Rescued By the Captain

by Laura A. Barnes

  Ivy My Love

  Your love is like a vine

  Forever clinging to my heart

  It tangles up in between my jagged thorns

  I try to break apart

  To free myself from your love

  But you have grown so heavy in my thoughts

  I will let you go for now

  For you need to grow wild and free

  But I will return to you with my love

  And our love will cling forever between the ivy and the thorns

  A tear slowly slid down Ivy’s face, followed by more. She wiped them away with her fingertips. The poem was so beautiful to Ivy. He did love her. He loved her all those years ago. Why did he deny it to her all those years ago? Why didn’t he tell her? Ivy glided her fingers across the words on the page, feeling the power of them down to her soul. She wanted to ask Marcus about the poem, but knew that she couldn’t. She didn’t want him to think that she was prying through his belongings. She slid the book back where she found it. When the time was right, they would discuss this; for now, she was content with the knowledge of Marcus’s feelings for her.

  Ivy found a blue shirt and slid it down her body. She dug through the trunk and found a cravat to use for a belt. Wrapping the blanket around herself, she left the cabin and wandered the ship, where she found Marcus laughing with Sammy on the quarterdeck. Ivy paused and watched him; he seemed so much younger and carefree when he was laughing. He always could make everybody around him enjoy themselves in his company. If he wasn’t charming the ladies of the ton, he was being a man’s man to the gentlemen. He could make the shyest wallflower a beautiful bloom after just one dance. A drink or game of cards would win over any man. How Ivy had always envied him; his ability to fit in any situation; even commanding a ship.

  Marcus glanced up and noticed Ivy watching him. He continued laughing at Sammy’s joke, but did not take his eyes off Ivy. He knew the moment she had walked up on deck. Marcus could feel her near him; he had been waiting for her to join them. But when she didn’t he had to look at her, he couldn’t seem to get his feel of her. She looked charming standing there all wrapped up in the blanket. He just hoped that she had something on underneath the it.

  When his eyes met hers, Ivy smiled shyly at him. He smiled back at her and nodded his head for her to come over to them. She slowly walked over to him and joined him. Wrapping his arms around her he brought her in close to his body.

  Sammy knew he lost the Captain’s attention when he looked up and saw that Thorn wasn’t even looking at him, but over at Lady Ivy. When the lass joined them on the quarterdeck he knew where he wasn’t wanted; and that was here. He shook his head and wandered away. He was happy for him. The Captain had been alone for a long time and would sometimes seem a bit loss. Over the years, the Captain never sought out the tavern whores or any other woman. Now Sammy understood why.

  They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms for a long time. Neither one of them spoke, for fear of ruining the moment of being close to each other. Marcus kissed her on the forehead and turned her around in his arms as he leaned back against the railing. He wrapped the blanket tighter around her as he brought her back into his body.

  He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Look up at the stars Ivy.”

  Ivy titled her head back to gaze out at the star filled night. There wasn’t a cloud in sight to block the glazing starlight. The sky was a midnight blue filled with millions of stars twinkling down at them; they seemed to wink down at her. Ivy laid her head back against Marcus’s chest watching the stars with him, feeling a sense of contentment before the next storm. They stayed this way for an endless moment of time. She didn’t want to ruin this moment but she needed to know.

  “Marcus?”

  “Did you know every chance I got I would look at these stars and think of you? I would wonder where you were and what you were doing. Also, I would wish upon them that I was with you.”

  Ivy turned around in his arms and looked up into his eyes the color of the night sky.

  “Why?” Ivy asked.

  “You still don’t get it, do you? I know that I have confused you over the last few years and the last few days, but my feelings for you have never changed except to grow stronger.”

  “What are those feelings Marcus?” Ivy didn’t want to get her hopes up, but these feelings of belonging to each other she knew she wasn’t imagining.

  Marcus reached up and slid Ivy’s hair behind her ears, his fingers tracing them, and then sliding to hold her cheeks in his hands. He leaned down and softly brushed his lips across hers’. His kiss was as soft as the gentle breeze that was blowing around them. He parted her lips with his tongue and kissed her deeply. His kiss was full of his love for her. He pulled away from her lips and looked deep into her eyes.

  “I love you my sweet Ivy,” Marcus whispered.

  A tear slid down Ivy’s cheek and Marcus brushed it away with his finger. He watched the emotions play across her face. He watched how her eyes softened with her love for him and knew that he was forgiven for his past lies to her. One day he would explain why to her and hoped that she would understand, but for now he waited to hear her say the same words back to him.

  Ivy waited to hear these words for years. She felt his love in his kiss and his touch. She heard his love in his voice when he spoke those sweet words to her. That is all she had ever wanted to hear. It didn’t matter why any more. All that mattered was that he loved her. So, she did the only thing that needed to be done. She smiled up at him and brushed his hair back running her fingers through the ends of his hair.

  “I love you Marcus,” Ivy whispered back.

  Marcus pulled her up to his chest and bent his head to kiss her in a deep passionate kiss that Ivy could feel down to her toes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, kissing Marcus back with all the love she felt for him. She took over the kiss, sliding her tongue between his lips into his mouth. Tracing her tongue across his teeth, she explored his mouth, tasting him. Ivy relished in her sense of security of having his love and she kissed him with her soul. Opening her mouth to his she kissed him all the kisses that she had missed giving him over the years.

  Ivy’s passion astounded Marcus. She was kissing him with so much pent up emotion, that he let her show him her love by these kisses. He could taste and feel her love for him with every stroke of her tongue against his. He could feel her need for him. There will always be regret on denying her the love they could have shared all these years. But until the day he dies, he will redeem his love to her every day.

  Ivy pulled back from the kiss and softly brushed her lips across his. She opened her eyes and stared into his stormy blue eyes that spoke of his need for her and of his love for her. She smiled shyly as she ran her fingers across the whiskers on his face, running her fingers back and forth. She enjoyed feeling the roughness of his face on her fingers and her body.

  Marcus pulled her hand from his face and wrapped them between his fingers and brought them to his mouth for a kiss.

  “I need to shave.”

  “No, you are perfect,” Ivy said quietly.

  She suddenly felt very shy and didn’t know quite how to behave. She has known Marcus all her life, but they have never confessed their feelings to each other before. Ivy was afraid to ruin the moment and that he would take his love back. She did not ever want to lose it again. Ivy knew she was being silly, he took her virginity and made love to her twice now. But she still felt shy. She reached up with her other hand to pull her back behind her ears.

  Marcus laughed softly. His Ivy was being shy. Any other man he knew would not want to waste a minute on such a female. They would want a woman who knew the score. He himself had been that way before in the past. But he didn’t want a sophisticated woman of the ton. He wanted his sweet maiden whose innocence rained down upon his soul and washed away all the evil. Marcus wanted to enjoy her sweet nature for the rest of his life.

  Marcus also realized from the kiss that the
y shared that there was a temptress underneath all this sweetness. He was also going to enjoy bringing that out in her. Teaching her about the different kinds of passion they would share together, was going to be especially enjoyable. Marcus knew that his Ivy could also be very stubborn when she wanted to be. But he knew just the tricks to break through her stubbornness and he knew that she might resist at first, but in the end, she will never deny them their love or passion for each other.

  He knew that he still had to take it slow with her; that she was still very vulnerable. They still had a lot to get through, with finding Charles and putting Shears out of permanent commission. With all the commotion that was going on they still had to get married not just because they loved each other, but because of the most important thing; his protection. She was a target more now than ever. Shears has a powerful benefactor in England paving his way in his vengeance. He knows that Charles was onto whoever it was. He must keep Ivy safe and the only way do that was marriage.

  Not only was there the threat of Shears but Ivy would be ruined in the ton after this ordeal got out. She would be shunned from every drawing room to ballroom. She needed his name for her protection too. He was a marquis and next in line to a dukedom. With his name, no one would ever shut a door in her face; they would be bowing at her feet for her kindness. None of them would ever deserve it of course. His Ivy was a better soul than all of them combined.

  “Do you want to help me steer her?” Thorn asked Ivy as he slid her down his body and let her toes touch the deck again.

  “Her?” Ivy asked.

  “Yes, her,” Thorn chuckled.

  “Should I be jealous?”

  Thorn kept smiling, “No, not at all.”

  “Does she have a name?”

  “My Hedera.”

  “What does that mean, is it Latin?” Ivy asked.

  “Yes, its Latin, I’m impressed you know.”

  “Who do you think helped Charles study? He was horrible at it. Father would get so angry with him.”

  “I never knew; he always seemed to pass his exams.”

  “Well of course, I’m an excellent tutor.” Ivy smirked.

  “We’ll let us see if you are an excellent student too.” Thorn managed to distract Ivy from the meaning of his boat. He wasn’t yet ready for her to learn its meaning. It was just another thing that he would let her learn about later, when it was time.

  For some reason Thorn did not want her to know the meaning of his boat. I wonder why? As soon as she got home she was going to dig out Charles’s old Latin school books and look up the meaning of Hedera. I wonder what it could mean and why didn’t he want her to know. Ivy decided to drop her curiosity for now and would find the underlying cause of it later. Everything was too fresh to delve into with new dilemmas.

  Thorn turned Ivy around in his arms and guided her over to the ship’s wheel. He placed her hands on the wheel and covered them with his own. Thorn pressed his body up tight against the backside of Ivy, pressing his hardness into her back. He leaned his head down and whispered into her ear, “Do you feel her power underneath your hands?”

  “Do you feel how she guides you to your destiny but still needs you to control her path?” Thorn asked Ivy.

  Ivy pressed herself into Thorn, laying her head back against his shoulder. She listened to his voice murmur in her ear about the ship. Her body was becoming liquid as his voice soothed her soul. She closed her eyes as she wondered if he was talking about the ship or herself. Was that how he felt about her and himself? Ivy felt herself become drowsy as he ran his fingers up and down her arms and slowly clasped his fingers between her on ship’s wheel. His voice was lulling her to sleep with his gentle voice echoing his love for the ship and the sea.

  Thorn could feel Ivy drifting to sleep. He smiled as he looked down at her, her head lying against his shoulder with her lips slightly parted. Even though she had fallen asleep her hands were still clasped tightly between his on the ship’s wheel. He wanted to wake her with a kiss and make love to her on his deck, but knew that he had no privacy for that. He lifted her in his arms, placing a kiss on her forehead and carried her down to his cabin. She needed her sleep, for the future was going to be very demanding.

  Chapter 13

  The next morning Ivy was having tea and eating some more of the delicious pastries that cook had prepared for her; when Marcus entered the cabin. He sauntered over to Ivy, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Did you sleep well my dear?” Marcus asked.

  “Yes, Marcus. Do you want some of these?”

  Marcus smiled down at her fondly, “No you may eat them all.”

  Ivy smiled at Marcus as she bit into the last pastry licking the icing off her fingers. As innocent as that action was to Ivy it made Marcus silently groan with desire. She had no idea what that did to him and he didn’t have the time to show her. They were to put into port in an hour and their families were going to be there waiting for them to get off the ship. He had sent somebody ahead to make arrangements for their way to his home. He also needed to get Ivy off the ship without any unwanted attention. The last thing that he needed was to get caught with his pants down; literally.

  As Ivy smiled at Thorn she noticed that he had changed out of his Captains gear and into the attire of an aristocrat. He was wearing tan trousers tucked into black Hessians. His hair was pulled back and tied with a dark blue ribbon that matched his waistcoat. His cravat was neatly tied around his throat. While he was devastatingly handsome, Ivy preferred him as a sailor. This Thorn was too serious and not returning her smile.

  “Ivy, we are going to be sailing into Margate within the next hour. I have made arrangements for my carriage to meet us at the dock. I don’t know if any of my family will be there or not, but knowing Mother she will be too excited to wait to see me. I have also sent a letter to your Father to let him know that I have you safely on board. My man has brought back clothes with him for you to dress in. I will leave you to your privacy to change.”

  Ivy listened to Marcus talk, unsure of his sudden change of mood. He had become so serious since first coming into the room. She didn’t know what to say, afraid that he changed his mind from the night before. Maybe now that they were back home he felt forced to give her his name. She didn’t want him this way.

  “Everything is going to be all right Ivy; I will explain the situation to our families.” Marcus misunderstood her silence as a change of mind.

  Ivy not knowing where Marcus’s mind was, nodded her head.

  He gazed at her for a few moments drinking in her loveliness, wishing that he had all the answers for her and knowing that this was probably their last moment alone together until they were wedded. Why was she being so silent? She wasn’t regretting their confessions of love, was she? Marcus was going crazy wondering what she was thinking and knew that there was only one thing he wanted to do.

  He went over to her and pulled her up from the chair into his arms. He tilted her head back and kissed her hungrily. His mouth devouring her lips with his love. His tongue was stroking the fires against hers, feeling the passion come alive as she kissed him back just as hungrily. She gripped his arms moaning into his mouth as he drank the love from her mouth. Just as quickly as he pulled her to him he let her go and turned around and walked out the door leaving Ivy, clutching the desk for support. Her knees felt like they were going to give out on her.

  Ivy brought her fingers up to her bruised lips touching where his lips had left their mark. Not knowing what to think of his visit, she more confused than ever. She jumped when there was a knock on the door.

  “Lady Ivy is it okay if I come in lass,” she heard Sammy yelling from the other side of the door.

  Ivy walked over to the door on unsteady legs and opened the door to Sammy. She held on tightly to the door as he came in with a dress thrown over his arm and a small bag.

  “These are for you miss.”

  “Thank you Sammy, you can lay them on the bed for me.”

/>   “The Captain wanted me to tell you that we will be docking in half an hour and for you to be ready for him then.”

  “You can tell the Captain that I will be ready soon.”

  “He said to also tell you not to come up on deck until he returns for you. He is worried about your safety.”

  “I will await him here. Thank you Sammy for all the help and care you have given me. Please thank Anton for the wonderful food too.” Ivy said.

  Sammy turned a bright red at her praise and bowed to her.

  “It has been our pleasure my lady,” with a wink he walked out of the cabin.

  Ivy sighed as she walked over to the bed and picked up the day dress that Sammy laid on the bed for her. Katherine had sent one of her dresses for Ivy to wear. It was a beautiful blue day dress with white lace around the end of the sleeves. She also sent a pelisse to wear over it. Inside the bag Ivy found a white chemise, some silk stockings, and a pair of heels. Ivy’s hand brushed across a bottle at the bottom of the bag and pulled it out. She smiled when she saw that Katherine had sent her favorite scent; rose. Ivy opened the bottle and breathed in the beautiful scent of roses. It smelled so heavenly and made Ivy feel more relaxed. She dabbed the scent on her wrist and behind her ears.

  Ivy slid off Thorn’s shirt, letting it drift to the floor. She then proceeded to dress in the clothes that Sammy brought her. It felt so wonderful to get dressed. She bent down to pick up Thorn’s shirt and brought it to her nose, she smelled in his scent and knew that as much as she was glad to be dressed in clothes she would miss wearing his shirt; feeling a part of him always against her body. She laid the shirt across his trunk and walked over to the desk with her shoes and stockings. Sliding the stockings up her legs, she felt the cool touch of the silk stroking her thighs as Thorn’s hands had done the previous days. Sitting down she placed her feet in the borrowed shoes. She stood up shaking out her skirts, when Thorn walked into the cabin. Standing still she waited for him to speak.