The Pirate's Jewel

by Cheryl Howe

  “Leave it alone, Devlin. Solicit strumpets on your own time,” said the naval officer. “We need a full crew before we set off to the beastly West Indies.”

  Jewel stiffened. A glance at Harvey showed he had no intention of coming to her aid this time. She’d been propositioned before, of course, but suddenly she felt unnerved and very much alone.

  “Thank you, sir, for such a kind invitation, but I must decline,” she said. The marine officer continued to grin and glanced over Jewel’s head. “Ah, your other gentleman friend. He doesn’t seem pleased. But not to worry. I can assure you, your interests will be better served with me—and I have plenty of friends not unlike myself who don’t mind loosening their considerable purse strings for a pretty woman.”

  She followed the officer’s gaze. Nolan was still there, staring at them with open hostility. What was he doing?

  The officer tilted his head. “Are you afraid of him? You’ve no need for that.” He reached out and caressed her cheek.

  Jewel stepped away. “If you don’t wish food or drink, I’ll say good day, gentlemen.” Escape at this point was her best option, but the officer’s hand dropped to her shoulder.

  “Release her.” Nolan’s voice loomed behind her and held an edge that made Jewel’s stomach clench.

  The officer did as he asked, but only to place his right hand on the hilt of his sword. “And who might you be, sir? Do you have some claim on the”—he cleared his throat—“lady?”

  The naval officer intervened. “All right. Enough of this, Devlin. We have our orders, and I intend to see they are carried out. Leave the man the strumpet. We have other stops to make.”

  Nolan stepped forward. “I believe Miss Sanderson deserves an apology.”

  The heavyset naval officer blinked, as if he’d been dunked underwater.

  Devlin, the marine officer, pressed the back of his hand to his mouth in an obvious attempt to hide a smile. “I agree wholeheartedly,” he said. “This fair maiden is so much more than a mere strumpet. Really, Lieutenant Greeley. Speak up.”

  The musket-toting marines straightened and indiscreetly repositioned their weapons.

  Lieutenant Greeley’s bulbous face reddened, and the set of his shoulders proved he was angry rather than taken aback. He addressed Nolan: “Step aside, sir. You’re in the presence of His Majesty’s officers. We shan’t be ordered about by the likes of you.”

  “His Majesty’s officers? As such, I would think you would have the proper respect for a lady. I might not hold such an esteemed title, but I have enough sense to know when a woman wishes to be left alone.”

  Devlin stepped forward. “You backwoods colonial—”

  Jewel stepped between the men. “Please. This is all my fault. My friend and I just had a bit of a quarrel. I lost my temper with him, I suppose. I didn’t mean to give you gentlemen the wrong impression. My sincere apologies.”

  To her relief, Nolan apparently came to his senses and took a step back.

  The younger officer held his gaze, not as eager to back down. His hazel eyes held a note of animosity that seemed to go far beyond what the situation warranted.

  “Very well, then,” Greeley spoke up. “Mind yourself from now on, girl. Let’s be off.” He strode past. Everyone followed but Devlin, who held his ground.

  “I believe the strumpet wishes to rethink her choice of patrons.” The way the man continued to stare at Nolan warned Jewel that the standoff had gone past the simple matter of her preference. Neither man had an advantage in height or build but the way the officer tilted his chin and looked down his long nose warned he was confident he would come out on top.

  “Stop referring to her in that way.” Though Nolan hadn’t advanced, his posture showed he’d not back down again.

  “It’s an honest mistake. Let the gentleman be on his way,” Jewel said. She barely stopped herself from entreating Nolan by name.

  “Devlin, come along. You might be used to taking command of our land excursions, but this expedition has been assigned to me. You’re wasting my time with your antics. That’s an order,” Greeley called.

  Devlin relaxed his stance and bowed to Jewel. “I pray we’ll see each other again soon—and under less trying circumstances.”

  He gave Nolan one last scathing glance and followed the soldiers out. The entire room gave a collective sigh of relief; everyone except Nolan, who still stared at the door.

  Harvey and her mother were immediately at Jewel’s side, both with a heated string of recriminations laced with breathless worry.

  “Jewel, there are certain customers you shouldn’t approach. How many times have I told you that?” Her mother gripped her shoulders and studied her as if the contact with the soldiers might have bruised her in some way.

  Harvey held out his hand to Nolan. “Let me buy you a drink, sir. It’s not healthy to be so obvious in your politics these days, but I thank you for speaking up on behalf of my barmaid.”

  Nolan nodded, but there was little warmth in the gesture. “No need for thanks. I’d just like one last word with Miss Sanderson before I’m on my way.”

  Her mother and Harvey exchanged glances, and then handed Jewel over. Must they be so obvious? she wondered. Apparently, her mother had sized up Nolan as a better prospect than Latimer—whom Jewel had almost forgotten. She glanced Payne’s way and he waved her over. She shook her head to his silent request, and he sank into his chair a little lower.

  Jewel followed Nolan back to their table.

  “He’ll be back, you know.”

  “Hopefully we’ll both be long gone by then. Why didn’t you leave?”

  “I don’t like it that you have to fend for yourself that way. I imagined you with better protection over the years.”

  His blue gaze met hers, and she could tell he was disturbed by his encounter with the officer. Not for himself, or the imminent danger he’d put himself in, but for her. And by the frown in his eyes and the tight lines around his mouth, the continued threat he thought her to be in.

  “What’s this about, Nolan? Where is my father, and why hasn’t he come for me?” She had the sudden realization that not only didn’t he intend to take her to her father, he didn’t intend to take her from the Quail and Queen at all.

  Nolan played with the fingers of his brown leather gloves. “Bellamy won’t be coming for you.” He paused, and his hesitation revealed that he was as uncomfortable delivering the news as she was hearing it. The weight of what remained unsaid hung between them. Her father had never planned to come for her. Nolan cleared his throat. “I shall pay you handsomely for the map. You can leave this tavern and never look back.”

  He might as well have reached out and tugged her single braid as hard as he could. Her eyes felt hot and wide. “Why? Why did my father lie to me? Why did he give me the map in the first place if he never intended to return?” Betrayal swooped down on her like a large black bird with sharp talons. Her father had filled her full of false hope and empty promises, exactly as he had her mother. Why would he do such a cruel thing to a child?

  Nolan’s gaze seemed startled. Her voice must have given away her flood of anguish. He set his gloves down and splayed his hands flat on the table, apparently bracing himself. “It’s not that he doesn’t want to come for you. It’s that he can’t.”

  She tried to smile to ease his obvious discomfort, but that didn’t work so she dropped her gaze instead, sparing him the bitterness she knew shone in her eyes. “He wasn’t ever coming back, was he?”

  Nolan thrust a handkerchief at her. “He was detained.”

  She intended to push the unadorned linen cloth back to him, letting him know that her slight tremble came from anger. The way he continued to gaze at her with real concern choked her throat with unwanted emotion. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, but realizing that she’d hung her hopes on a lie was not sitting well. She brought the cloth to her nose and sniffed. It smelled of salt, tobacco, and warm male. Finally, she wrestled her sorrow into place
enough to continue the conversation. “Is my father in prison?”

  “No. Please don’t cry. You’re better off without him in your life.”

  Jewel sniffed, but her eyes were painfully dry. And wide open. The smell of stale beer and burnt bread that filled the room could not be erased by Nolan’s warm scent. She glanced back at Latimer, who glared in her direction. The British presence in the tavern today warned not only that Harvey’s fears regarding the threat of war held merits, but also her mother’s fears about her continuing to work in the tavern.

  “Believe me, I won’t be better off.” When Jewel turned back to Nolan, she noticed he’d followed her gaze to Latimer’s table.

  Nolan’s scowl, along with his willingness to confront the armed military men, reminded Jewel of what Latimer had called him when he walked through the door. Bloodthirsty. She turned back to see Latimer cowed, studying the contents of his tankard.

  “Who’s he?” Nolan’s stare skewered poor Latimer.

  “A customer.” Admitting he was her only prospective groom was too embarrassing.

  “Why was he staring at you like that? I don’t like how your mother lets your customers treat you.” Nolan turned his accusing gaze on her.

  Though she’d been more than a little pleased he had come to her rescue earlier, she now found his tone too assuming. Nor did he seem eager to provide any real information about her father. She meant to set him straight. “Nothing would have come of that exchange with the officer if you hadn’t intervened. And Latimer thinks he wants to marry me.”

  “That’s not the stare of a suitor. That man thinks he has some right to you. You deserve better than that—from him or anyone else.”

  “But I’ve rarely gotten it.” His kind words were merely that—words. Nothing would change once he walked out of her life without revealing her father’s whereabouts or how to find the treasure, except that she’d have less hope for a better life than before. “I’ve heard nothing from my father or you in all these years. If you were so concerned for me, you could have sent word.”

  “You don’t know how I’ve made your life my concern.” Despite his clipped words, she knew she’d hit her mark when he glanced away. He quickly recovered from his moment of discomfort and returned his gaze to hers, stiff but composed. “I want the treasure for the revolution, not my own personal gain. War is inevitable, and you’d be wise to take my offer.”

  Nolan was right, of course. Still, she wasn’t sure she could trust him. She desperately wanted to. “I promised my father I’d keep the map for him. Please, tell me where he is. What’s become of him?”

  Nolan tapped his thumb on the table. “I haven’t seen him in some time.”

  There was something he wasn’t telling her, and she was afraid she knew what it was. If her father had forgotten about her, she’d rather know. “Did he say he wasn’t coming?”

  Nolan stilled his tapping thumb. “Not exactly. But, I assure you he won’t come.”

  Her suspicions increased that he was hiding something about her father. “I well remember the argument you two had at our last meeting. I won’t be a pawn, Nolan.”

  His lips curled in a tight, closemouthed smile. “You remember? I have the scar to remind me of it. Nor am I the one who made you a pawn.”

  Jewel clasped her hands in her lap and made her decision. Though she was tempted to take Nolan’s offer, his mere presence proved she hadn’t been as foolish as she thought in pinning her hopes on the map. “You won’t get anything from me until I see my father.”

  “Bellamy’s dead.”

  Nolan’s unblinking stare, the way he held her gaze, the way his jaw jumped after he spoke—all told Jewel it was the truth. The tips of her fingers to the roots of her hair went numb with shock. She remained snared in Nolan’s harsh gaze, unable to even blink.

  It occurred to her briefly that he’d had something to do with her father’s demise, but the anguish she saw in his eyes banished the thought. Besides, how could he face her if he were responsible?

  As the weight of his words settled around her heart, grief was not what she felt. That would be for the sudden loss of someone you knew. The anguish she felt was for the loss of a part of herself, the part that would never know a father. Bellamy Leggett had died without giving her so much as an hour of his time.

  A hot tear rolled down her cheek, reminding her that she hadn’t stopped existing like her dreams had. “How did he die?”

  Nolan sat forward. “I’m sorry.” He spoke to her clasped hands rather than to her face, and his gentle tone was more unnerving than his anger had been. “I wanted to spare you. He died at sea.”

  She wiped her cheeks. “Did he ever say anything about me?”

  Nolan hesitated. Her unwavering gaze forced him to look up. She would never have a father, but if she knew he had thought of her, it might allow her to feel the grief she should while whisking away her sire’s betrayal.

  “He mentioned you often. He wanted to come for you, but his life was too dangerous. Let me buy the map from you. Bellamy wanted me to find the treasure.”

  The grief finally came, but it only worsened the shock. Jewel felt as if her life would never be right. With all her childhood plans irrevocably smashed, she felt like she was floating, unattached to anything.

  Nolan reached across the table to touch her hand. “Let me help you, Jewel.”

  The weight of his warm hand resting on hers grounded her, gave her reason to hope. She lifted her gaze to his. His deep blue eyes burned with sincerity. No one had ever looked at her like that before. He truly wanted to help. “I want to go with you to find the treasure.”

  A crash startled them both. Nolan quickly withdrew his hand in a swift, guilty motion. Latimer Payne stormed past and out the door without a backward glance at the chair he had overturned. Jewel’s fate was sealed. She had to ally herself with Nolan. Her only other option had just been closed. And all Jewel felt was a tremendous flood of relief.

  All traces of compassion melted behind Nolan’s scowl. “That’s not possible. I’ll leave you with enough coin to ensure your security, and more than triple that once I find the treasure. Take what I’m offering now—there is a chance I might never find the actual treasure. The map isn’t clear.”

  Jewel leaned forward to touch his arm. “That settles it then. I’ve studied the map every night since my father gave it to me. If you take me in the right direction, I know I’ll be able to recognize where the treasure is buried.”

  Nolan pulled away without the slightest effort to be discreet. “Absolutely not. Be sensible. Sell me the map.”

  Jewel laughed. If she could be sensible, she would have married a man who would give her a stable future. “My birth is questionable. I have no family besides my mother. And I just ran off the only man who would consider marrying me. You’re all I have, and I can’t let you leave without me.” She looked down at the handkerchief she had been rubbing between her fingers. She had always known she was illegitimate but had never dared say it out loud. Of course, the pity and hostility she had experienced over the years had never let her forget.

  She glanced up at Nolan, afraid she would see condemnation in his features as well. His scowl softened. She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she held. If anyone could understand her, Nolan could. They shared secrets. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I just want your help. If I’ll never have my father’s name, I’ll find his treasure.”

  Nolan’s eyes narrowed. “My treasure. It was never Bellamy’s.”

  She changed tack. “I’m not denying that, but I’ve guarded the map all these years. I deserve to be a part of finding the treasure. Please be reasonable.” Jewel kept her tone pleasant, even cajoling, but it didn’t seem to do a thing to soften his stance. A muscle jumped in his jaw, belying the coolness in his gaze.

  “You’re a woman.”

  Jewel ceased her efforts to win the battle bloodlessly and lunged at his weak spot. “But I have the map.”

 
; Nolan didn’t flinch. “I won’t take you with me.”

  She had to fight not to wilt under his unyielding stare. Instead, she raised her chin, matching his determination with her own. “Then you won’t have the map.”

  He leaned back, rubbed his chin and studied her. It was obvious he hadn’t counted on such resistance. “You’re not a little girl anymore.” He paused, as if taking in that fact. “But you’re still as foolish and naive as the night we first met.”

  She clasped her hands on the table, not letting him know his comment stung. Maybe it was foolish to hang on to a dream, but the dream was all she had. “You don’t know anything of me.”

  He smiled. It strained his mouth and eyes rather than softened either. “I can see that.” He tapped the table again. “I’m doing you a favor by offering to pay you for the map before I’ve found the actual treasure.”

  “You’re not giving me a choice.”

  His eyes turned harsh, as if he saw something he didn’t like. “You don’t know what I’ve given you.”

  Jewel got angry. “Then explain it to me! Just because I’m a tavern girl doesn’t mean you have the right to dictate my life. After all, you are a pirate.”

  “I’m not a pirate anymore,” he said through gritted teeth. But his ferocity was unconvincing.

  “Why? What happened? What happened between you and my father after you left here?” Perhaps she’d been too hasty in absolving his responsibility in her father’s death.

  He picked up his gloves. “A curious young woman is a dangerous thing.”

  She blinked, not liking the chill in his voice. “For who? You? I have a right to know.”

  “You should think before you speak.” Nolan stood. “I hope you’ll change your mind about selling me the map. Take my offer or you’ll be left with nothing.”

  Jewel stood, too, letting him know she had no intention of backing down. Her father’s map was important. “But you forget, I have the map. Sail without me and you will be the one left with nothing.”