knew how to sail, my lord?’
‘Did you not?’ He pretended to be surprised that he’d never mentioned it. ‘Well then, aren’t I the man of mystery.’
‘So it would seem,’ I said admiringly, and kissed his cheek.
When we arrived at our vessel, aptly named My Only Love, I was completely delighted by the single-berth sailboat. The owner told Lord Devere that a large hamper of food was in the cabin as requested and that he would expect our return by evening the next day.
I was absolutely ecstatic to learn we were to spend a night on the water together. The notion was incredibly romantic, in my opinion.
‘What if our brother comes to Marseilles looking for us?’ I asked, wondering if Lord Devere had overlooked this possibility.
‘I feel sure it will take more than a day for my brother to resolve all issues with his wife. In the meantime, I cannot see why we should waste the opportunity to enjoy our honeymoon. I have left word with the consulate and a message at the guesthouse that we shall return on the morrow,’ he assured me.
It seemed my husband had overlooked nothing.
The day was spent sailing around just beyond the port. We did not want to venture too far, in case the weather turned bad. We needed only enough distance from civilisation to secure a little privacy and room to manoeuvre.
My lord seemed to be in his element on the water and I admired how he handled the rigging and generally had complete control of the vessel. I played my part several times when, to my great delight, my husband allowed me to take a turn at the rudder.
Coming on to evening we dropped anchor within sight of the city, had a picnic dinner on deck and then watched the sunset as Marseilles lit up in the distance.
I don’t think I have ever known a more perfect day, and my relationship with my husband reached a level of closeness that I’d never thought might be possible. He left the Earl of Oxford back at port and was just James Devere, the man—my husband and dear friend.
At sundown we retired to our cabin which was dimly lit with gas lanterns.
My husband went first and then lent me a hand to descend the slim stairs. ‘You realise that out here we have no friends to visit, dinner parties or dances to attend. Whatever shall we do with ourselves all evening?’ His cheeky grin was extremely seductive.
‘I fear that we shall be forced to retire early, my lord.’ I closed the distance between his lips and mine. ‘And as I have no maid to help me undress, perhaps you could be of assistance?’
‘Oh, the hardship of being at sea.’ His kiss lulled me into a state of complete abandonment, and within moments we were horizontal on the cabin’s large bed.
This seemed the perfect end to the perfect day, until we felt our vessel bump into something and there was the sound of a scuffle up on deck.
‘What was that?’ I panicked, my mind instantly leaping to conclusions. ‘Pirates?’
‘This close to the harbour?’ My husband’s reasoning set my mind at ease. ‘We’ve probably hit a log or something.’ He shrugged, far more interested in caressing my inner thighs.
He moved in to resume kissing me, until I held him at bay when we felt another bump.
‘Would you like me to go and check?’ he offered reluctantly, knowing full well that that was precisely what I desired. ‘Don’t move.’ He stole a kiss before embarking on his investigation.
No sooner had Lord Devere scaled the cabin stairs than he was landing back on the floor with a thud, and four masked men leapt down into our quarters—all armed with swords.
They dragged my husband to his feet and my lord retaliated, elbowing one man in the stomach while managing to retrieve his sword. He began fighting off the other masked men. One of the swordsmen slipped by him, however, to hold a blade at my throat. Lord Devere had no choice but to relinquish his weapon.
‘Lady Susan Devere?’ the man who held me captive inquired. Since my husband was held at swordpoint once more, I feared for our lives too much to lie. I nodded, whereupon my husband was asked to turn around and was knocked unconscious with the hilt of a sword.
I screamed and then begged my captors not to harm him any further. I vowed to cooperate with whatever it was they had in mind for me, if they would only spare my husband’s life.
The man holding me captive nodded. The others then bound and gagged Lord Devere and left him on the cabin floor.
I was hauled up the cabin stairs, and I knew that if there was any chance of my kin finding me I needed to leave something behind that might supply a clue—something belonging to my abductors that might have a psychic imprint on it. I pretended to trip and grabbed at the coat of the man in front of me, ripping the pocket from his jacket. I surreptitiously flung the piece of fabric into the cabin behind me, while the man grumbled about my clumsiness. I was hauled upright once again and urged forward.
Up on deck, it was easy to see that the bump we’d heard had been made by the large vessel that was tied up to our own. ‘Where are you taking me? What do you want?’
The masked men ignored my questions and thrust me aboard their vessel. I was horrified when I saw the last man to leave our boat raise the anchor.
‘No! He’ll drift out to sea!’ I appealed, but my heartfelt pleas fell on deaf ears.
The kidnapper’s vessel got under way and I was left alone on deck to watch my husband’s boat drift aimlessly. It occurred to me to jump overboard and swim back to my lord’s aid. Admittedly, I hadn’t swum since I was a child, and the clothes I was wearing would be weighty and cumbersome once wet. The buttons were at the back of my frock, but they were already partially undone, thanks to my lord’s attempts to disrobe me. It was my hope that I could rid myself of my heavy outer garments once I hit the water, as I certainly wasn’t game to remove them on a
