Chapter Six
Hot fury slammed through Hannah’s body. It had been some moments since the damned Captain Buckthorne had dumped her onto a bunk.
He’d carried her onto a ship of some sort at the darkened docks, and this must be someone’s quarters.
His? Possibly, for it was a surprisingly well-appointed chamber, or what she could see of it since a candle hadn’t been lit.
The soft sound of water slapping against the sides of the vessel had a calming effect, but she refused to let her anger die.
He’d left her to her own devices, locked into the cabin, left trussed like a pig to the slaughter on the bunk.
At least the tick mattress was soft and the bedclothes smelled clean, and it was far more comfortable than she’d anticipated.
Which only left her with more questions. The least of which was why he thought he had the right to spirit her away in the first place.
Finally, one of the double, French-paned doors opened, and Buckthorne swaggered into the cabin carrying a large willow basket as well as a lit candle in a silver holder.
The sudden illumination made her eyes squint.
Eerie shadows jumped along the walls, but at least she could take in the luxurious cabin where he’d imprisoned her.
A large, bowed window was directly behind the head of the bunk with heavy blue velvet draperies drawn over the glass.
The furniture in the space was heavy and made of cherry wood that gleamed in the candlelight—a round table with three chairs, a bureau, a sideboard, some shelves, and a curio cabinet along with the frame for the bunk.
An expansive map of the world had been framed and hung on one of the walls that seemed interesting.
Clearly this was the captain’s cabin. But the oddest decoration was the iron manacles hanging on long chains in one corner.
A shiver went down her spine to ponder what they’d been used for on the ship.
Finally, she snapped her gaze to his face as he set the basket on the table and then rested the candle holder on the bureau.
The scent of his shaving soap immediately filled the space as he moved closer, and with it, more memories came hurtling into her mind that she desperately tried to fight back.
“I’m going to remove the gag, but you must promise you won’t scream. Though, it doesn’t matter much, for it’s just after midnight and there is no one about just now.” When he cocked a brown eyebrow and stared down at her, she wanted to slam her knee into his groin. “Will you behave?”
God, what a prick, but then, what could one expect from a pirate? Yet, she nodded, for she was curious along with very, very angry.
“Good.” He leaned over her, and once he’d untied the length of silk at the back of her head and removed the cravat, she took a deep breath. “I apologize for the extreme measures.”
“What the devil is wrong with you?” she asked in a voice that felt rusty and groggy. Dear Lord, her mouth was so dry! “What possessed you to do such a thing?”
“Would you have let me in if I’d called earlier today?”
“No, of course not. I told you I didn’t wish to see you again.” She shook her head and stared up at him. “We haven’t seen each other for ten years, yet you suddenly came to my home last night, and then we immediately couple like mad rabbits?” What sort of people did that?
His lips twitched just before he gave her a half-grin. “I’ll remind you once more that you started it when you decided to work my shaft over with that tart mouth of yours.” As he spoke, he untied the binding from her ankles, darted out of reach when she would have kicked him.
“I’ll admit to that, but I had every right.
You left without a word, and by then, I was thoroughly ruined without a future.
” She’d first become his mistress as a young woman of four and twenty, and when he’d opened her world to things she’d never thought possible, she knew there was no going back from that.
“I won’t deny those claims.” When he reached for the bonds at her wrists, he narrowed his eyes. “I’m releasing you on good faith.”
“Fine.” Perhaps she was a ninny, but she was curious.
And she couldn’t believe he had returned.
What did he want from her? For that matter, did she want anything from him this time ‘round? Already, he was far too dangerous for her peace of mind. Once the knot had been untied, she uttered an involuntary sigh to have the use of her arms and hands again. “Why did you come to see me last night? And don’t tell me for intercourse; you were passed out when my butler found you.”
“A combination of drink, acclimating to being on land, and the fight I’d had with my brother.” He shook his head and stepped backward, dropping the cravats onto the bureau top. “I came because I wanted peace—still need it.”
“No.” Hannah shook her head as she scrambled off the bunk. When her bare feet hit the cold wooden planks, she stumbled but refused his steadying hand. “Try again with a better explanation.”
“That’s part of the problem. Everything about my life has been thrown into confusion, and I…
” He huffed out a breath. “Well, I feel as if I’m drowning.
” He shoved the fingers of one hand through his hair.
“Which is partially why we’re here. On my ship.
” A frown tugged at the corners of his sensual lips.
“You have always been the most intelligent and clever woman I know. There is a certain calm and order about you I remembered—”
“No.” She was quick to interrupt him. “You are yet another man who wants to talk at me, wants me to solve his problems, then you’ll leave without giving me the same courtesy. Frankly, I’ve grown weary of that.”
Both of his shaggy eyebrows rose in surprise. “You give the men you carnally service life advice?”
“Sometimes.” She shrugged, and when his gaze dropped to her breasts, her nipples tightened and she crossed her arms over them.
“Many of my sessions aren’t about sex, Buckthorne.
Men merely want company, to fill a space they don’t have in their lives.
” It was odd at times, but she took the coin, nonetheless.
“Ah.” A heavy silence brewed between them as he stood near the bureau, and she retreated slowly but steadily in the direction of the still open doors. “What do you want from those men? Clearly, you’re searching for something.”
That brought her to a halt. What an interesting question.
No one had ever cared to ask it of her before.
“A distraction? I like hearing about their problems because it allows me to not think about mine, but I miss the give and take from a good conversation where the two participants are invested in each other.”
He slightly tilted his head as he regarded her.
“I can understand that. Suddenly being retired from service means I no longer have my crew as my family. It’s a bit lonely, but I do have my friends at the club.
” As he spoke, he removed his cuffs, collar, and cravat.
They were all thrown toward a comfortable-looking leather chair.
“Why have you never married, then? I’d wager you’d make some man a lovely wife. ”
Heat went through her cheeks, for a variety of reasons. Again, it was a difficult question. “I didn’t want to. No one could ever live up to my imaginings.”
As he shrugged out of his jacket—Lord only knew what he’d done with his greatcoat—she roved her gaze over his shoulders. “You never fell in love with any of those men you invite into your bed?”
“No. Not those men.” The only man she’d ever fallen for had been the one standing in front of her, but she wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“I don’t wish to be close to anyone. I’m too set in my ways and too old to be trained to be a perfect wife or keep a perfect house.
I also don’t want to be a mother to some man’s children so he can continue to chase his vices. ”
“Fair enough. It seems that you’ve given the matter deep thought.”
“How could I not when a woman’s lot in this world is limited?” Since he didn’t answer, she continued. “Why have you not married?”
His waistcoat was the next garment to leave his frame. “I loved the Navy more.”
At least he was truthful. “Do you still?”
“No, but I do miss the sea. There is something magical and mysterious and freeing about being on the open ocean with nothing but the horizon and stars to guide me.”
It sounded beyond wonderful, and she knew a stab of envy because of it. “Will you go back?” Just another reason to not let him close; she had to protect herself.
He toed off his boots, flung them across the cabin. They landed with two heavy thuds. “I don’t know.”
This conversation was going nowhere. “Is that all you would say to me?”
“Well, if you are waiting for an apology, I won’t proffer one, because I’m not.
” Then he tugged his lawn shirt up and off his body, and her fingers itched to touch that fairly bronzed skin.
It hadn’t been properly appreciated by her last night, but then, she had other things on her mind.
“I have a secret; I’m the Duke of Bettington’s true heir. ”
“What?” Everything was forgotten in light of this news. Shock slammed into her, temporarily distracting her from his exquisite form and the tanned skin in the candlelight. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
His shrug was both elegant and roguish. “I didn’t believe it would happen to me this soon, and I refused to give up my naval career for a dukedom.”
“That isn’t how most men would think.”
“I’m not most men.”
Never had a truer word been spoken. In fact, she’d never met anyone like Evan. “What happened to you after you left the Navy?”
The chuckle that left his throat trembled through her chest to further work at awakening her arousal. “I became a privateer for a few years, so I suppose I was still in the Navy, just not in the usual ways.”
One of her eyebrows rose. This was yet another surprise. “A professional pirate?”
His grin brimmed with wickedness. “A bit but with an act of pardon.”
Despite herself and her annoyance with him, she was intrigued, caught up in his words. “It sounds exciting. Do you miss that sort of work?”
“Yes and no.” As he spoke, he prowled toward her. “There were many fights, both on land and sea. I nearly lost my ship once and my crew another time.”
Somehow, he skirted around her, managed to turn her about in a retreat, but when he drifted to the doors, he closed them with a certainty that echoed through the space.
Tremors of anxiety went through her belly, and she kept questioning him as a distraction.
“You killed men.” It wasn’t a question, and he’d already said he had besides.
“If it was required of me, both in the Navy and as a privateer.”
“Oh.” The gentle rocking of the ship became evident once more. How long would it take to acclimate to that movement? As her nerves crawled, she cleared her throat. “What kind of ship is this?”
“A brigantine, or brig for short. Two masts, lightweight and built for speed. I usually keep a crew of twenty or so, depending on what jobs I’ve acquired or where we’re going.
” He shrugged again. “A lighter crew means more room for cargo, and that means bigger profits once it’s taken to its destination. ”
She nodded. “Where is the crew?”
“Who knows? Home, scattered about England? This ship will be in dry dock for six months for repairs and mending the sails. They have lives to get on with.”
“But—”
“No more questions, Anna.” Closer he came to her until the space separating them vanished. The heat of him called out to her, and she tried to resist. “I didn’t bring you here for talking tonight.”
The note of command in his voice both excited but terrified her, and what she might do with him or feel while lost in that. “What… uh, why did you bring me here? I thought you wished for conversation.”
“I do, but that can happen later.” When he shot out a hand and gripped her upper arm then slowly tugged her toward him, she shook her head.
“Take me home.”
“I can’t do that, for I am not nearly done with you.” Then she was in his arms, and his lips were on his, kissing her with intensity and conviction.