Liam set down his glass.“By the saints, neither rope nor rum.”
“Most curious.”The marquis leaned back in his chair, a smile toying with his thin lips.“It would be to my disgrace should any harm come to theSentinelwhile she rests in my harbor.”He raised a finger as if about to make a declaration.“I shall assign a company of the town’s militia to watch over your ship so that nary a soul will board her without leave.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened.“You are most kind, Monsieur le Marquis.Yet my crew are quite capable of guarding the ship.”
Montverre chuckled.“Apparently not.”His dark eyes assessed Caleb.“But very well, as you wish.”
Caleb exchanged glances with his crewmen.“I assure you, we intend to make sail as soon as repairs are made.”
The marquis’s brows crossed.“No need to rush off, Capitaine Hyde.You are welcome here.”Once again, his gaze dipped to Caleb’s hands.
Was the man seeking the Ring?But how could he know it existed, let alone who might be in possession of it?Caleb pressed fingers over his coat pocket.Still there.He’d thought to lock it up in his cabin, but he no longer trusted either his crew or the blackguards who had raided his ship.He sat back in his chair, his annoyance rising.“Am I mistaken, Monsieur, or did you not order my family from this island?”
“Parbleu!That was years ago, my lad.In truth, I feared for your safety and thought it best you leave.”
’Twas not how Caleb remembered it.
Brandt leaned back in his chair and patted his belly.“Perhaps that’s why our ship was sabotaged.There are, no doubt, persons here who still hold a grudge.”
Miss Starr laid a hand on Caleb’s arm.“What happened?”
“A story for another time, Mademoiselle.”Montverre rose from his seat.“For now,n’en parlons plus, shall we?”He straightened his embroidered waistcoat and gestured toward a door to his right.“Dessert, port, and dancing await.Shall we?”
Caleb wasn’t in the mood for dancing, but perhaps ’twould give him an opportunity to corner the marquis and acquire the answers he sought.
Miss Starr rose from her seat beside him, her face flushed and eyes wide.He extended his arm, and she gripped it like a clamp as he led her through the door into a large dance hall.
♥
The marquis swept open the doors, and golden light spilled into the dining hall.Desi’s breath caught as Caleb led her inside a large room that stretched wide and high.Polished mahogany floors gleamed beneath crystal chandeliers while sconces lined the walls, both reflecting their light off gilt mirrors on either side.Dinner guests poured into the room, the silks, satins, and powdered wigs of their attire doubling the room’s glow until it seemed vibrant and alive.
Music drifted from a small dais at the far end—violins, a harpsichord, and the steady beat of a drum—while servants wove quietly among guests, carrying trays of wine and what appeared to be some sort of dessert.Air, ripe with the heavy scent of wax and rum mingled with the scent of salt and tropical flowers wafting in through the open doors to her left.She smiled, shaking her head, wondering if she had stepped into a painting of Versailles, unreal, dazzling, and far too vivid to be a dream.
Caleb leaned closer, his voice low.“Keep your wits, Miss Starr.All that glitters here is not gold.”
His warning tone only added to her uneasiness.She was a foreigner in this place, an outsider looking in.She didn’t know the rules, the etiquette, what to say, or even how to say it.Of course, she’d been to fancy parties before, one or two at least, invited as a plus-one by a wealthy boyfriend.But she knew the music, the food, the drinks.The conversation was familiar and the dancing…well, the dancing was nothing like it was in this century.
Two couples stepped into the center of the polished floor.The band began to play, weaving a melody both pleasing and deliberate.The dancers moved with such grace and precision; they must have practiced the dance a dozen times before.With slow, pointed steps they moved forward, then back, hands brushing but never clutching.Each bow and curtsy uniform, each glance intense.
The women’s skirts swished, their hems whispering across the floor.The men extended their legs and then rose with a flourish.It was nothing like the modern dances of her day, the heavy bass andthump thumpof music that drove crowds into a pagan ritual of random jerks, spins, leaps, and grinds.No,thiswas art.This was all elegance and beauty…andromance.
She could hardly keep her eyes off the dancers as Caleb led her around the edge of the room to a table covered with refreshments.Surely, he would not expect her to dance?She swallowed a lump of fear.
“Miss Starr?”His deep voice drew her gaze back to him.He held a glass of wine out to her.“Le Menuetamuses you?You seem enthralled.”
She smiled, taking the glass.“I’ve never seen anything like it.At least not in real life.I really shouldn’t drink.”She handed him back the glass.
He refused it.“It might help calm your nerves.You look as though you’ve traveled back in time.”His smile reached his eyes in a twinkle, and she couldn’t help but grin in return.
“You are either teasing, or you finally believe me.”
“How about both?”The look he gave her nearly did her in, a look of understanding, of friendship, but more than that.A look of admiration, even adoration?Couldn’t be.
Perhaps she needed that drink, after all.Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip of the best wine she’d ever tasted, smooth, fruity, yet rich, refined.All the while, Caleb gazed about the room as if he searched for someone.Several moments passed as they stood there, her sipping wine and taking in the amazing scene, him seemingly deep in thought.
Finally, he faced her, a boyish grin on his face.Taking her empty glass, he set it on the table and extended his hand.“May I have this dance, Miss Starr?”
Before she could protest, he pulled her onto the floor.
