She crept closer to the door and listened more intently. There were murmurs in the corridor outside the cabin, hurried footsteps, then nothing. Time seemed to slow to a standstill as she waited, praying that no terrible fate had befallen Riley, feeling certain that she would know in her heart if it had. Instead, though, she thought she could feel his presence, feel his vitality reaching out to her.
He would be back for her. She had to keep believing that. They had unfinished business of a most personal nature. When he had held her and touched her and kissed her, he had made a promise. Her body, taken to the edge of fulfillment and abandoned, cried out for him to keep that sweet promise.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she heard the triumphant sound of his laughter outside the door, then the familiar grating of the key in the lock. Her heart pounded expectantly.
When he burst into the room, Riley had the look of a warrior back from the front, exultant and heady with victory, despite the fresh cut on his cheek, the blood covering his clothes, the gash in his breeches that had apparently narrowly missed the flesh beneath. She shuddered at the sight of it. While there was something quite dashing and romantic about the concept of a man cheating death, she discovered that the reality was something else again.
“Come, my lady,” he said, extending his hand.
Abby regarded him doubtfully. “Where?”
“To the ship we have taken. This will be your first taste of the pirate’s life, your first sweet triumph.”
“Mine?” she said dryly. “I have been locked here, while the victory was won above deck.”
He regarded her with amusement. “You wished to have a sword and join in the fray?”
She answered with another question, watching his face as she asked, “Would you have permitted it, if I so wished? Would you teach me to be as adept with a sword as you are?”
He scowled at her. “Not bloody likely. I have sweeter uses for you, my lady. I do not wish to see that silken skin slit by an enemy’s dagger or those satin cheeks marred by some devil’s knuckles.”
“I see,” she said.
It was, all told, exactly what she had expected him to say, but it grated nonetheless. It seemed these men were all alike. None saw beyond her beauty or their own pleasure. None respected her strength. None imagined her bravery. And far, far worse, none cared what was in her heart.
But even as she cursed the discovery that Captain Walker would set his own limits for her despite her wishes, he was scooping her up and striding up the stairs with her, taking matters into his own hands, despite her lack of acquiescence. Oblivious to the deck that was awash with blood and to those who had not survived the carnage, he made his way to the plank that connected the Sea Witch with the ship it had just seized for its bounty.
Aboard the seized vessel, the scene was even more macabre as bloodied men in chains lay moaning while Walker’s men stood guard. Abby’s stomach churned at the sight. She began to rethink her desire to be any part of this. Surely there were tamer adventures to be had.
“Where are you taking me? Do you plan to lock me in yet another cabin?” she demanded.
“I wish you to see what today’s business has yielded,” he said as he carried her into the ship’s hold. Putting her down, he lit a candle and held it aloft. “There, my lady, a dowry for you, if you so choose.”
Abby’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped, despite her intention of remaining aloof. Chests filled with gold pieces overflowed onto the wooden planking. There were bejeweled chalices made of gold and silver, crucifixes magnificently etched with intricate designs, ornate necklaces studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. It was indeed a king’s ransom in treasure.
“You have brought me luck,” Riley told her, his eyes glittering with excitement. “I have sought this ship for months, playing tag across the seas like children at a game. Today, with you at my side, I found it.”
“Stumbled across it is more accurate,” Abby said crossly. “I had no part in it. Neither did you, for that matter. You were with me at the time, as I recall.”
“What is the difference? It is ours, Lady Abigail.” He picked up a necklace of gold and sapphires and placed it around her neck, then nodded with satisfaction. “It matches the radiance of your eyes, I think.”
The pretty compliment did not soften her attitude. He had laid a fortune at her feet, but he did not understand her need to share in the adventure of finding such riches herself. Nor did he comprehend that in abandoning her just as she was prepared to bestow on him her greatest treasure, herself, he had chosen riches over love. She guessed that it would always be so. The realization made her sigh with regret.
“What is this?” he asked, regarding her with some bemusement. “Are these tears I see? I must say that I cannot see what there is to cry about. The sight of so much wealth renders me quite happy.”
“So I see,” she said.
His gaze narrowed. “If there is a meaning to your words, my lady, I do not see it.”
She smiled ruefully. “I am sure that you do not.”
“Then explain. Tell me what it is you want of me.”
The only thing Abby really wanted from him now was to be returned home—to her own life,
