Lady Pirate (31 page)

He shook his head. “I have not—”

“Daniel, Meg says that the men see Valoree as their captain, but that the way they see it, you, as the husband, are above her. Therefore, you are above them and her both, so they listen to you rather than her. Do you not see? You have taken all authority away from her without even trying, and she has no way to fight it.”

When he remained silent, a small frown tugging at his lips, she added, “Meg also told me that you had sent a request to the king for an audience.”

His eyebrows rose slightly. “Aye.”

“And that you have not mentioned it to Valoree.”

“I do not wish to upset her,” he said dismissively. Lady Thurborne glared at him in exasperation.

“This is what I mean, Daniel. You must not treat her so. She can handle a little upset and more.”

“She was ill on the trip back to England. Feverish and weak, and she is with child. I will not have her upset.”

Lady Thurborne's eyes widened in amazement. “With child? Valoree is with child? Has she said so?”

“Nay.” He frowned. “She may not even realize it. Henry is the one who told me.”

“Henry?” she screeched. “Henry told you that Valoree is with child? How on earth would he know and she not?”

Daniel grinned at her outrage. “Henry is the one who tended to getting her what she needed aboard ship all these years as she pretended to be a man. He knew every time she had the flux. He says she has always been as regular as the tide, but she has missed two since the wedding. If the next one does not arrive, then we can be pretty sure she is with child.”

Lady Thurborne dropped weakly into the chair in front of his desk. “And he does not think she knows?”

That question made him frown slightly. “He is not sure. No one has ever actually sat her down and discussed the facts of life with her. All she knows she has learned from men's bragging as she grew up, when they thought her a man.”

Lady Thurborne made a face at that, then said, “Daniel, you have to straighten things out. If she is with child, she should know. And you really cannot exclude her from everything like this.”

Sighing, he rubbed his forehead again, then nodded. “Aye. Of course. I will talk to her. I—”

A crash in the hall outside his library made Daniel pause. The scream that followed had him on his feet and hurrying to the door. Throwing it open, he gaped at the screaming man holding his ankle and rolling about on the marble floor at the base of the stairs.

“It's broken! You broke my ankle! You—”

“That's less than you deserve, ye weaselly bastard!” Valoree roared, starting down the stairs toward him.

“What the hell is going on here?” Daniel shouted, drawing the attention of both his wife and her dance
instructor as he strode out of the library, his mother hard on his heels. “Valoree, get down here! What did you do?”

“Oh, my lord.” Master Henderson gasped, grabbing at his pant leg. “She broke my ankle, my lord. Look. How can I teach with a broken ankle? She has ruined me.”

Shaking himself free, Daniel peered at his wife questioningly while his mother knelt to examine the man's injury. He knew bloody well Valoree wouldn't have thrown the fellow down the stairs without a good reason, and judging by her furious expression, it was a doozy.

“Being the ignorant female that I am, my lord,” Valoree quoted her language instructor sarcastically, pausing at the bottom of the steps to glare over Henderson at her husband. “I cannot be sure, but mayhap you can clear the matter up. Is it normal to dance so close that a man's chest rubs against yours?”

“She is lying! I was teaching her proper dancing.”

“Or how about his lips slobbering over my neck? Is that proper?” she continued.

“Lies!” he screeched despairingly.

“And is his hand
really
supposed to rest on—and squeeze—my arse?”

“It is not broken,” Lady Thurborne murmured, straightening from the instructor with distaste. “Just sprained.”

Eyes narrowing, Daniel bent toward the man, only to pause and whirl as the door suddenly crashed open behind him and Jasper stumbled through it. Ignoring Daniel, he paused before Valoree, panting heavily.

“What is it?” Valoree asked sharply as Henry followed, Meg on his heels.

“Trouble,” Jasper said in a gasp, out of breath from his run. “The ship.”

Trouble did not begin to describe what they found when Valoree, Daniel, Henry, and Jasper rowed the dinghy back out to the ship and climbed aboard. Jasper had said that Richard had sent him after her because two of the men, Jackson and Chep, were fighting. But during the time it had taken for Jasper to row ashore and fetch them back, the two-man fight had turned into a free-for-all. Even Richard was now busy banging heads.

This, of course, was exactly the sort of thing for which Valoree had been waiting. But before she could act, Daniel had snatched Jasper's flintlock pistol out of the waist of the man's breeches and fired it into the air. The blast it made brought the fighting to an abrupt halt, and the men turned slowly one after another to warily eye her husband.

Valoree had just begun berating herself for being too slow and letting Daniel take control, when he turned toward her and said quite loudly—loudly enough for every man present to hear—“I believe these men and their behavior are your responsibility, wife.”

Valoree's eyes widened at that, her jaw dropping slightly in amazement, for the behavior going on today was all his fault. Then he winked, a gentle smile tugging at his mouth as he added, just as loudly, “You
are
their captain.”

He stepped to the side then, leaving her to stare at her crew for a brief moment before gathering herself together. “Who started the fight?” she asked at last.

Chep stepped forward almost at once. “Me. I threw the first punch.”

“Nay, it was me.” Jackson elbowed him aside to take his place.

One man after another then began to step forward, claiming they had instigated the whole affair. Valoree nearly smiled at the loyalty her crew had to each other. They had simply been pent up on the ship too long. They needed to let off some steam, and the fight had given them the chance. None of them wanted Jackson or Chep flogged for giving them that chance.

“Enough!” she shouted, working at keeping her face stern. “It is obvious you do not have enough to keep you occupied. Since you all have so much energy, I'm thinking we should careen the ship.” A groan went up all around, but Valoree ignored it and glanced around for her second mate. “Richard.”

“Aye?” The man moved to her side at once.

“Make sure everything's strapped down, beach her, heave her over, and careen her. I want every man here working on this.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Nodding, Valoree glowered at the rest of the men. “We won't be here much longer. No-Nose should return soon with the message from the king and then we'll head for London and you can all have leave. In the meantime, if I hear of another fight out here, I'll flog you all. Understood?”

“Aye-aye, Captain,” was murmured back at her. Valoree nodded, then turned and walked silently back to the rope ladder they had used to mount the ship, aware that Henry, Daniel, and Jasper were following.

 

“What is careening?” Daniel asked quietly later. They had returned to the castle, assured Meg and Lady Thurborne that all was well; then Daniel had asked Valoree to join him in the library. Now he stood on one side
of his desk, with her on the other, as he awaited her answer.

“Careening is when you run a boat ashore, heel her over on her side, and scrape the barnacles and seaweed off her bottom. Sometimes scraping does not suffice and they have to be burned off. Once the men have finished with that, they will caulk any of the leaks they can, replace rotten planks when caulking will not do, and seal it.”

“It sounds a large undertaking.”

“It is. But it is necessary if you want to move fast—and pirates have to move fast.”

Daniel shook his head. “You are not a pirate anymore, Valoree. You are Lady Thurborne.”

“Aye,” she agreed calmly. “But I had to have them do something, else they'd kill each other out there.”

He must have noticed the way she was glaring at him, for he frowned. “What? You are looking at me as if what happened out there today were my fault.”

“Aye,” she agreed.

“Well,” he contended, “that fight was certainly not my fault. I wasn't even there.”

“Aye. But you are the one who insisted that we sail here to Thurborne, then anchor off your beach.” When he gazed at her blankly, she shifted in disgust. “Daniel, those men have been stuck on that boat for more than a month and a half.”

He tapped his lips, thinking, then sank back into his seat unhappily. “Aye, of course you are right. I did not think about that.” Sighing, he looked up at her. “You, of course, had thought of that, but did not bother to mention it to me. Am I right?”

She gave a brief nod.

“Why did you not say something?”

“You did not ask.”

“Valoree.” His mouth twisted in irritation. “You could have told me anyway.”

“Aye, I could have,” she agreed grimly. “Just as you could have asked before taking over my ship.”

Daniel leaned back in his seat to eye her silently. After a few moments, he capitulated. Moving forward to rest his arms on the desk, he said, “As soon as this careening business is done, we will sail down to London so that the men may have some leave. As you say, we can wait just as well there as—”

When he suddenly paused, Valoree tilted her head, wondering at his thoughts. “What is it?”

“How did you know that I had sent a request to the king for an audience?”

She snorted. “Your mother told me that you had sent No-Nose to her with a message informing her of our marriage and taking up residence here.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“So you would hardly tell her, and neglect the king,” she pointed out. “Really, Daniel, I do not know why you married me when you think me such an idiot.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “I do not think you an idiot.”

“Oh, aye,” she agreed sarcastically. “And that would be why you hired those bloody instructors, and thought to take over my crew?”

“Nay, I…” He paused then, obviously thinking. “I am sorry, Valoree,” he said at last. “It would seem I have not been going about this very well. I thought—”

“You thought to turn me into one of those brainless twits that flit about the ballrooms in London,” she interrupted furiously, all the pain she had not really realized she had been feeling coming out. “Well, you can stick that plan in your cannon and shoot it, my lord, because I have no interest. And you can try to take over my men if you like, but you will have a battle on your hands. That crew is the only family I have.”

“You have me now.”

“Oh, aye,” Valoree agreed. “If I learn to play the
harpsichord and dance. Well, I don't have to do that for them, and I don't
want
to do that for you.” Turning on her heel, she started for the door.

Daniel was after her at once, hurrying around his desk and reaching the door in time to prevent her opening it; he placed a hand against it over her shoulder. Pausing, she stood stubbornly facing the door and refusing to look at him. Daniel sighed, then raised his other hand to the door, moving his body closer until he was pressing against the length of her.

“I do not give a damn if you can play the harpsichord,” he said quietly, leaning his cheek against the back of her head. “I do not care if you can dance, either, though it would be nice to dance with you.”

“Then why—”

“I am a fool; that is why,” he murmured by her ear, then lowered his hands to clasp her shoulders before sliding them down around her waist to draw her stiff body back against him. “My mother was right. I detest all those simpering, sad creatures of the ton and always have.” His hands slid up to cup her breasts. “Your independence, strong will, and intelligence are what attracted me to you from the moment you asked for a rum at Whister's. But it scared me, too.”

Valoree started to arch into his caress, but stilled and tried to turn to face him. Daniel held her in place with his hold on her breasts. She turned her head, trying to look at him, her lips opening to speak then, but he silenced her with a kiss. Ravishing her mouth as he slid a hand down between her legs, he pressed her back against him.

“Daniel, I—” she began as soon as he broke the kiss, but he covered her mouth with one hand and began tugging her skirts up with the other.

“Shut up, Valoree and let me talk for once, hmmm?” he chided gently. She stiffened, but relaxed again and nodded. He released her mouth to use both hands to
draw her skirts up between them as he continued. “Your independence and even your crew mean that you do not really need me.”

“Nay,” she protested at once, trying to turn to face him again, but Daniel stopped her by grasping her legs. He had bent slightly behind her to find the bottom of her skirts, and now clasped her just above the knees, keeping her facing the door. When she stopped trying to turn, he started to straighten, drawing his hands up as he did. But while he could keep her facing the door, he just couldn't keep her quiet. As she wriggled under the glide of his fingers over her skin, she whispered, “I need you. I need a husband and babe to inherit Ainsley, just as you need a wife and babe to inherit your grandmother's bequest.”

“I need you for more than that, Valoree,” he said against her neck.

“M-more?” she murmured distractedly as he caught her at the hips and drew her lower body away from the door slightly, even as he pressed her upper body against it.

“Aye. I find myself having strong feelings for you.” Reaching between them, he began to work at the fastening of his breeches. “I think—Nay”—he sighed, pausing to lean his head against hers—“I know I love you.”

“You—” Valoree began in amazement, then gasped and bit her lip as he suddenly slid into her from behind. Her hands clenched into fists against the door on either side of her forehead, and she moaned as he slightly withdrew.

“I love you,” he repeated in a voice that almost sounded pained. He pushed into her again. “I love your body. I love your laugh. I love your passion. I love your intelligence.” He thrust inside of her and withdrew as he spoke each sentence, then added simply, “I love…
you
.”

“I—” He stopped moving within her as she started to speak, waiting, and Valoree hesitated, then tried again. “I…I—care for you, too,” she got out at last, rolling her eyes at her own words even as Daniel suddenly leaned weakly against her. He uttered a shaky laugh.

“Just what every man in love wants to hear.” There was amusement in his voice, but pain, too. Valoree tried once again to pull away and face him, but once again he stopped her. “Nay.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, then reached up to begin caressing the flesh of her breasts and belly again. “I can wait. You need not lie to me,” he murmured, resuming again the rhythm he'd begun. “But we shall make a vow. I will try not to take over, or treat you like an idiot or child, and you will not tell me that you love me until you mean it. Deal?”

Valoree knew a good deal when she heard one and nodded at once, then turned to peer at him in surprise when he suddenly withdrew from her. Grabbing her hand, Daniel pulled her to his desk, cleared one end of it with a sweep of his free arm, then pulled her into his arms for a quick, hard kiss. A moment later he turned her around, bending her over the desk, tugging her skirts up, and thrusting himself into her.

It felt to Valoree almost as if he were staking a claim, gaining control the only way he could, since he had promised to try not to take over. At first she lay still against the desk. But as he bent forward until his chest was against her back, one hand snaked around to slide between her legs, and he began to caress her even as he nipped at her shoulder through her gown. His mouth then moved up to her ear. Within moments he had her panting and thrusting back into him, giving as good as she got until they both found satisfaction.

 

Valoree caught herself humming under her breath as the carriage rolled along, and she paused abruptly, shaking her head with a laugh. She had been doing that a lot lately—humming a cheery tune as she went about her life. She felt happy. Things were going well.

It had been a little over three weeks since Daniel had confessed he loved her. Now that it was out in the open, his attitude and behavior toward her had changed. She had never really noticed, but until that day, he had only actually shown anything approaching affection for her when trying to get under her skirts. The rest of the time he had worn a slightly cynical smile, as if he found her, and everything else, terribly amusing. It had made him seem slightly distant, aloof. Not that she had recognized it at the time, but now she did. Now she saw the difference. Every time he looked at her now, there was love in his eyes. When he smiled, it was a softer smile, full of emotion. He no longer hid from her.

He also no longer tried to take charge. She had been in obvious control of the men since that day, something the
Valor
's crew seemed to accept without a problem. She supposed it helped that Daniel had handed her back that power with his loud comments on the ship about their being her responsibility, but whatever the case, she gave them their orders and they listened without question.

Valoree had also found something with which to fill her time. Much to Daniel's everlasting horror, it was bees. Honeybees. Valoree had discovered them during a visit with Daniel to see Lord and Lady Mobley on the neighboring estate. The invitation had arrived a few days before Daniel's confession, but it wasn't until after that day that Daniel decided to accept it. Valoree suspected it was his attempt to prove that he wasn't ashamed of her. She, on the other hand, had agreed to
prove that she could act like a lady. They'd had a wonderful time.

Well, all right—not wonderful. Valoree had been bored to tears until Lady Mobley had taken her out to see her bees. She had been smitten with them from the first. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the constant risk of being stung. Or the quiet that had to be kept around them to avoid instigating an attack. Or maybe it was just that she found, as time passed, that she was developing a terrible craving for the sweet nectar they made. Whatever the case, she had promptly decided that bee keeping was how she would fill her time since she was retiring from privateering. Anyway, she had started studying up on the little honey makers right away. Daniel had taken it all in stride, positive she would grow bored with her project. But she hadn't. Not over the two weeks that passed before No-Nose arrived back with the king's response, not during the couple of days that had followed as they had prepared to head to London, and not over the several days since their arrival back in that noisy, crowded, stinky town.