Stormy Persuasion (20 page)

He leaned up with a grin. “Really?”

“And so much frustration I just want to choke you!”

“You know why you have that urge?”

“Yes, I believe I do.”

“Then have at me, darlin’. Or better yet . . .”

His idea of “better” was to entwine his fingers with hers and kiss her hard just before
he entered her. This is what she’d been dying for. If she cried out, it was lost in
his kiss, but she didn’t think she did. Their joining was too smooth, too quickly
done, and far too welcome. And with that thick heat filling her, she didn’t move,
just wanted to savor how deeply satisfying it felt. He accommodated her, holding himself
perfectly still except for his mouth moving over hers. All he was doing now was kissing
her deeply but tenderly.

So sweet of him to do that, but she’d had her moment to relish him and now every nerve
in her body was clamoring for more. Her muscles flexed around him. He began to move,
thrusting slowly into her at first, but she gave him every clue that that wasn’t enough.
Her grip on his shoulders tightened as she moved with him now, wildly as if she were
being pushed toward some unknown precipice. But when it arrived, that indescribable
burst of ecstasy, washing over her in waves, throbbing in her heart and loins, she
merely held on tightly and rode out the storm until it vanquished him as completely
as it did her.

His breathing rasped by her ear, his face dropped to the mattress over her shoulder.
He was still trembling. Feeling it brought a smile to her lips. But when he finally
rose up, he moved up toward the head of the bed, drawing her with him. With all that
cavorting across the mattress, they hadn’t been anywhere near the pillows until now.

With his arm around her and her cheek resting on the side of his chest, he assured
her, “I’ll go before dawn. Let me just hold you for a while.”

In answer, she put her leg over his. She didn’t want to talk. She’d never felt so
deeply satisfied and—happy. Yes, happy. That was the glow she was basking in.

So she was almost asleep when she heard him say, “I’m never going to forget you. I
want you to at least know that.”

Beautifully said, but it sounded like a good-bye. It probably was. She knew these
were stolen moments. But he didn’t know she now had every intention of seeing him
again when this trip was over.

Chapter Thirty-One

“S
ince when do you sleep the day away?” Jacqueline complained as she plopped down on
the bed.

Judith curled into a ball, turning away from Jack and pulling the blanket up to her
neck. “On those rare occasions when sleep eludes me, of course. Now go away.”

“But—”

“A few more hours or I’ll be yawning all day.”

“Fine, but I’ll be back if you’re late for luncheon,” Jack said, and flounced out
of the room.

As soon as the door closed, the kitten jumped up on the bed and tickled Judith’s nose
with its whiskers. “Shoo. I’m not getting attached to you if I’m giving you back to
him.”

The kitten didn’t obey, just settled down on the pillow next to hers. Judith hadn’t
been asleep. She had been awake for several hours. She had just been too content with
her dreamy thoughts to want to get up yet. She could have spent the entire day in
bed just thinking about last night. She should at least have gotten dressed, though,
before someone showed up. Explaining to Jack why she was naked wouldn’t have been
easy when their cabins weren’t overly warm.

She should probably have some regrets that she’d stepped so far beyond the pale, but
she didn’t. Not one. But she did wish Nathan had still been there when she woke. Actually,
she wished he could be beside her every morning when she woke. But that required a
commitment he wasn’t interested in making. She shied away from that thought. Anything
was possible and she wasn’t done with Nathan Tremayne yet.

She rose and dressed quickly before Catherine made an appearance, too. She couldn’t
help smiling when she found her clothes from yesterday scattered about the floor.
Jack was rather messy in that regard so it wasn’t likely that she had noticed. Nettie
would have. Judith was so neat she actually folded her dirty clothes before putting
them in the pile for washing. And she might have to do the washing herself if Nettie
didn’t recover soon.

Catherine did indeed arrive before Judith vacated the room and went right to the wardrobe
to put away the final gown she had finished. Judith was making her bed, but gave her
a cheery smile. She hoped that wasn’t going to be a problem today, not being able
to stop smiling, even when she was alone.

Catherine paused for a moment to ask, “Are we sure this is the last gown? Your maid
said it was, but she was sneezing when she said it, so she might not have checked
all your trunks.”

“I’ll need a sailor to move the top chests so I can check the lower ones,” Judith
said.

She knew just the one to ask. Another smile, this one quite brilliant. But she had
no
reason
to smile over what she’d just said. This bubbly happiness she couldn’t seem to tamp
down
was
going to be a problem.

Catherine nodded. “Which evening gown are you going to wear for the last dinner? I’m
surprised your family wants to dress formally for it.”

“The yellow and cream I think.” Judith had put that one away yesterday, so it was
still fresh in her mind.

“You have jewelry to complement it? If not, I have an amber pendant you can wear.”

Judith chuckled. “I have every color gem there is, but I’m not sure if I brought my
amber. Since we’ve had no reason to wear jewelry thus far, I can’t remember everything
I threw into my jewelry box for the trip.”

“I can check if you like. Where do you keep it?”

Judith laughed again. “I’m not sure of that either! It’s in one of the trunks. You
didn’t see it when you were taking the gowns out?”

“Your maid has been putting the ones that still needed work in your wardrobe for me,
which is where I have been hanging the gowns I finished so she could put them back
in your trunks.”

“I’ll find it when—”

“You there!” Catherine called to a sailor who was passing by in the corridor. “We
could use your help, if you please.” Turning to Judith, she said, “You look for your
jewel box while I make sure all the gowns are indeed done.”

Judith sighed. So much for getting Nathan back in her room with a legitimate excuse.
She easily spotted her jewelry box in the third trunk she opened. But when she opened
the box, she drew in her breath. “They’re gone!”

Catherine, still bent over a trunk, said, “Who is, dear?”

“My jewelry, all of it!”

Actually, not all. She was relieved to see her most valued possession was wedged in
a corner of the box, the tiny grass ring Jack had made her when they were children.
Jack had one, too. They’d spent all day making them for each other. They had worn
them for months until the rings had started to unravel and Judith had put hers away
to preserve it. Even though it was too small to wear anymore, it was still precious
to her. And, thankfully, worthless to a thief.

But everything else that had been in the box was worth a fortune because Roslynn had
gone quite overboard in ordering extravagant jewelry for Judith’s come-out. Her mother’s
bane was that her husband never allowed her to contribute any part of her large fortune
to their living expenses. Anthony insisted on paying for everything. So she spoiled
her children with gifts they didn’t need, but it made her happy to do so.

Catherine peered over Judith’s shoulder at the empty box. “Could the jewelry have
spilled out in the trunk? Perhaps during the storm?”

“Actually, one trunk did slide off the pile that day. It got dented, but it was latched
so it didn’t open.”

Judith dug into the trunk to check. It only took a moment. The jewel box had been
filled to the brim because of the three large tiaras in it that took up so much room,
and two tiered necklaces in hard settings that wouldn’t bend. Any one of those would
be easy to spot among the clothes. But just to be absolutely sure, she took every
single gown out of the trunk and even shook them. No jewelry fell to the floor.

Judith sighed. Catherine put an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t assume the worst yet,”
she said encouragingly. “Ask your maid first. She might have moved your jewelry for
some reason. Servants that old sometimes forget to tell you what they’ve done.”

Judith shook her head. “No, Nettie might be old but her mind is as sharp as a tack.
I’ve been robbed. You might want to check your jewelry as well. I doubt I was singled
out for this.”

Catherine gasped. “But I can’t afford to replace my jewelry! Go tell your uncle immediately.
The ship will have to be searched to find the culprit and recover everything he took
before we land. He can hide it, but it’s still on board somewhere.”

Judith nodded. At least she didn’t have to worry about smiling any more today.

Chapter Thirty-Two

J
udith ran to the captain’s cabin, but James wasn’t there, so her father, who was playing
chess with Andrássy, sent a sailor to fetch him. Jacqueline, red-faced with anger—that
would
be her first reaction—ran out immediately to check her cabin. Katey followed to check
hers. Georgina quickly determined that her jewel box hadn’t been touched, but no one
expected her jewelry to have been stolen because the captain’s cabin was never empty.

“Could this have happened at home before we sailed?” Anthony speculated.

“I don’t see how,” Judith said. “My trunks were packed and delivered to the ship the
night before we sailed, and our servants handled that. And all of my trunks were locked
and were still locked when I got to my cabin. I carried the key. And I didn’t actually
unlock my trunks until later that day, after we were out to sea.”

“So you haven’t opened your jewel box since we’ve been aboard? Until today that is?”
her father asked.

“No, there was no reason to.”

“What baubles did you bring along for the trip?”

“Too many. All the full sets mother just had made for me, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds—”

“Good God, she didn’t!”

“Yes, of course she did. And I packed the pearl tiara you gave me, the choker Jaime—”

“I’ll get you another tiara, poppet.”

“But I remember your giving me that one on my sixteenth birthday, and how pleased
I was to have my first grown-up piece—”

Anthony hugged her tightly. “Baubles can be stolen, love, but memories can’t be taken
away. You’ll always have that one.”

She gave him a teary smile but it didn’t make her feel any better.

Catherine rushed in, going straight to her brother, crying, “They took everything,
Andrássy! Everything of value I had left. Do something!”

Andrássy appeared embarrassed by his stepsister’s overwrought state, but he put his
arms around her to comfort her. “I’ll buy you some other trinkets.”

“You can’t replace my mother’s brooch. You have to find it!”

Jacqueline burst in next, snarling, “I’m going to gullet whoever did this!”

“So yours are gone, too?” Georgina asked.

“Every last bloody jewel. This is going to
ruin
our come-out. Without proper glitter, a ball gown is just another dress. I am
so
furious!”

“Of course you are, dearest,” Georgina said soothingly. “And you’ll wear my jewelry
if it comes to that.”

But Jack wasn’t easily appeased, huffing, “No offense, Mama, but your baubles are
old-fashioned
.”

Georgina rolled her eyes. “Jewelry is
never
old-fashioned.”

Katey came in next with Boyd and, with a sigh, said, “Mine are gone, too.”

Anthony exclaimed, “Does
no
one lock their bloody door except me?”

Katey, the only one who had been robbed and did not appear upset about it, said, “Goodness,
no, whatever for? It’s a private ship filled with family.”

“And a thief.”

“Well, yes, obviously.”

Andrássy, still trying to comfort Catherine, who was crying, asked, “Could it have
been that stowaway?”

“No,” Katey replied. “My jewelry was all still accounted for after that incident.”

Judith dried her eyes with a handkerchief Georgina had given her and went over to
Catherine. Judith felt bad for her. The rest of them could easily replace their losses.
Judith and Katey had their own wealth, and Jack had eight uncles and two adoring parents
who would fill her jewelry box to the brim again. But Catherine was dependent on Andrássy,
who supported both of them with his inheritance. He was going to America to rid himself
of his stepsister so Judith doubted he would willingly incur the expense of replacing
all of Catherine’s stolen jewelry.

Judith slipped her arm around Catherine’s waist and took her aside, pointing out,
“All isn’t lost yet. It’s an outrage that this happened, but our possessions are still
on the ship somewhere, and no one is getting off it yet. And thanks to you, we found
out much sooner than we might have, so there’s plenty of time to find what was taken
before we dock.”

“You’re right, of course. I shouldn’t have let myself get so emotional. It’s just
that the broach is all I have left from my mother. I’ll be devastated if I don’t get
it back.”

“But you will, I promise.”

“What happened?” James asked as he walked into the room, but too many of them started
to talk at once, so he bellowed, “George!”

Georgina tsked at his tone and asked, “What took you so long?”

“Artie had trouble tracking me down, since I was up in the crow’s nest. He said one
of my crew has turned into a jewel thief?”

“I would guess the opposite, that our thief pretended to be a sailor. It was too neatly
done, and too thorough. Aside from myself,
all
the women in this room were robbed, and none of them realized it until Judith found
her jewel box empty a quarter of an hour ago, and they went to check theirs. That
doesn’t smack of a sailor acting on impulse. That’s
four
different cabins snuck into, James.”

Judith saw her uncle’s gaze drift over to Catherine and then to Andrássy. Catherine
must have noticed that James was looking at her because she leaned closer to Judith
and whispered, “I didn’t do it, I swear! I know Andrássy told your family I was rebellious
when I first arrived at his home. He might even have mentioned that I used to take
things in anger to get back at my mother, but I was just a child then, for God’s sake,
and I never took
any
thing of value. I—I can’t imagine why he would even mention it, it was so long ago.”

Judith couldn’t either, for that matter, if Andrássy had actually told a member of
her family that—unless he had done it to deliberately plant a seed of suspicion in
his mind. For this? Good God, was Andrássy even who he said he was? They knew he was
living off an inheritance only because he’d told them that. And James and Jack had
both had doubts about him. Judith had staunchly defended him, but it wouldn’t be the
first time she had misjudged someone’s character. Look how wrong she’d been about
Nathan.

“It’s been determined that at least some of the thefts occurred within the last week,”
Georgina was saying.

“Within the last four days, actually,” Katey clarified. “I’m sure that’s how long
it’s been since I took my amethyst earrings out of my jewelry box to wear to dinner.
They simply go too well with that lilac dress I wore the other night. You’ll have
to replace them, Boyd.”

“No,” Boyd said, but quickly added with a chuckle, “I’d much rather find you the originals
and I will.”

“Indeed,” James agreed. “All of the missing jewelry will be found before we dock.
I want all of the baggage searched, and every inch of your cabins scrutinized. And
because one tends to overlook things in familiar surroundings, I want a fresh set
of eyes in every room, so you take Boyd and Katey’s room, Tony. Boyd will take Andrássy’s,
and, Andrássy, you take Tony’s room. Katey, you take Catherine’s room. Jack and Judy,
you switch with each other. Catherine, you can help my wife, since this is the largest
of the cabins. Look into every nook and cranny, dear ones. The thief might be hiding
his plunder where we’d least expect to find it.”

“Do we at least get to eat first?” Anthony asked, only half joking.

James stared at his brother but didn’t relent. “No meals until I have the culprit
in my brig. If any of you missed breakfast, as my dear brother obviously did, stop
by the galley before you begin. Once you finish the rooms, join me to help with the
rest of the ship. If the first sweep doesn’t yield results, then we will do it again.
Before day’s end, I’m bloody well going to know who dared to commit robbery on my
ship.”