She shook her head, then she stared at him. “How can you be so callous? The man is your cousin.”
“Cousin!” He shuddered. “Several times removed, milady, I do assure you. And lady, after all that has been done to you, I would think that you would rejoice to know that the scourge will be cleansed from the sea. Can you find the likes of pirates pleasant? Logan and his crew? The late One-Eyed Jack? Mr. Teach?”
“Of course not! I find them despicable. It’s just that—”
“What?”
“You spoke of one who is your own blood, that is all.”
“Barely, milady.”
“Even your looks—”
“An accident of birth, and I don’t care to be reminded of it.”
“But you do know one another! You negotiate and speak, else I could not be here so swiftly.”
“Bone Cay is the safest of the pirate havens, and the Hawk is perhaps the most dependable of the buccaneers; no more, milady. Aye, we speak. We come to agreements, that is all.”
She lowered her head, still feeling queasy. “There is a precedent,” she murmured.
“Pardon?”
“Sir Francis Drake,” she said, and then she realized that she was repeating words she had heard from the Silver Hawk.
“Yes?” Lord Cameron arched a brow.
“He—he was a privateer. Men set sail against the Spanish, and even when we were not at war, Elizabeth turned her head while her Englishmen ravaged Spanish ships. When the Stuarts came to the throne, the mode continued. We created these men. And now they flourish. But where does the line come,Lord Cameron? Some were privateers, sanctioned by their governments. Some are cutthroats, and some simple thieves.”
“Simple thieves have been known to hang. Trust me, the pirates will do so, too.”
“Including the Silver Hawk?”
“I shall escort you myself to the execution.”
She was silent. The pheasant was delicious; she had no appetite. The wine churned in her stomach.
“Let’s not speak of this, milady. The past is over; you are safe with me. You do seem well. You were not harmed? In any way?”
A dark flush came quickly to her features. The question, she knew, was far more intimate than the words alone could convey.
“I was treated well enough,” she said. She folded the corners of her napkin together in her lap. What did he know? Why did he stare at her so probingly, with his unusual eyes of silver, as riveting as the Hawk’s? He could know nothing! she told herself.
“You’re quite sure?” he asked.
“I was well treated!” she repeated.
“Tell me about it.”
“What?” she gasped.
“Tell me what happened. I am most anxious to hear, and the governor will want information, too.”
“I—”
“The ship was seized first by One-Eyed Jack and his men, is that right?”
“Uh—yes.”
