17. Jonto
Jonto
Jonto stood directly behind Isla, holding the rope ladder on either side to steady her. Without thinking, Isla released her grip to raise her hemline. The boat rolled on a wave, and being unused to the movement, she lost her balance and fell into Jonto’s chest.
Without thinking, Jonto ran an arm around Isla’s waist and pulled her close.
The slight tremor in Isla’s body shot a bolt of desire racing through Jonto’s core, and she breathed deeply to control herself.
Isla’s figure was delicate and supple, and once she’d regained her balance, Jonto released her like she’d been burned.
To cover her panicked reaction to holding Isla in such an intimate way, she chuckled and acted as though she only cared about Isla’s loss of balance. “Whoa there. If you lean against me, your hands will be free to tuck your skirt higher.”
When Isla leaned into her and bent to pull the skirt loose from her boot before tucking more material into her waistline, the sight of the smooth silkiness of her newly exposed leg centered that bolt of pulsing desire firmly between Jonto’s legs.
With Isla’s backside pressed into her thigh close to her codpiece, Jonto swallowed to wet a throat gone suddenly dry and managed to murmur, “That’s it.
Now, step onto the gunwale and then up onto the ladder.
I’ll be right behind you and won’t let you fall. ”
Sandy called down from above, “Ya got this, Milady. Cap’n Jonto won’t let nothin’ happen to ya. Wait ‘till ya get on th’ ship an’ look back to yer Fachan’s Bay. Were that you we seen in th’ openin’ to th’ cave? Ya look kinda like th’ lady we saw through th’ lookin’ glass.”
Isla, who’d once again taken hold of the rung with a white-knuckled grip, glanced up into a cheerful, smiling face, which, for some reason, allowed her to release her grip on one rung and reach for the next.
Sandy was an experienced sailor, having sailed with Jonto for the last eight years. The spry, lively master gunner was using her words to distract Isla from the climb. Knowing this, Jonto caught her eye and mouthed, “Keep talking.”
Without taking her gaze off of Isla’s eyes, the side of Sandy’s mouth lifted as if to say, No shite, Cap’n.
As Isla climbed, Jonto stayed one rung below her with her arms bracketing either side of Isla’s shoulders.
Sandy prattled on about the sea, the ship, and the crew.
For the thousandth time, Jonto marveled at how a person so adept at the maintenance and efficiency of her ship’s artillery could be such a girlish chatterbox at all other times.
When Isla stopped halfway up to tuck the skirt tighter beneath her waistband, Jonto caught the fragrance of that irresistible gardenia-scented perfume.
Isla stiffened as the movement of the ship caused the ladder to sway.
She instinctively pulled her elbows in like wings, clasping them around Jonto’s arms to use the solidness of her body for grounding.
The continued throbbing between Jonto’s legs told her she was in trouble.
Being this close reinforced the extent she’d been thinking and dreaming about this woman’s body.
The rise and fall of her bound chest against Isla’s back felt like blissful torture, and she swallowed hard when her nipples pushed against the wrap holding her breasts tight against her chest.
It was all she could do to keep from groaning when she croaked, “Keep moving, My Lady. You’ll get used to the gentle swaying of the ship, and before long, you’ll miss it when you’re on land.
” Acutely aware of the slippery wetness between her legs, Jonto breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the light breeze would carry away the musky scent of her desire.
Sandy called down to them. “C’mon, Lady Brighton! You’re almost here, and sourpuss and me’ll grab yer arms and help ya on board. Nothin’ to be scared of with th’ Cap’n and us helpin’ ya.”
With a quiet, “You can do this, Isla…” as an aside to herself, the lady in question resumed her climb, eventually reaching the hatchway where four hands grasped her arms and helped her climb aboard.
Relieved she’d managed to get Isla up the ladder without having an orgasm—a near thing in her estimation—Jonto returned to where the other two women were patiently waiting their turn.
“Are you ready, Miss Smythson?” Her attraction didn’t extend to the other two ladies, and she wasn’t concerned about her body’s reaction when they climbed together.
“I should be able to climb on my own, My Lord. I have no fear of heights and drove my mother to distraction as a little girl climbing trees and ladders and such.”
Jonto’s brows rose. The more she learned about Isla’s friend, the greater her admiration for the woman.
“The rungs are wet and slippery, and if you wouldn’t mind, I’d feel more comfortable climbing with you this first time.
I’m sure once you become acclimated to the hazards of slippery ropes, decks, and wooden masts, you’ll be climbing all over my ship with the same joy you experienced as a child. ”
There was a glint in Celie’s eyes as she nodded her permission.
“I won’t object to a handsome man climbing behind me, My Lord.
Shall we?” With the yoke of her skirt already folded up into her waistline, she stood and grasped the rungs and, true to her word, climbed as though she’d been using rope ladders her entire life.
Having safely left her with Sandy, Jonto returned to the little boat, followed by Jade. Once Jonto and Lily were up the ladder, the taciturn woman would prepare Kraken’s Embrace so her fellow crew members could raise it to the deck of the Jest.
Lily had watched Isla and Celie climb. She winked at Jonto and paused a moment before mounting the gunwale.
Jonto hadn’t had much contact with the woman, and she was interested to note that she spoke with a slight accent that placed her solidly within the middle class.
Her diction was proper but didn’t carry the elaborate vocabulary that spoke of higher education and upbringing.
“I’m not quite as sure-footed as Celie, but I’m not afraid to climb, either. ”
She rested one hand on the ladder and turned to look at Jonto.
“Lady Brighton isn’t usually frightened by things, Lord Jontoreaux.
I’ve watched her engage in activities that would put fear into the hearts of many men, mostly with the horses, but also by standing up to bastards like Lord Montfort.
All of this has put her off balance, and it’s important that you not think her timid or weak. ”
Jonto had heard the story of how Isla’s mother had taken Lily in when she’d become too old for her previous profession as a courtesan, and knowing the strength and hard-earned wisdom many of those women possessed had her listening carefully to what she had to say and replying in kind.
“I don’t think of her as weak. She mentioned she couldn’t swim, and yet she allowed me to row her across the bay and then climbed a ladder up the side of my ship despite being terrified of falling into the water.
I consider that a strength rather than a weakness.
Perhaps we’ll have time to teach her to swim when we reach our destination.
But, thank you for voicing your concerns, Mistress… actually, I don’t know your last name.”
“Just call me Lily, My Lord. Everyone does.”
“I’d like to know your last name so that I might address you with the respect you deserve.
I know about your previous life, and unlike many in society, I don’t consider being a courtesan, or even a lady of the night, to be something that diminishes your worth in any way.
On the contrary, I give respect where I believe it’s due. So, your surname?”
Blushing, Lily looked Jonto directly in the eyes and raised her chin. “My name is Elizabeth Culfirth, Lord Jontoreaux.”
“Please, call me Jonto.”
With a beguiling lift of her perfectly sculpted lips, Lily dipped her chin to acknowledge his offer, “Thank you.” Glancing up to the hatch, she amended, “Although, until My Lady is more comfortable calling you Jonto, I’m afraid I’ll continue referring to you by your surname or title, My Lord.
I wouldn’t deign to pretend intimacy when working for a woman whose cultured refinement, such as that of Lady Brighton, far outweighs my own humble origins. ”
Jonto blinked, suddenly confused. Watching people and listening closely to the words they chose, combined with taking note of the nuances inherent in their manner of speech, had become second nature over the years.
Whether it was intentional or not, Lily had just revealed so much about herself.
“Your middle-class accent has disappeared, and now you speak with the refined intonations of a member of the nobility. What am I missing here?”
With an amused glint sparkling in her sapphire eyes, Lily tipped her head just enough to convey an intriguing combination of curiosity flavored with the knowing airs of a reserved confidant. “Refined intonations?”
That amused glint said the lady had known exactly what she was doing when her speech shifted from urbane charm to sophisticated eloquence.
Jonto returned the knowing look with a curious one of her own.
“You speak with a smooth and pleasant flow, and there’s an understated elegance to your words, one that allows for a deeper connection to your audience.
Hardly things someone from the middle class would acquire.
” Jonto unconsciously mirrored Lily’s nuanced gesture through an intrigued head tilt of her own.
Her brows lowered as she considered the subject.
“It’s more a matter of subtlety learned from the cradle rather than a skill picked up in the boudoir. ”