‘No, of course not,’ she answered, struggling impatiently for the last vestiges of her thin control, feeling it crack under the strain as he studied her. He moved closer, his eyes looking at her for a long moment, and Rowena had the strange sensation of falling.
He was too close and as she put up her hands to push him away, at that moment a slight gust of chill air broke into their solitary world, bringing cold reality with it. She both hated and desired this man who held her own and her sister’s future in the palm of his hand.
She had begun to look at him with fresh eyes, noting his authority on deck, the strength held in check as he handled the wheel. She had cleaned his cabin, fetched his meals, waited on him as a cabin boy should, hoping that being with him so much would make him seem less attractive, but so many conflicting emotions tumbled around inside her, fighting for ascendance. And now, as he stood so close to her, he was more attractive than ever, more desirable.
With a low laugh Tobias turned from her and dove into the cool waters of the pool, propelling himself with steady strokes from one bank to the other and back again, his body a dark, sleek mass skimming just below the surface of the water. After a while he paused and looked to where she stood watching him.
‘Come on in. The water feels good.’
Unable to resist the pull of the water, in a clean dive she cleaved the water, and with long, flowing strokes swam across the pool, watching him surreptitiously as he sought out the opposite side. Of all the baths she had ever taken, this one struck her as the most wonderful. She really would have loved to have a piece of the scented soap she used at home, but it didn’t prevent her making the most of the water.
With a slow, leisurely motion Tobias swam to her side and peered at her expectantly. ‘Well?’ He came to his feet and stood, the water playing in widening circles about his chest. Wiping wet hair from his eyes, he peered down at her. ‘Are you glad you came?’
Her heartbeat quickened and she felt a mixture of fear and joy. She breathed deeply, disturbingly affected by his nearness. Droplets of water clung to his bronze skin, and tinier beads sparkled in the dark furring of his chest. His hair was a dark halo in the forest light, and his gaze was fixed deliberately on her—assessing, lingering and seducing. His smile broadened as his eyes searched her face, then his smile faded and he grew serious. She looked away and colour warmed her cheeks. He was devouring her with his eyes. There was a fire in the blue depths, a blaze of passion and remembrance of the kiss he had give her once before, and longing.
‘Tobias, please don’t. You really are the most exasperating man.’
‘I agree. But you are a woman and I am a man—and…here we are, with no one to see us.’
‘Will you be serious?’ She bridled. ‘Control your lust. I did not come here for this—and please don’t paw me,’ she complained, brushing his hand away as he reached out to caress her cheek.
His face was in shadow, but his eyes seemed to glow, laughing at her, mocking her. Taking her upper arms, he drew her to his naked chest. ‘I told you, I am a man, Rowena,’ he assured her, the laughter gone from his voice, ‘with all the needs and desires of a man. And you, my love, are so desirable it tortures me to have you near me day after day and not to be able to touch you.’
Deeply affected by the feel of his body pressed to her own, Rowena felt his eyes resting heavily upon her. Her reply was barely audible. ‘I struggle with myself at times. It is not easy trying to act as a youth day in and day out surrounded by men who believe that is what I am.’
‘The disguise was of your own choosing, but I do not think of you as a youth—more a beautiful woman.’
Rowena knew she should make an effort to extricate herself from this perilous moment, for she knew that this should not be happening, but before she could escape his arms he lowered his mouth to hers. At the first touch of his lips she went rigidly still, her breath indrawn, and Tobias hadn’t any idea if it was fear or surprise that made her react so. At that moment he didn’t care, bent as he was in conquering the last shreds of resistance in her.
His arms went round her, his only desire to hold her, to kiss her, for her to respond so that he could savour as he had once before the sweetness of her. When he felt her lips quiver and her mouth opened beneath his, he almost groaned aloud with the pleasure of it, as desire, primitive and potent, poured through his veins.
She leaned into him and he kissed her with all the persuasive force at his disposal, his mouth slanting over hers, his hands sliding beneath her shirt, stroking her midriff, her back, sliding lower, splaying against her spine to force her body into intimate, thorough contact with his rigid thighs. Her skin was like silk, and when he touched her breast, sending a white-hot heat searing through her, touching her where no other had dared, he moaned and moulded her body to the hard lean contours of his. It was almost his undoing.
To Rowena, what he was doing to her was something way beyond anything she had experienced before. It was dangerous and exciting, and terrifyingly sensual, and beneath the bold exploration of his fingers, her breasts were beginning to ache and the nipples to harden like tight hard buds. His mouth plundered hers in a devouring kiss that sent her spiralling into a deep chasm where nothing mattered except his seductive, urgent mouth and knowledgeable hands.
Overwhelmed by her own inexperience and his raw, potent sexuality, Rowena fed his hunger, her parted lips welcoming the invasion of his tongue. When he finally dragged his mouth from hers and travelled down the slender column of her throat to where a pulse beat softly beneath her flesh, reality began to return. An image of Jane, her face tortured with suffering, followed by thoughts of Lord Tregowan, perhaps waiting for her to return so they could be wed, and her father, pining over the loss of his two daughters. How could she forget so soon?
Placing the flat of her hands gently against Tobias’s chest, she pushed him away. Raising his head he looked at her upturned face.
‘Please don’t do this, Tobias. I am not so easily persuaded. You have caught me unawares—in a moment of weakness. It must be the heat—or this magical place. But whatever it is, this must end now. I cannot allow you to distract me from my purpose, nor can I forget I am promised to someone else.’
He lifted a quizzical brow. ‘And are you so certain he will still want you now, Rowena?’
‘My father has told him that I will be his wife, and even though nothing was signed I am bound by my word.’
‘Your loyalty is both touching and commendable. But we made a bargain also. Have you forgotten?’
She shook her head. ‘No. If Jane is found, one way or another I will see the bargain well met.’
Tobias was studying her carefully. ‘Even if it means betraying your betrothed?’
She swallowed painfully. ‘Yes.’
He nodded slowly. ‘Yes, you will. I shall insist on it.’ He seemed to measure his words carefully. ‘Until then I shall try to restrain myself, difficult as that will be over the coming weeks, since we are together for much of the time. But you will be mine before we return to England, Rowena. That I promise you.’
Rowena stared at him, realising he meant every word he said. He would have no pity on her, and he would damn anyone who stood in his way. Anger flamed in her eyes and she drew back further.
‘I told you, Tobias, I will keep my side of the bargain—but it will be in my own time. Now, I think we should be getting back before Mr Dexter sends out a search party to look for us.’ Turning from him, she swam to the edge of the pond and climbed out.
Despite the stubborn lift to her chin and her rebellious tone, there was a tremor of fear in her voice, and when Tobias heard it he became still. Since coming aboard his ship, Rowena had shown so much courage, such indefatigable spirit, that he’d actually believed nothing could shake her. Now, however, as he looked at her hovering on the side of the pool, observing the faint blue smudges beneath her glorious eyes, he saw that the ordeal of her sister’s abduction had affected her deeply.
She was
amazing, he thought—extremely brave and determined as hell. Perhaps if he wasn’t attracted to her, drawn to her, it wouldn’t have mattered that she was watching him as if he were a dangerous animal. Hoisting himself on to the bank, with rivulets of water running down his flesh, he stood looking down at her, towering over her, his broad shoulders blocking out her view of anything but him.
‘You are right. We should be getting back.’
On the beach Rowena picked up her bindings. Needing more privacy than Tobias seemed concerned about, determinedly she strode to the protection of the trees. When she emerged she found him sitting on the sand, his arms looped around his drawn-up knees and looking out to sea. She paused, her gaze settling on his relaxed, darkly tanned profile. He looked so handsome it nearly took her breath away.
Sensing her presence, he turned and looked at her, his gaze never wavering from her face. ‘You go on ahead. I’ll give you time to get back to the ship and then I’ll follow.’
Without a word, in a daze of suspended yearning, she left him sitting there and did not see the sombre look that hardened his features as he watched her go. Sanity slowly began to return when she realised what she had done. Shame raged through her. It would have been bad enough had he forced her to yield to him, but he hadn’t. As if some spell had been cast over her she had wantonly, willingly, participated in her own seduction, and given his reputation as a womaniser, her dilemma where he was concerned increased, and once again she reminded herself that she must not fall under his spell.
How long would it take for him to wear her down, for he knew the effect that moment of intimacy in the pool had had on her? His touch, his lips on hers, had been her downfall, and her pride had toppled beneath his deliberate attack on her senses.
***
Returning to her cabin, the fear was still with her. After changing her clothes, she curled up on the narrow bunk. Eventually she drifted into a light slumber, and then to her surprise, aware that someone had entered the cabin, she opened her eyes.
Sitting up, she eyed Tobias warily, searching his implacable features, her sleep-drugged mind registering that he intended to continue the seduction. Pushing her hair from her eyes, she peered blearily up at him.
‘Tobias? What…?’
‘It was a mistake,’ he said flatly. ‘You need have no fear that I will repeat what happened between us. While we are aboard ship for us to indulge in any kind of intimacy will only complicate matters for both of us and could well lead to disaster. It won’t happen again.’
Rowena gaped as she watched him go out. That was not what she had expected to hear.
True to his word, Tobias made no further advances towards her—in fact, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid her, to forget she existed, and even though Rowena told herself this was how she wanted it to be between them, she found herself watching for him.
Tobias had not forgotten she existed, but his intelligent mind knew it must be like this while they were on board.
* * *
Rowena’s first sight of Algiers was unforgettable. It seemed to rise up from the sea in a shimmering heat. A massive, formidable fortress commanded the view, its parapet bristling with cannon, and a copper dome sparkled in the Mediterranean sunshine. The town of tightly packed houses spread out and upwards, crowned by what she would later discover to be the Kasbah, or citadel, part-fort, part-palace. Slender, colourful minarets soared into the blue sky next to the green-and-golden domes of the mosques, and even out in the roads the piercing wail of the muezzins in the minarets could be heard calling the believers to prayer.
Rowena’s heart was beating with hope and fear. She could not take her eyes off the astonishing scene. Algiers! This then was the object of her reckless journey south to find her sister. It had a kind of beauty that was completely foreign to her, and the joy and relief she experienced in being in Algiers at last were so immense that at first she forgot the dangers which awaited her here.
The Cymbeline dropped anchor in the roadstead. It was full of vessels of every description, with boats plying between ships and shore. There were a few merchant vessels and several Barbary ships—ships of prey used for hunting and killing, lean and deadly as leopards, crouched low amid the bulky commercial vessels—but what caught Rowena’s gaze was a vessel skimming over the smooth water, low and sleek and dangerous, with a full complement of rowers who knew their work. She thought this must be one of the galleys she had heard about, where Christian slaves were shackled to the oars for the greater part each day. The sight sent a cold shiver down her spine.
Tobias came to stand beside her at the rail. In the heat of the day he was clad in simple white shirt with full sleeves, black breeches and boots. His hair dipped over his brow and his eyes shone a brilliant blue in his bronze face.
‘Quite a sight, is it not, Rowena, this corsair base?’ He saw what held her gaze. ‘The galley will be returning from cruising the Mediterranean. In the old days there would have been prisoners on board—more than likely Spaniards, Genoese or Greeks, poor devils.’
‘And what would have happened to them?’
‘They would have been sold in the slave market. As I have told you, the fate of all slaves depends upon if you have money or influence—preferably both. They are the lucky ones. The majority who are taken captive are poor peasants with nothing. At one time some would have been sent to the galleys, others to the quarries for stone cutting and hauling, which still goes on. Escape or rescue is practically impossible. Some masters are not without humanity, but under a harsh master they are quite literally worked to death.’
‘Then if it is as cruel as you say it is, death must come as a welcome release.’
‘The oared vessels, which have been the preferred warships for centuries, are obsolete. They are too costly to maintain and cannot carry the heavy cannon of the sailing vessels. Do not dwell on what it must be like to be a Christian slave in North Africa, Rowena. It is a fact of this wretched Barbary coast. It goes on. Tell me. What is your first impression of Algiers?’
Rowena tore her eyes from the galley as she shipped her oars, and looked again at the town with its white, flat-roofed buildings climbing the hillside. ‘I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s both beautiful and savage, the colour and glorious sunshine masking its underlying corruption and depravity. It’s hard to believe that Jane is out there somewhere.’
‘You must face the fact that she may not be in Algiers. It is highly probable that she will already have been sold on and that she is in a rich man’s household—whether as a servant or…’
‘A concubine,’ Rowena finished sorrowfully, turning away to hide a grimace of pain. ‘If that is what she is, then it is something I must accept.’ She faced him squarely. ‘Please don’t spare my sensibilities, Tobias. Be honest and open with me. Whatever has happened to Jane, no matter how terrible, I can take it. I want to know. Do you promise to tell me everything?’
He nodded. ‘If she is here, you must realise that she will be well guarded.’
‘Well guarded, yes—but not too well guarded, I hope, that I won’t be able to make contact with her. I pray no harm has come to her.’
‘Jane is probably a lot stronger than you suppose, and though she may be a child in some ways, I suspect she’s her father’s daughter in a good many others.’
‘Yes—yes, she is. How can we find her? I know it will not be easy, but find her I will,’ she said determinedly. ‘I have not come all this way to be defeated by walls and battlements—not even a sultan, if that is where she is.’ She looked at Tobias, who was scanning the ships at anchor in the roads. ‘Are you looking for Jack Mason?’ He nodded. ‘And do you mean to devote your life to chasing this particular pirate?’
His lips curled contemptuously. ‘Not my entire life. I wouldn’t waste my time. If he’s here, I’ll find him.’
‘And then what? Will you have him thrown in prison?’
His jaw tightened. ‘That will not happen. I will deal with Mason in my own
way.’ He glanced at Rowena. ‘What he’s doing is not considered a crime here. Pirates in the Barbary States are not criminals in our sense. Piracy is a profession on the Barbary Coast—just as trading is to Englishmen involved in commercial enterprise.’
‘Who is in control in Algiers?’
‘Formally it was part of the Ottoman Empire, but now it is essentially free from Ottoman control. The power belongs with the Dey and his cabinet of advisers, the divan, but the real power belongs to the Janissaries, who are professional warriors. They appoint the Deys and get rid of them when they don’t suit—usually by assassination. This is a shockingly barbaric place, a place where such horrors happen on a daily basis that you cannot begin to imagine.’
‘Yes, I’m beginning to realise that. How soon can we go ashore?’
Tobias noted the eagerness in her eyes as she squinted up at him from between dark lashes, and grinned. ‘What an impatient nature you have! Later we’ll go and visit a friend of mine—when the sun is no longer at its hottest. Maybe he can give us the information we’re looking for.’
‘And who is this friend?’
‘A shipwright who buys my timber.’
‘To build ships for pirates who prey on British vessels?’
‘Perhaps you will feel easier when I tell you that my friend does not build his ships for pirates. He builds sailing vessels for merchants. The pirates can only acquire vessels that come their way, so to speak—vessels they are strong enough to overcome and capture. If one of them happens to be one of Ahmed’s, built with the timber supplied by me, then there is nothing to be done about that. It could just as easily be a vessel built by one of the shipwrights in England, to whom I also provide timber. You will like my friend. He is a good man and we have known one another for many years. If Mason came to Algiers to sell his captives, he will know.’
‘And if he didn’t come here? What will you do?’
‘Keep looking until I find him.’
Mistress Below Deck Page 10
