The Pirate's Jewel

by Cheryl Howe

  “You told Jewel something about me and her father. What was it?”

  Wayland tugged on the bottom of his jacket. “She just thought you’d leave her once you put a babe in her belly—like Bellamy left her mother. Don’t worry. I told her you wouldn’t.”

  Nolan stepped back as if Wayland had struck him. “Why would you two be having such a conversation in the first place? I’ve hardly even kissed her.”

  Wayland smiled, looking pleased with himself. “I didn’t even know you’d done that. Well, good for you. I’m proud of ya.”

  “Don’t be. That kiss was a mistake.” Nolan hesitated. He was supposed to be getting information out of Wayland, not the other way around. “What else did you tell her?”

  “To stop flirting with you.”

  “Thank God.”

  “Yep. I told her just to grab your rod. That’s the way to a man’s heart. Always works on me.”

  Nolan couldn’t speak. He just stared at Wayland. Surely Jewel had enough sense not to listen. If she took Wayland’s advice—God, it had been five years. If she touched him like that...

  “No need to thank me.”

  Nolan surged toward Wayland. “I’m about to strangle you.”

  The pirate ducked out of his reach. “Don’t blame me if she hasn’t done it yet. I did my part, and you did everything you could to turn her against you.”

  Nolan paused. Dancing around the slippery deck to catch Wayland had somewhat dissipated his immediate need to kill. “She prefers Parker.”

  Wayland laughed, apparently enjoying the fact that he’d driven Nolan to the verge of violence. “Can’t say I blame her. Parker’s a lucky man. Wish I had a pretty girl like that to stroke my—”

  “Don’t say it.” Nolan pinched the bridge of his nose. An image of Parker and Jewel popped into his head. “Jewel doesn’t need any of your advice. She seems to be doing just fine where Parker’s concerned.”

  “Don’t think so. She seemed pretty surprised when I told her. But you know how young girls are. All flowers and cool kisses. You have to touch them right to turn them hot.”

  “She didn’t take you seriously, did she?” Nolan had begun to wonder. Jewel was a mix of paradoxes. She still had a romantic bent, despite her circumstances.

  “I guess Mr. Tyrell’s going to find out instead of you.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Nolan rubbed his forehead with his palm. “I’ve never known you to do anything that isn’t self-serving.”

  “Getting Parker a good time wasn’t my idea. I was trying to steer Jewel toward you.”

  “So you’re the matchmaking pirate now? Thank you, but I don’t need or want your help.”

  “Fine, but you better get a woman quick. If you don’t blow off more than just steam soon, I’m jumping ship. You ain’t easy to be around these days.”

  “By all means, jump ship! But until you do, keep your advice to yourself.”

  Not that Nolan had any illusions he’d be so lucky. Any way he saw it, he had trouble on his hands. He couldn’t afford to lose either Parker or Jewel to a misunderstanding fueled by Wayland’s bad advice. They were all stuck together on a ship that grew smaller every day.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Jewel sat at Nolan’s desk, smoothing out the map with careful strokes. Its familiar sight comforted her. On those long nights waiting for her father to toss pebbles up at her window so they could make their great escape, she’d studied the map, dreaming of the day they would discover its treasure.

  The reality of the quest was sobering. Jewel wrapped her arms around herself in a comforting hug. Her cotton nightgown provided little protection against the night’s chill. After such a warm day, the change in temperature was as disillusioning as her dreams.

  She managed to tuck her feet under the billowing gown. Resting her chin on her knees, she stared at the map. If only Nolan wouldn’t remind her at every turn that he didn’t want her along, she might be able to salvage a small part of her fantasy. Seeing a world she’d only imagined, sailing across the open seas—it had all brought a wonderful rush, but Nolan seemed to go out of his way to dampen her spirits.

  Unfortunately, his blatant hostility during the long grueling day had done little to quell her feelings for him. Jewel finally realized why her mother believed men were dangerous creatures. You never knew which one would steal your heart. And once lost, there was no guarantee the one who claimed it would know its value. Her mother had learned that lesson the hard way. Now, after running away to change her fate, Jewel found herself in the same situation.

  That Nolan refused to show anything for her but a slight contempt might have finally convinced her he wasn’t worth the heartache, but then Nolan had revealed his vulnerability when they failed to find the treasure. He’d tried to hide it, but Jewel could see the hurt and bitter disappointment in every line of his body. She’d watched as he futilely pushed his shovel into the hard ground, his muscular shoulders and back straining against his white shirt. And his misery ruined any pleasure she gained by getting the upper hand.

  Yes, he needed her, though he’d yet to admit it to himself. Her whole heart thumped with the idea. But when she’d offered him her hand at the side of the pit, her support, he’d refused.

  Jewel turned the map, studying it from every angle. Maybe if she could find the treasure’s true location, Nolan would let her through the stone wall he’d built around himself. It would give him a reason to trust her. Then, he wouldn’t be so alone.

  The answer to the map’s riddle lay in the picture, no matter what Nolan said. Jewel had doubted herself at first because she couldn’t read the words. Her obsession with the picture had only seemed to emphasize her ignorance, but Nolan didn’t know where the treasure was any more than she did. If the words alone revealed the treasure’s location, men would have found it long ago. Captain Kent hadn’t wanted to make it that easy.

  Jewel unhooked the brass lantern from the ceiling and set it on the corner of the map. She had heard rumors of Captain Kent’s treachery. He was a privateer who’d grown desperate enough to turn pirate. He’d attacked a ship flying British colors and killed even his own crewmembers who disagreed with the treasonous act. The man was Nolan’s grandfather.

  Did Nolan also hide a dark side? Jewel wondered. He was so stiff; if he actually laughed or smiled he might crack. Nolan Kenton made it his business to be the exact opposite of his grandfather. Even in the long-ago fight with her father, Nolan had honorable intentions. In fact, they’d earned him a knife in his chest and a few more years as a pirate.

  Perhaps she placed too much importance on the small things Nolan had done for her, but when she decided to dismiss his kindness in the face of his continued hostility, it only left her with more questions than answers. He didn’t have to stand up for her against the British officer at the Quail and Queen. She had been in no real danger of harm except for her pride. And despite bringing unwanted scrutiny onto himself, Nolan refused to let the men treat her with less respect than he thought she deserved.

  Also, even though he dismissed the gowns he’d purchased for her as merely a necessity, Jewel couldn’t believe the quality was an accident. Something with less lace and silk would have been more practical if that was Nolan’s only purpose. No doubt the seamstress had swayed Nolan’s purchases, because he couldn’t possibly know the details a woman would need to complete her dress, down to matching ribbons for her hair, but he hadn’t said no to even the most unnecessary luxury.

  Nolan had put her comfort and needs above his own even in the surrender of his cabin, when he’d made it most clear he didn’t want her aboard. Though the accommodations were small and cramped, she’d come to realize they were by far the nicest on the Integrity. Then, it would have been easy for him to remove Parker from his cabin, but Nolan hadn’t done that. He took others’ comforts into consideration before his own.

  Though she’d be far better off taking Nolan’s less than charming behavior at face value, she couldn’t dismiss
the man that lay beneath. He’d not denied his attraction for her, and she had a hard time letting it go at merely lust.

  Jewel turned the map upside-down, hoping to make more sense of it than she could Nolan. When he wanted to hide his feelings from her, he went out of his way to act opposite. If Captain Kent wanted to hide his treasure, would he make the text a picture and the picture the text?

  A hard pounding on the door made Jewel jump. She knocked into the lantern she’d set on the desk with her elbow. It tipped, but she righted it before it tumbled onto the map. Wax spilled from the candle inside, spattering her hand rather than the desk.

  Jewel yelped, but steadied the lantern, and blew on her injured fingers. The door banged open, and Nolan was behind her before she had the chance to turn around. He reached around her to examine her hands.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine.” The slight sting in her fingers paled in comparison to her body’s reaction to Nolan. She could feel his heat where his thighs and chest brushed her thin nightgown. And where he held her wrists with his hands seemed to come alive with a thousand new sensations, feelings she didn’t even have names for.

  As if he felt it, too, and found the strange contact as disturbing as Jewel found it pleasant, he pulled away abruptly. He stepped back, putting several inches between them. But his eyes proved just as intense as his touch. She glanced down at the plain white nightgown she wore. Long-sleeved and high-collared, the gown was less revealing than either of her dresses. Still, the way Nolan stared urged her to fold her arms over her chest, and heat crept up her cheeks.

  He abruptly fixed his gaze to a spot over her shoulder. “Do you want to burn my ship down to the waterline?” He reached around her, grabbed the lantern and returned it to its hook. “Everything on a ship is designed for a purpose. I expect you to follow—”

  “Lecture me later. I have something to show you.” Jewel focused on the map, taking his lead in pretending nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Her heart continued to race.

  He backed to the door of the cabin and leaned against it. “First, there is something important we need to discuss.”

  Jewel grabbed his arm and guided him back to the desk. Instead of the fight she expected, he let her lead him. A quick glance at his face showed he watched her with a heavy gaze, but sleep looked like the last thing on his mind. Wayland had been right. She rushed on before Nolan snapped himself out of his daze and began reprimanding her or insulting her or whatever he thought would best hide his interest. “Look at the map. Doesn’t the picture look like words and the words look like a drawing of an island?”

  Nolan glanced at the map. “I don’t know. Jewel...” He sighed, apparently unable to continue with what he needed to say.

  She turned her back on him and stared down at the map. To hear him talk of sending her home again was more than she thought she could stand. “Hand me something to draw with and I’ll show you.”

  Nolan retrieved an ivory parchment much too fine for her purpose and a charcoal pencil. Before he changed his mind, she placed the paper over the map. “Bring that lantern closer. You can hold it to make sure I don’t start a fire.”

  Nolan obliged, but Jewel could tell he only did so to humor her. The more he doubted her, the surer she was. Her steadiness surprised her as she traced the outline of the text. The obvious shape of an island that appeared on the paper even gave Jewel pause. “See?”

  Nolan took the paper. At first he just skimmed the sketch, and then something caught his attention. He turned the paper sideways and upside-down. Recognition flickered in his eyes, and she swore he paled, the stubble of his day’s growth of beard appearing black in contrast.

  “It’s nothing. Just a shape.” He handed Jewel the paper, his gaze more shuttered than usual.

  “You saw something. You know the place. I could tell by the look on your face.” She shoved the paper back at him. Nolan could be stubborn, but to ignore the evidence just because it came from her was childish.

  She held out her hand until Nolan took the sketch. He stared at it again, this time with real concentration. “It reminds me of a place I’ve been—but the island’s not been charted. You won’t find it on any map.”

  “Perfect. That’s it. Don’t you see? Where else would Captain Kent hide his treasure?” Nolan’s frown only made her more desperate. “We have to look there.”

  “Jewel, it’s probably nothing. I’m imagining I’m seeing something that isn’t really there.”

  “Well, what about this picture?” Using her index finger, Jewel traced what she thought might be letters. They were drawings, but they reminded her more of the sharp angles of text rather than an actual picture. They were too stiff to be a poor attempt at creating landscape.

  Nolan leaned closer. Finally, he nodded. “You might be right.” He straightened, studied her a moment, and then pulled a thin, leather-bound book from the top desk drawer. “I found this with my father’s things after he died. I thought it might be a clue to reading the map. What do you think?”

  Jewel took the book with reverence. Nolan had breached his trust no one motto for her. She flipped through the pages, and then glanced up at him, hoping her sincere gaze showed how much his gesture meant to her. “I wish I could help, but I can’t read.” She’d not try to bluff her way through the first honest moment she and Nolan had shared.

  He nodded, his eyes kind, but withheld further comment. Somehow, it seemed to be the right thing to do. Finally, he merely shrugged. “Being able to read certainly didn’t do me much good today. Next time…” He paused, as if struggling for words. “Next time, I’ll take your opinions into consideration. Maybe there is something here I’m missing.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and then returned her gaze to the pages. Nolan had taken her breath away when he was barely being civil. This new behavior was devastating. In the face of his admission of failure—something she suspected didn’t come easily—combined with his surprising gesture of trust, her last resistance against the pull of her heart crumbled. To protect himself, or more likely her, Nolan ensured he was a difficult man to love—which only increased Jewel’s determination to do so. She loved him. She could no longer deny it.

  She thumbed through the book, wishing she could find something to help them. Now that Nolan was giving her a chance, she wanted to succeed more than ever. The odd symbols and characters drew her attention, though she couldn’t understand any of it. Obviously, the book was some sort of catalog of languages and symbols. A page that looked vaguely familiar caused her to pause. “What’s this?”

  Nolan glanced over her shoulder. “Let’s see. Some kind of ancient alphabet. Runes, the author calls them.”

  Jewel swung her attention back to the map. “These letters make up the picture,” she blurted out before he could decipher the faded print.

  Nolan leaned over, his broad chest brushing her gown. “Good God, you have discovered something.”

  The joy in his voice warmed her almost as much as his nearness. Proving herself worthy to be on this voyage pleased Jewel almost as much as finding the map’s secret. At least some of her dream was coming true as she’d imagined.

  Nolan stared at the map and shook his head in disbelief. “I have to get Wayland. We used to sail by some old Nordic charts. Only the old-timers could read them. He might be able to figure out what the map says before I can decipher the book.”

  Nolan strode to the door, but he hesitated with his hand on the brass handle. “Jewel. Good work.” To her delight, she discovered he had dimples when he smiled. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared.

  He stuck his head back through the portal before she had the chance to recover, and shrugged off his jacket. “Here, put this on.”

  “I’m not cold.” Since he had entered the room, the night’s chill had been staved off by excitement—and something else altogether.

  He tossed her the jacket anyway. “Put it on. Please.”

  A smile and a please? Jewe
l slipped the jacket on before he closed the door. She could hear her own heartbeat in the vast emptiness left by his sudden departure. But he would be back—and what really lay at the heart of Nolan Kenton was the next mystery she was determined to uncover.

  ***

  Nolan practically tripped over Wayland lurking in the companionway outside Jewel’s cabin. Even though the man’s nearness proved convenient, being spied upon annoyed Nolan. The fact that Wayland was the one doing the snooping created an even bigger problem. Wayland couldn’t be trusted any more than the sight in his ice blue eye.

  Nolan dragged the ex-pirate from a shadowed corner beside the steps leading to the main deck. “What the hell are you doing down here?”

  Wayland straightened his hat and jacket as if unjustly disturbed. “Can’t a man get a bit of shut-eye? The galley’s crowded, and I needed a place to get out of the wind. These old bones—”

  “Forget it. I need you to look at something.” Nolan turned back to the cabin’s closed door. He’d not get an honest answer, so it wasn’t worth pursuing.

  Wayland paused before the cabin’s threshold. “Nolan, I’ve done all I can for you. From here on out, you’re on your own.”

  Nolan pushed open the portal and stepped aside for Wayland to enter. “I said I’d only take you along if you followed orders. Now I’m ordering you to give me your opinion on something.”

  Wayland shrugged. “Whatever you want, boy. I don’t know how Jewel’s going to take to it. Never figured you to be one of those odd fellas who needed an audience.”

  Jewel looked up when they entered. She had the jacket on as he’d asked. He didn’t like the idea of another man seeing her as he had. Her heavy cotton gown hid her curves well enough, but that only made it more necessary to look. Especially since he suspected she had on nothing underneath.

  She approached them, her eyes glowing. “You found him. I can’t wait to hear what he says. Oh, Nolan, I’m so excited.”

  Nolan smiled, really smiled for the first time in a long while. They were on the verge of finding the location of the treasure. Obviously, he had been mistaken when Jewel first showed him the tracing and he had believed for a heart-stopping moment it was the same island where he had marooned Jewel’s father. Fate couldn’t be that twisted. The only reason he’d imagined that island’s shape traced on the page was too many sleepless nights thinking of little else. Remembering Bellamy standing alone on the deserted beach, yelling for them to come back as they sailed away—that still had the power to keep Nolan tossing and turning.