A shiver raced up Heather’s spine despite the heat of the sun.
Many of the earl’s men and the naval crew had perished or been gravely injured in battle. They neither had a captain nor a first mate, and those who remained were outnumbered andoverwhelmed. Heather’s stomach gave another sharp twist. So many lives lost.
“Make your choice!” Percy hollered. “And when you have, go down to the hold and retrieve their stores. They have another ship coming with additional supplies.” He paused. “And do not forget the plants! But, for Lucifer’s sake, be careful with them.”
To her amazement, men—even several members of the other crew—began shuffling toward the companionway on the other ship.
“What in the bloody hell is this?” The earl emerged from the companionway, his eyes narrowed and blinking. He took in the bodies and blood, and his features grew yet more stormy.
One of the surviving officers stepped forward and informed him of what just transpired.
The earl’s outraged glare swung toward Heather and intensified. “I should thinknot! Return to theSapphireat once! These men will handle matters. We’ve another frigate on the way.” His voice carried across the narrow distance between the two ships, and Heather’s abdomen quivered instinctively in response.
“And I’ll not have our stores emptied, blast it!” the earl blustered.
“You haven’t the choice,” Percy called to the man. “You’ve no need of such largesse, and if your remaining crew wish to join me, then so must their share of your hold.”
The Earl of Shite’s face reddened in his fury. “Who are you to speak to me in this way, to demand these things? I ought to?—”
“Percival Baxter,” Percy said from beside her.
Shock jolted through Heather as the earl’s complexion grew pallid. He turned his fearful gaze on her.
“Come with me this instant, Calluna,” he said, with a quaver to his voice.
What am I missing?
Heather shook herself. Swift thinking and decisiveness were required of her, so she’d best not tarry. Thus far she’d been unsuccessful in apprehending the earl. No path before her would see her fulfilling her assignment directly or easily.
If she remained with the earl, she would undoubtedly be imprisoned on the other frigate, which would see her to the Americas to be wed to the bastard before she returned to England to present her evidence against him—all without Percy’s aid.
She could impress upon Percy the importance of taking the earl with them and holding him in the brig. But that would likely see them pursued across the ocean by the captain of the following ship—and very possibly yetmorenavy frigates geared and ready to engage in battle. Why, the earl himself had boasted about a member of the royal family arranging his safe passage. Until Heather could provide proof of treason, the earl was protected. And his royal connection no doubt harboured a special interest in the security of those documents. Alas, the man to whom she would have presented the proof was now deceased.
Another—and decidedly more appealing—option was to simply join Percy on the pirate ship in the hope that she could hasten back home. Exposing the earl’s treason before he returned from the Americas would allow time for the magistrate and his men to prepare for the earl’s capture upon reaching the Pool of London.
First, however, she must ensure that her ties to the earl as his affianced were severed. A comfortable solution, that would both see her securely away from the earl and dissuade the pirates from pursuing her, appeared in her mind with complete clarity.
Low groaning came from a number of the injured men on theSapphire, but their cries and pleas went unheeded.
She stepped closer to the bulwark as a gust of warm wind ruffled her hair and tugged at her bloodstained skirts. “No. I cannot marry you.”
The earl’s face reddened once more, and he clenched his fists. “You will do so, or I shall tell your family what you’ve done. I shall inform theton! You will be disgraced! You will?—”
Heather’s body moved before she could think better of it. She pivoted on the ball of one foot and pulled Percy into her arms. He gave a surprised grunt as she pressed her body flush against his, surged up on her toes, and took his lips with hers.
Delicious heat tingleddown Percy’s spine to curve snugly around his cods as Heather wrapped herself around him. Her tongue gently prodded his lips, and he opened eagerly for her, returning the kiss with fervour.
His hands fisted the material of her frock, pulling her tighter against him. His pulse sped as their tongues clashed. A moan escaped her, and she thrust her hips against his hardening cock. A responding groan vibrated in his chest.
But just as quickly as the kiss began, it ended, leaving him winded and entirely bemused.
He blinked dazedly at her before she gave him a wink and turned to face her intended.Fuck. Percy wanted her to do that again but in a decidedly more private locale. Christ knew what message such a display had sent to the pirates about her potential availability. He couldn’t let that stand.
“I shall not be made a cuckold! Get back to this ship right now, Calluna! I have our marriage licence. I could have the captain—er, theothercaptain—marry us directly!” the earl shouted, his wrinkled face turning purple in his outrage.
Percy put a hand to her back and brushed his lips to her ear, ignoring the flutter of his pulse. “Stand firm. You’re doing well, Heather.”
“We mustn’t bring him with us and risk pursuit,” she whispered back. “If we reach London before the earl?—”
