Pirate's Bride (Liberty's Ladies) (51 page)

Suddenly Jeremy found himself outside, vaguely aware that a servant had appeared from seemingly nowhere to open the door for him. “Strange, very strange,” Jeremy mumbled, still in a daze when he got into his grandmother’s phaeton. But he didn’t know what it was that bothered him.

~ ~ ~

After Jeremy’s departure, Thomas wasted no time in ordering his man to pack a trunk for him. He didn’t know how long he’d be away, but he summoned Perkins and advised him on how to handle Woodsley and the office during his absence.

He’d just pulled on his warm gloves when Grace appeared in his room. “Finished with Lord Detweiller so soon?” he asked nonchalantly as if Grace performed such an intimate act for men every day.

“Thomas, I did what, you asked, but I hated it.”

Thomas glanced sideways at her, barely raising an eyebrow. “Did Lord Detweiller pay you well?”

Grace took a large bag of gold and laid it on his bed.

Thomas opened the bag and emptied it. A shower of bright round coins spilled onto the counterpane. He grinned his satisfaction. “I see he was more than generous, Grace. As long as you received such a bountiful reward, then you have nothing to complain about.”

“I don’t want the money! I want you, Thomas.”

The desperation he heard in her voice angered him. Grace was going to present a problem, and at the moment he didn’t want to deal with her. She’d become too dependent on him, that was it. He must sever the ties thoroughly and completely, force her to accept her lot in life, otherwise, she’d be of little use to him here.

He was totally unprepared for Grace to throw herself at him suddenly, holding on to him as if she were about to drown. He’d warned her over and over that she wasn’t to touch him unless he told her to. Apparently, Grace was so overwrought by the service she’d performed for Detweiller that she wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Take me with you,” she begged. “I don’t want to stay here without you. I can’t bear for any man to touch me but you.”

Thomas detested pleading of any kind, and this was the last straw as far as he was concerned. Pulling her off him, he went into the hallway and shouted for Perkins, who immediately appeared.

Grace followed after him, and Thomas yanked her forward, causing Perkins to break the woman’s fall by latching his arms around her waist.

“See that this wench is kept busy,” he ordered Perkins. “I have other things on my mind but a clinging, sobbing bitch who fancies herself more than a whore.”

“But, Mr. Eversley, I thought Grace belonged exclusively to you.”

“Not any longer. She belongs to any man who’ll pay the price for her ‘special talent.’ And I warrant there are many men here today who’ll seek her out on Lord Detweiller’s recommendation alone. Take her to the gold room and strip her to make certain she doesn’t run away. And, Perkins, when she’s finished with her many patrons, you may avail yourself of her service for nothing.”

Thomas saw that Perkins was already aroused by this generous gift. “Come, Grace,” Perkins ordered, and dragged her along the hallway.

“Thomas, please, no!”

Grace’s pitiful cries didn’t move him. She’d suited his purpose and now she must earn her keep. He turned a deaf ear and headed down the north corridor to the Painted Hallway and into the open colonnade of the entrance hall. His trunk was already in the large coach, and he sank into the thick velvet upholstered seat and heaved a huge sigh.

25

The next few weeks on Windhaven were the most wonderful and memorable of Bethlyn’ s life with Ian. They were never separated for long, and when they saw each other, even after an hour’s separation, it was as if they had been apart for months, delighting in touching and feasting their eyes on the other’s face.

“You two are the most lovey-dovey pair I ever did see,” Sparrow commented one afternoon, finding them wrapped in a tender embrace on the beach. “If you stop hanging all over each other, you might be surprised to find that you can walk by yourselves.”

“Haven’t you ever been in love, you old sea dog?” Ian asked, barely taking his eyes from Bethlyn’s face for a second to pose the question.

“Aye, I have, but sometimes a man has to do other things besides sitting in the warm sunshine and making cooing noises to a beautiful woman. Eh, Captain Hawk?”

Ian turned his full attention on Sparrow, a great sadness stealing across his face at the hidden meaning behind the man’s words. Nodding at Sparrow, Ian watched the older man as he turned away and meandered down the windswept beach. When he was a dot on the horizon, Ian tenderly kissed his wife’s mouth.

“You’re leaving soon.” Bethlyn’s voice caught in her throat.

“Yes.”

She gave a trembling sigh, finding herself held more tightly against lan’s chest. “I knew things couldn’t go on like this much longer. Such a paradise can’t last forever.”

“I’ll be back before you’ve had sufficient time to miss me,” he assured her.

“I shall miss you five minutes after the
Black Falcon
leaves Windhaven.” She was silent for a few seconds. “You want to go, don’t you?”

“Yes, I want to go because I’ve missed the sea, but no, I hate leaving you even for a minute. Let’s not use our last hours together talking about my going away.” His lips caressed the lobe of her ear, then trailed to the tops of her enticing breasts which swelled above the thin orange-and-white calico dress’s bodice. A warm, wet mouth sensuously grazed her flesh, and Bethlyn felt her body responding to his.

Without a further word, Ian lifted her from her feet and carried her into their small cottage, which had become more of a home to them than Edgecomb. Up the stairs he carried her, his lips in contact with hers. As one, they fell upon the bed and, in each other’s arms, they found heaven.

~ ~ ~

Two days after the
Black Falcon
sailed away, Bethlyn had explored every inch of Windhaven, baked four pies, and watched young Nate consume two of them by himself, visited with Tansy and Jack Tolliver, then returned to the cottage, and, like a whirlwind let loose, cleaned and mopped the three rooms until they shone. She even rearranged some of the furniture. But when the third day arrived, she had nothing to do and was so bored she wanted to scream — and so lonely for Ian she felt like crying.

Tansy arrived and found her sitting listlessly on a chair in the kitchen. “You look as happy as a seagull who’s lost its wings.”

Bethlyn barely reacted to Tansy’s comment except to say, “I feel lost.”

“Goodness, child, you’re much too young and pretty to sit here moping over your husband. Captain Hawk is tied to the sea, and you’re going to have to accept that. He’s a lot like my Jack, who can sit at home during the long months of winter, but when the frost starts thawing and the sun comes out, I can see him getting restless. I never say anything to him, because Lord knows I can’t stop him from getting in his boat and taking off somewhere. One time I screamed at him that if he went off again, I wouldn’t be here when he got back.”

“Did he go?” Bethlyn asked, growing interested.

 “Got right in his boat and sailed off, never said a word to me.”

“And you were here when he returned.”

Tansy laughed. “0f course I was. Where else would I go after I’d been married to that man for thirty years? I’d be lost without him.”

Sitting on a chair next to Bethlyn’s, Tansy patted her hand and gave her a motherly smile. “You’ll do fine, Beth. Before long, Hawk will be back. His privateering is important to our country.”

“I know, but I still miss him.”

A devilish gleam danced in Tansy’s eyes. “Sometimes I used to imagine stowing away on Jack’s boat, hiding somewhere until we were far out, and then popping up to surprise him. But knowing how calm Jack is, he probably wouldn’t flick an eyelash, but ask me to help with the rigging.” Her gaze grew soft. “Since he’s older now and only goes to Philadelphia a few times a month with the fish, I see enough of him. Sometimes too much, because, like most men, they get underfoot now and then. But I love him and accept that wild streak in him which needs to break free, the same way you must do with Captain Hawk.”

Bethlyn’s spirits lightened suddenly. Tansy had placed the seed of a most intriguing and interesting suggestion in the fertile garden of Bethlyn’s mind. Now all she had to do was wait until the
Black Falcon
returned to bring it to fruition.

~ ~ ~

Ian returned home within three weeks. The moment he and Bethlyn embraced, they walked along the beach to the cottage and didn’t appear again until three days later. During one of their hours together after their bodies were satiated from lovemaking and they’d drunk a bottle of wine by candlelight, Ian told Bethlyn that the
Black Falcon
had captured one of the British Navy’s most prestigious and well-outfitted warships. He gloated that his crew had no trouble capturing the heavy
Jupiter
because the
Black Falcon
’s lightweight and sleek lines accounted for swiftness on the high seas.

“Do you think you’ll ever give up privateering?” she asked, struck by Ian’s animation as he explained the ensuing battle. She remembered how frightened she’d been when he’d attacked
Nightingale
and decided that fear mustn’t be as great when you’re certain of victory. His excitement was contagious, and she found herself not dreading the moment he sailed away from Windhaven again,

“One day when this war is over,” he answered.

Ian pulled her against him, and she buried her fingers in his chest hair. Kissing the top of her head, he said, “I missed you so much, Bethlyn. This seemed the longest mission I’ve ever made. I hate leaving you again so soon, but I have to set sail day after tomorrow. There’s a large amount of British ships crossing the Atlantic suddenly, most probably because I haven’t been as active for the last few months, and we both know why.”

A gentle laugh fanned the strands of her hair. “England is transporting a great deal of arms and supplies for her men and they must be confiscated. Sometimes it seems we’re fighting a losing battle against so much might and ready munitions. If we win this war, it will be by sheer willpower and self-sacrifice. “

She’d never heard Ian sound so discouraged. “Didn’t you just tell me you’d confiscated an important ship? Why do you doubt victory now?”

“Because for each ship I take, two slip by me. I can only hope that other American privateer ships get a crack at them. I’ve heard a rumor that the French may offer help to us and pray it is true. Otherwise, this war may drag on indefinitely.”

Lifting a hand, she tenderly stroked his brow, wiping away his frown and his doubt. “Let’s forget about the war for now, Ian. I don’t want to think about it at all.”

“Hmm, I don’t, either,” he agreed, and kissed the pearly tip of one of her breasts. “I want to forget that I have to leave you soon.”

Bethlyn gave a little moan of pleasure, aching to tell him that they weren’t going to be separated again. But all thought died when he parted her legs and she welcomed him inside her.

~ ~ ~

They had agreed that he’d leave without telling her farewell.

In the hour before dawn, Bethlyn felt Ian kiss her and leave the bed to dress in the darkness. As he dressed, she could feel his eyes on her, watching her sadly, but she wasn’t sad this time. She felt a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of her mouth and joyous laughter welling inside her, but she willed herself to lie quietly.

When she heard the bedroom door close, she waited a few minutes before getting up and hurriedly pulled on a thin dress for the warming days and threw on a shawl to protect herself from the cool nights. Then she grabbed a small carpetbag she’d hidden beneath the bed and left the house.

She knew the way to the cove by heart where the
Black Falcon
was hidden, having no trouble finding her way in the darkness. She also knew that before a voyage Ian and his men ate a hearty breakfast in the galley. This would give her time to sneak onto the ship and stowaway in the captain’s quarters to hide in the smaller adjoining room and make her appearance when the ship was a great distance from Windhaven.