Capturing the Pirate's Heart (The Emerald Quest Book 1) (14 page)

“Captain, Captain!” Jake’s shrill cry reached Sébastien as he
dipped a cloth into the barrel of fresh water on the lower deck to dab his
shoulder. His wound was not serious but needed cleansing before he put his
shirt on and went below deck to check on Madeleine. He turned quickly at the
distress in the lad’s voice as he jumped from the top of the ladder at the
hatch. As Jake ran down to Sébastien, two figures emerged from the hatch and
slipped into the shadows behind the wheelhouse. Sébastien frowned and dropped
the cloth, grabbing the boy by his shoulders.

“What is it?”

“Captain, you must come quickly.
Miss Madeleine is missing and there is an intruder in your cabin.” Jake’s eyes
were wide and his voice shook. He bent double taking deep breaths.

All of Sébastien’s worst
nightmares came to the forefront of his thoughts as he threw the cloth to the
deck and ran for the ladder. He paused and put his hand to his eyes before he
stepped through the hatch; he could just make out the billowing sails of the
Ann
Marie
on the horizon. If they had to give chase, he took note of the
direction but for the life of him he could not imagine how they could have
gotten Madeleine onto the trader without him noticing.

Hurrying down the ladder, he
paused at the bottom and put his fingers up to his lips, indicating for Jake to
be silent. Slowly and quietly, he made his way to the cabin and stepped thought
the open door. He looked around; the lamp from the table beside the bed was in
pieces on the floor, yet the lamp on the table was burning brightly. All was
quiet; the room was empty and apart from the broken lamp all looked as it
should. There was no sign of anyone in the cabin. He circled around and checked
the alcove in the hull, praying that Madeleine was in there, but when he lifted
the curtain, the small space was empty and the blanket was folded neatly.

Guilt swamped through him. It
had happened again; he had lost a woman. An innocent young woman who had asked
for nothing more than to be free of her tyrannical uncle. In that instant,
Sébastien realized that if he found Madeleine, he would not be turning her over
to that devil dodger.

Please God, if he found her
safely, he would find a safe place for her in New Orleans. Surely the
governor’s wife would know of a family she could board with until he sorted out
her future. Putting his fingers to his lips once more, he indicated to Jake to
remain quiet as Sébastien approached the curtained privy at the other end of
the large cabin. He stepped back and slowly opened the curtain, half-expecting
the intruder to be hiding in there.

But it was empty like the rest
of the cabin.

His shoulders slumped and he
beckoned Jake into the room. “Tell me exactly what happened, Jake. What did you
see? Did you see them take Miss Madeleine?” Even as Sébastien spoke he realized
that they would not have had time to get her from below by the time Jake had
summoned him on the upper deck.

“There was only one man and he—”

“I’m in here.” A small voice
interrupted Jake’s explanation and Sébastien whirled around.

“Madeleine?”

“Yes.” The reply came from low
in the cabin.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the privy and it is most
unpleasant.” Her voice was more confident now. “Can you get my slippers
please?”

“Your slippers?”

“Yes, your ship steering skills
leave a lot to be desired. The floor is littered with broken china. I need my
slippers please.”

Sébastien opened the curtain
once more and the light from the lamp reflected on the broken blue and white
shards of the pitcher and bowl that had once graced the cupboard in the privy.
She was not in there.

“Where the deuce are you?” The
top of Jake’s head brushed his elbow as he peered around Sébastien into the
seemingly empty space.

“I’m behind the privy and it’s
not very pleasant.”

Utter relief coursed through
Sébastien and he burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny. I think I’m
stuck.”

“Jake, pass me the lamp, please
and see if you can find Miss Madeleine’s slippers.” Sébastien fought back the
laughter that threatened to break out once more. He knew it was more from
relief that she was alive and safe rather than her current predicament.

“Here you are, Captain.” Jake
held the lamp high and passed him a pair of wooden-soled silk slippers laced up
with colorful ribbons on each side.

“Would you like me to unlace
your shoes before I pass them in?”

“Yes, please.” For the first
time, Madeleine’s voice was meek.

It only took Sébastien a few
minutes to unlace the slippers and pass them in, and then for Madeleine to
emerge bottom-first from the narrow space. He placed his hands firmly on either
side of her skirts and guided her out, trying to ignore the pleasure of holding
her.

She straightened and nodded with
an almost regal incline of her head. “Thank you.”

“What’s wrong with your foot?”
Sébastien watched as Madeleine reached down and slipped off one of her shoes
before she hobbled over to the bed.

“I stood on a broken shard when
I was hiding.”

She looked back at him and her
eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with your shoulder? You’re bleeding, too.”

Sébastien put his hand over the
small wound on his shoulder. “Just a small flesh wound. Nothing to worry
about.”

Jake hovered by the door and
Sébastien smiled at him. “Lad, would you please go above deck and bring down a
pitcher of fresh water. Mr. Abrahams will show you where it is.”

Jake hurried off, looking
pleased to be trusted with a task for the captain. Sébastien crossed to the
chest at the end of the bed and opened the lid to survey the contents. He
reached in and lifted a handful of fabric as he searched for a suitable cloth
to use to wash Madeleine’s foot when Jake returned.

“So tell me—” he kept his voice
light “—do you know why the scoundrel was in my cabin and what he was looking
for?”

Madeleine raised her head and
met his gaze squarely. Her eyes locked with his and a strange feeling shot
through Sébastien. It was more than relief that she was unharmed; it was more
of a deep connection that linked them together. A shared concern for the
other’s safety and a quiet satisfaction in each other’s presence filled the
silence, something that he had never experienced before. He dropped the lid of
the chest and crossed to the bed where Madeleine was sitting, her eyes still on
him. Carefully placing the cloths on the bed, he sat beside her and looked down
at her hands, held still in her lap. He let his gaze travel up her arms, her
bare skin glowing softly in the lamp light.

“I would never have forgiven
myself if anything had happened to you. I should have left someone down here
with you to ensure your safety.”

Her chin lifted a little. “I was
able to look after myself, Captain. I told you I was capable of that.”

Sébastien reached down and
picked up one of her hands and held it between his. “Yes, you did. You are a
very brave and determined young woman.”

As he spoke, he realized that
Madeleine was very different to Lisette. As well as being willing to look after
herself, her concern for others was clear to see. Even as the thought crossed
his mind, she lifted her free hand and touched his shoulder.

“You have more than a small
wound. It needs attention. Will you let me take care of it for you?”

Her voice was soft and he raised
his head and chanced a look at her face. Her eyes held his as her soft fingers
stayed on his shoulder.

“We are a fine pair, Sébastien.”

“That we are, Madeleine.” The
temptation of her expression defeated his good intentions. He lowered his head
and claimed her mouth before she had even closed her lips. It was impossible
not to. Her lips clung to his and a small moan escaped her. Sébastien held her
hand against his chest, certain she could feel his heart racing. She pulled her
hand from his and splayed her fingers against his chest. A shiver of excitement
rippled through Sébastien as her tongue tentatively sought his. He increased
the pressure of his lips as her soft mouth welcomed him, and slowly and gently
he pushed her back onto the bed. Reaching down, he gently slid his hand along
her thigh and the fabric of his breeches strained against his erection as she
lifted herself to push herself against his hand.

Dropping his hand lower, he
encountered bare skin and ran his fingers along her knee and slowly up her
silky thigh.

Another moan escaped her lips
and as she pulled her mouth from his, a measure of sanity returned to him.

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to
frighten you.” He sat up and dropped his head into his hands.

“Don’t be sorry. There is no
need.”

He risked a glance at Madeleine
and then immediately wished he hadn’t. Her lips were full and red, and her
cheeks were rosy, but it was the slumberous desire in her eyes that echoed in
her words.

“I was simply afraid that Jake
would come back…and I would have been embarrassed for him to see me like that.”
She pulled her skirt down where it had slid up her thigh and Sébastien clenched
his fingers so he did not touch her again.

“And Sébastien?” He raised his
eyes to hers. “I was not afraid. Perhaps we can explore—”

She stopped speaking as the
sound of Jake’s feet hitting the floor at the bottom of the ladder reached them
only seconds before he pushed the door open.

Good Christ.
If she hadn’t pulled back, he
would have been on top of her by now, exploring the satiny skin beneath his
fingers, ravishing her.

An innocent…and a virgin. He was
sure of that.

What had she been going to say?
Perhaps
we can explore what?
Maybe she was not as innocent as he thought? All he
knew was that whenever he was near her, he could not think with a clear head.

“Captain.” Jake opened the door
and carefully held out a pitcher of water and then awaited instructions from
the captain.

“I am sure Mr. Abrahams is in
need of help now that we have lost some of our crew.” He walked to the door to
Jake and lowered his voice. “Please tell Mr. Abrahams that I will be resting. .
.and Jake?”

“Yes, Captain?

“Please ask him to keep a close
eye on the new crew members. I may be wrong but I suspect that they may be in
league with the man who attacked Miss Madeleine the other day.”

“Yes, sir. Is there anything
else?”

“No, Jake…I will call you if I
need anything else.” The lad looked up at him and then across at Madeleine who
was sitting up on the bed, her foot hanging over the edge.

“Is Miss Madeleine all right?”

“Yes, lad, that she is and I
thank you for your loyalty. You shall be rewarded once we get to shore.”

Jake shook his head as he
stepped to the door. “There is no need for reward, sir. It is a part of my
duty…and a part of my friendship with Miss Madeleine.

“Then you are a true friend
indeed.”

Sébastien closed the door and
dropped the latch before he turned slowly to face Madeleine, his gut churning
with uncertainty. How could a mere slip of a girl create these feelings of
confusion? Anger flared in his chest.

By God, I’m the captain of this
vessel and I will begin to act like one, not like some love struck young fool.
Not again.

***

Sébastien stood by the door
holding the pitcher of water that Jake had delivered, and sympathy shot through
Madeleine when she saw his grim expression. As he caught her eye, he dropped
his eyes, avoiding her intent examination.

Confidence and trust filled her
as she watched him but he walked across to the table and put the pitcher down
without looking back at her. He straightened his shoulders and looked at her,
his face unsmiling.

“I will attend to your foot and
then we will talk about what happened.”

“When Jake interrupted?”

“No.” His jaw was set and his
voice terse. He shot her a glance as he dipped one of the cloths into the
pitcher of water before walking over to where she sat.

He looked at the bed as though
it were a snake about to strike him and Madeleine smothered a smile as a surge
of feminine power filled her chest. Despite keeping his face set, he was not in
control; even with her lack of experience she knew that. A pulse ticked in his
cheek and her instinct told her he was as unsettled in her company as she was
in his.

“We will talk about what
happened before you hid in the privy.”

How much can I tell him?
Madeleine knew only too well
what those two crewmen had been searching for, but still she was unsure of how
much to tell Sébastien.

Can I trust him?
Can I tell him why I need to
find Aunt Josephine’s house? Or is he not really who I think he is? She
swallowed and decided to tell him the bare bones of her story if he asked
again.