How To Please a Pirate (19 page)

“That was . . . extraordinary,” he said as he
finally rolled off her. She started to rise, but he pulled her back
into his arms, snugging her against his body. “Don’t go, Lyn.
Please. Not yet.”

“For a little while,” she agreed.

“You feel so wonderful. I . . .” He breathed
a deep sigh of contentment and was asleep before he could put
together another two words.

Her lips lifted in a smile before she dropped
another kiss on his forehead. It would have to be enough. She’d
pleased a pirate. And good heavens, but he’d pleased her in return.
Her smile faded.

Tonight, she might lie abed with the pirate,
but tomorrow she would still have to help the baron find a wife.
Once his breathing told her he was deeply asleep, she slipped from
his bed, donned her boy’s rags and crept out into the hall.

She hoped to heaven no one would catch her
wandering about like this before she reached the safety of her own
chamber. The outlandish garb she might be able to explain.

The tears streaking her cheeks were another
matter altogether.

Gabriel woke with her scent still in his
nostrils. He almost always rose with a swollen cock, but this
morning his erection was more insistent than usual. He was
disappointed to find himself alone in the big bed. He didn’t
remember Lyn leaving him, but the rest of his memories from last
night were both vivid and fantastic. The old secret passages, the
brittle stars overhead on the battlements and the hot, slick romp
he and Jacquelyn shared.

She’d been wondrously wanton. And
adventurous. And far more passionate than he’d ever expected from a
woman who prided herself on dignity and decorum. He wondered for a
moment if the wild, loving Jacquelyn in his mind was merely an
erotic night phantom.

The long strand of ruddy brown hair on his
pillow convinced him she was no dream.

“You little minx,” he said softly,
remembering the heart-stopping bliss of her mouth on him.

Such a woman could bind a man to her so
tightly, he’d never wish to be freed.

He wound the hair loosely around his finger
and stared at it. Had she already wound herself around his
heart?

Mayhap, but it wouldn’t matter, he told
himself. Jacquelyn Wren might be a veritable Aphrodite by
moonlight, but she was all Hera by day. The needs of the household
would always come first.

Gabriel swung his legs out of bed, secreting
the strand of hair in the pocket of his breeches before he tugged
them on. Jacquelyn tried to insist he have a valet, but he’d been
dressing himself without assistance for so long, he had no patience
for anyone fluttering about in his chamber.

‘
Now if Lyn volunteered for the position,
I might be persuaded,
’ he mused. No, that wouldn’t work. Aside
from being scandalous, he was much too keen on being
undressed
by her to submit to a daily ritual of having her
put
on
his clothing.

He knew she’d arranged for at least one of
the women she’d chosen for him to come for tea later today. With a
grimace of resignation, he decided to make the best of things. He’d
sip from his cup correctly and make inane small talk till he was
ready to burst out of his skin, but he refused to let reality
dampen his spirits.

Somehow, he’d have Lyn again, he vowed as he
clubbed his hair back into a neat queue. She was a treasure worth
claiming far more than once.

After all, the secret passage was all that
separated them. And nightfall was a scant day away. Even with a
loveless marriage looming, he’d still have Lyn. He just had to
convince her such an arrangement would work.

Whistling through his teeth, he descended the
stairs to face his day.

The pandemonium in the breakfast room was his
first inkling that things might not go his way. He heard her voice
before he saw her, quivering with righteous indignation.

“Mr. Meriwether! What on earth are you
doing?” Jacquelyn demanded stridently. “What is the meaning of
this?”

Gabriel stopped under the lintel to survey
the scene. His nieces were all on their hands and knees, scrub
brushes, mops and pails of soapy water scattered about them on the
flagstones. Hyacinth was whining incoherently. The twins were
fighting back tears and Lily seemed to have swallowed some soap
because a bubble formed on her lips every time she opened her mouth
to howl. Only Daisy seemed to be enjoying herself, splashing and
leaning on the brush to make long, messy strokes across the
floor.

Mr. Meriwether drew himself up to his full
height and favored Jacquelyn with a sharp salute.

“One of the little angels got herself in a
spot of trouble last night, did she not?” the old man said. “When
one o’ the crew makes a mistake, the whole crew faces discipline.
Best way to keep it from happening again, mark my words.”

“These are wellborn girls. Not your pirate
crew,” Jacquelyn argued. “No one gave you leave to impose your
brand of punishment on them.”

“Mr. Meriwether hasn’t been my first mate for
all these years for naught. His authority comes from mine,” Gabriel
said from behind her. “And you must admit my nieces are sadly in
want of discipline.”

When Jacquelyn rounded on him with a look of
fury in her gray eyes, he wished he could unsay the words. All
trace of the willing, pliable Lyn was gone. Mistress Wren was back
with a vengeance.

“I will not have them treated like . . . like
a press gang,” she said with ice in her tone.

“It’s not so bad,” Daisy said cheerfully.
“Playing pirate is fun. Mr. Meriwether said we have to swab the
decks, otherwise the planks will shrink and the ship’ll be taking
on water before we know it. Isn’t that right, Meri?”

“Right you are, Miss Daisy,” the old salt
said with a grin. Then he sobered and looked askance at Gabriel. “I
didn’t wish to overstep ye, Cap’n, but ye weren’t up and about yet
and it’s the Code I was after keepin’. Die all, die merrily, ye
know.”

“These are children, not buccaneers. And I’ll
not have them treated so,” Jacquelyn said, a frown marring her
brow. “Die all, die merrily. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means we share all things. Plenty and
want, reward and punishment,” Gabriel explained. “If a crew member
knows his actions will affect his mates, he’ll think twice before
he brings retribution down on all of them. It’s a valid principle
and Meri is correct in applying it to the girls.”

Jacquelyn stared at him as if he’d suddenly
sprouted another head.

“Come, children,” she said scooping Lily up
into her arms. “It’s time for your Latin lessons. You’ve had enough
pirate nonsense for one day.”

“Belay that,” Gabriel countermanded. “These
are my nieces and I’ll see to their education. Right now, improving
their behavior is more important than conjugating verbs. Hyacinth,
stand up, girl.”

“Really, my lord—“ Jacquelyn began as she set
Lily down to gird herself for battle.

“That will be all, Mistress,” he said with an
upraised hand. “Pray, do not interfere again.”

Her mouth opened wordlessly, then clamped
shut. But the set of her jaw spoke volumes.

Why was Jacquelyn fighting him? He hated
giving her a dressing down in so public a fashion, but she wouldn’t
listen to him otherwise. Now she merely folded her arms across her
chest and stepped back a pace. If he looked closely, he suspected
he might find steam leaking from her ears. Gabriel turned back to
his nieces.

“Hyacinth?”

Sniffling, the girl rose to her feet.

“Has Mr. Meriwether laid into you with the
back of his hand?”

“No, uncle.” She blanched at the thought.

“Then Meri is more merciful than I, for you
committed an error worthy of corporal punishment,” he said.

Gabriel’s father had always believed a warm
bum was the best insurance of future good behavior. Lord knows,
Gabe had eaten his supper standing because he couldn’t sit more
often than not. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jacquelyn
glaring daggers at him.

Didn’t she want him to take more of an
interest in his brother’s girls? How better than to see to their
safety by disciplining them now before they could get themselves
into more trouble than he could get them out of?

“Do you recollect your mistake of last
evening?” he asked Hyacinth, softening his tone.

Her gaze darted to Jacquelyn and then when no
help seemed to be coming from that quarter, Hy’s watering eyes
shifted back to him. “Yes, Uncle. I’m not likely to forget.”

“Good. See to it that the incident is never
repeated,” he said. Her chin quivered so, he didn’t feel the need
to lecture her further. It was much easier to deliver a tongue
lashing to a bosun’s mate who grimly withstood the verbal
blistering than dress down a slip of a girl who looked ready to
dissolve into tears any moment. “And don’t you think it were best
if your sisters avoid the same mistake?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“And you too, Daisy.” Gabriel turned his
attention to her. “You willfully sneaked into the ball without
permission, did you not?”

“Well, if you want to put it so baldly. Yes,
I suppose I did,” Daisy said, her eyes wide with surprise at being
included in the reprimand. “But if I hadn’t—”

“Your helpfulness later does not change the
fact that you disobeyed a direct order to begin with,” Gabriel
said, forcing himself to glare at her with sternness. Fear of him
might save the girls from folly later. He was willing to be the
false villain today to keep them from a real one tomorrow. “Both
you and Hyacinth are responsible for making your little sisters
share in your punishment.”

The twins shot Daisy and Hyacinth accusatory
glares. Lily stuck her little tongue out at them and then dumped a
pail of soapy water on the floor.

“Very well. I don’t want this detail
dismissed until every stone in the chamber sparkles,” Gabriel said.
“Carry on, Mr. Meriwether.”

“Aye-aye, Cap’n.” Meri saluted, then his tone
went soft as mush as he knelt beside the littlest Drake. “Oh, now
Miss Lily, don’t take on so. When we’re finished here, we’ll hie
ourselves to the kitchen to see if Mrs. Beadle has any more of them
excellent cherry pies.”

Gabriel rubbed his hands together, satisfied
the issue was summarily dealt with. “Now what must a man do in
order to be served breakfast around here?”

“For a start, he might rise before noon,”
Jacquelyn observed tartly.

Was the day really so far gone? He’d slept
far better than one burdened with his sins ought. No doubt, the
romp with Lyn was responsible, but she didn’t appear nearly as
rested. He was about to say as much when Mrs. Beadle’s appearance
in the doorway saved him from a comment he might later regret.

“Beggin’ your pardon, my lord.” Mrs. B.
dipped in a bulky curtsey. “The Lady Harlowe has arrived. I took
the liberty of escorting her to the solar to wait your
pleasure.”

“Lady Harlowe?” he asked, groaning inwardly.
The woman could hardly help her unfortunate likeness to a fish, but
her cold personality had left Gabriel just as flaccid. “Millicent
Harlowe?”

“The very same in all her glory,” Jacquelyn
said as she began to lead the way toward the solar. He followed
like a lamb to the slaughter. “The opportunity to wed a viscount’s
daughter is not so lightly dismissed. You needn’t act surprised. I
told you there would be further interviews today with your
prospective brides.”

“And you had to start with Lady Harlowe?”

“A baron cannot afford to choose a bride
merely with his eyes.” She turned around to face him, hands on her
hips.

“If it’s the Drake lineage we’re trying to
further, it would certainly help if the lady’s appearance didn’t
curdle milk.”

“Fear not, my lord. Miss Elisheba Thatcher is
scheduled to visit on the morrow. I suspect a pretty face is more
to your liking.”

He leaned into her, pinning her against the
wall between his long arms. “You know very well what’s to my
liking.”

She pressed herself against the stone at her
back and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Unfortunately, we cannot demand
the ladies line up to see how well they bed you before you make
your selection.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said.
“Lyn—”

“Please,” she hissed. “Please do not call me
by that name, my lord.”

“I liked it better when you called me
Gabriel.”

She closed her eyes, a thin line of anguish
appearing between her even brows.

“Are we to pretend it never happened?” He
inhaled her fresh scent and narrowly resisted the urge to kiss her.
“You’re all I can think of.”

She trembled.

He nuzzled her temple, brushing her satin
skin with his lips. Even though Lady Harlowe was waiting, he’d like
nothing better than to raise Lyn’s skirts and take her again right
there in the hall.

Or better still, to carry her back up to his
chamber. The rest of the day would be none too long for loveplay
with the bewitching Lyn. His body cheered this line of thinking
with an aching cockstand. He was ready to scoop her into his arms,
Devil take the hindermost, when Jacquelyn opened her eyes and
looked up at him.

The ice in her gray gaze froze his rising
ardor.

“Hyacinth is not the only one who was guilty
of an error last night. You and I committed a grievous one. An
error that could hurt all of Dragon Caern. One that I shall take
pains to see we do not repeat.” She ducked under his arm and
escaped down the hall toward the solar.

“You were free enough with punishment for the
girls, my lord. Time to do your penance with Lady Harlowe. After
all,” she said over her shoulder. “Die all, die merrily.”

Jacquelyn flopped over onto her belly and
pounded her pillow with her fist. Hours ago, she’d heard the chapel
bell chime midnight and still sleep fled from her. Resting her
cheek on the freshly subdued eiderdown, she forced her eyes closed
and tried not to think.