Authors: Heather Manning
"Papa, will you please hold me?"
Caspian crouched down so his eyes were level with his son’s. The child eagerly smiled at him.
"Aren't you getting too old for that, my boy? You just turned six." The boy actually seemed quite small for his age. Caspian worried if he was raising him improperly. Maybe he wasn’t feeding the child like he should. Perhaps a diet of dried beef and hardtack was not the best for a young, growing boy. And yet, Caspian rarely had contact with other children. What did he know about raising children?
He brushed a golden curl from Reed's sweet face. Oh, how he longed for his Isabelle back. She would know exactly when to stop holding their child and when to start teaching him to be a man. Caspian’s own father had practically had nothing to do with him when he was growing up, which was why he and Gage had left to pursue sailing the first chance they got.
"But you were holding Lady Trenton, Papa." Reed crossed his arms over his chest with the same determined look on his face Isabelle had always worn when she had set her mind on something. That look had eventually resulted in her premature death.
Caspian sighed. The stubborn boy was correct. He
had
held the woman. Warmth showered over Caspian as he remembered the feel of the lady in his arms when he had carried her to his cabin. "That was entirely different," he said, giving in and picking the boy up. He leaned against the wooden door.
"I love you, Papa," the child whispered, leaning his head against Caspian's shoulder.
"And I love you, too, Reed." Blast it, the boy was the spitting image of his mother. Same blond curls, same loving, violet-blue eyes filled with admiration. Caspian still ached, even after five long years had passed.
Caspian rubbed one of his son's tawny locks between his fingers. Would he ever do right by Reed?
"Papa, who is Miss Trenton?"
A fresh wave of worry washed over Caspian at the mention of her name. Why did the woman affect him so? Why should he care what would happen to her, or if she was frightened? Certainly, she was quite pretty, but nothing much compared to his Isabelle. Her bone structure was delicate and feminine, but her eyes were brown and her hair the same. Plain, really, compared to Isabelle’s golden hair and purple-tinted-sapphire eyes. Why did he feel this unexpected urge to protect this lady and not let anyone else touch her? He had only just met her.
It was probably because of the bruise. He wanted to take care of a weak woman who had nobody to protect her. That was all.
“Papa?”
“Yes.” Caspian looked down and then remembered his son had asked him something. Oh, about the lady.
"I'm afraid I am not quite sure yet, son. Mr. Thompson found her sleeping in the hold. She is a stowaway of some sort," he answered.
"A stowaway?" Reed gasped, astonishment lighting up his dark blue eyes.
"Yes."
"On a pirate ship?"
"Privateer," Caspian corrected. "Indeed."
"She must be quite brave, Papa!"
Caspian chuckled at the admiration glowing in his son’s eyes for this woman he had just met.
"Aye, I suppose she is. She certainly seems unlike any other woman I have ever laid eyes on."
****
Eden stared at the washtub Master Thompson had hauled in. She had no choice, really. The grimy saltwater had made her hair crunchy, and the stench from the belly of the ship seemed to be glued to her body. There was no doubt she looked a fright.
She undressed and stepped into the water. It had turned chilly already, and gooseflesh popped up on her arms and legs. Oh well, cold water was better than no water at all.
After bathing quickly lest the captain and his son decide to change their plans and return early, Eden dressed and wrapped a towel about her hair to dry it. She glanced at the desk, pushed up against one of the walls. If only she glanced at its contents, she would have a better idea of who this captain was. Where was his wife? Did he leave her somewhere at home while he went around pirating with his son? Why, did the woman even know her husband’s occupation?
Eden opened the drawer to the desk, but shoved it shut after a moment. She did not want the captain to barge in on her to find her intruding on his privacy so she tapped lightly on the sturdy door.
"Are you finished, milady?" A deep voice answered almost immediately.
Sucking in a deep breath, Eden answered, "Yes." She opened the door to see the captain's glistening, blue eyes. Eden frowned. The man had said he was going to post a guard, not stand there waiting for her. His sweet, grinning son was balanced on his left hip. Reed giggled and pointed at the towel on her head. Captain Archer smirked as his warm gaze perused her from head to toe. He set the wiggling boy down, and the child skipped across the room and sank down onto one of the armchairs.
"I must say, Lady Trenton, that this dress is far more becoming on you than those trousers were." He smiled, seeming to relish the blush she knew crept up her neck and reached her cheeks.
"Why, you cad." Eden glanced down at the deep rose-colored dress he had given to her. Lace bounded out from the bodice and the cuffs of the mid-length sleeves. The dress fit her snugly, hugging every one of her curves. She shifted in the gown. Having never worn such a tight dress before, she felt somehow exposed in this.
“Papa, what’s a
cad
?”
Captain Archer sighed and shook his head.
Eden stifled a giggle.
"Papa, may I please go up and play on the deck then?" Reed interrupted.
"If you are careful, boy; I don't want you to get hurt. Weatherly thinks we might enter some turbulent waters soon. He spotted dark storm clouds ahead."
"Of course, Papa. I will be just fine." The young child skipped away, and after a moment the captain closed the door behind him.
Eden sank down onto the bed, and Captain Archer rested on the leather armchair across from her. "Now, pray tell, milady, inform me on how you came to be aboard my ship." He raised a dark brow as he watched her remove the towel from her head. His gaze remained fixed on her hair, which tumbled down her back, loose and damp from her bath.
Eden shifted under the attention he was paying her. "And why should I tell you that, Captain?" She jutted her chin out in the air and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Because, as a discovered stowaway, you are now my prisoner, and you will do exactly as you are told, milady." He folded his hands in front of him and leaned back in his chair.
She pouted and frowned. "You are simply a beast."
"Ah, milady, your opinion of me would drastically alter had you stowed yourself away on any other pirate ship, I assure you." He grinned.
She sniffed as she attempted to pin her hair up into an elegant twist Aimee had once showed her. "Well, I am here now, and my opinion remains quite the same, good sir."
The captain leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He was so close to her she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. His black curls were in a tangled mass, and his jaw was scratched with stubble like some… pirate.
The man was anything but a gentleman, yet he had not raised a hand to her yet. Maybe she was fortunate he was not a London-bred ’gentleman.’
"I suppose I am sick and tired of ‘gentlemen’ anyway," she muttered and then froze. Had he heard her statement?
"Ah, the young lady is adventurous!" he exclaimed. "Do you prefer a pirate to a gentleman? Or are you just sick and tired of men in general?" he teased, winking at her.
Yes… he had heard it. Her cheeks heated, but she raised her chin in defiance. He had no right to wink at her like that… even if she did enjoy it. What was she thinking? "I am certainly sick and tired of English gentlemen, anyway, at least most of those that I have had the misfortune of meeting."
"Ah, well, I can understand your point. I’ve met more than my share of scalawags from all classes. But, miss, you are in luck. Standing before you is a man born and raised in New Providence.” He doffed his captain’s hat and smiled broadly.
“Now please, grace me with the tale of how you have come to be on my ship — without paying for your passage?" He raised a brow.
Eden opened her mouth to refuse but thought better of it and sighed. The man had been gentle with her as of yet, but he was a man, nonetheless. There was no way of knowing how harsh a temper resided behind his handsome face. She had barely just met him. "I was simply escaping a life far worse than death. When I realized I could not garner enough money of my own for a passage to Port Royal, I came to the docks under the cover of night. While I was there, I noticed a group of sailors approaching me. I feared they might have seen through my disguise like you and Mr. Thompson did, so I ran onto the nearest ship, seeking refuge from the men and praying this ship was going to sail to Port Royal. God answered my prayers. He must believe it best for me to start my new life in the colonies there."
Caspian snorted and rolled his crystal-blue eyes, shifting the position of his legs.
Eden glared at him. "Are you telling me you don't believe in God?" She crossed her arms across her chest.
"Nay, milady. I do believe in God; I just know he doesn’t care a whit for me. Believe me. God stopped answering my prayers many years ago." He sighed, pressing his large hands together. "And how did you come to be sleeping in my hold? Why did you not come to me and beg or barter some sort of passage?"
"I-I had no way of knowing where you were or what type of man you happened to be. How would I have any way of knowing what sort of payment you would expect? I thought it would be one that would tarnish my reputation, for sure. So, I decided to sleep down in the hold behind the crates. It seemed the safest, if smelliest, place aboard the ship where I would not be seen." She scrunched up her nose, remembering the horrible stench of the hold.
He cocked a dark eyebrow. "And that is your excuse, milady? What on earth was this lifetime worse than death — for a lady of wealth, nonetheless — that you attempted to escape, even hide in a filthy, dark hold to be rid of? I am sure it was never that bad of a life in your little manor in England, or wherever it is. Port Royal is a dangerous city, especially for a young woman who happens to be all on her own, without the benefit of an escort, without money." Caspian countered.
"How dare you suggest such a thing? You know nothing about me or my life. Such audacity is preposterous, sir.” She tugged a lock of her umber hair with her finger.
The captain huffed. Eden rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. Why, this man’s little son had been behaving in a more grown-up fashion.
Chapter Four
Caspian was not accustomed to being denied by a simple girl. Lady Trenton had all but kicked him out of his own cabin — aboard his own ship. Blast, the woman was beginning to grate on his nerves. He was the captain of this ship, and no matter how pretty she was, she had no authority here.
He sulked, staring at the inky sea. By the smoky look of it, the dark night sky held a storm that would reach them soon.
His mind twisted back to the woman again, against his will. When Lady Trenton had twirled her hair about her finger, the neck of the low-cut gown he had given her shifted and the movement revealed another bruise. This one was in the shape of a meaty fist and on her neck. Someone had hurt her, and it had happened recently. Quite recently. Caspian longed to ask her about it, to know who had done this to her, but he thought better of it. She apparently was not fond of telling him anything personal. Besides, he had just met her. In all reality, he had no right to know her personal business.
Gage appeared beside him, the typical grin plastered on his face. "Any news on the woman, Captain? Who exactly is she?"
"Aye, she relinquished some information. It certainly was hard enough to get it out of her. Her name is Lady Eden Trenton. She boarded my ship in an attempt to escape what she claims is ‘a fate far worse than death.’"
"Egad, what could a well-off lady like her be running away from that is worse than death?" Gage asked, frowning.
"She refuses to tell me. All I know is she is absolutely terrified of returning to London," Caspian replied, gripping the aft rail of his ship. The sturdiness of the wood grounded him from the oddities that had occurred in the past few hours.
"Well, of course. I suppose she simply got into an argument with her papa over buying a dress or some frilly ribbons and ran away over it." Gage leaned forward and rested his forearms on the rail.
"Nay, I believe she isn't so frivolous a woman. I think this is something more significant than a ribbon or a dress. Lady Trenton seems terrified of me. She recoiled from my touch. What I’m thinking is she was hurt by someone in London and is running away from that person," Caspian reasoned, speaking slowly as he thought.
"Aye, the poor girl. I saw how she fainted in the hold when you were simply teasing her. But she is quite a beauty, isn't she, Captain?" Gage's face lit up with a grin.
"Yes, my man, and you will stay well away from her if you know what's good for you. If I am correct and she has been hurt by a man, we do not want you to give her any further fear."
"Yes, Captain," he smiled, "I was just commenting. Besides, you know how I prefer red-heads to brunettes any day."
Caspian chuckled and shot a glance in his friend’s direction.
Reed skipped up to the two men from the other direction. "Papa, where will Lady Trenton sleep tonight?"
Caspian’s breathing halted for a second. He had not thought of that. Since his wife had died, he had not been around many women, but he knew how improper it was for the lady to be in the same room, alone with him, at night. But as long as his son was there, he supposed it did not matter. However, because it was only polite the woman sleep on the bed it looked like their journey would be filled with rough nights until they reached Port Royal.
"Lady Trenton shall sleep in our bed, Reed. We shall sleep on the floor tonight."
"All right, but Papa, may we go to sleep now? The door is locked to the cabin so I can't go in," Reed informed him with a yawn.