Chapter 3
“Wherein wolves howl, mice growl, and our heroine tries not to bleat.”
A pair of highly polished black boots became visible, then long, long legs, followed by a fine pair of muscular thighs in perfectly fitting breeches. The view continued in a pleasing manner as more of the hard, exquisitely sculpted male body appeared through the hatch.
Henri averted her eyes before she could be caught staring but could only echo Annie’s earlier sentiments on the matter.
Pretty indeed. She looked up as the man jumped down to the floor with the stealth of one who was well used to creeping about in the shadows, and he was quite adept at it despite his size.
Her wide eyes once more met a familiar pair of bright blues though this time it was the pirate who looked startled.
“What the devil are you doing here?” he asked, sounding astonished and none too pleased about the matter.
The black mask was gone, but the expression he wore was just as forbidding. For a moment Henri quailed as she realised just how precarious her position now was, but in for a penny …
“I have something that belongs to you,” she said, as her heart beat so hard it threatened to escape her rib cage. She swallowed and hoped her fear didn’t show in her face.
To her surprise his expression softened, and he took a step towards her and held out his hand. “The letter?” he said, his voice quiet. “There was no need to bring it to me, you have risked much.”
She nodded, and guilt filled her heart as she realised he thought she sought to protect him once more. He turned to the burly man beside him. “Go on, Mousy, go back downstairs. I’ll deal with this.”
Mousy looked back at her, his eyes filled with distrust. He folded his arms, his massive biceps pulling at the fabric of his threadbare shirt. “Lars,” he growled what she assumed was the pirate’s name. There was worry in his eyes. “She said there be militia in the marketplace.”
The pirate looked at her, his expression sharp now. He turned back to Mousy once more and nodded. “Get eyes in the alley and around the Market Square,” he said. “I want to know if those bastards so much as look in my direction.”
“Aye, Cap’n,” the big man growled. Henri flattened herself against the wall as his bulk passed by in the confined space of the corridor and she was left alone with Captain Savage.
He stared at her for a moment, and she fought the urge to blush and stammer an apology for disturbing him.
“This way then,” he said, moving back down the corridor a little and opening a door. “We can talk in here.”
Henri moved to follow him, only to pause on the threshold as she noticed the bed inside the room.
She stared at it for a moment, but there was no going back now.
With resolution she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
There was really no point in splitting hairs.
She was beyond ruined now if she was discovered, bed or no bed.
She scowled as she realised he had seen her discomfort and was smiling at her and looking unbearably smug. His eyes drifted to the bed and back to her and he raised one eyebrow.
“Let’s have the letter back first, eh?” he said with a quiet rumble of laughter.
She realised he believed she had come in search of another kiss .
.. at the very least. Anger and indignation seemed to stiffen her resolve and her backbone, and she looked down at him with all the disdain of her noble birth to one far beneath her.
“I don’t have it,” she said, allowing herself a small smirk at his confusion.
“At least,” she added with a knowing smile. “Not at the moment.”
The air around them seemed to tremble as suspicion flickered to life in his expression. “And why would that be, my lady?” He leaned on the bedpost, and she became the subject of his intense scrutiny.
A tremor of unease fluttered in her chest as she interpreted the tone of his voice and the flicker of anger just visible in his eyes.
“Because I believe it is something that has a value, something that perhaps you would be unwilling to have fall into the wrong hands.” She was amazed she got the sentence out without stuttering or hearing her voice tremble.
Indeed, she sounded perfectly cold-hearted and utterly calculating, which alarmed her almost as much as the fury in his expression.
“Why you little…” He seemed to bite off the end of the sentence, leaving the word he might have uttered hanging in the air between them. Henri blushed but found she couldn’t gainsay him. He had every right to be furious.
Taking a step back she noted that his fists were clenched, and she knew she should be terrified.
He was no gentleman but a pirate. Heaven alone knew what despicable crimes he was responsible for, and she had come here alone .
.. and angered him. No one would be the least bit surprised if she was found dead in a back street once they knew what she’d done, and yet she did not believe he would hurt her.
Despite his obvious anger he made no move in her direction, and though he muttered foul curses under his breath, he made no threat towards her person.
She wiped her clammy hands on the thick folds of her velvet pelisse and took a breath.
“Whatever you may think of me, what I am, sir, is desperate,” she said, feeling she owed him some little explanation and sounding breathless now as anger at the situation she had found herself in made her emotional.
She spoke carefully, trying to appear calm at least, but she didn’t want to blackmail him, no matter he was hardly an innocent.
“I am sorry that your predicament gives me the means to extricate myself from an untenable situation, but the fact remains that it does, and I intend to use that letter in whichever way will serve me best.” Her voice quavered, and she clasped her hands together to stop them from trembling, but she held her head up and watched for his response.
He had begun to pace the room as she spoke, only pausing to cast her looks of frustration and anger. “How much?” he growled.
She hesitated before blurting out the sum she knew was owed by her father. “Three thousand, five hundred pounds.”
The enormity of the sum seemed to grow exponentially in the shabby surroundings of the inn’s bedroom. To her astonishment, however, he didn’t rant and curse at her. He laughed. He laughed so hard that his eyes watered, and he clutched helplessly at his chest as he fought for breath.
His amusement endeared him none to Henri, however, who fought the urge to stamp her feet and shout at him to stop. Instead she held herself still and regarded him with quiet dignity until a sharp knock at the door interrupted his mirth.
“Who is it?” he called, his hand straying to the sword at his hip.
“Mousy,” bellowed a familiar voice. “Move yer arse, Cap’n, there’re redcoats crawlin’ the streets and headin’ our way.”
Henri stifled a gasp of horror as it occurred to her just what that would mean if she was found here.
“Damnation!” she said in unison with the captain who turned to look at her with a grim smile.
“Well I’ll be damned for sure, lady,” he snarled, crossing the room to her and grasping her by the arm.
She took in a sharp breath as he glowered down at her, those vibrant blue eyes full of rage and frustration.
“Tell me, is this your doing?” he asked, his voice quieter now.
“Did you sell me out? There’s a deal more money than that on offer as a reward. ”
“N-no,” she stammered, alarmed both by his proximity and the painful strength with which he was holding on to her.
“No, sir, I swear it. I never meant to see you hang. Indeed I cannot be found here, I’ll be ruined, and this will all have been for naught.
” She did not need to act to let him see the fear in her eyes; she was sure it was perfectly clear as she blinked back the prickle of tears that threatened to shame her.
He snorted and shook his head but let her go as he crossed to the window to look down on the street. “Forgive me but I can’t help but observe that you’ve made your own bed.”
Henri bridled, tears forgotten as her temper rose once again, not that she could dispute the truth of his words, but dammit that was the pot calling the kettle black.
“Well, sir, I cannot help but observe that the militia will say much the same thing to you,” she hissed, itching to slap his smug, self-satisfied face.
“And,” she added, wondering if perhaps she sounded just a trifle hysterical.
“You can rest assured I will hand them that letter if you don’t do all in your power to get me out of here! ”
She took a moment to thank God that he didn’t appear to have any of the strange and heathen supernatural powers that were sometimes ascribed to men of his ilk who spent much time overseas as the look he gave in return to her words would surely have struck her dead on the spot.
“Oh, I’ll get you out of here all right,” he said, his voice full of disgust as he strode for the door and once again grasped hold of her arm.
He towed her behind him, pausing for just a moment before he opened the door.
“And for your information I would have done so without your threat,” he murmured, and she caught her breath as the blue in his eyes flashed like a lightning strike.
“You might like to remember that I am the pirate and cut-throat,” he added with a sneer of disdain.
“You are apparently a lady.” He looked her over with such contempt she felt her cheeks heat.
“You understand I only mention it as you seem to be acting my part.”
She blinked, rapidly, determined that he should not see her crumble, but she had never before been spoken to in such a manner, by such a man, and the shock of it was hard to take while attempting to maintain her equanimity.
The problem was quickly solved, however, as she was thrust through the door and instructed to move her damn arse.
She complied with as much haste as her skirts would allow and silently cursed every man that ever lived.