Capturing the Pirate's Heart (The Emerald Quest Book 1) (9 page)

Sébastien grabbed the boy’s shoulders as he clung to Madeleine’s
fingers. “’Tis all good, Jake. Your loyalty is admirable.” His instincts had
been right. This boy was of good stock. “But you must help me keep Miss
Madeleine safe. Can you do that? There is good reason for her to be dressed
like this.” His lips twitched and he fought the smile that finally tugged at
his mouth as he appreciated her skill in transforming herself into a pirate’s
wench. “You are certainly a skilled dressmaker, Madeleine.”

Sébastien forced himself to look away as Madeleine bent down to the
young lad and put her arms around his shoulders as she hugged him in welcome.
From where he was standing, he looked down the front of her loose chemise, to
the tops of her rounded, creamy breasts, and the blood rushed straight to his
groin. With a muttered oath, he turned and strode across to the table, pulling
out two chairs, angry at the reaction of his body. It was as though they were
two children play-acting, and had no idea of the danger that was ahead.

“Both of you sit here.
Now.
” A feeling of doom set in his
bones which did not bode well for the mission ahead. “I don’t have time for
this.”

There was no way he would allow these two young and innocent
passengers on his vessel to interfere with the success of his mission. His
future depended on it being successful. If needs be, he would imprison them
both down here for the entire voyage and they could put up with being below
deck for as long as it took to follow the governor’s instructions.

The burden of keeping Madeleine safe was not going to take away from
the success of this, his final mission. That was his quandary.

***

Madeleine looked across at Sébastien and a shiver ran down her back
as her gaze settled on his face. His expression was thunderous and the kind
expression she had become used to had left his eyes dark and glittering. Two
hard lines were etched on either side of his mouth. Forcing herself to look
away from his strong, handsome face, she stepped over to the table and sat on
the chair he indicated, and Jake was not far behind her. Turning her head, she
studied Sébastien’s profile. His dark eyes were framed by long lashes, and his
tanned skin gave him a rakish look. She was tempted to run her fingers over his
chin, to feel the roughness of his chin, to see if the danger he emanated was
real.

But they sat there quietly, and it was almost as though they were
two naughty children in the school room about to be chastised by the
schoolmaster. Madeleine stifled a grin. She was well used to that. Father had
allowed her to attend the village school and her determination, and her sense
of justice, had seen her in trouble on more than one occasion. She lifted her
chin and held Sébastien’s steely gaze. She would not allow him to intimidate
her. No one would tell her what to do. She had had enough of that from Uncle
Titus. She would be independent and make her own decisions from this time on.

The cabin was quiet and only the loud drumming of his fingers on the
wooden table broke the silence. He observed them for a long moment before he
finally spoke. Despite his silence and his fierce expression, Madeleine did not
look away.

“Not doing exactly what I say could result in your death.” His voice
was cold and hard. “Do you understand what I am saying?”

Madeleine wet her lips and noticed Sébastien’s eyes follow the
movement of her tongue. Somehow being dressed in these clothes—if they could
even be called clothes—bolstered her courage and an unfamiliar loose feeling
ran through her limbs. It was as though the removal of her constraining corset
and dress had freed her modesty as well.

“Well, Madame?” He stared her down and she lowered her gaze to look
at him beneath her lids. “What say you?”

“Yes…Captain.” She kept her voice firm and steady. It was not the
time to call him by his name.

“Listen carefully to me and remember every word I say.” He settled
back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “
Every
word. Burn that into your memory. Your lives may well depend on it.”

Jake sat there unmoving as Sébastien turned to him. “Lad, as far as
the crew will know, you have never seen this young woman before today. It is
essential that they do not know she is the young woman they saw on the frigate
yesterday. Understood?”

Madeleine watched as Sébastien’s expression lightened and he smiled
at the young boy. “I don’t mind if you pretend to strike up a new friendship
but it is imperative that they think that Miss Madeleine is my woman and that I
brought her on board from a tavern in New Orleans before we departed.” He
flicked a glance her way. “Otherwise, she will be fair game. My men are good
men but men of the sea have little regard for the rules of society. The journey
ahead is fraught with danger—”

Madeleine could not help herself. “If we are to do as you say,
surely we must know about you and your ship, Captain Leclerc?” Her voice was
firm and she lifted her chin. “What is the purpose of this journey and why are
we in such danger? Surely your crew knows, so we have a right to know as well?”

He stood up and looked down at her, placing his hands on his hips in
a cocksure stance. Despite his arrogance, Madeleine would not give in. “How can
we trust
you
not to harm us? Or even worse, to not sell us to a slave
trader?” Holding herself still, she studied his profile.

“You are right, Madeleine. If I were to be trusted I would have been
dead a long time ago.” He laughed and there was no mirth in the sound. “I will
enter into a deal with you. I will tell you where we are going and the purpose
of our voyage…if you tell me where you were going to get the money to pay me
for your freedom.”

She stared at him without answering and he leaned over her, his warm
breath grazing her cheek.

Closer than a man should be to an unmarried woman of good breeding.

“Will you tell me, Madeleine?” He straightened and the warmth of his
thigh pressed against her shoulder almost burned her skin. A strange feeling
ran through her nipples and a shaft of something sliced through her as a
throbbing heat settled between her thighs. It was as though they were alone in
the cabin and she swallowed as a reckless urge to press herself against him
consumed her.

Swiftly, the heat ran into her neck and face and she stumbled over
her words. “I…I will…I may consider it.”

“And so may I, “he replied. “Now we are about to anchor in Barataria
Bay and stock the boat with food and water for the voyage ahead of us.”
Sébastien crossed to the door. “Come with me, Jake.”

Madeleine smiled at the lad as he shot a sympathetic glance her way.

“Madeleine, once the boat is steady at anchor, I shall take you
above deck for a short stroll and my crew will see I have a woman on board. A
brief visit only, as bad weather is about to come in from the Gulf, and it will
not be pleasant even though we are leeward of the Grande Isle.”

Madeleine inclined her head gracefully and feigned disinterest, even
though she was keen to go above deck into the fresh sea air. But for the time
being, she would do as Sébastien requested. He had frightened her with his talk
of death and his wild crew.

Is he a pirate? Is that why he is so suddenly interested in my
purpose in New Orleans?
She would guard that secret
closely and would speak to Jake at the first opportunity. She must ensure that
Jake did not share the little information she had told him.

With no one.
Neither Sébastien nor any
of the crew.

Closing her eyes, she ran her hands down her dress. Strange and new
feelings were coursing through her and she must not let that distract her from
her quest. She had to trust that Sébastien would bring her safely back to New
Orleans whenever his mission, or whatever he had to do, was done. How much to
tell of her quest was something she was yet to decide. She could not risk that
he would try to find Uncle Titus and return her to his care. She had managed to
escape the clutches of one man who was determined to deny her independence and
through unfortunate chance she now found herself in an identical situation with
another man.

She stifled a groan. But now she had two secrets; the first was her
quest to find Aunt Josephine’s necklace. The second secret she would also hold
close to her breast. Sébastien would never know of the feelings that rioted
through her traitorous body every time he stepped close to her. Pirate or not,
she had never before experienced the pleasant sensations that invaded her
whenever he was in her presence and she would fight to the death to hide them.
She could not allow him any more power over her than he already held.

Sébastien watched as the small boat reached the shore and the crew
pulled it up above the tide line on the white sand in the distance. He’d
included a message for Jean-Luc but was not sure that his half-brother would be
at the outpost. He’d also had a quiet word to Mr. Abrahams about Madeleine and
the grizzled old mariner had shaken his head.

“I hope you have not made a mistake in continuing with this voyage,
Sébastien.” The first mate knew this was the last mission on the governor’s
orders and it was already agreed that he would take over the captaincy of the
vessel when Sébastien moved on. He was privy to Sébastien’s plans to begin his
own sugar plantation in the Hawaiian Islands, far from the seafaring world.
Sébastien had shared with him the letter of marque from the governor authorizing
him to free the slaves carried on the
Ann Marie
. How they went about it,
and whether they removed any booty from the British trader was at his
discretion. Jean-Luc would expect him to take the cargo, for distribution at
his trading outpost, but Sébastien had little interest in that. His goal was
purely to stop the
Ann Marie
from reaching port with the cargo of
slaves. When that was achieved, he would receive his final payment from the
Spanish governor and he could leave this life behind him. He had already
formulated a plan for setting the slave trader
Ann Marie
on its voyage
back to Africa and if all went to plan, there would be no bloodshed. Having the
fifteen slaves on board his own boat already was fortuitous; he would broach
his plan to their leader before they intercepted the
Ann-Marie
.

Now as he crossed to the ladder, his heart beat a little faster. He
would watch Madeleine like a hawk when she was above deck. A reluctant smile
tugged at his lips; she was certainly plucky. He had tried to frighten her into
submission for her own safety but her demeanor and her reply that she would
consider his deal, bespoke a brave and determined young woman. He knew she was
still unsure of whether he was a pirate or a respectable captain and it would
not hurt to keep her in doubt until their return. She might be more inclined to
do as he said.

And as well as being brave and determined, she is also a very
beautiful young woman.
Now that she had shed the
black mourning dress, her ripe beauty was far too tempting and Sébastien had to
keep reminding himself of her innocence. He had already decided to take the
night watch from Mr. Abrahams so he didn’t have to spend the nights in his
cabin with Madeleine breathing softly beside him in the bed. He shook his head
as he descended to the lower deck. It would be an utter waste if she ended up
as a missionary’s wife in some godforsaken settlement. She would be more at
home in an elegant drawing room in a wealthy man’s home. Greeting her guests
with her bare white shoulders glowing softly in the candlelight, and her
delightful auburn hair swept up and set with jewels.

A waste.
He banished the thought as he
opened the cabin door. Her future and where she may spend it had naught to do
with him and he would leave off worrying about that until the
Maiden
was
safely docked back in New Orleans.

Madeleine was still seated at the table, her fingers playing idly
with some lengths of colored ribbon. She glanced up at him and the light caught
a sheen of tears in her eyes. She dropped her gaze and folded the ribbons, and
placed them on the table before lifting her head up.

Her eyes were clear and dry; the sheen must have been a trick of the
light.

“Are you ready to come up on deck?”

Madeleine nodded and he stood back to let her precede him. He
frowned as she stood in front of him at the cabin door and smoothed her hands
nervously down the front of her skirt. There was something lacking. Her arms
were bare and he hesitated before he reached past her for the door handle.

“Wait.” Sébastien crossed to the small chest and lifted the lid. He
pulled out a handful of the gold bangles that had been there since
 Jean-Luc had captained the
Maiden
. Sébastien had taken over the
vessel to ply the river trade when his half-brother had decided to establish
the trading outpost at Barataria Bay. Jean-Luc turned a blind eye to
Sébastien’s occasional foray to sea as long as there was some cargo retrieved
for him. It was fair, they owned the ship jointly, and he’d be more than happy
to hand the vessel over to Jean-Luc when he left. Sébastien would have no need
of such a large vessel when he reached the Hawaiian Islands.

Moving closer to Madeleine, he reached out and took her arm,
ignoring the nervous jolt that shuddered through him when his fingers brushed
against her warm skin. “It would not look right if the captain’s woman was not
adorned with gold,” he said quietly.

Madeleine stifled a soft gasp as he touched her arm but she held
still when he pushed the small circlets of gold up over both of her wrists,
along her forearms all the way to her upper arms. Her skin was the color of
alabaster and as soft as silk beneath his fingers.

“Yes, much better.” He stood back and looked at her; the thought of
her parading in those scanty garments in front of his crew made his stomach
roil, but it must be done. “You are ready to do this?”

“I am.” Her voice was soft and steady and, although her expression
was calm, Sébastien’s eyes were drawn to a pulse beating in her slender neck.

“It will be good to take a breath of fresh air,” she said.

Sébastien let out a grim laugh. “And remember you will have to look
at me not as though you wish to bite my lip, or stamp on my foot. You must look
at me as though you are looking forward to pleasuring me tonight and reaping
the rewards in more gold jewelry.”

He took her arm and gave into a grin as her cheeks filled with color
and she glared up at him.

“You have until we climb the ladder to the deck to change your
expression to one of lust and sensuality,” he said.

“I will look the part but never in your wildest dreams should you
think that I will be your strumpet.” Her voice was cold but Sébastien was sure
his dreams would be filled with her when he finally got some sleep.

***

Madeleine was conscious of Sébastien behind her as she climbed the
ladder and his laughter followed as she hurried up ahead of him. Her soft shoe
slipped on the last rung and she stumbled, landing in a most unstrumpet-like
heap on the deck. He stepped out behind her and held out his hand and when he
pulled her to her feet he held her close and dipped his head to whisper
solicitously in her ear.

“Are you all right, my sweet?”

“Yes.” Her anger had dissipated with the clumsy fall and Madeleine
couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up from her chest. She looked down—at her
very exposed chest. “Just my pride is bruised.” Damping down her mirth, she
switched her expression to the most adoring look she could muster, and ran her
fingers lightly down his jaw before pausing, and then brushing her fingers
across his firm lips. His chin was as rough as she’d imagined and she took a
little satisfaction in the nervous tic pulsing his cheek as her fingers traced
along his mouth.

The pirate did not speak again but held her close and looked down at
her as her fingers played on his face. Warm shivers radiated from where his
hands held her firm and close to his hard body. Madeleine held her breath; she
had never realized that a man’s muscles were so firm. Finally, he loosened his
hold and stepped back. She took in a deep draught of salt-laden air. Her head
was spinning and the cool breeze was welcome on her overheated skin. Sébastien
took her arm and walked her across to the bow, pointing out the features of the
vessel as they slowly crossed the deck. She knew he was ostensibly bragging
about his vessel to his woman, and wanted it to be seen as such.

And it is a fine vessel.
She had not
taken much note of the
Maiden
when it had sailed past the frigate in the
Mississippi, but now her wide–eyed admiration was not feigned. The oiled timber
gleamed and nothing was out of place on deck. Barrels were stacked neatly
alongside the hull and tucked into the spaces between the decks. Ropes were
coiled in neat, thick circles along the side of the hull. If it had not been so
dark when she had come aboard, she may have found a hiding place on the deck
and gotten off the vessel when she had seen it was going to leave. As they
strolled along with her hand tucked into the crook of Sébastien’s arm, the sun
broke though the heavy cloud above and the wind eased back. The sun burned hot
on the bare skin of Madeleine’s shoulders and she looked around for some shade.
A nervous flutter began in her stomach as Sébastien lifted his arm up to her
shoulder and his fingers played on her bare skin. Everywhere she looked, they
were being watched. Sailors were up the rigging, on the upper deck, and she
felt her eyes widen as she noticed a group of men with the darkest skin she had
ever seen. Sébastien’s hand pressed into her back with a pleasant warmth.

“Come, I shall take you to the wheelhouse to meet Mr. Abrahams, my
first mate. There is some shade there. Your delicate skin is burning.”
Madeleine froze as he dropped his head and pressed a kiss to her shoulder and a
raucous ahoy sounded from the rigging above. She should have hated it but the
warmth of his lips on her bare skin made her happier than she had been for many
months.

As they moved to the center of the lower deck, Sébastien called a
friendly greeting to each crew member and gained a respectful reply. She looked
up at him from beneath her lashes. He was a natural born leader and seemed to
have the respect of his men. She just had to figure out what his leadership
entailed. The vessel did not look as though it belonged to a pirate and his
crew, and the men were certainly polite, yet she would heed his warning about
the danger until she had made up her own mind and was more secure in her own
safety.

“Ah. Young Jake.” Sébastien paused and dropped his hand from
Madeleine’s shoulder. “This is Miss Madeleine, my…friend…from New Orleans. I
would like you to keep her company when she comes up on deck in the day time,
while I am occupied. It will be your main job, lad.” He turned to Madeleine and
spoke loudly for the benefit of anyone listening. “This is Jake’s first voyage
on the
Maiden
, my love, and he will be at your disposal.”

My love.
She knew it was a ruse but for
a moment, she indulged in a wicked daydream that it was true before she stepped
away from Sébastien’s hold and smiled at Jake.

Jake dropped his chin and mumbled. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss
Madeleine.”

Madeleine inclined her head and smiled at him but unease churned in
her stomach. As soon as she was able to, she must tell Jake to hold her secret
close. It appeared he too had fallen under Sébastien’s spell. The man was too
charismatic and it did not bode well for the safety of her quest. Her
opportunity followed immediately.

“Would you like to stay above deck for a while and take in some
fresh air?” Sébastien gestured to a covered area behind the wheelhouse. “Jake,
you can check that those ropes are clear of knots while Miss Madeleine sits
with you and you may fetch anything she requires.”

Jake’s chest puffed with importance at the task he had been given
and Madeleine watched from beneath her lashes as Sébastien took her arm once
more and escorted her across to the shaded area on the lower deck. The heat
travelling down her arm was from the hot sun. It was
not
from his warm
fingers touching her bare skin.

It was
not.
She silently chastised herself for even noticing
the pressure of his touch and tried to ignore the feeling that lingered even
after he had lifted his hand away.

Sébastien nodded at her once she was settled on an upturned barrel
and she reached down, tugging at her skirts, trying to cover her bare ankles
with the short fabric, but to no avail. As he walked away she was sure there
was an expression of mirth on his face. She watched as he walked across to
where the dark-skinned men were folding sails at the front of the bow. He was
taller than most of the crew and his stance was powerful. Broad shoulders and
strong arms swung as he strode across the wooden deck. Her gaze dropped to the
snug fitting breeches that molded his long, muscular legs.

“So what are you scheming, Miss Madeleine.” Jake’s lips were pursed
in disapproval. “You are dressed as a doxy and on a pirate’s boat and you are
no closer to finding your hidden treasure.”

“
Ssh
.” She looked around with her fingers to her lips and
hushed Jake but they were alone. The closest crewman was a long way above them
on the rigging. “I must beseech you to keep my secret. If this is indeed a
pirate vessel, there must be no hint of me knowing of any treasure.”

“What do you mean,
if
it is a pirate vessel? I told you about
Sébastien Leclerc days ago…long before we even knew his ship would be in port,
let alone that we would both end up on it. It may be a good thing for me, but
certainly not for you.” A frown crossed Jake’s brow and he dropped his voice to
a conspiratorial whisper. “As soon as the boat is provisioned we have at least
two weeks’ sailing ahead before we are back in port, and I know what is going
to happen.”