Of Noble Birth (13 page)

The pirate captain didn’t
bother to answer. He shouldered the door open while guiding
Alexandra out into the dark night.

Once they were clear of
the inn, he picked up his pace, all but dragging her behind
him.

“I can’t go that fast,”
Alexandra complained when she tripped on the hem of Lady Anne’s
gown for the fifth time. “Slow down.”

Nathaniel whirled and
glared at her but didn’t speak. Grabbing a handful of her skirt, he
lifted it to her knees and insisted she take hold of it. “There,”
he said. “Let’s go.”

Alexandra’s own temper
began to simmer like a tea kettle on the hob. She had just finished
mending the tear he had made in her bodice. Now an immodest display
of ankles and calves showed as she hurried along behind
him.

“How far is it?” she
managed breathlessly when he didn’t slacken his pace.

“We’re almost
there.”

He was true to his word.
Upon rounding the next block, Alexandra saw hundreds of tall,
needle-like masts stabbing the black velvet belly of the sky.
Another few minutes and she could hear the creaking of the hulls
that rocked in the harbor and the slip-slap of the waves. While the
port was full of ships, the docks seemed deserted except for the
crowded taverns. A loud din poured from these establishments each
time a door opened, luring everyone within miles to the welcome of
their fire and their flowing ale.

Distracted by some small
movement on a clipper anchored between a couple of larger packets,
Alexandra realized that men were aboard the ship. Their shadowy
figures took on more definite shape, moving silently, almost
phantom-like, as she and Nathaniel reached the water’s
edge.

“There ye be.”

Alexandra jumped as a man
separated himself from the side of a wooden shed and stepped into
the moonlight.

“I see you spent my money
on something other than a bath,” Nathaniel remarked without so much
as a greeting.

“I ‘ad a bit of bad luck
at the tables. There was a cheat in the group, I swear.” He
scratched his crotch. “‘Tis just as well, though. I’d ‘ate to catch
me death.”

This must be Rat,
Alexandra realized, the man Nathaniel had told
Trenton to expect. She wrinkled her nose. The alcohol on his breath
was only slightly stronger than his body odor.

“Who’s the lady?” he
asked.

“You don’t know the duke’s
daughter?” Nathaniel’s gaze darted from Rat to Alexandra, and a
flicker of hope made Alexandra’s heart beat faster.

“You see?” she said. “He
doesn’t know me because I’m not Lady Anne. I’m a seamstress from
Manchester. And I have to get to London without further
delay—”

Nathaniel’s fingers
tightened painfully on her arm.

“I’ve never seen Lady
Anne,” Rat said. “Spends most ‘er time in London at the family town
‘ouse. But I’ve ‘eard she’s a beauty, an’ I’d ‘ave to agree.” He
whistled as he looked Alexandra over. “She’s a fancy piece,
eh?”

A lighter had been lowered
from the clipper, and two men rowed toward them. Alexandra knew in
a matter of minutes she’d be taken aboard Nathaniel’s ship, where
she’d be unable to escape.

“Listen to me.” She laid
her hand on Nathaniel’s arm.

He rounded on her. “No,
you listen to me. One moment you don’t know my father, the next you
admit to being his daughter, depending upon your whims. But I’ll
tell you something. For better or for worse, it no longer matters.
I can’t risk letting you go. The life of my friend might depend
upon it. So whether or not your outlandish story is true, you’re
along for the voyage. Do you understand?”

Alexandra glared at him as
the boat drew up at the water’s edge and two men climbed out. “I
hope my father destroys you,” she said at last, knowing that,
whether she liked it or not, being Lady Anne was now the safest
alternative available to her. As long as Nathaniel believed he had
something to gain by taking care of her and protecting her from the
others, not to mention the perils of life at sea, she would be
relatively safe on the ship. But the moment her captor discovered
her true identity, she had no guarantee.

“Our father may do just
that, little sister. But mark my words, I’ll topple him from his
lofty perch before I go, so you’d do well to accustom yourself to
wearing that dress. It might be the last fancy gown you
own.”

Alexandra jerked away and
headed toward the boat on her own.

Rat, chuckling, followed
behind her. “Greystone and his family are a spirited bunch,” she
heard him tell Nathaniel. “I’d not turn my back on ‘er if I was
ye.”

Nathaniel didn’t respond.
He caught up with her easily enough, then waved the rowers back
into the boat. Wrapping his arm around Alexandra’s waist, he lifted
her in, and once Rat had climbed aboard, they set out for the
ship.

Alexandra turned to watch
the near-empty dock as they moved away. It was too late now, she
realized in despair. She’d miss her aunt for sure.

Trenton was waiting for
them when they arrived. He helped Alexandra into a ship with the
words
Royal Vengeance
painted on its side.

Nathaniel began barking
orders to the crew, most of whom appeared to be mesmerized by the
appearance of a woman on their ship. “Trenton, take her to my cabin
so that I can get something done up here,” he told his friend, and
Trenton took Alexandra by the elbow.

“I’ll not spend another
night with
him.”
She looked pointedly at Nathaniel.

“Perhaps you’d rather
spend the night with them.” Nathaniel indicated the rest of the
crew. “There’s plenty of room below. I’m sure Trenton can locate a
hammock for you, though I doubt you’ll need one of your
own.”

Alexandra shivered as her
eyes scanned the eager faces of the pirates. “N-n-no,” she
stammered. “Your cabin will be fine.”

“As I thought.” Nathaniel
gave her a mocking bow, then turned to his work.

Trenton took her to a
large cabin that reflected the masculine tastes of the ship’s
owner. An outsized bed was flush against one wall with a large sea
chest at its foot. A desk, strewn with maps and other documents,
sat below a round window; a small washstand stood opposite it; and
a table and four chairs rested on a rug in the middle of the
floor.

“Make yourself
comfortable,” Trenton said. “I shan’t tie you up, but for your own
sake, stay put. No one will dare bother you here.”

“But you don’t
think—”

“There are thirty men
aboard this ship, my lady. I can’t give you any guarantees. Just
stay close to Nathaniel, and you’ll be all right.”

The door slammed, and
Trenton was gone, but his words still rang in her ears.
For your own sake... stay close to
Nathaniel.

The last thing Alexandra
wanted was to stay close to Nathaniel. He was to blame for
everything.

But some fates were far
worse than others.

* * *

Alexandra woke abruptly as
the cabin door banged against the inside wall and Nathaniel strode
in, looking exhausted. The sun’s rays bathed the cabin in a mellow
light, testifying to the passage of many hours. The rocking of the
ship indicated that they were well on their way.

Alexandra sat up, still
tired, but suddenly wary.

“Sleep well, little
sister?” he asked, crossing to the desk and lowering his tall frame
into the chair.

“I wish you wouldn’t call
me that,” Alexandra responded.

“You loathe our familial
connection as much as our father does, eh?”

“More so, if that’s
possible. You’re a pirate, a thief, and a brigand. No longer a mere
babe.”

He laughed. “At least your
reasons are more valid than his.” He dug through the papers on his
desk, pulling a creased map from the stack and spreading it out
before him.

“What happens
if—”

Nathaniel raised a hand to
silence her, his attention on his work. “No questions.”

Alexandra watched him from
beneath her lashes. Despite his arrogance, and his frightening
temper, Nathaniel was handsome, she had to give him that. She
wondered what the duke looked like. Surely he was attractive, if
Nathaniel resembled him in the least.

“Is there a reason for
such intense scrutiny?” he asked, leaning back in his chair and
crossing his long legs out in front of him. “Perhaps I can be of
some help. Should you manage to gain possession of my dagger again,
it would best be placed here, between these two ribs. Otherwise,
you might only wound me.” He gave her a sudden disarming smile,
proving that his mood had finally improved now that they were
safely away.

Alexandra couldn’t help
but wonder what she would have thought of Nathaniel Kent had she
met him under different circumstances. As it was, his frightening
intensity and criminal activities kept her from admiring him too
greatly.

“What do you expect the
duke, er, my father will do?” she asked.

He quirked an eyebrow at
her. “I said, no questions. As long as you stay here with me,
you’ll be safe.”

“That’s rather like
telling the rabbit not to worry about the wolf,” Alexandra
muttered, and Nathaniel laughed out loud.

“Perhaps.” Standing, he
pulled the queue from the back of his neck, letting the full
thickness of his hair fall to his shoulders. Alexandra thought of
the pale-faced nobles she had seen about the streets of
Man-
Chester.
Nathaniel looked nothing like them. His skin was too dark,
the planes of his face too hard. He might wish to take his place
amongst the aristocracy, but he didn’t belong where a plethora of
rules and other minutiae would govern his behavior. Somehow the
role of pirate suited him better.

“I need some rest,” he
said. “Mind you don’t bother me while I sleep.”

Alexandra paced around the
room, keeping her distance as he stretched out facedown on the bed.
“I’m hungry,” she told him, wondering how long she’d have to wait
to be fed if she let him settle in for a good long nap.

“I’d forgotten about the
size of your appetite.” His voice was muffled by the bedding. “The
galley is below. Help yourself.”

“Dare I leave here?
Trenton made running about the ship sound unsafe.”

“It is.”

“But you just told me to
go to the galley if I wanted to.”

No response.

“Should I go or not?
Surely you don’t expect me to wait until you’ve had your
rest.”

Nothing.

“Ohhhh, you’re
contemptible!” Alexandra grabbed a brass-rimmed compass and hurled
it across the room, narrowly missing Nathaniel’s head. She reached
for something else to throw, anything that would make a good
projectile, but when Nathaniel sprang to his feet, she backed
away.

“I-I-I’m sorry,” she
managed, forcing her eyes to meet his icy blue stare.

“I’ll not be threatened in
my own cabin.” He loomed above her, advancing until he stood less
than an arm’s length away.

Alexandra felt the wall at
her back and realized she could retreat no farther. She shook her
head. “No, of course not.”

“Right now, my need for
sleep is greater than your need for food.” She could feel his
breath on her face, smelling faintly of citrus.

“Of course it
is.”

“I’m glad we finally
agree.” Taking her by her upper arm, he dragged her across the
room.

“What are you doing?”
Alexandra tried to free herself, but his grip was like iron. “I’m
not tired.”

Tossing her on the bed,
Nathaniel lay down beside her and wrapped his legs and arm around
her to hold her still. “Now you can’t get into any
trouble.”

Alexandra writhed and
squirmed until he held her so tightly she could scarcely
breathe.

“Go to sleep,” he
commanded. “Or I’ll tie you up and take your clothes from
you.”

“You wouldn’t.” Her gaze
lifted to Nathaniel’s face, only inches away from her own, and what
she saw there convinced her that he would. She immediately stopped
fighting.

“That’s better,” he said,
and though he was too close to tell for sure, Alexandra could have
sworn a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

She lay stiff as a board
in his arms as his breath brushed her temple. His heart thumped
beneath her arm, and his sinewy leg rested heavily upon her while
the smell of the sea, which clung to him, filled her nostrils. She
hated him, she thought vehemently. Yet her skin tingled beneath his
touch long after his body relaxed. She would have escaped him then,
except the warmth and comfort of being where she was somehow
overcame her, and she slept.

* * *

When Alexandra opened her
eyes again, Nathaniel was gone. She was relieved to find herself
alone, yet strangely disappointed as well. She climbed off the bed
and crossed to the porthole. The sun was high in the sky. Nathaniel
couldn’t have slept more than a few hours.