Virginia whirled, grabbed the ladder, gripped her skirts and scrambled upward. But she heard no movement behind her and suddenly she had an awful notion. On one of the top rungs, she paused and glanced down.
He was studying her calves and ankles, fully revealed in her frilly pantalettes. There was an odd look in his eyes and it made her heart skip wildly in fear.
His gaze lifted. “I haven’t seen a woman in pantalettes in years.”
Her color increased and a cruel comment made by Sarah Lewis when she had been in school in Richmond flashed through her mind: “Virginia, I hate to be the one to tell you, but those things are not in fashion anymore!”
The heat in her cheeks increased. She realized he had begun to climb up and she scrambled out of the hatch and into the hold where the ship’s crew slept.
She gagged as she hurried through, acutely aware of her captor an inch behind her, giving her no chance to escape. But she would have to escape, and soon, wouldn’t she? It was that or become reduced to being his whore.
Another ladder faced them. Virginia did not want to climb up first. The pirate lightly pressed her forward. “Go up, Miss Hughes.”
She dared to face him. “It is clear you are no gentleman, sir, but keep your eyes to yourself.”
An incredulous look crossed his face, followed by amusement, and for one moment, Virginia expected him to chuckle. “Miss Hughes, I am not interested in your charms.”
“Good,” she snapped, as her temper suddenly reared. “Then you can leave me on this ship and let me continue on my way while you rape someone else.”
He stared at her for a long, tense moment. “I told you that you would be my guest.”
“And I am to believe a murderer?”
His jaw flexed. “You may believe as you will, but I am not in the habit of raping my guests. Frankly, I am not in the habit of rape at all. Go up the ladder.”
“Then why?” she asked, confused.
“I am very tired of your insolence, Miss Hughes.”
Virginia saw that here, at least, was the unfettered truth. She hoisted her skirts and scrambled up, and this time she made certain she did not look back.
Above, clouds were scudding in the blue sky and the stench of death was everywhere. Virginia choked upon seeing five corpses of American sailors laid out neatly in a row, clearly about to be tossed out to sea. One of them was dear Captain Horatio. She fought genuine tears. He had been more than kind to her—he had, in an odd way, reminded her of her own father.
The rest of the American crew was shackled. Then she saw Mr. and Mrs. Davis, holding each other. She turned abruptly, suddenly furious.
“What will you do with Mr. and Mrs. Davis? Are they to be yourguests,as well?” Her tone was filled with loathing and sarcasm.
“No.” He wasn’t even looking at her now. “Mac! Gus!”
A brawny seaman armed with two pistols, each tucked into his belt, two daggers and a sword hurried forward, followed by a slender blond lad, also heavily armed. Both men bore their share of blood, not their own. “Cap?” the redhead asked quickly.
“Gus will take Miss Hughes to theDefiance.Make certain that her bags accompany her. Issue the following orders—no one is to speak to her, look at her or acknowledge her in any way. She is my personal property, and as far as the crew is concerned, she does not exist. Am I clear?”
Mac nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Gus nodded grimly as well. Neither man looked her way, not even once.
Virginia choked in disbelief. She was his personal property? “I thought I was your guest!” she cried.
The captain ignored her, as did Mac and Gus. “Mac, you captain this ship,” the golden-haired pirate said. “Sail her to Portsmouth. We’ll take our bounty from the prize agent there. Drogo, Gardener and Smith will stay on board to crew for you. Handpick ten others. I will be following,” he said.
Mac blinked. “Yer comin’ with us to Portsmouth?”
He clapped a hand on Mac’s broad shoulder. “Our plans have changed,” he said flatly. “You will rejoin theDefiancein Portsmouth.”
“Yessir.”
Virginia, listening intently and watching closely, felt her heart sink. Why were his plans changing? She prayed that it had nothing to do with her.
