"I make the decisions about what's right or wrong on my ship, and about who comes up on deck."
She wanted to slap that arrogant expression from his face. But she knew only too well where that had gotten her before, and she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of humiliating her in front of his crew.
She thanked Tobias for his kindness, then turned, walked past Zach Tennant, and climbed down the ladder that led back down to the cabin.
What did he want from her? He'd refused to tell her anything. And the little she'd been able to learn from Tobias hadn't answered any of those burning questions.
Zachary Tennant was a mass of contradictions—not a nobleman as he'd pretended but a sea captain and pirate. And he was clever. Whatever he was about, it was part of a plan that included posing as someone else, so that he could come and go among those in London. But for what purpose? Did it have to do with the business he'd had with Jerrold and Barrington Shipping?
She tried to think through everything Tobias had told her. Very little of it made sense. She was certain of only one thing—that she was being held prisoner aboard this ship, a ship that flew under many flags, using them as disguises—a pirate ship. And according to Tobias, they were now approaching the coast of Spain.
She halted at the cabin, refusing to go in willingly. He had followed her and reached around her, his left arm lightly brushing hers as he pushed open the door to the cabin she'd first occupied.
She had two choices—she could stand there with him so close that she felt the heat from his body, or she could go into the cabin. There was no place she could escape. She walked into the cabin.
"I apologize."
The apology and the surprising quiet in his voice had her turning around. She wanted him angry, as angry as she was. But he wasn't.
What was he up to? There had to be a reason he'd risked so much to abduct her. Only one thing would make anyone risk so much.
"What is the price?"
"The price for what?" he asked.
She leveled that brilliant blue gaze at him, fighting back the anger. She hadn't thought for a minute this would be easy, nothing about this man was.
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," she continued. "What ransom have you demanded for me?"
So that's it, Zach thought appreciatively. She didn't miss a thing. She was smart and it hadn't taken her long to arrive at the obvious conclusion. But the obvious one wasn't necessarily the correct one.
He studied her, the way she stood, arms folded across her breasts, the shirt too big over her shoulders, the tangled mane of her hair falling down her back. She'd been stripped of all the fine trimmings of a lady. She'd been bound, gagged, and bruised, regrettably by him. Yet at that moment she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And the most desirable.
It was something he'd felt from the beginning. He'd wanted to hate her for what she was, the perfect, well-bred young Englishwoman groomed and molded to be Lady Barrington. But she'd turned everything against him with something he didn't understand.
She'd been angry up on deck and he'd prepared himself for the confrontation he'd known would follow. Remembering Tris’ experience the day before, he'd quickly made an inventory of all loose objects within her reach as they reached the cabin. Now she stood before him, demanding answers. There was no reason not to tell her.
"There is no demand for ransom."
His words sank in slowly. No ransom? It made no sense. What game was this?
"You wouldn't risk so much without thinking you'd get something for it in return," she replied. "You must surely know that Jerrold will send people to find me," she reasoned. "But if you tell me now what the ransom is, we can be done with this, and you can release me when we reach Portugal." She waited.
Zach leveled his gaze at her. No more disguises, no more pretense. Everything stripped away between them. Nothing but the truth. Could she accept it?
"As I said, there is no ransom."
She laughed, that soft, smoky laugh that was both incredulous and defiant. "Don't you understand? It doesn't matter what precautions you've taken, or how fast this ship is. He will find you."
She could only guess what that would mean for him and his crew. Knowing that, it suddenly seemed horrible to her.
"I know."
Elyse stared at him. He was mad! To just stand there and calmly admit that he knew exactly what would happen and yet act as if he didn't care.
"How much? Ten thousand pounds? Twenty? Name the price. I know we're to arrive in Lisbon soon. Arrangements can be made to give you the money then, and we can be done with this."
"I told you once before, it's not that easy."
