His to Hold (Regency Scoundrels Book 1) (22 page)

“Aye, it’s been done. They are scrambling for action. What about
The Lady’s Warrior
? Shall we protect them as well?”

“Most certainly. The Countess is a personal friend of mine. I don’t think my mother would be overly happy if I allowed anything to happen to her goddaughter. Splendid. Now allow me to get back to my woman. I must convince her to stay down below while the fighting is going on.”

“Do you think that’s very wise? Miss Elizabeth has never been overly accommodating in following your wishes before. She comes from stubborn stock that one does. I would wager that most of her unbending ways come from her mother’s side of the family.” Ethan stopped mid-step, and threw him a doubting frown.

“Duly noted, old man.” He stared at Ethan, and puckered his lips into a frown. The man was treading a fine line with his intimated remark, but Mallory would let it pass for their good friendship allowed for a certain amount of leeway. Besides, Mallory and Elizabeth were distant cousins at best. “If I keep her in her cabin, I shall have the peace of mind of knowing that she is safe. During a heated battle, I do not want to worry about having a woman underfoot.”

“Have it your way, then. Who am I to argue with a duke and a prince of a pirate? I should have my head examined for doing such an absurd thing.” He bounded up the companionway, and left Mallory with his own unsettled thoughts.

Elizabeth would never leave him. She was his, forever and always. But what would he do if she did manage to escape him? He would go mad that is what he would do. Opening the cabin door, he walked in as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

Elizabeth was slowly losing her mind. She paced the length of the cabin for about the thousandth time, and stopped when she heard the door open. Whirling about, she served Mallory with a cunning stare.

“I would like a sword or a cutlass, or whatever the hell that sharp thing is that you carry.”

“Good morrow, to you to,” he mumbled, reaching inside of his pocket for a letter. He handed it to her and then strode over to his writing desk.

“I have no need of such a letter,” she muttered, staring down at it quizzically.

“Keep it. You may find the information that it contains to come in handy someday. Especially if I do not make it out of this fight alive.” Silence blanketed the room, before Elizabeth rushed over to him and pulled him around to face him.

Had the man taken leave of his senses? Whatever possessed him to say such horrendous things?

“Stop this at once!” she shouted, stamping her foot. “I will not hear of your death. You handle yourself quite well in a fight.”

“There are uncertainties when it comes to the type of fight that we are facing.”

“Uncertainties?” she laughed, but it sounded hollow and bitter to her ears. “Of course there are uncertainties. Some poor bastards are going to lose their lives this day. Hell, we could be those poor bastards!”

“I don’t want you to be one of those poor bastards. That is why you must promise me you will stay down here where it is safe. I shall post two guards outside of your door.”

“And what if the guards are overpowered?” she snorted. “Blister it! You listen to me, Mallory,” she said, striding up to him, and poking him on the chest. “I shall not allow myself to put my trust in others.”

“I will make sure that you do not have to worry about being ruthlessly killed. The fighting shall remain above deck.”

“You stupid pillock!” she spat out. “Here I stand, telling you I wish to fight, and yet you are being implacable with me.”

“I only have concern for your safety.” He made to put his arms around her, but she pulled away from him, and served him with a foul stare.

“You shall not placate me that easily. I have always been a woman of my own making. Why do you think that I distance myself from my father so much?”

“Just this once, can you not give me the ability to have my heart at rest?”

She bunched her hands into fists, and stared up at him through lowered lashes. She would not let him leave her behind. If he were out of her sights, she would not be able to warn him of any impending danger. Thinking on her feet, she approached him, by plastering the best pout on her face that she could muster.

“You say that you love and adore me, and yet you will not allow me to fight by your side as your equal. Tell me, Mallory, am I your equal?”

“Aye, I would say that you are. Though I would warrant I could lift a few more stones that you can.”

“That goes without saying. But in this relationship, do you view me as your equal?” Everything hinged on the answer to this one pivotal question.

“Certainly.” His voice sounded sincere and his face relayed no other sentiment to her.

“That is good, then. I shall have you know that I have been trained in the ways of combat.”

“Not in this type of combat. There are no rules of honour here, my dear. The Royal Navy has rules of engagement and rules of war, but here on the open seas with no law around us, we pirates fight of our own code. And the code is every man for himself. There will be dirty fighting of that much you can be sure.

“Most of these pirates that we shall go up against are the lowest of the lows. They only know the power of destruction. They will do anything to take over these ships, and the cargo and people that they hold. Why do you think women do not travel with me on a regular occasion?

“Our life is a hard, and sometimes a terrible one. I have seen things that would make your hair stand on end. I am not willing to have you at the mercy of Antonio again. Because this time there will be no escape for you. If we do not win this battle, all hope will be lost.”

“Then, I would rather die fighting.” She stared up at him, and ran her hands over his chest. “Just because I am not built like you, does not mean I do not have fire in my heart and in my eyes. I swear to you that I shall give each and every pirate that boards this ship one hell of a run for their money.”

“I do believe that you would, my dear Elizabeth. But it is out of the question. You stay here. That is that. No room for any other form of discussion. You shall stay in here with Charles and with Seamus.”

“Charles?” Her mind reeled, as she tried to comprehend what he’d just said. “But that is the most foolish thing that I have ever heard you say. You cannot be actually considering keeping Charles? You said yourself that he was not your boy. If Phillip…I mean Antonio, knows that he is onboard this ship, he will be in a towering rage until he gets him back.”

“Men like Antonio do not care about their children. Especially when those children are illegitimate ones.”

“Ah, but I disagree. I know for a reason that Antonio will want Charles back.”

“If we give him Charles, the boy will grow up to be a tyrant like his father, and like his father, he will haunt me until the end of my days.”

“Pray, do let Charles go back to his father and mother.”

“How is the boy feeling now? Has the fever lessened?”

“Aye, it was almost gone when we left, and um…came here,” she coughed, and averted her gaze from his smoldering one.

“Lying with you is truly one of the most glorious pleasures I have ever experienced. When I am with you, I swear that I have died and gone to heaven.”

“Yes, well, if you keep Charles away from Antonio, the man might just oblige you.”

“Would you in good conscience be able to allow that boy to go back to a certified monster like that? Be serious, Elizabeth, I know you would not.”

“If he were my son, I would protect him with my last breath.”

“That is just what I want to hear, for I do believe you shall make a fine mother. Namely, a fine mother of
my
children.”

Her breath lodged in her throat, and she had to gasp for breath. This could not be how it was going to end. If they made it out of this battle alive, she would leave Rafe or Mallory, or whoever the hell he was, as soon as they reached England.

She’d had quite enough of double identities, and pasts unknown. She wanted to go back to living her own life. If necessary, she would give Mallory the money that he required, but after that, she’d wash her hands of him.

“If I can’t dissuade you,” she said, as the sound of drums filled her ears. It was odd hearing drums being played on a pirate ship, but she supposed it was in homage to his days as a Royal Navy man. “Then I shall like to take a little something of you to remember. As you said, the fighting shall be close, and if you were to meet your maker, I would want you to die a happy man.” He had underestimated her. She was a clever woman, and she was going to curl him around her pinky finger.

“Of course, I would be more than happy to oblige your request.” He swept her off of her feet, and she let out a delighted sigh despite herself. She roamed her hands over the ripple of his taunt muscles. She did love him, but she would not tell him that again until she knew who he really was.

Their kiss was hot long and tortured. And had they the time, she knew that it would have escalated into something that would have left her exhausted. “Do you have a knife that I may use?”

“For what?” he asked, even though he was producing one from his belt.

“To take a lock of your hair as a token of our love. I have not one keepsake from you, and you are my love.”

“Might I remind you,” he started, as she took a lock of hair. “I don’t have one keepsake of yours, either.”

Looking around the cabin, her eyes rested on her jewelry case. She ran over to it and lifted the lid. Lying inside, was a sparkling ruby and diamond ring that her mother had given her when right before she’d died. It had proved lucky on numerous occasions, and she felt as if he would require all of the possible luck on his side. The cabin shook as the cannons roared. And so it had begun.

She slipped it into his opened palm. He puckered his lips into a thoughtful frown. “I do not want to disappoint you, my dearest, but this will not fit me.”

“I know that, you silly man,” she laughed, and then sobered when the sound of more cannon fire filled her ears. “It is a good luck charm.” He stared at her for a few silent moments, and then slipped it into his pocket.

“In that case, I shall forever cherish it, just as I shall always cherish you.” Her heart stopped. It was just too full of love for him. What would she do if he were blown to bits? Melancholy almost took a hold of her. Stepping forward, she pulled him toward her.

“You just make sure that you come back to me, Mallory.”

“I shall.” He smiled down at her, and then touched her cheek reverently. “We shall have a grand life.” He brushed his lips against hers, and then he turned to leave.

“Aye,” she whispered. “One of us will.” He walked out the door, and she burst into action, before he sent Charles and Seamus to her cabin. She had a scant few moments, but it would be all that she would need.

Mallory emerged onto the quarterdeck and stared across at the approaching ship.

“Fire cannons on my command,” he cried, as his crew stared at him for guidance.

“Captain, we will get the bastard this time,” Ethan shouted. Nodding their agreement, the other man roared out a cheer. He had nothing to worry about. His men would do well by him. He noticed Ethan draw in a chattering breath.

“Are you cold, Ethan?” he asked, reaching to take off his greatcoat.

“Do not fret so, Rafe, it is nothing. I shall be fine. I always find I am chilly right before a battle.”

“Take my coat, you foolish man. I’m not feeling the chill that’s prevalent in the air.”

Ethan stared at him for a few moments, and then reached to take the greatcoat he extended toward him. “I thank you, my friend. I do need to buy myself a new coat once we reach London.”

“Aye. That you do. I’ll even be able to give you the money once I wed Elizabeth.”

“That will be a blessed day. However, I pray that you will never come to rue the day that the two of you first met.”

“That day was the best day of my life.” He could see the ship was almost in range. Soon, they would have good clean shots. He just needed to wait.

“Fire!” he shouted.

The cannons roared to life, and they had the satisfaction of having several direct hits. Around them, his other ships were also involved in the fray of battle.

The Warrior’s Lady
was keeping a safe distance, obviously realizing they could neither make a run for it, nor fight. So they were trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. But eventually, Antonio would get around to shooting them out of the water as well.

Antonio had been plotting this particular day for many years. He had met him during the war when the Spaniard had been allied with the French. Antonio had not taken too well to being put into an English prison, and Mallory knew that Antonio’s grudge against him would never die, until that is, one of them did.

He said a silent prayer to God, and then brushed his fingers against the St. Martin cross. If he needed any divine intervention, it would be on this day. Acrid smoke filled the air, as gunshots fired off.

Mallory was nearly thrown off of his feet when
The Destroyer
rammed
The Valiant
.

“Good God!” he muttered, trying to regain his bearings. The cannons would only be able to fire one more time, and then the hand-to-hand combat would begin.

He heard Ethan’s shouted warning, a moment too late. Brandishing his pistol in one hand, and his cutlass in the other, he turned just in time to see Antonio leveling his pistol at him.

“Oh, bloody hell,” he muttered.

He tried to move out of the way, but Antonio had already pulled the trigger. His eyes watered as a burning sensation struck his left cheek. Blinking against the blurriness that was quickly consuming his vision, he swore again, and wiped his hand over his cheek. Blood oozed over his gloves.

Obviously, he had been nicked quite well and good by Antonio’s damn pistol. Captain Blood would pay for this transgression against him.

Lunging into battle, he lifted his cutlass to block a strike served by one of Antonio’s men. He quickly shot his pistol and as a man hit him from behind, he lost his grip on it and went clattering across the deck. He turned to engage the man who had almost knocked him down, and made short work of him.

Jeers of the mingled men filled the air. This was going to be one hell of a close fight. He had not recalled anything quite so brutal since his days in the war. Now, more than ever, he was happy that Elizabeth was safely stored away down below.

*****

“What are you doing?” Charles asked. He bobbed up and down on the bed, looking every inch his own age.

“I am preparing myself for battle,” she muttered, continuing to rummage inside of her trunk. She knew that she had it hidden somewhere, but she couldn’t remember how to trigger the secret compartment it was hidden in. It had been her ace in the hole, and something she’d been concealing from Mallory for this whole voyage.

“You are a very reckless and foolish bird,” he decided out loud.

She nearly hit her head on the lid of her trunk at the sound of her cabin door opening. Craning her neck around, she sighed with relief when she saw that it was only Seamus.

“Oh, my dear Miss Elizabeth. Why are you wearing that awful get-up again?”

“Because the skirt of my dress shall only hamper me when I’m fighting.”

“I don’t think I heard that. I definitely didn’t hear that. Yes, indeed, it fell on deaf ears,” Seamus muttered, walking heavily over toward her. “The Captain told me that you were supposed to stay out of the fighting this time around, and I have to say that I agree with him. Battles are no place for a lady.”

“Well,” she said, her voice muffled, “you and the Captain are mistaken.”

“Mistaken, my arse! Miss Elizabeth, you are as stubborn as a mule.” He stood looming over her, successfully blocking out the light.

“Would you be so kind as to move a few steps to the right?” she asked. She had to find it. She already wore her custom made trousers, and white linen shirt. She’d tied a scarf around her plaited hair to shield her head from the sun. Now all she needed was the last items she searched for. She didn’t care if women weren’t supposed to wear trousers, fighting in a dress would be too damn hard. Where were they? They had to be in here somewhere!

“I think that we should go up there and fight,” Charles pronounced, bounding off of the bed, and racing over to them. “Me ma needs to be taught a lesson. She needs to be given a proper thrashing.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, she stared up at Charles. He really was a cute little boy. Why with the dirt washed off of his face and clean clothes, he seemed almost normal.

He was still quite pale, but his eyes were filled with an effervescent light, and the fever had passed. He was actually quite a wonder. She had never seen anyone recover so quickly in all of her life.

“Did she truly treat you that badly?” She continued to dig deeper into her chest, not quite believing how much clothing she owned. Perhaps she was a little too pampered.

“She beat me,” Charles admitted.

Elizabeth let out a shocked gasp of horror, and Seamus said something that definitely could not be repeated in polite company.

“Did she tell you that Captain Morgan was your father?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

“She told me to pretend that he was. But I know who my real Da is. And I don’t like him too much either. He’s even crueler than me own Ma.”

Mallory had been right. The child could not be relinquished to his parents. They were both rotten to the very core.

“You won’t make me go back to them, will you, miss?”

Leaning back, she adamantly shook her head. “That is most certainly out of the question now. “You may rest easy, Charles. I will not allow you to go back to Chastity.”

“Oh, good. That’s what I wanted to hear. By the by, if you’re looking for the two hand pistols you had stored in there, I put them in your desk.”

She gawked and shook her head in disbelief. “Don’t you know that it isn’t polite to go searching through a lady’s belongings?”

“Don’t get yourself wound in a knot, miss. I didn’t find nothing I wanted to use anyhow. But I thought the pistols might be useful to me so I moved them.”

“Why you little scamp,” she muttered, standing up, and brushing her trousers off.

“You can’t seriously be considering going up there,” Seamus muttered, pulling out a hard biscuit. She stared at him incredulously.

“Of course I’m going up there. And however can you think of eating at a time like this?”

“I get hungry when I am nervous,” Seamus mumbled, chomping into it. “But I won’t let you pass this time.” He moved to block her way. “I made a promise to the Captain, and seeing as you are the woman he loves, I intend to keep that promise.”

“If you don’t move old man, I’ll crack your skull.” She smiled demurely at him, and he cocked his head to the side.

“Well, I would rather not stay here. A boy could drown down here if the ship took a direct hit,” Charles said.

Folding her arms across her chest, she inclined her head to the side. “Out of the mouths of babes.”

“I’m not a baby,” Charles said huffily, coming to stand beside her. She rested her hand on her shoulder, and then stared sternly down at him.

“You, my boy, are not going anywhere. You are still too weak.”

“I am made of stern stuff. I’ve seen me way through me ma’s beatings. I can see my way through a battle, fought by simpletons. If me ma’s crew is up there, they will be easy to fight. They don’t know the difference between the deck on a ship, and the head on a ship.”

She snorted, and nearly laughed. “Charles, you should watch your tongue. But you are a child, and I would rest easier knowing that you were down here. Besides, if your father saw you, he might get it in his head to take you.”

He stiffened, and a wild glint entered his eyes. “I’ll stay down here, then. But if I’m not going, then I don’t think that you should be going anywhere neither.”

“But I am. You are not the master of me, Charles, and neither is Seamus. If you do not take me up there, Seamus, I shall make good on my earlier threat.”

She eyed Seamus levelly, and watched his eyes dart to the side. “I do not wish to hurt you, miss, but I will.” An explosion ripped through the cabin door, and sent them all hurtling through the air. She slammed against the floor and felt Charles’s hand slap out against her face when he fell.

“Oy, that hurt,” he mumbled, with blood trickling out of his nose.

She scrambled over to Seamus just as two pirates came charging into the room.

“Well, so much for our guards. Charles, are you strong enough to make it over to the desk, for the pistols?”

“I think so,” he mumbled, clutching his right arm to the chest. Thankfully, the pirates were distracted because they were going through her belongings. She stared up at one and bit her lip when she noticed the glinting earring in his ear, and the almost toothless grin that he sported.

Grimacing with pain, she crawled over to Seamus. “Wake up, Seamus,” she muttered, slapping his face. He was so white, she feared that he was dead. Her eyes widened with horror, when she heard the one pirate’s hooted exclamation.

“Look, Sousa, there’s a pretty piece of feminine flesh ripe for the taking.”

She could hear him swaggering over toward her. She didn’t have the time, or the luxury to wait for Charles to return with the pistols. Thinking quickly, she reached for Seamus’s cutlass, and brought it round it front of her just in time.

The pirate did not expect her to be wielding a blade, for as her cutlass speared through him, he made a surprised gurgling noise. His one eye was about to pop out of his head, and he swayed precariously.

Grunting with the extreme effort, she pulled the blade out of his body and he dropped to the floor. She bolted to her feet just in time, to meet the downward arc of Sousa’s sword. He was strong, but she was well trained.

Metal clanged against metal, as she parried with him. Dodging around him, she slashed his back with her blade. He screamed out in pain, and his body became riddled with rage. She was in for it now!

Summoning all of her strength, she met his charge again. She couldn’t take her eyes off Sousa, yet she hoped that Charles had reached the pistols. If she found that she could not defeat this oversized oaf, then he would be left to his own devices. She had never fought an honest-to-goodness real adversary before, and Sousa was proving to be a heap load of trouble that she didn’t need.

She finally took her eyes off of Sousa for a split second, and saw Charles pointing to the cabin door behind her. His face clouded with terror. Assuming that there was someone behind her, she remembered Miss Grady’s old adage. A wise and thoughtful person never keeps their back to the door. She scooted around Sousa, and found that her timing could not have been better.

Seconds later, a pistol discharged, and hit Sousa right in the back. He dropped like a ton of bricks to the floor.

Horrified, the cutlass became lax in her grip, as she met the stare of one of Antonio’s men. She recognized him from her night onboard
The Destroyer
. He reached for another loaded pistol, and pointed it at her.

“I would keep you, to have some fun with you, but Sousa there was me best mate.”

She groaned and dropped her gaze to Sousa’s blood-smeared form. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited expectantly for the mind-numbing pain. A shot pierced the eerie stillness that had consumed the cabin.

Believing that she had not felt the blow, she opened her eyes, expecting to see blood trickling down her shirt. Instead, she found that the man wielding the pistol had dropped to the floor. He blocked the doorway, and she could finally hear the ravaged sounds of fighting drifting down to them from up above.

She looked behind her, and found Seamus holding the smoking pistol. “I promised the Captain that I would keep you safe. I never break my word.”