She barely heard the shout. It sounded so distant and yet she knew her ears didn’t betray her in the way her spine stiffened and her nerve endings started to wither. And then, of course, if that weren’t enough, there was the horrified look of finality on Penelope’s face.
“Stay here,” Cassandra ordered. “Don’t you dare move!”
“Where are you going?”
“To find out what’s going on,” Cassandra shouted over her shoulder. But the truth was she had to be sure Devlin wasn’t in danger. And God, it felt awful, but she could not stop from praying the man who’d gone over the side was someone else. “Please don’t let him die. Please, please, please…”
The ship lurched, throwing her into the ladder. She caught the handrails and yanked herself upright, then started to climb. Saltwater splashed her face and dampened her clothes when she threw the hatch open and climbed out onto the deck, careful to hold on to something. Blinking, she adjusted her gaze to her murky surroundings. Men, more than she could possibly count, scurried about, heaving on ropes, even climbing the rigging to adjust the sails.
“Bring to an anchor!”
Cassandra whipped her head round to see who’d given the order, because it didn’t sound like Devlin.
And it wasn’t.
It was Mr. Bronswick.
She gaped at him for a full second while trying to comprehend what was happening.
She hadn’t seen him steer before.
It was always Devlin or Mr. Quinn.
“Beat to quarters and ease off handsomely at the captain’s command!”
Cassandra sucked in a breath and looked about wildly, searching for Devlin amid the crowd of men following orders. A drum started, its hollow signal summoning all hands to their respective stations. Another surge of water spilled over her head. She sputtered and wiped her face with the back of her arm.
“Will someone please get my foolish wife below so I don’t have to save her next?”
And that was when she saw him.
Devlin was standing near the railing with two of his men who were busy securing a rope to his waist. Stripped of his coat and boots, he offered only his profile for her consideration. But it was enough for her to see the determined gleam in his eyes.
Understanding dawned and she took a step forward, moving as if through mud in a futile attempt to reach him on time. “No. Devlin, no!”
A strong arm wound its way round her waist and yanked her back. “You’ll die out here if you’re not more careful,” a strange voice muttered next to her ear.
And then Devlin jumped, leaping into the mountainous waves without one backward glance.
And all Cassandra could do was scream.
Chapter 16
This was notthe first storm Devlin had sailed through, but it was the first one to frighten the wits out of him, because this time it wasn’t just him and his men. Cassandra and Penny – his entire life – were on board, and if anything were to happen to them…
Well, he probably wouldn’t live to know about it, he told himself grimly while doing his best to meet the next wave at just the right angle. Monty had woken him two hours earlier when the wind had worsened and it became clear the captain’s presence was required on deck. Devlin had been at the helm ever since, calling orders or relying on Monty and Bronswick to do so for him.
Water was now everywhere, falling from black clouds and splashing onto the deck from all sides. A flash of lightening brightened the sky and illuminated the next oncoming wave. Devlin tightened his grip on the wheel’s handles and held on fast so it wouldn’t slip back. He had to keep the rudder on the port side of the stern-post in order to avoid getting hit from the side.
Devlin glanced up at the sails and frowned. He’d ordered them furled so they could continue downwind with bare poles. Last he’d checked, they’d looked fine. But now…
The main sail suddenly dropped and a gust of wind caught it.
“Christ have mercy,” Devlin cursed as he struggled to keep the ship steady. If he failed to hold the stern perpendicular to the approaching waves, one could push the ship sideways, and if that happened, they’d likely capsize.
“The rope’s stuck!” someone yelled. “I can’t bring the sail back up.”
“I’m coming to help you,” Monty shouted, his thick voice cutting through all the noise. “Bronswick, toss me a line.”
