Page 73 of A Rake's Revenge
He emerged several yards from theLadyand treaded water, trying to get his bearings. He could vaguely make outSea Mastertrying to come about in the churning sea, but close to him, nothing broke the surface.
“Caroline!” There was no answer. How far could she have drifted? The current wasn’t particularly strong, but the action of the waves was. Just like it had been the day in the Channel with Devon. His brother had disappeared under the water and not resurfaced. They’d found his body washed ashore downwind of the storm. With broad strokes, Stephan began swimming westerly, following the direction of the wind-whipped water.
“Caroline!” he called again and strained his ears to listen. No answer. He slowed his pace, checking the surface around him to see if she was floating. Caroline had to be close. She had to be alive. He refused to think otherwise. He would not—could not—let her drown like his brother had. “Caroline!”
And then he heard it. A very faint cry for help. It came from behind him. Damn it. Had she been close to his boat and he’d missed her? With a powerful kick, he turned and began swimming in the other direction.
Caroline wasn’t near his boat. Stephan tapped down the consternation he was feeling. He knew he’d heard her voice. “Caroline?”
“Help!”
The sound was much closer. Stephan searched the surface around him in near desperation. The choppy conditions made seeing more than a few feet in any direction difficult. He was about to call her name once more when a wave broke near him and he saw an arm rise in the trough behind it.
Stephan dived under the crest of the next wave and resurfaced only yards away from Caroline. She had her back to him as she attempted to meet the next wave. In three powerful strokes, he was behind her. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pulled her close.
“I have you, love. I have you.”
By the time Stephan had gotten them both back on board using his tether, Tisdale’s hired captain had managed to bringSea Masterabout, wisely staying windward of theLadywhich was still drifting under bare poles. The earl had popped halfway out of the companionway hatch and clung to the handrails on either side. Stephan could see he was swathed in oilskins from head to foot.
“You need to return Miss Nash to my ship,” he yelled.
Stephan stared at him. If he hadn’t just had a harrowing, life-threatening experience, he probably would have thought the command humorous. Did Tisdale really expect him to try to make an exchange from one boat to another with the sea conditions the way they were? Not that it would have mattered if it had been dead calm. Caroline was staying on board theLady.
“I’ll not allow it!” he shouted back. “I will return her to Brighton myself.”
“You are abducting her!” The earl raised a fist and then quickly grabbed the rail again. “I will see you in Newgate for this!”
Caroline tried to sit up from where she lay slumped on the cockpit bench to protest. Stephan motioned for her to stay still. She needed to recover her strength. He’d felt her trembling when he pulled both of them up the rope ladder attached to theLady’s stern, and Caroline’s legs hadn’t supported her when she’d tried to stand.
“You can try,” Stephan called. “But Miss Nash is staying aboard my boat.”
The earl started to say something, but his captain interrupted. Stephan couldn’t hear the words, but evidently the other man agreed with him that it was too dangerous to attempt to bring the boats close since Tisdale scowled and then shrugged.
The captain gave Stephan a curt nod and then eased theSea Masteraway. Tisdale had disappeared down below. Stephan shook his head. So much for the man staying on deck and helping.
“Will you be all right for a few minutes?” he asked Caroline. “I have to raise the jib so we can make some headway.”
Caroline nodded and struggled to sit up. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing.” Stephan strapped the tiller in place to hold the bow into the wind. “Just stay where you are and hang on to the lifeline.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I have no intention of letting go. Believe me.”
Stephan crept forward carefully since the waves were still high enough to make theLadypitch like a bucking horse. Even with his rope still looped about his shoulders, he didn’t relish another dip in the water this afternoon. At least the slashing rain had lessened, so hopefully the squall would pass over soon.
He made quick work of putting a reef in the jib and hauling it only halfway up. That would give him enough momentum to steer the boat until the wind subsided somewhat. He inched his way back to the cockpit and let the bow fall off enough for the jib to fill. With a slight lurch, theLadyheeled to port and moved forward.
“We are underway,” Stephan said, adjusting the tiller slightly.
“How long before we reach Brighton?” Caroline asked as she began to shiver.
“Probably a good three hours,” Stephan answered, “but we are not going there. At least, not yet.”
Caroline gave him a wary look. “You want to stay out in this and sail?”
“No.” He smiled at her look of relief. “I am heading toward Beachy Head. It is closer and we can drop anchor there until the storm is through.”
“That would be nice.” Caroline pushed several damp strands of hair off her face. “I think I have had my fill of nasty weather for today.”
