Page 6 of The Pirate's Stolen Bride
A gust of wind, a large wave, and a smattering of rain slapped the boats all at once.
Miss Turner yelped with fear. The rope ladder swung wide over the water as the ship rolled. She dangled midair, suspended, giving him a good view up her skirt, then lost her grip and plunged into the sea.
CHAPTER THREE
INTO THE DRINK
Curse that wretched smuggler.
Those were Harriet’s final thoughts as she dropped sickeningly into the churning sea. In the final moments of her life, she was going down with words of condemnation on her lips.
She couldn’t swim.
She was going to die.
The water swallowed her whole into its freezing depths. Never had she been submerged so quickly and so completely. Saltwater invaded her nostrils, burning the tender flesh. She fought not to exhale, knowing she needed every second of air.
She tried to kick. Her skirt tangled around her legs. Her half-boots were like two weights dragging her down. Her lungs ached.
Dying was going tohurt.
She squeezed her eyes closed. If a tear escaped, it became one with the saltwater before she could register it.
A wave rolled high overhead as she sank farther from the wan light. Disoriented, she flailed, desperate for something to grab onto. A slimy chunk of seaweed made contact with her cheek. Harriet recoiled. Air burst out of her at the shock. Stars swam behind her eyes.
Then something clasped her wrist and tugged her arm almost out of her socket. Harriet couldn’t say which direction they were headed, but the gray fuzz behind her eyelids grew brighter and the pressure in her ears lessened. A hard object connected with her legs, reminding her that she could kick, too. Feebly, she tried.
The stars in her vision began to pop into blinding whiteness. Her lungs begged for air. Unable to hold out any longer, Harriet took one awful breath of water. Darkness consumed her.
Rémy
Putain de merde.
With one arm hooked beneath Harriet’s arms, he kicked through the churning waves toward the dinghy.Don’t die. You can’t drown; I’ve only just met you.He hadn’t meant to kill her. He’d never experienced anything like the sheer panic that drove him to dive into the water after her.
His life wasn’t worth a farthing if he didn’t save hers.
“Attraper!” Benoit shouted.Catch.Rough rope grazed Rémy’s outstretched arm. A fishing net. The waves tried to tear it away but he managed to get his fingers through the holes and hold on. His friend hauled them in like a fresh catch of cod. They landed in the bottom of the boat with an inelegant thump. Miss Turner coughed harshly.
Alive, then. Excellent. He curled protectively around her.
“No time for romance, mon ami,” Benoit interrupted. “Look.”
“Romance,” Rémy chuckled mirthlessly. “Pas de chance.”No chance of that.He was trying to warm her up, that’s all. A gust of wind cut straight through his wet clothes and peppered them with a scattering of raindrops. Miss Turner shivered violently. The tower of menacing clouds in the distance meant his friend wouldn’t make it to shore before the storm hit.
“Come aboard. Freddie could use the help. We’ll lash theHaintto theSpectre.”
Benoit held the ladder. Rémy gathered Harriet’s trembling body and tossed her over his shoulder. Clambering up the shifting ladder one-handed, with the other wrapped around the backs of her thighs, was harder than it should have been. But he made it without dropping his precious cargo.
On deck, he shouted to his second-in-command, Freddie, to help Benoit. The grizzled old mariner lumbered away from his post at the wheel to help tie down theHaint. Rémy left them to it and carried Harriet down to the cramped cabin.
He laid her on the bed. She didn’t move. Not a flutter of an eyelash. He held his finger beneath her nose. Faint heat grazed his skin. Relief had him straddling her on his knees, patting her face.
“Wake up, Harriet.”
She sputtered and coughed. Her eyes flew open. Seeing him, they narrowed into furious slits. Her palm cracked across his cheek.
Rémy broke into a grin, dragged her up, and kissed her. The lady froze, her hands on his chest, pushing and getting nowhere.
