The Pirate Lord (19 page)

“Look here,” Queenie called out belligerently, “your men have been shipbound for less than a week, but we been sailin’ for near to a month already. You told Miss Willis we’d be sleepin’ on land, and that’s what we want to do!”

The women murmured their assent. Gritting his teeth, Gideon glanced at Sara. She tilted her chin up stubbornly. Just as he’d suspected, she was behind this little mutiny. But if he couldn’t handle a mob of women, he wasn’t much of a pirate captain, was he?

“I understand how you feel, ladies.” He gentled his voice, although he felt anything but gentle. “The problem is, this island is no place for women to stay alone at night. There are wild animals and other dangers.” When the women exchanged looks, he added, “Miss Willis can tell you about those dangers herself. Only an hour ago, she was nearly killed.” Reaching inside the canvas bag, he pulled the mamba out and held it up to show its full length, letting its tail trail along the ground. “By this.”

There was a collective gasp from the women. “Snakes?” one woman shrieked as she caught sight of
the ghastly headless reptile. “Oh, Lud, there are snakes here?” The others turned anxiously to Sara, whose gaze was fixed balefully on him.

Cocking an eyebrow at her, he smiled, then went on. “Fortunately, I was close by to kill it, but if I hadn’t been…” He trailed off dramatically, letting them come to their own conclusions. “Of course, when all of you are married, your husbands can watch out for things like this, but in the meantime, you’d be much safer remaining on the ship than sleeping alone in our huts.”

“Some paradise this is.” Queenie kicked petulantly at the sand. “You’re mad, guv’nor, if you think we’re gonna sleep in a place where there’s snakes roamin’.”

“Yes,” Louisa added. “You promised us a new land, and instead you brought us here to be eaten alive. I’m not setting foot on this island again until you rid it of snakes.” She scowled. “And while you’re at it, why don’t you see that those huts are properly furnished? They’re barely fit for one person to inhabit, much less two.”

Fueled by Louisa, the women began to grumble about all the things they’d found wrong with the island. Sara just crossed her arms over her chest and smiled sweetly at him.

“There’s nothing to worry about once you’re married, ladies,” he repeated, feeling as if someone had suddenly tugged the rug out from under him. The women were supposed to be throwing themselves into his sailors’ arms to gain their protection, not threatening to mutiny. “My men know how to handle the snakes. As for the conditions in the huts—”

“Yes, Captain Horn,” Sara interrupted in a honeyed voice, “do tell us about what improvements you intend to make. I’m sure you’ll agree they’re inadequately fitted out for us. As far as I can gather, there are no bedrooms to accommodate the women with children. Surely you don’t expect them to share their husbands’ beds in front of small children.”

“Sara—” he began in a warning tone.

She went on blithely, the women crowding behind her as if she were their standard bearer. “Then there’s the lack of secure doors and windows to keep all of your ‘wild animals’ and snakes out. Even your fearless pirates have to sleep sometimes, don’t they? How will we be protected from snakes then? Not to mention the woefully inadequate cooking facilities and the lack of—”

“Silence!” he roared, making even her jump back a step. Blast the woman, he would find a way to muzzle that mouth if it was the last thing he did! He wiped sweat out of his eyes, speaking through gritted teeth. “I suspect that the kitchen facilities in the ladies’ previous London dwelling were far more inadequate.”

Thankfully, his reference to London’s prisons shut most of their mouths. Even Sara couldn’t seem to find an answer to that.

But his earlier encounter with her had taught him a few things about how not to unduly anger the woman. “Nonetheless, Miss Willis, we don’t want you and the others to think we aren’t willing to make concessions. You’ll have your kitchen and your doors and windows. I had intended all along to send some of my men to Sao Nicolau for supplies once we determined what the women might want or need. If you’ll give me a list of what’s required, I’ll make sure that a handful of my men go in the sloop as soon after the weddings as—”

“After the weddings?” Sara interrupted. “What are we to do in the meantime?”

“Sleep on board the ship. I know it’s not the best accommodations, but with all the dangers to the women and your obvious concerns, it’s the best I can offer.”

If he thought he’d won this battle, Sara’s too sweet smile gave him pause. “Under the circumstances, you leave us no choice.” She paused, her expression growing smug. “In fact, your proposal has such merit that I think
we shall stay aboard the
Satyr
indefinitely…at least until your men have made the dwellings habitable. We’ll be happy to do that for as long as it takes, won’t we, ladies?”

As the women chorused their agreement, a new swell of protests rose from his men. Gideon gritted his teeth. This was
not
turning out as planned. Although his men had gained their huts, Sara had made sure it was a hollow victory. He could force the women to live in the huts with their husbands after the weddings, but he was beginning to see that the women would refuse to cooperate as long as Sara kept helping them find reasons for not making this work.

His only choice was to send some men back to the islands as soon as possible and delay the weddings until they returned. Perhaps if the women saw that he and his men truly intended to make the island comfortable for them, they might relent.

At least delaying the weddings would give him more time to separate Sara and that blasted Hargraves. If only he could send that particular sailor off the island with the other men…

His eyes lit up. Why not? Hargraves hadn’t been that pleased about living on the island. He’d seemed much more interested in the riches to be gained by piracy. Perhaps if he had some incentive, the man might choose never to come back.

Gideon hid his elation beneath a fierce scowl as he faced the women, bracing his hands on his hips. “I tell you what, ladies. You decide what you need, and I’ll send some men to Sao Nicolau in the sloop tomorrow for supplies. When they return in a few days, we’ll get right to work on improving your homes. We can have them quite comfortable for you in a short time. That ought to satisfy you, don’t you think?”

And I’ll be rid of Peter Hargraves at last
, he thought smugly as Sara turned to discuss what he’d said with
the women.
You haven’t won this battle yet, sweetheart, no matter what you think. You may have gotten your way on the matter of sleeping arrangements. But you’ve just lost your English fiancé
.

C
rushing his hat in his hands, Petey hesitated outside the open entrance to Captain Horn’s hut just after dusk. The place looked empty. It was dark as pitch, especially with only stars hereabouts to light the night.

Should he knock? But on what? There wasn’t any door. Even though the captain’s hut was the best of them all, it still had no window shutters, nor a proper door with a latch. Was it any wonder the women didn’t want to be living in these wee cottages?

The rest of the island wasn’t so bad, however. He’d taken a stroll about today, looking it over. It was a right nice little bit of land. Something could be made of such a place, if somebody cared enough to do it.

But that wasn’t his concern. Right now, what mattered most was why the captain had sent for him. It was a mite alarming, to say the least. Petey steered a wide path around the man as a general rule. The pirates had made it clear that Captain Horn was fair and not given to unreasonable punishments, yet there was no telling
what the man would do now that he had his eye on Miss Willis.

Miss Willis. Petey groaned. The little miss had surely set the captain back on his heels today. Petey ought to be grateful to her for trying so hard to delay the weddings. After all, she did it to help him and Ann.

But she’d pushed the Pirate Lord to anger, and that didn’t sit too well with Petey. A trickle of sweat rolled down his nose, and he wiped it away with his thumb as he peered cautiously into the ominous black hole of the hut. The captain was obviously asleep or gone. No point in staying here to risk angering the man even more.

He turned away, but just then a deep voice rumbled out of the hut’s dark interior. “Don’t just stand there, man. Come in.”

Petey jumped, then gulped down his fear. Here he’d stood, hesitating like an ass, while the man had been watching him the whole time. That pirate captain was plain unnerving, that’s what he was.

“I didn’t see you there,” Petey muttered as he entered the dark room.

No response. There was a scratching sound, a tiny spark, and then an oil lamp’s low flame, which grew larger as the captain turned the wick up. Now Petey could see that the pirate stood beside a table. At least the man’s saber appeared to be out of sight, which was exactly where Petey liked it.

“Take a seat, Hargraves.” Captain Horn gestured to a chair, then picked up a bottle of what looked in the lamplight like rum. “Would you like to wet your whistle?”

Petey managed a nod. He needed something to get him through this. He didn’t sit down, though. He didn’t like to sit in the presence of his enemy, especially when that enemy was offering him strong drink.

As soon as the pirate poured a goblet of the golden liquor and handed it to him, he took a great, burning
swallow, then wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. Unable to withstand the suspense any longer, he took another swig for bravery, then spoke. “You wished to see me, Cap’n?”

Casting Petey a cool glance, Captain Horn set the rum bottle on the table and corked it. “Relax, Hargraves. I’m not going to have you keelhauled. I merely wish to show you something I think you’ll find interesting.”

That put Petey on his guard at once. There was nothing Captain Horn could show him, unless it was the sharp end of a saber, and that was of no interest to Petey. Was that what this was all about? Did the captain think to fill him up with rum, then take his head once his guard was down?

Petey braced himself as the captain went to a trunk in the corner and opened it. When the man picked up a long object and turned, Petey nearly fainted, expecting to see the pirate’s famous saber.

The man held a scepter instead.

Torn between relief and shock, Petey gawked at the golden, jewel-encrusted rod that winked and sparkled.

As if he knew exactly what Petey had been fearing, Captain Horn smiled and twisted the scepter in the air almost as he would a sword. “Have you ever seen something so beautiful, Hargraves?”

Unable to do more than shake his head, Petey continued to stare at the scepter. Surely it was merely the lamplight that made it shine like a handful of fallen stars. Petey knew such things existed, but he’d never thought to see one with his own eyes.

Without warning, the pirate tossed the scepter in the air toward him. As it twirled, the hundreds of tiny facets reflecting the glow of the lamp, Petey sprang to snatch it from the air, barely saving it from hitting the rough plank floor. It was cold and heavy in his hands, and the metal gleamed so brightly, he knew it must be solid gold. He rubbed his fingers over it in wonder. A diamond the size of his thumbnail marked one end of the
rod. Then a seemingly endless string of perfectly rounded pearls spiraled up the long rod to the ball, which was embedded with rubies and emeralds the size of walnuts. He was so enraptured that it took him a second to realize that Captain Horn was speaking again.

“I acquired it during my days as a privateer.” The pirate sipped his rum, his eyes intent on Petey. “One of your English ambassadors was carrying it to the Prince Regent. It was a gift from an Indian rajah, I believe. No doubt the rajah thought to appease the English thirst for land with such a gift, but we both know it would take more wealth than that to satisfy your lust.” The captain gave a smile as wide as it was wicked. “And since rumor had it that George would soon have a scepter of his own, I decided he didn’t need another.”

Only with an effort did Petey swallow his outrage at such blatant disrespect for His Majesty. The pirate was baiting him, and Petey dared not rise to it. Fingering the facets of a pigeon-blood ruby, he asked, “Why are you showing this to me?”

“It’s yours.” Petey snapped his head up only to find that the pirate was no longer smiling. “I mean it. It’s yours. I have no use for it. What good is a scepter in paradise?”

Setting the scepter down carefully on the table, Petey eyed the pirate with suspicion. “And why would you be wantin’ to give it to me?”

“Can’t you guess? I want you to give up your claim to Miss Willis.”

Stunned, Petey shook his head to clear it. The man would give a solid gold scepter to have one troublemaking Englishwoman in his bed? Either he was mad…or he was already wealthy enough to buy ten scepters. Or even more likely, this was some sort of game in which Petey would be the loser regardless.

“And what am I to do with it? As you say, what good’s a scepter in paradise?”

“Ah, but you won’t be in paradise. You’re leaving.
Tomorrow. When my men sail out for Sao Nicolau, you’ll be traveling with them.”

Hope leapt in Petey’s chest, but he fought it down. “You’d truly let me leave?”

The pirate shrugged. “Why not? If you abandon your claim to Miss Willis, such as it is, you can leave the island and go wherever you wish. I know you told me you couldn’t return to England, but there are plenty of other places where you can live quite comfortably once you sell that scepter.”

God help him, the man meant it. For a brief moment, Petey actually considered taking the blooming thing and heading out for parts unknown.

But his sense of responsibility wouldn’t let him. What good was all that gold if it meant betraying his family and Miss Willis’s trust in him? He had to live with himself, after all.

A shame that he couldn’t use the pirate’s offer to get Miss Willis off the island, but Captain Horn obviously wouldn’t allow that. So he was stuck here. He couldn’t leave her to the mercies of the Pirate Lord when the man was clearly determined to have her.

Petey started to hand the scepter back, then hesitated. Did he dare pass up this chance for escape? The longer he and Miss Willis stayed here, the more likely the pirate captain would get his hands on her anyway. She might pretend to be immune to the man, but Petey could tell she was more than a little enamored of him. The balmy air, the intimate living circumstances, the isolation…all of it would soon lead her to succumb, with or without Petey around. And if the pirate was willing to offer a golden scepter just to get Petey away from her, the man would never allow her to marry Petey.

Indeed, with that being the case…“Why are you givin’ me the chance to leave? Why not just kill me? It’s not as if anybody would stop you.” When the pirate cast him a sinister glance, Petey added hastily, “’Tisn’t a
suggestion, mind you, but a question. It seems to me that pirates being what they are—”

“Cruel, bloodthirsty killers, you mean.” The captain propped one boot on a chair, his eyes glittering. “There are all sorts of pirates roaming the sea, just as there are all sorts of sailors. I don’t know what you’ve heard of me, Hargraves, but I don’t murder men in cold blood, and certainly not for a woman. I’ve killed in the heat of battle, ’tis true, but even that was before I became a pirate, when I served my country as a privateer.”

“But the things I’ve heard, the things they say—”

“What else would you expect a baronet to say after he’s been shown to be a coward? He says the pirates drank blood and ravaged innocents and that’s why he didn’t lift a finger to stop them when the ship was taken.” There was an unmistakable thread of bitterness in his tone. “The truth is, my reputation for taking prizes against high odds during the war made it easy to be a pirate afterward. When merchant ships saw my flag hoisted, they didn’t put up much of a fight. They knew they were outgunned and outmanned, and they didn’t intend to risk their lives for a few caskets of silk. If you recall, that’s exactly what happened with the
Chastity
.”

His eyes narrowed to menacing slits. “But that doesn’t mean that if you refuse my offer and stay, I’ll stand by and let you have her. I won’t. In the end you’ll lose, and you won’t even have the consolation of my gold.” He took his foot off the chair and leaned forward, planting his hands on the table as he eyed Petey with suspicion. “Why all the questions, Hargraves? You’d give up any hope of riches and adventure just to marry Miss Willis?”

“No, of course not,” Petey said hastily, before the pirate’s suspicions could be truly roused. “You can be sure I’d prefer this scepter and the chance to be off this island to Miss Willis any day.” He paused, weighing his
words. “I just don’t understand why you don’t feel the same.”

Captain Horn drew himself up with the bearing of one of those nobles he so disdained. “That’s none of your concern. Do you want the thing or not? Because if you don’t—” He broke off as he reached for the scepter.

Petey jerked it back. “I want it.” He wasn’t sure if he was playing this right, but it didn’t look as if he had any choice. “I want it. I’ll be off your island tomorrow.”

For a moment, Petey could’ve sworn he saw relief in the captain’s face. Then the man’s expression hardened. “One more thing—you’re not to speak to her of any of this, you understand? You must promise to leave tomorrow without a word to her.”

“But she deserves—”

“That’s the bargain. Take it or leave it.”

“All right. I’ll not say anything to her.”

But that was one promise Petey didn’t intend to keep.

London was never like this, Sara thought as she looked out over the lagoon from the porthole in Barnaby’s cabin. A quiet that was so thick your thoughts were like shouts in the night…smells that tempted the senses instead of offending them…the sky a heavenly blanket of stars unsoiled by the black fog of a thousand households’ smoke.

Best of all, mankind’s influence was scarcely to be seen. How long had it been since she’d seen such a place? Even the countryside of England bore the marks of civilization. There were plenty of wild, unspoiled pockets in the British isles, to be sure, but she never got to see them. Any trip to such a spot would have taken her away from her work, and her work had inevitably carried her to the filthiest, most cramped corners of London. Until she’d sailed with the
Chastity
, she’d forgotten what it was like to breathe without having nauseous smoke or the fumes of horse leavings assault her lungs.

Taking in a deep, satisfying breath, she glanced across
the prow. There she spotted the stalwart pirate who stood guard, and all her enjoyment of the island dimmed at once. The guard was one of several. Gideon hadn’t been foolish enough to let the women stay alone on the ship. Though she doubted she and the others could have sailed the
Satyr
, they might have tried if given the chance, and Gideon had apparently guessed that.

With a sigh, she turned from the window to stare at the luxurious cabin that was now her prison. At least for the moment. There was no telling what would happen after Gideon made them choose husbands. She refused to choose Petey now that she knew about Ann. But if she didn’t…

One will be chosen for you
. She swallowed hard. What would Gideon do? Assign himself to her as husband? Or was that more of a tie to her than he wished? Sometimes she thought all he wanted was to bed her and be rid of her once it was over. At other times she thought he felt something more, like today, when he was comforting her about the snake…

A shudder skittered through her body. That awful snake. And Gideon had faced it so bravely for her.

Now, Sara
, she chastised herself,
you’re thinking of him as some errant knight who wishes to rescue you. He’s not a knight. He’s a very wicked pirate with designs on you, and you must remember that
.

A pity that all she could remember was the gentle way he’d cradled her as she’d cried, the warmth of his mouth on hers, the sweet, hot slide of his hand over her breasts…

Stop that
! she told herself with a groan.
You must put that…that arrogant beast from your mind
!

Only she couldn’t. To her sorrow, she just couldn’t.

Suddenly she heard a noise. It was soft, almost like a knock. Surely she hadn’t heard right. The women were all below, and none of the men would be knocking gently at her cabin. Except Gideon, of course.

She smiled at the absurdity of that notion. If Gideon were to come to her cabin, he’d be pounding on the door.

The sound came again, and this time she was almost certain it was a knock. Curious now, she went to the door and opened it only to find Petey standing outside, glancing furtively around the now dark saloon that her cabin opened onto.