Authors: Kitty Margo
That night Joshua’s words, “I will wait for you to come to me tonight,” drummed furiously in Lynna’s ears. She had laughed at him then, but what a fool
she had
been. Now her body ached for his sweet touch, for the pleasure that he alone could give her.
Unable to sleep, she was still awake when she heard his door close, and she waited. He
had
left shortly after their return from the beach. She listened until there was no more movement in his room and wondered where
he had
been all day. He was in the next room, so close. She imagined his hard, masculine body stretched out on the bed, a lazy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, his emerald eyes shining. So sure she would come. Sure no woman could long resist his masculine charm.
R
el
axing
in the now tepid water
, she allowed
her mind to wander. Closing her eyes as a delicious languor settled over her, she erased from mind all the unpleasant thoughts, leaving only Joshua. In her vision
,
his smiling eyes beckoned her. Michael was due home tomorrow. Tonight would be their last night together. Would she deny herself one last night in the arms of the only man she would ever love? No. She would not. This night would be for memories, she told herself. Memories to store in her mind and retrieve during the long, lonely years without him.
Standing, she briskly dried her body until her skin shone pink
,
then slipped into a thin cotton robe
,
tying the sash at her tiny waist with suddenly nervous hands. Her heart pounded against her chest as she quietly opened her door and slipped into the dimly lit corridor.
Trembling hands turned the knob and pushed open the door to his room. He was on the bed, just as she had imagi
ned. His even breathing assured
her he was asleep and that she still had time to change her mind
. She was feeling rather piqued that he had lost
no sleep worrying whether or not she would come.
She bent to touch him, her hand longing to caress his sleeping features, but she jerked her hand back. What had come over her? This was utter foolishness! Not only was she married, but she was in another man
’
s bedroom
,
desperately wanting him to make love to her. She rushed through the open balcony doors
,
hoping the cool evening breeze would cool her heated skin and clear her befuddled mind.
The air was sweet, the crisp trade winds blowing down from the mountain fanning her hair out behind her and shaping her thin robe to her slim body. She desired Joshua. Oh, how she desired him. How she longed for him to take her into his arms and make her forget
,
as only he could do.
“
I have been waiting for you
.”
Just hearing his voice sent chills
shivering
down her spine. “I needed to talk to you,” she lied, suddenly ashamed of her wanton behavior.
“You
don’t
want talk, Lynna. We both want the same thing.” Th
i
s said, he put his arms around her, cupping her breast
s
as he nuzzled her neck. “This is why you came.” He turned her around and held her face in his hands, emerald eyes meeting crystal blue. “Let me love you.”
“Yes, Joshua.” Their lips met in a tender kiss as he lifted her easily and carried her to the bed where he joined her. “Love me, Joshua.”
Sam Bogan came rushing into the house the following morning. “I think we got troubles, lad,” his voice was ragged, out of breath.
“
What is
the cause of your obvious distress, Sam?” Joshua queried, immediately concerned for the safety of his crew.
“There may not be any trouble. But a ship just pulled into harbor flying the Jolly Roger.” His eyes were wide with alarm. “The ship’s got everybody running to their houses and boarding their windows.”
“Have my horse saddled.
I will
be down to the harbor presently.” Joshua needed time alone with Lynna before he had to leave her.
Drawing her into his arms he gave her a tender kiss. “Remember this. We will continue when I return. You and Crystal stay inside today.”
“Joshua, will there be trouble?” she whispered around the sudden lump in her throat.
“No, it is probably just a show of force,” he said, trying to allay her fears. “Pirates have a reputation to uphold. There are too many armed ships in the harbor for them to attack us.”
Not long after Joshua left, Michael returned home
,
tense and as nervous as a caged animal
. “Where’s the boss?” He stormed
through the door without even pausing to greet his new bride.
“I assume
you are
speaking of Captain Jordon. If so, one of his men came with an urgent message that he should return to his ship.” Lynna assumed his agitation was caused by the appearance of the pirate vessel as well.
“Well, what was the damn message?” he practically shouted at her.
“It would seem that a pirate ship is
anchored
in the harbor and Sam feared there might be trouble.” She
could not
fathom why he was shouting at her or why he should suddenly be so interested in Joshua’s whereabouts.
“So, you are acquainted with Sam, are you?”
“Yes, we have…met.”
Suddenly, his attitude changed abruptly, in a
split second, to that of a kind and
caring husband. “How would you like to ride into town with me?”
“You just returned from town, Michael. Why do you wish to go back so soon?” She
was puzzled by his erratic
behavior.
He paused for a second and said, “With a
ll the talk of pirates, I
forg
o
t about the list of supplies Sadie asked me to bring back.” He glanced at her askance and added, “Surely my darling wife
will not
refuse me the pleasure of her company.”
“Of course not, Michael.”
“Good. Go ready Crystal so we can be on our way.”
The day was terribly hot and they
had
been traveling for almost an hour when Michael stopped the carriage. “How does a cool drink of lemonade for my two favorite ladies sound?”
We
cannot
be
your
two favorite ladies
,
too, papa.” Crystal giggled. “Uncle Joshua said we were his two favorite ladies.”
“Did he now?” Michael queried
, giving Lynna a look of pure contempt. He stopped the carriage and reached to caress the line of her jaw with a trembling hand. “Well then, I guess Uncle Joshua and I will just have to…share.”
Lynna gasped and looked across the harbor in search of the
Windjammer
.
Michael knew!
“Drink up, girls,” His
grin
was one
of pure malice that sent shivers racing down Lynna’s spine.
“It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Chapter Nineteen
T
he pain in Lynna’s head was steady, throbbing with each beat of her heart. She wished the bed would
stop its constant swaying, for she
was beginning to feel nauseous. Becoming slowly aware of her surroundings, she noticed moonlight filtering in through a small round hole in the wall. A porthole! She was on a ship! But how could that be? She had no knowledge of coming onboard. How did Joshua manage to bring her on the
Windjammer
without her ever knowing? Forcing her eyes open, she g
lanced around the filthy,
sparsely appointed cabin. No, she definitely was
n’t
on the
Windjammer
. Her last memory was of Michael giving her a cup of lemonade.
Had she been abducted?
Had the kidnappers finally found her after all these years? Of course! It had to be the villains from France. She had
no
t dwelled on that horror for years, believing they had long since forgotten about her. Alas, they had finally discovered her hiding place and succeeded in holding her for ransom. Her poor father!
Suddenly all the horror stories of kidnappings came back to haunt her as she lay on the hard, smelly bunk. Her head throbbed with each beat of her heart. How did they get her on the ship without her being aware
of it? She prayed
no harm had come to Michael and Crystal, that they
had
somehow escaped this horror. Running to the door she found it locked, as
she had
feared. “Open this door!” she yelled to the top of her lungs. “I demand to see the Captain
!
”
When no answer was forthcoming, she fell down on the bunk crying tears of abject misery.
Hours later, her throat
raw from screaming
,
she at last heard keys rattle against the door and jumped out of the way before it was thrown open to bang loudly against the wall.
“While
I am
not the Captain, I assure you I can answer any questions you might have.”
“Michael!” she cried in horror. A strong sense of dread seeped through every pore in her body as her husband sauntered in. “What are you doing here?
What is
going on? Why am I on this ship? Where
is
Crystal?”
Michael strode casually into the cabin, holding up his hand to quiet her. “Let me start by answering the most obvious question. Why you are here?” He sat down on the bunk, brushing away a cockroach from the spread. “I thought it best to drug you to prevent any harm coming to you.”
“Drug me? That
i
s
why I have no memory. But why? Where are you taking me?”
she whispered,
apprehension taking a stranglehold on her.
The fact that
she had
been drugged and taken against her will was of little consequence now. What mattered was finding a way off this wretched ship.
“We
are
going to live on another island,” he replied calmly, moving to gaze out the porthole. “This latest turn
of
events necessitated our hasty departure from Jamaica.”
“Michael, I must insist
that
you return me to Jamaica a
t once.
You have no right to keep me here against my will.”
“Oh, but I do.
You forget
,
Madame
,
that you are my wife
,
and as such
,
must go wherever I see fit to take you.
”
“Michael, why are you doing this? I
don’t
understand. Why are you leaving your home?”
“My home!” he spat venomously. “It would have been if that old fool Morrison hadn’t died before I could convince him to make me sole beneficiary of Eden. I knew he had no living kin to claim the plantation. No son could have treated that feeble old recluse better than I
did. I deserve Eden!” He gritted his teeth
, slamming his fist on the table. “If I
had
just had a little more time with him.” His face was a stone mask of hatred. “After his death
,
the plantation was sold to Captain Joshua Jordan of Charleston. I wanted to kill him the da
y he came riding up on a
black stallion
,
announcing
that
he was the new owner of Eden.” His hand rested on the hilt of his cutlass. “But after years of plotting
,
thanks to you,
I finally conceived of a better scheme to extract my revenge.”