Page 11 of Pirate's Intent
“For starters, Big Devil’s pride would disallow him from telling anyone that I stole you, nor would he risk others getting to you first.” Or, should he say, what she had in her possession. Seeing no reason to worry her, he fibbed. “As for leaving men behind to seek out my brother, it is unlikely. He does not know Luke has Hannah, so there is no reason to pursue my brother on Blackbeard's behalf.”
She need not know that Luke was baiting a trap for the crew that Big Devil undoubtedly left behind when he spied Thomas's ship.
He took another hearty swig and continued. “From what I could tell, the bulk of his crew were pursuing us.” He shook his head and told a half-truth. “They will not be bothering anyone for some time.”
“How much time?
He forgot just how sharp she was.
“A long time,” he assured, lying through his teeth, but it truly was best for her to remain calm. Worrying would get them nowhere. Remaining one step ahead and prepared would.
Time to redirect the conversation to what mattered most. “Rose, where is your brooch?”
“My brooch?” She touched the folds of material at her waist. A frown tugged at her lips. “Oh, no.” She stood and patted the area again before she shook out her skirt. “Where is it?”
He was taken aback by the genuine anxiety and sadness in her eyes.
“It meant that much then,” he said softly, speaking before he could stop himself.
“Of course it did,” she said just as softly, sinking back into the chair. When her gaze lingered on him for a moment, he wondered if she remembered the day he gave it to her. The bright future they had envisioned. If she did, it was fleeting because she promptly refocused on the mystery at hand. Her eyes narrowed in thought then widened in understanding. “She took it!”
“Who took it?”
“Hannah,” she exclaimed. She shook her head, amazed. “I thought it was strange when she squeezed my waist. She must have lifted it then.” One eye narrowed as though homing in on a suspect. “How positively devious of her!”
“Bloody hell.” He raked a hand through his hair. Had his brother known she was going to do that? Not that it changed things all that much as long as Big Devil thought Rose had it.
“Why would she do that?” Rose said slowly. Her eyes narrowed on him. “Why would Hannah take my brooch?”
Though he debated how much he should tell her, it was time to give her a tad more truth. “Because Big Devil is after it.”
Her brows snapped together. “I thought he was after me.”
“That too, I am sure.” He shook his head. “But you are not the grand prize.” His gaze lingered on her eyes, and he found himself saying what was in his heart when he swore he would not. “At least not for him.”
Hell and damnation, she deserved his anger, not sweet words. The time for such sentiment was long gone. Part of their past.
Or so he kept telling himself.
The moment stretched before she finally cleared her throat and spoke. “Please tell me everything, Thomas.” She shook her head. “All of it. From start to finish. The whole story. Why the brooch is so important. How they know about it. How safe my sister really is.” She tilted her head in question. Anger flashed in her eyes. “Most importantly, why it is we are not turning back immediately to help her.”
He sighed and considered her before he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
“It all began several fortnights ago,” he said. “When your captain sent a missive to Blackbeard and struck a deal.”
“A deal,” she whispered her eyes round once more. “Ourcaptain?”
“Yes, he promised our magistrate an expensive ship laden with worldly goods and finery.” He perked a brow. “As well as two fine ladies of untouchable beauty and unquestionable virtue.” Sadly, this sort of thing happened far too often. “In exchange, Blackbeard would give your captain and seamen who stood by him a place amongst his crew. Prestige and a standing in our society such as it is.”
“Such as it is,” she murmured, merely repeating him while putting the pieces together. “So he purposefully put us in pirate waters.” She shook her head. “It had nothing to do with the storm.”
“No.” He swigged from the bottle, eyeing her all the while. “He and several of his crewmates joined Blackbeard and his crew. The rest were slaughtered.”
“Dear Lord,” she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment before she opened them to his. “What does any of that have to do with my brooch, though? It is but a sentimental bauble that few knew about.”
Was it then? How sentimental exactly?
“Did you know your sister wrote to Luke?” he said, fairly certain he already knew the answer.
