Miss Minnie and the Brass Pluggit (20 page)

“Did you do that?” Minnie stared.

“Yes. And don’t ask me to apologize or feel sorry about it. I won’t and I’m not. They were going to take you away. Or worse.”

She said nothing, simply rubbed her cheek against his dark sweater.

“Oh. Look…do you see…?”

“Yes.” Minnie blinked, squinting as if she could see better with her eyes half closed. “For a moment I thought I saw more ships.”

“Wait.” He turned to his screen and she leaned over him as she shared his surprise.

“Whoa.”

They both looked at what appeared to be a flotilla of vessels nearing the freighter from the ocean side. And the burning tender—or what was left of it—churned toward it from the coastal approach.

“Oh, oh.” Pierce moved quickly. “Sit down, Minnie. We have to get out of here in a hurry.”

“We do?” She sat, tucking her feet into the blanket. “Why?”

“Two reasons.” Pierce was fiddling with things, and engine noises thrummed around her as he spun the wheel. “First reason, those other ships are friendly. They belong to the Royal Navy I think, to judge from the way they’re sailing in formation. However, I don’t want the Royal Navy to see this little fish. Not yet, anyway.”

“All right.” She nodded, understanding his predicament. “And the second reason?”

Before he could answer, there was a massive explosion. This one lit up the entire sky, flooding the cabin with light, turning darkness into day.

“Oh my.” Minnie answered her own question.

“Yes. We have to get out of here, out of range of that backwash.” His face was intense, focused on his controls. “C’mon, Black Fish. Swim like hell.”

Minnie made sure the blanket was securely tucked around her body and her feet, and then slipped down to the floor in a tidy bundle. “Did I mention I’m not very fond of carnival rides?”

Pierce’s crack of laughter rode with them as the Black Fish rose high on the first shock wave—and rolled—and crested…

Chapter Thirteen

“And she outperformed my highest expectations.” Pierce grinned as he reached for the wine. “Rolled along with those waves like…well, probably like this would if we tossed it into a storm.” He uncorked the bottle and topped up his glass.

They were all comfortably ensconced in the Brass Pluggit, Felicia and Dusk—their faces wreathed with smiles—with himself and Minnie, the latter swathed in two of his best wool sweaters, a thick skirt and what looked like several pairs of socks.

She’d gotten her color back, which was a relief to Pierce, and had refused the brandy Felicia had tried to make her drink, insisting that being nearly frozen was enough to deal with. She didn’t need a hangover to go with it.

Wine, however, was acceptable, so they were happily killing off their second bottle and exchanging their stories.

“So the Navy rescued the women?” Felicia reached for a piece of fruit and washed it down with her wine.

“Yes.” Pierce nodded. “I took a chance on trying to reach them by telegraph. There are some public call signs that are recognizable, especially from a lighthouse, and one sailor, bless him, responded. After that it was—if you’ll all pardon the pun—smooth sailing.”

Three simultaneous groans made him smile. He ignored their drama and continued. “They sent a couple of their boats into the cave and found the women exactly where you’d left them, Minnie. They’re on one of the vessels now, heading back to London.”

Minnie snickered. “I wonder how that’s going. Given their choice of occupation and a ship full of lusty sailors.”

“Hmm.” Felicia snickered too.

“So how did you free them, Minnie?” Dusk tipped his head to one side. “We know they weren’t where they were supposed to be. How did you manage it?”

She took a breath and Pierce leaned over to hug her. “Well, she
is
magic, you know.”

An amused outcry greeted this encomium and Minnie, to Pierce’s amusement, actually blushed. “It wasn’t magic at all.” She shot a glance at him, one that threatened retribution later. He shot her one back that clearly implied he was looking forward to it.

“Anyway.” She ignored him. “There were a lot of things working in our favor. They were rushing, hurried because of the weather, and I don’t think they were very happy at all about having to go out on the water in the fog.”

“They probably don’t even
do
that trip in the winter.” Dusk pursed his lips. “Why risk it?”

“Go on, Minnie.” Felicia touched her arm.

“When they opened the first crate, I knew what was going to happen. And sure enough one of the men grabbed little Jane and tugged her over, shoving her inside. There were two ledges, one for each woman. It was pretty dark in there so when the second one was inside, he closed up the side of the crate. But the latch didn’t catch properly. So as soon as he moved away, Dorothy and I did what we’d planned. She opened the crate and hurried the girls out. There were enough supplies and boxes stacked willy-nilly for them to hide behind, while I pulled a couple of sacks of sand over, pushed them into the crate and shut it up again.”

“Goodness.” Felicia’s eyes were wide.

“It was a bit more difficult when he came back for the third girl.” Minnie lowered her eyes. “That didn’t go so smoothly.”

“Really?” Pierce lifted an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately yes.” She cleared her throat. “I had to…um…cosh him.”

“Good for you.” Dusk applauded.

“I didn’t want to, but this time the crate latched. We needed the key. So Dorothy passed me a length of metal piping and I…er…I hit him with it. Hard.”

“Bravo.” Pierce laughed aloud. “You are an Amazon, Minnie.”

“It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, all things considered.” She wrinkled her nose. “It accomplished the goal, but it feels rather nasty, if you want to know the truth. He was still breathing when we dragged him under a pile of dirty sacking, but even so…”

Pierce bit back another laugh. “Well, I’m sure the Navy will give him something for the headache he probably has.”

“Yes.” She frowned. “How on earth did the Navy manage to show up at
exactly
the right time?”

Dusk shifted awkwardly. “Well, that was partly my fault. I couldn’t be sure how things would turn out, so I sent a brief message up to Whitehall. I didn’t know if it would get any attention, but apparently others had been keeping their eye on Godolphin. So it wasn’t a huge surprise.”

“Whitehall?” Minnie asked, watching Dusk closely as a few little comments slotted neatly into place in her brain. “
Mr. B.D
? Any chance that might be someone whose name we all know quite well? As in our Prime Minister? Mr. Benjamin Disraeli?”

“Er…” Dusk looked embarrassed.

“And you’re not planning on making any curtains are you? That entire message was letting you know the status of the operation.” Felicia crowed triumphantly. “I knew it. It sounded much too familiar. My late husband was rather good at coding his messages along those lines.”

“Well…” Dusk glanced anxiously at Pierce. “I am not spying on you, Pierce. I hope you realize that. I was simply asked to do my duty as a patriot. You’re a well-known scientist and the government has some concerns about various events taking place, both here and abroad. I’m not the only Englishman who’s been asked to keep his eyes open.”

“I suppose I should be surprised, or perhaps even shocked.” Pierce finished off his wine. “But I’m not. I’m actually rather relieved to know that the authorities are on the job. Not to mention flattered in a rather obscure sort of way. Secret observations, spies, the Government watching…it’s like some sort of mystery novel, isn’t it?”

“I suppose one could look at it like that, yes.”

“At least we saved lives tonight.” Felicia’s fingers stroked her wineglass. “Those women could have died.” She looked up. “Come to think of it, do we know who killed the others?”

Minnie swallowed. “I think so.”

Pierce looked at her. There was something in her voice that made a chill run down his spine. “What do you mean?”

She carefully put her glass down on the table and folded her hands. “I wasn’t put in a crate, Pierce. There was a reason for that, I was told. The man who originally took me? He left before the tender. Gone back to his hole in Yarmouth perhaps, or wherever he was from. I don’t know. But before he left, he made it clear I wasn’t going to survive for much longer.
People who stick their noses in other people’s business never do
, he said.”

Pierce clenched his teeth and covered her hands with his own. “I have a score to settle with that man. He will not go unpunished, you can be assured of that.” His fingers tightened on hers. “Go on.”

“I wasn’t going to be part of their shipment of women. I was going to the captain of the freighter. And from there, according to this man, straight to hell.”

“So the captain took his pick and when he was done…”

Minnie nodded. “Yes.”

“Dear God.” Felicia paled. “Dear God in
heaven
.”

“Well.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “Thankfully, Pierce’s Black Fish was equipped to deal with the matter.” She opened her eyes again and glanced at him. “Fireworks, indeed.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Well, they did make a rather nice bang, didn’t they?”

She rolled her eyes. “If you’d warned me that you had some kind of phosphorus-magnesium-whatever explosive device on board…”

“I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

“Didn’t want to look silly if it didn’t work, more like.” She snorted as a smile curved her lips.

“You know me so well.”

“It accomplished its goal, that’s the main thing.” Dusk nodded. “Last message from the Navy was that they were attempting to rescue survivors of the fire. Thus far, they’d recovered four men, none of them the captain. I, for one, sincerely hope he went down with his ship.”

“Hear hear.” Felicia raised her glass. “Any word on the others?”

“Don’t know.” Pierce shook his head. “If they had Godolphin under surveillance, they’ve probably been in the cave by now. Who knows what they’ll find in there, if anything?”

“No sign that they saw the Black Fish?”

Pierce glanced up at Dusk’s question. He alone would truly understand the risk of getting the government involved, since he’d been instrumental in keeping the entire project a secret for most of its life.

“No. I think we’re safe for now.” Pierce thought for a moment or two. “Or at least until they realize that the tender couldn’t have exploded like that on its own.”

“Perhaps they never will.”

“Fingers crossed,” said Pierce. “Now. Who’s for another bottle of wine?”

It was much later when a tired Minnie was half-carried up the stairs by a cheerfully intoxicated Pierce.

He rested them both against the bed and leaned his forehead against hers. “By the way, I’m half mad in love with you, you know.”

“Are you?” She lifted a hand to his face and caressed it, smiling as he turned his head and kissed it, tickling her palm with his tongue. “You’re drunk.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Maybe a little tipsy, but mostly very happy.”

“Me too.” She sighed as his arms encircled her, and his hands slipped down to cup her bottom.

“Can we get you out of all these clothes?”

“Will you keep me warm? I’m still a bit chilled.”

“Hmm.” He freed her from the first sweater, pulling it over her head. “I shall have to think about that.”

“Please do.” She unfastened the buttons on his shirt.

“I’m sure I can come up with something.” The second sweater flew to the floor.

“Well, I think you might have done that already.” Her hands were pressing against the bulge in the front of his trousers. “Come up with something, I mean.”

“I was so frightened tonight, Minnie.” He undid her skirt and pushed it down over her hips. “So very afraid I was going to lose you.”

“I was scared too, Pierce. But I knew, deep in my heart, that you’d come for me.” She lifted his shirt and slid her palms against his warmth. He was heat and strength and love…all bundled into one incredibly attractive package.

“I would have done whatever it took to find you, sweetheart.” Her blouse fell away, leaving her breasts bare, her nipples tightening as he stared at her with passion in his gaze.

“I know. That’s what kept me going. Kept me focused and clearheaded enough to do what had to be done.”

He shrugged out of his shirt and by mutual consent they moved to each other, sharing a sigh as their skin touched, soft breasts met hard chest, and hands pushed away the remnants of their garments.

“I want to keep you like this. Naked.” Pierce shifted against her, rubbing her, almost like a cat scenting his possession. “I want you in my arms and in my bed. Not out there running risks, walking into danger and damn near stopping my heart.”

She hugged him close, brushing the softness of her belly over his growing arousal. “I like that idea. Staying naked with you for the rest of our lives.” She chuckled. “Not terribly practical though.”

“No?” He tumbled them back on the bed and then whipped the quilt and the covers around, tucking them both inside a cocoon that soon heated up. The fact that he was stroking her spine and squeezing her buttocks might have had something to do with the heat level as well. “We could manage, I daresay.”

Her pulse was throbbing, not only in her veins but in her loins, especially where Pierce was touching her, rubbing his hardness along her nether lips, gently encouraging her ready moisture to well up and out, bathing his cock and making them both moan a little with the sheer pleasure of it.

“Minnie, I want to love you like you should be loved. I want to spend hours at your breasts and another day or so heading down to the heaven between your thighs. And when I get there…”

She moaned and kissed him, lifting her leg high and throwing it over his hip. “For God’s sake, Pierce…” she muttered into his mouth. “Don’t talk so much. Take me. I want you inside me, right this minute. Fuck me, darling. I can’t say it plainer than that.”

Lost for words, Pierce simply did as he was told.

He slipped into Minnie’s velvet fire and she held her breath, knowing—at that moment—that this was what she’d waited for. That Pierce wasn’t just part of her body, he was part of her heart and her soul.

She’d given him her physical passion, then her trust. Now all she had left to give him was…

“I love you, Pierce.”

He moved, sliding in and out, building the fire that was always there between them. She moaned, loving the way he fit, the feel of him entering her and then sliding back only to thrust in again. He turned her so that he was above her, pushing away the covers and repositioning her, his hands beneath her buttocks, her thighs over his shoulders.

He was deep, very deep, each thrust going so far inside she wondered if he was truly touching her soul.

Spread-eagled as she was, her most sensitive places were wide open to sensation, to the tugging of his cock as it penetrated her and to the soft brush of his fingertips as she began to pant and climb to her peak.