her. “Speak to me!”
“What would you like me to say?” Stars surrounded her head and he felt as if his head were about to explode. “Would you please tell Harold to stop ringing the ship’s bell?”
“You buffoon! No one is ringing the ships bell. I do believe that the explosion has caused the ringing in your ears.”
“Well, then it shall pass,” he muttered.
“Sir,” Harold said, running toward him. “They are running up the flag of surrender.”
“I do not believe it.” Mallory tried to push himself to his feet. “Chastity would not give in so easily.”
“I don’t know about that. Perhaps she would.” Elizabeth bit her lip.
“Or perhaps the crew was able to regain control of the ship.”
“Highly unlikely. Though I do appreciate the positive attitude, Harold. Give the order to bring us alongside The Valiant and assemble a boarding party.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Harold said, saluting him and went to carry out his orders.
“I thought that your crew was made up of criminals and undesirables.”
“As a matter of fact, to my knowledge no members of my crew have ever committed cold-blooded murder. But yes, some of them have been accused of certain petty crimes. However, numerous members of my crew have at one time or another been in the service of His Royal Majesty. So, in essence, I suppose that you would say old habits die hard.”
His to Hold (Regency Scoundrels Book 1) Page 14
