“That leg’s gotta be tended. How’d ye suppose she got here?”
“I don’t bloody know. Help me carry her back to my cabin.”
Jaxon grasped the fetid woman under each arm, and Cookie lifted from her feet. They carried her to the door. Cookie set down his end long enough to extinguish the lantern and check the passageway. The ship still rode the storm like a drunken man on a three-legged horse. Wrestling an unconscious woman between them left them both breathless by the time they reached the safety of Jaxon’s quarters.
“Set her here on the floor.” Jaxon used his knife and began to cut her reeking garment away while Cookie flushed and bound her wound.
How the hell had a woman gotten on his ship? Beneath, she wore rough brown wool skirts. “She’s a serving wench.” Who could have brought her aboard? Hell, half the crew tossed serving wenches every chance they got, but none of them would be stupid enough to defy the rules. Dammit, why couldn’t she be dead? They could just toss her over the rail and be done.
Pulling the mobcap from her head, a wealth of coppery hair spilled out. “Blast my eyes.”
Next to him, Cookie “oofed” like he’d been punched in the gut. “Saint’s blood. A woman and a ginger. She couldn’t be more bad luck to ye, Capt’n, if she had a dead albatross hangin’ ’round her neck.”
Jaxon stood and crushed the woman’s cap in a tight fist. “No one can know we found her. I want to hear about anyone who goes anywhere near that hold.”
“Aye, aye, Capt’n.” Cookie scrubbed at his chin. “What’ll we do with her?”
“I don’t bloody know.” Jaxon pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. The smell of her curled his lip. “Help me get rid of her clothes.”
“Now, Capt’n, I may be a crusty ole bugger, but I ain’t gonna stand by and watch ye--”
“Hold your tongue or I’ll rip it from you, myself. Do you think I’m standing here in the middle of a damn storm thinking to violate some unconscious chit? Are you daft, man? Her clothes are past saving. We’re tossing them out the window, along with the stench.” He glared at Cookie, daring him to raise a single bushy hair of his eyebrow. “We can’t leave her on the floor. I’m cutting her skirts, and then you’ll see her cleaned up and put in the bed.”
Cookie wisely kept his mouth clamped shut.
“I’m needed back on deck if we’re to have any luck getting by this weather. You stay with her and let me know the minute she wakes. See if she’ll tell you who the blazes she is and which crew member I’ll be hanging come mornin’.”
“Aye.”
Jaxon dropped to one knee to cut away the girl’s cincher and skirt. Why can’t you be dead? “What the hell is this? No wench wears satin slippers. She’s wearing a chemise. A fine milled one.” He looked into her face. Why can’t I be dead?
Filth obscured her features.
“Who are you?”
In response, the woman before him moaned, rolled toward him, and vomited on his boots.
“Bloody hell, woman.” Jaxon jumped to his feet. He spun on Cookie. “Clean this mess and find me the man responsible. He’ll polish my boots before I keelhaul the scurvy, cur-arsed son of a whore.”
* * * *
Back on deck sporting six new stitches across his brow, Jaxon retrieved the wheel from Quinn. Thanks to turning the ship south early on, they were heading into the leeward edge of the storm, but the squall was the least of his problems.
What if the chit was sick with more than just seasickness? On a ship, a case of the pox could kill them all. It didn’t tally, however. The hair, the chemise? Why would a servant wear the shoes of a highborn lady? Jaxon glanced at his soiled boots and swore he’d find the bastard that brought her aboard and tie him to the business end of a lit cannon.
One thing was certain. If the rest of the crew found out a woman lay in his cabin, his life wouldn’t be worth gull crap either. According to the Articles of Agreement, this rule remained steadfast. No women for any reason. Breaking this rule was punishable by a host of tortures, depending on the anger of the crew. A man could be keelhauled, marooned, or hung from the highest yardarm. If Jaxon were a wise man, he’d throw her over his shoulder, toss her overboard, and not give her another thought.
Just before dawn, Jaxon handed over the helm once more. The sea calmed and the wind’s gusts moved off to the north. His muscles ached and his clothing hung heavy and cold upon his back. Hot food, a healthy dose of fine brandy, and a long stretch in the comfort of his bed would set him right. Two out of the three would have to do.
Jaxon returned to his quarters. Cookie had done his job well and cleaned away all sign of last night’s bedlam, save one--the woman. Said woman lay ashen and still in his bed. Her face clean and a fresh bandage now wrapped about her leg.
“Still out?”
Pulling a blanket over her, Cookie nodded. “Aye. Think I’ve got the bleeding on the leg te clear away the bilge poisonin’ her blood.”
“Away with you, then. The crew will want food soon. Watch close for anyone taking an extra portion for our little traveling companion here.”
“Aye. I’ll put a lock on the hold as well. Anyone rummaging for me keys will be a sure sign. I’ll bring yer grub and relieve ye by four bells. Three slow knocks, and ye be knowin’ it’s me.”
Jaxon nodded and bolted the door as Cookie left. He moved to the bed and looked upon the face of his current curse. She looked like no servant he’d ever seen, far too lovely. Rust tinted lashes brushed smooth pale cheeks. Her brilliant hair glowed in the growing light. A purple bruise along her temple marred the gentle sweep of her cheek. He lifted the end of a thin blue ribbon that ran through the narrow trim of her chemise. Its tiny bow lay crushed and wrinkled. Serving wenches did not wear silk ribbons.
“Who are you, girl?”
* * * *
Annalise’s head pounded, and her leg burned. She prayed someone would make it stop. Alice, my head is splitting. She struggled to open her eyes.
A man frowned at her beneath brooding brows with eyes the color of a clear winter sky. She closed hers. I’m dreaming. She fought to open them again.
He was still there. Unshaven. His dark hair hung loose and damp to his shoulders. His shirt clung to his muscled chest and arms. The ties at his neck were loose, showing her a glimpse of bronzed skin and shadowy hair.
“Ah, she wakes.” The look on his face told her he wasn’t pleased. Dark brows knit into a scowl. The muscle along his jaw twitched.
“Where am I?” Her voice sounded like a stranger’s rasped whisper.
“You’re aboard my ship, the Scarlet Night. I’m Captain Jaxon Steele.”
She winced against the ache in her head. What happened?“You’re aboard my ship, the Scarlet Night.” Her leg burned. She needed to think.
Fog. She remembered the dense fog on the docks. It surrounded her like a shroud and made her clothing cling to clammy skin, but even through the thick of it, she’d found the boat called the Scarlet Night.
The harbormaster’s clerk had given her a crudely drawn map, which lead her to the storage room deep in the front of the ship. By feel alone, she’d crawled deeper into the blackness. Cold sweat slipped between her breasts as sounds of men’s laughter and footsteps came from above her.
Foul smells of the wharf and rotten fish only added to the strange odors within the ship. Water-soaked wood and tar added to the stench the deeper she crept. Just remembering made her stomach turn. She closed her eyes to fight against the nausea.
Within the utter darkness of that hold, panic squeezed at the air in her lungs. The floor beneath rocked in a slow roll. Her feet kept slipping through the wide spaces between the boards. Icy, fetid water filled her shoes. She’d clutched at the heavy bundle she carried, hoping she packed enough food and water.
Annalise recalled gulping deep breaths of the foul air as a queasiness settled upon her and the dark clawed at her. “See how brave I’m being, Alice? R
emember when I hid in that musty old trunk? I finally won our game. You never thought to search for me there.” She’d sat in the darkness of that old wardrobe counting off the seconds until Alice called out to her. “All ye, All ye, In come free. Anna come out. Where are you?”
She fought to stay conscious. The pain in her head was excruciating. This was no child’s game she played at. She’d called on every ounce of courage not to turn tail and race away from their foolhardy plan. Be a stowaway? Why wasn’t there another alternative? They’d run out of options. There was only one way to save them. This was it.
Annalise reached for the comfort of her locket, but it wasn’t about her neck. Alice had it.
“Keep it safe for me. The ‘A’ can stand for Alice now. It will be your good luck charm. Return it when we are reunited.”
“But your father gave it to you.”
“And you are as close as a sister to me. He would understand. Take it.”
A lump formed in her throat as she pictured her dearest friend. Please, let her be safe. Let us both be safe. She prayed they had done the right thing. Blood pulsed in her ears as her heart ticked off each second in the dark hold. One…two…three…four…
Before long, hurried footsteps and shouts sounded above her. Low groans rose from the ship’s belly as the Scarlet Night moved away from its dock. There was no going back. The ship began to move faster and moaned as it picked up speed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she began to count again. One…two…three…four…, but there would be no “in come free.” Not this time.
Water soon rushed past the hull. She’d done it. She’d gotten away. Alice would be safe. No matter what happened to her, they had at least escaped Wolfsan. She found a small measure of ease in that. But said ease soon vanished when the gates of hell opened.
Death at Wolfsan’s hands would have been a blessing. In the deep, black hell, the ride turned horrific. She’d lost the contents of her stomach, yet continued to retch. The boat popped and strained around her. It pitched violently in all directions at once. Anna tried to wedge herself between two large casks as the sea beat watery fists against the sides of the ship and the wind howled like a wounded beast.
She screeched as she tried to ride the bucking ship. Fingernails scratched for any handhold, only to have the ship lurch in the opposite direction, but then a sword of light sliced through the blackness. Men’s voices reached through the howling of the storm. They shoved past the barricade she’d built. The door pushed open, spreading the swinging glow of a lantern into the hold. Annalise scrambled to hide herself deeper in the shadows, but a brutal pitch of the ship caught her and tossed her across the space like a child’s toy.
That was the last thing she remembered until now. “I’m Captain Jaxon Steele.” Captain. Captain? The word swam in her muddled mind until realization burst in her brain. The light in the hold. They found me.
CHAPTER 3
Her eyes flew open. It was no dream. He’d captured her. She tried to scramble away from the man sitting on the edge of the bed. Ignoring the rise of bile in her throat, she called upon her last shred of strength. She shoved at the tangle of blankets and knocked things to the floor.
“No, no, calm yourself.” He grasped her elbow. “I’ll not hurt you. We’ve both been through a long night, but I dare say you’ll survive the day.”
She yanked her arm from his hand. Her heart pounded. Blood rushed in her ears.
The bed she laid upon nestled in a niche built into the curve of the boat’s side. If she retreated any farther, she’d be trapped. The captain’s broad shoulders encased in damp linen blocked her view of the rest of the room. He smelled of sea, rain, and heat. She released a shuddered breath.
He scowled at her and moved away to sit behind a massive writing table littered with parchments and leather-bound books. Annalise blinked to focus. She’d never seen such a fine desk. Oak dolphins leaped up each leg. Iron straps held the piece to the floor. Tall-masted ships sailed in carved relief across its wide front. The piece screamed of power and prestige, as did the man seated behind it.
He raised a small wooden pail with a short leather mug tied to its handle and filled the cup. Returning to the bed, he handed it to her.
“’Tis weak ale. You need to drink, but go slow. Don’t need you soiling my boots again.”
She peered into the cup before meeting his stare. “I-I soiled your boots?”
“You did.” He moved to a stack of trunks in every size and description. Sliding a flat-topped case close to the bed, he sat, once more blocking her exit.
“I’m sorry.” She clutched the mug with shaky hands.
He stayed too close. Anna looked for a way out. There was none. She started to hyperventilate. The alcove closed in around her. If she could just get by him. Then what? Her mind felt jumbled, and between the pain in her leg and the nausea in her belly, there was a good chance she’d soil his boots again by drinking the ale. Her powerful thirst won out, however. She took small, cautious sips.
“You can make it up to me. Tell me who you are and give me the name of the man who brought you aboard.”
“No one brought me aboard.” She spoke into the cup.
“No one? Then how do you come to be on my ship?” His words were clipped and sharp.
This wasn’t the plan. Panic snaked through her. What now? Come on, Anna, think. How could she when the captain’s nearness caused all her senses to collide? “What are you going to do to me?”
He rubbed at the dark growth of beard shadowing his chin. “Do? Interesting question. I’ve a list of answers, but none you’ll like.” He gave her a hard stare. “If it’s true, and you’re here on your own accord, a better question would be what are you going to do for me? You’re a stowaway on my ship, and I want to know why. Then we’ll discuss what you’ll owe me. I am a pirate, after all. I do little for no profit and nothing that doesn’t benefit me or my crew.”
Annalise shook her head. He’s confused or perhaps he’s trying to frighten her. Teach her a lesson for sneaking aboard. Her stomach gave an unhealthy twist. “A pirate? No, that’s wrong. I heard…I understood you were a privateer.”
He scowled. “Pirate, privateer, one is the same as the other to me. My crew doesn’t know the difference. Half of them would view you as bad luck, slit your lovely throat, and toss you to the sharks. The other half would fight to take turns with you,” his gaze traveled the length of her body, “tempting as you are, then slit your throat, and throw you to the sharks. Followed closely by what remained of me, I’m afraid.”
Annalise clutched the bedclothes to her chest. The ale rolled in her stomach. Thrown to the sharks? They were going to kill her. She shook her head in stunned disbelief. No, this was not the plan.
“It’s a bit of good fortune for you only my cook and I know you’re here. And, little Miss Whoever-you-are, I intend to keep it that way. Once we land in Port Royal, I’ll figure out what to do with you. Until then, you’re to remain hidden in this cabin and under my protection for the remainder of the voyage. Is that understood?”
Anna continued to shake her head. Port Royal? “No…” The word slipped between cold, trembling lips.
“No?”
“That’s not right.” A wave of hysterics engulfed her. Her fingers turned to ice and went numb as chills crept up each arm. “You said Port Royal. That’s wrong. You’re not a pirate. You’re a privateer. Your ship is heading to Port St. Maria. He told me. Why would he lie? He said the Scarlet Night is bound for Port St. Maria.” Hysterics bloomed in her chest.
He gripped the tops of her arms “Who told you this? Don’t lie to me. Who are you tossing? Give me the bastard’s name, so I can kill the both of you.”
“I didn’t lie. Let go of me.” She jerked away from him. “I’m telling you the truth. I’m not with any of your men. The cup of ale splashed to the floor.
Cold rage coming from the captain frightened her to her very core. Visions of circling sharks made bile
rise in her throat. She shoved past him with all the strength she could muster and tried to stand. No air. Can’t breathe. “I m-must get to Port St. Maria.” Her injured leg crumbled beneath her, and he caught her about the waist. Weak as she was, fear made her push at him. She had to stand. If only she could make her legs support her.
Captain Steele raised a mocking eyebrow as he released her and let her drop from his grasp into a tangle upon the floor. “Did you think to swim there yourself? You’re weak as an eastern breeze.” He laughed. “You’ll not be going anywhere near St. Maria. Not on this ship.”
She scrambled backward. “Please, don’t kill me. I-I’m not lying. You have to believe me. I only want…need to get to Port St. Maria.” She backed herself into a corner where more fat trunks lined the walls. The dark captain stood, staring down at her as she tugged at the hem of her chemise. She was practically naked. Where were her skirts? Maybe killing her wasn’t his only objective.
She wrapped an arm across her chest and tucked her bare legs within the thin cloth. The movement caused the binding on her leg to pull. Pain radiated into her hip. “Where are my clothes?” She started to shake.
“I dumped them into the sea.” He crossed his arms.
“W-what? Why?”
“They reeked like a dead man’s breath. Trust me, you didn’t want them back.”
“Did you…?”
“Strip you? I did indeed.”
He looked quite pleased with himself. Annalise tried once more to get to her feet and escape, but her legs failed to support her causing her stomach to crash like waves against the rocks.
“Don’t hurt me.” The room started to sway. Bracing herself against one of the trunks, she held on to her head. The sickness crept over her. No, not again. “Does this damn floor ever stop rocking?”
Captain Steele swung open one of the diamond-paned windows that followed the bow of the back wall. He helped her stand, despite her struggles against him. “I’m not going to hurt you. Stand still. You need fresh air.”
Within a Captain's Hold Page 2
