Authors: Heather Manning
Caspian unsheathed his sword, charging at the vicious captain rather than shooting at him.
The man roared at Caspian’s blow. Caspian leaped to the side. He just missed a hit from another man to his left.
Moore propelled his cutlass straight at Caspian’s head with a
whoosh
, but he ducked just in time to avoid it.
Moore’s gray eyes widened when he finally appeared to realize who he was fighting. “Ah, if it ain’t Cap’n Archer himself. Have ye come t’ finish me off finally? Ye’re the fool who kept a woman on his ship, on the main deck in the midst of a battle. It’s yer own fault yer wife died.”
Caspian knew full well he was a fool without being told. He swung back at Moore and successfully sliced the man’s arm.
The cut barely affected Moore. He kept on fighting like a man without any wounds.
“You murdered my wife, Moore, but that’s not why I’m chasing you anymore.” Caspian lunged forward to avoid the collapsed body of a man who belonged to the enemy’s crew. “I’m a privateer now, so you are facing the law.”
Moore snickered. His blade dug into Caspian’s thigh.
Caspian cried out in pain. He staggered for a moment but then thought of Eden and Reed waiting for him in the cabin and steadied himself. Adrenaline pumped through him, helping him ignore the wound.
He would not lose to this man. He would not give him the chance to harm his family again.
Someone struck Caspian in the neck from behind. It took him several breaths to steady his vision.
He hefted up his sword, feeling every muscle in his body ache as he did so.
He had to stay strong.
He had to stay strong for Eden. For Reed.
He had to use the strength God had given to him.
A cry sounded from somewhere, but it took Caspian a moment of concentration to realize it had come from directly in front of him.
Moore lay in a heap, breathing, but unconscious.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Caspian glanced around to find the battle was over. Moore appeared to have knocked himself in the head on one of the ship’s flying jibs.
Caspian’s crew was standing, battered, but alive, and awaiting his direction. He squinted across the sea and found much was the same for Gage and his crew.
Moore’s crew was either dramatically injured or captured.
They had defeated Moore at last. Caspian may have wanted to murder the man at some point, but now, he would keep him in his hold to hand over to the authorities.
Caspian faced his crew with instructions to burn
Neptune’s Poison
, but not before a feeling of foreboding crept into his gut. His crew may have fared well, but what about Eden and Reed?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Caspian returned to his cabin exhausted and eager to see Eden’s and Reed’s beautiful faces. He had obtained a victory over the man who had wronged him long ago. Since he knew it was wrong to seek revenge as he had for so long, he just considered it a normal victory, ridding the sea of pirates as was his job. This one just happened to be the monster who had murdered his late wife. But maybe her death had not been so bad after all. If Isabelle had never died, Caspian would likely have never been in London. Had he not been in London, Eden would never have stowed away on his ship, and he never would have met her. Fallen in love with her. Married her.
He still found it difficult to believe the woman was actually his wife. Caspian grinned at the thought and sped up his pace down the companionway, impatient to visit his family. His smile faded when he saw three men pounding on his cabin door.
He had thought all of the enemies had been taken below or impressed in Gage’s or Caspian’s crew.
Dread and hatred filled him almost equally at the sight. They were planning on hurting his wife and child. Caspian’s first instinct was to attack the men, but he knew that would be useless and foolhardy. He knew he was strong, but not strong enough to ward off three men on his own. He glanced at the men, who appeared to have cutlasses but no firearms, and ran as silently as he could in his heavy boots to go find some members of his crew to aid him.
He rounded up some men who carried pistols and took them down to the entrance to his cabin. When the intruders spotted the guns, they quickly dropped their swords and cutlasses and raised their hands in an innocent gesture.
“We — we didn’t mean no harm, sir, really!”
“If you’ll only just let us go, Captain, please!”
Caspian grunted in reply. There was no way he would fall for their pleas. Had these men gotten into his cabin, something terrible would be happening to his wife and his son at the moment. “Smithy, take these men to the hold with the others.” He shoved the man closest to him toward Smithy. Smithy and another crewmember led the offenders down toward the brig where Caspian would make sure they stayed for a good long time before giving them a choice: a second chance as a sailor on his ship or a report to the authorities for performing piracy. Most of the men he captured preferred the first choice.
Caspian clenched his jaw, realizing just how close to losing his family he had been. He moved to open the door but realized it was still propped shut with a large piece of furniture. His desk. Eden was a smart woman to listen to his suggestion. That desk had probably saved her life.
He knocked on the door gently. “Eden, you can move this desk now. It is just me, dear.”
He heard a scuffling sound followed by a light hiccup. “Caspian? Is that you out there?” Her sweet voice came nearer to him. She was just on the other side of the desk now, and it was almost unbearable to wait to take her in his arms and hold her tight.
“Yes, sweetheart. It is really me. You can let me in. Just move this desk aside.”
“Th-those wicked men are gone now?” Her voice wavered, and he wondered anew if she had been harmed at all.
“Papa?” His son’s voice chimed in.
“Yes, Eden, Reed. Let me in.” A scraping sound was followed by a soft, feminine grunt. Caspian gave the door a shove to help move the desk. After a moment, the door opened a passage barely big enough for Caspian to get through, but he did not care. He squeezed into the room and was greeted warmly as his wife ran up to him and kissed him. Reed wrapped his little arms around his father’s knees. After kissing his wife, Caspian leaned down to kiss the child on his head.
“Are you all right, Caspian?” Eden chewed on her bottom lip and ran her soft hands along his arms and his chest in a distracting manner.
He decided when he glimpsed his gorgeous wife he was not quite so tired after all. But his whole body still ached from sword fighting for almost hours on end.
“Yes, darling. I am sorer than any man should ever be, but I was not hurt. No need to worry; I am simply rather exhausted,” Caspian explained, slowly stretching his right shoulder.
“Well, I am certainly glad you are all right, Caspian. You have no idea how worried we were about you down here.” Eden gnawed on that plump lip yet again.
“We prayed for you, though, Papa.” Reed outstretched his little arms. Caspian had recently realized that meant the child wanted to be held.
He scooped the boy up in one arm and balanced him on his hip, still holding his wife close to his other side.
“You prayed for me, Reed? Well, I thank the both of you very much for that. The battle was close for a while, but eventually we beat them.”
“What about Moore?” Eden’s gaze found the slice on his thigh. She immediately began fussing over it.
“Moore knocked himself out fighting with me. He’s in the brig now, and I’ll drop him off at the prison in Port Royal. He’ll probably be hanged for piracy.”
Eden was crouched down in front of them, examining his wound through the hole in the leg of his trousers.
“I am all right, woman. Quit your worrying.” He gently grabbed her waist and nudged her up so she was standing straight. “It’s just a scratch, sweetheart. It already stopped bleeding.”
She frowned but seemed to believe him and leaned her forehead against his chest. Her sweet scent of vanilla erased all traces of the battle he had just faced.
He moved toward the other side of the cabin and plunked himself down onto the bed, drawing both Eden and Reed down with him. They giggled, and Eden moved over so the boy could lie between them.
“I believe I could just sleep here for a couple of days…” Caspian teased, closing his eyes.
Eden laughed. “I wouldn’t blame you, husband. I do not even know if I could hold one of those wretched cutlasses for more than a minute, let alone fight with it.” She leaned against him, snuggling her head against his chest and closing her eyes.
“Oh, I bet you could for a little while, sweetheart. You are stronger than you might think, my little doe.”
“I bet Mama could fight off anyone with a sword!” Reed offered, grinning up at them.
Eden shared an amused glance with her husband. He winked at her and crossed his arms behind his head. Slowly, he felt exhaustion tug at his eyelids and was soon asleep.
****
Eden glanced over at her slumbering husband and could not suppress a grin. He had slept the whole night through and was still snoring lightly during the first light of dawn. Reed was as well. She glanced over at the two of them and grinned at the sweet sight. Caspian’s arm was entwined around her waist and Reed was laying his head across Eden’s lap. The three of them did make a cute family. Her husband’s dark hair was lying across his face in a most endearing way. She could not stop herself from brushing the locks away from his handsome face and pressing a light kiss against his now exposed temple.
Those striking, crystal-blue eyes opened wide the moment her lips touched his brow. That charming, lazy grin stretched across his lips, and he swooped down to steal a kiss.
“A man could grow to love waking up like this every morning, milady.”
A shiver of excitement shot through Eden at her husband’s deep, husky voice.
She looked down to find Reed stirring. He stretched his little arms up over his head and yawned before he gazed up at her with a charming grin much like that of his father’s. “Good morning, Mama and Papa.”
“Good morning, dear.” Eden kissed the top of his forehead.
Caspian moved his hand to ruffle the child’s blond curls.
“I wish I could sleep in here with you and Mama every night, Papa.” Reed cast his innocent blue-violet gaze up at his father.
Eden had to bite back a laugh. She peered up to gauge her husband’s reaction.
His face reddened, and his eyes sparkled with amusement. Before he could respond, however, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Caspian groaned before standing up. The joints in his legs cracked. “Who is it?”
“I—I’m sorry, Cap’n, to interrupt you again, but we spotted a ship and she is headin’ straight for us, Cap’n,” came the voice of Wilson.
Eden sighed. Could she and her husband and her newly acquired son never have a peaceful moment alone? And who was after them now? Her husband seemed to have more enemies than she had first thought.
****
Once they had prepared for the day as quickly as they could, Caspian took his wife by the hand and led her to the forecastle deck. Reed trailed behind them. Caspian took a spyglass from Wilson and scrutinized the ship that was bearing down on them by the minute. He squinted in order to read her name.
Cross's Victory
.
Eden laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Who is she, Caspian? Are we going to have another battle again, so soon after the last?"
"The
Cross's Victory,"
he answered, lowering his glass, “I do not know who that would be. A merchantman, perhaps? I see no need for a battle yet, but if they continue to approach us in this manner…”
Eden frowned. "Really? The
Cross’s
Victory
?"
"Aye. Do you know her?" He looked to his bride, baffled. Could it be some former suitor from England, coming to rescue her? Some proper English gentleman, come to take her away from Caspian and return her to her pampered life in London? Suddenly feeling more than a tad bit overly protective and jealous, he put a hand on the small of her back, keeping her close to his side.
"Yes, Captain, I believe I do know her. 'Tis the name of Matthew Emery’s ship. Mr. Emery is a dear friend of mine who attends the same church as I. But why would he be pursuing us all the way over here? He is merely a merchantman, not a pirate or privateer. I know he wouldn’t… he would not be trying to steal from us or cause us any problems. Maybe there is another ship with the same name…"
Caspian ignored her inquiry. All he heard was that this Matthew Emery was a friend. "Just what type of friend, my dear, would be here, chasing us?" he mumbled, clenching both his jaw and fists. Before Eden could see the anger and jealousy burning in his eyes, he spun around quickly. Even if he was one, he did not want her to think him an insecure fool. He tried taking in a deep breath to calm his temper, but it hardly seemed to have an effect.
She took a slow step closer toward Caspian and turned him around before studying his face for a moment. He forced himself to look her in the eyes. "I do believe you might just be a bit jealous, my husband." Eden giggled and ran a hand over the stubble on his jaw.
He lightly placed a kiss atop her head. "Do you blame me, my dear?"
She gave him a rather impish little grin. "Nay, Captain. I am certain I would feel much the same if our roles were reversed. You have naught to worry about, darling, Matthew is just a good friend from church." Her appealing smile faded. "But why would he be chasing us? What would he want from you?"
"He most likely sees the ship Lord Rutger was using — Gage’s ship — next to ours and is coming to rescue you after he heard of your mysterious disappearance. Why, he probably thinks the terrible man stole you… that is, if he knew of all this."
****
Eden's friends had come to her aid. Even though it had not been Aimee and Ivy, someone had come for her. Her heart warmed at the thought. Someone besides just her loyal husband seemed to care for her after all.
She glanced over at the ship sailing next to theirs. Gage stood at her bow, fists on his hips. The role of captain seemed to suit him quite nicely, almost as nicely as it suited her handsome privateer husband. Gage’s imperious gaze drifted over to the
Dawn's Mist,
and he winked at Eden before striding toward the rail to speak with Caspian.