Desert Song (DeWinter's Song 3) (28 page)

Chapter 30

The Nightingale dipped her sails as a signal for the cargo barge to come about. Since a British flag waved above the yacht, the captain of the ship called out in English, "What is your business with us?"

Captain Norris called back to him. "This is the ship of the duke and duchess of Ravenworth. Their daughter-in-law is aboard your ship. Her husband wishes to board you to get his wife."

"Come ahead," the Egyptian captain called back, thinking only an Inglizi could lose his wife.

Mallory's eyes came open with a start. Had the ship stopped? Most probably they had put in at some port to take on cargo. She turned to her side, wanting only to reach the headwaters of the Nile so she could board a ship that would take her to England. Tears gathered in her eyes. She was not the same woman she'd been when she came to Egypt. She had known happiness, and she had known sadness. She had fallen deeply in love and she had killed a man. How could she take up her old life as if nothing had happened?

She buried her face in the pillow. She would never be happy again.

The door of her cabin flew open, and she jerked her head up to see Michael standing in the doorway. Light from the corridor poured into the small quarters, and she could see that his features were etched in anger.

"Don't you think it's a bit usual for a wife to leave her husband without asking him?"

She sat up slowly, not knowing what to think about his sudden appearance. "H-how did you get here?"

"Never mind that." He reached out for her and lifted her into his arms. "You will not leave me until I tire of you." His green eyes probed into her blue eyes. "And I have not yet tired of you."

"Michael, I—"

"Be silent! You have already caused me no end of trouble. You are coming with me, and I will hear nothing to the contrary."

Mallory thought her heart would burst with happiness. He wanted her, or he would never have come after her. "Yes, Michael."

He reached for the gown that she had folded neatly across a chair. Expertly, he pulled it over her nightgown, turned her around, and laced the back.

When Mallory would have spoken, he silenced her with a glare.

Lifting her in his arms, he carried her up the dimly lit passage to the upper deck, where curious onlookers watched with smiles.

"Thank you, captain," Michael said. "I'll just have my man load my wife's belongings on my ship, and we'll trouble you no more."

"Yes, Excellency," the Arab captain said with feeling. "You should beat your wife often, as I do mine. Then she will think before she leaves you."

Michael's eyes gleamed as he glanced down at Mallory. "Perhaps I'll take your advice. This woman is a most disobedient wife."

Mallory buried her face against his chest, too happy to speak.

Without ceremony, Michael flung Mallory over his shoulder and climbed over the railing and down a rope ladder to a waiting longboat, where he plopped her onto a seat.

She saw the huge ship just a few feet away. "Where are you taking me?"

"To my family's yacht."

After her trunk had been brought aboard the longboat, they were under way. Mallory searched Michael's face. "I thought I wouldn't see you again."

He glanced, not at her, but at the
Nightingale
. "My parents wait to be formally introduced to you. I believe you will understand when I say they are very curious about you."

She looked down at her simple gray linen gown, feeling embarrassed at how shabby it was. "But I'm not dressed properly to be presented to your family."

He turned to stare at her. "Perhaps you would prefer a long black gown and a veil over your face?"

She lowered her gaze, wondering how much he knew about the role she played in Caldoia. "No, I will never again wear the clothing of an Arab woman."

He was aware that they were being observed from both ships, so he merely took her hand. "What am I to do with you, Mallory?"

"You could have allowed me to reach England, then I would have troubled you no more."

His eyes swept her shimmering hair that seemed to capture the dying rays of the sun. "No, I couldn't do that. Like it or no, you are my wife."

She had no opportunity to answer because they were approaching the
Nightingale
.

Once Mallory was on board, she was surrounded by Michael's family. The duchess took her hand and led her down the steps of a companionway into a brightly colored sitting room, while the rest of the family followed.

When they were away from curious eyes, Kassidy hugged Mallory and then stood back to look her over from head to foot and smiled. "I can see why my son married you, my dear. You are lovely."

"It's my turn," Raile said, taking Mallory's hand and raising it to his lips. "My son is fortunate indeed. Welcome to the DeWinter family, Mallory."

Mallory hadn't expected such kindness. Her eyes were shining with tears when Lord Warrick came up to her and brushed her cheek with a kiss.

"I know we must be a bit overwhelming to you," Lord Warrick told her. "I once stood where you are now, and was enfolded into the circle of this extraordinary family." He glanced at Michael, who had just entered, after directing the men where to place Mallory's trunk. "This family is fortunate indeed, for all our women are beauties."

Michael pulled Mallory into his arms. "What do you think, Father, did I choose well?"

"I'd say you found a rare jewel, Michael," his father said.

Raile opened a bottle of wine and passed glasses around. "I'd like to drink a toast to my new daughter-in-law. Without her, I wouldn't be here today, and neither would Michael."

Mallory turned to Michael. "You know what I did?"

"I didn't at first. But I should have known you could not be trusted to go to Cairo as I instructed. I should be angry with you for putting yourself in danger."

Now, in spite of her attempt to hide her tears, they spilled down her cheeks. "I will never forget that I took a man's life. I can't get the look on his face out of my mind."

Kassidy came to her and enfolded her in her arms. "You aren't to dwell on that. Think only that you saved my husband and yours. From what I've heard, Sheik Sidi Ahmed was an evil man and deserved to die."

How comforting it was to put her head on the duchess's shoulder. Mallory had never known a mother's comfort before now. "I... will always see his face."

Kassidy held her at arm's length. "No, you won't. After today, you will not give that man a thought." Kassidy reached into Raile's breast pocket and withdrew his handkerchief, dabbing at Mallory's cheeks. "My dear, if you cry another tear, you'll have me crying with you."

"This is to be a happy evening," Raile said, trying to introduce a lighter mood. "To my family. No man was ever more blessed by his women, or more cursed by them," he said, winking at his son.

Kassidy laughed. "Mallory, I think my husband is referring to us and my daughter, Arrian. You see, my dear, we must always keep them guessing about what we are going to do—that way they won't come to think of us as commonplace."

Mallory smiled, feeling the warmth of the DeWinters surround her. But when she looked at Michael, she could see the brooding light in his eyes. He was quiet now, almost subdued, and she didn't know why.

* * *

Mallory followed Kassidy into the spacious cabin, where her feet sank into a thick cream-colored rug.

Kassidy didn't understand why her son had asked her to put Mallory in separate quarters.

"This is my daughter, Arrian's, bedroom," she said. "I hope you'll be comfortable here. I suppose I should have had it redecorated after Arrian married and moved to Scotland, but I kept it the way she had it. I suppose I'm sentimental."

Mallory looked around the room, at the powder blue and lemon yellow furnishings. There was a narrow bed with silken bed hangings and coverlet. There was a yellow couch against one wall, and another wall had a long dressing table.

Arrian chose the materials herself on her twelfth birthday."

"It's lovely."

Kassidy smiled. "I know you are feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all of us. But I want you to know how happy I am that Michael had the good sense to marry you."

"But you don't know me."

"I have always been gifted with great perception. I know you will make my son very happy."

"Your Grace—"

"I don't suppose you'd consent to call me Kassidy, would you?"

"I will try, but you are a duchess."

She touched Mallory's hand. "Someday I'll tell you how I came to be a duchess. I'm Michael's mother, and I want to be someone you can come to when you need a friend. You know, Mallory, one day you will stand in my place."

"Oh, Your Grace, I hope not for a very long time."

Kassidy laughed as she looked into earnest blue eyes. "Let us hope so." Then she became serious. "Michael's room is just across the companionway. He thought you would be more comfortable in here."

Mallory lowered her eyes, but not before Kassidy saw sadness reflected in the blue depths.

"It is but a short distance across the hallway. Perhaps you should take the first steps, Mallory."

Mallory turned away and closed her eyes. "I will not do that, Your Grace."

Kassidy knew something wasn't right between her son and his new bride, but she would not interfere. They must find their own way to one another, she could not help them in this.

* * *

Mallory sat beside the duke, listening to the light banter exchanged at the table. She had never known a family with such warmth and kindness toward each other. She watched Warrick as he spoke of his wife, Arrian, with love and respect. Clearly, he missed their children and her.

It was apparent that the heart of the family was the duchess. All three men appeared to defer to her, and their eyes softened when they looked at her. Mallory was not allowed to feel like an outsider. They included her in the conversation, while asking about her life.

Kassidy's eyes saddened when she heard the unspoken loneliness of Mallory's childhood.

"Tell me, Mallory, what do you think of the
Nightingale
?" the duke asked.

"I never knew a ship could be so luxurious, Your Grace. It reminds me of a floating palace. Does the name have some significance?"

Raile's and Kassidy's eyes met, and they smiled.

Warrick laughed. "We would all like to know the significance of the name, Mallory. But Raile and Kassidy keep it as their secret."

Kassidy placed her hand lovingly on her son-in-law's. "I'll leave you a note in my diary, to be opened in the event of my death, telling you about the
Nightingale
."

Raile caught his wife's hand. "I think not." He raised her hand to his lips. "That's our secret. It will die with us."

Mallory looked at Michael, aching inside to have him look at her the way his father looked at his mother. She wondered if this family knew what a rare gift they had— yes, they knew, and they treasured it.

* * *

As the
Nightingale
moved from the Nile into the flow of the Mediterranean Sea, moonlight cast shimmering reflections across the dark water.

Mallory stood at the railing, feeling on the fringe of something wonderful. How she wanted to be a part of the feeling of togetherness she felt in this family.

"I wondered where you disappeared to, Mallory," Michael said, coming up beside her. "I looked around, and you were gone."

"You were playing chess with Warrick, and I didn't want to disturb you. Who won?"

"I did this time. But my brother-in-law is good. Most probably, he'll win next time."

"Congratulations."

He looked down at her. "So you like the Nightingale?"

"I never knew anything could be so wonderful. You must love this ship."

"Yes, I do, but wait until you see Ravenworth. That's the family's real love."

She shivered from cold, and he pulled her into the warmth of his arms. "That's your ancestral home, Michael?"

"Yes. You know, it's strange. Before I came to Egypt I thought little of my heritage, and even less of my future. Now everything seems so clear, as if a door has opened              and I saw the secret of life."             

"That's because you are one of the fortunate ones who had your life set before you were born."

A wisp of her hair blew across his face, and he ran the silken strand through his fingers. "I met your father and mother."             

"What did you think?"

"That you have had a lot of loneliness in your life. I intend to change that."

She looked up at him, her breath caught in her throat. "What are you saying?"

"That you belong to this family now, and we will take care of you."

She dropped her gaze to the gold button on his shirt.              "Oh."             

He smiled, not knowing that she was hurting inside.              "How would you like to take the helm of the
Nightingale
?"