A Pirate of her Own (17 page)

“My mother was the type of lady who never raised her voice,” he said quietly. “I don’t think she ever had an opinion that my father didn’t give her.”

“I think that’s what every man dreams of having,” she said, and he could hear the bitter disappointment in her voice.

“I don’t know,” he said in an effort to cheer her melancholia. “I think some men, like your father, appreciate a challenge.”

Silence descended and hung between them until he thought she’d gone to sleep.

Finally she spoke, “And what type of man are you, Morgan?”

Morgan had never answered her question.
Not that night, nor the next night. Serenity had waited and waited, but he’d never spoken.

The silence had dragged on until she couldn’t take it, and when she’d prodded him for an answer, his words had been clipped. “Goodnight, Serenity.”

Even now, his rejection stung her. Either he was the type of man who did like a challenge and he didn’t want to encourage her, or he didn’t like her at all and was trying to be tactful.

Either way, she lost.

Either way meant he had no use for her and that hurt her so much more than she’d ever thought possible. It hurt way down deep in her chest and soul.

Serenity promised herself to think no more of it. Soon they would part and that would be that. She
would go on with her life, regardless. And she would be strong. Never would she let anyone see her pain, most especially not Morgan.

Her will reaffirmed, she stood alone on the deck, staring at the exotic island of Santa Maria as they drew near it. In truth, she’d never seen anything like it. The land rose up out of the ocean and a fine mist enshrouded it with an enticing veil that added mystery and softness to it.

“Are we in the Azores?” she asked Kit as he approached her.

“No, Miss James,” he said, laying down the rope he held in his hands. “This is a relatively unknown island that’s inhabited by…” He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided her gaze. “Well, the types of folks I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be alone with.”

His words gave her pause. “But Mr. Rodale told me that I could buy passage from a trade ship here.”

“And he’s quite right. Trade ships stop by often, looking for information and other, less respectable, things.”

Kit left her and went to join a group of men who were lowering sails.

Serenity watched the shoreline drift closer. She was almost homeward bound back to Savannah.

The thought should have thrilled her, and yet…

What was the use in wishing for what could have been?

Sure, she’d had a couple of nights of quiet conversation with Morgan. She’d learned much about his parents, about his sister. He had even told her some of his adventures as a pirate, and though she knew she should hate that particular part of his past, she couldn’t quite muster up that emotion.

Maybe she was just too curious after all.

But one thing he never spoke of were his years in the British navy. No matter how she phrased her question, he would deftly turn their discussion to something else.

Looking to where he stood by the helm, she felt a flutter in her heart. He was such a handsome man.

A thoughtful man, she realized. Even though his views didn’t always mesh with her own, he had at least thought them out and was able to defend his ideals under fire.

And deep down inside, she admitted that she loved to verbally spar with him on those ideas. Even when hers weren’t contradictory to his, she couldn’t suppress the urge to rankle him and make him fight to convert her to his views.

But that was soon to end.

A few more hours and…

She sighed.

The ship came around a huge mountain, and there on the other side was the most beautiful sight Serenity had ever beheld. Sunlight danced on the waves that pounded against sand as white as snow. Three ships had weighed anchor just offshore and she could see a small settlement of homes not too far from the shoreline.

A large pier jutted out into the ocean and several children scurried along its edge, playing some sort of dodge game with two chickens. A myriad of flowers and plants bloomed all around. It looked like paradise.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Morgan said in her ear.

He must have moved up behind her while she studied the area.

How could the mere sound of his voice give her chills? Banishing the thought, Serenity nodded. “Why do they call it Santa Maria?” she asked.

He smiled that smile that never failed to turn her legs to mush. “It’s a joke, really. It was named after the same island in the Azores where a number of ships from the Spanish Armada are kept. At the time this island was founded, it was the pirate equivalent to the real Santa Maria.”

“And now?”

“Now you’ll find a lot of retired pirates who wanted to escape their past before the authorities found them. Here they can live in peace and talk about the old days when pirates ruled the seas and they still held their youth.” He came around to stare at her. “There’s actually a lot of trade that goes on here nowadays, thanks to Robert Dreck.”

“Who is he?”

“An old friend of mine.” He looked over her head to where Barney stood at the helm. “Bring her about, Mr. Pitkern, and weigh anchor.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”

Raw emotions hovered in Morgan’s eyes as he looked back at her. “I suppose you’ll be wanting your things from my cabin…now.”

Did she really hear the note of sadness in his voice? Looking up at him, she wondered if she could really leave.

You have to!

She nodded. “Yes, I better go get my things.”

Morgan watched as she crossed the deck, his heart heavy. He wanted to call her back, to beg her to let him take her home.

Why?

He didn’t want to think about the why. It scared him to think about it. All he knew was that he would give what little soul he had left for another week with her.

Let her go, Drake,
he mumbled to himself. He must let her go.

Serenity sat quietly in the rowboat as Kit rowed her and several other members of the crew to shore. Morgan was up ahead of them and would reach the shore first.

Half the crew had been left on board while the other half were all shouting and singing, exuberant over their island excursion. Not that she could blame them. The place was enchanting.

Islanders had come out to meet them, including a group of ladies whose low-cut sleeveless blouses and hiked-up skirts left very little doubt as to what they did for a living.

But in truth she did envy them their clothes. The heat here would rival Savannah’s August weather any day. She patted at her sweat-dampened hair and wished she could loosen her stays.

Kit rowed her as close to shore as he could. Immediately sailors began jumping overboard, rocking the boat as they splashed toward the shore like excited children after a favorite toy.

“I’m afraid you’re going to get wet, Miss James,” Kit said in an apologetic voice.

She smiled at him. “Nothing to fret over. I’m sure I’ll dry out in no time in this heat.”

She stood up, and just as she started to climb out, she met Morgan, who was standing kneedeep in the water. “May I lend you my assistance, Miss James?”

Serenity hesitated. They hadn’t touched since
that
night, the mere thought of which brought an unholy amount of heat to her cheeks. “I—I…”

And then against her will, her body leaned forward.

Morgan scooped her up in his arms and held her tightly against his chest. It felt sinfully good to be this close to him, to smell the raw scent of his skin, feel his hands cupping her body in a protective manner.

“I believe I can walk now,” she whispered, her heart hammering.

“No need in ruining your dress,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse, and she wondered if he felt the same desperate longing she did.

It was so wrong, and yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting another kiss.

From wanting…

No more,
she snapped at herself. A man wasn’t supposed to touch a woman like that. Not without wedding vows, and even then she wasn’t sure if they were supposed to do what he’d done to her that night.

Still, she let him carry her to shore with only the tiniest edge of her hem sweeping against the waves.

When he finally stopped and set her down, she wasn’t sure she could hold her own weight. Something about his touch had made her breathless and weak.

“Morgan!” a rough voice called out.

She turned to see a man of about fifty or so years rush toward them. Years of squinting against the island sun had made deep lines around his eyes, but even so, he was very handsome and distinguished-looking. His white hair still held a strand or two of the black it had once been. He wore a flowing white shirt that was open at the neck, and a long, light blue waistcoat. His tan breeches and white stockings looked crisp and unbearable in this heat.

“It’s so good to see you.” The man took Morgan’s hand and pumped it giddily. “Or are you still going by Marshall? Damn, boy, if I ever know what to call you.”

Morgan smiled. “It’s been a long time, Robert.”

The man named Robert turned to Serenity then and gave her a measuring stare that she was sure took in more than just her appearance. There was a sageness to him that led her to believe he could size up her very soul.

“Allow me to present Serenity James. Miss James, this is Robert Dreck, the governor of the island.”

Robert laughed. “Governor, indeed. What he fails to tell you, Miss James, is that I won this island in a card game.” He lifted her hand, bowed low before her like a true noble lord, and placed a gentle kiss on the backs of her fingers. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Morgan cleared his throat, and she didn’t miss the warning stare he directed to Robert.

Robert’s smile grew wider. “Tell me how such a lady came into your surly presence, Drake.”

Serenity answered for him. “Fate and misfortune laid me at his door.”

Robert started to respond, and then his gaze looked past her and he saw Jake wading ashore.

“My God,” he gasped. “It’s Jack. I don’t believe my eyes!” He rushed forward to greet Jake.

“Jake once saved Robert’s life,” Morgan explained. “I know Robert didn’t mean to leave you so rudely, but he hasn’t seen Jake in a long time.”

“No need to explain. How is it you know Robert?”

His jaw flexed and he became rigid. At first she didn’t think he’d answer and then after a pregnant pause, he said, “I married his daughter.”

After greeting Jake, Robert had led them to waiting coaches which had taken Morgan, Serenity, Jake, and Barney up to his Grecian-style plantation home named
La Grande Maison
. Robert had introduced her to his wife, Martha, and his youngest daughter, Kristen, before the men had retired to his study.

Martha, who was probably a good ten years younger than Robert, had laughing blue eyes and light auburn hair. She was short and plump, and vivacious. But there was something more than that, a cheery happiness that ran so deep in Martha’s personality that all a person had to do was look at her to feel happy.

And Martha had an uncanny ability to read people. She’d no more than just met Serenity before she ordered a bath be drawn and urged Serenity upstairs to rest.

Now Serenity stood inside an upstairs bedroom looking out on the weeping willows and Spanish moss that lined the drive.

Kristen, who was around Serenity’s age, directed the servants to fill the tub and prepare her bath like a military drill instructor. Though slight of stature like her mother, and with the appearance of a fragile china doll, Kristen was not a woman to be taken lightly. Once she donned the cap of commander, Serenity doubted if anyone possessed the backbone to stand up to her.

Serenity tuned out Kristen’s commands while she thought about Morgan’s disclosure of being married to Robert’s eldest daughter, Teresa.

This had once been Morgan’s wife’s home, and Serenity couldn’t help wondering how much he had loved Teresa. What they had shared, and what memories this house stirred within him.

“Miss James,” Kristen called, “your bath is ready and we’re waiting to help you undress.”

“Thank you,” Serenity said, pulling herself away from her thoughts.

A light blue cambric dress had been brushed and was lying on the bed.

“I thought the color would bring out your eyes,” Kristen explained. “It was part of a shipment that Father purchased just last week.”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“Miss James?” Kristen asked as she moved closer to her.

“Call me Serenity, please.”

Kristen nodded. “Serenity, I know we just met, but I can’t help noticing that something seems to be the matter. Would you like a sympathetic ear?”

How could she possibly broach this topic with Kristen?

“It’s about my sister and Morgan, isn’t it?”

Serenity chewed her lip, not really wanting to talk about this. Yet she needed to. “He loved your sister very much, didn’t he?”

Kristen gave her a comforting squeeze. “Do you want the truth?”

“Please.”

Kristen dismissed the servants and quietly shut the door before she turned back to face Serenity. “Teresa was in love with another man,” she confessed in a low tone. “He was a local farmer’s son, and she used to sneak out every night to meet with him.”

Serenity gasped. That was the last thing she’d expected Kristen to say.

Kristen’s eyes turned dark and sad, and tears misted in her eyes. “My parents didn’t know at the time, and I had promised her I wouldn’t tell. You’ve no idea how many times since her death I wished to God that I had told them. That I had stopped her from doing something so terribly foolish.”

Kristen looked away from her. “They saw each other for a few months and then Teresa learned…well, she was in the family way.”

Serenity frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Kristen bit her lip as if debating something. She finally continued, “I guess I should explain everything from the beginning. All this mess started with Morgan.”

“With Morgan?”

“Aye. When Morgan found his sister, he didn’t know where to take her. Penelope had caught a terrible disease and she would fly into fits of rage. Morgan brought her here because my mother was the only person he knew who had experience dealing with people like her. But it was too late. The disease was incurable and so my mother and Teresa did their best to make her comfortable.”

Kristen swallowed. “Teresa befriended her, loved her like a sister, and she helped Penelope live out her final days in quiet dignity. So later, when Morgan found out what had happened to Teresa, and the fact that the man who did it had run off to sea and abandoned her, Morgan insisted she marry him.”