War of Hearts, A Historical Romance (24 page)

Sarah shook her head. “No, Tristan, that
isn’t true. You have done so much more than I have ever asked of
you. I’m not sure what lies in store for my future, but I know that
I want you in it.”

“Then I will be,” he replied, closing the
short distance for a kiss. It was very soft at first, as if he was
seeking her acceptance. As if he couldn’t believe her words.
Feeling her respond to him, he shifted his position in the cramped
space and pulled her down next to him.

Sarah hesitated for a second, concerned with
others being close by. Only the sail separated them from view. But
it was a sturdy sail and she needed this as much as he did. She
felt cool air against her thighs as he pushed her dress up. She
sighed as he slowly filled her. He moved gently, almost as if he
was caressing her inside. Her breathing increased and she found
herself lifting her bottom to match his movements. He whispered her
name, clutching her tightly to his chest, and their bodies
shuddered together as their needs were sated.

She woke some time later to the call of tree
frogs. The night air was cool and Sarah moved closer to Tristan for
warmth. “I’m still sorry for the
Vixen
,” she whispered.

“Shhhh, you are worth so much more.”

***

A warm kiss woke her the next morning, and a
groan escaped her. She wasn’t sure if it was lust or irritation.
She was still tired even though she had slept deeply.

“Come on. Wit made breakfast,” he urged.

“Wit can cook? That is worth rising early to
see,” Sarah said, crawling out of the lean-to. She felt a hand on
her bum and swatted it away. She stood up quickly to gain a safer
position and was immediately hit by nausea. Covering her mouth, she
hurried into the woods, Tristan following with concern.

“I’m fine,” she answered his unspoken
question.

“You should have been better by now. Do you
think you caught something from the ill?” He grasped her face and
lifted it up to meet his. Tears were shimmering in her eyes and she
hurriedly wiped them away.

“I’m fine,” she repeated.

His hand went to her forehead, feeling for
fever; she was cool. He released her, but his face was still etched
with concern.

“Sarah, I cannot lose you.”

“You won’t, now let’s get some food before
it’s all gone.” She grasped his hand and led him toward the
beach.

The men seemed to be in surprisingly better
spirits. Wit stood and greeted them when they approached.

“Thought ya was gonna sleep all day,” he
winked. “Jonathan and some of the others gathered bunches of
plantains, I gotta fire going and roasted ‘em. Not too bad,” he
replied, holding out the strange looking fruit on a stick to
her.

She took it and smelled it before taking a
small nibble. It didn’t have much taste at all but not too bad
considering. She took another bite and watched Tristan as he ate
his. She sat on the sand next to Wit and watched the water lick its
way up the beach before retreating back. The constant motion
intrigued her. She was very glad to be off the boat, even if they
were trapped. Of course perhaps that was not why she had been ill
after all.

She was able to exclude anything else due to
lack of symptoms. That left one option. She was with child. Just
thinking the thought terrified her. She was not oblivious to how
children were procured; nevertheless, it was still shocking to even
contemplate. She glanced over to Tristan; he was in a deep
conversation with his men. How could she tell him? Doesn’t he have
enough worries?

She felt her throat burning as tears formed.
She forced herself to calm down. Closing her eyes, she concentrated
on the cool breeze and slowly regained her composure. She looked
down at her bare stick and went to roast another plantain. She
needed to keep her strength up.

She jumped as a blanket was draped over
shoulders. She looked up at Tristan, who sat next to her. “I don’t
need a blanket, I’m not cold.”

“You aren’t used to the sun; you will bake
here on the beach. Stay covered or stay in the shade.” He handed
her a canteen and she sipped at the precious water.

“Thank you.” She moved to hand it back to
him, but he shook his head.

“You keep it; I’m going with some others to
see if we can find some fresh water. If we can’t we’ll have to be
very sparing until the next rain.”

Sarah grasped his hand as he stood. “I’m
glad you aren’t giving up hope.”

“Me too.”

She watched him move off and turned her gaze
on the horizon, searching for specs.

***

Two days had passed, no fresh water had been
found, and Sarah was growing weaker. Her stomach had finally
settled and she faintly wondered if it was due to lack of fluids to
expel. Her lips were dry and she licked them with what little
moisture she had on her tongue.

The weather had been hot and the men were
suffering as well. She spent most of her time in her shaded
retreat, trying to conserve her energy. The less exertion, the less
food that was needed to sustain her.

The wind picked up and she watched the
boughs shudder on their branches. She heard a shout from far away
and sat up in concern. She reached out for the curtain and gasped
as it was flung open by Tristan. He had a wide grin on his tanned
face. “A storm is coming!”

Sarah pushed her way out, wanting to see for
herself. Once standing she could make out the dark bank of clouds
off in the distance. Lightning flashed in its wake and Sarah was
too excited to be frightened. Water.

“The men have set up barrels to catch the
rain, soon you’ll have as much water as you can drink!”

Sarah hugged him tightly and he kissed her
hair. They stayed like that, clinging to each other as the rain
started to fall. It was just a drop or two to begin with, and then
it was as if the sky opened up. Buckets seemed to fall from the sky
and Sarah leaned her head back as if she were a child and drank
from the heavens.

Tristan chuckled at her antics and covered
his mouth with hers, satisfying his own thirst. Sarah kissed him
back and soon found herself clinging to him for warmth as she stood
in the cold rain. Tristan pulled her down and into the shelter,
holding her tightly. His mouth and tongue caressed her skin,
licking off the precious droplets. He moved down her body, peeling
away her wet dress as he moved lower. He moved to spread her thighs
apart and was disappointed when she grabbed his head, pulling him
back up to her.

“You shouldn’t.”

He frowned. “Why not? I thought you enjoyed
it.”

She blushed furiously as she debated upon
her next words. “I do, I…”

“What’s wrong, Sarah?”

She shook her head, not trusting herself to
speak. “I need to tell you something, but I’m frightened.”

“You are scared of me? Have I ever done
anything to make you fear me?”

“No,” she squeaked as he moved over her,
effectively trapping her with his arms on either side of her
face.

“Sarah, I love you. Nothing you can say will
change that.”

She looked up into his face and saw the
truth in his eyes. “I…I’m going to have your child.”

She felt him tense above her at the news and
closed her eyes tightly, fearing his rejection. This just wasn’t
how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to marry a local
boy in town, and her father would walk her down the aisle as her
mother cried and Silas fidgeted with his neckerchief.

She felt wetness on her face and thought the
rain had seeped through. Instead, she opened her eyes to find
Tristan in tears.

“I am so sorry, Sarah. I promise you, we
will get off this damned island, and you and our child will be
safe. I will never let any harm come to you.”

She reached up and touched his cheek. “I
know.” She pulled his face down to meet her lips. She opened her
mouth and welcomed his tongue and he kissed her deeply. He gently
parted her thighs with his knee as he entered her, sealing his
promise.

The storm raged all night, but Sarah was
warm in Tristan’s embrace. The battered sail had held tight and
they woke to a beautiful sky colored with pinks and reds.

There was a commotion on the beach and
Tristan hurried down, leading Sarah behind him. There was a cry of
“Ship ahoy!” as they reached the beach. Sarah watched transfixed at
the spot on the ocean. Some men scurried to find some dry wood to
light; they soon realized it wasn’t necessary, the ship was headed
their way.

Was it friend or foe?

Tristan ordered the men back into the tree
line. They armed themselves with rocks and branches. After the
Vixen
incident, they were all on edge.

“Sarah, go back to the shelter.”

For once she obeyed without question. She
didn’t need to cause him further worry. She retreated and stood by
the entrance. She was on higher ground and tried peering through
the branches to make out any identifiers on the ship. Of course,
even if it was the
Sea Maiden
it did not necessarily mean
they were friendly.

Thoughts of Zack shooting into the water at
Tristan filled her with worry. She trusted Gabriel, but many could
overtake him. She watched as the ship approached slowly. She could
make out the flag on top. It was the same one the
Sea Maiden
flew the last time she saw it.

***

Tristan easily recognized his ship. With his
men back a safe distance, he stepped onto the beach and waved a
white shirt in the air. Shouts and waves were repeated from the men
at the rail and soon, the anchor was lowered. Tristan, not wanting
a repeat of Vixen, pushed the rowboat out into the water. Wit and
Jonathan joined him and he hesitated for a second before welcoming
their help.

Tristan scanned the men’s faces, looking for
anything out of place. He couldn’t believe he was duped so badly.
Perhaps he was a bit more infatuated with Sarah than he
thought.

Sarah; she was again penetrating his
thoughts. He reluctantly tucked her away in his mind and
concentrated on rowing. Soon enough he reached the ship and a
ladder was tossed down. He had Wit stay in the boat as he ascended
the ladder first.

He reached it with ease and was over the
rail in no time. His crew met him. They seemed more subdued than
usual and Tristan kept his back to the rail. A movement caught his
eye, and he watched as Gabriel hurried over to him.

“Jonathan?” he asked.

“Is just fine; he’ll be up in a minute,”
Tristan said, motioning for him to climb. The reunion between the
brothers was heartfelt, and he wondered if he would ever see Robert
again.

Releasing the embarrassed Jonathan, he again
turned to question his friend. “Where the hell is the
Vixen
?
Did she sink?”

“I wish,” Tristan retorted. “It would have
been more pleasant than mutiny. Zach took control while we were
unloading, he caught me off guard. I thought you were goners. What
took you so long?”

“We had our own excitement. Had it out with
the British frigate in the Bay. They damaged the mast and blow a
hole in the hull. Several men were injured. Tom didn’t make it. We
were able to patch up the hole and took turns bailing while we
limped into New Jersey. We were waylaid with repairs when we saw
the French fleet pass and were worried for your welfare.”

“We weren’t on their list,” Tristan
replied.

“Speaking of lists, we picked up an extra
passenger in New Jersey. Several of the men were gravely wounded,
and we were fortunate enough to find a surgeon nearby.” Gabriel was
unable to hide his grin any longer; He signaled to one of his men
who disappeared into the cabin.

Tristan watched on with apprehension; he
didn’t need any more surprises after losing the
Vixen
. His
heart couldn’t take it. A dark shadow filled the doorway and he was
stunned as his brother Robert was presented before him.

“Robert?” he asked befuddled.

“Thank God you are alright! The news of your
stunt was spread from mouth to ear all the way down the coast! Are
you insane?” he chastised his younger brother.

Tristan laughed out loud as the shock left
him. He grasped Robert around the middle and hugged him hard. “It
was not my idea. But there were some benefits to going along.”

Robert straightened his vest and stared at
him. “Sarah? She is safe?”

A long forgotten conversation crept into his
mind. Robert had chosen her first. “Yes, she is well. It would take
more than the British Army to distract her from her goals.”

Robert grinned widely, relief evident in his
normally serious face. “I would like to see her.”

“Later!” Gabe said, slapping him on the back
a little too hard. He sent a knowing look to Tristan who looked a
tad worried. “We need to celebrate!” He herded Jonathan and Robert
below deck as he instructed his crew to carry relief supplies over
to the island. Tristan followed dutifully, even though he would
rather be going in the other direction.

He and Jonathan took turns in explaining the
escape. Jonathan gushed over Sarah’s efforts and Robert beamed with
pride. Tristan took a sip of ale every time her name was mentioned,
which was often.

“How the hell did you end up on the
Sea
Maiden
?” he broke in, his words slurring slightly.

Robert chuckled. “That was fate. We had many
wounded after the battle of Monmouth. Clinton had retreated and no
further action was immediate. So I stayed on with the worst of the
wounded. Many could not be moved. They were on their way to
recovery when Ethan sought me out. He recognized me and related
that Gabriel was headed down to meet you. I arranged for a leave of
absence and came on board to treat the wounded.”