Sexual Hunger (26 page)

Jason blinked. He stepped into his pants—an awkward task with two watchdogs looking on—and then scowled. “I have a twin, you say? Oh, wait—” He grimaced, as if forcing his mind to travel backward for such details. “Jude! We look so much alike that you, dear Maria, are among the few who can distinguish us.”

“There! See—he’s coming back!” She smiled pointedly at Jason’s interrogators and then took her fiancé’s hand. “When we got off the steamer in Charleston, your father’s partners seized Jude, thinking he was the pirate in the
WANTED
poster! The police hauled him to jail, so your mother and Polinsky were to search out a lawyer to—”

“Polinsky? Do I know this fellow?”

Maria glanced at her brother and O’Keefe, wondering how much to reveal: would Jason’s memory withstand so
much
startling information at once? “He…Yosef Polinsky is a magician and a medium, a different sort entirely from Rubio, and he came along to help us find you,” she hedged.

Jason nodded doubtfully. “So Jude is in jail because
I
have plundered ships, like a pirate from the days of yore?”

Rubio smiled as he handed Jason a folded paper. “Johnny Conn has led the authorities on quite a chase,” he remarked. “In fact, it was this
WANTED
poster, along with a telegram from the Darington Shipping partners, that upset your father so…so terribly, that I’m sorry to inform you of his demise. You have my deepest sympathy, Jason.”

The medium paused to let this information sink in; to watch the shock play upon Jason’s features as Maria wrapped her arms around him. “This makes
you
the new Lord Darington,” she continued in a low, earnest voice, “which means you must stop plundering ships and eluding the authorities, so you can go home to manage the estate for your mother.”

Jason’s mouth fell open and then shut again. He stared at the poster as though the character looking back at him were a complete mystery. “My God, I…I had no idea. So how did I come to be in America? Acting like a pirate?”

“You were shanghaied, we believe. From your bachelor party, the night before you were to marry Maria.”

Jason’s hand fluttered to the back of his head. Then he gazed at Maria in horror. “This explains my terrible headaches…and now I recall a captain whose cruelty inspired a mutiny, and I—I took charge!” he exclaimed as the recollections returned. “I commandeered the
Sea Witch
, and the others elected me their captain!”

“Not surprising,” Maria said with a grin. “But where are they now?”

He cleared his throat ruefully. “Some of them, like me, were on board against their will and elected to return home. Others wanted no part of my…pirate escapades once the port authorities came after us. So I guess I’m the last man standing, as far as proud, stalwart swashbucklers are concerned.”

“And a fine swashbuckler you are, too,” Maria murmured.

“Wily enough that I didn’t
attack
those ships you say I plundered.” He gestured beyond the beach to the open ocean. “The Outer Banks have seen many a shipwreck over the centuries because of their dangerous shoals and tricky inlets. I merely teased those crews into chasing me into the shallows, so their ships ran aground.”

O’Keefe’s eyes widened. “So you didn’t engage them in battle? Or otherwise seek to destroy Darington Shipping property?” he asked in a thoughtful voice. “If you can prove that, I shall report it to the company partners. Perhaps get the charges against you waived, if you’ll go before the magistrate or whatever else the men in Charleston ask of you.”

“I can do that. As long as—” He gripped Maria’s hand, looking lost in thought again. “As long as you promise me, Maria, that such revelations won’t dissuade you from marrying me. Does this mean you went to the church, preparing for the wedding and…”

“You were nowhere to be found,” she affirmed quietly. “Your father and Jude searched for you, interrogated your friends. But even Scotland Yard had no idea where you’d disappeared to.”

Jason let out a slow, sad sigh. “I am
so sorry.
That was
never
my intent, sweet Maria. I cannot imagine the shame you’ve endured. Not to mention Mother’s reaction.” He fingered the jeweled butterfly then, as if it made more of his memory return. “If you have doubts about my love, my intentions, I’ll remain here as an outcast rather than ruin your chances…to marry a man more deserving of you.”

His contrite tone made her heart beat painfully hard. “Who says I’d be ruined?” she shot back. “If your father’s partners are too pigheaded to—”

“My partners now? This is all so much to take in,” he murmured.

“—believe your story and Officer O’Keefe’s report, then to hell with them!” Maria blurted.

Rubio laughed. “And there you have it! Sentiments expressed as only my dear sister knows how!” He grinned at Eric O’Keefe. “Shall we inspect those ships? I can’t wait to see the look on Polinsky’s face—and to rub those partners’ beaky noses in it—when we reveal what we’ve found here.”

T
he devastation of three proud ships was a painful sight, even to Maria, as she studied the wreckage from the rail of the
Fortune’s Opportunity
. The grounded Darington vessels lay on their sides like corpses, with smokestacks, pilothouses, and other parts sticking dejectedly out of the waves. Rubio steered the steamer well to the east of the treacherous shoals in Cape Hattaras, Pea Island, and the Drum Inlet, so O’Keefe could discuss the incidents with Jason.

“Tell me this, Darington,” the chief officer mused aloud. He peered through his binoculars as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “How is it these ships ran afoul of the sandbars and shoals, when their captains were familiar with these obstacles?”

“I have no idea what they were thinking, sir. Once I raised my colors and sailed within spitting distance, they were in it for the sport. And I won.”

Maria chuckled. “After word of the first shipwreck, I’ll wager the subsequent engagements were more to even the score—or so those captains could have the honor of capturing the illustrious Johnny Conn.”

“I know
I
considered it a contest,” Jason replied with a grin. “And they were so easily led into it!”

“And where was the captain of the
Sea Witch
? The man who shanghaied you?”

Jason gazed at the wreckage as he thought back. “When we mutinied, we put him off on an uninhabited island to fend for himself. Dunner, his name was…had a cruel streak a mile wide,” he recalled with a scowl. “Nobody talked of it for fear of his vengeance, but we’d heard more than one sailor crying out for mercy during a flogging. We didn’t have as many men complete the voyage as started it.”

Eric O’Keefe lowered his binoculars, considering this. “So, did you stash the Darington cargo, as we’ve been led to believe? Or have you already bootlegged it—”

“Do I look like a man living in the lap of luxury, sir?” Jason smiled wryly as he swiped his unkempt hair back from his face. “I unloaded the cacao, sugar, and other items before the sea could ruin them. My
booty
is safely stored in caves along the coast.”

“Because?” O’Keefe’s imperious tone left no doubt he intended to ask the pertinent questions even if they caused Jason pain.

Jason shrugged. “I had lapses when I wasn’t sure where I was or what I had done. But I sensed I couldn’t sell such valuables without getting caught. So my stashes are intact.”

“Which explains why you look like…well, something the cat dragged in.” Maria sighed, yet she felt hopeful: anyone, even those crows in their black suits, would see that Jason couldn’t be blamed for the shipwrecks, and that he’d rescued the cargo rather than making any profit from it. “Did any crewmen die from those captains’ foolishness? Because they thought they could outwit Johnny Conn?” she queried.

“I haven’t found any bodies floating. Those sailors probably scrambled ashore and found their way back to Charleston.”

“We’ll soon find out.” Officer O’Keefe laid aside his binoculars. “Thank you for steering, Palladino. I’ll take the wheel now, while the three of you freshen up for our return to Charleston. Welcome aboard, Lord Darington. It’ll be my privilege to escort you to your shipping headquarters and witness to your true behavior.”

“As we near the harbor, let us not forget that our mission is to rescue Jude and restore order in your shipping offices, Lord Darington.” Rubio spoke quietly, in that mystical way he had. “When you encounter situations that seem…questionable, or different from the way you remember them, allow us to fill you in on what you missed while you were away.”

Maria sensed her brother referred to Jason’s mother and Yosef Polinsky, but it wasn’t her place to raise the lid of Pandora’s box of surprises. It was enough to be sitting at the table beside Jason, Lord Darington, who had bathed and shaved his scraggly beard. After she trimmed his hair, he’d dressed in one of Jude’s suits. He looked so good, had felt so good sharing her bed in the night, she didn’t care what else might happen. Order had been restored in
her
world, and her prayers had been answered.

“It still feels odd, to learn I’m now the earl, entrusted with Wildwood and my mother’s welfare,” he murmured. “While Father and I were not particularly close, I never thought he might
die
anytime soon.”

“I’m sorry, Jason.” Maria scooted her chair closer to his. “Do you have questions my brother might help you with? A tarot reading might provide insight you need about these events or why they’re happening.”

“Indeed, I was in touch with your spirit after you disappeared.” Rubio slipped a small organza bag from his pocket. Dressed in a deep green velvet jacket with a collarless silk shirt, he resembled an eccentric nobleman—until the ring in his nose glimmered. “You weren’t aware I sought you out at those times, but I was glad to find you alive. Responding in the best way you could.”

Jason shook his head, still puzzled over his weeks as a pirate. “And had you not found me, Rubio, who knows how long I might have languished in that shack. The captains who pursued me assumed I lived as a reckless adventurer, but it was a lost, lonely existence most days.” He patted Maria’s hand and flashed her a grateful smile. “I—I knew important details were missing, but I had no way of learning what they were. Can you tell me what I should know, before we dock in Charleston? Perhaps point up any hidden agendas or obstacles I might encounter?”

“Excellent question.” Rubio passed him the thick deck of cards. “As you mix the cards on the tabletop, concentrate on what you’ve asked me. When you’ve stacked them the way you want them, choose seven.”

Jason focused on the cards’ ornate design as he swirled them around. He stacked them and then tapped the edge of the deck on the table. When he’d placed seven cards facedown in a row, he glanced at Rubio. “Did I do that right? I’ve never had a tarot reading, so I could be—”

“There’s no wrong way, milord. Let’s see how the cards have answered you.” Rubio moved to the chair on Jason’s other side to turn the cards faceup. “I prefer to arrange them in a way that points us toward a positive direction and
opportunity.
The tarot doesn’t forecast doom and gloom, nor do the cards predict what will happen. They show us circumstances and possibilities so we can interpret them according to our unique situations.”

“Ah.” Jason studied the cards, tapping at the center one. “So this skeleton with his scythe—number thirteen—doesn’t foreshadow death and destruction? I don’t much like the looks of him, after all I’ve been through.”

Rubio placed that card at arm’s length in front of them. “The Death card is not about physical demise or the Grim Reaper crooking his bony finger at you,” he assured Jason. “But it speaks to an
ending
—a necessary part of a new beginning. You can’t start fresh if remnants of the old, decaying past are in your way, so this card signifies a clean sweep. Highly appropriate, now that you are the new Lord Darington, don’t you think?”

Jason’s smile seemed reserved. “Thirteen has never been my favorite number.”

“In ancient times it was reserved for priests and sages, those who possessed special wisdom. Superstition has colored our perception over the centuries.” He quickly rearranged the cards so that two were beneath the Death card, and three beneath those, with a single card centered at the bottom. “This is a Tree of Life spread, for it resembles an evergreen. It allows us to exercise our free will, rather than falling victim to circumstances we feel uneasy about.”

They sat in silence as Rubio concentrated on the cards. “What do you see here, brother?” Maria murmured. She was no stranger to interpreting the tarot, but she let her sibling guide the reading. “If Jason begins afresh now that his memory is restored, what can he expect?”

“I see those two ladies beneath the Death card and sense…” Jason fingered the card on the left. “They are both queens. And each seems to be looking at
me,
as though demanding my complete attention. My exclusive loyalty.”

“An astute observation!” Rubio chuckled. “Care to hazard a guess as to their identity? Court cards sometimes stand for specific people—or, in the case of queens, they concern emotional control rather than the more physical power represented by the kings.”

Jason’s glance made butterflies flutter in Maria’s stomach. “This woman seems more…open and giving than the one with the sword in her hand.”

“The Queen of Cups is about love and creativity, whereas the Queen of Swords is about reason and logic,” Rubio replied. “I sometimes refer to her as the Bitch of Swords because her tongue can cut as sharply as the weapon she holds like a scepter. Even if you don’t care to designate which queen is whom—”

“This is Maria. And this is Mother.” Jason cleared his throat, as though searching for words that wouldn’t get him into trouble. “While they will both seek to rule my world, each in her own way, if they come to cross purposes, we’ll all suffer. I knew this when I announced my betrothal to your sister, Palladino.”

Rubio nodded as though he kept a deep secret; something he foresaw but couldn’t yet share. “Circumstances have changed, milord. These ladies’ competition may result in revelations—perhaps revenge—that surpass even
my
vision.”

Maria raised her eyebrows. The last thing she wanted was anything that threatened her future with Jason. She silently resolved that Miss Crimson would fade into literary oblivion—if the columnist hadn’t already been dismissed for abandoning her post. “And what do you make of the man in the chariot?” she asked, mostly to steer this conversation away from herself. “He usually signifies victory, does he not?”

“Indeed.”

“But the cards on either side of him show a club in one hand and a sword in the other,” Jason ventured with a grin. “Does this mean I’ll need
weapons
to control those two queens?”

“You’ll feel that way at times!” Rubio laughed with him, while Maria rolled her eyes. Why did men believe clubs and swords affected a woman’s way of thinking? Much less her behavior?

“Tradition says it’s the hand of God holding that Ace of Wands and the Ace of Swords, and aces signify new directions. New ideas,” her brother continued in a more serious tone. “But it’s up to us to
accept
those for the gift they are, and put them to best use.”

“I like that bottom card. Much more promising, with that couple dancing in the sunshine.” Jason kissed Maria’s hand. “Even when I didn’t know it was
you
I was missing, my love, I longed for the day when the sun would shine in my life again. When I felt my purpose again.”

“And The Sun is a fine forecast for anyone’s future,” Rubio agreed. “Any way you arrange these, milord, you chose cards that predict fortuitous results—even if those two queens will insist on their way. But when haven’t they?”

“Excellent point, Palladino. Thank you for bolstering my confidence as we approach Charleston.” Jason stood and shook the medium’s hand. “While I don’t believe Jude has caused much trouble in jail, who
knows
what Mother might’ve stirred up? It would be just like her to reorganize Father’s business, or to demand my brother’s release from the governor. Let’s hope we arrive before she’s done more damage than we can repair.”