Swept to Sea (25 page)

“That you did, milady, but who could blame you?” He gently chucked her under the chin. “Now, I want you to change out of that nightgown and put on a pretty dress. I have a surprise for you when you can come up on the deck.”

“A-a surprise? For me?”

With a simple wink and a nod, Caspian exited the room, silently closing the door behind him.

Eden quickly removed her nightgown and donned a turquoise, silk gown, her favorite of all that were on this ship, all the time wondering at the thought of a surprise from the man.

Reed remained by her side, politely looking away as she stepped behind a screen Caspian had found a couple of days ago for her to dress behind.

“Reed, darling, do you know what surprise your papa has planned for me? I am certainly eager to learn what it is.”

“Not at all, Miss Eden. He did not tell me of a surprise.”

She poked her head around the screen at the boy. He looked terribly confused about the whole situation and slightly disappointed.

“Well, I promise I shall tell you what my surprise was as soon as your father lets me come back down here. Now you be a good boy while I’m gone, and I will return as soon as I can.” She tapped her finger on his nose lightly.

Eden approached the main deck as fast as she could, eager to find Caspian and to discover what her surprise was. Why, she had no idea what it could be. What would Caspian have or know to give her or tell her as a surprise? Maybe he had some good news for her. Maybe they had discovered where Adam was or something like that. She sighed and cancelled that thought out. That was just dreaming.

Eden discovered the captain standing at the rail, overlooking the sunrise that cast a golden-pink hue on the horizon. His hands were planted firmly on his hips, like he owned the entire sea and not just this ship.

"Whatever is my surprise, Caspian? I have to admit, I have been most eager to find out." Eden placed her hands on her hips.

He slowly drew something out of his pocket and kept it cupped in his large, strong hands, a mischievous grin illuminating his handsome face.

"Close your eyes, sweetheart, and I will show it to you. Close them tight."

She immediately clamped her eyes shut, her heart fluttering like a nervous butterfly. Eden felt like a little child, unable to wait to take a peek at her gift.

Caspian slipped something cold and hard around a finger on her left hand. She opened her eyes a crack to see an exquisite ruby and gold ring. The ring Caspian had always worn on a silver chain around his strong neck.

"I didn't tell you that you could open your eyes yet, milady," Caspian teased, winking at her. “You are nearly as impatient as little Reed.” Amusement sweetened his deep, masculine voice.

Eden giggled in response and found herself looking into those crystal-blue eyes, unsure if she understood the meaning behind the gift he presented. What did he mean by that ring? Was it just a trinket for her to remember him by when they reached Port Royal and she had to say good-bye or… or… did he want it to mean something… more? Because he always wore it around his neck, she assumed it held some significance to him. The man did not seem to be one to collect feminine trinkets.

"What…"

He wrapped her in his arms, kissing her in reply. That was all the answer she needed.

Eden threw her arms around his neck and responded to the kiss, happier than she could imagine at what the ring surely meant. She would quite enjoy being his wife. She was certain of it. After a long few moments he pulled away from her, panting for air.

She was doing much the same, feeling almost lightheaded, either from the excitement of the kiss or the lack of oxygen.

"I would be honored if you would agree to be my wife, Lady Eden Trenton. Would you, sweetheart?" He bowed low and brought her fingers to his lips.

"Yes, of course, Caspian, but…" she gave him a saucy grin and a coquettish fluttering of her eyelashes, "perhaps I just need a little more convincing."

"I know exactly what you mean, milady," he laughed heartily, his voice coming out husky. And with that, she slowly drew his face down to hers and kissed him, not caring if the entire crew saw.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Only a matter of days later, Caspian sat at his desk early in the morning watching his beautiful wife as she ate her breakfast of porridge in one of their armchairs. She giggled with Reed, who sat across from her. His little body was dwarfed by the large armchair. The boy had been overjoyed when Caspian told him Eden would be his mother.

Caspian studied Eden. Her cheeks were flushed a light pink from laughter. The sweet woman’s doe-like eyes flashed with excitement, and her umber curls fell in wild disarray about her shoulders, untamed and not yet combed. He decided he liked her like this. She had left her nightgown on and simply wrapped a blanket about her shoulders because she had decided it was much cozier than getting into her normal dress so early in the morning. Reed had joined them in their cabin even earlier after spending the night with Gage. Reed had been eager to see his “Mama” as he now called Eden.

Caspian could not help but grin at how charming his little family was.

Just a day after Caspian had proposed to Eden, they had arrived in Port Royal. They were married days later in a small chapel in the city — a chapel that was completely out of place with the corruption of most of Port Royal. Caspian knew he should leave his wife and Reed safe on land while he went in search of Moore, but he could not bear to leave them behind, especially Eden, when they had only been a complete family for all of a day. He had decided they would be just as safe with him, rather than him leaving them unprotected in Port Royal.

Glancing at his son, Caspian realized he would have to either get a new ship or do some remodeling. Although he loved this one dearly, he would need a cabin for Reed to stay in rather than allowing the boy to tag along with him and Eden all of the time. A man and his wife needed some time alone, and that would never be accomplished with a child in the room.

Caspian would like some of that alone time right now. He rose from his desk where he had been attempting to map their route in search of Moore and moved over to his wife and son.

“Why don’t you go up on the main deck, Reed, and watch the sun rise over the ocean?”

Reed glanced back and forth between his father and Eden before answering, “By myself? Or will you and Mama come with me?”

Eden glanced at Caspian. He gave her a reassuring wink.

“We won’t be joining you just yet, Reed. I want to talk to ‘Mama’ first, but maybe we will join you later. You just go on up for now,” Caspian explained, feeling a little bad that he was wishing his son’s absence. But wasn’t it normal for a man to want to spend some time alone with his new wife?

“As long as you and Mama come soon.” The boy left the cabin, humming a tune Caspian had caught his wife singing to Reed as she had tucked him into bed one night.

As soon as the door shut behind his son — their son — Caspian moved to take his little wife in his arms. He loved the soft feel of her body against his. Caspian pressed his lips to her forehead and began trailing kisses down her neck, stopping at her collarbone. Then he buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent.

Eden giggled. “Stop that, Caspian, it tickles me.” She playfully pushed against his arms. After a moment she gave up her struggle and leaned her head against his chest. He tilted her face up to his with his hand and pressed his lips to hers, softly at first. Warmth flooded through him at his wife’s response. Snagging his fingers in her mass of brunette curls, he gently cradled her head with his hands. She let out a soft moan of pleasure.

A knock sounded on the door, ending their intimate moment.

Groaning, Caspian pulled away from Eden just barely and called out, "Who is it?"

"'Tis Wilson, Cap'n. I wouldn’t have interrupted, but I saw your son leave. We spotted a ship, sir. She’s headin' straight for us, and she doesn't appear to be friendly."

Caspian left the warmth of his wife’s embrace with a moan. Who could be after them so soon after their wedding? He had freed them of Lord Rutger. They obviously had a new enemy. Could it be Moore? He grimaced at the thought the monster could have found them before Caspian had hardly even begun his search. The man had run away from a fight last time, but maybe he was better prepared now.

Whoever’s ship this was, Caspian vowed he would protect Eden and Reed with his life.

****

Eden sped about the cabin like a madwoman, searching to find a dress to wear for the day. Her husband winked at her as he grabbed his plumed captain’s hat and perched it atop his black curls.

She beamed back at him, selecting a coral-colored gown from the armoire. Deciding to just put it on over her nightgown and stays, rather than getting out her petticoats, she set it on the bed and tried to tighten her stays, but her fingers betrayed her and kept slipping. At home, she had a servant who had helped her with it, but normally, on the ship, she just spent a couple of moments before successfully tightening them. Now, however, there was no way to be dressed in time if she had no help.

Eden moved toward her husband, who had a deep frown on his face. When he saw her looking at him, a grin spread across his face. "Caspian, would you please… help tighten my s-stays? I can’t seem to tie them quickly enough this morning." She felt herself blushing furiously, speaking of her undergarments to someone, a man, no less.

Her husband.

Her anxiety lessened as she smiled at the thought.

Caspian gave her a roguish grin, his glacial blue eyes twinkling. "But I so thoroughly enjoyed helping you out of them last night, darling," he proclaimed innocently.

Eden's face flooded with heat yet again at his reference to their wedding-night. The skin on her back tingled pleasantly as his large hands fumbled with the laces of her stays. His warm breath feathered on her neck and sent a shiver of delight running all the way down her body.

He stopped to press a kiss to the top of her head and then continued his attempt at untangling her laces. He swore lightly under his breath and leaned toward Eden. "How about you don't wear your stays today? I do not understand how you women can stand being confined in those blasted things anyway. You, my dear, look just as perfect without them as you do with them."

"But, Caspian, a proper lady never goes without her stays. My mother taught me that long ago," Eden objected, although she already knew she would do anything Caspian asked of her when he gave her that charming grin of his.

"My dear lady, no one will notice your missing undergarment, I assure you. For heaven's sake, you are on a pirate ship. What do a bunch of uneducated, grimy men know about women’s fashion? Besides, I know you don't care about what is perfect and proper anymore. If you did, you would never have married me. And need I remind you that when I first saw you, you were dressed in men’s trousers? Surely that was most improper, as well," he chuckled.

Eden smiled, and quickly tossed her dress on over her nightgown. She did enjoy the feel of wearing no stays. Almost as much as she had enjoyed wearing Adam’s trousers.

****

Caspian felt dread clench around his heart after he had peered at the other ship through his telescope and saw her name.
Neptune’s Poison.
Moore. And the man must have been prepared for battle this time, or he would not be approaching them.

Caspian had tried to tease his wife, to not let her notice his fear, but that did not stop the dread from numbing every nerve in his body right now.

In his anxiousness, he did not even feel Eden’s warm hands on his arm.

Caspian ignored his son’s cheerful greeting as the boy skipped up to them. All he felt was horror at the situation he had just brought his new wife and his son to face.

“Caspian, darling, what is wrong? Who is it?” Eden wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. His mind clouded pleasantly like it always did when around his wife.

That was not good at all. No. He could not have the beautiful woman distracting him at a time like this.

“Eden, I need you and Reed to go to our cabin and lock the door behind you right now. Push my desk up against the door, and do not come out until I personally tell you to. Do not leave that cabin for anyone other than me, you understand, sweetheart?” He did not need her distracting him or getting harmed. Or worse.

He spun around, wrapping her in his arms in a whirl and drawing his son close at the same time.

“Why, Caspian? Why are you not telling me who that ship is, darling? Why must we go below?” Eden asked, pulling away from Caspian and drawing Reed’s little body next to hers. The boy was studying him with those wide, blue-violet-tinged eyes that made Caspian conjure up an image of the child’s biological mother. Caspian would not fail his family yet again. He would keep them safe and sound in his cabin this time, even if he had to drag them both kicking and screaming. Before he let anything happen to them, he would lock and barricade the door.

“Just obey me, Eden, please, for once. I will not have either of you hurt. You go into our cabin, and do as I asked. Please, sweetheart.” He ran a hand from her shoulder down her arm and held her hand in his.

Caspian’s words may have been harsh, but he tried to make them kinder by his expression and the begging in his voice. He did not have time to explain they had run into Moore, and he did not want her unnecessarily worried about him. “Eden, go below. I will come for you when it is safe. Please, I will not have you dying in some battle like Isabelle a mere day after we have been married. Go to our cabin immediately.”

She sighed, and tears sprouted in her pretty brown doe-eyes. “But, Caspian, don’t you realize that I feel the same about you? What if
I
lose
you
?” Her voice cracked with a sob.

“Please, darling. It is Moore, the man who killed Isabelle. I will be all right. Gage is sailing next to us with his new crew. Most of his men agreed to become privateers rather than being kept in the hold. He will join us. Don’t worry about me, sweetheart, and go below and take care of our son.”