And then The Pearl sailed into the harbor.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Of all the bloody nerve,” Anthony was saying while he held Judith protectively close to him. “Sail in as bold as you please when he expects a noose to be waiting for him here?”
At least half of them had moved down the dock to where The Pearl was being directed to an empty slip. James had confirmed Nathan was on the ship after he put his spyglass away, but he said to his brother, “Kindly remember that’s no longer the case. Stop grousing about one thing when it’s another thing that’s got your dander up. And do not antagonize him. I need that ship, preferably with his cooperation.”
Judith didn’t understand why Nathan was even here. She’d sent Artie to find him up the coast, hoping Nathan would be willing to help with Jack’s rescue. But Artie had returned just as The Pearl was sighted to tell her that he hadn’t been in time, that Nathan had already sailed.
She searched for Nathan on the decks, but all she could see were men in unusual uniforms who looked nothing like sailors. “He’s brought the military with him?”
“Looks like some of our local militia boys,” Clinton confirmed, recognizing one of them.
“Ha!” Anthony crowed. “So he’s spent the last few days in chains after all.”
“You better hope not—for James’s sake.”
“Why?”
“Because right now your brother has a ship and a captain on hand to negotiate with, which is much more than he had a few minutes ago. But if this captain is under arrest, then his ship will be locked down until after a trial.”
“That won’t stop my brother, Yank.”
“You might want to remember this is Georgina’s hometown. He won’t want to be outlawed from it.”
With a hard stare from James, Anthony held his tongue for the moment. One of the militiamen jumped down to the dock to tie off the ship. James and Boyd went to help him when it appeared he wasn’t sure how to do it. A wide ramp was dropped for debarking. But before any of them could board the ship, a few horses were led off, already saddled, then the militia followed.
Anthony stopped one of them. “Is Nathan Tremayne under arrest?”
The man actually laughed. “Arrest? The man’s a hero. He helped New London take down a band of thieves who were operating right under their noses for a damned decade.”
Well, that explained why Nathan was bold enough to sail into Bridgeport, Judith thought. He didn’t just have the local militia on his side, he had them with him!
“Tony, for the last time . . .”
That’s all James said, but it had Anthony snarling, “I get it. So he told the truth about his ship being stolen. That changes nothing—”
“Then give it a little more thought, because it does.”
“A welcoming committee? I’m touched.”
They turned. Nathan was standing at the top of the ramp, arms crossed, tone icy. He looked ready for a fight. And Judith couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“I’d like a word, Tremayne,” James said as he moved halfway up the ramp.
Nathan didn’t change his stance or step aside from blocking the way onto The Pearl, didn’t even acknowledge that he’d heard James. But he was staring at Judith now, who still stood with Anthony’s arm tight around her.
James, glancing between them, asked, “What did you come here for?”
Nathan’s eyes moved back to James. “New London is full of whalers. Hard to get a full crew there that doesn’t want to be off chasing whales instead and I’ve been trying for two days. These militiamen figured I’d have better luck in their town, getting the last few men I need, even offered to help get us this far by way of thanks.”
“So you’re just here for a crew?”
“Just that. Disappointed I’m not in chains instead?”
“Not a’tall. We found out who stole the jewelry tonight, but that’s not all she’s guilty of. I need your ship to take us to the Caribbean. I’ll—”
Nathan’s harsh laugh cut him off. “I’m not helping you bleedin’ Malorys after what you did to me.”
“That’s—unfortunate—considering you were assisted out of that predicament by someone on my ship.”
Nathan gave James a long, hard look. Whether he read anything into that statement was unclear. Judith did. So did Anthony, who was swearing under his breath now.
But Nathan’s next question wasn’t odd, since they were all still wearing their evening apparel. “You’re having a ball on the docks tonight?” A glance down the pier. “Or a war? What happened here?”
“My daughter has been abducted. The bastards went out of their way to make sure I couldn’t follow immediately.”
“Judy’s cousin Jack?”
James again glanced between the Nathan and Judith who were staring at each other, before he made the decision easier for Nathan by saying, “I’ll pay you thrice what your ship is even worth.”
“Some things don’t have a price,” Nathan said angrily.
James took another step forward. “You really don’t want to know the extent I will go to, to get my daughter back. Take my offer, Tremayne. It’s more than fair, and it even leaves you to captain your ship, which isn’t actually how I’d prefer it, but I can be reasonable.”
“As long as you get what you want?”
“Quite right.”
Nathan didn’t answer for a moment, which was better than another outright refusal. But Boyd came forward to sweeten the offer, saying, “I’ll even throw in a full cargo, once you return us here. Give you a taste of the trader’s life—if you haven’t tried that yet.”
“Us?”
“My brothers and I. Jacqueline is our niece. While we’re not incredibly fond of our brother-in-law, we’d rather he not be exchanged for Jack. So we need to recover her before that happens.”
“You’re the ransom?” Nathan said to James.
“Yes.”
“Our—your mystery ship?”
“Undetermined, but possible.”
Nathan glanced down at the dock at so many expectant faces staring back at him. His eyes lingered the longest on Judith, again, but he stiffened when he stared at Anthony.
Yet he told James, “Come aboard, alone, if you want to hear my terms.”
Judith let out her breath in relief. Nathan was agreeing, just with stipulations. Which was fine. At least he was going to help! But of course he was. He had his own agenda, might still be furious with all of them, but he had a good heart. And as long as The Pearl got under way soon, it still had a chance to catch up with that ship before it even reached the Caribbean, so both Jack and James could come out of this unscathed.
On the ship, Nathan led James to the center of the deck, where they couldn’t be seen from the dock. James had already guessed: “I suppose you don’t want my brother to come along?”
“Correct. He isn’t setting foot on my ship—ever.”
“If that’s all it takes—”
“That’s not all. You can bring only three Andersons with you. Counting you, that’s the number of men I still need to round out my crew. You can choose, but you might want to check if one of them can cook.”
James rolled his eyes. “So we’re agreed?”
“If you can supply my new cabin boy—Judith.”
James went very still. “And I was so hoping I wouldn’t have to kill you.”
“That’s not negotiable. And don’t be a hypocrite. I overheard Artie teasing your wife about the time she acted as your cabin boy, when you knew she was a female but she thought you weren’t aware of it.”
“I ended up marrying her,” James growled.
“Beside the bleedin’ point. Those are my terms, Viscount Ryding.”
James didn’t answer for a long moment. He finally said, “You have a cabin for her?”
“Yes, one. The rest of you will have to sleep with the crew.”
“Then let’s be clear. If she agrees to this nonsense, and the decision must be hers,
you don’t touch her, not even by accident. I’ll need your word on that.”
“Agreed. But if you’re leaving it up to her, you might remind her of the Bargain she struck with me—tit for tat is owed.”
James just narrowed his eyes before he left the ship. He pulled Judith aside to explain Nathan’s demands and what he’d said about their Bargain. Anthony joined them before she could give her answer.
“Well?” Anthony asked. “Are we going or is he still sulking over a few hours in your brig?”
“His terms are, you don’t go—but Judy does.”
“Like hell she does!” Anthony snarled. “This isn’t a bloody pleasure jaunt. She stays here with the rest of the women.”
“I’ve already accepted his terms.”
Judith put her hand on her father’s arm. “I was going to insist on it myself,” she said, not even sure if that was a lie. “This is Jack we’re talking about. I’m going. I’ll just gather a few things and be back before the supplies are loaded.”
She started to leave, but heard behind her, “Damnit, James, why didn’t you just toss him in the water and take his bloody ship?”
“Because his chums are still here, who hail him a hero and have the authority to gather the entire town against us. We aren’t getting Jack back if we’re tossed in jail instead. Judy will be fine under my protection.”
Would she? She’d seen the anger in Nathan’s eyes. He might have kissed her earlier tonight, given her such hope because of it, but he was still so furious with her. And she couldn’t see that ending, not when he’d just included her in his terms to help them. Tit for tat? Or just payback for her and her family’s accusing him of something he didn’t do?
Chapter Forty-Three
“You missed a spot.”
“This floor isn’t even dirty!”
“Because you’re keeping it that way.”
Nathan couldn’t take his eyes off Judith as she angrily stood up with her bucket and came over to the side of his desk where he was pointing. Getting back on her hands and knees, she grabbed the rag out of the water and slapped it hard enough on the floor for the water to splash in his direction.
“If you wanted to polish my boots, you should have said so.” He turned in his chair so she could reach his feet.
She glared up at him. “Enjoying yourself, aren’t you—a little too much?”
He grinned. “Actually, yes.”
He’d been embarrassed when she’d first entered his cabin the morning after they’d sailed from Bridgeport. It had none of the luxuries she was used to and barely any furniture. He couldn’t imagine what she’d thought of it. The Pearl was three-masted like her uncle’s ship, but not as long and not as wide. His cabin might be located in the same part of the ship as the captain’s cabin on The Maiden George, but it wasn’t even half the size. His father hadn’t slept in his cabin, merely used it as a chart room and a place to dine with Corky—and Nathan, when he was aboard. Nathan had turned the cabin into his personal quarters and had added a hammock, which was where he slept. One of Bostwick’s men in New London had put a cot in it, an alteration that Nathan didn’t mind.
Nathan didn’t know the three Andersons, Warren, Thomas, and Drew, whom James had picked to accompany them. He would have preferred for Boyd to join them, but he recalled James saying that Boyd would be useless for half of the voyage because of his seasickness. James and the three Anderson brothers were pulling their weight, though Nathan had caught all of them giving orders to the other sailors, or starting to before they remembered they weren’t in command on this voyage. For men who’d been captains for most of their lives, it was a hard habit to break.
The first morning at sea Judith had made his bed, dusted his desk, swept his floor, and fetched his breakfast, all without saying a word. She didn’t castigate him for putting her in the position of a servant, she didn’t demand to know why he’d done that, and she displayed no resentment either. She had seemed more the martyr, willing to do whatever it took to rescue her cousin. She’d even appeared a little grateful to him for helping them with the rescue mission. But Nathan didn’t want her gratitude. Although he was keeping his anger in check, he still felt plenty of it—especially, toward her.
He’d trusted her. That’s why the rancor wouldn’t go away. He’d never trusted anyone quite like that, when the odds warned that he shouldn’t. She’d even made him look at nabobs differently, showing him they weren’t all heartless snobs the way Angie’s in-laws had been. Only to prove in the end that he’d been right all along.
Corky had given up his cabin for her. The Pearl only had three of them, and the Anderson brothers had claimed the other. Nathan didn’t know where James was sleeping, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was in the corridor outside Judith’s cabin, or even on the floor inside it. Nathan had given his word he wouldn’t touch her and he wouldn’t, but James was still helping him to keep his word.
The man never knocked when he entered Nathan’s cabin and made no bones about deliberately failing to do so, unless he knew Judith wasn’t in there. Then he knocked. But when she was in the cabin and Nathan was, too, James showed up once or twice. Unexpectedly. Quietly. He didn’t even provide an excuse for it! Nathan found it annoying, but he wasn’t fool enough to ask him to stop it, when he knew very well he’d crossed the line with his terms. It had been a moment of madness that James would no doubt make him pay for as soon as James had his daughter back.
Ironically, Nathan shouldn’t even be here. He could have checked in other towns for more sailors to hire for his crew instead of the town Judith was in. He should have been on his way back to England and his own nieces, instead of embroiling himself in Malory family problems. If only he didn’t know Jacqueline, gutsy, brazen, funny—and Judith’s dearest friend. He could have said no if he’d never met Jack or hadn’t seen that pleading look in Judith’s eyes there on the dock. . . .
And Judith hadn’t remained the silent martyr for long. Her testiness had showed up the first time he ordered her to do something she wasn’t expecting to have to do, such as washing his clothes or scrubbing his floor again today when she’d just done it yesterday.
“This isn’t tit for tat a’tall,” she pointed out now. “I barely asked anything of you.”
“But you could have, darlin’. You can’t imagine how many sleepless nights I had, thinking of all the ways you could have taken advantage of me.”
She blushed furiously. He relented and put his feet back under his desk before she actually reached for them. But he couldn’t keep his eyes off her as she began scrubbing around the corner of his desk. Beautiful as she was in a dress or a gown, she looked quite fetching in her boyish garb, which was all she’d been wearing on his ship. Right now he had a glorious view of her derriere, which was outlined nicely by her britches as she leaned forward to swab the floor. It was getting harder and harder for him not to touch her, particularly when he saw her in such an alluring pose and she got so close he could smell her, as she was now. He had to be a masochist to put himself through this when he still wanted her so much, just so he could squeeze out a few more days with her before they parted and he never saw her again.
Glancing up at him again, she suddenly asked, “Who let you out of the brig?”
Pleased that she was still curious about him, but angry because of the subject she’d just raised, he realized she was doing it again, stirring contradictory emotions in him. But he wasn’t surprised. She had no idea of the depth of emotion she’d tapped in him. He’d never given her a clue about his feelings, not even that amazing night when he’d made love to her. But the truth was, he was afraid he’d fallen in love with her. That there was no hope for a future with her and had never been fueled his anger.
“I wasn’t awake to see who it was, but it obviously wasn’t you,” he said bitterly.
She started to reply, but changed her mind, started to again, but again closed her mouth.
His brows snapped together as he watched her. “Wha
t?!”
She glanced down at the floor and said so quietly he barely heard it, “I was going to.”
“Going to what?”
“Let you out. I waited until everyone was asleep. I waited too long. You were already gone.”
He snorted. “How convenient for you to say so now.”
Her cobalt eyes rounded in surprise as they met his again. “You don’t believe me?”
“Why would I?”
“Perhaps because I’ve never lied to you? I’ve lied for you, but never to you, well, at least nothing of import that I can recall.”
“Import? What does that even mean?”
She shrugged. “I might have lied about members of my family, but family secrets are family secrets, you understand, and they are not to be revealed except by those members involved and at their discretion. Certainly not at my discretion. You, on the other hand, lied to me. Or are you going to maintain at this late point that you were never a smuggler?”
“D’you really think I’d answer that? You, darlin’, can’t be trusted.”
She stiffened, obviously insulted, but he couldn’t miss the hurt that briefly flickered in her eyes, too, which twisted his gut. He started to reach for her, but caught himself at the last second. That damned promise . . . And like clockwork, James opened the door—and frowned when he didn’t immediately see Judith.
But she stood up, guessing who had arrived without knocking, and with her bucket in hand, told Nathan stiffly, “The floor is finished and it’s time for your lunch.”
She hurried out of the room without glancing at her uncle, but James didn’t leave with her. He came forward slowly, his ominous demeanor predicting payback might be coming sooner rather than later.
“I know this isn’t your fight, Tremayne, which is why your terms were outrageous—”