Just then they heard a pair of slippers slapping along the tiled walkway and suddenly Ahmed appeared in a white robe, an enormous silver-and-blue turban and crimson Moroccan slippers. A heavy gold chain hung round his neck, and his fingers were adorned with an assortment of rings with different precious stones.
Tobias considered this man a close friend, he had said, and while Rowena didn’t understand why—each coming from such different backgrounds and cultures—she had to admit a definite, different quality to the man, a mixture of the savage and civilised world she found altogether disquieting.
Ahmed’s black eyes sparkled as he looked from Rowena to Tobias. ‘I apologise for not being here when you arrived, Tobias. I’ve been busy on your account.’
‘Oh?’ Tobias’s eyes lit with interest.
Ahmed’s gaze went over Rowena appraisingly and he smiled broadly, his white teeth gleaming in his brown face. ‘Do you not think Rowena looks handsome—like a rare pearl—lovelier than an houri in paradise? Her transformation from cabin boy to an exotically beautiful young maiden of Algiers is astonishing.’
‘Yes, Ahmed, I agree, but I’m afraid I must take her away.’
‘Then that is a shame. When must you go?’
‘Tonight. We are to go to Sale.’ He looked at his friend with a sombre frown creasing his brow. ‘So, what have you been up to on my account?’
‘I thought you might be interested in knowing where Mason went when he left Algiers.’
Tobias became alert, his eyes hard, his body taut. ‘Where?’
‘His intention is to cross the Atlantic to the West Indies. He is heading for Madeira to pick up the northeast trades.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘Oh, I have my informers. So you are on the point of leaving for Sale—but now you know where Mason is heading, you will follow him into the Atlantic, I think?’
Tobias sighed and his shoulders slumped. ‘No, Ahmed. We are to go after Rowena’s sister—which could take some considerable time.’
A puzzled expression creased Ahmed’s brow. ‘But you have been hunting Mason for four years. Are you saying that you will allow him to slip away when at last you have him within your grasp?’
Tobias nodded and when he spoke his voice was tight. ‘That is precisely what I am saying, Ahmed. Suleiman, the sultan’s agent, is sailing to Sale. From there he will take his captives overland to Meknes. I am hoping he is in no hurry and that he will languish a while in Sale, in which case there is every chance I can catch up with him before he leaves.’
‘Then what will you do? Will you offer ransom?’
‘Unless I can spirit her out of Suleiman’s clutches then there is nothing else I can do.’
‘To the agent, a slave, particularly a pale-skinned beauty, is too valuable a commodity to free. If he agrees, he will demand a high price—double or more what he paid at the market.’
‘I am prepared for that.’
Ahmed stared at him in disbelief and then shook his head slowly, fingering his beard. ‘Ah, then I wish you luck, my friend. You will have your work cut out. The sultan’s palace is a viper’s nest. It is dangerous to go there. Better to reach the young lady before she is swallowed into the harem.’
‘Which is why we must leave at once.’
‘And Mason?’
Avoiding looking at Rowena, Tobias stiffened, his expression grim. ‘He will have to wait.’
‘But you may not get another chance.’ He shook his head slowly. ‘You and Mason have been locked in a kind of unscripted duel across the oceans for a long time. I know what apprehending him means to you. He knows you are still after him?’
Tobias nodded. ‘He knows.’
He spoke evenly to Ahmed, but Rowena could detect underlying currents in his tone. He was seething with frustration and anger, and she had a strong suspicion his anger was directed at her. He didn’t want to go to Sale. He felt obliged to do so and was simply being chivalrous.
Her conscience awoke. She was relieved that Tobias had agreed to follow Jane and she would be for ever grateful, but there seemed an overwhelming emptiness about it all now. She began to realise the enormity of what she was asking of him, and the disappointment he must be feeling for letting Mason slip through his fingers lay like a dead weight upon her mind. She felt ashamed of badgering him into going to Sale, but she could not go after Jane without him.
Ahmed smiled and wished them well, smiling encouragingly as he turned to go back inside. His head was bowed as he silently invoked the intercession of Allah and his Prophet Mohamed in his friend’s safe journey to Sale.
‘Tobias, I—I want to thank you for what you’re doing for Jane—but I’m—sorry,’ she said hesitantly, trying to marshal her scattered thoughts, which had been thrown into disarray by Ahmed’s appearance and disclosure about Jack Mason.
Tobias swung his head round to face her and she shrank from the cold look in his eyes. His jaw was set in a hard line and the lean hard plains of his cheeks looked harsh and forbidding in the silver Mediterranean moonlight. ‘I don’t want your thanks, Rowena. I’m merely doing what my conscience dictates.’
‘But—’
‘Leave it,’ he bit out fiercely. ‘We are going to Sale and that is final. I suggest you go and change and make your goodbyes. We will head back to the ship. The sooner we get under way the better.’
Rowena’s mouth went dry and her heart began to beat in heavy, terrifying dread as she sensed that Tobias had seemingly withdrawn from her. Without a word she slipped away to say her farewells to Fatima, Shillah and Zidana, although with the tightness in her throat she found it hard to respond politely to their regret that she was leaving and accept their good wishes. From this point there would be no turning back, and she knew Tobias must have the sense of being caught up in an implacable destiny.
* * *
Tobias took Rowena back to the ship, offering no conversation of his own, speaking only when spoken to. There was a remoteness about him. He had withdrawn from her.
Gradually she fell silent and followed him without trying to make him talk. She felt the pain of his frustration, his anger and helplessness as though it had been inflicted on her, though the pain was in a different place. Her heart was beating with a dull and heavy feeling of shame, that being so wrapped up in her blind determination to find Jane, she had not recognised and acknowledged Tobias’s own need.
A boat was waiting at the quayside to take them back to the ship. Lanterns lit up the deck and a smiling Mark Dexter was standing at the rail to watch them aboard.
‘Nice to have you back on board, Master Rowan,’ he said by way of welcome.
‘It’s nice to be back, Mr Dexter.’
‘I trust you’ve had a pleasant time ashore.’
‘Very agreeable, thank you.’
His face tight and grim, Tobias addressed Mark. ‘I want to be away at first light, Mark. We are to go to Sale. Inform the crew, will you?’
‘Sale?’
Tobias nodded. ‘I’ll explain it all later.’
Rowena glanced at Mark and wished she hadn’t. The sombre expression on his face was too unsettling, almost as if their journey to this other North African port was about to cause some kind of complication.
‘And Mason? Since the young lady is being taken to Sale, he must have been here—could still be here.’
‘He’s gone—heading for the Atlantic. Ahmed believes he is to cross to the Indies.’
‘And you don’t intend going after him?’
‘No,’ Tobias answered curtly. ‘Not this time. Make ready to sail in good time, Mark.’
Mark shifted uncomfortably, for, like Ahmed, he was astounded by what Tobias was about to do. He shook his head, knowing full well what agonies Tobias must be suffering. What Rowena could not know was Tobias’s rage and fury when he had seen his ship on fire, knowing there were men on board unable to escape the flames.
Never had Mark heard such shouts of fury, such vicious promises to
make whoever was responsible pay for that cowardly act of murder. And now, when Mason, the perpetrator of the wicked deed, was within his grasp, Tobias was prepared to let his prey escape while he went chasing after Rowena’s sister. Mark could well imagine what that was costing him.
‘Sale is a fearful place, is it not, Mr Dexter?’ Rowena asked.
He nodded grimly, his own far-from-pleasant memories of his time spent in that rat-infested nest a long time ago coming back to haunt him. Sale was one place he had never hoped to see again.
‘The most infamous city on earth. Our voyage will be one of extreme danger.’ He looked at Tobias. ‘We will be lucky to reach Sale without being captured by the corsairs ourselves. We both know the Sale Rovers are nothing but a bunch of ruthless, fanatical pirates, with whom there is no parleying. What shall I tell the crew?’
‘If they think we are going after Mason, there’ll be no objections from them. They chafe at the loss of several decent men. They only wait on the proper moment to make him pay for what he did, and he will suffer a far worse fate if their plan comes to an end.’
‘You intend to deceive them?’
Rowena was watching Tobias intently as she awaited his reply to Mr Dexter’s question, but he avoided looking at her. ‘I have to. Suleiman has three or four days’ head start on us. He is unaware that he is being pursued, so will see no need for haste. He will lose time if he hopes to pick up more captives, so hopefully he will still be in Sale when we get there. When I have negotiated the release of Miss Golding, there will be nothing to prevent us going after Mason.’
Tobias looked at Rowena, speaking tersely. ‘Go and get some sleep while you can.’
Without bothering to so much as glance in her direction, he turned on his heel and headed for the helmsman.
* * *
Dawn brushed the sky a deep magenta, melting into a softer rose pink before the sun, rising golden on the horizon, sharply etching the detail of the Cymbeline in its gilded light. The morning progressed, the sky fading to a subdued blue, and the translucent turquoise and aquamarine that dipped and rolled in a languid motion became the sea beneath it. Canvas sails billowed, stretched by the wind, and the sloop skimmed the waters like a beautiful white seabird in effortless flight.
Rowena sat on the broad sill, her arm resting on her drawn-up knees, gazing at the African coastline. After a while Tobias walked in. From the corner of her eyes she watched him pour himself a drink, swallowing it down in one gulp. The cabin suddenly seemed too small for his great height. Her heart set up its familiar wild beating as she looked at him. His expression was unreadable, his head a tumble of dark curls. The lines of his face were heavy about his mouth and cheeks, and there were the signs of strain under the blue eyes. Again she experienced the depth to which her mind and body stirred whenever she was in his presence.
As she rose, her breath froze at the coldness she saw in his eyes when he fixed her with a long and thoughtful stare. The remembrance of their parting on deck the night before, of what had been a bitter end to a perfect two days, touched her deeply.
‘Excuse me,’ she murmured, crossing to the door, somehow managing to hide her disappointment at his icy reserve.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘I thought you might like some privacy. Besides, I would like to go on deck. It’s hot down here. I need some air. You—have no objections?’
Instead of answering, he lifted his brows and regarded her in cold silence. Rowena decided to take his silence for assent and was about to leave when he halted her.
‘Wait a moment.’ With a deep sigh Tobias shoved his hair from his brow and rested his hips against the table. His shoulders relaxed and he looked at her without animosity. ‘You don’t have to leave on my account. I’m sorry, Rowena. I was a brute to you last night. It was cruel of me to behave as I did.’
Going to stand in front of him, she smiled softly. ‘I am the cruel one. You had to make an impossible choice. I am relieved you chose to help me. I am indeed grateful—although there was a moment, when Ahmed told you where Mason was heading, that I thought you would abandon me. I could not do this on my own.’ There was an air of remoteness about him that struck straight at her heart. ‘Tobias,’ she said hesitantly, ‘what about Jack Mason?’
His face hardened and she felt her heart sink. How were they to discuss this terrible dilemma if every time his adversary’s name was mentioned he turned away from her, and, if they were not to talk about it, how was she to know what he was thinking?
‘What about him?’
‘I want to tell you that I am sorry. I am not so insensitive not to know how you must be feeling. You wanted to go after him—and knowing him for the scoundrel he is, I cannot blame you.’ A hard gleam flashed into her eyes. ‘Like you, I want him caught—to pay for what he did. Perhaps when we find Jane, it may not be too late and you can still go after him.’
‘Forget it. It’s not important,’ he added with a touch of bitterness that betrayed his anger and hurt.
Rowena was stabbed by it to her very soul. ‘How can you say that?’ she flared, her voice raised with passion. ‘What Jack Mason did cannot be passed off as unimportant. Do you think you’re the only one to hold a grievance? He did my father a grave wrong too, don’t forget. Mason stole his ship and in so doing ruined him. My father is unable to wipe the slate clean of all past memories and he will suffer until his dying day because of it.
‘When we reach Sale and Jane is released, you must go after Mason, Tobias. He must be brought to account for what he did to both you and my father. I no longer intend being an encumbrance to you. Perhaps Jane and I can find passage on another ship to take us back to England.’
‘No. Do not even think about it. Two English-women—alone in a den of wild beasts? Whatever happens, you will remain with me.’ Suddenly his eyes became penetrating. He had not missed how her eyes had burned with a fiery determination when she had been speaking of Mason. ‘You speak as though it is you who have more grievance towards Mason, Rowena, and yet, since he was employed by your father and spent most of his time at sea, you cannot have known him very well. You must have been no more than fifteen when you last saw him. Do you have reasons of your own to despise him?’
His voice was harsh, crackling with some emotion Rowena could not even guess at. It was a question she did not want to answer. She averted her gaze. The mere shadow of the memory made her feel dirty, battered, ashamed. What Jack Mason had tried to do to her was something she had put to the back of her mind; she had no wish to resurrect it and air just now.
‘You are right. Our paths didn’t cross until he was about to leave on that last fateful voyage with my father. I—I didn’t like him. He was too arrogant, too sure of himself.’
‘And when and where did you last see him, Rowena?’ Tobias persisted, folding his arms across his broad chest, refusing to let the matter rest.
She shrugged and turned away from his unrelenting gaze. ‘What does it matter now? Like you said, it was a long time ago and not worth bothering about.’
‘But it does bother you. I can see that. When and where, Rowena?’ he demanded. ‘Did Mason threaten you?’ His stomach knotted at the thought that this might be so.
‘Well—it wasn’t—I mean…’ She knew she was babbling, but somehow it seemed prudent to keep what had happened the last time she had seen Jack Mason to herself.
‘Tell me.’
Suddenly angry, his persistence beginning to annoy her, she turned her head and glowered at him. ‘If you really must know, he…’ She faltered, not knowing how to go on.
‘He attacked you.’
She nodded vehemently. ‘Yes, that’s what he did.’
‘And being the quick-tempered, many-sided vixen that you are, you fought back.’
‘It was my natural instinct.’ She faced him squarely, her chin tilted upwards as she continued to speak in her own defence. ‘I met him when Father brought him to the house. There was
something about him I didn’t like. It took me all of two seconds to discover how odiously obnoxious he is. Jack Mason, however, took an unfortunate fancy to me and began pursuing me. When he realised I was serious in refusing his advances, his pursuit turned ugly.’
‘But you were fifteen years of age.’
‘Yes, just. He did attack me, when I was riding in my favourite place—where you came upon me yourself, if you remember. I was alone, very young, very vulnerable and very stupid—I realise that now—which was why I acquired my beautiful, faithful dogs to protect me from monsters like Mason in the future. He was vicious, like a crazed animal. When he saw I was no simpering miss and prepared to put up a fight to stop him attacking me, he forced himself on me and tried to ravish me.’ Lifting her head, she looked directly at him. ‘But he didn’t. I fought and by some miracle managed to get away.’
‘Does your father know about this?’
‘I didn’t tell him. He was on board ship, getting ready to leave Falmouth. Besides, it would have served no purpose. The vessel was about to leave and Mason would be on it. He could do me no further harm and Father wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of finding another captain, which would have been virtually impossible at the time—I knew how important the voyage was to him.’
Tobias stared at the tempestuous beauty standing before him, her face both delicate and vivid, her eyes flashing like angry jewels. His face hardened and so did something inside him, something that now felt it would do murder on her behalf.
‘I am appalled by what happened to you, Rowena. I would like to kill Mason with my bare hands.’
This was true, and now he knew her he could well explain the violence of his feelings. Anger was boiling up inside him, an anger so great it was like a physical thing. Mason had attacked her—that bully, with the reputation of a prize fighter, a broad-shouldered, swaggering scoundrel—for reasons he didn’t want to think of. The images of this lovely girl—fifteen, she had been—being pursued, knocked down by that brute who had attempted the worst kind assault on her body a man could inflict on a woman, appalled him and filled him with a savagery that could not be appeased until he had run the perpetrator down and hung him from a yardarm on the pirate’s own ship.
Mistress Below Deck Page 14
