Surrender the Heart (60 page)

A gust of wind danced through her hair and brought with it the smell of gunpowder, the sea, and charred wood. Leaning over the railing, she glanced at the blue waves frolicking against the hull. She chuckled. She was no longer frightened of the water. No longer frightened of anything.

Except spending her life without Noah.

Would they simply return to Baltimore, end their engagement, and
go their separate ways? Without a ship, without a merchant business to fund, Noah had no reason to please his father with a forced marriage, especially since he now knew the true state of the Denton fortune. After Noah explained it to his father, the man would no doubt agree to call off the marriage. Then Marianne would have to find another way to care for her sick mother and her sister.

Yet that pain was nothing compared to the gnawing ache of losing Noah.

A light touch on the small of her back caused a flutter in her belly. Noah’s warm breath fanned her neck. “Marianne.” Shivers tingled down her back.

She turned her head. His blue eyes caressed her face. His lips lingered just inches from hers. She swallowed and faced forward, her heart in her throat.

He slipped beside her, keeping his hand on her back. “You are no longer afraid of the sea?”

His brown hair whipped behind him. She longed to run her fingers over the stubble on his firm jaw.

“No. I believe the Lord has cured me.” She gave a little laugh.

“Would that He had done so before you nearly drowned us both.” He huffed, his voice ringing with playful annoyance.

Marianne’s face grew hot. She pushed his hand away. “Noah Brenin, I was terrified out of my mind. I thought I was drowning. I wasn’t myself.”

He grinned.

“You taunt me.” She lowered her shoulders. “I’m sorry. You are right. I could have drowned us both.”

“I shouldn’t tease you.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Her body warmed. “Thank you for coming back for me.”

“I said I would.”

“You risked everything. Your ship, your men, your life.”

“Did you doubt that I would try?” He frowned.

Of course she did
. “Few people keep their word under such dire circumstances.”

The afternoon sun painted his hair with streaks of gold. He leaned toward her. “It depends on the value of the prize.”

Marianne’s breath halted. Did he mean her, or saving the
Constitution?
She wished she had more experience with courting. If that was even what this was. She wished her heart didn’t twist in a knot whenever Noah was near. She wished she believed that a man like him could love a woman like her. “Yes, Captain Hull seems quite taken with your performance,” she said.

“And yours.” He frowned again. Shifting his boots over the planks, he gazed at the sparkling azure waves spreading to the horizon. “Destiny. There’s something wonderful about knowing you belong to an Almighty God who loves you. A God who has a purpose for your life. Makes the fear of dying fade by comparison.”

Marianne could relate. She, too, had found her destiny aboard the
Undefeatable
. But Noah’s words stunned her. “Did I hear you correctly, Mr. Brenin? You speak of God and destiny as though you now believe in both.”

He smiled. “I was wrong about both. I was wrong about many things.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I have discovered God’s nothing like my father. I don’t have to perform to win His love.”

Marianne smiled, her heart bursting with joy. “What of Jacob’s death?”

“Part of God’s plan.” He shrugged. “I may never know His reasons until I die.”

“I’m so happy, Noah.” She laid a hand on his arm. “I, too, have begun to trust God again.” She shook her head. “I am still shocked that He used me, a plain, ordinary woman with no special talents to win a major victory in a war for our country’s freedom.”

“Plain? Ordinary?” Noah took her hand in his. “Woman, you are the most extraordinary creature I have ever met.”

Tears filled her eyes. She gazed out to sea, overcome with emotion. Extraordinary? She flattened her lips. If that were true, why did her father leave her?

“Precious child.”
God’s voice filled her spirit.

And the answer came to her. Her father’s problems had nothing
to do with her, nor did his death bear any reflection on her value. She twisted the ring on her finger. A ray of sunlight caught the ruby and set it aflame. She had intended to sell it once. For to her, it represented the extent of her father’s opinion of her worth. But now she knew her worth. She was a child of God. Precious and beloved. No, she would not sell it. She would cherish this ring as the last memento she had from her earthly father.

She gazed up at Noah and found him looking at her, concern filling his brow.

“You don’t believe that I find you extraordinary?” he asked.

“I’ve never received such flattery.”

“Not flattery, my love.” He toyed with a strand of her hair, his gaze hovering over her lips.

She laid a hand on her chest to still her beating heart, beating in the hope that the love she saw in his eyes sprang from his heart. “So, it was destiny that brought you back to me?”

“Aye.” Wind blasted over them, lifting the hair at his collar. He stared at the
Guerriére
, her masts nothing but shattered twigs, her decks littered with tangled lines and canvas. She listed heavily to larboard, groaning in despair of her ultimate demise. One final cockboat pushed off from her hull and headed back to the
Constitution
. Blackthorn and Daniel waved at them from the stern.

Noah waved back.

“And what does destiny prompt you to do next?” Marianne pressed him. He squared his shoulders. “I believe I shall become a privateer.”

Daft man
. Ignoring her disappointment, Marianne gave him a coy smile. “Privateering? Why, Noah Brenin, if I didn’t know better I’d say you’ve turned into a patriot.”

He gave a jaunty huff. “A few months aboard a British frigate would change even the staunchest renegade.” He grew serious. “I’ve been selfish, thinking only of my father’s business, only of our family … only of myself. America is a great country. And I sense God leading me to defend her.” He faced her, his eyes glittering. “For the first time in my life, I feel as though I have a purpose.”

Marianne nodded, admiring his zeal.

“To defend our nation is a privilege worth fighting for—even dying for,” he added.

“Dying? I cannot risk losing you again, Noah Brenin.” The words came out before Marianne had a chance to check them.

His expression softened, and he ran a thumb over her cheek. “You’ll never lose me.”

Marianne searched those words for the meaning she longed to hear.

He cupped her chin, and then slowly lowered his lips to hers.

An explosion broke the peaceful afternoon. Jerking away from Noah, Marianne swept her gaze toward the sound. Yellow and orange flames, littered with chunks of wood shot high into the air above the
Guerriére
.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Captain Hull ordered the ship destroyed.” Noah gazed solemnly at the scene.

Cheers and howls and huzzahs blared from the crew of the
Constitution
, then all grew quiet as they watched the British ship shudder. Streams of light ran along her hull. The quarterdeck lifted in the air. With an ominous boom, it exploded into fragments that flew in every direction. The hull split in two then reeled and staggered like a drunken man before plunging forward and sinking beneath the sea.

Until nothing but a swirl of foam-capped waves marked the spot where once she stood.

Marianne felt an emptiness in her gut at the sight of the mighty warship sinking to the cold depths—never to sail the majestic seas again.

Yet she supposed that was its destiny.

Noah’s jaw tightened as he continued to gaze at the sight.

Had he been about to kiss her? Her heart raced.

He faced her, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Now, where were we?” He leaned toward her.

Against every urge within her, she held up a hand to stay his advance. “Regardless of what you think, I do not allow just any man to kiss me.”

His brow furrowed. “Just any man? Have I been reduced to standing in a line of common suitors vying for your affections?”

Marianne huffed. As if she’d ever had such a line. “Last I heard,
Noah Brenin, you had no interest in marrying me.”

“And you said you’d never marry me.” He gazed at her mouth and began his descent again. “Much has happened since then.”

She placed a finger on his lips. They were warm and moist and made her hand tingle. “Enlighten me as to exactly what has happened?”

His eyes lifted to hers, then he backed away, a playful smirk on his face. “For one thing, we have not called off the engagement. Hence, I am still your fiancé and have every right to kiss you.” He pressed in again.

Her finger rose. “Then you wish to marry me?”

He straightened his stance. The adoration in his eyes threatened to turn her legs to jelly. His warm fingers pressed on her neck as his thumb caressed her jaw. “Woman, I will die if you don’t marry me.” He laid his forehead against hers. “I love you with all my heart.”

Now Marianne’s knees became custard. His words sailed through her, squelching all her insecurities and fears. She clung to him and tilted her head up to receive his kiss.

Warm and hungry, his mouth devoured hers, seeking, caressing, enjoying. He tasted of salt and coffee and … Noah. A wave of passion swept through her, tingling her toes.

Whistles and howls from the crew pulled them apart. Marianne’s face grew hot.

She smiled. “I love you, too, Noah.” She rubbed a finger over his stubbled jaw. “I can’t wait to become your wife.”

His breathing came hard and rapid. He drew her to his chest. “Me either, princess. Me either.”

As commands to get the ship underway shot across the deck, Noah and Marianne stood arm in arm, and stared over the wide expanse of glistening sea that seemed to spread out before them with endless possibilities.

The snap of a sail sounded above them.

The ship jerked forward as the purl of the water played against the bow.

“Do you think God has more for us to do?” Marianne looked up at Noah.

He smiled. “I think God has only just begun.”