Pleasures of a Tempted Lady (6 page)

The most important thing was to convey that she couldn’t be seen in London. She couldn’t draw attention to her sisters.

“Someone will be looking for me,” she said in a low voice.

“Who? And why?”

She couldn’t say who. She
couldn’t
. But the why… yes, the why she could answer.

“I fell overboard eight years ago, on my way home from England with my sister Serena.”

“I know,” Will murmured. “The crew searched for you for hours, but they weren’t able to find you. What happened?”

“I was dragged under by the weight of my clothes. I nearly drowned before I was able to get my shoes and cloak off. By the time I rose to the surface, they had traveled some distance away.”

“Thank God you knew how to swim,” Will said with feeling.

“Yes.” She and Serena had often played in the ocean when they were younger. Swimming was not a common skill among people of their class, even among sailors, although she remembered that Will also knew how—long ago, he’d told her that his older brother used to take him swimming in the nearby creek when they were young.

“I called out… but the ship had turned in the wrong direction and was traveling farther away by the minute.”

She took a deep breath, remembering her desperation,
how her voice had grown hoarse after she’d screamed and screamed, and the despair she’d felt when the ship had disappeared into the fog.

She’d wanted to live. Her sister had needed her. And she’d been so in love with the man who now knelt before her.

“They didn’t hear me,” she continued. “The sea was rough, the wind was strong, and the fog was thick. But I knew they would arrive in Antigua that afternoon. I didn’t know what else to do but try to swim in that direction. It was unlikely I’d be able to swim that far, yet I had no choice but to try.

“I swam until the sky cleared and the ocean calmed. I was exhausted, but I thought I could see land. It was too far. I knew I couldn’t swim that far. And then I saw something bobbing on the surface of the ocean, not far away.” She smiled, thinking of the elation she’d felt when she’d seen the rotting piece of wood. “It was a long, heavy log. Using the last of my strength, I swam to it and draped myself over it.

“I think I lost consciousness. The next thing I remember was opening my eyes to a calm dusk. There was a ship bearing down on me. Certain they would rescue me, I called out in my weak voice. But they’d already seen me. They drew alongside me and brought me on board.

“The men were rough, very unlike the friendly sailors on the ship I’d taken from England. I was taken before the captain.”

“Who was this captain?”

Here was where things became difficult to describe without revealing too much. She looked Will directly in the eye and didn’t answer his question. “He kidnapped me
and threatened me with dire consequences should I try to escape. Those threats never subsided. I am finally free of him, but if I went to my sisters now, he’d find us easily, and he wouldn’t show mercy to me or my family. I cannot risk their safety. I won’t.”

Will’s face darkened, and his hand pressed over her knee, squeezing with more power than was gentle. “Who is he, Meg?” His voice vibrated with some emotion she didn’t dare name.

She shook her head.

“Did he hurt you? Did he… or any of those men… touch you against your will?”

Her face went instantly hot, and she jerked her gaze away from him.

“No,” she breathed. “No, it wasn’t like that. The captain wouldn’t let any of the men touch me or his wife, on pain of death.”

Caversham was obsessed with decorum and politesse. Even though he could be violent to the point of madness, nothing was more important to him than the portrayal of himself as a proper English gentleman—no,
more
than a gentleman—as good as, if not better than his half brother, the Marquis of Millbridge. Any of his men touching Meg or Sarah would soil the image, and he wouldn’t have that. Though she could hardly forget the leers the men made at her behind Caversham’s back, nor the lascivious touches. Not once in eight years had she failed to remember to lock her cabin door at night.

Will gestured in the direction of his quarters. “Then… the boy…?”

“The captain had a young wife, a year younger than me. She was American and baseborn, and beyond
anything, he wanted her to be someone he could present as a lady. As soon as he heard me speak, he knew I was educated, and he pressed me for my pedigree, which I—stupidly—revealed to him. He tasked me with turning her into a proper lady. I was her companion for almost eight years…” She hesitated to calm her suddenly roiling emotions. Together, Sarah and Jake had been her lifeline, her saviors, her sanity, her only joys. Without Sarah to love and protect, Meg would have done whatever possible to escape from Caversham years ago.

But now Sarah was gone forever. “She died this past winter,” she murmured in a shaky voice.

Will’s fingers over her knee squeezed a touch harder. “I’m sorry.”

She gave a tremulous nod. The look on his face prompted her to offer more information than she’d planned. “Jake was Sarah’s child. But I am his mother now that she is gone.”

Will released a slow breath. “And his father is this captain you speak of?”

She nodded.

The muscles in his jaw tightened, but the rest of him remained perfectly still. “Meg.” His voice was quiet. “Do you understand that you have no legal right to take a child away from his father? That’s considered kidnapping.” He hesitated, then added, “It’s a hanging offense.”

“I know.” Meg would keep her composure; she would not crumble under the weight of the horror dawning in Will’s eyes. She’d never wanted to disappoint Will. He was the person she respected above everyone else. “It’s one of the reasons I cannot return to England.”

When he didn’t respond, she continued, “I had to take him away. Jake won’t survive with his father. And I won’t
survive with him, either. We had to escape from his cruelty and violence.”

Her voice was hard, with only a slight waver in the words. Caversham’s brutality had increased tenfold since Sarah’s death. In his warped way, he’d loved Sarah, and she’d kept his sanity in check. Now… Meg shuddered.

“Who is he? I’ll find him, bring him to justice—”

“No.” Meg couldn’t even begin to explain how impossible that would be.

Stalemate. She and Will stared at each other.

Finally, he murmured, “Do you miss your sisters, Meg? Because they still grieve for you.”

She clasped her hands even more tightly in her lap. Her knuckles had turned white. “I miss them more than anything. But I won’t knowingly put them in danger.”

“And I can’t imagine going to them and telling them that you’re alive and that you chose to hide in Ireland rather than go to them for help.”

And the truth was obvious: he would, in fact, do just that if she went to Ireland. And, though eight years had passed, she knew her sisters. She knew Serena best of all. Serena would come looking for her. She’d probably lead Caversham right to them.

“Don’t…” Meg choked. “Please.”

“You’re alive, Meg. You’re sitting in front of me. I can’t keep that information from your family. You know I cannot.”

Suddenly, the future spread out before her, ice cold and crystal clear.

After eight years living in misery but knowing that at least she was keeping her family safe, she’d failed. In attempting to save Jake, she’d thrown her entire family
into peril. Will, too, and there was no way he could truly understand the extent of the danger to him.

She didn’t dare to explain it to him. It would endanger him even more.

She let out a low groan and covered her face with her hands.

“Meg?”

“I’m so afraid,” she whispered, shutting her eyes tight.

His fingers tightened over her knee again. “You’re not alone anymore. Your family is powerful, and they will stand behind you. I’ll stand behind you. There’s no reason to be afraid.”

She let her fingers slide down her face, and she gazed at Will through bleak eyes. He had no idea.

Chapter Four

A
few days later, they anchored at Plymouth. Will left the
Freedom
in Briggs’s capable hands, but he couldn’t resist gazing at his schooner where it sat anchored in the placid bay as he, Meg, and Jake drove away from the dock. He’d hired a carriage to take them to Exeter, where they’d sleep at an inn tonight before continuing on their way to Southampton and then London.

When a row of buildings blocked his view of the ship, he glanced at the woman and boy sitting across from him in the forward-facing seat.

For the past few days, Jake had taken to trailing behind Will as he went about his duties on the
Freedom
. Will had ignored him after the first several times he’d attempted to make conversation only to scare the boy back into his quarters and the safety of Meg.

There was something odd about the boy. Something decidedly different. Will knew he was capable of speech, for he’d heard the child utter a few words to Meg. But as
far as Will could tell, he hadn’t spoken to anyone else on the ship. He kept to himself, and while those wide blue eyes seemed to take in everything, he was skittish as a colt, and it was clear that he trusted Meg above all others.

It was clear he
loved
Meg.

For her part, Meg had spent most of her time diligently mending her dress so that it would be acceptable to wear in public. She’d done a fine job, but Will still thoroughly disliked the thing. It was inappropriate for her. It wasn’t that it was out of fashion—no, it was acceptable enough in that sense. But it didn’t seem right for Meg. It was far too…
pink
. When he thought of clothes for her, he thought of straight lines and elegance rather than lace and frippery.

Will was doing his best to forget their old relationship and treat her as a new acquaintance. It was clear they’d both changed; they were different people now. Still, something about her drew him like a lure, just as it had before. It was something innately Meg, something her twin had never shared with her, something that hadn’t disappeared in eight long years.

And his body hadn’t forgotten her, either. When she was near, he lived in a perpetual state of arousal. After suppressing the hotter side of his nature for so long, it was disconcerting and embarrassing. He could only hope no one had noticed it, but from Briggs’s raised eyebrows in the past few days, he was fairly certain at least one person had.

He didn’t think Meg noticed. Most of the time, she studiously attempted to keep her attention on things other than him. He didn’t know why, but it made him want to reach out, cup her face in his hands, and make her look at him until he drew her face closer and bent down, and touched his lips to hers.

The carriage rattled over a pothole, jerking Will’s attention from the fantasy.

He moved into a more comfortable position, subtly adjusting himself in his seat, praying to God that she didn’t lower her gaze. Smiling at them, he said, “You’ll see your sisters again soon.”

There was little enthusiasm in her tone when she answered. “Yes.”

He gazed at her, realizing that she truly had no idea what she was heading into. Since she hadn’t known her sisters were in London, her knowledge of them must be extremely limited. She couldn’t be aware of her heightened social status due to her sisters’ marriages or that Serena had married Stratford.

“How much do you know of your sisters’ current situation, Meg?” he asked gently.

She pursed her lips, then said in a clipped voice, “Nothing at all.”

Jake tugged on her arm, and she looked down to his questioning gaze. “Do you have a sister, Meg?”

“I have four sisters, Jake. Serena, Phoebe, Olivia, and Jessica. Serena is my twin. She looks just like me. People used to confuse the two of us all the time.”

“I didn’t,” Will said before he thought better of it. Her gaze jerked to him.

“No,” she said softly. “You never did.”

“Did you know that Serena has married?”

Her eyes widened. “No.”

“She married Jonathan Dane.”

“What?”
she gasped.

“Yes. They married last year. He’s now the Earl of Stratford, which makes Serena a countess.”

“Oh, my,” she murmured. “Oh, my goodness.” She looked out the window at the passing scenery of the Devonshire countryside. When she turned back to him, she was smiling. “I suppose that means she forgave him, then?”

“She did. Although,” he added, chuckling, “it took some spectacular groveling on his part.”

“I am so very happy for her—for them. Serena loved Jonathan very much. She was devastated when he cut her and we were sent back to Antigua. I thought she’d never smile again.”

“She smiles now,” Will said. “Often.”

“I’m just glad Serena didn’t reject him out of spite, though I imagine she was inclined to.”

Again, she looked down at Jake. “My twin sister is married to an earl, Jake. Which means, she’s not just Serena anymore. She’s
Lady Stratford
.” She said the title with reverence, and her smile finally reached her eyes, shining there like polished silver.

Will took another strengthening breath.
Tell her. Tell her now before you’re in London and it’s too late.

“Meg, you must know—” He hesitated, not knowing quite how to say this. “Well, you need to know that Serena… Well, she no longer goes by that name.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

Oh, God. This was more difficult than he thought it would be. She was so beautiful, looking at him with that slight crease between her eyes. He wanted to press his thumb to it and make it smooth again. Instead, his news would probably deepen her concern, and that crease.

“She’s… taken on your name.”

She stared at him uncomprehendingly.

“Her name now is Margaret Dane, Lady Stratford.”

Meg’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t understand.

“Everyone calls her Meg,” he continued. “Even your other sisters.”

She shook her head. “I don’t—”

“For the past two years,” he blurted, “she’s pretended to be you.”