Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's List\Saved by the Viking Warrior\The Pirate Hunter (67 page)

Chapter Thirty

M
ia stared out into the distance, still not completely at ease. It had been a whole day and night since they'd escaped Barbados but every second she feared being captured. She had no doubt the entire British Navy in the Caribbean would have sprung into action and were now looking for them.

‘Spot anything, Miss Del Torres?' Captain Little asked, coming up beside her.

She smiled at him and shook her head.

‘They won't find us,' he said, ‘I promise you that.'

‘How can you be so sure?'

‘I know how the Navy thinks—I used to be a Lieutenant before I decided the regimented lifestyle wasn't for me. They won't be expecting us to be heading this way. They'll figure I'm a man of the Caribbean therefore I won't want to leave the area, I'll want to stick to the waters I know the best. Either that or we're headed for England.'

‘You've given up a lot for us, haven't you.' It was a statement rather than a question.

The Captain shrugged.

‘Your crew have, too.'

They were sailing with a skeleton crew, heading straight across the Atlantic Ocean. Their destination was Cape Town in South Africa.

‘I gave the men a choice,' the Captain said, ‘and any with families I left behind in Barbados. The rest are eager for the adventure.'

‘Thank you,' Mia said. ‘Why did you do it? Why did you help us?'

‘It was the right thing to do and I was in love once, too,' Captain Little said, ‘when I was a very young man.'

Mia waited for him to elaborate.

‘Suffice it to say I wish someone had given us a chance.' With that Captain Little gave a quick bow and hurried off.

Mia smiled sadly and realised the older man was a true romantic, obviously still mourning for his lost love so many years later.

‘You still looking out for the Navy?' Will asked, coming up behind her.

Mia nodded.

‘We won't be looking over our shoulders all our lives,' he promised.

Mia took his hand in hers and squeezed gently.

‘I don't care if I have to sleep with one eye open as long as I'm with you.'

‘What were you talking to the Captain about?' Will asked.

‘I was thanking him. He's given up his whole life just for us.'

‘He's a good man. All the crew are. I'm hoping we can set up a trading company when we reach South Africa, have the Captain at its helm.'

‘Or maybe we could patrol the waters off the Cape, hunting for pirates,' Mia said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

‘I've got enough pirate right here in front of me to keep me occupied for eternity.'

‘That sounds like a promise.'

Mia stretched up and found his lips with her own. Her kiss was languid and passionate. It was the kiss of a woman who knew she had all the time in the world to enjoy her lover.

‘I have a surprise for you,' Will said.

Mia's face lit up. ‘I do like surprises.'

‘I hope you like this one,' he said, grinning, ‘otherwise I might have to throw you overboard.'

He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the rail and up to the prow of the boat. Mia was amazed to see the entire ship's crew assembled, with the Captain standing at the front facing them.

‘Friends,' the Captain boomed, ‘thank you for assembling. We are gathered to celebrate the joining together of Will Greenacre and Mia Del Torres.'

Mia nearly swooned. And she'd never swooned before in her life.

‘We're getting married?' she whispered to Will.

He nodded, smiling like a naughty schoolboy.

‘Is it legal?'

He shrugged. ‘I'm not really too sure.'

Mia grabbed him round the neck and kissed him firmly on the lips. She didn't really care if it was legal or not, either.

‘Not yet!' the Captain boomed. ‘We haven't got to the kissing part yet.'

Reluctantly Mia pulled away from Will.

Ed Redding came up beside her and offered her his arm, shooing Will off to the prow of the boat to stand with the Captain.

To the shouts and hollers of the crew Mia walked through the assembled crowd on Ed Redding's arm. When they got to the front Redding took her hand, raised it to his lips, then passed her over to Will.

‘Marriage is a sacred bond between two people,' the Captain said. ‘Marriage brings mutual comfort and companionship in times of prosperity and adversity.'

‘Hopefully not too much more adversity,' Will whispered in her ear.

‘William Greenacre, do you take this woman to be your wife? To love and to comfort her, to honour her and keep her in sickness and in health? And forsaking all others to keep to only her as long as you both shall live?'

‘I do.'

Mia felt her heart soar and knew she couldn't be any happier than in this moment. It might not be a legal wedding, but it was Will's promise to her that they would be together always.

‘Mia Del Torres...' The Captain paused as he glanced at his handwritten notes. ‘We'll skip the bit about obeying and serving as we all know that's not going to happen.' This got a laugh from the crowd. ‘Will you love, honour and keep this man, in sickness and in health? And forsaking all others to keep to only him as long as you both shall live?'

‘I will.'

The Captain read the vows for them to recite after him. Line by line they repeated in unison, ‘To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish and to rescue from the gallows until death do us part.'

As soon as he had finished Will swooped Mia up into his arms and kissed her fully, passionately in front of the entire crew. Mia could hear their whoops of delight, but she only had eyes for Will. Her husband.

‘I love you, Mrs Greenacre,' he murmured so only she could hear.

‘I love you, too, Mr Greenacre.'

Epilogue

Lord and Lady Sedlescombe

Redwood House

Cape Town

6th August 1752

Dear Lord Sedlescombe,

I have considered all the evidence pertaining to the accusations and sentencing of your wife in the British Colony of Barbados in the year 1749. After careful consideration I agree Lady Sedlescombe was falsely accused and did not stand a fair trial. I therefore overturn her conviction for Piracy.

Please accept this Official Royal Pardon and be assured all those involved in the matter have been brought to justice.

Yours sincerely,

The office of King George II

W
ill stared open-mouthed at the letter. In the past two years he had often daydreamed about going home to his estate but never thought it would actually be possible. He'd petitioned the King to look over the evidence almost eighteen months before and when he hadn't heard anything for months he had given up. Instead they'd built their lives in the very cosmopolitan, no-questions-asked Cape Town.

‘What are you smiling about, darling?' Mia asked as she struggled in through the door.

Will took a second to just look at his wonderful, heavily pregnant wife.

‘I've received a letter,' he said solemnly.

Mia reached out her hand to read it.

‘You probably want to sit down. I wouldn't want young Master Greenacre to be born here on the kitchen floor.'

Mia's eyebrows furrowed, ‘It must be interesting.'

‘The King of England has taken an interest in me,' Will said, ‘or more specifically in my pirate wife.'

Mia's eyes widened and she grabbed the letter from him. She read it, her mouth dropping open with shock.

‘This is real?' she asked.

‘It's real.'

‘They've actually pardoned me?'

‘They've pardoned you.'

Mia pushed herself up from her chair and looped her arms around his neck. ‘So this means we can go anywhere in the world we like?' she murmured.

‘Anywhere at all.'

‘Where would you like to go first?' she asked.

Will shrugged. Right here with Mia seemed just about perfect right now.

‘Maybe back to a very special beach on Tortola,' she suggested.

That did sound like a good idea.

‘Or you could take me home to meet all those cows and crops you're always talking about.'

The thought of Mia wandering through his ancestral home made him smile. She would be a fantastic Lady of the Manor.

‘Or maybe there's another part of the world you'd like to see,' she suggested, nipping at his ears and distracting him completely.

‘Maybe.'

Will gently positioned her so she perched on the edge of the table, taking some of the weight off her feet. He kissed her, leaning over the child that was growing inside her, and felt a moment of complete happiness.

‘I want to go everywhere with you,' he said, ‘but right now I'm exactly where I want to be.'

* * * * *

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ISBN-13: 9781460338957

The Pirate Hunter

Copyright © 2014 by Laura Martin

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