Lynna's Rogue (43 page)

             
“And what is that?” she asked, trying to steady her quaking voice. She
would
discover his plan and figure out a way to warn Joshua. Somehow. But how? The ship was probably well out to sea by now.

             
Leaving the room momentarily, Michael returned with a metal box. Placing it on the table
,
he opened it to reveal more gold doubloons than
she had
ever seen. Coins that she would expect to find on a pirate ship. Pirate ship! Suddenly it dawned on her. She was on the pirate vessel that had been seen in the harbor. Did that make her husband a buccaneer? “Michael, where did you get all those coins?”

             
“
It is
mine by rights!” he raged, coming to shake her roughly by the shoulders. “
I am
the one who worked and sweated this money out of the land, while the mighty Captain Jordan navigated the high sea
s without a care in the world, l
iving large on my plantation profits when he never
turned a hand to work for it.”
A triumphant sm
ile spread over his
face. “He has a surprise awaiting him the next time he opens his safe.” 

             
“Michael, he trusted you!
” She
could not
credit this startlin
g shift in her husband
. How could his personality change so drastically, almost overnight?

             
“That was
his first mistake.” He laughed,
placing the box on her lap. “We can start a new life with this, Lynna.”

             
“I will
have no part of such deception!” she cried, rising to her feet and causing the gold coins to scatter noisily to the floor. “Please, Michael, I beg of you. Take me home!”

             
“I fear your wants are of little concern to me, my lady
.
”
H
e sneered the last words as he bent to retrieve the coins. “
You will
have to accustom yourself to a vastly different way of life. The island we
will
call home is rather primitive compared to Jamaica. There are no magnificent plantations or doting servants.”

             
“Whose ship are we on?”

             
“We sail on the ship of my broth
er, Sean.” He watched
her face
closely
for a reaction. Lynna’s face registered only relief that the captain of the ship was related to her h
usband, even if he was a detestable
pirate. “Do
you not recognize the name?”

             
“No, the name means nothing to me. Sean Devereux…” she repeated the name to herself. “
I have
never…” her voice trailed off, her face taking on a deathl
y
white pallor as she recognized the name
.
It
could not
be! Sean Devereux
was Michael’s brother? The man was r
umored to be the most ruthless cutthroat of the band of pirates currently roaming the coast.
They were w
ell
-
known and feared for attacking helpless vessels, looting coastal towns, raping, plundering, and murder
ing innocent victims.
“Why did you bring me here, Michael? I mean nothing to you. You have made that abundantly clear. You never even cared enough to consummate our wedding vows.”

             
His answer was final, cutting through her like a knife. “True. I only wed you to give Crystal a mother. But the life of a pirate is no life for a child. I had one of the men take her to Cliff and Bertie.
You know t
hey
will care for her as their own, so y
ou need not concern yourself over her welfare.” He eyed her contemptuously. “As for why I brought you along, the answer is simple. Captain Joshua J
ordan! He has always been
fed anything his little heart desired from a silver spoon, just for the asking. But he
will not
have that which he desires above all else!”

             
“And what is that, Michael?”

             
“Why you, my darling wife.” He grinned. “He d
esires you above all else!” Slamming
the door
,
she heard keys rattling as he locked it behind him.

             
He knew about her and Joshua. It was no wonder he despised her and would make it his personal mission to see they were never together again. He would also make certain the remainder of her life was unbearably miserable for having cuckolded him. She threw herself on the soiled bunk a
nd
pondered her dismal future.

             
Her eyes were red and swollen when Michael returned late in
the afternoon. “What is this?”
She suspiciously eyed the bowl he placed before her.

             
“
It is
called salmagundi.” Michael’s anger toward her seemed to have abated for the time being. His voice was almost gentle. “Try it.”

             
“
What is
in it?” She shoved the bowl away, refusing to eat anything that had been prepared by a filthy pirate, no matter that she was starving.

             
“Oh, a little bit of everything. Fish, chicken, pork, beef
,
and pigeon is roasted and cut into chunks. Then you add cabbage, pickled herring, mangoes, onions, grapes and anything else you can find. You then pour in a little wine, add salt and pepper and
voila
.” He laughed
at her shocked expression of distaste. “
Do not
make such a face. It really is very tast
y. Just try it, Lynna. You
might like it.”

             
“
I am
not hungry,” she lied, although she did admit the stew smelled terribly tempting.

             
“Take my advice and eat while you can. Once we
’
re out to sea and our fresh food supply has been exhausted
,
you will
find the fare far from palatable.
You can look forward to
gruel, which is a mixture of wheat and water, or boiled and salted beef, and biscuits
,
alive with maggots and weevils.
You will
regret passing up this fine meal.”

             
“I would find it impossible to eat any food that had been prepared aboard this stinking, infested ship.”

             
The cabin was alive with vermin. Cockroaches crawled the floor and walls around her and the tiny bunk, where she was supposed to sleep, was covered with crawling insects. But a large number of the pests were on her now. She clawed at her head with her fingernails where the lice and God only knows what else were digging into her scalp. Her entire body was covered with itching red spots where the insects had fed upon her tender flesh.

             
“
I will
leave the meal with you. Heed my advice and eat, Lynna.
You will
need your strength,” he said solemnly before turning to leave.

             
“Michael, where are you going?” She jumped up to run after him, afraid to be left alone to fend for herself against an entire ship filled with degenerates. “Please!
Do not
leave me alone!”

             
“I must go on deck, Lynna. Being the Captain’s brother does
not
mean
that
I
don’t
do my share of the work, quite the opposite.
I am
expected to pull twice the weight of any other man.”

             
“But why, Michael? You have more money than you could ever need.
” She motioned toward the box. “Do not
join up with this vile gang of cutthroats.”

             
“Exactly, I do have more money than I could ever need, for now. But how long do you think I would live if
the men onboard this ship
found out? Our lives would mean nothing. So if you treas
ure your life, you will keep this
bit of
information to yourself until we reach port. No one must learn of the money, Lynna. Not even my brother.”

             
“When will we reach port?” she asked, saying a silent prayer that it would be soon. She had to get off this wretched ship and find a way to get word to Joshua.

             
“Not in the near future, I would suspect. Once Sean puts out to sea
,
he doesn’t return until the hold is overflowing with riches.”

             
“Where is his home?”

             
“Tortuga.”

             
Tortuga!
The name brought to mind
lurid tales of the
pirate stronghold
, unspeakable tales
. A place where the scum of the earth congregated to torture their helpless victims.

             
“I can tell from your expression
that
you know what to expect when we arrive.”

             
She merely nodded
,
acknowledging
that
her future would not be a pleasant one, if indeed she had a future. Only one hope kept her from giving up completely. Joshua. He would rescue her. He had to. She
would not
permit herself to think otherwise. Her only problem would be surviving until he did.

             
Michael opened the door to leave when she grabbed his sleeve. “Michael, would it be possible to perhaps have a bucket of water and a sponge?” She slapped at a cockroach boldly making its way up her skirt and watching as Michael swiped it off and crushed it beneath his boot.

             
“
I will
see what
I can do,” he answered,
mumbling a remark about the foolishness of women
as he locked the door behind him
.

             
After he left, Lynna moved to the porthole
,
breathing deeply of the fresh, sea air.
It was t
h
e only thing around her on this godforsaken
ship that was clean. Glancing at the table
,
she saw a steady stream of ants and other creepy crawlies advancing on the stew
.
She
greedily grabbed the bowl. If they were to be at sea as long as Michael had suggested,
she had
better learn to eat what was offered. Either that or starve. Surprisingly, the concoction of meat, fruit and vegetables was a meal to be savored, and she did. She was tipping the bowl to get the last spoonful when a timid knock sounded at the door.

             
“Who is it?”

             
“It be Rob, maam,
de
cook,” someone answered in a low whisper. “
Lets
me in.”

             
She opened the door to find the biggest, blackest man
she had
ever seen smiling down at her. “I brung you
dis
heah
water an sponge you
axked fo
.” He sat the bucket inside the door and stepping inside
,
closed it quietly behind him. “I put a cup of vinegar in
dis
bucket,
cuz
you ain’t
gits
to
o
far
wi
t
’
jus
’
plain water.” She saw the fear register briefly on his face. “But, please, maam, you
cain
say
nothin’
to
de
Cap’n
bout it, he’
d have me flogged
ifn
he found out.”

             
“Thank you, Rob. You are most kind,” she said, smiling brightly. “And rest assured, the Captain will never learn of your generosity from me. I pray I never even have to see him.” As Rob opened the door and looked up and down the corridor
,
she whispered, “And thank you again. I simply
could not
live with this pestilence.”

             
Rob left the cabin with pity for the slip of the girl strong inside him. She would meet the Captain. Of that he was certain. Probably before the day was over.