Capturing the Pirate's Heart (The Emerald Quest Book 1) (13 page)

“I know that, Sébastien. You are a man I know I can trust.” She let
a little waver creep into her voice. “I am afraid of my fate. What will become
of me after this voyage?”

“What will become of you?” An undercurrent of cynicism laced his
voice. “Perhaps it is too late to think of that now. Perhaps you should have
thought of that before you left the protection of your uncle’s care.”

It was obviously not working; she would have to try harder.
Madeleine fought to keep her temper and sipped at her brandy, but it went down
the wrong way and she grabbed her hand to her throat as it burned and she
coughed.

When she finally wiped the tears from her eyes, a dark gaze assessed
her and she spoke crossly, unable to hold her anger, forgetting all about
feminine wiles.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Coquetry does not become you, my dear.” She glared at Sébastien as
he yawned and then rose in one fluid motion. For such a large man, he was as
graceful as a cat. Long limbs, sinuous movements and a currently disinterested
demeanor added to his mystery. His dark eyes held hers, his long dark lashes
covering his expression. His lips were full and sensuous and she tried to
forget the feel of them on hers. His face was strong and she sensed that he may
be even more determined than she when he had a goal in sight. His dark as
midnight hair was pulled back from his tanned face; he truly looked like the
pirate he claimed not to be.

A yawn escaped her as she watched him and weariness with her
situation—or the brandy—began to cloud her mind.

Sébastien pointed to the bed. “You have had an eventful morning; I
suggest you take a nap. I will get the cook to bring you something to eat.” He
turned to leave and Madeleine fought the disappointment that settled in her
belly.

“Surely you are tired, too? I do not mind if you wish to rest?” She
tried to keep her tone even.

Sébastien reached over and trailed a finger down the side of her
cheek and she fought to stop her face from turning into his hand. “Being down
here with you in my bed would not be a wise move, my dear.”

As he walked to the door, Madeleine strained to hear the words he
spoke quietly.

“I promised to keep you safe and that would certainly lead to me
breaking my word.”

Perhaps she had misheard.
What could he mean?
The door closed
behind him with a soft click and Madeleine rose and crossed to the bed,
confused by the feelings warring in her mind and consuming her body.

She would rest as he had suggested and everything would seem better
when she woke up.

It would.

Seven days passed and Madeleine sat above deck with Jake during the
day. Sébastien had not spoken to her in that time, apart from a brief
acknowledgement when she came up each morning. They had fallen into a routine.
She slept in the captain’s cabin at night, and when she came up on deck, he
disappeared for a few hours and she assumed he was sleeping in the bed she had
vacated. She was anxious to return to shore; with so much time on her hands her
thoughts were filled with the necklace and how she would find it, and return
triumphant to Bellerose.

“It appears as if we are about to see some action.” Jake interrupted
her daydream. “The captain and Mr. Abraham have been in conference all
afternoon. The crew has guessed they are plotting co-ordinates for the intercept.”

Madeleine looked around the upper and lower decks at the activity
around the guns and in the rigging. Something was definitely afoot and a
glimmer of anticipation ran through her. “Do you think we will be allowed to
stay above deck when the…what did you call it…happens?”

“The intercept.” Jake looked at her scornfully. “I will, but you
will surely have to stay below deck. It may be a pirate vessel or a slave
trader. There may be bloodshed.” He dropped his eyes. “And beggin’ your pardon.
Miss Madeleine, but one look at you and they would seize you without
hesitation.” Jake’s face was scarlet.

“Yes, Madeleine.” Sébastien’s deep voice came from behind her and
she jumped as his voice set her nerve endings firing all over her body. She had
not heard him approach. She would have to take care with what she said in
future when she believed she and Jake were alone. Sébastien walked as silently
as a ghost.

“The lad speaks the truth. It is time for you to go below deck.”
Sébastien waited for her to move.

Madeleine stood and pulled the top of her chemise up as she rose.
This tight fitting attire was unfamiliar. It seemed to have a mind of its own
and she constantly had to remember to check she was not indecently displaying
too much bare flesh. She looked across at Jake.

“Whatever is about to happen, you keep yourself safe.” She reached
across and brushed a quick kiss across his cheek and Jake’s face colored even
more. “You are the only friend I have.”

Sébastien’s eyes were on her and his mouth was set in a straight
line.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Madeleine put her hands on
her hips and looked up at him. His white shirt was loose and billowing in the
stiff breeze and his hair had come loose from the leather at the back of his
neck. Despite that, Sébastien’s expression was stern and she ignored the little
frisson of fear that snaked down her spine.

“I am merely waiting for you to follow me. I am not aware of any
‘look’ on my face that is different to usual.” He spoke formally and gestured
for her to step ahead of him. She shot a final smile to Jake and mouthed a
farewell to him before she turned to the hatch.

Sébastien followed her down the ladder and ushered her into the
cabin as she fought the panic rising in her chest. She sensed impatience in
him, a suppressed excitement, as he stood at the open door and regarded her
solemnly. His brow was furrowed and his usually arched eyebrows were set in a
straight line. She stared back at him as his dark eyes held hers and the panic
dissipated as the usual warm heat rushed to her belly.

When he spoke, the deep timbre of his voice set the pulse pounding
in her throat. She had missed the parry and thrust of their conversations since
he had been avoiding her for the past week.

“I would remind you of my request. You must stay below deck.” His
gaze bored into hers and Madeleine parted her lips as she took in a deep
breath. His eyes followed the movement and a small measure of satisfaction
filled her. He was not immune to her.

“Jake is right. We are now to the part of our voyage which is
fraught with danger.” He reached out and where his hand settled on her bare
shoulder, Madeleine’s skin burned.

“I have no doubt all will be well, but it is imperative you stay
below deck. Can I trust you to do as I ask?”

“I will.” She nodded. “I promise you.”

“I will not lock you in. In case there is a fire—but rest
assured—there is little chance of that.”

Madeleine held his gaze as she nodded. A curse left Sébastien’s
lips.

“For luck.” He reached out and pulled her close. His lips descended
on hers in a hard, swift kiss before he pulled back and looked at her.

Madeleine lifted her fingers to her lips and whispered. “Stay safe,
Sébastien.”

He turned on his heel and walked to the door and Madeleine thought
he was going to leave without a backward glance at her. As she held her fingers
to her lips trying to keep the warmth from his lips, he turned slowly and his
gaze lingered on her face. Madeleine yearned for him to stay with her. She
lowered her hand from her mouth and held it out to him, but he turned and
stepped through the door before closing it quietly behind him.

“Please God, keep them both safe.” Madeleine muttered the words and
her voice broke. For the first time since her family’s untimely deaths, she
worried about the safety of another.

Jake, her young friend. And Sébastien, a pirate captain, whom she
trusted with her life, if not her heart.

***

Her simple but heartfelt words filled his mind as Sébastien stood on
the upper deck with Mr. Abrahams and looked to the south.

Stay safe.
He had no fear for his
physical safety but was fighting the feelings that filled him when he was in
Madeleine’s presence and when he thought of her well-being. As long as he could
keep her safe and return her safely to…

To who?
That was a problem to be dealt
with when the goals of this mission had been achieved. It would be necessary to
find out more about her personal circumstances. He shook his head and lifted
his hands to the back of his neck, quickly securing the loose hair into a short
braid before winding the leather tie around the end.

A boiling mass of clouds was just visible above the horizon as the
dark of night began to descend suddenly as it did out near the islands which he
knew were close by.

“There will be no moon before we reach the
Ann Marie
.” Mr.
Abraham’s voice was low.

“Yes, and with any luck the storm will be upon us just as we reach
her.”

“Captain!’ The shrill cry came down from above and they both looked
up. The sailor manning the platform was pointing to the east. “There she is.”

A flurry of activity followed as the crew took on their respective
roles. The master gunner gathered his four crewmen together ready to load, aim,
fire, and reset the guns as needed. Sailors climbed the rigging, ready to drop
the extra sails to pick up speed as soon as it was pitch dark.

Sébastien smiled as he beckoned Jake over to him. It was fortuitous
that they had come across the
Ann Marie
in the dark of night. It would
make for a greater surprise, and the boarding and the transfer would be so much
easier. So close to their final destination, the captain of the slave trader
would be complacent as he approached San Domingo. Sébastien knew these waters
like the back of his hand. He had learned how to sail in the Caribbean Sea.

“Jake. I have a task for you.”

“Yes, Captain?” The young lad looked up at him earnestly.

“I want you to go down to Miss Madeleine and ensure that she is
informed that the ship is to be in total darkness. She must not have her
lantern alight.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Before the cabin boy could scurry away to the ladder, Sébastien
stayed him with a hand to his shoulder. “After that, I want you to send up the
crewman who is guarding the door of the brig and I want you to take over guard
duty below deck” He knew the lad would be safer down there than up on deck if
anything went awry and there was little fear of the prisoner escaping.
Sébastien had himself checked his bindings on his way up to the deck.

“Yes, Captain.”

Sébastien’s muscles tensed as the boy disappeared and the ship was
shrouded in silent darkness. The next hour was crucial and the success of the
mission hinged on the element of surprise. Their sails had been furled as the
time for the intercept had come closer and he was sure that the other vessel
would not have seen them against the glare of the setting sun. Anticipation
filled him. It was almost time. He grinned as he caught himself making the sign
of the cross on his chest. Sébastien was not a religious man but his entire
future depended on the success of this mission. The
Maiden
sliced
silently through the small swells of the waves as the storm clouds boiled ahead
of them.

Madeleine hoped when the events of the night were over and all went
to Sébastien’s plan, they would be returning to New Orleans. She would have to
find some new clothing before she could step off the
Maiden
and finish
her quest. For some reason, the urgency of the need for her to complete her
quest and return home had dimmed. She pushed that thought away, not wanting to
dwell on what had diminished her determination.

As she lay there, the gentle rocking of the boat soothed her and she
let her mind wander to Great Aunt Josephine’s diary. A small shiver ran down
her spine as she thought of the crewman, Dirk, who knew of the existence of the
necklace. Perhaps she would have to tell Sébastien a little about her quest to
ensure that the man did not follow her when she finally got back to New
Orleans. She knew Sébastien was a good man and she could trust him.

Perhaps he would even help me?
I could
pay him and then he could assist me to find a passage home. The thought of
saying goodbye to him left a strange feeling in her chest and she swallowed it
down.

I catch my breath and throb with
need as I wait for his skilful touch.
Aunt Josephine’s words held new meaning
for her now and Madeleine had a deeper understanding of what Josephine had been
feeling when she had penned them. With a simple kiss or two, Sébastien had
touched her in places she had never felt before and her mind wandered over the
pleasures that Aunt Josephine had described. Her skin tingled as she imagined
Sébastien’s fingers stroking her as she had read about in the diary.

What pleasures unheard of,
undreamed of?
She
closed her eyes and hitched a breath; she could almost feel his fingers on her
skin.

Boom! The sound reverberated
around the cabin and Madeleine sat upright, her hands over her ears. The boat
rocked from side to side and gathered speed as Mr. Abrahams’ shouted command to
drop the sails reached her through the timber deck. Loud voices and the sound
of running feet were followed by another loud boom.

“Oh, God, please keep Sébastien
safe.” Madeleine jumped from the bed and pulled her skirt on over her chemise.
She stepped to the narrow window at the end of the cabin and hesitantly pressed
her face to the opening. It was too dark to see anything apart from some lights
ahead of them to the port side of the boat. The lights were getting closer.

A bloodcurdling scream was
followed by a loud grating noise and the vessel shuddered and came to a stop.
The metallic clanking of what she assumed were cutlasses reached her, soon
followed by another loud explosion. The unlit lamp next to the bed fell to the
floor and shattered with a loud smash, and then all was quiet.

Be safe, Sébastien.
She knew Jake was below deck so
she had no need to worry about his safety.

“Reset, reset, reset,” someone
yelled and the urgency in their voice made her catch her breath.

A second and louder boom shook
the
Maiden
and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the cabin. The timber
of the hull creaked and groaned as the boat came up hard against another
vessel. Madeleine lost her balance and fell to the floor, grazing her knee.
Then all was still and the sounds faded away to silence again as the boat
rocked gently from side to side.

She felt her way back through
the cabin in the pitch darkness, her chest heavy with worry as she wondered
what was happening on the deck. She was concerned about the blood curdling
scream she had heard. Reaching the privy, she held the curtain up and stepped
inside, wishing it was not so dark. She felt around for the bowl of water to
bathe her knee where the wooden floor had pierced her skin. Her right knee was
stinging and she could feel the blood running down her leg.

Madeleine took a step forward
and cried out as a rough shard of porcelain pierced the skin beneath her foot.
The wash bowl must have fallen and smashed into pieces on the floor. Afraid to
move another step on her bare feet for fear of stepping on more broken china,
she stood with her hand over her mouth debating whether to pick the pieces up
by feel, and risk cutting her hands, or to try and step out into the cabin
without cutting her feet again.

As Madeleine stood there in the
dark deciding which course of action to take, the cabin door unlatched and she
let out a sigh of relief. It had to be either Jake or Sébastien and they could
pass her shoes to her if they were able to find them in the dark.

Please let it be Sébastien.
She wanted to ensure he was all
right after the ruckus on the deck. Madeleine’s heart began to pound in slow
heavy beats as an unfamiliar voice reached her.

Two voices, as the first one was
immediately answered by a second deeper voice.

“She must be asleep in the bed.”
The harsh whisper turned her blood to ice. She didn’t recognize the heavily
accented voice, but knew it had to be one of the crew. If it was someone from
the other boat, they wouldn’t know she was down here in the captain’s cabin.
She stifled a gasp; perhaps they knew that Sébastien was hurt—or worse—and
would not be coming down here.

“Don’t kill her just yet. We
have to find that diary.” The harsh whisper reached her and she froze, afraid
to make a sound or a movement.

“If it is not easily found, we
shall have to threaten her so she tells us where it is.”

“There are not many hiding
places down here.” The accented voice was terse. “Damn it all, I wish I could find
the lantern.”

Please, God
. If they were unfamiliar with
the cabin, they would not know there was a curtained alcove on the other side
of the entry door. The footsteps moved away from her in the dark

“It’s too dark. I can’t see a
blasted thing.” The frustration was evident in his voice. “Where is the bed?”

“
Ssh
.” The other man
hissed. “Don’t wake her up. The last thing we need is the captain down here.
She has him bewitched.”

Thank God.
Sébastien must be all right,
just occupied by the melee above.

The sound of a body landing on
the bed was followed by a grunt of frustration. “She’s not there.”

“Then where in God’s name would
she be?”

“I don’t know.” The heavily
accented voice got louder and Madeleine breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps they
would assume she was no longer in the cabin.

“There is no way he would have
allowed her above deck,” the first man said.

“Do you have your flint? Shed
some light here and we will see if there is a lantern by the bed.”

Madeleine bit her lip and tried
to recall the layout of the small space she was in. There was a small space
behind the stand that held the pitcher and wash bowl. The problem was, if she
tried to get to it and stood on some broken shards of the bowl, it would crunch
beneath her feet and the intruders would hear her and discover her hiding
place. Her heart beat accelerated and her mouth dried.

“You search here and I’ll look
in the other cabins. The captain would not have put her in the other end with
Dirk. She has to be in here or in the next cabin. She may have been afeared by
the action up above and is hiding.” There was an evil laugh and her blood iced
in her veins as the man spoke. “If you are hiding, my sweet, you should be
afeared, as you know what pirates do to buxom wenches.”

The door opened and closed, and
the next minute there was a flash of light as the remaining man struck his
flint and the sweet smell of burning camphene reached her as the wick fizzed
into life. He had found the lamp on the table.

Madeleine knew she had to move
and hide now or it would be too late. He would reach this end of the cabin
quickly. She prayed that the space was large enough for her to be shielded from
his view. Silently she slid one foot backward, waiting for the telltale noise
as her foot hit a piece of the bowl. But there was nothing. Slowly, she slid
her other foot back to join it. Still nothing; she had managed to avoid the
broken shards. The light was getting closer and she heard a triumphant cry as
the intruder found the alcove she had hidden in on her first night on the
Maiden
.

“Damnation, where are you girl?
I will find you. There is no fear of that.”

 From somewhere deep
within, Madeleine found the courage to swing around behind the stand and drop
to a crouch. She tucked her arms and legs up tightly against her body and
watched as the shadow from the lantern danced on the wall above her head. She
closed her eyes and waited to be found, but before he reached the end of the
room the door opened and there was an indignant cry.

“What are you doing in Miss
Madeleine’s cabin?” Jake shouted. “What have you done with her, you scurrilous
dog?”

Madeleine stayed silent and did
not move as she heard Jake run up the corridor to the ladder. He’d obviously
left the door open and the second man returned almost immediately.

“Quickly. Get out of here before
the captain comes down. We will have to find it on the way back to port.”

There was a scurry of hurried
footsteps as they departed and then all was quiet. Madeleine finally gave in to
her fear and let the tears roll down her cheeks as she stayed hidden in the
small aperture.

***

Sébastien lifted his hand in
farewell as the French trader sailed away from his vessel, although he doubted
whether his new African friend could see him in the dark. The transition of the
fifteen slaves on the
Maiden
to the
Ann Marie
had been flawless,
once the French captain had realized he was outnumbered. Dawn was an hour away
and the foray in the dead of the night had been most successful. There had been
little bloodshed and no fatalities, although he grimaced as he raised his other
hand to his shoulder to staunch the slowly seeping blood where a cutlass had
nicked him. Sébastien took a deep breath of the fresh, sweet air as his crew
prepared to turn the vessel around and set sail for home. They had taken no
booty as the slave trader had not carried any. The
Ann Marie
had had a
full cargo of slaves who were now en route back to their homeland across the
Atlantic Ocean. The French captain was safely below decks of the
Maiden
and would be treated well until he was released into the care of Governor
Carondelet. It was Sebastien’s small contribution toward the ending of the huge
slave trade to San Domingo where he had been born. For a time, he had
considered going back home to the island of his birth to start his own
plantation but since the French had taken control last year, he would not
return. The island had been in anarchy since the second Treaty of Basel when
the Spanish had relinquished the last of the island to the French.

There were also too many sad
memories there. Sébastien preferred to leave those behind.

The Hawaiian Islands beckoned
and now that this mission was over, and successful, it would be a reality for
him. The only thing remaining was to safely deposit Madeleine back to her
uncle—Sébastien frowned as he wondered if that was the right thing to do—and
collect his payment from the governor. He looked over to the horizon where the
first pink tinge stained the sky and hinted at the dawn of a new day. On the morrow,
he would ensure Madeleine was up on the deck with him to witness the sunrise.