by Sara Orwig
“Mrs. Raven, are you all right?”
“Yes, just surprised.”
“I’ll get that water.” He left in a rush, as if thankful to escape her presence.
Edwin had known the enormous sum she was worth and had never mentioned it. For the first time, Lianna began to wonder if Edwin was the same docile childhood friend she had known when she was young. He had always said that to survive at sea, one had to be tough. To become captain of his own vessel so swiftly would mean he had to be ruthless.
A glass of water was thrust into her hands. She drank, her thoughts formulating swiftly.
“If I become Captain Stafford’s wife, this would become his property,” she said.
“That’s correct, but that should be no problem, as you have trusted him to take care of everything for you. And he has done so admirably well.”
She. stood up. “I’ll be going home. Thank you, Mr. Drayton. I’d rather you kept this visit between the two of us.”
“Of course, Mrs. Raven. Whatever you say.”
Lianna stepped outside. As she walked to her carriage, she glanced at a man standing in the shadows near the door. He turned away, pulling his hat down over his eyes. She shivered, feeling suddenly cold from looking into impassive blue eyes. She climbed into her carriage and looked back to see the man mount a horse and turn in the opposite direction.
Why had Edwin kept the sum from her? Was it a simple oversight? Or was that the reason he wanted so desperately to wed her when he knew she didn’t love him? At last she faced the question squarely. She looked down at her lap at the glittering diamond. She remembered Josh’s visit, his kiss, his declaration of love. She loved him. Whatever he had done, in spite of all the differences between them, she loved him and she would not wed Edwin Stafford. Could Edwin have lied to her about Josh planning to wed Lady Wellman? Could he have lied to her about many things?
She slipped the diamond from her finger, dropping it into her reticule.
And when she did, her heart soared. She had to find Josh. How insurmountable were their differences?
The nagging awareness of the Marchenos’ death reminded her that barriers still lay between them, but she would not marry Edwin this Friday, and she wanted Josh to know it.
She had known Edwin so long, yet so little. And in comparison, Josh so briefly, yet he had bound her heart forever.
Where did Josh live? How could she find him? A cold notion tore at her—how soon would he return to El Feroz and sail out of her life? She would find Josh and worry about the questions later. Right now, she had to tell Edwin.
Edwin paced the floor of his parlor. “The man has more lives than two cats!”
A burly man stood waiting, running his hands down his baggy woolen breeches. He shuffled his muddy boots. “He’s surrounded by an army now. We can’t get to him. He slips in and out of that house at night or goes out the roof and through the one next door.”
“I want him out of my way.” Edwin ground out the words. He looked up. “Fletcher Chance. Everywhere he goes, Chance is with him. Does Chance go out alone?”
“The yellow-haired man? Aye. He has a ship in dock—”
“Take Chance on my ship. Leave a trail so Raven will know where he is and where to follow.”
“You want him to know?”
“That’s right.”
“We kill the yellow-haired—”
“No! Take him so Raven will follow. Just give me time. Tomorrow is all that I ask. Get them to sea. I don’t give a damn what happens then.” He smiled. “The money I offered for Raven is still there if you kill him.” Edwin’s pulse raced, and he felt like grinning. He would beat Joshua Raven yet! He went to a desk to withdraw a box. Opening it, he counted out golden guineas. Each coin clinked loudly in the silent room. Edwin dropped them into a bag and turned to hold it out.
“You keep Captain Raven away from London for twenty-four hours—until this time tomorrow—and I will pay you again as much.”
“Damn! We’ll do it!”
“You kill him—and I have to know that he is dead—and I’ll triple the sum.”
“Aye, sir! Aye, right away!”
The man pulled a black cap on his head, then paused. “The yellow-haired one?”
Edwin shrugged. “Do what you want. I have no interest in him.”
“Aye, sir. He’s strong and healthy. We can sell him in the islands.”
“Groley, don’t fail this time,” Edwin said. “You might not ever sail again if you do.”
“Aye, sir.” The door closed quietly behind him.
Edwin walked to the window to gaze outside, clenching his jaw until it ached. Lianna had been to see Drayton. Now she would know her wealth. It might not matter. Women were woolen-headed on such matters. And tonight…He drew a deep breath, his muscles relaxing. After tonight, she would do exactly as he demanded. Too long, he had been patient, waiting, courting her. Tonight the waiting was over. And once they were married, he would be good to her. Tonight was something that had to be. He had tried to win her with patience. Now he would do so with force. And once she was Mrs. Edwin Stafford, there was little Josh Raven could do.
Lianna went upstairs and changed into a pale blue velvet dress. She secured pins in her hair on top of her head, then left for Edwin’s.
He met her in the hall and led her into the parlor. She entered a room more elegant than her home. A fire burned warmly on the grate.
Edwin, dressed in a chocolate-brown coat and trousers, came forward to take her cold hands and turn them up to kiss. “How lovely you look!”
“Thank you. Edwin, I want to talk to you before we have dinner. It’s urgent.”
He smiled. “You sound concerned. Wait while I tell Morgan to hold dinner.”
Edwin left and she went to stand in front of the fire. She looked at the gold velvet chairs, the gilt furniture. Edwin had a ship, he had sold his cargo well. Had she misjudged him? Even if she had, it didn’t matter. Never again would she consider anyone except Josh Raven.
She dreaded the next hour, but Edwin had to be told, his ring returned, and she was determined to see it through tonight.
Edwin entered the room and closed the doors, shutting them into an intimacy she didn’t welcome. The heavy gold draperies were drawn, the oil lamps burned low. She lifted her chin. Edwin smiled and turned to lock the door.
The first inkling of alarm rose within her. She ignored it because her concentration was on the task ahead.
“So, you went to see Drayton today?”
Shocked that he knew, she nodded, then remembered the man who had watched her leave the solicitor’s office.
“Edwin, why didn’t you tell me the amount of my inheritance?”
He shrugged, pocketing the key to the door as he came to her. “You were ill—you trusted me with everything. It’s all there, Lianna. I didn’t rob you of a farthing.”
“I’m sorry.” She flushed, embarrassed at his stinging comment. “I was just shocked to learn the sum. I was surprised that you hadn’t mentioned it once, but I know it’s all there.”
His mouth curved in a sardonic smile, and he took her hands in his. Her fists were doubled, holding the ring. His brows arched as she turned her hands up. She opened her fist, revealing his ring.
“Edwin,” she said firmly, “I have to return your ring. I can’t marry you.”
He smiled. Lianna stared at him in shock as he looked at her with satisfaction.
“No, Lianna, you won’t return it,” he said softly.
35
Josh went down the hall and stopped in the open door of Fletcher’s room.
Fletcher pulled on sea boots and stood up. “I’m going to the Challenge. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Good. Tonight I want to see Lianna—unless Stafford is with her. If he is, I’ll wait.”
“Josh, every time I see my ship…” Fletcher’s voice trailed off and he swallowed hard.
“I’m glad you like it. You’ve earned it, Fletch.”
“You should have shared in everything. Our father…”
“You’ve been so damned generous.”
“Off with you now, and get back here on time.”
“Aye, that I will.”
Josh turned away, thankful Fletcher had his own ship. It gave him great pleasure to spend money on Fletcher, to give him a ship and a stipend for life. Josh knew that Fletcher would sail as soon as Josh had wed Lianna and was no longer in danger from Stafford. Josh sat down at his desk to look at papers he needed to return to Hiram Markham.
He pulled off his shirt and summoned his valet to ready a tub.
While Josh bathed, he thought of Lianna’s blue eyes as she had watched him with Phillip. His son! What a marvel the baby was! Josh laughed aloud. He couldn’t wait to hold him again. And he couldn’t wait to hold Lianna. She didn’t love Edwin Stafford. Whatever held her back, it wasn’t love for Stafford.
Suddenly he tossed aside the washcloth and stood up, splashing water over the sides of the tub. He reached for a towel. He wouldn’t wait until late tonight to see her! He would summon Fletcher and go now.
“Pritchard!” he shouted to his servant. “Have my horse saddled immediately!” He would dress, take two of the men, and ride to the quay to get Fletcher.
Within half an hour, Josh, Simms, and Drake approached the tall masts of the Challenge, Fletcher’s new frigate. Dressed in black boots, trousers, and coat, with a snowy white shirt, Josh rode eagerly along the quay. Torches burned along the dock, lighting it, making it easy to see men moving on the ship. His gaze swept the area, looking for the frigate he had purchased for Fletcher. His brows drew together as he saw it ready to sail, the gangplank being raised.
“What the devil! They’re sailing!”
Without waiting for the others, Josh urged his horse forward and dashed to the edge of the dock to shout to a sailor in the waist. “I want to speak to Captain Chance.”
“They’ve taken Captain Chance!”
“Who?” Raven shouted, muttering, “What in blue blazes…”A cold knot of fear formed in the pit of his stomach.
The sailor, a man who had served with Josh, motioned with a wave of his hand as he yelled, “Two men came on board and asked to see the captain. He climbed into a carriage with them, and the next thing, I saw them carry him aboard their ship. We’ll go after him.”
Josh peeled off his coat as Simms caught up. “Toss a rope. I’ll go with you.”
“What’s happening?” Simms asked.
“They’ve taken Fletcher.” He flung down his coat while instructions were yelled aboard ship. “Simms, watch Lianna’s house. Stafford’s done this to keep me away from her.”
“Aye, sir.”
“If you can talk to her, tell her someone has taken Fletcher.”
A rope was tossed, uncoiling in an arc while Simms swore. Josh cut across his words sharply. “Here, you and Drake hold this rope while I get aboard the ship.”
“Aye.”
He turned to the stocky sailor. “Simms, don’t let her wed Stafford, if you have to draw a sword to stop them!”
“Aye, sir. I’ll do my best.”
Drake and Simms held the rope tautly, while Josh wrapped his hands and feet around it.
“Hurry, sir. We can’t hold long because the ship is moving.”
“Aye. I’ll swim for it if necessary.” Hand over hand, Josh scrambled quickly along the rope, up toward the side of the ship. His arms began to ache from the pull; in seconds he felt the rope slacken and knew Simms and Drake could no longer hold it.
It fell free and he put out his feet as he swung to the side of the ship, then pulled himself up the rope. Hands reached down to help him on board.
“Thank God you’re here,” the first mate said. “The command is yours. You can still see the sails as it leaves the harbor,” Brompton added.
“The name of the ship?”
“The Eagle, sir.”
“Where’s the damned ship?”
“There, see? We can catch them.”
Josh saw the white sails in the distance, and rage made him shake. “Aye, we will catch them. Get this under way.”
“Aye, sir!”
Josh cursed in a steady stream of words that made a sailor nearby look at him sharply, then move away. Whatever trick Edwin Stafford was up to now would fail! This time, Josh would not be wrecked on a stormy coast. And if the man dared to harm Fletcher, Josh would get revenge! He saw Drake and Simms riding away. Angrily he strode down the deck and shouted orders to the helmsman.
36
Edwin slipped his arms around Lianna’s waist and pulled her to him.
“Edwin, don’t,” she said, feeling a wariness grow. She wriggled free and handed him the diamond ring. “I’m sorry.”
He dropped it into his pocket and smiled. “And tomorrow, how compromised will you be when you’ve spent the night here with only me? The servants are gone.”
His gray eyes glittered with triumph, and his voice held a harsh note beneath the calm. She backed away a step, glancing at the locked doors. “Don’t do something foolish. You can’t gain anything by it.”
“Isn’t it intriguing? He took you by force and later wanted to wed. I wanted to wed—and later took you by force.”
“No, he didn’t take me by force, and I never said as much.” She backed up another step, realizing how alone they were, how helpless she would be against his strength. “For so long, I thought you were the one person who loved me…”
He shrugged out of his coat and placed it over a chair. “As a boy, I did. What I said to you on the dock at Portsmouth, I meant. You were my childhood friend—and I was a stableboy, ignorant, young. We were both children.” His voice dropped. “I told you that you were everything I had ever dreamed of—your home, your possessions, you.”
For a moment her rising fear was buffered by sadness. “You envied what I had? What happened, Edwin? What made you so hard?”
His mouth curled in a crooked smile, and his voice was cynical. “Poverty, watching you sail away while I could do nothing.” He pulled his shirt free of his trousers, and her panic returned. “You were angry with Josh Raven, Lianna, for murdering his archenemy, the Count of Marcheno, yet on the high seas life is cheap, and only the strong and ruthless survive. How did you think I could have become captain and owner of my own ship so quickly?”
“You said your ship was wrecked and there were few survivors.” She backed around the sofa, putting it between her and Edwin. He dropped his shirt, revealing a chest fully as broad as Josh’s, rippling with muscles, a strength she would be defenseless against.
“There were few survivors—and I eliminated the captain and another crewman. In a storm it’s easy to get washed overboard.”
“Edwin, I don’t know you at all,” she whispered, appalled by his confession.
“No one can be sure about another except himself,” he snapped. “Who can be certain of anyone else on this earth?” His voice changed, dropping to a coaxing tone. “There’s no hope if you try to run or fight me. We’re here alone, you can’t escape. You can’t match my strength.”
“Don’t, for your sake as well as mine!”
“Save your pity. I’ll make you mine—as I should have on board ship.”
“Edwin, all those years…as children we were friends, but now you are so cruel,” she said, staring at him in shock.
“There’s no reward for kindness, Lianna, and you now have a great fortune. We were friends, and when you get over your pain and anger, we will be again. I know you as well as I know myself. I’ll please you once we are wed.”
“I won’t marry you. Edwin, you have changed so much…”
“The first time I slit a man’s throat, I was sick to death myself. The second time, I could stand it. The thir—”
“Edwin!”
“Life at sea is violent. Your precious Joshua is no fainthearted man. He’s as ruthless as they come. I’ll give you a chance, Lia
nna. I don’t want to hurt you unnecessarily. Go with me right now to a priest. We can be wed, and you’ll save yourself pain.”
“No, I won’t marry you.”
“We’ll see, Lianna. I know you value your life because of Phillip.” He came closer and she moved away warily, wanting to look for a weapon, yet scared to take her eyes from him. His bulging manhood proclaimed his desire and he moved with ease that told how sure he was of his conquest.
“I’ll hate you forever.”
“I don’t give a damn. If you don’t acquiesce, I will make it so painful and degrading that you’ll do whatever I ask,” he said flatly.
“Josh will kill you.”
“I’d welcome a battle with him. The last fight was on his ship, surrounded by his men.”
“And did they aid him in his fight?” She sneered, knowing full well the captain would be left to fight his own battle if possible.
Edwin’s face flushed. “I was new to the sea and hadn’t learned to use a sword properly. I have now, and I would like another chance at him.”
“When did you learn the size of Father’s estate?”
“When I returned to London to outfit my ship and sell my cargo.”
“So that’s why you came to find me.”
“Yes. It wasn’t true love, as I said. Women are in every port, and so far, Lianna, you’re too cold to heat a man’s blood properly.”
“Then let me go!”
“No. I’ve waited and come this close to fortune. And now, with Phillip standing to inherit—as his guardian, I’ll have wealth beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve already spoken for a new ship. By dawn, Lianna, you’ll consent to wed.”
“No! Edwin, don’t!” She looked around frantically for a weapon, saw the poker, and ran toward the hearth.
He barely made a sound as he sprang over the sofa, landed lightly on his feet, and grabbed her, spinning her around into his arms. Edwin crushed her in his arms, his mouth came down savagely on hers, kissing her, bruising her lips until they bled. He released her so suddenly she staggered backward.
