Captured (31 page)

“It’s perfect. My only fear is that it was too expensive. You should have spent your money on you, not me.”

Devon waved that away. “You needn’t worry about that I’m afraid what little money I made on the island I spent entirely on clothing and other necessities.”

Cole frowned as an uncomfortable suspicion suddenly rose to life in the back of his mind. “Then how did you—”

“It’s very ungracious of you to ask,” Devon replied lightly. “But you needn’t worry. After all, there’s more than one way to acquire jewelry.”

“You didn’t actually buy this, did you?”

She turned away from him, looking embarrassed. “Well, no, not exactly, but—”

“I see.” Cole closed the lid on the box and set it down. He sat down on the edge of the desk and pulled her to him, bringing her to stand between his knees so they were eye to eye. He hated what he was about to say, but had no choice. Issues like this were best tackled head-on, and the sooner the better. “I think we need to have a little talk,” he said, striving to keep his tone nonjudgmental.

“What about?”

“This gift.”

“You don’t like it, do you?”

“It’s not that, the pin is lovely. But if I were to bring it back to the shop tomorrow, what would the owner say?”

Devon bit her lip, blushing furiously. “Actually, Cole, I’d rather you didn’t go there,” she said quickly.

“Why not?”

“Just tell me what you want and I’ll get that for you instead.”

Cole took a deep breath. “Devon, in the future, if you want money for anything you need only ask me. In fact, you won’t even have to ask. I’ll see to it that you have ample funds at your disposal—”

“That sounds very generous, but I could hardly ask you for money to buy your own gift, could I?” she countered with a small laugh.

“You don’t have to steal anymore, Devon.”

The amusement he’d seen on her face drained away. Pain streaked through her eyes as she stiffened and pulled back.

Cole caught her hands in his and held her near. “Devon, I don’t mean to embarrass you. It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you. You’ve done whatever you had to do in order to survive, but it’s no longer necessary.” He gave her hands a gentle squeeze and smiled encouragingly. “Consider it a bad habit that you have to break. I think, once you feel fully secure…”

His voice trailed away as he studied Devon. She was no longer looking at him, but through him. He brought his hands up and rubbed them softly from her shoulders to her elbows, hoping for a response. She remained absolutely still, as if stoically enduring his touch. “Devon, I’m asking you to trust me, that’s all. Part of that trust is knowing that I’ll take care of you.” He tried to inject a note of humor. “I don’t want to spend my time bailing my wife out of jail.”

“I understand.” Her expression didn’t change. “I’ll return the pin in the morning.”

“Never mind,” he said wanting to spare her any further embarrassment. “We’re leaving with the tide at dawn. Just give me the name of the shop and I’ll send a boy over with sufficient funds to cover the purchase.”

She pulled out of his grasp and turned away. “I don’t remember.”

“Devon—”

“I’ll take care of it myself. It was my mistake.”

He studied her ramrod-stiff back, wishing she would turn around so he could see her face. “Devon, the thought behind the gift was lovely, more than I’d—”

“Would you mind leaving me alone now?” she asked softly, her voice perfectly polite. “I seem to have developed a touch of the headache. I think I’d like to lie down for a few minutes.”

“Certainly,” he answered automatically, but he didn’t move. He remained right where he was, loath to leave when she was so clearly distraught. “Devon, this doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Please, Cole.” Her voice was strained and tight.

Five minutes ago they’d been laughing and ready to make love. Now the moment was over, stamped out like a tender flame. He hesitated, then reached for the door. “I’ll let you rest,” he said and backed quietly out of the room.

He stood on the other side of the door, listening, though he didn’t know what he expected to hear. There was no sound, no movement of any kind. He imagined her standing exactly as he’d left her, rigidly still in the middle of his small cabin. He let out a dark sigh and leaned against the passageway wall.

Obviously he’d handled the matter clumsily, but he’d had no choice; For the sake of their marriage, she had to learn to trust him, to believe that he would take care of her. She had to leave her old habits behind. It would take time, that was all. Just a little more time. That decided, he moved reluctantly away, giving her the space he knew she had requested.

He checked on the loading of the cargo and found that the work was proceeding smoothly. His crew didn’t need him. There was still no word from Monty about the outcome of his meeting with Sharpe’s agent. He thought about returning to his cabin but abruptly dismissed the idea, knowing that it was still too soon. He wandered around his ship, finding himself entirely at loose ends. Restlessness crept over him like an itch that festered beneath his skin.

Cole left the ship and meandered along the docks, looking for something to distract him from his bleak thoughts. The lights and laughter spilling out from a busy tavern drew him. He went in and ordered a whiskey, then sat in the back and nursed it, watching the crowd with complete detachment. One or two women approached, but his look was enough to send them away, for they retreated without a word.

God, he’d acted like an idiot today. Today? Hell, he hadn’t been thinking straight since the first time he’d set eyes on Devon. Once he’d convinced her to marry him, he hadn’t wanted to let her out of his sight. So he rushed her. No ring, no flowers, no wedding gift. No time to change her mind. He wondered if she’d noticed that the minister who performed the ceremony had been drunk. He sighed, disgusted with himself. She deserved better than that. Perhaps it was having lost Gideon that created this overwhelming fear of losing someone else he loved.

Cole blinked, shocked by his rambling thoughts. Someone else he loved. His hand tightened around his glass. He loved her. When he’d tried to rationalize what he was doing and why, he’d come up blank. Now the answer came through with stunning, crystal clarity. He loved her. He wanted to shout it out to the world. More importantly, he wanted to tell Devon.

He shoved back from the table and made his way through the door. As he strode back to the Ghost, he passed a lane known as Robber’s Row, an extravagantly priced shopping district for the island’s elite. He wasn’t surprised to find that the shops still blazed with light, despite the lateness of the hour. The merchants purposely timed their business hours to coincide with those of the local taverns. Drunken sailors and profiteers were known to blow entire fortunes they’d made in as little as one night.

As Cole moved past the displays of rich merchandise, he determined to make up for at least one mistake by purchasing a wedding ring for Devon. He slowed his pace and searched the selection of ladies’ jewelry, hoping to find something suitable. He turned, ready to move on, when a ring tucked near the back of the case caught his eye. He stared at it for a long moment, then walked into the shop.

The owner, a tall Frenchman, immaculately dressed, his hair and pencil-thin mustache neatly oiled, sized him up and issued an effusive greeting. Cole pointed to the ring, and the man frowned. “Surely monsieur would like to see something of better quality…”

“Show me the ring.”

The Frenchman frowned again. “Certainly, monsieur.” He reached into his display case and removed it, sniffing disdainfully as he passed it to Cole. “This is not the sort of merchandise I would normally carry, you understand…”

The man’s voice faded away as Cole stared at the ring in his hand. He recognized the gold band immediately: thin, badly scratched, set with a row of tiny diamond chips. He hesitated, icy dread coursing over him as he peered at the tiny initials engraved inside. ELB. Elizabeth Layton Blake. Devon’s mother’s ring.

“Monsieur, is there something—”

“Where did you get this?”

The shop owner regarded him strangely, then shrugged. “A young woman came in this afternoon wanting to barter it for another piece of merchandise,” he answered. “Ordinarily I wouldn’t have bothered, but I am a sentimental man, and she was a bride in need of a gift for her groom.”

Cole sucked in his breath and squeezed the ring tightly in his palm. Regret exploded inside him. She hadn’t wanted him to come to the shop because she hadn’t wanted him to see what she’d sacrificed for him, what she’d had to give up to buy him that pin. That’s why she hadn’t told him. And he, of course, had assumed the worst. You don’t have to steal anymore, Devon. It’s not your fault. I don’t want to spend my time bailing my wife out of jail. His voice echoed through his mind, sickening him. Then, after everything he’d said, he’d dared to lecture her about trust.

“Monsieur, perhaps—”

“I’ll take it.”

“Pardon?”

“The ring. I’ll buy it. And I need another.”

The owner blinked. “You need two wedding rings?”

Cole glanced at the display case. “Have you anything better?”

“Monsieur, this is the finest selection of—”

“Never mind, then. Just—”

“Attendez, attendez,” the owner cried, holding up his hands. “Allow me a moment, if you please. Obviously you are a man of discriminating taste. As it happens, I do have a small collection of pieces I reserve for my better clientele.” He disappeared into a back room, returning a moment later with a small velvet tray and metal box. He unlocked the box and spread three glittering rings on the tray. “Perhaps these are more to your liking, monsieur.”

Cole knew instantly which one he wanted. He selected a gold band with a huge diamond, framed on either side by a matching emerald. “Yes,” he said slowly. “That will do.”

He settled the bill, leaving the ecstatic owner bowing over his feet as he left the shop. The rings burned in his pocket as he made his way back to his ship. If they didn’t help to make it up to Devon, he’d try something else. And keep trying, until he found a way back into her heart, until she’d forgiven him for his stupid, senseless blunder.

He went straight to his cabin but found it empty, no sign of Devon anywhere. He stepped out in the passageway, grabbed the first crewman he saw, and hauled him up by the shirt collar. “Where’s my wife?”

The sailor’s eyes went wide. “Who?”

“My wife! The only woman on the whole blasted ship! Where is she?”

“I didn’t take her, sir! I swear it!”

The man’s words stunned some sense back into him. Abruptly recalling himself, Cole let the innocent crewman go. “I’m sorry, Ensign. Carry on.” Not ready to sound an alarm, he proceeded to search the ship himself, beginning with the upper decks. He found her almost immediately, standing alone at the starboard bow. She stood bathed in moonlight, staring out at the peaceful sea. A gentle trade wind tossed her hair around her shoulders and rustled her skirts.

Though she must have heard him approach, she did not acknowledge his presence. He waited quietly, then spoke. “Devon.”

She slowly turned toward him, her face carefully expressionless. As though he were a stranger who had disturbed her solitude and she was patiently waiting for him to speak, then go away. “I’m sorry,” he said.

She looked at him blankly. “For what?”

“For this.” He produced her mother’s ring from his pocket and held it out to her.

Devon stared at the ring for a long moment, then reached out, allowing him to drop it into her palm. “How did you find it?”

“Purely by chance. I was walking by the shop.”

“I see.” She looked at the ring, then slipped it into her skirt pocket. “It was silly of me to have kept it for so long. It never brought my mother much luck either.” She turned back toward the sea, pointedly dismissing him.

Cole took a step closer. He ached to reach for her, but knew instinctively that his touch wouldn’t be welcome. “Devon, tell me what I can do to make it up to you.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to do anything. I told you before, once people know you’re a thief, they never let you forget it. It always comes back‌—‌no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try. It always comes back.” She turned and looked him straight in the eye. “You’re no different than anyone else. I don’t know why I thought you would be.”

Cole knew why. Because he was her husband. Because he knew better. Because he loved her, for God’s sake, and instead of showing it, all he did was continually hurt her and ruin any chance they might have. “Devon, if there was any way I could take every word back—”

“Then we’d have the thoughts between us, the silent accusations. No, it’s better this way. It’s better that we both know where we stand.” She looked up at him, her gaze filled with cool determination. “I’ll stay with you until you capture Sharpe. I’ll help you in whatever way I can, just like I promised.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I want you to promise me something in return, Cole.”

“Anything,” he swore.

“When we’re done, I’m leaving. I’m going back to England. Promise me you won’t come after me when I go.”

Her words slammed into him with an intensity he hadn’t expected. “Devon, please—”

“Swear it or I’ll leave right now.”

Cole took a long, deep breath, and then slowly nodded. “I won’t go after you.”

“Thank you.”

He watched her lift her skirts and move gracefully away from him. If she left, he wouldn’t go after her. He’d given his word. Despite what it cost him, he would let her go. Which meant he had only one course of action left: move heaven and hell, if that’s what it took, to convince her to stay.

Cole frowned into the mid-morning sun as he stood at the helm of the Ghost. They’d left harbor at dawn, just as planned. Normally he enjoyed the start of a voyage, but this trip was definitely an exception. His body ached with exhaustion, and the hot glare of the sun only worsened the fierce pounding in his head. He’d been up all night supervising his crew as they loaded the last of the shipment they were carrying into Wilmington. Not because they needed his help, but because even the heavy work of loading cargo was preferable to going back to his cabin and facing Devon.