“Ashley.”
“Yes?”
He leaned down, caressed her cheek. “A word for someone more than amazing.”
“Ah. Now you are charming me.”
“It’s easy to be charming with this between us.”
“Then you feel it too?”
He raced to reassure her. For some reason he wanted her to feel special, to know this was not an ordinary occurrence for him. “I’ve never felt like this before.”
She rose on her elbows. “Now you are charming me again.”
“No.” He touched her hair, stroked a hand down it. “I speak the truth. I want to hold on to this moment.”
“Then why don’t you? Don’t go after this Yussef.”
He tensed, and the breeze from the ocean suddenly seemed several degrees cooler. “Many reasons.” He stood, found his trousers, and pulled them on. “You don’t understand.”
“Of course, I don’t,” she said, reaching for her blouse. “Because you won’t tell me anything.” She turned to face him. “Do you blame yourself for what happened here? It wasn’t your fault.”
“Of course, it was!” he said, raising his voice more than he’d intended. “I was supposed to protect the women and children here. And I let them down, just like I let—” He shook his head and tried to move away, but she grasped his arm.
“Who? Who else do you think you let down?”
“I don’t want to speak of it.”
“And I don’t want to be abandoned on this island! If you’re going to leave, at least tell me why.”
“I already told you. I failed these women. I did nothing to protect her”—he shook his head— “them. I won’t stand by and allow their deaths to go unpunished.”
She gave him a long hard look, and when he tried to pull away, she drew him back. “Whose death went unpunished?”
He did not want to speak of this. He did not want to remember. But he did owe her some explanation. “My mother. She died when Jack and I were boys. It was my fault.” He lowered his head and closed his eyes. “I always wanted adventure, and I didn’t stay where I was told. When Jack and my mother couldn’t find me, they searched. My mother was—” He swallowed. “She was assaulted and murdered in Whitechapel.”
“Nick.” Her grip on his arm tightened. “You were a boy. Surely no one blames you. Does your brother hold you responsible?”
“No. Jack is the sort who accepts responsibility for everything. He holds himself at fault.”
“So you’ve both spent years blaming yourselves. You weren’t to blame for your mother’s death, and you aren’t to blame for Yussef’s action here. Don’t you think it’s past time to let go of your hatred and need for revenge—”
He thought of Maria and Costa, left to rot where they’d fallen. He tore his arm out of Ashley’s hold. “No. Yussef will pay for his crimes. It’s not finished until he’s dead.”
He thought she might say something then, might try to convince him to change his mind, but before she could speak, they heard voices approaching. He was glad for the interruption. “Someone must have had the same idea we did.” He took her hand and led her back the way they’d come. “Let’s return and give them the privacy they seek.”
They took a different path back to the camp on the beach, one that took them through part of the forest. Enveloped in a canopy of darkness, trees bowing over them, he felt that in these fleeting moments, he and she were alone in the world. Even the stars could not be seen, and the jungle was silent as they moved through it. The insects paused in their chirping and the birds were at rest. Nick couldn’t help but wonder what their lives might have been like if they’d met like this—not in a jungle, but without all of the obstacles, obstacles that still stood between them when they entered the camp and went to their separate tents.
The next morning Nick spent back on the Robin Hood which had been restored to its original position in the cove and which stood tall and proud, guarding the island. He inspected every inch of the ship as the men positioned cannons and stored supplies of powder and shot. The vessel was in top shape, ready as it ever would be to take on the Barbary pirate. Nick was ready too, but he had two tasks ahead of him, and neither would be pleasant.
He found Rissa first. She was playing a complicated game of chase with the other children, and rather than interrupt her, he watched her play. Ashley had mentioned to him that the child still had nightmares about Yussef’s raid, but he was happy to see in the daylight, she was playing and behaving normally. Already the village on the island was being rebuilt. The men had buried the dead and the women had helped them clear the rubble. Soon new construction would begin. He imagined when he returned from this last voyage, a great deal of progress would be made.
Nick leaned against a tree and shook his head. His last voyage. Once he had thought he would sail the seas forever. Now he knew it was time to give the Robin Hood to Chante. Nick would captain it one last time, and then he would take Ashley and Rissa home.
Still, even if he ceased pirating and never returned to the island, he was pleased to know he would leave it rebuilding. He would leave it safe from the Barbary pirate.
“Papa!” Rissa said, spotting him and stopping her game. She ran to him, and he scooped her into his arms and gave her a crushing hug. She laughed, and he spun her around. “Is the ship all ready?” she asked.
