Page 36 of Devil of the High Seas
“Would you care for a glass of Madeira?” the captain inquired of her.
“Yes, thank you.” She accepted the glass but noted Gavin’s polite refusal, using the excuse that he would be on duty that evening.
“Mrs. Castleton, I take it this is a honeymoon journey for you?” the third lieutenant inquired. He was a lad of no more than twenty or twenty-one, with a bashful demeanor.
“Yes, we’ve only been married about a week,” she lied smoothly, and any heat in her face that might slip through would fit with the charade of a shy new bride.
Gavin tensed beside her, but she doubted anyone at the table was aware of it. For the moment, all eyes were on her.
“How do you like the sea?” Captain Anderson asked as everyone began to dine on a course of fresh fish.
“It’s quite lovely,” she replied.
Attention now turned to Gavin. “And where are you bound, Captain Castleton?” Captain Anderson asked.
“The West Indies,” Gavin replied with a companionable smile. “My brother-in-law owns this vessel, and we are to sail to his estate holdings there.”
“And who is your brother-in-law? I might know him,” the captain inquired. Josephine realized too late that this was no simple dinner. It was aninterrogation.
“The Earl of Camden’s son.” Gavin placed his hand on Josephine’s knee underneath the table as if he sensed her rising tension. She drew in a deeper breath, trying to remain calm.
One of the lieutenants looked surprised. “Wasn’t that the fellow who—” Captain Anderson shot the man a sharp look, and he quickly silenced himself.
“My brother was recently pardoned by the king.” Josephine knew what those men were thinking. The story of her brother’s rescue from the noose and the royal pardon their father had secured to save him had been spread far and wide.
“Yes,” the captain said slowly. “The pirate.”
“Formerpirate,” Josephine emphasized, and then she curled her arm around Gavin’s in a display of what she hoped looked like wifely affection. “My husband only agreed to captain his current vessel when he had assurances from the necessary authorities that our voyage would be quite legal. My husband follows the law to the letter.”
“I don’t hold with piracy,” Gavin agreed solemnly. “Rotten business. One cannot run an empire and conduct trade with those rebels roving the seas.” He spoke with contempt so convincingly that Josephine would have believed him and his hatred for pirates had she not known better.
She attempted to change the subject. “Captain, have you been to the West Indies?”
“Oh yes, many times.” The captain smiled at her almost dotingly, as though she were a child.
Josephine pressed her advantage. “I should like to spend time with my husband there before we make the voyage back to England. Would you recommend any places that would be suitable for us to visit?”
“I wish I could advise on that, but I urge caution instead. The Spanish are still giving us trouble, and it would be best to remain in English-controlled regions while you are in the islands.”
“Oh, I see.” Josephine pretended to be disappointed, but she did not fear the Spanish. She was half Spanish, after all. She doubted Gavin was afraid of them either.
As the meal concluded, Josephine managed to navigate the conversation into safer waters. Whenever the officers would bring up pirates or illegal activities, she would ask a silly question of the sort men would expect a woman who knew nothing about life at sea to ask.
“Well, thank you so much, Captain Anderson. We thoroughly enjoyed your company this evening, but I must return to my ship. We have a schedule to meet, and the winds are a fickle mistress.”
Gavin’s hand was back on Josephine’s knee under the table, and he gave her what felt like a congratulatory squeeze.
“It was our pleasure.” Captain Anderson and his officers stood the moment Josephine rose from her chair, and the captain once more claimed her hand with a kiss. “I imagine your husband will enjoy his honeymoon with you. You are the most delightful company.”
Josephine blushed at the man’s implications, which added to her delicate feminine façade.
“I certainly will.” Gavin winked at her and then escorted her from the cabin before she could figure out how to respond to the captain’s compliment.
Once they returned to theCornish Pixie, Josephine’s shoulders sagged as the coiled tension within her was finally let loose. Gavin spoke privately to Ronnie a moment and then returned for her, catching her lightly by the waist as they stood on the moonlit deck.
“You did very well, lass,” he said. Before she could respond, he tilted her face up and kissed her. A warm buzzing like bees on a summer day filled her chest, and she leaned into him, savoring his strength as she surrendered to his kiss. He deepened it, gently parting her lips with his tongue to flick against her own, and she completely forgot she was on deck in full view of the crew.
She wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted. It could have been minutes or hours. She lost herself in his taste, the feel of his frock coat beneath her fingers, the silky strands of his hair as the wind tousled it, and the scrape of his stubble against her cheeks. Nothing she had imagined about kissing a man compared to what she felt now as she kissed Gavin.
