Elusive Hope (32 page)

Hayden groaned and dropped to the deck. Magnolia screamed. The pirate captain rubbed his neck, spit on Hayden, and headed for her. Clutching the bottle to her chest, she backed away, but a thick wardrobe blocked her retreat.

A slow predatory grin lifted the captain’s lips.“Sorry for
interrupção
, amor.”

The grin vanished. Shock sparked in his eyes before he toppled like a felled tree. He struck the deck, and the ship seemed to tremble with the impact. Releasing his grip on the pirate’s ankles, Hayden pounced on top of him and landed a punch to his face. The captain growled like a bear, clutched Hayden’s throat, and tossed him aside. Both men leapt to their feet.

Captain Ricu slammed a fist across Hayden’s jaw. The impact spun him around, squirting a circle of blood through the air. Magnolia shrieked and started toward him. Wiping blood from his mouth, Hayden glared at the pirate.

“Is the woman worth your death, Capitão?” Hayden’s voice held the sarcasm of victory.

Captain Ricu’s chuckle defied the fear racing across his eyes. “Is she worth yours,
idiota?”

Hayden charged the pirate, landing blow after blow against his jaw and into his belly. Groaning, Captain Ricu raised his hands to block the assault. By his size and ruthlessness alone, he should have had the advantage over Hayden, yet it was Hayden who now had the pirate’s back pinned on his desk, a stranglehold once again on his throat.

The pirate coughed and sputtered as his hands groped over the surface, knocking over quill pens and trinkets. He found his pistol. Magnolia tried to scream, but her throat slammed shut.

The pirate leveled the barrel at Hayden’s head as the sound of the weapon cocking echoed in the room. Hayden froze. Releasing the beast, he stood and backed away.

Captain Ricu, one hand on his throat, one hand on his pistol, got up from the desk as a victorious grin played on his lips. “Any last words,
imbecil?”

C
HAPTER
26

M
agnolia’s heart beat so hard, her chest hurt. Without so much as a thought, she charged toward the pirate and slammed the bottle of port atop his head. Shards of glass and maroon liquid sprayed over her, and for a moment, she thought her assault had no effect, for the man simply stood there, unmoving. But finally, his shoulders drooped, his breath escaped in an eerie moan, and he slumped to the deck, striking Magnolia with his arm in the process.

She fell backward and landed on the mattress, the severed bottle neck in her hand. Tossing it aside, she tried to settle her breathing.

Boots crunched over broken glass and a strong, bloodied hand appeared in her vision. She gazed up to see Hayden, looking more like a pirate than a gentleman, grinning at her. He winked. “I’ve come to rescue you, fair maiden.”

She gripped his hand. Warm, strong fingers curled around hers and lifted her from her seat, pulling her into an embrace that sent ripples through her belly.

“Your stitches!” She shrieked, pulling back and staring at the red blotches on his shirt.

“They’re fine. Eliza saw to them.” He glanced at his arm and shrugged. “Just bleeding a little.”

She fell into him. “I didn’t think you were coming.” All the tension, the fear, released in a shuddering sob.

He kissed her forehead, took her face in his hands, and locked his eyes upon her. “I will always come for you, Princess.”

Emotion clogged in her throat as she searched those eyes for any hint of insincerity, any hint that he was playing her for some selfish purpose. What she saw there instead caused more tears to fall. This time, tears of joy.

She ran a hand over his jaw, still red from the pirate’s strike. “Have a care, Hayden, or a lady might think you seek something more serious than passionate kisses.”

“And what if I did?” His lips quirked into a smile as he wiped moisture from her face.“Would the lady be agreeable to such a notion?”

The words shot straight from her heart, past her good reason, past her care for Samuel Wimberly, past her parents’ approval, and spilled from her lips. “The lady would.”

Hayden’s wide smile sent her head spinning, and he drew her into his arms again, barricading her with his strength.

Reminding her of their precarious situation.

She tugged from his grip, her gaze snapping to the open door. “The pirates! How will we get past them?” Oddly, however, the ship had grown silent.

He smiled. “Don’t worry about them.” He took her hand and assisted her over Captain Ricu’s prostrate form. “I expect they’ll be unconscious for several hours. Thank you, by the way, for knocking this particular one out.”

“Well, I couldn’t very well let him shoot you, now, could I?” She gave a coy smile. “Even though you do look like a pirate, yourself.”

He led her up onto the main deck. “As it turns out, the other pirates were of the same opinion. There were so many of them aboard the ship, they didn’t even realize I was not one of them.”

Even in the dim moonlight, Magnolia could make out bodies strewn about the deck in various poses as if they’d dropped in the middle of their revelry. If not for the loud snoring, she would have thought them dead. “Did you drug them?”

“Only with pinga.” Hayden took her hand and assisted her over the fallen fiends. “Turns out Thiago had made a particularly potent batch. And lots of it. After bringing it on board, it was only a matter of persuading the pirates to overindulge.” They reached the railing. He chuckled. “As easy as convincing babies to drink their mother’s milk.” A salty breeze and the sounds of waves lapping against the hull greeted them. Hayden stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. “Of course, once I saw the captain go below, I knew I didn’t have much time.”

All of her worries, all of her fears had been for naught. She fell against him, never wanting to leave his side. “Why aren’t you as besotted as they?”

“I only pretended to drink. The more inebriated they became, the easier it was to fool them.” He stroked her hair.

A moist thud sounded from below. Hayden leaned over the railing. “Ahoy there.”

“Ahoy,” a muffled yet familiar voice drifted up from the water. “Ready here.”

Grabbing the rope ladder, Hayden leapt over the railing and assisted her onto the bulwarks. Then side by side, he helped her clamber down the shifting cord to the waiting boat. She really was going to have to get rid of this crinoline! Wobbling, she crawled to take a seat beside Colonel Blake, who smiled her way. James sat at the bow, lantern in hand.

“A rescue party. I am very grateful, gentlemen.”

“We had fun,” James said.

Hayden grabbed an oar and shoved off from the hull then hooked it in the oarlock.

Magnolia’s gaze swept up the massive ship that seemed like an impenetrable mountain rising from the sea. “But won’t the pirates simply come back ashore when they wake up?” Even now, dawn’s glow curled over the horizon.

“We cut the anchor chain.” Hayden grunted as he plunged the oar through water. “Good thing the ship is old and it was made of hemp.”

“Then we tied it around the rudder,” James added with a chuckle.

Magnolia gazed back at the
Espoliar
already drifting out to sea with the morning tide.

Leaning forward, Blake heaved his oar, propelling them through water that purled against the tiny craft with gurgles and splashes. “By the time they wake up, they’ll be far away and have no way to steer.”

An incoming wave struck the boat and Magnolia held onto the thwarts. “But they’ll fix it, of course.”

“Eventually, but by then, hopefully they’ll have moved on to other conquests.”

“I suppose Dodd may be right about his gold,” James said, “if these pirates are so intent on finding it.”

Blake sighed. “Perhaps. Many a foolish man has wasted his life searching for buried treasure that is never found.”

“What happens if they do return?” Magnolia asked, dreading another encounter with Captain Armando Manuel Ricu.

The boat struck sand and Blake hopped into the shallow waves. “Then we’ll be ready for them.”

Propriety tossed to the wind, along with the fear of Mr. Scott’s inevitable protests, Hayden flung an arm around Magnolia’s shoulders and drew her close as they walked back to New Hope. She leaned her head on his chest and snuggled beside him, causing his heart to leap. Was it possible she returned his feelings? Was it possible she loved him and not that ninny of a solicitor back home? From the look in her eyes, he could see no other possibility.

Yet, now as the sun peeked over the horizon and unrolled its golden fingers over the landscape, Hayden knew he’d have to release her to her parents. He hoped they had missed her enough to forgive her for running away. He hoped they’d be kind, but when he saw them standing before their hut, his hopes vanished.

“Unhand her this minute, you officious reprobate!” Mr. Scott stormed toward Hayden, his jowls quivering.

“Papa!” Magnolia clung tighter to Hayden, but he pried her fingers loose and nudged her forward. Though Hayden would love nothing more than to get into a tussle with the man, it wouldn’t be proper. And he was just too tired.

“This officious reprobate just rescued me from being ravished by a band of pirates!”

Her mother gasped in horror and drew Magnolia into her arms.

“Yes, yes, I knew he would.” Mr. Scott waved the comment away. “Especially with the colonel’s help.”

“I assure you, sir,” Blake said as he approached. “It was Hayden who risked his life.”

“Oh, dearest,” Mrs. Scott blubbered. “I’m so happy to see you. The pirates didn’t harm you, did they?” She ran her hands over Magnolia’s face and arms.

“I’m all right, Mother. Thanks to Hayden.”

“But why did you leave us in the first place?” her mother continued, her lip quivering. “We were so worried. We sent a scout after you, but he hasn’t returned.”

Magnolia exchanged a glance with Hayden. “We saw no sign of anyone. I hope he didn’t fall into trouble.”

“Indeed.” Blake’s tone bore concern. “I’ll send a few men to search for him.”

Mr. Scott snorted. “I wouldn’t bother. He’s, no doubt, as much of a liar as this man.”

“Papa, Hayden rescued me. Saved my life more than once. And he took good care of me these past two weeks.”

But Hayden doubted the man heard her. Instead, he held up a lantern and stared in disgust at the stains on her dress and the dirty hair dangling about her shoulders. “He also stole you away.”

“I ran away, Papa. He had nothing to do with that.”

He shifted malevolent eyes to Hayden. “But I’m sure he took advantage of the situation.”

Hayden’s jaw began to twitch. “I return her to you, sir, pure and unscathed. Otherwise she would be on a ship bound for the States.”

“Humph.”Mr. Scott grabbed Magnolia’s elbow, turned, and headed toward the door of their hut. “Her reputation is ruined. Completely ruined. Now, no one will have her.”

Mrs. Scott blithely followed them inside.

Hayden hung his head and whispered into the wind. “
I
will have her.”

C
HAPTER
27

T
wo nights later, something startled James out of his sleep. Tossing a shirt over his head, he grabbed his pistol and darted out of the hut. He was sure he’d heard a woman’s scream. It sounded like Sarah, the teacher, whose hut was next door to his. Stumbling in the dark, he spotted a man holding a woman in a tight embrace.

“What is the meaning of this?” He shoved the man aside. Patches of moonlight shifted over his face.

“Thiago, what on earth are you doing? Explain yourself at once.”

Blake and Eliza appeared out of the shadows, their hair askew and concern lining their expressions. Several colonists followed in their wake, carrying torches and rubbing eyes filled with alarm.

“I do nothing.” Thiago’s expression was defiant.

“Then why was she—?”

“James, no.” Sarah stepped between the men. “Thiago was helping me. I had a terrifying dream…a vision…” She pressed a hand to her forehead, stumbled, and seemed to melt before their eyes. Thiago captured her in his arms then gently set her down on a stool and knelt beside her.

The tender display caused emotion to rise in James’s throat. He hadn’t realized that a bond had formed between the teacher and the Brazilian guide.

“I hear her scream,”Thiago said.“I come running. She is frightened, trembling. All I do is hold her.”

Some of the colonists moaned and shuffled back to their beds.

James retreated. “Forgive me, Thiago. I thought…it looked like. Well, never mind.”

Colonel Blake shifted his weight. “It seems to be a night for dreams.”

“You too?” James said. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Angeline heading toward the group, eyes puffy with sleep and russet hair spilling down her back.

“Yes.” Blake swung an arm around his wife and drew her close. “A nightmare about the war. I haven’t had one of those in quite some time.”

“I’ve been having dreams as well.” James sighed. “Events from my past. Odd.”