Page 19 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“They are looking for Nox. Hurry, you must get inside. Can you not hear the prison bell tolling?” she said.
Samantha listened, and Catherine was right. In the distance, there came the dull tolling of a great bell, quite different to the happy peal from a church, or the striking of an hour hand. This bell was dull and somber, ringing out a disaster, or impending doom. The sky had clouded over, and great drops of rain now fell, as the three of them hurried up the driveway and Samantha hammered on the door.
It was opened by Nicholas’ butler, who had been his faithful servant for many years. He gave Nox a somewhat disapproving look, but ushered them inside, into the welcoming warmth of the hallway, which was lit by a great fire burning in the hearth. Samantha and Catherine were regular visitors, they and Rebecca forming a triumvirate of the closest nature. Samantha would trust either of them with her life, and now she was to trust Rebecca with the life of Nox.
“His Lordship is out on business at this moment, but her Ladyship has given me instruction that I am to show you into the library, Lady Samantha. Will our guest be staying long?” the butler asked, still eyeing Nox suspiciously.
“Not long, no, as long as it takes to get him out. But not a word to anyone,” Samantha replied, as the butler ushered them into the library.
A fire was burning there, too, candles lit all around, dispelling the gloom of the day outside, where inky black clouds had now gathered all around, the rain having turned to torrents.
“You will be safe here,” Samantha assured Nox, her lips still tingling from the memory of the kiss they had shared in the shrubbery.
He flung himself down into a chair, eyeing a decanter of brandy on the side greedily. Samantha poured him a glass, presuming that Nicholas – given his considerable wealth – would not miss a small glass of spirit. Just then, the door opened, and Rebecca entered the room, her eyes wide with delight at the sight which met her.
“Goodness me, Samantha, so this is the pirate. Oh, I have never met a pirate before. You are most welcome, Mr. Nox or… Captain Nox, I suppose,” she said, as Nox rose to his feet and gave her a flourishing bow.
“Lady Lowood, I am honored to meet you, and I thank you for helping me in this way,” he said, causing Rebecca to blush.
“Well, not at all. When Samantha told me of your predicament, I could not stand idly by and do nothing. It is terribly exciting. I said to Nicholas, “We simply must help him,” and he agreed. Well, with a little persuasion,” she said, laughing nervously.
“I assure you I am innocent of the charges they lay before me. I do not kill innocent men, nor do I steal from those who cannot afford their loss,” he said.
“And you brought Samantha home safely to us, she has told me all of your tales. Catherine and I were beside ourselves when we learned what had happened. The crate being loaded onto the merchant’s ship and setting off for goodness knows where. I was quite terrified she would never come back. No, you have done us all a good deed, Captain Nox, and such a good deed deserves its reward,” Rebecca said, beaming around at them.
Samantha knew she could trust Rebecca. The two of them were the oldest of friends, and now she explained what had happened in the prison, and how they had rescued Nox from his cell.
“I must say, he made a rather good priest,” she exclaimed, laughing, as Rebecca called for further refreshments to be brought for them.
“What an absolutely perfect disguise. I would never have thought of it myself,” Rebecca exclaimed.
“Nor I,” Nox replied, glancing at Samantha, and smiling.
His gaze caused her to blush, unable to rid herself – though she had no desire to do so – of the delightful memories which still stirred within her. Had she not been in the company of both Rebecca and Catherine, she would gladly have allowed him to take her in his arms again, her thoughts now stretching further than the kiss to pleasures more carnal. She and the other two women had spoken of such things, and she had heard Rebecca’s boast of Nicholas’ prowess, but having never known such delights before, they both intrigued and terrified her. What would it be like to know Nox, to have allowed him into her bed aboardThe Rosa Mystica,to have experienced his touch in the entwining of their bodies, to have felt–
“Samantha, do you agree?” Rebecca asked, and Samantha was jolted from her daydreaming.
“Yes,” she replied, having no notion of what Rebecca had just said.
“Then it is agreed, Captain Nox shall remain here for the next week. In that time, the furor surrounding his escape will have calmed and it will be no difficulty in taking him to Bristol. There, we shall have no trouble in securing passage aboard a ship bound for the Caribbean. Nicholas has many contacts across the Atlantic in the Islands. He may even find you a position, Captain,” Rebecca said, and Nox nodded.
“You are very kind, Lady Lowood,” he replied.
As the butler was returning with the refreshments, and Nox was helping himself to another glass of brandy, the sounds of a carriage drawing up came from outside, and Rebecca hurried to the window, uttering a sigh of relief, as she turned back into the room.
“It is only Nicholas. And his mother,” she said, her lips pursing somewhat at these last words.
It was well known that Duchess Sinclair was a difficult woman, and though her relationship with Rebecca had mellowed since the birth of Nicholas’ heir, she had remained a formidable figure, and Samantha would have preferred it if she had not been forced to encounter her that afternoon.
A few moments later, Nicholas and his mother entered the room. He was a pleasant man, kindly and fiercely loyal to Rebecca, whom he had faced many challenges in pursuit of their marriage. She hurried to greet him, turning back to introduce Nox, who had risen to his feet and stepped forward with his hand outstretched.
“Your Lordship, I am deeply grateful to you and very much in your debt for what you have done for me,” he said, and Nicholas took him by the hand, shaking it vigorously.
“There are some who say you are a wanted criminal, but I have heard quite differently. More a Robin Hood than a Bluebeard,” he said, as Nox grinned.
“I assure you, your Lordship, I am no danger to anyone, least of all these dear women who have done so much to help me,” he replied.
“And you them. Samantha, at least. It was very brave of you to return her home as you did,” Nicholas replied, ushering Nox back to his chair.
