Page 26 of The Pirate Lord
Her female vanity was stung by his implication that no man would look at her twice otherwise. Snatching the cap up, she began to hunt for the hair pins scattered across the floor, but he left the door and advanced on her with a muttered curse.
“If you put it up, I’ll just take it down again.” His voice lowered to a throaty hum. “And you know what happens when I take your hair down.”
When he stepped nearer, she decided it might be more prudent to abandon her hair pins.
Before she could react, he tore her cap from her fingers, then balled it up and stuffed it in his trouser pocket. “You may leave now. Silas is feeding the women. Go have your dinner. But I expect you on deck in half an hour—and the other women with you.”
“What for?”
“We should tell the rest of the ship about the conditions of our bargain, don’t you think?”
The other pirates? Good heavens, until this moment, she hadn’t thought about the fact that they’d have to be informed. She certainly had no desire to be around when they were.
He stood very close now, and when she lifted her face to his, his eyes challenged her to refuse. A trick of the light made her fancy she saw horns buried in the raven-black whorls of his hair. She shook her head to clear it. He wasn’t a mythical creature, no matter how much he resembled one. He was human and could be bested. She just hadn’t yet figured out how.
“What’s wrong?” he bit out. “Afraid to face my men when I tell them that their happiness has been delayed, thanks to you?”
She sniffed. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
His expression softened. Slowly, he lifted a hand to stroke the hair away from her cheek. She withstood his touch, determined to show him that he didn’t frighten her. Although God knew he did.
“I can well believe you fear nothing,” he said, dropping his hand from her cheek. “I suspect you would take on the entire English realm—or the American nation—if you had to.” He lowered his voice. “But be warned. I’m no fancy English lord tobe governed by a slip of a woman, no matter how sweetly she kisses. If you stir up rebellion among those women again, you’ll have good cause to fear me. I promise you that.”
Then he swept his hand mockingly toward the door.
Head held high, she passed over the threshold, then hurried onto the deck as he closed the door to his cabin. To her chagrin, several pirates looked up as she came on deck. When they exchanged knowing grins, she halted, a blush spreading over her cheeks.
Good heavens, how she must look, with her cap gone, her hair down, and her lips reddened! What they must think of her!
She stiffened her spine, ignoring their laughter as she swept between them toward the hatch. The wretched scoundrels! They were probably used to seeing women leave their captain’s cabin looking as if they’d just been seduced. No doubt they thought she’d already succumbed to the Pirate Lord’s despicable overtures.
She crossed the deck purposefully. Shehadsuccumbed a little. But just a kiss. Well, two. Or was it three?
Good heavens, it didn’t matter how many; that was the end of it. He’d said so, and she certainly intended to hold him to it. There would be no more kisses between them unless that blackhearted pirate forced them on her!
Petey joined the pirates on deck and perched on a nearby barrel, waiting uneasily for the captain to speak. God save him, how was he to get the little miss out of this mess? When he’d sneaked aboard theSatyr, he’d had no plans in mind. He’d only known he dared not go back to England without Miss Willis. It was lessa sense of duty and more a fear of what the earl might do to him and his family if he did.
Oh, sure, the blighter had seemed reasonable enough, but a reasonable man didn’t pay a sailor an ungodly sum to spy on his sister. Besides, Tom needed that job in the earl’s household, especially now that Father had lost the butcher shop. But Petey felt as if he’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire. The earl was a man to fear indeed, but the Pirate Lord?—
Petey groaned. He’d nearly lost his bloomin’ breakfast when the pirate captain had threatened to maroon him. Thank the good Lord he’d thought to mention Father. Of course, Petey had exaggerated his own ability. And what did a pirate want with a butcher anyway?
Petey looked up to where the Pirate Lord paced the quarterdeck, his hands clenched together behind his back and his face drawn in anger. He’d been in a foul mood ever since he’d called for everyone to assemble on deck.
Did the little miss have something to do with it? She had a mouth on her, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d used it to chastise the captain. For her sake, he hoped she hadn’t. Anybody could see the Pirate Lord wasn’t to be trifled with.
Suddenly, the women emerged from the hatch behind Petey, led by Miss Willis. He caught her eye as she passed, but she could only give him a helpless look before she went on.
“What’s this all about?” he heard a man mutter beside him. It was Silas, the one who’d passed out the food a few hours ago.
The first mate answered. “I don’t know. But that Lady Sara has something to do with it. You can be sure of that.”
Petey swallowed. Pray God she hadn’t condemned all the women to some horrible fate with her troublemaking, though he had to admit the women had been treated well thus far. He scanned the crowd, looking for little Ann, but she was so short he couldn’t catch a glimpse of her.
As soon as the women had gathered on deck, the Pirate Lord beckoned to Miss Willis to join him on the quarterdeck, and she went, though her face wore a wary expression that made Petey anxious. Once she stood at the captain’s side, nearly dwarfed by the fearsome man’s great height, the captain began to speak.
At first, Petey could hardly believe the man’s words. A colony? The pirates were starting a colony? And they wanted the women to join them as wives? When the Pirate Lord had taken the ship and said they wanted wives, Petey had thought it some wicked joke. But apparently, the bastard meant it.
Who’d have thought it? Pirates generally loved their gold too much to settle anywhere. But the other pirates behaved as if this was no news to them. Indeed, Petey could see them looking the women over already, trying to decide which ones they wanted.
