She moved to the princess’s side. “I can swim. Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you.” Though she wasn’t the strongest swimmer, it was better than nothing.
Berengaria reached for a rosary and began to pray, running her fingers over the beads. Adriana echoed the prayers in her mind, but her own fears rose up like the waves.
Then, a loud cracking noise resounded, and the ship tipped violently.
It was less than an hour before water came pouring within their chamber. If they stayed inside any longer, Adriana worried that they wouldn’t get out. Her feet were soaked, and she leftBerengaria with the king’s sister Joan while she went in search of Liam.
He’d kept his word to tell them of the worst, and she trusted that he would tell her the truth. She saw him rowing alongside the other sailors, his arms straining against the oars as the men fought against the sea’s power. Adriana took one of the ropes and wound it around her arm as she moved forward. On one side of the ship, she saw half a dozen men bailing water with buckets.
As soon as he saw her standing there, MacEgan yelled at one of the men to take his place at the oars. He fought his way toward her and gripped another rope to hold his balance.
“You need to stay below with the princess!” he yelled over the roar of the storm. “It’s not safe for you here.”
Adriana stumbled when the ship bucked, throwing her to the ground. Her arm wrenched from the rope, but it kept her in place. Liam pulled her back, unfastening the rope and guiding her back. His gray eyes glared at hers. “You could have been tossed overboard.”
“Our chamber is filling up with water,” she shot back. “And we’re going to die anyway, aren’t we?” Her hands were shaking, her clothing soaked from the rain and the seawater. “I’d rather take my chances with the sea.”
Liam kept her in his arms, warming her shoulders. “Not if I can help it.” He nodded outside. “We’re only a few miles from the shore. We need to make it as close as we can. It’s our best chance to survive.”
“But we’re sinking right now.” She gripped his shirt, her feet frigid in the cold water. “I don’t know what the ship struck, but we don’t have time to reach land.”
He kept his hands around her waist, and she made no effort to push them away. “Listen to me.” His voice was commanding, reaching inside her to push back the fear. “If the worst happens, swim as hard as you can toward the shore. I’ll find you.”
Her hands were shaking, and she felt his arms come around her, as if to offer shelter from her fear. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he murmured. “I swear it.”
Despite the freezing water and rain, there was a steady warmth in his embrace. Her instinct was to trust him, to let herself believe that there was a man she could rely on.
“Now go back with the princess and Queen Joan,” he insisted. “Find a place below deck to keep you from going overboard. We’ll get as close to the shore as we can.”
She held on to his forearms, as if she could take a piece of his courage with her. Then, unexpectedly, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. “For luck,” he said.
Then he left her standing there, while he went back to the others.
The ship was going down. Liam knew it with a surety in his blood, but he’d be damned before he’d let the sea claim him. The vessel shuddered, and it was reaching the breaking point. They couldn’t bail the water out fast enough, and now it was only a matter of time before they abandoned the ship.
He let out a curse as another wave soaked the deck. A moment later, the women returned, their gowns sodden above the waist. Adriana led them forward, holding Princess Berengaria’s hand. Another woman followed behind, gripping a strand of rosary beads. He recognized her as Queen Joan of Sicily, King Richard’s sister.
“We’ll drown if we stay below,” Adriana told him. “We’re running out of time.”
Liam gathered the women together and pointed toward the shore. “We’re doing what we can to stay above water as long as we can. But if the sea takes our ship, try to make it toward land.”
Princess Berengaria’s face was white, her hands gripped together. “I can’t swim.”
Liam suppressed a curse and surveyed the others. “What of the rest of you?”
“I can,” Adriana said. Queen Joan nodded as well.
“Try to stay together,” Liam urged. To the princess, he added, “If the ship breaks apart, hold on to the largest piece of wood you can find. It will keep you afloat.”
The vessel started to tip as the lower quarters filled with water. Liam heard their shrieks and saw Adriana lunge toward one of the younger maids, who was pulled under by the force of the water. She caught the girl’s hand, struggling to hold on, but the sea fought to keep its prey.
“Adriana, no!” Berengaria cried out. And then both women disappeared beneath the water.
Chapter Two
Liam dove off the edge of the ship, trying to find the women, but it was too late. His lungs burned as he swam underwater, his eyes unable to see them in the darkness. He swept his arms through the water, reaching for them. His fingers touched wood, but no flesh. He dove deeper, kicking hard through the water, and suddenly, his hand gripped a length of silk.
He pulled hard, the water fighting against him to drag the woman down. And when at last he managed to bring her head above water, Adriana coughed, her body shaking. He saw that she was still holding the other woman’s hand, and when he pulled the maid above water, she was lifeless, her limbs unmoving.
