Page 6 of Devil of the High Seas
Ronnie followed his gaze. “What do you have to do, Cap’n?”
“I must see my brother. Then, when all is prepared, you and I will be off.” He handed Ronnie a bag of coins that he always kept tied to his belt. “Be careful and wait for me in the village.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Ronnie said.
Gavin slipped off the side of the boat and rode the waves toward the shore so Ronnie could keep rowing away. Once he reached the cliff face and the hidden cave entrance, he stopped and touched his shoulder, his fingers coming away soaked in blood. There was a chance, he realized grimly, that he would not rendezvous with Ronnie in the village at all. And if that was the case, he wanted to see his brother one last time. There were things that lay heavy upon his heart, and he needed to unburden himself.
Whatever happened after that? Only fate and the sea could tell.
CHAPTER2
Josephine lay in the large bed, a candle lit on her bedside table as she stared unseeing at the pages of a very dull book in front of her. She’d chosen the book to put her to sleep, and somehow it was so dull it failed even at that simple task. Outside the storm continued, but the wind had ceased to rattle the windows, at least. After a long moment, she gave up and blew out the candle.
She burrowed deeper into the blankets and thought of how tonight had not at all gone as she had expected. Dancing, dinner, and then the storm arriving, which had kept her at Lord Castleton’s estate. Now she was in an unfamiliar bed in that home that would never feel like hers. Was this to be her future? To live in this house, sleep in a bed that didn’t feel like hers, and pretend to be someone she wasn’t?
That was nonsense, of course. The storm had forced all of Lord Castleton’s guests to remain for the night. Everyone was likely as uncomfortable as she was, being so far from their homes.
Yet she couldn’t escape the reality of the one thought that was keeping her awake. When she married Lord Castleton, she would have to find a way to settle into his life here, wouldn’t she? This would be her new home, her new life. Everything she was used to would no longer be hers.
She didn’t blame Lord Castleton for her discomfort. How could she? He had been a consummate gentleman all evening. He’d even escorted her to her chambers, explaining that these had been his chambers as a lad before his father had died and he’d moved into the opposite wing of the house. He’d wished her a good night and pressed a kiss to her hand.
With a hiss of frustration, she flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to will herself to fall asleep.
A sudden thump against the door made her tense. Was someone attempting to barge into her room? Or was she imagining things? Old homes creaked and groaned often. Surely a thump or two during a storm was normal? The handle of the door suddenly turned with a soft squeak, and the door opened to the darkened corridor beyond.
Josephine lay motionless, terrified, as a dark figure lurched toward the bed. She must have fallen asleep, and now she was having a nightmare. She’d always been afraid of ghosts, and this must be a ghost.
A hand clamped hard on her shoulder, giving her a violent shake.
“Griffin...,” a deep voice groaned. “Griff...help...” The figure slumped to the floor next to the four-poster bed.
This was no ghost. It was a man, a man seeking her future husband. Her fear vanished and she leapt into action. She located the flint box and managed to light a lamp rather than a candle so she could better see the unexpected visitor. She carried the light around to where the man sat up against the post of the bed frame .
“Who are you?” She bent forward, trying to peer at his face, and then gasped. It was Castleton... but not Castleton. In a flash, she realized it must be Lord Castleton’s long-lost brother.Gavin.
“Where’s... Griffin?” She could barely hear the man’s breathless words.
“Griffin? You mean Lord Castleton?”
The man winced. “Aye, bloody Lord Castleton.” He then collapsed onto his back on the floor. It was then she saw the blood soaking his left shoulder.
“Oh heavens! You’re injured.” She set the lamp on the table by the bed and touched her hand to his forehead and cheek, trying to see if he was fevered. His eyes were half fogged with pain as he stared up at her. Eyes that matched Lord Castleton’s. Yet when she looked into those eyes, Josephine felt like she was falling from the cliffside. She sucked in a breath as something deep within her shifted. She knew in that moment she would do anything to save him.
She laid him flat on his back and brought the lamp down on the floor next to him. He was pale, and blood soaked his shoulder. Josephine thankfully had a strong stomach, so she peeled back his torn shirt to better see the wound. It was a fairly deep gash, as though someone had stabbed him with a blade. How had he gotten such an injury? She needed to wake Griffin and have him send for a doctor.
Gavin moaned and his lashes fluttered weakly. Somehow, she felt his pain deep within herself.
“Please hold on. I will wake your brother and summon a doctor.” She brushed her fingertips over his brow in an attempt to comfort him. His hand shot up, catching her arm before she could leave. His long, strong fingers curled around her wrist in a shockingly tight hold, given his wounded state. He stared at her more clear-eyed than he had been moments before.
“No doctor—no one must know.Please...” The first part of his words were a clear command, but the way he saidpleasewas a plea she could not ignore.
“Why?” Josephine asked. She was not nor would she ever be a person who just did something she was told to without knowing why.
Gavin’s eyes seemed to stay on her for a long time as he replied in a quiet tone, “Because everyone here believes me dead, and it needs to stay that way.”
Josephine thought of what Dominic had said about Gavin going to sea and being lost. If he’d pretended to die, or let that rumor spread, it would have given him a relative amount of freedom to live his life the way he wished, just like Dominic had.
“Are you a pirate?” she asked.
