He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, passionately. She wondered why even the kiss seemed sad. He kissed her face, wiping away tears she had not known she’d shed until he covered her mouth with his once more and she tasted their saltiness on his tongue.
“I’m here now, love,” he whispered against her hair.
“Don’t say anything else. I don’t understand and it scares me terribly.”
He said nothing more, not because she requested it, but because he thought he had given away too much already and he did not want her to understand. Not now, not when she still could talk him out of it.
“I can’t stay any longer,” he said, getting out of bed. “I brought you some clothes. You’ll be needing them where you’re going.”
“I suppose I will,” she sighed. “I can’t very well appear in court in my black attire. They’ll put me away before I get within three feet of the judge.”
When he’d finished dressing, he dragged the trunk away from the door and moved it to the center of the room. “Aren’t you going to get dressed, Alex? Or are you waiting for one of the guards to come in and know what we’ve been up to?” His eyes teased her gently.
“As if they didn’t hear! Not that I care. But if it will make you feel better I’ll dress.” She walked over to the trunk and started to open it but he stopped her.
“Just put on the robe. I think you’ll be more comfortable. It’s warm in here.”
She complied, not noticing his eyes were on the trunk as he spoke.
“Where are the clothes you wore last night?” he asked. “I’ll put them away for you.”
“You don’t have to.” Something in his face made her abort any further attempt to speak. She pointed to the chair that held her clothes. She watched, fascinated at the way he folded everything and placed it carefully in the trunk. She felt as if his hands were on her body, so intimate was his touch on her clothing. His head was turned away from her and she found the courage to speak again.
“Why did you bring such a large trunk? My clothes hardly take up any space at all. My bag was sufficient.”
“This suited better,” he answered, straightening and turning to her.
It was then Alexis named the thing in his eyes. It was then she understood what his intention was and what it meant. Her lips parted to speak but it was too late. He had already seen the understanding in her face and he was prepared to still any protests before they were spoken. Alexis saw the lift of his arm, his fist tightly clenched, and she saw the sweeping motion of it as it drew closer to the side of her head. Then she saw it only at the corner of her eye as she stared at his face, his lips moving in a soundlessI love you.Then she saw nothing. Nothing at all.
Cloud caught her before she fell to the floor. He inspected the area where he’d hit her before he placed her tenderly in the trunk. He pressed her head forward and folded her arms across her chest. Closing the lid, he whispered, “I told them I could convince you.” He took out the key and locked it, then proceeded to drag it toward the door.
“Damn you for a bitch!” he said loudly. “I practically broke my back bringing this to you and now you say you don’t want it. Ungrateful slut! Don’t you dare throw that! I’ll break you in half myself!”
He knocked on the door so the guard would know he wanted out. “Hurry man! She’s having a fit in here.” The guard obliged and Cloud quickly moved out, dragging the trunk with him and successfully blocking the guard’s entry into the room. Cloud shut the door hard. “I wouldn’t go in there just yet,” he told the guard. “She’s furious with me for even suggesting she should cooperate. You know how women are.”
“I know how most women are. Her”—he jerked his head toward the door—“I’m not sure about. She was breaking things in there earlier.”
Cloud inclined his head toward the room. “It sounds as if she’s calmed down some. Give her a chance to cry it off. I doubt if she’ll be throwing anything else for a while. Make sure you tell Mr. Davidson that she refused to listen to me. She won’t help.”
The guard nodded. “What are you going to do with her things? Want to leave them here until she changes her mind about wanting them?”
“No. Serves her right if they’re not here when she needs them. I’ll take them back with me. She can have them when she decides to change her mind about a few things.”
“That’ll keep her in line. A woman needs to know her place”—he winked at Cloud—“even if the woman is Captain Danty.”
Cloud restrained his urge to put the man’s eye out. He said evenly, “Especially because she’s Captain Danty.” He returned the wink and left, pulling the trunk by its handle.
When he reached the stairs he motioned for a servant to help him, and together they carried the trunk out of the house and put it in his carriage. “Thanks for the assistance,” he said, climbing onto the seat. He tugged at the reins before the servant could question the contents of the heavy trunk and started off in the direction of the harbor.
When he reached the wharf he did not go to the Quinton vessel. Instead he found helpers, two off-duty seamen, and told them what he wanted.
“Take this trunk to the Quinton merchant over there. They’re expecting it. Give Captain Jordan this note.” He handed a folded slip of paper to one of the men. “Then get off the ship. They’ll be leaving in a hurry.”
“This ain’t nothin’ illegal, is it?” asked the burlier of the two.” ’Cause if it is we’ll want no parts of it.”
“At least if it won’t fatten our pockets,” said the other. Cloud withdrew some gold coins from his own pocket. “Illegal? I’m not sure. But this should take care of your conscience.” He dropped the coins into outstretched palms. The men lifted the trunk jerkily. “Easy there! That’s very precious cargo!”
They handled it more gingerly. Cloud watched them carry it to Alexis’s ship.
