Enchanted by Your Kisses (33 page)

"Oh, thank goodness. That means you can get up."

No, pray God, don't make me move.

She nudged him with her hand. "Hurry, Nathan, before someone comes upon us."

She had a point. He hated to admit it, but she had a point.

"Find the man's keys. We'll need to unlock my shackles."

She nodded, doing as instructed. Slowly Nathan pulled himself into a sitting position, watching her search, wanting to reach out and clasp her to him, wanting to kiss her, wanting to do so many damn things he was hard pressed not to touch her.

"Here."

She made short work of the locks, her hands shaking, her eyes darting behind and around them numerous times. When the last chain dropped away, he clutched at those hands. Her gaze immediately went to his.

"Thank you."

She nodded, her eyes filling with heartfelt emotion. "You're welcome," she answered softly.

The urge to kiss her overcame him, but she spoiled it by pushing herself to her feet, the gray cloak she wore flaring as she turned toward two horses tied nearby.

He turned toward the cart.

And gawked.

The horse was gone. All that butted up against the side of a deserted building was the cart.

"I worked the pin loose this morn," she explained. "'
Twas
a difficult task, let me tell you. And then I must have followed you for a mile before it finally worked its way all the way out. Gracious, this made forging those documents with my father's seal seem easy. Of course it was easy to copy my father's hand and cancel the order for an escort for you this morn."

"Ariel, I do believe I could kiss you."

"Save it for later, Nathan. For now we must hurry."

She took his hand, leading him toward the horses. They stood in the middle of a street with buildings on either side, some dilapidated, some not. '
Twas
only a matter of time before someone spied the broken carriage and called the Watch, if they hadn't seen it already.

"Take the black," she instructed, mounting her own bay horse.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he mounted.

"
Portsmouth
."

"
Portsmouth
? Why?"

"Your brother's ship is due into port there."

He stared at her in mute shock. And then he gave in to the urge that had plagued him since first hearing her voice. Pulling his horse abreast of hers, he leaned over and kissed her—quickly, lest his body embark upon other ideas.

"I am in your debt, Ariel
D'Archer
."

"Yes, you are. And so I will settle for you moving that horse."

He smiled, then did as asked. Suddenly the day didn't look so bad.

They left
London
at top speed, Nathan turning his horse off the main road once traffic cleared. Ariel followed, wondering where he was going. Apparently to a stand of trees, tall oaks whose gnarled limbs reached toward the sky. He stopped in a dappled patch of sunlight. The smell of oak leaves and rich earth filled her nostrils.

"Why have we stopped?"

"Tell me what ship my brother is on."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because you are staying behind."

She stiffened. "No, I am not."

"Yes, you are, Ariel. ‘
Tis
too dangerous for you to go any further."

"So you would have me ride back into town alone?"

"It is the lesser of two evils."

"Evils. Why, I—" She released a huff of air in mute belligerence. "I've just rescued you, you fiend. In broad daylight. And yet you worry that a ride to
Portsmouth
will be dangerous?"

He frowned. "The ride concerns me not. It is what awaits us in
Portsmouth
that I fear."

"Fear not, sir, for I shall be perfectly safe." She turned her horse to go.

"Ariel, wait—"

But she ignored him. Silly man. Did he not see there was no way to stop her from accompanying him?

Apparently he didn't see for one minute she was on the horse, the next he pulled her off it. They both landed on their feet.

"How in heavens did you do that?"

She pressed up against him. Her cape had parted. Without the mounds of petticoats and hoops, she could feel every hard muscle in his legs. Gracious.

"A trick I learned in war, my dear." And did his voice sound strained, too?

Her body began to warm in the most lovely way. Not in desire. No, not really that. In something else, something that felt wonderful and sweet.

"'
Tis
a good trick," she admitted.

He still held her, his arms around her waist. "Yes, it is," he answered back.

He would kiss her, she was sure of it. That was good, for she felt quite willing to be kissed. But instead he put his nose next to hers. His face was a blurry blob. All she could see were his eyes. No scar, no forehead, just his eyes. She didn't move. Truth be told, she felt rather curious about what he intended to do.

"What are you doing?"

"I am trying to tell you with my eyes that you are not going." His breath whispered over her skin. She liked the smell of that breath, which was rather odd, for she couldn't ever remember thinking such a thing before.

"Is it working?" he asked.

If she tilted her head back just a bit, just a tiny bit. "No."

"Then listen to me. You are not going."

His breath wafted across her lips again, his body snuggled next to hers: hip to hip, chest to chest. "Yes, I am," she answered, moving even closer.

His eyes grew heated. "Please, Ariel, do not argue with me."

Gracious, but his eyes were amazing. So many colors all mixed into one: green, blue and silver gray. "I am not arguing, Nathan, I am merely stating facts. We are going together."

"No, we are not."

She drew back, hating the loss of contact but beginning to grow piqued. "And what will you do if I do not comply? Tie me to that tree there, like you did before?"

"Yes," he answered, crossing his arms in front of him.

"And how will you tie me?" she asked sarcastically. "With the ribbon that holds back your queue?"

"No, with your horse's reins."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Bully for you."

"Yes, it is rather a good idea."

Her eyes narrowed. "Nathan, we don't have time to argue. Your brother's ship will arrive shortly—"

"The name of that ship, Ariel," he interrupted.

"I am not telling it to you, so you will just have to take me with you."

He took a step, pulled her back into his arms, his eyes so suddenly earnest her breath caught, "Please, Ariel, do not be stubborn. '
Tis
too dangerous."

She swallowed, opened her mouth, swallowed again and said, "You need me, Nathan. I am the First Lord's daughter. I can help. Or have you forgotten that?"

He let her go, his arms falling to his sides, his eyes dimming. "Of course I have not forgotten that."

"Then you should know this, too." She reached out and touched him, not wanting to make him panic but knowing she would have to tell him about his brother sooner or later.

His silver gaze intensified. "What?"

She took a deep breath. "The captain of your brother's ship, a Captain Pike, is coming into port for a court-martial. I believe he has men he needs to try, for what I do not know, but if he is coming into port so that this is done as per the Articles of War, then it must be serious indeed."

He spun away from her.

Bullocks, she knew that would happen. "Where are you going?" Even though she knew well and good where.

"I am leaving," he said, clutching the reins, his ring glinting in the sunlight. "There's no time for us to argue."

Isn't that what she'd just been saying?

He mounted his horse, looking down at her. "Are you coming?"

She stiffened, thinking some men were truly idiots at times. "Yes."

"Then hurry."

Portsmouth
,
Britian's
only island city, had changed little since her last visit, Ariel noted when they arrived nearly five hours later. The moats and ramparts which encircled the town still gave off a rank odor as they crossed through one of the two gates which gave access to the city. As usual, the Navy's presence was everywhere. A group of mounted, blue-jacketed men passed them by, one of them studying her intently as they turned onto High Street. Ariel sank back farther into her hooded cloak, relief flooding her as she spotted the harbor directly ahead.

"He could be on one of those ships."

Ariel started at Nathan's words. Aye, she thought, following his gaze, he could be. There were several three-and two-
masted
ships moored in the harbor, but of course there would need to be. Not for nothing was she the First Lord's daughter. As such she knew the workings of a court-martial. Between five and thirteen officers had to be present in order for it to conform to naval law. Held for those crimes that required more than thirty lashes, such as desertion, and for those crimes that required the death penalty, such as murder or cowardice, it was usually an unpleasant affair. If
Wess
Trevain
was alive and he'd tried to desert, then he would be court-martialed here.

If he was alive.

"We need to find out when the court-marital will be convened," Nathan said in a clipped voice.

"Let us ask someone."

Nathan nodded. Ariel slowed her horse. They asked the first person they came across, a small man who had the look of the sea about him with his leathery skin and wiry frame.

"Court-martial?" the man repeated Nathan's question. "Aye, I heard about it. Convened already, it did. Ships got
ta
port early, so they did it this morn."

"No," Ariel gasped, clutching the reins.

The man glanced at her. Ariel tensed as she waited to be identified as female. But the man must have seen what she wanted him to see, a young lad dressed in a too-large cape.

"Are the ships still in port?" Nathan asked.

The man shrugged. "Aye, three of them are."

Ariel's breath caught.

"Captains
Hillis
, Crane and
Bantry
, but that be all. Pike left port like 'is ballast were afire."

Ariel could do nothing more than stare, first at the little man, then up at Nathan. His jaw had grown tight, his knuckles as white as her own as he gripped the reins.

"Thank you, sir," he said tightly.

The man nodded, then moved on. Nathan still sat atop his horse, looking, yet apparently not seeing anything.