Authors: Heather Manning
Gage knew Caspian would be proud of him if he managed to succeed in his plan.
One more step brought him almost directly behind Kelton. He retrieved the pistol from his belt and raised it above his head, but the man shifted his weight just as he was about to strike. Gage only succeeded knocking into Kelton’s upper arm.
Kelton whipped his head around, roaring in rage.
Lady Trenton let out a cry of pain as she was shoved to the side by Kelton, his blade cutting into her shoulder.
The woman fell into a heap on the deck. Caspian rushed to her side.
Gage gripped Kelton’s arm that was holding the knife in his hand, twisting it in order to force him to release the weapon.
He resisted, and Gage dropped his pistol in the struggle. Kelton’s blade dug through the front of Gage’s arm, and he stifled a cry.
Gage kicked at Kelton, preparing to punch him square in the jaw before he was cut again. He could barely hear the sounds of Lady Trenton sobbing and the captain trying to soothe her.
After several punches, Gage dislodged the knife from Kelton’s hand just as the captain approached, fully armed.
Caspian grabbed the man by the shoulders and knocked him in the head with the hilt of his cutlass.
Gage let out a heavy breath as Kelton crumbled to the floor, unconscious at last.
****
Eden remained on the crate Caspian had moved her to while Master Thompson fought Kelton. Rain poured down, drenching her. She pressed her handkerchief against the cut that continued to bleed on her shoulder.
She rose but swayed under a wave of dizziness. Gage moved next to her immediately and steadied her until Caspian came and took her in his arms.
"Are you all right, sweetheart?" He inquired, studying the slice on her neck, and then moving his gaze to the deeper wound on her shoulder.
She nodded, realizing despite the little scratch in her neck and the cut on her shoulder, she was safe now. Kelton was not going to hurt her anymore. "Thanks to Master Thompson."
Gage offered her a charming wink. He really was a sweet man.
Eden leaned forward into Caspian’s chest but then glanced back over his shoulder.
Lord Rutger was approaching.
With Kelton’s attack, she had almost completely forgotten about Lord Rutger. The man had sunk back like the coward he was during the tussle.
"Caspian!" She warned, gripping him around the shoulders.
Her captain whirled around, unsheathing his cutlass and swinging it at Lord Rutger in defense.
He sliced the man's upper arm. Rutger winced and reflexively lowered his sword. It appeared he would leave them alone finally.
Caspian turned and wrapped her in his strong, warm embrace again. "Thank God you are safe," he whispered, planting a tender kiss on the center of her forehead. Caspian glanced at Gage, and Eden smiled gratefully up at the grinning man.
"Thank you kindly, my friend. You saved her life. I am in debt to you, Gage." Caspian shook his first mate’s hand and clapped him on the back.
Cold arms gripped Eden’s waist and dragged her toward the railing. When she screamed, a vicious elbow jabbed at her stomach.
She writhed in the man's grasp, gasping out in pain. She would do anything to escape his malicious grip. Lord Rutger only chortled at her cries, drawing her closer yet and inhaling a deep breath of her hair.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Everything around her began to twirl in a devilish dance. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the stubborn bright lights from flashing in front of them.
"Unhand her at once!" She recognized Caspian’s voice and heard him charging at them.
"Na-ah-ah, Captain. One step closer, and I promise I will throw Lady Trenton to the sharks." Rutger’s voice rang in her ears, hardly discernible.
Slowly, everything around her became a dark, swirling blur. The edges of her vision darkened until she could see no more.
"No!" Caspian howled, lunging at her and Lord Rutger. Eden’s dizziness overtook her, and she crumpled down, knocking her head on the hard wooden deck. Everything faded to a dull black.
Chapter Twenty-One
Caspian saw Eden hit the deck, but he knew she would be safer on the ground than with Lord Rutger holding her. Rain poured from the sky, soaking her unmoving body.
Caspian drew his pistol as quickly as he could, but it became stuck inside its encasement.
Lord Rutger grabbed Eden by the shoulders and lifted her lifeless form up onto the railing, leaning towards the sea.
It dawned on Caspian then. The man had every intention of throwing her overboard.
Primal anger swept through Caspian’s entire body as if charged by the lightning that was cutting across the black sky. He knew it was wrong, but he found he hated this man for all he had done to Eden. She was an innocent. She deserved none of this.
God, I would appreciate some help here…
Caspian charged at the man, grasping Eden by the waist lest she fall back over the rail.
Rutger reared backward, trying to yank Eden back into his own grip.
Lord Rutger teetered back and forth in the violent wind of the storm. Caspian tried to reach out to grab the man, but as Rutger stumbled backward over the ship’s rail, Caspian realized he was tugging Eden down with him.
He had to save Eden. There was nothing to do but hold on to her limp body tightly and let Lord Rutger regain his own balance or fall into the abyss.
With a final grunt, Caspian pulled Eden down from the rail onto the deck then watched as Rutger slid over the edge with a cry just as loud as the thunder that was echoing across the sea.
The man’s arms swung about madly. He was trying to catch hold of something, anything, before he plummeted to his death.
Unsuccessfully.
After a moment, Rutger hit the water with a splash that was drowned out by the sounds of the storm.
He sank below immediately, disappearing in the riotous waves.
Caspian trained his eyes on the spot where the man had vanished for minutes, but to no avail. His head never popped back above the surface.
Finally, Caspian tore his gaze from the tragic sight.
****
The rain ceased just as Caspian scooped Eden up in his arms and carried her across the bulwarks and back to their cabin, where it was blissfully dry.
The moment they entered, Reed rushed up to them from where he had been sitting in one of the leather armchairs. “Papa, what happened? Is-is Miss Eden all right?” He spoke the words tentatively, as if he was afraid that just by saying them he would make his beloved “Miss Eden” not all right.
“She-she fainted, is all, Reed.” Caspian suppressed a sigh. He did not need the young child underfoot at a time like this. “Umm, Reed, why don’t you go up on the main deck? You can ask one of my men to take you over to see if Master Thompson needs any help. I am certain he would be pleased to have it.”
Reed simply stared at Eden, his bluish-purple eyes wide as saucers. The child was no doubt every bit as worried about the woman as he was. Well, Caspian could understand that. Lady Trenton was a special woman, and she had suddenly become close to both him and his son. Caspian decided he needed to comfort the child in at least some small way.
He stooped toward his son. “Reed, I assure you I will notify you if she recovers or for some reason something worsens. She will be fine, son. You have no need to worry about her. Go.”
Reed studied his father’s face for a moment, looking back and forth between him and Eden. Finally, he nodded slowly. “You promise to tell me if anything happens, Papa?”
Caspian’s throat constricted when he realized his son cared for this precious woman just as much as he did. They would become a pleasant little family, if only the lady agreed to be the wife and mother. He hoped she would. He fingered the chain around his neck that held his mother’s old ruby and gold wedding band. She had given it to him, her sole child, before she died, and told him when he had a wife of his own it could be hers. That day had been far off since he was only five years old at the time, but he had kept it around his neck every day since then. Isabelle had objected to taking the ring, claiming it was frivolous and they should just sell it. Caspian had bought her a simple metal band instead and kept this one close to his heart as a reminder of the mother he could barely remember. He had a feeling Eden would appreciate this ring and cherish it as he did. That was if she would accept the promise that accompanied it.
Caspian gently deposited Eden on the bed, and then took a step back to examine her. Her long black eyelashes were lowered onto her creamy cheeks. Those brown curls of hers were tangled about her head and that normally bright face had grown pale and ashen. A tick of worry floated through him. Maybe he should have sent Reed for the ship’s surgeon.
He ran his fingertips across her scalp, searching for bumps or cuts and lingering as he went. Caspian thanked the Lord when he realized she had no fatal head wounds; she had just been knocked unconscious. Maybe she had even fainted rather than suffering a blow to that pretty little head of hers.
At his touch, her eyelids fluttered open.
"Caspian." She blinked rapidly.
Relief swept away his anxiety like a cool breeze on a hot Caribbean afternoon.
"Yes, 'tis me, milady." He nearly laughed in relief, and then gently slid the back of his hand across her forehead and moved to caress her cheek.
"Where is… where is Lord Rutger?" That familiar, tiny line appeared between her dark, delicate eyebrows.
"You know, milady, I should like it if I were the first thing you thought of when you woke, not that wretched dandy named Lord Rutger," he teased, kissing her hair and feigning a wounded look.
She whacked his arm playfully. Well, it was a good thing she felt up to joking around with him. That had to mean she was not in too bad of shape.
Soon, however, her expression slid back to all seriousness. "What happened? I. … I guess that I must have fainted again. But what happened between then and now? I know we are back on your ship now, but is Lord Rutger still bent on taking me? And. …" She gulped. “Killing me? What happened, Caspian?”
"Lord Rutger fell into the sea trying to do just that to you. I caught you by the waist just before he lost his balance or you would have fallen over with him." Caspian shook his head, trying to clear its image of Eden falling over the rail, her arms flailing, her hair flying. He cringed at the
splash
his mind conjured up.
"You mean Clive — Lord Rutger is… dead?" She brought her hand over her chest.
"Aye, my dear lady. He drowned just moments ago. The storm was so violent we could do nothing to save him. His head sunk under right away and never resurfaced.
“I disliked the man greatly, but I did not want to see him die like that. I would have much preferred to see him spend the rest of his life in a prison or be executed by the law for what he did to you, sweetheart." His voice shook with emotion.
She looked down at his comment, but not before Caspian noticed the sheen of tears in her eyes and the pinkish hue that rose on her cheeks. "What… what happened to his ship?"
"I made Master Thompson the captain of Rutger's ship. We captured the previous captain who had been sailing Rutger around. He’s in the hold. That man had to have known Rutger’s plan all along, and a man like that should not be free to roam as he pleases. Besides, it’s not like I could use that ship. Gage deserves to be a captain after how he saved your life when I could not. He is sailing beside us to Port Royal," Caspian explained.
"Master Thompson is a good man." She smiled sleepily.
"Aye, that he is, milady. And a wonderful friend at that," he added. "How are you feeling? You’ve taken quite a few hits to that sweet head of yours since you met me, sweetheart." He gazed at her face, glad to see much of her pretty coloring had returned there.
"I have a headache, and I am tired, but other than that I think I’m fine," she answered.
Caspian gazed down at her tenderly and noted how heavy her eyelids appeared. The poor dear had been through a lot lately, and even a strong man would be sleepy by now. He glanced down at her dripping, wet clothes. Maybe he should not have set her on the bed after the pouring rain they had been through.
“You just change out of those wet clothes and then get some sleep, love. I will stay out of here and make sure Reed remains with me so you can sleep peacefully. Right now, you need some rest, and I think after that you will feel worlds better.”
****
As soon as Caspian left the cabin, Eden removed her dress and undergarments which had been soaked through and tossed them into a corner. She was far too tired to fold them or lay them out to dry. Besides, she did not want to see that lavender wedding gown ever again.
Eden selected a white nightdress from the trunk lying next to Caspian’s sturdy desk and draped its warmth over her arms. Although she probably should wash the muck off her face from the past few days and brush her hair, she was lucky to even lift her arms due to fatigue. She had endured a lot today.
Instead, Eden crawled into the bed and fell asleep almost immediately when her head hit the pillow.
****
Eden awoke hours later to see Caspian leaning over her, grinning. Reed stood behind him, a similar smile on his adorable little face.
She yawned and stretched slowly.
“Good morning, milady. How do you fare?” The handsome captain leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her forehead. He brushed some hair out of her eyes.
“I-I feel much better, thank you, Captain. What time is it?”
“It is almost five o’clock in the morning, milady. You slept straight through the evening meal and all the way ‘til dawn. You went through a terrible ordeal yesterday. I can’t say I know many women who have had a knife at their throats who were nearly as brave as you proved to be.” Caspian took her hand and helped her up from the bed.
She glanced down, grabbing a quilt from the bed and wrapping it around her shoulders. “I was not very brave, Captain. I do believe I fainted.”