His to Hold (Regency Scoundrels Book 1) (23 page)

“Thank you, Seamus.” She ran toward him. Dropping down to her knees in front of him, she gave him a look of concern. “Are you all right?”

“My head feels as if it’s about to explode, but other than that—aye, I think I am fit as a fiddle.”

“Do you think that you are fit enough to come on deck with me?”

“Well, I don’t know, to be honest. Are there hummingbirds dancing around your head, or am I just lucky enough to be seeing them?”

“Oh, dear, that doesn’t sound good. But I am no safer down here than I would be up there.”

“I can see your point,” he agreed, giving her a weak smile.

“Since you can’t see straight, I do not see the point in you accompanying me to the battle.”

“Here they are,” Charles said, dropping down beside her, he handed her the pistols. She took them, and tucked them into her belt.

“Thank you, Charles. I will be off now.”

“I’m coming with you,” Charles muttered, jumping to his feet. “Someone needs to watch your back, miss!” He still seemed a bit pale, and Elizabeth did not want to risk taking him with her.

“I think that Seamus will need you here. I’ll be fine on my own, Charles. Seamus, do you think you can shoot your pistol again if someone charges into the cabin while I’m gone?”

“Aye, you bet your life I can.” He flashed her a grin, and then grimaced. “I could do with a whole pint of good stout.” He winked at Charles, as the boy gravitated closer to him. Then he ran toward her and pulled on her sleeve.

“You will be careful, won’t you, miss?”

She studied him thoughtfully. Feeling something resembling tenderness rush through her, she knelt so that she would be at his level. “Yes, I will take great pains to not get myself killed, but I have to go and make sure that Captain Morgan is safe.”

“But aren’t you supposed to be the damsel in distress?” His blue eyes were filled with longing, and she understood his hesitancy to let her leave. For far too long, this little boy had been forced to bear the brunt of his mother’s destructive behavior.

“We aren’t living in the times of knights and chivalry. In fact, Captain Morgan is a dastardly pirate.”

“Aye, but he’s the best pirate I’ve ever met.”

“The same goes for me as well,” Seamus interjected.

“I’ll come back to you,” she said, hugging him quickly.

Standing back up, she dashed out the door. She ran up the companionway, stepping over fallen bodies as she went.

Blood was splattered across the deck, and cries of agony and shouts of anger, permeated the air. She searched the fighting men for any sign of Mallory. Stricken with paralyzing terror, she stopped in the middle of her tracks.

“No!” she screamed.

She clapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming again, for she knew that she had a powerful voice. Tears streamed down her face, as she pushed her way to Mallory’s fallen body. She did not know how she reached him without being harmed, but she could only attribute it to the fact that Mallory’s men were successfully shielding her. She fell to her knees, and heard her trousers rip. But she didn’t care. All she cared about was Mallory.

He was lying face down. Yet there was blood streaming out of his side. He had wrapped a scarf around his head, and his cutlass was on the deck a few feet away.

Bracing herself, she turned him over, expecting to see the worst.

Elizabeth inhaled sharply at the heartbreaking sight that met her eyes. “Ethan!” She gasped. “Dear God,” she pulled him up so that his head rested on her lap.

“I suppose, I finally got it this time, Miss Elizabeth. I’m off to meet my maker, I wonder if I’ll go up…or down,” he groaned, and then he began hacking uncontrollably.

“No, you are going to live!” she soothed, brushing his hair off of his forehead. She had to remain positive for Ethan’s sake, even though she knew his chances of surviving his injury were slim at best.

“Did I ever tell you that you remind me of your mother?”

“As a matter of fact, no.” She had to keep his mind off his pain, and if she could do that by keeping him talking...then, she could keep him content. She glanced around at the fighting men, and was relieved to see that the tide of the battle was changing. Soon, Mallory’s men would claim victory, and they would be done with Captain Blood and Chastity for once and for all.

“You do. You do,” he rasped, coughing again. Blood began to trickle out of his mouth, and Elizabeth peeled back Mallory’s greatcoat, only to reveal a gaping wound in his abdomen.

“But I look nothing like her,” she murmured. She looked up when she heard the war cry of one of Antonio’s men.

Wild-eyed, she pulled out one of her pistols and aimed. She had never been a very good shot, but then these were desperate times, and they called for desperate measures. She pulled the trigger, and the pistol discharged. With an agonized cry, the man fell.

“Ah, you might think that my dear, and yet you do resemble her. It is not a requirement for you to look like your mother in order for you to remind me of your mother. You have the same heart, the same spirit, and whether your remember it or not, you sound just like her.”

Blinking back the hot stinging tears that were welling in her eyes, she caressed his forehead. “You shall be fine, Ethan. I shall get you to sickbay and…”

“Nay. It is too late for me. I know that it is now my time. I have been cheating death, since your mother was unfairly taken away from me. I do believe that I shall be quite happy to see her smiling face again. My other lovers paled in comparison to her. Lady Susan was my one true love, and I shall be happy to see her again. I don’t fear death, Miss Elizabeth, you need to know that. Please tell that to Mallory for me.”

“You need to fight. Mallory needs you.”

“Mallory doesn’t need me, and one can’t survive the wound I’ve suffered. He needs you. I think that he’s been waiting for you all of his life. Don’t let him down, miss. All he craves is your love, and loyalty. You will find in due course that he is a very easy man to please, as men go. Why, he’s the most patient, and amiable pirate that I have ever met.” She snorted, and nearly laughed at his crazy notion. “But you have to help him. Keep him from losing his entire world. You have the power in your hands.” Ethan grew weaker by the moment, and she had to lean down to catch his last words. “Tell him...tell him that it was a hell of a ride. Where I am going, I do believe there will be fair winds all day long.” His voice trailed off, and he looked up toward the fluffy white clouds dancing in the bright blue sky. “Susan, my love,” he whispered, as his eyes brightened. Then, he heaved a great sigh, as the light of life left his eyes.

Elizabeth sat in stunned silence for what seemed to be an eternity. She’d never had anyone die in her arms before. Fighting back the onslaught of tears, that were waiting to come gushing out, she shakily pushed herself to her feet.

In desperation, she scanned the deck for Mallory, and found him on the starboard side fighting with Chastity. Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, she groaned. He would never be able to overcome her, for Mallory was a chivalrous man.

Even though he was a pirate, she knew that it when it came right down to it, he would balk at taking Chastity down. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was evenly matched, and it would be woman against woman.

A man collided into her, swore a blue streak, and then his eyes brightened when he noticed her. Fortunately for her, he was one of Mallory’s men.

“I am sorry, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, dodging the blow of his assailant. “If you will be so good as to excuse me, I’ll just finish this bugger off.” She nodded her head, and was rewarded with a cheeky grin.

Her head felt as if it were about to split in two, but the fight was not over. She would be the one to finish it with Chastity. She barreled her way through the throng of men, and bumped up against a female pirate that looked like a man, except for the fact that she had big breasts.

The woman elbowed her, and sent her careening across the floor. She backed into another pirate, and when she turned around the blood in her veins turned to ice.

“Fancy meeting you, again, my dear,” Phillip murmured, baring his teeth like a wolf that was regarding his prey.

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Step out of my way, Phillip.” Her voice held steel like confidence even though her knees felt as if they were about to buckle beneath her.

“Make me.” He smiled again, making her stomach roll.

She rolled her eyes to the heavens. Why or why, couldn’t he just do what she asked him to do? Was there no civility in the world anymore?

Thinking she had the element of surprise because he didn’t expect anything from her, she quickly pulled out her pistol, and shot him in the knee.

He howled with pain and collapsed, still crying like a little baby. “It was nice seeing you again, too,” she said over her shoulder, as she ran toward Mallory.

She caught a few snippets of their conversation as she approached. “So, what have you done with my little brat?” Chastity posed the question as if she were inquiring about a misplaced piece of jewelry.

“None of your damn business,” Mallory snarled.

Elizabeth was taken aback. She had never seen Mallory in such a towering rage before. He met her gaze, and he looked stricken with fear.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here?”

She stared around her, and then decided that he was definitely addressing her.

“I am trying to do what Ethan told me to do.”

“Oh, a riddle,” Chastity exclaimed. “And what did that little sea rat tell you to do?”

“Take care of getting rid of you,” Elizabeth said, facing her head on.

“Oh, what are you going to do hit me with your reticule or your parasol?” she emitted a cruel laugh, though Elizabeth merely smiled.

“I am going to fight you with this,” she said, brandishing her cutlass.

“Oh, I doubt that you even know how to use that, dearie,” Chastity scoffed, tearing her eyes away from Elizabeth, and leveling them on Mallory instead. “Did you know that your little whore was ready to fight for you? The love that you two share is actually touching. Though I would wager that I am a far better shag than she is.”

“Keep your bone box shut,” Mallory threatened, stepping toward her.

“Well, paint me black and blue. Is that Antonio that I see crawling along the deck over there?” Chastity asked, obviously alarmed.

“Aye. I shot him in the knee. I don’t think he will be walking properly ever again. In fact, he might not even be able to save his leg.” She kept her voice as indifferent as she was able.

She knew that Antonio deserved what she had done, for he was a man that raped and killed with absolutely no mercy. He was a bastard of the first rate class, and she prayed that he would rot in hell.

“Utter rot. I don’t believe that a little waif like you could take down my man.”

“Oh, well then, you would be sadly mistaken.” She slanted her mouth into a caustic smile, and watched as Chastity’s smug expression suddenly underwent a startling transformation.

“I shall gladly fight you,” Chastity said. “Sorry old man, but we shall have to get together some other time. In fact, I don’t really know what to do with you outside of playing with you.”

Elizabeth moved forward, and was jerked back suddenly when Mallory grabbed a hold of her arm. “What are you thinking?” he hissed.

“I am thinking that I shall save you the heartache of having to kill a woman. For you know as well as I do that Chastity will never stop until she’s twenty leagues under the sea.”

“I can’t allow you to do this. I am supposed to be the one that protects you.”

“From a woman?” she asked. Just then, another pirate that obviously was with Antonio’s company came lunging at them. “You deal with that, and I will do the honours with that one,” she said nodding toward Chastity.

“Don’t worry, little miss, I’ll have you taken care of in a few scant minutes.”

“Oh, why don’t you go straight to hell,” she muttered.

Mallory nodded at her, and met the advancing pirate head on. Elizabeth sighed, and gripped the hilt of her cutlass firmly. She wouldn’t allow Chastity to get away with all that she had done.

The Royal Navy should have succeeded in hanging her, for she definitely had done enough terrible things in her life to warrant that most horrible of fates.

“How shall you fight me? Do you even know how to use that thing? You do know that it is sharp, do you not?”

“Oh, aye. I am quite adept with a sword, how do you fare?”

“I was taught by Antonio,” Chastity answered smugly.

“Oh, well, then. I was taught by the greatest sword master to ever grace England’s shores.”

She had Chastity truly alarmed now. Beads of sweat were popping out on Chastity’s forehead despite the fact that there was a cool breeze blowing.

Breathing deeply, she met Chastity’s advancing charge. Her blow was strong and swift, but it was enough to keep her from deflecting it. They were fighting in close space, and Chastity was close to the bulwarks.

If she timed everything right, she might be able to back her up against the proverbial wall.
The Valiant
was being boarded again, and men were climbing across from
The Lady’s Warrior
.

The fighting was tense and close, and Elizabeth had not anticipated the extent of Chastity’s skill.

Her breathing became rapid, as she jumped out of the way of one of Chastity’s thrusts. She had to end this and quickly, or else she would find herself impaled on the end of Chastity’s Spanish cutlass. She swung her arm up to block another one of Chastity’s thrusts.

“You do know that I had him first,” Chastity said, laughing. Chastity was trying to goad her, and for some unexplainable reason it was working.

“But I’ll have him forever. You won’t see forever.” She brought her fist up and punched Chastity right in the face. Chastity’s head snapped back, and when she brought her had back to stare at her, she curled her lips into a sneer.

“That wasn’t very ladylike,” she spat out. Blood gushed out of her mouth, along with a few teeth.

“Tell that to my father. He taught me all of his bad habits. When I am fighting with someone with your sordid reputation, I take my own interpretation of the rules. Besides, since I’m just a stuck up snob, then you’re just a pirate, and a whore.”

Chastity was in a full blown rage now. “You shall die today, you stupid bitch!” she screamed.

They had switched positions during the fight, and she was now standing up against the bulwarks. She narrowed her eyes in a crafty slant, and stepped out of her way. Chastity’s momentum was great, and she could not slow down. She went toppling over the rail, and crashed into the sea.

Elizabeth rushed over to peer over the side, and found Mallory standing by her.

“Where is she?” Mallory asked, searching the crashing waves.

“I do not know,” Elizabeth said shrugging her shoulders. “But she is a good swimmer. I daresay we might see her again.”

“You didn’t kill her, then?”

“I found that I couldn’t do it, when it came right down to it.” She was surprised at her confession, but she realized that it was the God’s honest truth.

“You might not be able to kill her, but I can,” Antonio said, lurching toward them.

He had wrapped a makeshift bandage around his knee, but his wound was still very serious. Elizabeth followed Antonio’s gaze as it swept across the landscape, resting on Chastity who was now desperately trying to climb up onto
The Destroyer
.

“She failed me, and she is running away from the battle. I will not tolerate cowards.” He aimed his pistol, and shot Chastity in the back. The woman let out an animalistic howl, and then she plummeted into the sea. Antonio threw his pistol away, and then turned his attention to Mallory and Elizabeth.

Mallory shoved her behind him, and she let out an indignant snort. She tried to push him out of the way, but he was unmovable. “Your fight is with me, Antonio.”

“Actually, my fight is with that little tart that you are so selflessly protecting. She must be pretty good in bed. I tried to sample her wares when I had her onboard my ship, but she proved to be quite a handful,” he laughed, and the coldness of it tore straight into Elizabeth’s being.

She watched stricken with dumbfounded horror, as he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Mallory. Elizabeth’s heart and mind raced in perfect time. Mallory was without a pistol. She knew that because she hadn’t caught sight of any on his person, and he definitely couldn’t conjure one out of thin air.