Unexpected Treasure: A High Seas Adventure (2 page)

Her hips swayed and her skirts swished as she entered the room and the end of the hall. The baby’s cries grew louder as she opened the door.

The door closed but Rex stood there, looking at the spot where an angel had just been.  Her golden hair had tickled his nose and her body had fit just right against him when he had pulled her close. He ran his fingers through his hair. He’d been at sea too long.

The captain dropped down from the hatch and landed next to Rex. “What is the hold up?”

“Perhaps I should have sent you down here, I frightened the only passenger I came across.” Rex held up his hand.

A grimace flitted across the captain’s face, “Which one?”

“I don’t know her name, blond hair, large blue eyes, a body―”

“Sarah,” the captain supplied. “Keeps to herself. Which is smart. She didn’t happen to say if the baby has come?”

“It came.” Rex frowned. A baby made this so much more complicated. He was beginning to regret his decision to collect these people. He ran a hand thorough his hair again. He didn’t mean that. He had missed an opportunity to save an innocent women and it weighed heavily on his thoughts. But time was of the essence and moving a woman who had just given birth and a baby made this much more difficult.

“I’ll go get Cook. I’ll join you to move the women in two shakes of a stick. Thank you again. You’ve undoubtedly saved our lives.”

Rex gave a single nod. The captain was right, of course. But under normal circumstances the captain should have been suspicious of a strange boat pulling up and offering passage. It was a testament to how desperate the man was that he was willing to trust a complete stranger. Of course, Rex would deliver them safely back to England but for all the man knew, Rex could be selling them into slavery.

He marched down the hall and stood in front of the door where the angel had disappeared. “Sarah,” he repeated the name whispering off his lips. Didn’t seem right, her having a regular name. He gave a knock on the door, then opened it.

A matronly woman stood in his path.  “Yes,” her sharp voice cut over the noise of the storm.

“I’m here to bring you to safety. The captain has ordered everyone to abandon ship.”

“How do we know the captain has actually given that order?” Sarah called from in the room.

“He will be on deck to assure you himself. Please, ladies, we must hurry.” He tried not to simply throw open the door and snatch the woman up. Did she not understand this vessel was in immediate danger?

The matron, as he now thought of her, looked him up and down. He glanced over her shoulder to see Sarah holding a baby swaddled in blankets. Her face was near euphoric. It made her look even more angelic and he sucked in his breath. His entire body tightened at the sight.

Tearing his eyes from her, he looked at the woman on the bed. Her eyes were half closed and she lay limply against the pillows. She looked like she had been through hell. “Bloody bullocks,” he whispered to himself.

“Excuse me,” the older woman’s voice demanded.

“Ma’am, we have to go now. This ship could sink at any moment.” He pushed past her. “Can you carry the baby?” He looked at Sarah. She eyed him warily.

“Ladies, please. The captain’s voice boomed down the hall. We must not tarry.”

Without delaying another minute, Rex picked up the woman on the bed. She was limp in his arms. His doubts were replaced with sympathy.

“Where is your husband? We will collect him―”

“Her husband is dead.” Sarah’s voice caught.

He gave a single nod and then turned for the door. The captain and Cook were there, the captain whispering to the matron. She looked defiant but started out of the room.

The boat gave another lurch, and he watched Sarah grab for the wall to keep from falling with the baby. “We have to go now.” His voice boomed over the rushing waves.

This time, everyone scrambled to follow his command. The captain led the way with Cook and the matron behind him. Sarah was just in front of him and his eyes wandered over her long blond hair, half falling out of its bun, then down to her tiny waist and the flare of her generous hips.

The woman in his arms stirred. “Where is my baby?”

“Sarah has your baby. You rest now, we’re going to keep you safe.”

***

Her name on his lips and the gentleness of his voice sent shivers running down Sarah’s spine. She turned to look at him and his hazel eyes pierced into hers. Up till that point, she had felt nothing but fear for this large man who had invaded their lives. But like a bolt of lightning, she became aware of him. It flitted through her mind that she hadn’t told him her name. How had he known it? Could this be proof he was sent to find her? It mattered not at the moment. It would seem he stood between life and death for all of them.

The baby in her arms wailed as the cool night air hit his skin and she didn’t have any more time to think about the dark stranger. She bundled the baby closer, shushing softly.

Glancing back at him again, she noticed he carried Anne easily, without any effort at all. His appearance was dark, almost dangerous and yet, when she looked closer, there was something almost aristocratic about his features. Of course, she had noticed right away that he was handsome but it had only made him more dangerous. But his voice, that somehow put her at ease.

Several other sailors, that Sarah didn’t recognize, stood on the rolling deck of the ship. Swallowing hard, Sarah stopped moving. Her uncle had an army of sailors searching the London streets for her before she had escaped. She had barely interacted with the crew aboard this ship. It frightened her to see all these hard looking men, staring at her. Memories flooded her mind of another group of men staring at her in much the same way.

His rich voice soothed from behind her, “No one will hurt you. Just keep moving.” It comforted her beyond measure and her feet started moving again, though she could hardly understand it. Never had a person’s voice captivate her the way his did. They kept moving toward the rail. Sarah peered over, two dingys were tied just off the bow. With the crashing waves a new fear was rising in her mind, how would they get into those boats?

She barely had time to consider it when her dark haired rescuer was passing Anne to another man. Then he turned back to Sarah, looking dark and dangerous once again. Her breathing became rapid and her heart hammered in her chest, it wasn’t necessarily fear this time but another, unnamed emotion. He turned and picked her up, baby still in her arms.  “What are you doing?” her strangled voice cried out.

He gave her a smile that lightened everything about his face. “You can’t get on that boat by yourself.”
“I don’t even know your name,” she gasped as she was pressed against his fantastically hard chest. The baby quieted instantly in the heat between their two bodies.

“My friends call me Rex.” Grabbing a rope, he swung them down from the ship into the row boat in one fluid motion, all the while holding them steady.

“What does the rest of the world call you?” She gasped as the row boat swayed.

His lips were dangerously close to hers and curved in a smile, invited her to touch them. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight making him breathtakingly handsome. “I will tell you when you tell me why a lady of breeding is riding on this tiny merchant ship.”

She sniffed then. “I have already told you, I’m not―“

Rather than being put out by her lack of information, his grin only broadened. “Keep your secrets for now and I will keep my name. But make no mistake, we will have this conversation again.”

Sarah swallowed hard. Her secrets guarded her wellbeing. Telling them to the wrong person could send her back to the wolf’s door. But currently, this man held her life in his very strong hands.

UNEXPECTED TREASURE

CHAPTER THREE

Sarah watched with
great satisfaction as Anne fed the baby. In her heart, she had been worried that Anne wouldn’t live. There were no wet nurses at sea. But both mother and baby were recovering.

With the morning, the storm had cleared as well and everyone was feeling more optimistic. It was nice to see her companions happy. Though she had only met Anne and Mrs. Flannery on this voyage, the women, all three alone, had become fast friends. They had been a beacon of hope in one of Sarah’s darkest hours. She would give anything to help them.

Rex had supplied the three ladies with plenty of food and fresh water. The ship’s doctor had examined Anne and the child. He had even ordered a bath for Anne, which had really bolstered the woman’s spirits.

Since the storm had subsided, Sarah’s own thoughts had turned to the merchant ship the Anna Claire and her own fate after the storm.  While it was tempting to find Rex’s ship a safe haven, she must keep her guard up.  It seemed less and less likely that Rex was a pirate. They didn’t generally travel around rescuing people. But, who was he then and what did he want with her?

A knock at the door pulled her out of her reverie. “Yes,” Mrs. Flannery called.

The door did not open. Instead, a rough voice rasped through the door. “Mr. Masters wants to see the one named Sarah.”

Mrs. Flannery turned to her, a frown marking her face. “She’ll be right out.”

“What do you think he wants?” Sarah’s voice caught. As much as his boat had made her feel safe, the man himself sent her insides jumping. Not only because he was potentially dangerous but those dark features and muscular arms…

“I don’t know, lassie, but be careful. He’s a strong man and you are a beautiful woman.” Mrs. Flannery pursed her lips. “You have to protect yourself but you also have to be careful not to anger him.”

Sarah nodded, Mrs. Flannery was correct. All their fates were at his discretion. As she made her way down the hall, her heart thrummed wildly at the thought of seeing him again.

She entered the Captain’s quarters and looked about the room. While she didn’t see Rex, the room itself was spectacular. It was filled with a luxury that would have been at home in the parlors of London.

“Well hello, Sarah. Though it would be more proper to address you by your last name. Feel free to share with me, for proprieties sake.” His voice rolled over her like a gentle wave, coming from the doorway that must connect his sleeping quarters to his study.

“I’m sure your interest is in propriety. Are you sure you’re not a pirate? This room is stunning.” While she knew pirates would never have treated her so humanely, she wondered how he had acquired such wealth.

He stepped out into the room, grinning at her again. His broad shoulders shook with laughter. “If I were a pirate, I would have looted your ship and left you to sink. Well, probably not you. But the rest.”

Her face paled. She was instantly reminded that this man was dangerous. “Not me?” Her voice came out in a strangled whisper.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Sarah. I simply meant that pirates would have considered you a treasure of sorts and…” he stopped talking, his eyes looking at her intently.

She realized that her hands were grasping her own neck, her eyes wide with fear. “Oh,” was all she could push out of her mouth.

She heard him mutter under his breath as he made his way over to her, “My apologies. It has been too long since I have been in the company of a lady.”

Did he spend time with ladies often?

His hand came to her back and she jerked out of his grasp but he shushed her softly, much like she had done with the baby the day before. “Perhaps you should sit. Has Anne named the child yet?”

He was changing the subject. She knew it. But as she slid into the comfortably upholstered chair, she relaxed a little. At least enough to answer in a normal voice, “Thomas. After his father.”

“That is nice. What did Thomas do? How did he die?” His voice was soothing, it lapped at her like gentle waves, calming her fear.

“He was a shop owner, but Thomas was ill. He sold the business and they were heading to the America’s. He thought the weather would be better and purchased land for them to relocate.” Sarah took a deep breath, at ease for the first time since leaving her room.

“Anne is moving to a new country by herself?”

“She has me.” Sarah sat a little straighter.