The Spanish Outlaw (15 page)

Raúl
stumbled and shoved Vivian ahead of him. The blow sent her reeling to the edge of the deck. Unable to regain her balance, she teetered overboard, but caught hold of the railing in a vice-like grip. The slivered wood bit into her hands as she tightened her grasp, but she continued to slide. Terror choked her scream as she dropped into the deep, dark abyss.

The frigid water sucked the air from her lungs, shrouding her body in darkness. Her heavy skirts weighed down, and did nothing to shield her from the piercing cold. Numbness grew over her body as she sank deepe
r and deeper into a dark grave.

* * * *

Vivian’s scream pierced the chilly night air. Pain consumed Anton like his heart had been ripped open. Then came the terrifying splash that seemed to drown out all other sounds.

With unknown strength, he broke away from
Raúl. Fear suffocated Anton as he gripped the railing and stared into the murky depths of the ocean.

Praying for strength and guidance, he hastily shrugged out of his coat and yanked off his boots before bounding over the rail and into the water. Surrounded by nothing but darkness, he flailed wildly, trying to find her...to feel her. He cursed the dead night that made it impossible to see anything, but he searched frantically, praying to
Díos
the whole time.

After what seemed
like forever, his hand finally grazed her body. After securing his arm around her, he swam back toward the ship. Shouts from the deck led him to the rope they’d thrown down for him.

“Someone
bring a lantern over here,” one man shouted.

“Just a little closer, Anton,” another passenger encouraged.

With their guidance, Anton grabbed hold of the rope. With strength he did not know he possessed, he flung an unmoving Vivian over his shoulder and pulled them both up. His arms ached from the fight, and his gut twisted from the blows he’d received already in the fight, but he forced himself to climb until several others assisted him and Vivian aboard.

The men grabbed
Vivian first, but once Anton had his feet planted on the deck, he pushed past them to kneel by her side. Her face was pale, her chest unmoving.

“
Díos
, please do not take her away.” He rolled her to her side and tried to push the water out of her lungs. Weightlessly, she fell to her back, still not breathing.

He had to get air into her lungs somehow. She needed to breathe and couldn’t do it herself. Without another thought, he bent over her and pried her mouth open, then tried to breathe life back into her.

Finally, her body moved. Her wracking cough brought up a stream of liquid. Anton praised the Almighty. With a lump in his throat, he gathered her against his chest as tears swam in his eyes.

“You will be fine,” he whispered. “I will not leave you again.”

Captain Bushwell pushed through the men and knelt beside Anton. “We’ve apprehended the Spaniards, but a few escaped onto their ship. We couldn’t stop them because of trying to assist you and Miss Wentworth.”

“What about
Raúl?”

“He is
tied up and being taken below as we speak.”

“
Gracias
.”

“Will you please tell me what’s going on?”

Anton nodded. “
Sí,
but first, we need to get Vivian into some warm clothes and her bed.”

“I’ll fetch the doctor.” Captain
Bushwell rose.

Anton lifted
Vivian and pushed his way through the concerned and curious people on his way to their room. Mrs. Summers waited there, ready to assist. She ushered Anton and the others out of the room to undress Vivian.

Anton paced in front of the door, praying Mrs. Summers would hurry. He didn’t like that the rose color had vanished from Vivian’s face, leaving dull pale skin. He wanted her back in his arms so to bring warmth to her. When he held her moments ago, she had shivered so hard, it wrenched his heart.

Finally, Mrs. Summers opened the door and Anton rushed in. Vivian lay in bed with blankets piled on top of her. Her trembling ceased ever so slightly, but the bluish color of her lips worried him.

“She will be all right,” Mrs. Summers said softly.

Without taking his eyes off Vivian, he answered, “How can you be so certain?”

“Because she has a strong will.”

“
Sí
, she does.”

“I think you need to change out of your wet clothes as well.”

“I will.” He finally looked at the other woman. “
Gracias,
Mrs. Summers. I am most grateful for your assistance.”

“Please send for me if you need more help.”

“I will.”

Once she left and closed the door, Anton turned his focus back to Vivian, who l
ay shivering in bed. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet, so he quickly stripped off his own wet clothes and replaced them with something dry. He sat on the bed and rubbed his hands over her arms which were still under the blankets, but it wasn’t controlling her shivering. Not knowing what else to do to keep her warm, he climbed into bed beside her to share his body heat. Slowly, her shaking subsided and unconsciously she snuggled against him.

Once he relaxed, he gave a silent prayer of thanks. The strange pain in his heart meant he couldn’t contemplate what life would be like without her. She’d become so important to him in
such a short time. Never before had he felt this close to a woman. He kissed her forehead, wishing her temperature would return to normal, so he snuggled her closer against his chest.

Someone knocked on the door. “
Señor
Contreras? I’m Doctor Lewis, and I’m here with Captain Bushwell.”

Grudgingly, Anton tore himself away from
Vivian and out of the bed, keeping the blankets wrapped tightly around her. “Enter,” he called.

Anton stood back as the doctor checked
Vivian’s breathing, and then did a series of tests to judge her reflexes and body’s temperature. Not for one second did Anton take his eyes off her, even when the captain questioned him about the attack.

“Do you know those men,
Señor
Contreras?”

“No.”

“Can you tell me what exactly happened, then? How did they board my ship in the middle of the sea, and why would they do that?”

Anton shrugged. “I suppose they were in the ship Miss
Wentworth spotted earlier and they used row boats to get nearer so they could climb aboard, but I do not know why they are here.”

“But they singled you out amongst all the other passengers.”

“
Sí
.”

“Can you explain?”

Anton took a quick glance at the captain. “Not yet.”

Captain
Bushwell exhaled in exasperation and ran his fingers through his hair. “
Señor
Contreras, you’re not making any sense.”

“I know. That is because I am just as confused as you.”
He looked back at Vivian.

“Do you know of any reason they had for finding you?”

Anton remained silent for a few moments, then nodded. “I think my uncle sent them to kill me.”

“Why would he do that?”

Anton tore his attention away from Vivian for a brief moment when he looked at the captain again. “Because I am the sole heir to a large inheritance, and my uncle wants it.”

Captain
Bushwell sucked in a quick breath. “But I don’t understand—”

“Captain,” Anton spoke, but
returned his attention to Vivian. “Can we discuss this at another time?”

“Yes, of course. I need to question my crew to find out why nobody knew about those other men.” The captain turned and left the cabin
grumbling.

“Well,” the doctor said, standing as he closed his medical bag. “I think she’s going to be fine. We’ll have to keep a close eye on her in case she catches pneumonia, but if you remain by her side and take care of her—”

“I plan on it,” Anton interrupted.

“Good. Keep me informed on her progress.” Anton nodded to the doctor as he left.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Anton sat on the bed beside Vivian. Her lips had a little more color, but she still looked more like a corpse than the exuberant woman he knew.

The strenuous activities of the evening wore on his exhausted body, so he turned down the lamp
and crawled into bed, taking Vivian back in his arms. Once he rested her head on his chest, her ragged breathing turned soft.

With a smile, he realized how well she fit next to him. He’d always enjoyed the way she felt in his arms, but now as he lay beside her, he knew their bodies molded perfectly together.

He kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, my little kitten. No need to fear any longer.”

And
he would make certain of that.

* * * *

Vivian’s weak body lay still as death, but her chest rose and fell with life. Anton remained by her side and nursed her, but uselessness grew inside him. She’d gained consciousness a few times, but she mostly slept. On a few occasions, her eyes drifted open and he cajoled her into eating a bite of hot soup or sipping water from a cup.

Soon, fever consumed her body as coughing wracked her, and Anton summoned the physician. Doctor Lewis diagnosed her with pneumonia.

Fighting for control over his own panic, Anton kept his words calm. “Are you saying she is going to die?”

Doctor Lewis shook his head.
“On the contrary. I know many people who have lived.”

“And I,
Señor
, have known people who died.”

The doctor moved beside Anton and patted his shoulder. “She will live, because you won’t let her die.”

Emotion welled in Anton’s chest, his eyes stinging with tears, so he quickly turned away and hurried back to Vivian’s side. He took hold of her hot, weak hand and gently stroked her skin.

“You are correct, Doctor Lewis. I will not let her die.”

“Make certain she drinks plenty of fluids, and keep her as warm as possible. If her temperature rises, we’ll have to place cold rags around her body to bring it down.”

Anton nodded and returned his concentration back on
Vivian.

The physician left the room without delivering any more instructions. Sighing, Anton ran his fingers through his hair. Death was not an option, yet what could he do to stop it from happening? So far, nothing he’d done had helped.

A light knock came upon the door before it opened. He looked back to see who had entered. Mrs. Summers smiled as she brought in a tray of food.

“The cook fixed some special broth for
Vivian.” She set the tray on the table. “And I brought you some food, as well.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Summers, but I am not hungry.” He turned back to
Vivian.

She touched his arm. “But you need to keep up your strength if you expect to help her.”

He glanced at the lovely brunette and smiled. “You are correct. It is hard to think about myself when I am so worried about her.”

“Yes, I can see how concerned you are. It’s evident in your eyes.” A blush stained her cheeks. “But can I ask you a question?”

“
Sí
.”

“You give the impression you and
Vivian are distant relatives, but I think she means more to you than that. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and she’s not looking at you like a woman who looks upon her uncle.”

He chuckled. “Indeed?”

Her cheeks grew darker. “Yes, and you don’t look upon her as a niece, either. You’re not really related, are you?”

He smiled. “No.”

“Do you love her?”

He glanced at
Vivian on the bed, and his heart twisted again with that unknown emotion.
Is it love?

He quickly dismissed the notion. Although he cared deeply about
Vivian, he wasn’t in love with her. “I do care about her very much.”

Mrs. Summers dropped her hand and stepped away. “You men are all alike,” she muttered under her breath as she turned.

Anton reached out and stopped her by grasping her wrist. Her pleasant smile had been replaced with a scowl.

“Why do you say that, and in a sarca
stic tone?” he asked, releasing her.

“Because men like you ignore
your true feelings. You’d rather follow your head than your heart.” She stopped, looking like she fought an inward battle. “At one time I loved a man, but he didn’t return my feelings—at least he wouldn’t allow himself to return those emotions. So, when Mr. Summers offered for my hand in marriage, I accepted. I could tell George loved me, but because I still harbored feelings for my young gentleman friend, I couldn’t let myself love George the way he needed. Three months after I married George, my secret love finally admitted he loved me, but it was too late.”