“I wish to hell I could.” He shrugged. “Take care Brittany, that you do not tell me to leave you alone once too often and I start to believe you. A man can soon tire of pursuing a woman if she does not know her own mind. You tell me no, while you pull me to you.”
All the fight seemed to go out of her. “There is some truth in what you say, Thorn. Sometimes I do not know what I feel,” she said in confusion.
She would have moved away, but the look in his eyes held her spellbound. She came to him, and when he held out his hand, she placed hers in his warm clasp.
“You are trembling,” he observed. “Is it anger, or are you feeling what I feel inside?”
“I…yes.”
“You are not afraid of me, are you?”
“No.”
“If this is to be our last night together, let us make the most of it.”
She looked into his eyes as he unhooked her gown once more and pushed it off her shoulders, where it fell to the floor.
“Come to me,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms with a triumphant smile.
His lips were hot and seemed to drain all the resistance from her. He went to his knees and carried her with him. His hands were stroking her into submission, and when he lay her back against the floor, she was only aware of his hard body pressed against her soft curves.
Like a person drowning, Bittany knew that if she didn’t save herself, she would be lost forever, but his hands were working magic on her body, and his lips smothered her futile protest.
Gently, he spread her legs apart and stroked her until her breath became trapped in her throat. Her soft groan told him that she had surrendered completely.
“For this moment, you are mine,” he murmured in a velvet-smooth voice. “We both know that.”
She looked into blue eyes that burned with the flame of passion. “Yes, Thorn, yes.”
Brittany heard Thorn’s breath come out in a hiss. “I will drive all thoughts of Lord Simijin out of your mind. You will no longer think of him.”
Brittany pressed her body tightly against him, not understanding his words. His lips covered her mouth with a burning kiss, and she ached for him to possess her once more.
“You are in my blood, Brittany.”
Brittany was tormented, and she ached to feel him inside her, but he seemed to be in no hurry.
“You want me,” he murmured, kissing her neck, her eyelids, and then her mouth.
Her mouth opened between his gentle probing. Her body was on fire, and he knew it.
“You were made for a man to love, Brittany,” he whispered hotly in her ear. “You get inside my mind, and all I can think about is holding you like this. You know you are torturing me, don’t you?”
“No,” she breathed, thinking he was the one who was tormenting her.
When his lips moved to her creamy breasts, Brittany groaned with pleasure.
When he moved away, she protested, but he was positioning her hips, and he drove deep inside her with a thrust that left them both breathless. His body trembled as he rested deeply inside her velvet softness.
Brittany clamped her lips together tightly, fearing she would cry out from the beauty of their coming together. It passed through her mind that Thorn had control of her body. With the touch of his hand, he could make her surrender to him.
Opening her eyes, she stared into the blue depths of his eyes. “Damn you, Brittany,” he muttered. “What are you doing to me?”
She blinked her eyes. “I do not understand.”
But suddenly she did understand. There was no mistaking the naked desire that flamed in his eyes. He was as much affected by her as she was by him.
She smiled at him sadly. “I know,” she said in a choked voice. She gently touched his cheek. “There is nothing we can do to stem the passion that flows between us, Thorn.”
She moved her hips forward, and he whispered her name just before his hot mouth covered hers. She moved beneath him, and he threw back his head in an ecstasy of delight. She had the power to make him forget everything but her.
Thorn moved deeply inside her, his rhythm building up a tempo in her blood. There was pleasure and there was pain, and there was the feeling that after tonight she would never be alive again.
Brittany was sure her heart would burst from the wonderful feelings that Thorn had awakened in her body. He was the perfect lover. He had gentled his movements so she would feel the full pleasure of his lovemaking. She was overcome with sensuous feelings, and she could not remember why she had ever objected to his touch.
Long after their bodies had cooled down, they lay together as if neither of them was willing to break contact. The Victorious swayed gently on the waves, while her captain closed his eyes and pulled his lady tightly into his embrace.
At last, he said, “I don’t want to, but I must leave you for a time. It will be my watch. Will you wait here for me, Brittany?”
She pressed her lips against the hollow in his throat. “After tomorrow we will—”
“It is already tomorrow,” he said, reminding her of the lateness of the hour.
She placed her hand over his lips. “Two more days, and we will go our separate ways.”
“Yes,” he said, not really believing she would leave him. “No matter what happens in the future, I will keep the memory of tonight with me for a long time to come.”
She raised up on her elbow and looked down at him. “Thorn, I have always felt a great uneasiness in you, but I do not know what it is. Before we are parted, I would like to help you. Can you tell me what it is?”
He rolled to a sitting position. “You ask a question that I am unwilling to answer, but yes—there is something in my life that was left unfinished.”
“Does it concern a woman?”
“Yes, in part.”
She came to her feet. “We both have secrets to keep, don’t we.” She smiled regretfully. “It’s a pity our lives have been set on separate paths. Let us just say that we were like passing ships that touched, and then sailed away. But I do wish you happiness wherever you go.” Her eyes were misty with sadness. “Whatever is driving you I hope is brought to a favorable conclusion for you.”
He pulled on his clothing, and she watched as he poked the tail of his shirt into his trousers. He then turned to her and held out his arms and she came to him.
“We will not say good-bye, Brittany, because I have a feeling it is not over between us.”
His lips were warm against her trembling mouth. Suddenly, he released her and moved to the door. He smiled slightly. “It could be that I would have made you a good husband, Brittany. But we shall never know, since you refused my suit.”
She had a strong desire to tell him that she would be his wife, his mistress, or anything he wanted her to be. But, no, that was never to be.
Brittany watched him leave, knowing there was some force that was controlling his life, just as she had a destiny waiting for her in Philadelphia.
Chapter Eighteen
It was Brittany’s last night on board the Victorious. Her mind was so filled with agonizing thoughts that she had not been able to sleep. She moved off the bunk and pulled on her cape, thinking she would take a turn about the deck; perhaps that would help her sort out her troubled feelings.
She saw that a light rain had begun to fall. She moved silently up the companionway, hoping she would encounter no one—especially not Thorn.
Now the rain was coming down harder, and she doubted the wisdom of coming on deck, because she was soaked to the skin. As rain ran down her face, she could not help thinking these few hours before dawn would be her last time to stand here like this. She would miss many on this ship, especially the captain.
In the distance, she could see the twinkling lights of Charleston. At daylight she would go ashore. She would be on her own in a strange land, and that thought suddenly terrified her. This vessel had been her safe haven, her shelter from the storm. Soon she would be set adrift, and then what would she d
o?
Brittany turned her face up to the rain as if it would have some magical powers to wash her cares and troubles away and help her find the answers she sought.
She thought of Thorn Stoddard, and she realized how difficult it would be to just walk away from him. She now had no doubts that she loved Thorn. She must have loved him from the very start.
Brittany was sure her mother would argue that she had not known Thorn long enough to love him, but she did love him, with every fiber of her being.
Hot tears mixed with the cooling rain as she stood there drenched to the skin, her head bowed in misery.
“Have you gone mad, standing out here in the rain?” Thorn’s deep voice barked out, and she lifted her face to him. “You will catch your death.”
A lantern attached to the masts swayed with the movement of the ship and cast its gentle glow on Brittany’s face. “I was saying good-bye to my old friend, the Victorious.”
His eyes bore into her, reminding her of when she had bid him good-bye the night before. “You have surely completed all your farewells, by now. Should you—” Suddenly his eyes widened, and she saw a look of bewilderment on his face. “What the hell is this!”
“I do not know what you are talking about,” she said, wondering at the reason for his sudden outburst. Why was he staring at her so hard?
He tilted her face toward the light and studied it intently. “Damn you, Brittany, do you take me for a complete fool?”
Her eyes were bright with dread when she realized that Thorn must have discovered her secret. It had been foolish of her to stand in the rain, because it must have washed the stain from her skin.
She backed away from him. “I do not know what you are talking—”
Without ceremony, he scooped her into his arms and carried her purposefully down the steps to his cabin. Once inside, he placed her on her feet. His face was a mask of fury as he turned up the wick on the lantern then pulled her into the ring of light so he could see her features.
Brittany raised her hand to her face, wishing she could run and hide from Thorn’s probing glance. The anger she saw in his eyes caused her to tremble with fear. She did not know that a stream of hair dye had made a dark rivulet down her face.
She raised troubled eyes to Thorn and found him watching her with a strange expression on his face. “What trickery is this?” he demanded. “What have you been up to all this time?”
She took a step backward, feeling for the doorknob behind her. “I am sure I do not know what you are talking about, Captain Stoddard.”
“Don’t you?”
“N-no.”
In one swift motion, he unhooked her cape and tossed it to the floor. She stood before him in only her thin nightgown, and he was staring at her white skin. Why had she been so foolish as to go on deck in the rain? She should have foreseen that this could happen.
Brittany felt the water dripping down her face and reached up to wipe it away. Her mouth rounded when she saw the black dye on her hands. “I…must go,” she said hurriedly. “I want to look in on Achmed.”
Thorn blocked her exit. “I think not. Not until I have a few answers.”
Brittany was startled when Thorn reached forward and stripped her nightgown away and tossed it on the floor. Her face burned with embarrassment as his eyes moved over her naked body, and there was a light of possessiveness in their blue depths.
With a smothered oath, he scooped her up in his arms and deposited her in the tub of water where he had bathed earlier in the evening. Before she could object, he was lathering her hair and rubbing soap over her shoulders and arms. When her face and shoulders were thoroughly lathered, he reached for a pail of water and poured it over her head.
“I’ll be damned,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “You and your eunuch must have thought yourselves clever to have duped me for so long. You might have gotten away with it if you had not been so adventuresome tonight.”
Brittany sputtered and fought him as he poured more water over her head.
Thorn ground his teeth, and he was not gentle as he lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her in a towel. His eyes assessed the white skin and the golden hair that spilled down her back.
Plopping her down on his bed, he pulled a chair up, straddled it, and gave her a dark look. “I want some answers, and I want them now!”
Huddled on his bed, without benefit of her clothing, Brittany felt completely at Thorn Stoddard’s mercy. She was determined to keep her promise to her mother and not reveal her true identity.
She shook her head in refusal. “I cannot tell you anything about myself. It is a promise I made, that I cannot break. My mother—” She placed her hand over her mouth. “I have said too much already.”
“No, not nearly enough, Brittany.” His eyes moved over the delicate white skin, and he suddenly knew who she was. “You are the daughter of the English Rose. Simijin is your father.”
“No, Simijin is not my father.”
“But the English Rose is your mother?”
She looked into his eyes, unable to hide the truth. “Yes, she is my mother.”
“And Lord Simijin?”
“Simijin likes to say I am the daughter of his heart.”
Thorn’s face drained of color, and his eyes were probing. “My God, you are not a woman of the harem, as you allowed me to believe. Why in the hell did Simijin tell me that you were one of his women?”
“Simijin thought he was acting in my best interests. His orders to me were to stay hidden behind the veils. That way, he was confident I would be safe. He had not thought that Sultan Selim would be so persistent in pursuing me. Of course, I had to break my word and I feel terrible about that.”
Thorn’s eyes darkened with anger at the thought of the carefully planned deception that had been woven about Brittany. “Just who in the hell is your father?”
She pulled the towel up to her neck, hoping her mother would understand that Thorn had guessed her true identity. She knew he would not stop until he knew all about her and perhaps she owed him the truth.
“My father was an American from Philadelphia. I am Brittany Sinclair.”
He looked sick for a moment. “Tell me you are not of the Sinclair family, who are silversmiths in Philadelphia?”
Brittany looked befuddled. “Yes, my father’s family are silversmiths. Are you acquainted with my grandmother? Is she still alive?”
He pulled her off the bed and retrieved her cape, handing it to her. “I don’t know Mrs. Sinclair personally, but I certainly know of her.” He shook his head. “There must be some of her in you. I have often heard her referred to as the ‘dragon lady.’ ”
She raised her head haughtily. “I am sure you are laughing at me.”
His eyes were dull. “I am sure you have been laughing at me all along. Have you enjoyed yourself at my expense?”
“I never laughed at you.”
He let out a long breath of exasperation. “What do you know of your grandmother?”
“I have never communicated with my grandmother, and I do not know if she will welcome me. But it was my mother’s wish that I go to Philadelphia so Sultan Selim would not find me.”
Thorn turned his eyes away as she slipped into her cape. “For that, and other reasons, Brittany, you must go to Philadelphia with all possible haste.”
She glanced at him as he turned slowly to face her. “That has always been my intention. Of course, I will have to allow Achmed time to heal from his wounds.”
“Yes, of course.”
An uneasy silence fell over the cabin, and she started for the door.
“Brittany,” he said tonelessly.
She halted, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. “Yes.”
He moved to stand before her. “About what happened between us—”
She proudly raised her head and met his eyes. “It is all but forgotten.”
He gripped her shoulders. “Nevertheless, it is my regret that I took advantage of y
our vulnerability.” Remorse was reflected in his blue eyes as they swept her face. “I misjudged you in many ways, Brittany. You were young and innocent, and I, thinking that you were—” He smiled. “Well, what is done cannot be undone. Can you find it within your heart to forgive me?”
She turned away and reached for the door. “There is nothing to forgive, Captain. You were no more guilty than I. Perhaps I am even more at fault than you, because I did lure you to my cabin that first night.” She blinked the tears away. “I release you from all feelings of remorse.”
He suddenly seemed to withdraw from her. “It will be dawn in less than two hours. Are you ready to go ashore?”
“Yes, I am ready.”
“I will see to it that suitable clothing is found for Achmed. He can hardly go ashore wearing his usual attire, since he would attract too much attention. I will also have Cappy accompany you to Charleston and see that you have adequate lodging. He will also help you in any way you deem necessary.”
“You are kind as always,” she whispered, thinking this was his way of sweeping her from his life.
She heard him call out her name, but she rushed through the door. Her heart was crushed because Thorn could so easily dismiss her from his life. When he had thought she was a woman from Simijin’s harem, he had wanted to keep her with him; now, it was obvious he could not wait to rid himself of her.
When she reached her cabin, she threw herself down on the hard bunk, wishing she had never heard the name of Captain Thorn Stoddard.
Although Thorn knew the Charleston harbor well, a pilot ship led the Victorious into port, because the sand bars and shoals often shifted with the tide, and with the narrow winding channels and the swift currents, it was a hazardous and complicated entry, even for the most seasoned captain.
The Victorious’s sails had been lowered, and she glided majestically into port, past warehouses that jutted out into the water and past ships from many nations, for Charleston was a teeming, bustling port that relied heavily on trade.
On entering the Port of Charleston, the Victorious sailed past a merchantman riding low in the water, with her cargo not yet unloaded. Thorn glanced at the Cooper River waterfront with its wharves and shipyards. The dominant structure along the waterfront was the old British Exchange Building, which had been converted to accommodate the seat of government, and was now known as the Great Hall.
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