Bring Me the Horizon (6 page)

“Death would be preferred.” He pulled over a chair and sat. “When I first sailed, I became violently sick. Three days passed before I earned my sea legs.”

“Three days?” She couldn’t imagine feeling this horrible for that long.

“I couldn’t afford being down any longer than that lest I be beaten or tossed overboard for failing to do my shipboard duties.”

“For being ill?”

“The need for survival overcomes such maladies.”

“How old were you?”

A flash of anguish passed across his features. “Ten maybe eleven.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Hobbs’s ginger tea should ease your sickness. For now, you should rest and give it time.”

Her curiosity piqued about his childhood, but she sensed he would not speak more of it. Richard had said they’d known each other as children. Gracie might try prying him for information later.

She sought to lighten his mood. “Well, I fear this puts a hitch on my plans for becoming a world adventurer.”

“You want to travel?”

“I think I might quite enjoy seeing the exotic places I have heard about from the merchants passing through Hispaniola. Especially the great city of London.”

He chuckled. “If you favor drizzling, frigid winters and soot-filled skies.”

She must have frowned because he quickly amended. “But the tall buildings, the societal balls, and the lush gardens are to be experienced at least once.”

“Sounds divine,” she said.

Gracie dropped her arm across her eyes. The black void eased the tilting cabin, but only for a moment. She moaned against the rising squeeze in her throat.

“Oh God,” she gasped.

She rolled to her side and Captain Banning snatched up the chamber pot, angling it beneath her face. Nothing came out but a brutal heave. Gracie lay back pressing the heels of her palms into her eye sockets. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t be bedside tending to my silly ailment.”

“Nonsense. Seasickness is quite common. I know of only a handful of men who haven’t succumbed. Even the greatest of warriors become ill.”

She offered him a weak smile. Anything more might set her to gagging again.

Hobbs came with the tea and the captain quickly sent him on his way. He helped her lean up, putting the cup’s rim to her lips. The tea was bitter, pungent, and tasted something awful. But the warmth coated her insides.

“Just a few sips, then rest awhile before sipping more.”

“Thank you, Captain Banning.”

“Cutler. We’re a step beyond formalities in the privacy betwixt ourselves, wouldn’t you say, turtle dove? ’Twould be far less impersonal to call out our given names in my bed.”

Hooded, determined eyes captured hers, and lips didn’t quite tip into a sinful smirk. Her cheeks heated. ’Twasn’t like her to fluster like a fair virgin. But there she was all atwitter.

Cutler. A fine strong name, much like the man.

“Very well, Cutler.” She whisked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You may call me Gracie.”

He stood and covered her with a blanket. “Rest. When you are better, you will entertain me...” He paused, his eyelids flickered as he studied her from head to foot. “...with our exchange of the nugget.”

Ah, yes. The nugget. She hadn’t worked out that part of her plan yet.

The rest of the day and all the next, Gracie struggled to overcome her seasickness. Cutler had looked in on her and though only briefly, each time he did, she felt a little better. How could she not? He showered her with sincere concern and encouraging promises she’d be well soon. But mostly ’twas the flash of his seductive smile which seemed to be a special secret meant only for her.

Richard had also visited her quite a few times, keeping her company, eating with her when she could stomach broth and bread. They talked of medicinal herbs and of ship navigation by way of the stars. Conversations were easy with Richard. ’Twas why she pried about his childhood with Cutler. Richard was off-handed and vague, but Gracie managed to piece together that they, as well as several others from the brethren, were kidnapped, sold, and otherwise impressed into the seaman’s life. Expendable boys exposed to tortures, starvation, and mutinies. He refused to elaborate and shut down altogether when she nudged him further. Not unlike what she did when he asked of her past. He didn’t need to know how deep were her family’s pagan roots.

Shadows crossed Richard’s face at the memories she dredged up, just as it did Cutler’s. ’Twas enough to give insight into the man who occupied so much of her thoughts. Cutler was scared, as was she. She wanted to ease any hurt he suffered. But, blast it, she needn’t think on such girlish matters. She would not lose sight of what he is to do for her—get her to St. Augustine and Carrion. Whatever she had to do for him, well, she should count it as a blessing. Surely the captain had a favorite mistress, someone he loved. The coy smiles and giggles of the serving girls hadn’t escaped her notice the first time she met him at
La Plata Taza
. ’Twas absolutely no doubt he made good with many a pretty face—even said as much.

Her curiosity trumped her good sense and mouth. “Does Captain Banning have a woman?” she asked.

Richard’s lips tightened, an unhappy crease cut between his eyes. He reached for the simple cross at his neck, as if from habit, and cleared his throat. “The captain frequently calls upon the devil’s vices and lies with women. He refuses to come to terms with his mistakes, may well be incapable of it, and has shunned the idea of love everlasting. Not with a lady or his God. His heart beats foul, Graciela.”

“I don’t believe it,” she said. “For him to shun love, he has had to have felt it before.”

“You are right. He had a love that makes a man. If she’d asked him to carve his beating heart from his chest, he’d have done it without a second thought. But Antonia destroyed him.”

A man like Cutler? She must have been an incredible woman to break him. But how? “What did this Antonia do?”

A pompous chuckle slipped as Richard tilted his head. “Antonia was a clever beauty with a quick laugh. A brazen lass, she wanted to be a woman above her station. She wanted to be a member of the royal court—any royal court. Her love for Banning was superficial. He could give her the finest dresses, exquisite gemstones, anything her heart desired. For all that, he couldn’t guarantee her a respectable place in high society, invitations to the parties. He is a blackguard, after all.

“But Lord Gregson could, for a price. A high price—Banning and the brethren. Lord Gregson, having an investment in Kingston, wanted to rid Jamaica of pirates. He thought by eliminating one of the strongest of the brethren captains, the brethren would be weakened and easier to eradicate.”

The chair creaked under his weight as he leaned forward on his arm across his knee.

“What better way to set us up for a fall than through the one weakness Banning had—Antonia.

“When Banning caught Antonia and Gregson coupling like rutting beasts, he went mad. He dragged Antonia away screaming like a lunatic. It was a baited trap. Lord Gregson ordered his capture. A fight broke out between Banning’s men and British soldiers. Banning barely escaped but many on both sides lost their lives.” Richard sat up in his chair again. “He blames himself.”

Gracie’s stomach knotted. How horrific for Cutler “What happened to Antonia?”

“She was disgraced and cast out of society. I cannot say for certain, but if you are to believe rumors, she was sent to France
as a scullery maid.” He half-chuckled, shaking his head. “
Probably making a cuckold of who employs her.”

She wanted to weep for Cutler. He gave his heart to a trifling shrew and suffered terrible blows for it. “’Twasn’t his fault,” she said.

“But it was,” Richard said. “He is a captain first and foremost. He has a duty to his men, but he let his love for a woman blind him. That puts the blood of his men on his hands.”

“What an awful thing to say.”

“Don’t think, Graciela, that you can change that. Banning’s heart is too hard.” Richard took her hand in his. “Let us pray for him.”

He bowed his head, and, dutifully, she did the same. She didn’t hear the prayers Richard spoke for Cutler. Gracie was too preoccupied with thoughts of the captain’s broken heart. She wanted to relieve his hurt, to hold him tightly even more.

Yes. A bounty ’twould be to feel him, his thick ribbons of muscles, his strong arms around her, his feral kisses, as she lie beneath him. Would he be gentle, or an animal? Would it matter? No, it wouldn’t.

Heavens! She was no better than a bawdy whore with thoughts of what she wanted him to do to her.

She blushed and looked up at Richard who still held her hand reciting yet another prayer for forgiveness. Surely he couldn’t read her thoughts. But could God as she sat so close to the priest? Did she traject her sins directly through Richard? Would lightning strike her the moment she stepped across the ship’s decks? She had to stop her errant thoughts now and reclaim composure before she had to do something she’d never done before—repent.

Gracie squirmed, drawing Richard’s attention. His brow deepened and he hastily finished his prayer.

“What is it, my dear?”

“You’ve been so kind, Richard.”

“I admit, you’ve been a welcome distraction,” he said. “Beyond their incredible mariner artistry, my usual companions have the conversing skills of a bilge rat—complete with twitching whiskers and empty stares.”

She laughed. The vision he presented was precise.

“And,” he added, “none are as fetching to the eyes. Truly, my lady, our discussions have taught me a great deal about herbal remedies and has opened my mind that not all pagan practices are born of evil.”

“’Tis a relief to have someone not judge and see I am not unlike most God-fearing people. I am not used to sharing my thoughts with anyone other than my sister. I’m not used to having a...friend. Thank you. I owe you for your friendship.”

“You are no longer alone, child. We’ve a friendship like no other.”

“You must understand I have sinned,” she said. “I will not apologize for that or for the paths I choose.”

“We all sin beyond what God expects,” Richard said. “Even I will disappoint Him again.”

A palpable change befell him. His smile faltered and he suddenly stood and excused himself, leaving her to wonder anon why he hurried from her cabin each time he visited.

CHAPTER 5

Cutler stared across the table at Gracie as he swallowed a stout swig of his rum. She was a delectable tart to behold. She had piled her hair atop her head, tawny locks tumbled to her shoulders in waves. Her skin was no longer pallid and her cheeks glowed as if she’d pinched them. And her lips, by the devil’s horns, as he watched her sip the fowl soup and savor the pud, his lecherous mind wandered with images of what else she might do with her mouth.

He was a man and men rarely had pure thoughts of pretty poppets and cheap, depraved megs. But this was different. He couldn’t quite put a name to it. ’Twas something more than anticipation of tasting her mouth again, of the seduction promised to him, of burying himself into her. He wanted to
know
her. After the beating his heart had taken with Antonia, it was a notion he initially resisted.

Hell and brimstone, look at her. You’re a pirate. Not a cuckold fop. Take a chance. You can be rid of her soon enough.

“You feeling better now, no?”

“Yes, thank you. The food is delicious, and I’m no longer stricken with dizziness. I suppose I’ve earned my sea legs.”

He nodded, pleased with her returning health. “Good.” He set down his mug and propped his arm onto the back of his chair. “’Tis long overdue we talk of business.”

She dabbed her lips to her napkin and laid it in her lap. “I suppose it is.”

“About the rest of the payment for this undertaking, when do you plan to settle up?”

“When you deliver me to Carrion.”

She was quick in her response, indicating she had anticipated the question. Would she be ready for his next query?

“Very well. Will you be undressing yourself now, or shall I do it?”

Gracie’s jaw dropped. She snapped it shut and looked to the floor. Her chest rose invitingly with the deep breath she inhaled. Damn, how he wanted to fondle those incredible mounds of flesh again.

“See now, turtle,” he said. “You must have known I’d expect our union to take place tonight on the eve of making port.”

“Yes, well...I just—”

“Did not presume my bluntness?”

“Yes.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “I do not tarry or mince words where there is venture and bounty to gain. I cannot afford such mistakes vainglorious and distracted men make.”

“No, I suppose you can’t.”

Cutler really shouldn’t make this awkward for her. But, watching her squirm in her chair, he couldn’t deny the satisfaction bouncing off his finely-tuned discipline. The charms of a woman were amplified by her cunning determination around her male target. Or so he was told. Gracie’s uneasiness hummed against his resolve to make any sudden movements toward subduing his lovely investment. Perhaps she needed a bit of direction. And soon before he bust at his seams.

“Stand up and come to me.”

Her brow pulled tight into a severe frown. “Nay. I will proceed on my terms, and my terms only.”

A chuckle from deep within him rushed forth. “A feisty woman of merits. I admire that.” With a wolf’s grin, he opened his arms wide. “Seduce me, Gracie DuBois.”

By the way she chewed on her plump bottom lip, the poor girl hadn’t thought her predicament all the way through. Christ, she might draw blood.

He erased all arrogance. Cutler wanted her to be comfortable with him, natural. “Come to me.” His words this time were thick in a breathy whisper.

Slowly, she rose from her seat and floated to him. Though he sat straighter in his chair as she approached, he still needn’t look up. So petite, was she. Her brown eyes glossed over with uncertainty and...was that yearning?

Without realizing it until he towered over her, he had gotten to his feet. She stepped closer. His knuckles brushed along the rise of her flushed cheek on their own. What a mawkish thing to do.