Other Oceans: Book Two of the Hook & Jill Saga (75 page)

“I dare to speak the truth. Your exclusive possession of the lady has become a bone of contention between you and your officers.”

“It is a lie.”

“You nearly murdered a man over her.”

Mr. Smee startled, and then he charged at the surgeon. He had no difficulty in acting this role. “You bloody—”

“Silence!” Cecco pounded his desk. The diamonds danced. “I will not have a brawl within my quarters!”

Yulunga had stepped forward to make a show of restraining Mr. Smee. The bo’sun shoved him away, but continued his attack with words. “We never had trouble on the
Roger
until you came aboard, Hanover!”

“Yes. I believe the lady was quite content. Until she met me.”

“You’re an arrogant one, and no doubt about it. Captain Cecco did us an ill turn when he let you sign on. Now all hell’s broken loose.”

Cecco sprang up, his fingers in fists. “Mr. Smee, do you insinuate that I do not maintain the discipline? Or are you disappointed that I don’t allow you the favors our former captain—” Cecco glared at Jill, “and his courtesan— once awarded you?”

Jill pushed herself from her chair, protesting, “Captain Cecco, I—”

“I have warned you. Be silent.”

Feigned rage spurred Smee on. “The only wise move you’ve made in your captaincy is to rid us of this bastard! Begging your pardon, Ma’am.”

Hanover leapt to his feet. “My point is made! Sir, you can end this argument now. Accept my offer to purchase liberty for Red-Handed Jill.”

Jill sat down hard. Her mouth hung open as, seemingly astonished, she viewed the chaos erupting around her.

“No!” Cecco shouted. “From the very first, Hanover, you have wormed your way into my lady’s affections. I won’t give her to you. Not for
any
amount of treasure.”

The officers all shammed restlessness now, shuffling their feet and shaking their heads. Yulunga looked around, gesturing to the men. “Sir? You can see how we feel. We don’t want this opportunity to slip through our fingers.”

Accusingly, Cecco said, “Opportunity, Mr. Yulunga? The only opportunity for which you angle is to slip yourself— between the lady and her lover!”

Yulunga’s face turned ominous. “You command her to be quiet. Let us hear what the ‘courtesan’ has to say for herself. After all, she’ll soon be the only female left on board.”

“Mr. Yulunga. Let me be clear. Losing the girl does not bring you closer to taking my Jill. I will
never
give her up.”

“That decision is not up to you, Captain. We men have a say, too.”

Mullins was standing now. “Aye, Captain. Just look at that bag of diamonds!”

Starkey shoved back his chair, his scar-covered face obligingly turned purple. “You can’t rightly keep us from treasure, Sir, not if the doctor’s willing to part with it!”

The gypsy fire flared. “Not even a mountain of gold—”

“If it’s gold you want, by god, I’ll be buying her myself!” Smee’s angry red face loomed over Cecco’s desk.

Cecco’s hands shot out and he snatched Smee by the neck of his shirt, dragging him until he bent over the desktop. Smee’s fists rushed to grip Cecco’s. The captain’s brown eyes smoldered. “Do not test me, Irishman. I should have sliced you up yesterday when—”

“Stop!” Jill rose, her eyes blazing. At the sound of her anger, Cecco released Smee and swung around to face her. All the men fell silent, staring.

“I see that my usefulness aboard the
Roger
is at an end.” With her scarlet hand, Jill hoisted the leather-bound book from Cecco’s desk. She thumped it down before her. As the men gaped in disbelief, she seized a quill and dipped it in the inkwell.

Cecco closed his powerful hand over hers. “No, lovely one. You will not leave me.”

Jill looked him straight in the eye. She thrust his hand away. “I’m already gone.” She bent, pressed the pen to the paper, and slashed a black line through her name. The pirates gasped.

Cecco stared down at her mark. A look of genuine horror grew upon his features. This gesture, this act of finality, was no part of their plan. He had never intended for Jill to take the charade as far as this. Slowly, his eyes traveled upward to search her face. The sting of his own declaration pricked his soul.
With courage she defies me
…His magnificent queen. He barely comprehended her next words.

“Mr. Yulunga, I will send Liza to fetch my things. You will kindly assist her to move them to the spare cabin.”

Hanover smiled. His satisfaction swelled as Jill moved to his side. Laying her stained hand on his shoulder, she held his gaze with her own— and eased the bag of diamonds from his fingers. Upending it over the desk, she released the bulk of its remaining contents to skitter over the surface. Leaving a healthy fistful in reserve, she snapped the strings tight, rolled up the bag, and thrust it in her bosom.

She crossed to the wardrobe to fling its door wide. From the interior she withdrew a single kid glove. The men watched, amazed, while her distinctive red hand disappeared within its confines. As the silence ached, Jill strode to the door. Standing there in her golden gown, her gloved hand on the handle, she was the picture of defiance. She turned to face her captain, one last time.

“My dear Sir. I give you the
Roger
. First, last, and always.”

Casting her gaze to each of the men, she smiled, stroking the diamonds beneath her bodice. “Gentlemen. It has been a pleasure.”

The pirate queen turned on her heel and vanished. She left behind her a pair of manicured hands emptied of their treasures, an imploding gypsy heart, and a set of smiling eyes behind gold-rimmed spectacles, full of the sight of Red-Handed Jill. The master’s mate.

Chapter 31

Deal with the Devil

J
ill sat on the bunk of the spare quarters, watching darkness dim the water behind her beloved
Roger
. Moored a short distance off, the sister ship was fading to a shadowy shape in the sea. The room in which Jill would sleep tonight was comfortably furnished, but to her, it felt empty. Echoing.

A heavy knock sounded, intruding on her thoughts. She rose and, holding her head erect, opened the door to face the dark figure of Yulunga. He threw a pallet and a blanket to the floor of the gun deck. A gust of air blew up from them, ruffling the skirt of Jill’s black Turkish tunic. She smoothed it down with one gloved hand.

“Good evening, Ma’am. Captain’s orders I should look after you tonight.”

“I see.”

“And a good thing, too. Already, the jackals are prowling. I just shooed off both of your neighbors.”

“Mister Hanover and Mr. Smee. The best protection I could require.”

“Yes, Ma’am. They seem to have been watching each other.” Yulunga smiled. “But no longer.” He glanced at the quarters his captain had promised him, occupied now with the fragrance of Jill’s perfume, her weapons, and the few feminine trappings she had requested Liza to gather. “You didn’t ask for many of your things.”

“I won’t be needing much.” She touched her bodice, where the diamonds dwelled. She would have to find a safer place for them.

“You put on quite a performance for us this morning.”

“Yes….Tell me, Mr. Yulunga. How is the captain?”

“How do you think?”

Jill looked away. “I hope his meeting with Captain LeCorbeau went smoothly.”

“There was not much work for him to do. The Frenchman was agreeable to our terms.”

“Even a share of future profits?”

“He didn’t like it. But a rendezvous was established. One year from now.”

“So we may proceed as planned.”

“No. You can proceed with
your
plans. Captain Cecco is finished.”

“Of course.” Jill remembered the look on Cecco’s face when she deserted him. His agony arrested her. Still aching, she brought herself back to the present. “Thank you, Mr. Yulunga, for the use of both your quarters and your girl.”

“Lady, it is my pleasure.” But instead of saying good night, Yulunga lingered. His body filled the doorway, and his fluid voice grew insistent. “And now, I want something in return.”

In spite of her tension, Jill remained steady. “Yes. I thought you might.”

“Something that is sure to satisfy the both of us.” With his warm black eyes, Yulunga watched her, waiting.

Jill considered. She searched the gun deck, what she could see of it behind the massive form of the mate. And then she took one step back.

“You may come in, Mr. Yulunga.”

The man bent his head to stride through the doorway of his new quarters. He cast a look around as he shut the door. Then he locked it. He smiled. The place felt like home already.

On the gun deck, another dark figure broke away from the shadows. He raised his dusky hand to his lips, bunching his fingertips to send a kiss flying toward the just-closed door.

Inside, Jill observed Yulunga’s smile. She said, “You’ll need one more thing to make the comfort of these quarters complete.”

His look was shrewd. “And you can give it to me.”

“Mister Hanover has Liza.” Jill settled herself on the bunk. “And you have the captain’s ear.”

“That’s so.” He lowered his bulk to the chair and leaned back, stretching his legs out before him. “Exactly what do you suggest I tell him, Lady?”

“The truth, Mr. Yulunga. He gave you the girl in good faith. He will listen to the truth.”

“He would rather hear it from you. Shall I open the door?”

“No. No, I can’t take a chance that my fiancé will overhear. The truth must come to Mister Hanover only gradually.”

“All right then, Lady.” Yulunga bent forward. “Let’s see what we can do for one another.”

In the gloom of the gun deck, Cecco ended his vigil, divining now that the door would not reopen to him. He turned and made his way slowly up the steps, toward the captain’s quarters. The room in which he would not sleep at all was comfortably furnished. But to Cecco, this long night, it seemed empty. Echoing.

§ § §

On his last night aboard the
Roger
, the night before his nuptials, Doctor Hanover celebrated. Pouring the wine, he shared it with his daughter. As she sipped, he watched a rosy tint flush her face. Enjoying her fresh young beauty, he relaxed the muscles of his ruined back. He had turned the lanterns down when she’d finished dressing his wounds, but he was moved to turn the flames up again to see her better. The wine bottle stood open on the desk. Mindful of tomorrow’s events, he corked it.

“Only this last glass, Liza. You must be sharp as your needle there, in the morning. You will assist your father’s bride to dress, and then— then we will quit this ship at last.” He cast a glance at the closed curtain of the upper bunk. “And leave what little remains of our troubles.”

Liza laid her sewing aside. Many more of Hook’s jewels were stitched securely within the folds of her new gown. She had learned to smother thoughts of what might have been, and now her eyes avoided the captain’s bunk. Accepting the glass, she regarded her handsome father instead. Now that she could love him, could touch him, she understood that Hook must be forsaken. His death was heartbreaking, but inevitable. Her father, on the other hand, remained vigorous, and very much alive. As Liza predicted, the surgeon had handled everything to his satisfaction. The decision was made. Sewn up, like her dress, by her father’s capable hands.

“You seem pleased, my darling. As you should be.”

The warm, mellow liquid heated her insides, along with her memories. Liza had captured all she sought here aboard this pirate vessel. She had gone adventuring. She’d become a woman, finding herself desired by powerful men. She and her father had enriched themselves with treasure, and a family, of sorts, would soon be restored to her. A proper home, a grand house in Vienna, where a young person could dwell in decency, in security. And, in Vienna, Doctor Heinrich’s position in both science and society would preclude his daughter’s servitude, including her subjugation to his wife. Liza and the lady had found a mutually agreeable balance— two moons orbiting the sun of the surgeon. Except for one tiny worry, Liza was content with her situation. She and Jill would never be friends, but, combining their abilities, they proved excellent allies. Jill’s marriage to the doctor might be the answer even to Liza’s last nagging little anxiety.

Her father’s hand on her knee recalled her from her reverie.

“Liza. I’m sure I have no cause for concern. You will be discreet about our arrangement.”

Her gray eyes were serious, and she nodded.

“Your prudent behavior will ensure that I will always care for you.”

Liza set down her glass. She laid her fingers on her father’s. Her master’s. She drew his hand to her cheek. He smiled as he touched her face.

“I will be a fortunate man when I return to Vienna. Perhaps the only man who can, without offending propriety, house his wife and his mistress under one roof.”

His mistress rose. Taking his hands, she coaxed him from his chair. Their bed lay waiting.

“Yes, Liza. We must retire. After all, I am to be married tomorrow. My last evening as a single gentleman must be memorable.”

Liza thought so, too. She shed her shift, and left her sewing basket open.

§ § §

Smee soothed his worries this evening. The
Roger
bobbed at anchor on the brine, crooning her night song. Still, his inability to act tonight nettled him. But he’d done all he could to prepare. Jill seemed safe enough in the cabin next door. He knew she’d tap on his wall if she needed him. Tomorrow would come, and not soon enough.

That Hanover wouldn’t bother her now, not with Yulunga nearby. The insufferable surgeon had strutted from the fracas in the captain’s quarters this morning, a smirk across his face as long as his dueling scar. A body would never know the man had just spent away his fortune. Smee understood that extravagance. The cocky doctor believed he’d bought a bride from the
Roger
at last. But when the dust settled, the victory would be the lady’s, after all. Her own share of his diamonds, her freedom, and soon, a better man established as her captain. Hanover would have his wife, all right. He just wouldn’t have her
with
him.