Lady Reluctant

by Maggie Osborne

  He was riding dark, but not entirely dark as he needed lanterns to light his party on board and to assist Mr. Pastor in getting under way. Soon, he hoped. Any moment he expected the Port Authority to arrive with a warrant.

  Where the hell were they?

  As he had been doing for the past hour, he paced and cursed himself for not being with them at the prison. Then he ran the plot through his mind, looking for trouble areas. Any plot, regardless how meticulously planned, could go awry.

  He tossed back a tankard of port and watched Thames Street with narrowed eyes.

  For no reason, he thought of Lord Milton Humphershire. It had not surprised him to learn the man had vanished. Humphershire’s disappearance had coincided with the disappearance of the near-constant scowl Mouton had developed during the period of Blu’s abduction. His only regret lay in not sharing Mouton’s vengeance.

  Where were they?

  A hushed silence had descended over the ship. The only sounds were the gentle slap of water against the oaken hull and an occasional hushed voice. He tapped his empty tankard against his leg and peered impatiently into the darkness.

  Then he heard the pounding of horse’s hooves and the rattle of carriage wheels bouncing over cobblestones. Leaning against the rail near the gangplank, he listened and released a breath as the carriage slid to a halt. A break in the clouds gave more light on the scene and he saw Monsieur jump from the carriage door before it came to a full halt and he began pulling at the straps on the boot to remove Cecile’s chair.

  Thomas watched and felt his blood chill.

  Blu, Mouton, and Beau Billy should have arrived first.

  They had been in the first carriage.

  “What went wrong?” he demanded, taking Lady Katherine by the arm as she came up the gangplank.

  “Wrong? What do you mean?” Her head swiveled, scanning the decks. “Edward! Haven’t they arrived?”

  “No.”

  “Oh my God.”

  Both spun toward Thames Street, hearing the sound of hammering hooves and shouts. The break in the clouds widened and Thomas could see a carriage flying down the street, a half-dozen horses in pursuit. Mouton was driving the coach instead of the coachman they had hired. Something had happened.

  “We were betrayed,” Thomas said between his teeth.

  “It was the whore, Crazy Sal.” Briskly, Katherine pulled Aunt Tremble up the plank and pushed her to one side as Monsieur carried Cecile on board. “I’ll get her chair,” Katherine called, racing back down the plank.

  In the street, Mouton reined the horses and the carriage skidded to a halt. Immediately the horsemen slid from their mounts and surrounded the carriage with drawn swords.

  “Oh dear,” Aunt Tremble mourned. “Are we caught?”

  “Not yet,” Katherine said bravely, throwing Cecile’s chair on board, then nimbly stepping aside to clear the rail gate.

  Snatching up the swords he had placed by the rail gate, Thomas shot down the plank and ran toward the carriage.

  Beau Billy saw Thomas coming and raised his arm, then brought it forward with a practiced throw. A dagger thudded into the chest of the man blocking Thomas’s advance. Without breaking stride, Thomas leaped over the fallen man and tossed blades to Beau Billy and Mouton.

  Before he threw a sword to Blu, he ran a swift glance over her, assuring himself that she was not injured. “I hope you’re as skilled with a blade as you boasted.”

  “I am. And glad to have more than this scurvy dagger,” she shouted. In one swift motion, she sliced away the hem of her skirts, giving herself freedom of movement. The battle raged around her. Thomas, Beau Billy, and Mouton fought like madmen, grinning with the pleasure of the fight. Thus far none of the pursuers had paid Blu any attention. That was about to change.

  With a shout, she ran her blade through the ribs of a man careless enough to dismiss her. It was not sporting to thrust a man when he was distracted, but time was of the essence.

  She fought by Thomas’s side, her rusty skills improving with every thrust and lunge. And God’s balls, it felt good. Not even a cut on her cheek could diminish the wild dark joy she felt as they sliced and slashed their way to the gangplank.

  Thomas’s blade met steel and held. Before he flipped away his attacker’s sword, he darted a glance toward Blu. Her sword flashed upward, held, then down. Nimble as an elf, she darted inside and thrust her blade into her attacker’s belly. “Not half bad,” Thomas noted approvingly.

  “Your aching cod! It’s bloody damned good!”

  Grinning, he wrested his opponent’s sword away, then slashed low and deep, and watched the man fall. “Your lunge needs practice.”

  “Like hell it does!” The tip of her blade twisted down a fresh opponent’s sword. She had time to smile at the man’s astonishment before she wrenched his weapon from his grasp, the effort employing more skill than strength, and time to observe his expression of appalled embarrassment before she struck him true. He fell at her feet, and she paused to wipe the sweat from her brow and stare about her.

  Mouton rushed at her out of the darkness. Before she could protest, Mouton scooped her into his arms and ran toward the gangplank. She heard the clash of steel behind her, then she was dumped onto the deck and Thomas and Beau Billy were pelting up the plank.

  “Go!” Thomas shouted to Mr. Parsons.

  Already the ship was drifting from the stone wall. The shriek of the anchor wheel sounded above the shouts of the men running over the decks. Thomas dashed past her, calling orders, and the ship’s prow swung toward the swift currents in the center of the river.

  It was over. They had done it.

  Blu threw back her head and laughed with joy. “By God, that was purely fine!”

  22

  They didn’t breathe easily until Gravesend lay behind them. Then they gathered in Thomas’s cabin to celebrate their triumph with champagne Monsieur had provided for the occasion.

  Everyone had their tale to tell, and everyone embraced everyone, laughing and weeping with joy and cries of congratulations. Everyone, that is, except Thomas and Blusette. Their eyes met with longing, but they avoided approaching one another, hoping in the crowded quarters their evasiveness would go unnoticed.

  Then Cecile rolled her chair between them and handed Blu a handkerchief to press to the cut on her cheek. Reaching, Cecile took them each by the hand. After drawing a determined breath, she looked at Thomas then at Blu, her gentle gaze soft with affection.

  “Can you really believe you are deceiving anyone?” she asked quietly, smiling. “I think I have known for a long time.”

  Blu sucked in a sharp breath and her expression paled in sudden anguish. “You know! Oh Cecile. I am so sorry. We didn’t want to wound you. We didn’t want to—”

  “My dearest Blusette. Did you think I would stand in your way?” A softly radiant smile lit her eyes. “Nothing would make me happier than to see the two people I love most be together. Dear Edward, I release you from your vow.”

  “Cecile—”

  She raised a hand. “Not a word. I have discussed the matter thoroughly with Mama, and she understands my choice. For a dozen reasons, most of which you know, marriage is not the best future for me. Truly, I could not be happier for the two of you.” She laughed at their crestfallen expressions. “Oh, for pity’s sake. Blusette, I believe this is the first time I have seen you speechless. And Edward, must I orchestrate this betrothal too? For heaven’s sake, kiss her!”

  Hardly daring to believe, Blu turned to him then. As if in a dream, she stepped toward him. Cecile gave her a little nudge. Thomas gazed deeply into her eyes, then his mouth claimed hers and she heard an eruption of cheers around them. When he released her, they stepped apart self-consciously, but their fingers remained clasped. Each placed a hand on Cecile’s shoulder as the door opened and Lady Katherine entered Thomas’s cabin.

  In the sudden silence, they all heard Beau Billy’s sharp intake of breath. No one spoke as the lady and the pirate
faced each other for the first time in nearly two decades.

  Katherine stepped forward, not halting until she stood a scant three feet from Beau Billy Morgan. Placing her fists on her hips, she eyed him up and down. “Bloody hell, William. You stink.”

  He grinned and stared at her from eyes that had gone as soft as a gull’s wing. “God’s breath, Cat! Yer as beautiful as I remember ye.” The whispered words were a poem on his lips.

  Katherine gazed into his dark eyes, her expression almost mischievous, and it seemed to those watching that time moved backward and she became a dozen years younger.

  “Well. If I can make a lady out of our daughter, I fancy I can make a gentleman out of you. At the moment, William, the task overwhelms me.” He laughed and reached for her, but she lifted a hand and stepped backward, wrinkling her nose. “First, a bath. Mouton, order a tub of hot water from Mr. Parsons, if you please. Monsieur, fetch your barbering tools at once and find this rogue some fresh clothing. Tremble, did you bring your nail scissors? Cecile, do find the pine soap, my dear, and the best towels.” She looked at Beau Billy from beneath a provocative sweep of golden lashes. “Come along, William.” Grinning happily, Beau Billy followed her like an eager puppy.

  Cecile’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in astonishment. “Did Mother say ‘bloody hell’?”

  “That she did,” Blu confirmed, laughing.

  “I cannot believe it,” Cecile marveled, shaking her head. She rolled her chair to the door to follow the others.

  “Cecile...” Blu called. But when Cecile turned, words failed her. “I...”

  Cecile’s eyes softened in understanding. “I love you, my dearest sister. I long for the day when I shall bounce your babies on my knee. I shall make a wonderful aunt.” She smiled. “Don’t you dare weep. Be happy for us all.”

  “Thank you. Thank you from my heart.” Because Cecile would never permit anyone to know, Blu understood she would never fully comprehend what Cecile’s generosity had cost. But she could guess. And the knowledge first devastated her then expanded her heart with love.

  As no one had need of them, and as they had great need of each other, Blu and Thomas wandered outside into the cold, sharp air and climbed the steps to the bow. Still feeling as if she moved in a joyous dream, Blu stepped into his arms and pressed against his warmth and strength. Her hands curved over his shoulders, his jaw, his hair, seeking confirmation that they were truly together and he was truly hers.

  “We shall name our first child Cecile,” she said before his mouth caught hers in a possessive kiss. His hands molded her hips and crushed her against his hard body. “If it is a boy, his name shall be Cecil.” He kissed her temples, her ears, her eyelids. “Thomas, are you listening?” She looked up into eyes dark with amusement and desire. “I’m asking you to jump the stick with me.” She trailed a finger down his throat. “You meet the most stringent standards. Your teeth are good, you smell clean, and when last I looked, you had wind in your sails. So. I’m asking you to wed me proper and share my bed.”

  “Isn’t this where we began?” The sound of his laughter rolled across the decks. His hands framed her hips, pulling her tightly against him. “Aye, a thousand times aye.”

  Later, she rolled over in his bed and shook him from a light doze. “Thomas! When you wed me, I’ll be a duchess!”

  He chuckled and pulled her down beside him. “That you will, my beautiful lady.”

  “God’s teeth,” she said in wonder. “Say that again.”

  “My beautiful lady,” he murmured against her breasts.

  “My lady,” she repeated, laughing softly. She thought it bloody well suited her.

  The End

  If you enjoyed Lady Reluctant, I would be honored if you would tell others by writing a review on the retailer’s website where you purchased this title.

  Thank you!

  Maggie Osborne

  Please read on for a look at

  Salem’s Daughter

  and

  Love Bites

  SALEM’S DAUGHTER

  Two Worlds, Two Loves

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  London is not the punishment her father intended. Here, Bristol is feted for her beauty and freshness, pursued by dazzling young society blades. But only the dashing sea captain, Jean Pierre La Crosse, can capture her heart, a man who teaches Bristol the depth and rapture of passions she has struggled to deny, a dark and exciting man who can promise her everything but marriage.

  When Bristol is summoned home, she returns to a destiny she had hoped she left behind. Home to a fractured family, a town she no longer recognizes, a man she no longer loves, and the madness of the Salem witch trials...

  LOVE BITES

  Kay Erickson’s sexy new employer, a charismatic late-night talk show host, insists that he’s a real vampire. But vampires aren’t supposed to be vibrant, happy, exciting and fun to be with. Vampires don’t ride skate boards and motorcycles, ski, do the things Trevor does. But Trevor d’Laine also possesses a dark and dangerous side. His hypnotic, silvery-blue eyes awaken passions Kay has never experienced, his kisses open visions of a forbidden world.

  An explosive desire neither can deny sends them both into a perilous spiral. Trevor has promised Kay has nothing to fear from him, but can he keep that promise? And Trevor has frightening friends...

  Awards:

  Best Series Romance of the Year – Romantic Times

  Award of Excellence – Colorado Romance Writers

  Bookrack Award for Bestselling Harlequin American

  Maggie Osborne

  Maggie Osborne is the best-selling author of over fifty historical and category (writing as Margaret St George) romance novels.

  Osborne is a former National President of the Romance Writers of America, and is a co-founder of Novelists Inc., an international organization for multi-published authors. During her career, she was regularly featured in the Doubleday Book Club and is published all over the world as well as in audio, ebook and large print editions.

  Among the many awards Maggie has won are a RITA from the Romance Writers of America, several Awards of Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers, and several Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times, including Best Category Novel of the Year. In 2002, the Romance Writers of America presented Maggie with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

  Maggie and her husband live in Northern Nevada.