Page 58 of Devil of the High Seas
“What is it, cap’n?” one of the men asked in a worried voice.
Gavin cursed silently. He’d tried to avoid telling thePixie’s crew that he was a pirate who’d stolen the ship. Thinking quickly, he spun a tale to the two men who’d accompanied him and Ronnie.
“Er... it’s an old friend, one I owe money to. He’s not someone I want to see right now, and I feared he’d be here—that’s why I had thePixiecircle the island.”
“Oh, right.” The sailor nodded as if that all made perfect, believable sense.
“Is that Dominic?” Ronnie whispered from behind him.
“Aye,” Gavin whispered back.
“Who’s Dominic?” the vicar asked in a low voice.
“My betrothed’s elder brother,” Gavin replied.
The vicar chuckled and then stifled the sound. “No, really, who is he?”
“Mybetrothed’s elder brother,” Gavin repeated, sending the vicar his grimmest look.
Unfazed by the pirate’s tone, the vicar simply scowled back at him. “Good Lord, I’m in some sort of Shakespearian farce, aren’t I?”
“We had best get back to the boat before he spots us,” Ronnie suggested.
“Agreed.” Gavin gestured for his small group to head back to where they’d hidden their small boat. It was a miracle that they reached the rocky outcropping on the far side of the island half an hour later without being spotted. The boat was still waiting for them where they’d hidden it, and once they were rolling out to sea, thePixieappeared around the edge of the island as if conjured by Cornish magic.
Once everyone including the vicar were aboard and the boat was stowed, thePixieshot out for the open sea, the wind in her sails. Gavin stood at the stern and watched Sugar Cove fade into the horizon. But he did not breathe a sigh of relief just yet. So long as Dominic hunted them, he could not rest, until Josephine was his wife. Even then, Dominic still might try to kill him. Greyville was a good man to have as an ally, but a deadly opponent as one’s enemy.
* * *
Griffin staredat the open sea, his heart unsettled. They had stopped at a place called Sugar Cove and sought news of Gavin or theCornish Pixie. It had been a dead end. Everyone on board was restless. He feared that the chances of finding Josephine in time to save her from whatever his brother intended to do with her grew smaller every day. He knew Gavin wouldn’t hurt her, but he feared he would seduce her and make her fall in love with him before abandoning her. The coldness inside his brother’s heart worried him beyond words.
The previous night at dinner, he and Nicholas Flynn had listened as Dominic and Brianna discussed their theories as to where Gavin could be. Brianna had pointed out that Gavin had knowledge of the small islands in the West Indies and could hide in any number of places. There were rumors that he had a place tucked away somewhere in the vicinity where he kept plunder from all his captured prizes. But Brianna could only guess at its location. Dominic suggested they reach out to the rest of the pirate Brethren and see what they knew of the pirate king’s location. Surely someone had seen him. That was assuming, of course, that any of the pirates would betray Gavin’s location, which wasn’t entirely likely.
Now Griffin could only stare at the sea and worry. A sense of doom seemed to be creeping toward them, and he could not shake the feeling something terrible was going to happen.
Vesper came to his side at the bow of the ship, and their arms touched. Her golden hair was loose about her shoulders, and given the sunrise topping the horizon, he guessed she must have woken and come straight up on deck. The sight of her stilled that dreadful tension in him and gave him an immense sense of peace.
“You’ve barely eaten or slept in days,” she said.
“Is it foolish to say I have a bad feeling? I do not wish to curse our voyage, but I fear we’re doomed in our mission to rescue Josephine. Lady Camden agrees with me. She says she feels an ill wind in the air.”
“No, I feel it as well,” she admitted.
They stood in silence for a long while, and after a moment Griffin clasped her hand in his. He’d dared to steal a few kisses from her after dinner each night, but whenever he did, it felt like a betrayal. Josephine had no real desire to marry him, and the marriage contract had been signed by her father, not her. Still, he was doing wrong by her. He wanted Vesper with every fiber of his being. Could he ruin his duty and honor to be with the woman he truly loved? The answer was simple.Yes.
“Vesper... If I break my marriage contract before we find Josephine, it will bring shame upon my name.”
She sucked in a breath beside him but didn’t speak, so he continued.
“If I were to do that and then asked you to marry me, would the shame of that be too much?” He looked away from her, afraid of what she might say.
Vesper cupped his cheek, turning his face toward her. “You know I have my own shame.”
“That is why I worry. I do not wish to add to it.”
She smiled. “When people love each other, we share our burdens. It is nothing to carry yours.”
“Then you would marry me?” he asked again, this time pressing the important question more clearly.
