Seger, Maura (21 page)

As the man reeled back, reaching with his remaining arm for yet another of the arsenal of weapons apparently secreted on his person, Takamori and several guards raced in with their swords drawn. Erin hastily scrambled back under the covers as the intruder was seized and roughly bound, his black mask stripped away to reveal a young, feral-eyed Japanese who spit defiance at his captors.

Takamori shouted a warning to the guards holding him, but it was too late. Before anyone could move to prevent it, the attacker bit down hard on something concealed in his mouth. An instant later his body writhed in its death throes as the potent poison did its work.

Storm gazed dispassionately at the slumped body of the man who moments before had come close to killing him. Glancing at Takamori, he said, "Ninja, I presume?"

Takamori nodded glumly. "No one else could have gained entrance to such a well-guarded house or carried such weapons as we see here. I should have expected this. My lack of foresight has seriously endangered you."

Storm shrugged dismissively. "I'd hardly call this little scratch serious."

"Well, I do," Erin insisted. Rising from the bed, thoroughly wrapped in a quilt, she marched over to him. "I want you to sit down right now and let me take care of it."

Takamori grinned sympathetically as Storm glared at her. Though she came no higher than his shoulders and should have been overpowered by his rampant nakedness, Erin didn't bat an eyelash. Settling himself with poor grace, he yielded to her ministrations.

Odetsu, who had hurried into the room just as the ninja's body was being removed, sent servants scurrying for hot water and bandages as Erin slipped behind a screen to pull on a robe. She returned with the quilt in her hands and insisted on tucking it around Storm despite his protests that he was not an infant to be coddled.

"Just be quiet and let me take care of you," Erin hissed, out of patience with his male bravado. The gray tinge beneath his tan worried her, as did the steady seeping of blood from the gaping slash across his back.

Horror at his injury almost overwhelmed her. She had to take several deep breaths before her hands were steady enough to clean and stitch the wound. As gentle as she was, she knew she must be hurting him. But Storm neither moved nor made a sound. When she finished securing the bandage in place, he smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, love," he said softly. "It takes a damn sight more than that to lay me low."

Erin wasn't convinced. She felt he was underestimating the effects of his struggle with the ninja and wanted him to get back into bed to rest. But Storm vetoed that at once.

"No time. We've got to be on our way."

At her bewildered look, Takamori explained, "The ninja was part of an elite group of paid assassins hired for their immense expertise in finding and destroying their quarries. Davin-san is too modest to admit it, but very few men have ever survived an attack by one of them. Nor is it often possible to elude them. They are renowned for being able to penetrate any fortress, no matter how well-guarded, and if necessary, they can kill using only their bare hands or ordinary objects you would never guess might be lethal."

"Do you know who hired him?" Erin asked shakily. Though she fought to remain calm, she could not hide the trembling of her slender body.

Odetsu put an arm around her comfortingly. "There is little doubt he was sent by the shogun. Failure is unacceptable to the ninja. Once word of Davin-san's survival gets out, more will come. Instead of trying to defend against them here, we would be far wiser to withdraw to a safer, more secret location."

"But where? If the ninja are so adept at reaching their victims, what place would be safe?"

All eyes instinctively turned to Storm. Bare-chested, with a sheen of perspiration showing against his burnished skin and a lock of chestnut hair falling across his forehead, he managed to look rakishly confident.

"I think it's time we put the
Rising Sun
to sea."

Chapter Fourteen

"Are you warm enough?" Storm asked, wrapping his arms more snugly around Erin and drawing her back against the wall of his chest.

She nodded contentedly. Since he had deemed none of her own clothes adequate to protect her from the frigid onshore wind, she was engulfed in one of his greatcoats. The lapels framed her face beneath a saucy knit cap, while the sleeves completely engulfed her hands and the hem fell well below her ankles. She could not walk with any degree of grace, but then, she had nowhere in particular to go.

The steady swaying of the deck beneath her feet was reassuringly familiar. Above her she could hear the rippling thrum of the
Rising Sun
's sails. When completely raised, the more than an acre of canvas required three masts to hold it and was supported by miles of rigging.

Under full sail the sleek clipper ship could attain a speed of sixteen knots an hour, making her one of the fastest cargo carriers plying the Pacific trade. But the magnificent vessel that had been their home for several weeks was going far more slowly, with only the jib and mizzen sails in place.

Off in the distance, in between the bulks of the other vessels sailing in their convoy, Erin could make out the rocky coast of Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. This early in the new year, the ground was dotted with snow and even the water looked forbiddingly gray.

She supposed the bleak scene and their uncertain circumstances should dishearten her. But instead she felt adrift on an island of peace and serenity. The impression was deceptive, as she well knew, but she intended to cling to it as long as possible.

"Is Odetsu with Takamori?" she asked, watching the flight of a seagull toward its evening's nest.

Storm nodded. "The last time I saw them, they were both putting Saido to bed. Takamori was telling him a story about one of the legendary samurai."

"He treats the boy like his own son."

"I hope before too much longer he will be."

"Would Odetsu's family object to their marrying?"

"I don't see how they could," Storm said. "Ever since she fled from them before Saido was born, they have considered her to be dead. Since they're allied now with the Satsuma clan, I suppose an effort will be made at reconciliation. But Takamori won't let their feelings influence him one way or another. He is determined to have her for his wife."

"More determined than ever, from what I can see. Since we learned of the murders of his brothers and uncles, Odetsu has been the only joy in his life."

Storm nodded somberly. News of the killing of leading members of the Satsuma clan caught in a trap of the shogun's devising had reached them shortly after they sailed from Yokohama. Takamori bore his grief stoically, but there was no mistaking the fact that his need for the beautiful young noblewoman who loved him so devotedly was greater than ever.

"Takamori is not the only man in a hurry to marry," Storm reminded her gently. His chin rested against the ebony silk of her hair as he breathed in her fragrance. The thought of the small but comfortable bunk waiting below in their stateroom •flitted through his mind.

He smiled as he remembered how he had awakened that morning to find her satiny nakedness snuggled against him, her face still slightly flushed from their lovemaking and her moist lips temptingly parted.

For a man who prided himself on his self-control, he had embarrassing little around her. Despite the knowledge that he was expected on deck, the temptation to kiss her awake had proved too much for him. Half an hour later he had ruefully slipped from the bunk while she turned over as contentedly as a well-stroked kitten and went back to sleep.

Rather to his surprise, he had found her napping that afternoon. At dinner, she had skipped the usual raw fish and deep-fried vegetables, apparently struck by a craving for pickled ginger and soybeans.

He was about to ask if she thought she might be coming down with something when Erin turned in his arms. "I am glad to hear you are still interested in making an honest woman of me, sir."

"Of course I am," Storm declared. Frowning slightly, he asked, "You haven't really been concerned that I might not?"

Erin shook her head, reaching up a hand to gently trace the hard line of his mouth. She trusted him far too much to have any doubts about his intentions. But she still couldn't resist the urge to tease him. "Meg always told me that gentlemen had only one use for ladies of easy virtue, and that had nothing to do with marriage."

"The redoubtable Mrs. Gilhoully is not what I would consider an expert on the behavior of gentlemen, or for that matter, men of any sort." Skeptically Storm asked, "Was there ever a Mr. Gilhoully, to your knowledge?"

"I don't know," Erin admitted. A giggle escaped her as she added, "But between the
^N
two of us, I rather doubt it. You see, once, when I was sixteen, I got up the nerve to ask her about what is generally referred to as 'the marital act.' Meg was plainly horrified by my curiosity, but nonetheless felt compelled to reply, if only to keep me from asking anyone else. What she told me bears little resemblance to what you have so kindly instructed me in these past weeks."

"Ah, you see, it's all a matter of having the right tutor. Now, I happen to be an unusually patient, forbearing man, more than ready to indulge a promising student."

"Only this student," Erin reminded him tartly. "The rest of the world will just have to get along without your expertise."

"Is that a possessive note I hear?"

"More than that. It is plain old-fashioned jealousy. I would happily scratch out the eyes of any woman who did more than glance at you."

Storm shook his head in mock dismay. "Let it never be said I was responsible for a lady being injured. I will just have to devote myself to you heart and soul."

Erin laughed softly, burrowing her head into his shoulder. "And body, too. Don't forget that part."

His chuckle followed them downstairs to the cabin they shared. Nestled into the prow of the ship, it was small and compact, but surprisingly well-appointed.

Paneled in mahogany with brass and copper oil lamps carefully secured to the walls, the cabin boasted a double bunk, ample storage space for clothes and books, and a large table secured to the wood-plank floor near the portholes. There was even a potbellied stove to provide some warmth on the frigid winter mornings. But Erin preferred the more dependable heat of Storm's long, hard body.

"I hope Odetsu and Takamori are as comfortable," she murmured as he gently removed his coat and hung it back in the closet. Because the
Rising Sun
occasionally carried passengers, there were several cozy cabins available. Takamori was accustomed to the Western furniture and outfittings, but for Odetsu they were both novel and a bit disconcerting.

"She's much too polite to say so', but I suspect she's finding it awkward to sleep in a bed raised off the floor and to sit on chairs."

"Saido, on the other hand, is delighted by everything. I think he spends every waking hour on deck learning the arts of seamanship."

"He has less trouble communicating with my crew than I do," Storm admitted ruefully, referring to the difficulties of dealing with a roster comprising Japanese, Americans, and Europeans of all nationalities.

Unfastening the pearl buttons of her blouse, Erin glanced up at him. "You seem to like children."

"I haven't been around them much."

"But I see you with Saido, talking to him and teaching him things."

"I enjoy doing that." Sitting down on the edge of the bunk, Storm began to pull off his boots. "Maybe because he really isn't my responsibility. Actually having a child dependent on you for everything must be rather frightening."

In the midst of removing her skirt, Erin hesitated. "Does that mean you aren't anxious to have children of your own?"

"I never thought about it one way or the other. Before the war, I guess I just presumed that I'd marry and have a family. Everybody did. But since then, there hasn't been any opportunity." He broke off, looking at her cautiously. "Do you want to have children?"

"Very much."

"Oh . . . well, then, maybe we'd better give it some consideration. After we've been married awhile, of course." A rueful laugh broke from him. "Come to think of it, I'd forgotten about doing anything to prevent you from conceiving. I'll have to start being more careful."

Erin's eyes widened. Wrapping a warm robe around herself, she asked, "You mean there's some way to avoid pregnancy?"

"Several. But you needn't be concerned about that."

"Why not?"

"Why, because . . . it's up to the man. A lady needn't worry about such things." Storm sounded pompous even to himself. He was hard pressed to handle the situation. The sudden seriousness of the conversation surprised him. He sensed there was something going on under the surface that he couldn't quite catch.

"I don't like the idea of you having sole responsibility for what happens to my body, but we can come back to that. If you felt it was up to you, why didn't you take any of those precautions?"

"How would I know? I just didn't think of them."

"But you must have used them before or you wouldn't be familiar with them."

Standing stiffly, he frowned at her. "Do you really want to discuss my previous experiences with women?"

"No," Erin admitted hastily. "I just wondered why you haven't bothered to use precautions with me."

"Because I didn't think of them, that's all. Around you I have trouble thinking of anything."

"Are you sure it wasn't because you really wanted me to get pregnant?"

Storm suspected that might be the case, but he wasn't willing to admit it. He was embarrassed enough to realize how careless he had been of her well-being. There was no reason to complicate the issue by acknowledging that he might have used a primitively male tactic to bind her to him.

"Of course I'm sure," he claimed. "I want a few years alone with you before we even think about having children."

The sudden loss of color from her face startled him. His stomach plummeted as understanding at last pierced the fog of his male ignorance. "Erin . . . are you trying to tell me you're already pregnant?"