Swept to Sea (18 page)

She nodded, swallowing.

"Now what happened to you, sweetheart? Before you came here. What made you this shaken from what happened with Kelton? Tell me what made you so frightened of me striking you. Why did you run away from London? Tell me. Please."

She took a deep breath.

A moment passed when Caspian wondered if she would answer him or not. He hoped she had finally realized it was safe to tell him anything.

Caspian held his breath as she began to speak.

"A couple of months ago, my father announced to me I was to marry a man named Lord Clive Rutger. Mama is dead, or she probably would have put an end to it, and Adam is away. Only God knows where he is. If Adam were here, he would help Papa in his older age, and make sure we are provided for so I could marry someone I at least like. But Adam is gone. Lord Rutger… he is a horrible man, Caspian. He only wanted me for my looks.” She shivered, despite the Caribbean summer’s heat in the cabin. “I-I do not understand why, but he is almost… obsessed with me. Long before we were engaged, he tried to kiss me at a ball. He made me go with him off to an isolated room. I told him I did not want to kiss him, that I did not even like him, but he just shoved me, and luckily he left with his pride hurt. I thought that would be the end of it, but it was not…

“I did not want to tell anyone about it because they would never believe me about what had happened."

Caspian stifled a groan. He could see where this tragic tale was leading, and he hated it. Hated every second of it. He almost could not bear to listen to the rest. It took everything in him not to cover his ears and run away screaming, but he could not leave the dear, frightened girl here all alone.

"When our betrothal was announced," she swallowed back a rush of tears, "he stayed at our house because he lived far outside of London. Papa figured it would not hurt either of our reputations because he was there and so were all of our servants. Papa’s room was between mine and the one Lord Rutger was staying in. That night, though, Lord Rutger came into my bedchamber. I… I guess he was very silent somehow because my father never knew it had happened.”

Caspian took in a sharp breath. The poor, sweet woman.

“Lord Rutger — he had a pistol with him. He told me he would kill me if I so much as made a noise… he would kill me if I refused him like I had that night at the ball. I was so frightened, Caspian. I did not know what he would do to me, and I did not doubt he would kill me. He said my body would be his in a matter of months, anyway, when we married… and then he-he…" she whispered the next words, "tried to do what Kelton tried to do to me. I was too terrified to scream for help. I was so frightened he would kill me like he promised he would if I did scream.” She shook her head slightly, her eyes focusing on Caspian’s chest, rather than his face.

Caspian took Eden’s hand in his and squeezed it. His heart sank to see her so distraught.

“He forced me to kiss him, but when he wasn’t looking, I grabbed my bed warmer, and I-I hit him over the head with it. The blow disoriented him, but it did not make him unconscious. I could tell he had gotten angry with me, and I knew that was my very last chance. Not only would he… ravish me, but he would probably also kill me. He was so furious, Caspian. I-I shoved him out of my bedchamber and locked the door behind him. My door was sturdy, but I heard him trying to break it down. The only reason he ended up leaving me alone that night was because he did not want to attract attention to… to what he was doing. He knew my father would break off the engagement if he discovered what had happened between the two of us. Lord Rutger told me if I revealed to anyone what had happened, he would kill Papa, and he would murder my poor friends Aimee and Ivy. After that night, he tried to corner me whenever he was near. When I objected each time, he took to beating me. He enjoyed seeing me in pain. Just a few days before I left London, my father left me while he was out of town. The servants all had the day off, because we have been running out of money.”

Eden pressed a hand to her forehead, her face pale. Caspian leaned forward to brush a lock of hair from her face as she continued, “Lord Rutger paid me a visit while Papa was away. When I refused to kiss him, and when I refused to go up to my bedchamber with him, he beat me in the parlor… and he vowed to me that I would get more of it when we were married. He knows where to beat a woman, Caspian, where it will hurt her most and where no one can see it, so no one else can tell what is going on.” She paused to rub her shoulder, her eyes welling up with tears.

Caspian remembered the bruise he had seen on her pale skin early in the voyage. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the image of Eden’s poor body being ruthlessly battered by a man. Why, he could almost hear her screams, see her tears of anguish. It made him feel sick.

“I told him that I hated him, and that I would rather die than marry him. Finally, I escaped to my bedchamber that day, where I locked the door and pushed a trunk up against it to keep him out. After a few hours, he left, threatening me of what he would do to me the next time he saw me. Well, the next day, after my father had returned, I begged him to break off the engagement, but he refused and he got so, so upset with me. He told me he would not deal with my disobedience any longer and I would marry Lord Rutger whether I wanted to or not.”

Caspian clenched his jaw. Did the man care about his daughter at all? How could he not tell the poor dear was suffering?

“So, you see I… I had no choice but to run away from home… run away from that horrible life I was doomed to. I had to leave my friends, the closest thing I had left to family. I could not live the rest of my life with that monster beating me, and doing whatever else he wanted to do to me…"

Her sobs filled the air once again like the wails of thunder in the night.

He could not bear to see her so upset like this. He took her in his arms and ran his hands through those precious, silken waves of hair. "If I ever meet that man—“ he began, clenching a fist of her hair, “—or your father, for that matter, for pledging you to that man…”

"It is all right, Caspian. There is no need to upset yourself over it. What was done was done."

He squeezed her hand. "It is most certainly not all right, Eden, darling, and I assure you I
will
upset myself over it. It is never all right for a man to beat a woman like that, and what this Lord Rutger did to you was inexcusable. I promise I will never let that…
monster
come near you again. He will never touch you again, and if I can help it, no man will ever strike you again. Ever." Despite his efforts to keep it steady, his voice broke.

"Caspian… you are the sweetest man I have ever known…"

"And you are the sweetest woman I've ever met, darling." Should he tell her he loved her now? Surely not yet. He did not want to scare the dear girl.

He smoothed a stray strand of that coffee-colored hair away from her pretty, round face. His gaze dropped to those pink, moist lips. The memory of what it had felt like to kiss those sweet little lips crept into his mind, unbidden.

Caspian lowered his mouth to hers and drank in the sweet taste of her. If he had any say in the matter, she would never be alone again. He could never let her leave and be in harm’s way of another abusive man. Egad, how he wanted to declare his love for her and beg her to stay!

He pulled away and cupped her face in his hand. His thumb brushed against her cheek. It was almost hard to believe how incredibly soft her skin was.

"Has anyone told you just how beautiful you are, Eden darling?"

Her blush made her all the prettier. The girl rubbed her shoulder and glanced away shyly. He gasped when he saw the nasty bruise on her fair skin.
Another bruise.
This one, while she was under Caspian’s care. His thumb brushed around the wounded area.

She flinched at his touch, and he prayed it was not because she feared him striking her. He found himself cursing under his breath.

"That…
dog
hurt you, love? He hit you just like that…
Lord
Rutger did to you?"

She nodded, chewing on her plump bottom lip.

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry," he breathed into her hair and drank in her coconut and vanilla scent.

His elbow accidentally bumped into her stomach as he leaned forward.

She let out a sharp hiss of pain.

Caspian froze for a second. Was she hurt worse than he thought? What if there was a cracked rib or something of that sort? He could get the surgeon, but he did not want any of his sailors seeing Eden’s exposed belly, surgeon or not. Caspian had to see if she was seriously injured for himself.

"What is it, sweetheart?" He moved aside the quilt that was covering her midsection.

She jerked back from him.

"Please, 'tis most improper… my dress is in shreds, and my chemise is much the same." She frowned and moved the quilt back in place.

"Since when have I cared a whit about what is proper?"

She gave him a small smile and allowed him to examine the wound.

He nudged aside the tattered remains of stained chemise and made certain to only look at the wound.

Another bruise darkened the skin of her belly. He knew he should look away, but his eyes were fixated on the spot. How could a man do this to a woman? Weren’t men meant to
protect
the weaker sex?

Caspian brushed his fingers over the bruise lightly. Satisfied it was only a bruise and not a more serious injury, he swept the quilt back over her.

He backed away and sighed angrily. "You get some sleep, my love. I'll go see about something to put on those bruises so they don’t hurt you so badly." He rose.

"No! Please, don't go. Stay. I-I do not think I will be able to get to sleep by myself," she stammered. “I will be too frightened Kelton will return… or-or Lord Rutger will somehow find me…”

****

"Of course, dear," he answered gently.

Uncontrollable shivers wracked her entire body.

"Would you… could you… please h-hold me?" she asked, not quite looking right at him. She knew she should be embarrassed to ask such a thing of a man, but she was too numb to think about it.

"Yes, sweetheart, of course." Caspian turned back to her, and in one swoop, he scooped her up into his arms and moved her to his chair with him so she was sitting, curled up on his lap.

She threw her arms around him and snuggled close to his chest, breathing in his pleasant scent of hard-earned sweat, wood, and spice. A sudden sleepiness overtook her, and she realized she had never felt this comfortable, this safe, this relaxed, before, and yet she was in a man’s arms.

Caspian was the only man she trusted anymore, and she was not certain how deep her feelings for him ran. She had vowed to herself never to fall in love with a man and never to marry one… but could she be falling in love with Captain Caspian Archer? It suddenly seemed quite possible, and the thought sent a shiver of both delight and fear running through her.

****

Tears filled her eyes, and Caspian watched helplessly as they spilled down her round, pink cheeks yet again.

He could not bear it.

Those tears and this distress needed to stop, and soon. "Eden? Please, please, do not cry again, sweetheart. It makes me feel terrible to see you upset. When you cry, it makes me feel like I did something to make you sad."

"I am fine. Believe me, I am not upset over anything you have done. I'm just so happy to be here, to be safe with you, Caspian. These are just happy tears, I guess, because I am so relieved."

"I promise I will not let anyone hurt you from now on," he reassured her. "Goodnight, Eden." He kissed her mouth quickly and rather chastely.

"Goodnight," she replied. The next was a whisper, so quiet Caspian was not certain if he had heard her correctly. "I… I love you."

Did she truly just say that? He hoped she had. "I love you, too, Eden."

He pressed his lips against her warm forehead and relished the feeling of her soft body pressed against him, in his arms. She was a special woman and he planned to never have to say good-bye to her. A man could easily get used to having her in his embrace.

Chapter Fifteen

Ivy rested on a crate near the bow of Captain Emery’s ship. She had begun to enjoy sailing after her seasickness had passed a few days ago. Aimee sat next to her, pushing loose strands of that pale, golden hair back into her delicate coiffure.

Ivy gazed at the ocean. Eden was somewhere in front of her, and William was somewhere behind her. Every second of the day, she prayed for the safety of both. What kind of friend was she to have not believed Eden and to have let her run away? What kind of sister was she to abandon William without anyone she trusted to take care of him? She felt awful.

"I do hate that stifling cabin, but all of this sun and wind and salt are horrible for my complexion." Aimee put a hand to her forehead.

The whining tone in her friend’s voice was beginning to grate on Ivy’s nerves. She had never seen Aimee like this. How could she be concerned with something like her complexion while there were far more pressing matters? Ivy could not help but to roll her eyes at her friend’s vanity. "Aimee, you need to stop worrying about your looks all of the time. You are a beautiful girl without fretting about the state of your complexion.”

"If I ever wish to be married, I should have a right to be worried about my complexion. What man would want a tanned, wrinkled wife?" She crinkled her nose up in disgust.

"A respectable man should not care about how you look on the outside," Ivy muttered, shaking her head at the vainness of her dear friend’s statement.

"Ah, and what are we talking about, ladies?" Matthew sat next to them, rolling up the sleeves of his plain linen shirt to his elbows. The sun really was burning today.

Ivy studied Aimee in interest. Her face constricted and grew red. Finally, Aimee rolled her eyes at him and stood. "I fear I have suddenly developed a most horrible headache. I shall retire to my cabin." She scurried below, her hips swaying with her.