The Pirate's Jewel (11 page)

They reached Gardiner’s Island in less than a day and a
half, record time. For Nolan, it was the longest voyage of his life. He had
hurt Jewel, been a complete ogre, and she was making him pay. Their
confrontation in the galley had not gone at all as he planned. He’d hoped to
reach a chilly truce, but when she arrived in the gown, her eyes bright with
pleasure, her sensuality hit him like a blow from one of her father’s fists. He
had hoped by dressing her like a female, his exaggerated fantasies would be
shattered when he saw her as an ordinary woman. Too late, he realized his
mistake. There was nothing ordinary about Jewel.

From a distance, Gardiner’s Island appeared green and lush.
Pines shot from its center. The gray crystalline sand soaked up the bright rays
of springtime sun, beckoning them to come ashore. Even the large rocks peeking
from the gentle surf, which could have easily splintered their skiff in a
storm, gleamed innocuously. A far different picture from when Nolan and Bellamy
had searched the island in the dead of winter, howling wind cutting through
their clothing and bending even the tallest trees. Today, the island held the
promise of hidden treasure.

Despite the sun’s warmth beating on his back as he rowed
one of the landing party’s two launches, Nolan could still feel a sharp knife
of cold rolling off the water. The chill had nothing to do with the just passed
winter, but with one overconfident brat. Jewel’s laughter danced across the
water, abrading his eardrums like metal rubbing against metal. Nolan stopped
himself short of wincing visibly. Parker, who rowed the skiff that carried
Jewel, threw his head back in a laughing response to her tinkling giggles.

Wayland, who was Nolan’s passenger, cocked his head at the
other boat. “They sure are as tight as a virgin’s thighs. She ain’t given me
the time of day since we left Newport.”

Nolan yanked the oars harder than necessary, trying to
relieve his frustration while propelling his boat farther away from Parker and
Jewel. Avoiding her had been one thing; being shunned by her was another. Nolan
didn’t like it in the least, though he suspected he deserved it. Neither had
his conversation with Parker regarding Jewel gone as planned. His lieutenant
readily agreed that she deserved the utmost respect while aboard their vessel.
Unfortunately, Nolan feared that a slight possessiveness had leaked into his
voice while he was trying to warn Parker off, giving the completely wrong
impression of her status on board his ship.

“I’ve set the parameters of our relationship, and she respects
my authority as captain,” he finally said to Wayland.

Another peal of feminine laughter sounded, crawling up
Nolan’s spine.

Wayland glanced to the skiff that Nolan managed to keep
out of his own direct line of vision, and then turned back to grin at him.
“Aye, Captain.” Apparently satisfied that he’d been thoroughly irritating, he
turned around to face the island, a menacing figurehead sure to strike fear into
any evil spirits.

Blessed silence accompanied only by the breathing of the
crewman behind Nolan and oars efficiently slicing through water carried them
the rest of the way to the island. Nolan was the first one up, and he waded
through the icy water to drag the skiff to shore. Even the hottest day couldn’t
take the chill from the Atlantic. He longed to make his way back to the
Caribbean’s warmth. Maybe then he could be himself again, instead of two people
battling for control. In the old days, he wouldn’t have had to handle Jewel
with kid gloves when he longed to touch her, skin to skin. He shook his head to
clear his thoughts. It was his desire he wanted to be rid of, not his
restraint.

Nolan pulled the map out of his pocket and stared at the
island, its green rolling hills just past the beach. Finally having the coveted
parchment in his hands was tainted by the memory of how he’d got it. He wished he’d
handled the whole encounter better. Jewel had been so forceful and stubborn up
to that point, he hadn’t expected his harsh words to hurt. He’d seen he’d
failed, though she’d struggled valiantly to hide it.

His suspicions that her brash front hid more vulnerability
than she’d like to admit were confirmed. And though it was true enough that he
didn’t want her around, a large part of his hostility sprang from his own unwanted
desires. Last night, he’d restrained himself from seeking her out to apologize.
He did have feelings for Jewel, feelings he dared not explore and that were getting
harder to hide. That the attraction was mutual persuaded him it was better if
they avoided each other.

Nolan forced himself to focus on the map. Captain Kent’s
treasure had been rumored to be hidden here on Gardiner’s Island since Kent’s
execution more than half a century earlier. Many had dug looking for it,
including himself and Bellamy—all fruitlessly. Nolan had spent a good portion
of last night paging through his father’s book of the occult and comparing it
to the map, but he couldn’t find any new insight. He wasn’t hopeful that today’s
outing would be fruitful, but they had to start somewhere.

He turned back to the beach in time to see Parker carry
Jewel through the surf. “Mr. Tyrell, secure your skiff before you remove your
passenger.”

The man glanced over his shoulder. The third crewman was
dragging the longboat to shore quite capably. “Aye, Captain.” He looked down at
Jewel and a smile broke across his face. He deposited her on dry land and sprinted
back to help the crewman drag the boat to shore.

Nolan could feel the corner of his mouth curl into a sneer.
“Mr. Tyrell, may I have a word with you?”

Nolan trudged to the far side of the beach, not bothering
to address the rest of the crew for fear he’d see Jewel studying him with the
knowledge that his request to speak to Parker had everything to do with her.

“Yes, Captain?” said Parker, only slightly winded from
jogging across the beach after him.

“I thought we cleared up any confusion regarding Miss
Sanderson.”

“Confusion, Captain?” Parker returned Nolan’s stern gaze
without the slightest show of concern. The topic had already made Nolan start
to sweat.

Dragging this conversation out would be worse than being
blunt, he quickly decided. “I’m aware of the fact that you ran up some
exorbitant tabs at a particular brothel…” Nolan began. He stopped when Parker looked
away.

“I see my father enlightened you.” Parker’s neck
distinctly flushed before he turned back. “I understand that Jewel’s not
available on those terms. And, as you probably know, my tastes run toward older
and more experienced women.”

Nolan struggled with the urge to look away himself. He
really didn’t want to know about Parker’s sexual preferences, nor had he
intended to make Parker feel uncomfortable about them. “As long as you perform your
duties well, and you do, I’m not concerned with how you choose to spend your
free time. I only brought this up because I want to protect Jewel.”

Parker relaxed at that and stood a little straighter at the
praise. “Thank you, Captain. And you don’t need to worry. I know you’ve already
staked your claim on Jewel.”

“Our relationship is strictly…” Nolan began too abruptly
and couldn’t finish his sentence. He had no idea how his relationship with
Jewel would be classified. “I have no claim on her,” he finally said.

Parker and Nolan stared at each other for another long moment
while Nolan tried to impart on his knowing lieutenant something he was having
trouble convincing himself.

“That’s all,” he finally said, sure he’d again done more
harm than good. “Make sure the crew gather all the supplies from the boats.”

“Aye, Captain.” Parker trudged off and Nolan resisted calling
him back. He should just say that he did have a claim on Jewel and be done with
it. Instead, he turned away and walked across the rocky beach alone.

“Wait!” Jewel called. Nolan paused but didn’t turn. She’d
not spoken to him since the incident in the galley, and he couldn’t imagine
that she would now. Her tug on his arm convinced him she had. “Let me see the map.”

Ah, it was the map she wanted. He gave her a quick,
dismissive perusal over his shoulder, trying not to notice that her floral
dress was cut slightly lower than the green gown had been. “I’m familiar with
Gardiner’s Island. I’ll hold the map.”

She placed her fists on her corseted waist and again Nolan
wondered why he’d thought it would be a good idea to put her in feminine
clothing that showed off her curves. “Oh, really? Well, I believe your last
excursion to this particular island left you empty-handed. Why not let someone
with a fresh eye take a look?”

Nolan handed her the map, debating whether their silent
battle of wills had been better than this. The tiny blue flowers and lace
around her entirely too plunging neckline, he decided, made her look like a sweetmeat:
feminine, soft, and sugary to taste. Unfortunately, her pretty package in
reality was bitter—at least for Nolan.

She turned, but not before Nolan caught her smirk of satisfaction
at his obvious ogling. She waved to Parker. “Parker—”

Nolan grabbed her arm. “The map is only to be seen by the
two of us. No one else.”

“But Parker is your lieutenant. Don’t you trust him?”

“It’s better to trust no one. It’s safer.”

Jewel lifted her chin and studied him. “Trust no one. You
must live a very sad life, Nolan, but I believe I understand.” She yanked her
arm away. “Much more than you think.”

Her sheer stubbornness he’d grown accustomed to, but her
touch of venom set him back.

She studied the map for a moment, and then pointed west. “That
way.”

Nolan hung back. His intention had been to push her away,
but he could certainly do without her condemnation. He was capable of berating
himself on his own. When had he gone back to Bellamy’s rules? Trust no one.
Never turn your back. Those simple rules had worked for him in the past. He
wasn’t going to let a foolhardy woman force him to question himself.

Nolan caught up to Jewel, determined not to let her take
over his expedition as she’d shouldered her way into his life. “The
instructions say thirty paces.” He took several long strides and focused on
counting instead of the way the green island reflected in her eyes. He had not
realized anger would make her so beautiful. He lost track of what he was doing
and had to stop.

She came up behind him. “That’s seven.”

He continued pacing. Had he been mistaken when he’d seen
the want in her gaze after he’d kissed her? Or maybe it was just pretense all
along, another plot to get him where she wanted him. If only he could convince himself
his own desires were as superficial. Nolan turned sharply right and started
counting as the map instructed.

Jewel caught up to him, breathing hard. “This isn’t right.”

His conscience forced him to stop so she could catch her
breath. “It’s what the map says.”

“No. I mean the hills aren’t right. You should be passing
through a valley. See?” She held the map up for his inspection. “The drawing
isn’t supposed to be accurate,” he said without a glance. “That’s why he marks
the paces to the spot.”

Jewel cocked her head, apparently irritated. “Then why
didn’t you find the treasure before?”

Nolan took another stride and stopped. Was that twenty-two
or twenty-three? “I didn’t read Latin as well as I do now. Trust me, the
drawing is meant to fool fools.”

Jewel grabbed his arm. “Like me? Or, maybe the Latin was
meant to fool pompous know-it-alls who make assumptions about people without
knowing anything about them!”

Nolan dropped all pretense of trying to retrace his steps
in his mind, and turned to face her. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She glared up at him with a hostility that was slightly surprising,
deserved as it might be. “You play the gentleman when it suits you, but you’re
no different than other men I’ve come across.” She folded the map, tucked it in
her bodice and determinedly strode off.

Her words chilled Nolan. There were many incidents in his past
that she could have named as examples to prove that he was infinitely worse
than other men she’d run across. But she couldn’t know that, could she?

Parker trudged up the hill, and Jewel stopped just short
of embracing him. Instead, she conferred with him. Parker nodded, and then both
glanced in Nolan’s direction. Were they conspiring? She had better not be discussing
the map. No matter what she was doing, seeing her and Parker together irritated
Nolan beyond his ability to fake civility. Though his conversation with his
lieutenant had eased his mind somewhat, Jewel was purposely trying to create a
rift in his crew. He had been wrong in assuming she hadn’t inherited any of her
father’s personality. She knew how to find a man’s weak spot and strike without
mercy. Her ability to shed tears didn’t change that. He turned, stomping out
the rest of the map’s directions. He’d memorized them last night. Never again would
he take a chance of losing them. He found the spot directed by the map with no
sense that he’d done right. This wasn’t where Bellamy and he had dug before; he
knew that much. But the vague instructions on the map didn’t give him much
confidence.

Parker and Jewel approached ahead of two crewmen, with
Wayland dragging along farther behind. It was as if she were the queen of the
island, flanked by her entourage.

“Here.” Nolan pointed to the spot where he’d paced. At the
top of a low hill, the place was fairly clear of large boulders and towering
pines. A forest rose in the distance, and the beach to their backs created seclusion.
The two crewmen took up their shovels and started to dig.

“This is so exciting,” Jewel breathed. She contained herself
from jumping up and down, but her breathtaking smile at every man in their
party except for Nolan and Wayland vouched for her enthusiasm.