The Pirate's Jewel

by Cheryl Howe

  Nolan juggled to catch the piece of parchment. “Jewel…” He got up and came around the table.

  She turned and strode to the door. With her escape in sight, she stopped. She wasn’t going to flee like a child. He’d no longer dictate to her like the overbearing ogre he was proving to be. “We are partners. I expect to be treated as such. You’ll consult me on your plans, and I want half of the treasure that doesn’t go to the Continental Congress.”

  Nolan shook his head. The anger slipped from his gaze, and his tone held a note of apology. “I don’t even get half.”

  She stood straighter. “Then I’ll take the same share as you.” She whirled to leave, and then turned back just as quickly. “Not everyone on board thinks I’m in the way.”

  Nolan’s face darkened. “Stay away from my crew.”

  Jewel shrugged. “Fine. But how will you keep your crew away from me?” She turned, kicked the hook holding open the door and slammed it behind her for good measure.

  She climbed the steps to the upper deck two at a time, alternately stepping over and wadding up her pretty new gown in the process. She’d throw the damn thing in his face and go back to wearing her threadbare breeches.

  Above, the pitch-black sky rolled with dark clouds that only let hints of a waning moon peek through sporadically. Even the stars seemed to vanish in the swirl of the turbulent sky.

  Jewel leaned over the railing and stared at the ocean. The waves lapped against the hull, while the rigging overhead moaned in mournful chorus, matching Jewel’s mood. Perhaps her father commiserated with her from his watery grave. Apparently, her new life wouldn’t be much different than her old. Nolan didn’t want her any more than her mother or Harvey. For once, she simply wanted to find a place where she belonged. Some days, she was just tired of fighting for acceptance.

  Nolan’s dismissal carved a painful gouge in her heart. So many years had passed since she had actually tried to be anything other than a barmaid’s illegitimate daughter, unwanted and in the way, and she’d forgotten how much the cruel judgment of others could hurt. When the map was her secret alone, it proved a source of strength, a magic talisman that would garner her instant acclaim when she deigned to tell the world of its existence. Nolan had proved that wasn’t so.

  A tentative touch on her shoulder had her quickly hiding her melancholy expression. She turned and discovered Wayland instead of Nolan, and that brought on a new wave of despair. She’d given him far too much credit just because he’d treated her fairly regarding the map, taken the time to buy her a few nice things, and made her want him with the mere brush of his lips.

  “What’s the matter, little girl?”

  “Nothing.” She forced a weak smile, hoping he’d be polite enough to accept her blatant lie. “Nolan is going to let me stay. We’ll all find the treasure together.”

  Wayland moved to lean on the railing. “Then why the long face?”

  Jewel looked down at her dress, unable to find the pleasure it had given her earlier, or the strength for pretense. “Nolan thinks I’m in the way.”

  To her utter surprise, Wayland drew her into a gentle hug. “There, there, chit. He don’t think that.”

  Jewel let him hold her for a moment before tactfully disengaging. His comforting gesture touched her, but he smelled like pickled fish and smoke. She straightened the folds of her dress, actually feeling a little better. “Nolan’s only taking me along because I have the map. If not for that, he’d have nothing to do with me.”

  Wayland lifted her chin with a crooked finger. He read her eyes. “This is the first time you ever liked a fella, isn’t it?”

  Jewel shrugged, intending to deny it, but the lie wouldn’t get past her lips. Not that she was swept away by Nolan’s charm. Hardly. Unfortunately, he’d captured her attention in a way no other man ever had. “He has his brute appeal.”

  “Yep, he’s a special one. And complicated. Let me tell you something about Nolan. Whatever he told you, you can bet he means the opposite.”

  Jewel studied Wayland’s face for sincerity. The time she had spent in his company this past week had her believing the rumors that he was half crazy. The unhappy clouds writhed and let a stray moonbeam loose upon his glass eye, which glowed with blue life, but the rest of his face looked dead.

  Jewel stepped back, taking it all as a bad omen. “Thank you for the advice.” She yawned loudly. “But it’s getting late…”

  Wayland grabbed her arm. Jewel tugged, but he held tightly. “Listen to me, chit. I’m counting on you to set that boy straight. He doesn’t know what he wants.”

  Jewel nodded her head in agreement, hoping he’d let her go. Fear crept up the back of her neck. She searched the deck, but the bow proved uncharacteristically deserted. No one could see her, and the low roar of the waves would likely swallow any scream.

  “Nolan says one thing, but you and I both know he’s thinking something different.” Wayland also scoured the area with his good eye. Sheer panic set in, and Jewel tugged on her arm, but he continued to hold on with surprising strength. “He might say he isn’t interested, but how does he look at ya? With fire. I’ve seen it. He burns for you.”

  Jewel stopped her struggle, her interest in Wayland’s words swiftly overriding her fear. The old sailor let go of her arm, but she didn’t run away as she’d planned. What he said made sense—or maybe it was just what she wanted to hear. “Everything I do seems to push him away. I wore the dress he bought me. I thought that was what he wanted, but it only seemed to make him angry.”

  “Pretty dresses are for boys like Parker. Nolan’s a man. He’s used to women who know what they’re about. You can’t be flaunting your goods, then pulling them back. You have to offer him what you got, plain and simple-like.”

  Jewel stiffened. “Just because I worked in a tavern doesn’t mean I’m a whore.”

  “Well, I know that. If you were, we wouldn’t be having this problem, would we? Trust me. If you want Nolan”—Wayland grabbed his crotch—“you have to take him by the ballocks. Then you’ll have him.” He finished his demonstration by winking. As if Jewel could have possibly misunderstood.

  “I have to go.” She turned away.

  Wayland caught her by the upper arm before she could escape. “Never touched a man’s cock before, have you?”

  Jewel tried to yank free. “You have to ask?” She thought of slapping him with her other hand, but his mangled countenance probably wouldn’t feel it.

  Wayland held fast to her arm. “Calm yourself, chit. I see you’re not quite your father’s daughter after all. I thought you were made of stronger stuff.”

  She wrenched away with a hard jerk. “I’m made of strong stuff. I’m my mother’s daughter, too. I’ve no intention of ending up with a swollen belly and no husband around when the child comes.”

  Wayland grinned. “Well now, you aren’t as naive as all that, are you?”

  Jewel was angry with Nolan and herself and, suddenly, her precious sire. She had been too busy mourning her fatherless state to fully understand the difficult position her mother had been in until now. Nor how much his abandoning her must have hurt. “No, I guess not. I just gave a show of kindness more credit than it deserved. So that’s what Nolan wants, does he? Sex.”

  “I never said that. Well, not only that. Nolan isn’t like your father, God rest his soul. Nolan wouldn’t desert you if he got you with child—just the opposite. I’m only telling you how to get him where you want him. He desires you, all right. But he’ll resist his natural inclination until you have him stiff and hard in your hand…if you know what I mean.”

  She understood too well. With no one to protect her in the world, men thought her easy prey. She should have known what Nolan’s hungry glances and stolen kiss really meant. Yet she’d thought he’d seen more in her than just the physical. Thought he’d discovered the woman who had the strength and desire to be more than what she’d been born to, who had the cunning to help find a long-buried treasure. “If you�
�ll excuse me, I’m going to my cabin. I’ve had an exhausting day.”

  “Now, don’t get your feathers ruffled. You’re a pirate’s get, and that’s that. Don’t be putting on airs. Nolan is a pirate, too, though he doesn’t want to admit it. You two belong together, and I’m just trying to help.”

  Wayland’s comments drifted over the roars of the sea and in her ears as she stomped back to her cabin. Nolan was no better than Latimer Payne. They both thought her desperate enough to take what they offered.

  Once inside the cabin, she had the urge to tear off the dress Nolan had given her and throw it overboard. The reality of her position differed greatly from her adolescent dreams. Just because she held the map to a treasure didn’t mean she’d gain acceptance or respect. She didn’t know what she could gain.

  She carefully unlaced the dress and hung it in the wardrobe. There was no way she was going to give in and deprive herself of the joy of nice clothing. And since Nolan had provided her with the means to be an unwanted female distraction, that was exactly what he was going to get.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  They reached Gardiner’s Island in less than a day and a half, record time. For Nolan, it was the longest voyage of his life. He had hurt Jewel, been a complete ogre, and she was making him pay. Their confrontation in the galley had not gone at all as he planned. He’d hoped to reach a chilly truce, but when she arrived in the gown, her eyes bright with pleasure, her sensuality hit him like a blow from one of her father’s fists. He had hoped by dressing her like a female, his exaggerated fantasies would be shattered when he saw her as an ordinary woman. Too late, he realized his mistake. There was nothing ordinary about Jewel.

  From a distance, Gardiner’s Island appeared green and lush. Pines shot from its center. The gray crystalline sand soaked up the bright rays of springtime sun, beckoning them to come ashore. Even the large rocks peeking from the gentle surf, which could have easily splintered their skiff in a storm, gleamed innocuously. A far different picture from when Nolan and Bellamy had searched the island in the dead of winter, howling wind cutting through their clothing and bending even the tallest trees. Today, the island held the promise of hidden treasure.

  Despite the sun’s warmth beating on his back as he rowed one of the landing party’s two launches, Nolan could still feel a sharp knife of cold rolling off the water. The chill had nothing to do with the just passed winter, but with one overconfident brat. Jewel’s laughter danced across the water, abrading his eardrums like metal rubbing against metal. Nolan stopped himself short of wincing visibly. Parker, who rowed the skiff that carried Jewel, threw his head back in a laughing response to her tinkling giggles.

  Wayland, who was Nolan’s passenger, cocked his head at the other boat. “They sure are as tight as a virgin’s thighs. She ain’t given me the time of day since we left Newport.”

  Nolan yanked the oars harder than necessary, trying to relieve his frustration while propelling his boat farther away from Parker and Jewel. Avoiding her had been one thing; being shunned by her was another. Nolan didn’t like it in the least, though he suspected he deserved it. Neither had his conversation with Parker regarding Jewel gone as planned. His lieutenant readily agreed that she deserved the utmost respect while aboard their vessel. Unfortunately, Nolan feared that a slight possessiveness had leaked into his voice while he was trying to warn Parker off, giving the completely wrong impression of her status on board his ship.

  “I’ve set the parameters of our relationship, and she respects my authority as captain,” he finally said to Wayland.

  Another peal of feminine laughter sounded, crawling up Nolan’s spine.

  Wayland glanced to the skiff that Nolan managed to keep out of his own direct line of vision, and then turned back to grin at him. “Aye, Captain.” Apparently satisfied that he’d been thoroughly irritating, he turned around to face the island, a menacing figurehead sure to strike fear into any evil spirits.

  Blessed silence accompanied only by the breathing of the crewman behind Nolan and oars efficiently slicing through water carried them the rest of the way to the island. Nolan was the first one up, and he waded through the icy water to drag the skiff to shore. Even the hottest day couldn’t take the chill from the Atlantic. He longed to make his way back to the Caribbean’s warmth. Maybe then he could be himself again, instead of two people battling for control. In the old days, he wouldn’t have had to handle Jewel with kid gloves when he longed to touch her, skin to skin. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was his desire he wanted to be rid of, not his restraint.

  Nolan pulled the map out of his pocket and stared at the island, its green rolling hills just past the beach. Finally having the coveted parchment in his hands was tainted by the memory of how he’d got it. He wished he’d handled the whole encounter better. Jewel had been so forceful and stubborn up to that point, he hadn’t expected his harsh words to hurt. He’d seen he’d failed, though she’d struggled valiantly to hide it.

  His suspicions that her brash front hid more vulnerability than she’d like to admit were confirmed. And though it was true enough that he didn’t want her around, a large part of his hostility sprang from his own unwanted desires. Last night, he’d restrained himself from seeking her out to apologize. He did have feelings for Jewel, feelings he dared not explore and that were getting harder to hide. That the attraction was mutual persuaded him it was better if they avoided each other.

  Nolan forced himself to focus on the map. Captain Kent’s treasure had been rumored to be hidden here on Gardiner’s Island since Kent’s execution more than half a century earlier. Many had dug looking for it, including himself and Bellamy—all fruitlessly. Nolan had spent a good portion of last night paging through his father’s book of the occult and comparing it to the map, but he couldn’t find any new insight. He wasn’t hopeful that today’s outing would be fruitful, but they had to start somewhere.

  He turned back to the beach in time to see Parker carry Jewel through the surf. “Mr. Tyrell, secure your skiff before you remove your passenger.”

  The man glanced over his shoulder. The third crewman was dragging the longboat to shore quite capably. “Aye, Captain.” He looked down at Jewel and a smile broke across his face. He deposited her on dry land and sprinted back to help the crewman drag the boat to shore.

  Nolan could feel the corner of his mouth curl into a sneer. “Mr. Tyrell, may I have a word with you?”

  Nolan trudged to the far side of the beach, not bothering to address the rest of the crew for fear he’d see Jewel studying him with the knowledge that his request to speak to Parker had everything to do with her.

  “Yes, Captain?” said Parker, only slightly winded from jogging across the beach after him.

  “I thought we cleared up any confusion regarding Miss Sanderson.”

  “Confusion, Captain?” Parker returned Nolan’s stern gaze without the slightest show of concern. The topic had already made Nolan start to sweat.

  Dragging this conversation out would be worse than being blunt, he quickly decided. “I’m aware of the fact that you ran up some exorbitant tabs at a particular brothel…” Nolan began. He stopped when Parker looked away.

  “I see my father enlightened you.” Parker’s neck distinctly flushed before he turned back. “I understand that Jewel’s not available on those terms. And, as you probably know, my tastes run toward older and more experienced women.”

  Nolan struggled with the urge to look away himself. He really didn’t want to know about Parker’s sexual preferences, nor had he intended to make Parker feel uncomfortable about them. “As long as you perform your duties well, and you do, I’m not concerned with how you choose to spend your free time. I only brought this up because I want to protect Jewel.”

  Parker relaxed at that and stood a little straighter at the praise. “Thank you, Captain. And you don’t need to worry. I know you’ve already staked your claim on Jewel.”

  “Our relationship is strictly…” Nolan began
too abruptly and couldn’t finish his sentence. He had no idea how his relationship with Jewel would be classified. “I have no claim on her,” he finally said.

  Parker and Nolan stared at each other for another long moment while Nolan tried to impart on his knowing lieutenant something he was having trouble convincing himself.

  “That’s all,” he finally said, sure he’d again done more harm than good. “Make sure the crew gather all the supplies from the boats.”

  “Aye, Captain.” Parker trudged off and Nolan resisted calling him back. He should just say that he did have a claim on Jewel and be done with it. Instead, he turned away and walked across the rocky beach alone.

  “Wait!” Jewel called. Nolan paused but didn’t turn. She’d not spoken to him since the incident in the galley, and he couldn’t imagine that she would now. Her tug on his arm convinced him she had. “Let me see the map.”

  Ah, it was the map she wanted. He gave her a quick, dismissive perusal over his shoulder, trying not to notice that her floral dress was cut slightly lower than the green gown had been. “I’m familiar with Gardiner’s Island. I’ll hold the map.”

  She placed her fists on her corseted waist and again Nolan wondered why he’d thought it would be a good idea to put her in feminine clothing that showed off her curves. “Oh, really? Well, I believe your last excursion to this particular island left you empty-handed. Why not let someone with a fresh eye take a look?”

  Nolan handed her the map, debating whether their silent battle of wills had been better than this. The tiny blue flowers and lace around her entirely too plunging neckline, he decided, made her look like a sweetmeat: feminine, soft, and sugary to taste. Unfortunately, her pretty package in reality was bitter—at least for Nolan.

  She turned, but not before Nolan caught her smirk of satisfaction at his obvious ogling. She waved to Parker. “Parker—”