“Aye. I would have been here sooner, but I had to sell a few things.”
“Oh?” She looked at him curiously.
“Four ships.”
She blinked. “You sold your fleet?”
“I sold that one, aye. And in return, I bought a merchant ship. A large one, as pretty as the day is long. And that’s what I came to tell you. Thea, lass, I cannae do everything you wanted, but I’m hoping you might meet me halfway. I’m giving oop my privateering papers in exchange for a merchant license.” His jaw firmed. “It will cost me a pretty penny, but I’ll make it back, and then some.”
“I don’t understand. You . . . you didn’t do this for me, surely.”
“Aye, I did—and also for myself. I wish us both to win, lass. And by win I mean be together for the rest of our lives, to have a family, and happiness. For I’ve discovered that my happiness is tightly wrapped to yours.”
“Conner, that’s—” She put down the glass of whisky, her hands shaking. “I don’t understand. Even as a merchant captain, you’d be gone all of the time.”
His eyes gleamed. “That’s where you’re wrong, lass. We would be gone half of each year.”
She blinked. “We?”
“Aye. I bought the new merchant ship today. The Solution, she’s called. ’Tis a big ship, with a verrah large captain’s suite. And before we set sail, I’ll have it outfitted with every luxury you can imagine. You’ll have silver, guid linens, a wardrobe, and a maid, too.”
“I see. So we’d sail half the year. And then?”
Her gaze locked with his and he had to fight the desire to pull her into his lap and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe. “The other half of the year we will be at Dunskey, setting her to rights, making a home. We’ll send our retired sailors to work the farm; they’ll need a place to live once their sailing days are over. As will I.”
“I . . . I never thought about sailing with you.”
“Neither did I, for sailing with a privateer would be too dangerous. But a merchant ship, that’s another thing altogether.” He leaned forward and said in an earnest tone, “We could do this, Thea. I’ll spare nae expense to make it comfortable for you.”
She gazed at her hands, which were clasped in her lap so tightly it would take a wedge to part them.
Conner watched every expression, every flicker of emotion that crossed her expressive face. When he’d stepped into the room, her beauty had hit him like a punch to the heart. She was wearing an almost scandalous gown—the green silk clung to her body, the décolletage curved tightly around her full breasts. He ached anew for her, but refused to make a single move that might send her away. This was his last chance, he knew it as sure as his heart beat inside his chest.
His gaze traced the delicate line of her cheek and throat. She was so damned beautiful, and he loved her so much, he couldn’t breathe without her.
She looked at him now, her eyes dark. “We’d be together all year round.”
“Every day. I fear you’ll grow tired of me.”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “What if we have a family—”
“When we have a family. I’ve thought of that, too. We’ll hire a captain to oversee my route and I’ll take only short trips, nothing beyond Calais. That will slake my need for the feel of the ocean beneath my feet, but will keep me on land long enough to make a home. With you.”
She gave a shaky laugh. “You’ve thought this through.”
“There is no other woman for me, lass. Life withoot you isn’t life at all.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she arose.
Conner held his breath as she came to stand before him. Her voice was soft, breathless, and trembled with desire. “Very well, Cap’n.”
“Very well, what?”
Laughter softened her voice. “I agree to your parlay.”
For an astounded moment, he could only stare up at her. And then he was standing, and she was in his arms. He covered her mouth with his, lifting her until her feet no longer touched the ground.
Theodora’s eyes burned with tears as she melted into him, kissing him back as passionately as he was kissing her, holding him as tight as she could. She couldn’t press close enough to him, soak in his scent enough, feel him enough. “Enough” didn’t exist where he was concerned.
It never had.
She could feel the pounding of his heart, feel the desperation of his hold, and she held him just as tightly, her heart just as wild, fighting happy tears.
After what seemed like forever, he sighed, setting her back on her feet and flashing his lopsided grin. “I’m a happy mon, Thea.”
“You’re also wealthy, because now you’ve won your inheritance.”
His arms tightened about her. “The Campbells can have the lot. You are all I want, now and forever.” He rested his forehead to hers and whispered, “Withoot you, I’m a ship with nae crew. A sail with nae wind. A mon with nae heart. I love you, Thea.”
She placed her hand on his cheek. “And I love you, Conner.”
To her surprise, he dropped to one knee before her. “Thea, love, would you marry me and come sailing with me? There’s spices to be had in the Orient, cotton and furs from the Americas, and diamonds and precious woods from Africa. You’ve but to name a place, and I’ll take you.”
She laughed and tugged him to his feet. “How can I say no to that?”
“You cannae. And when we’re done, we’ll come home to Dunskey. It’s where our children will play, and our grandchildren come to visit. It’s where we’ll grow old when we cannae sail any longer.” He cupped her face between his hands. “On land or sea, I’ll be by your side. There can be no bigger adventure than that.”
Joy rushed through her and she slid her arms around his neck. “Yes, Conner, yes—a million yesses!”
Epilogue
The wind filled the sails as The Solution danced upon the waves. Conner rolled the charts and handed them to Spencer. “Return them to my cabin when you go.”
“Aye, Cap’n.”
Ferguson, who was overseeing the coiling of a rope by a sailor who’d mistakenly thought to do it in a shabby manner, looked up. “To France, Cap’n?”
“Aye. We’re to pick oop barrels of wine and deliver crates of embroidered silks for the French court. They cannae get enough of Belgium’s best.”
“And then?”
“And then we’re to pick oop a shipment of olive oil and Madeira from Spain and carry them to London.” Conner patted the manifest tucked in his belt. “We stand to make a pretty profit this trip. Quite a haul, in fact.” Anna would be proud of him. He glanced up at the sky, smiling at the sunshine beaming between the sails and sparkling on the dancing waves. You were right, Anna. As usual. He couldn’t help but feel that she smiled a bit wider at that.
Ferguson stuck his thumbs in the pockets of the faded silk waistcoat he’d taken to wearing. “If you’d told me a year ago that we’d be fat merchants on a fat merchant ship, lining our purses with gold in an honest manner, I’d have called you a liar!”
“You do nae seem to mind the gold,” Conner said.
“The gold helps,” Ferguson admitted.
It was amusing to see how well his men liked their new venture. It had been a full year now, and Conner had never been happier. During the warmer months, he and Thea took to the sea. During the winter months he kept the ship routing up and down the coast of England, where he and Thea were turning Dunskey into a warm and welcoming home.
A flash of blue caught his eye, and he turned to see Thea on deck, her gown fluttering in the wind. She was speaking with some of the other passengers, most of them male, as the women seemed to find the constant wind difficult on their hair.
But not his Thea. She walked boldly, absorbing the rhythm of the deck beneath her boots, her hair blowing about her face. God, but I love that woman.
And she loved him.
He grinned and said over his shoulder, “Ferguson? Mind the helm.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
Conner leapt over the railing and landed on the deck a few feet from Thea.
She laughed as he joined her. He tipped his hat to the admiring gentlemen she’d been conversing with, took her arm in his, and started walking down the deck.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He glinted a grin at her. “To our cabin. My staid merchant’s heart longs for the embrace of his lady wife.”
She leaned against him, smiling into his eyes as they entered the privacy of the narrow hall. “You, sir, are many things, but staid is not one of them.” As she spoke, she slipped her hand to his hip and then around to his—
His body leaping in response, he caught her wrist with a chuckle. He loved her more now that he’d sailed with her, now that they’d argued over where to put the shelves in the new library he’d fashioned at Dunskey for her, now that they’d awakened in each other’s arms day after day. Their life was just beginning, and each day was an adventure. He didn’t miss his old life at all. But this— He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. This, he would have missed very much.
After a long moment, she broke the kiss, breathless and flushed, then grabbed his hand and swiftly pulled him toward their cabin. “I’ve things to discuss with you, my lord.” She twinkled at him over her shoulder. “Things best discussed in private.”
He grinned and let her lead the way.
He finally understood the beauty of the word “home.”
For home was wherever she was, and she was in his heart.
About the Author
© Michael Cairns
KAREN HAWKINS is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many wickedly funny historical romance novels set in Regency Scotland, including the wildly popular MacLean Curse series, the enchanting Hurst Amulet series, the funny and charming Duchess Diaries series, and now the romantic Oxenburg Princes series. Karen is also the author of two sassy contemporary romances set in the little town of Glory, North Carolina.
Join her at www.facebook.com/KarenHawkinsWriter to see pictures of Karen chasing a box of doughnuts; for information on her favorite crush/actor, the incomparable Hugh Jackman; and to enter ridiculously easy contests to win free books and other fabulous prizes! Visit Karen’s website at www.karenhawkins.com and visit Hawkins Manor to explore recipes, fashions, games, and more from Regency Scotland.
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ALSO BY KAREN HAWKINS
THE OXENBURG PRINCES SERIES
Mad for the Plaid
The Princess Wore Plaid
The Prince and I
The Prince Who Loved Me
THE DUCHESS DIARIES SERIES
How to Capture a Countess
How to Pursue a Princess
How to Entice an Enchantress
THE HURST AMULET SERIES
One Night in Scotland
Scandal in Scotland
A Most Dangerous Profession
The Taming of a Scottish Princess
THE MACLEAN CURSE SERIES
How to Abduct a Highland Lord
To Scotland, With Love
To Catch a Highlander
Sleepless in Scotland
The Laird Who Loved Me
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Talk of the Town
Lois Lane Tells All
OTHER
Much Ado About Marriage
Princess in Disguise
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Karen Hawkins
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ISBN 978-1-4767-8603-2
ISBN 978-1-4767-8611-7 (ebook)
Karen Hawkins, Caught by the Scot
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