Will abandoned the chess pieces and instead pulled off his belt to lash the two stools to the little table, which she now realized was nailed to the floor. “There. That should keep them from rolling around and hitting us.” He put the chess set away in its cubbyhole and secured the latch before he staggered over and joined them on the bed. Even he was starting to look alarmed at the violent rocking and creaking groans of the ship.
This was not how Isabella intended to end her days, and she certainly wasn’t going to let her sister or this boy see her confidence waiver.
“Take my hands,” she said, reaching out to the two youths. “We’re going to get through this together. Lord Martin will keep us safe, or I’ll have his head.”
The wide-eyed boy cracked a smile at that. “I’m sure you will, my lady.”
“Does that mean you’ll start speaking to him again?” Adelaide teased.
“Hush,” Isabella said, rolling her eyes.
She squeezed their hands as the boat juddered in the waves once again. “Tell me more about this madman I’ve married who lets pirates join his crew. How did you come to be here?”
She might as well learn as much as she could about her enemy while she had the chance. Perhaps the boy would know something that would help her rid herself of her husband once and for all.
The ship bucked and bobbed like the little boats she and her siblings used to make out of leaves and float down the stream when they were little. How long could this vessel last, taking such a beating?
Swallowing hard, Will squeezed her hand. “L-Lord Martin…whoaaah…” They all slid into each other as the ship gave a particularly violent jolt.
Isabella wrapped arms around both of them to steady them. She was about to ask Will to continue when someone began pounding on the door.
Will staggered across the room to open it, and in came Martin, soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging to every curve of his muscular form as he carried in the limp form of a tall, thin man with a ghastly gash on his forehead. Perhaps Will’s stories of heroism held some truth. He certainly looked like some demigod from ancient legend as he strode in, steady despite the tossing of the ship.
As he met her gaze, his eyes blazed with command and determination. Gone was the teasing twinkle to which she’d grown accustomed. It was like she’d never seen him before. The man before her radiated a strength and power she’d rarely beheld, and her breath hitched as he closed the distance and towered over her.
“Stand aside, ladies. I need the bed,” Martin ordered in a voice that brooked no dissent.
Clinging to the bulwark to steady themselves, she and Adelaide vacated the bed as requested. Heat coursed through her at the command in his voice despite the frigid air. She braced herself against the creaking side of the ship, thinking that the sea was not her only danger on this stormy night.
Chapter Fourteen
Martin laid Pascaldown on the straw pallet as gently as he could manage with the motion of the boat.
“What happened?” Isabella asked, breaking her silence at long last. But there was no time to celebrate his victory as he pulled the wet tunic and shirt off Pascal and covered him in the thick wool blanket. Adelaide huddled in a corner where Will had a protective arm wrapped around her.
“He fell overboard. I had to dive in after him.” Martin still felt like shards of ice were flowing through his veins instead of blood. The water had been so cold, his entire body had rebelled. After he jumped in, he could hardly move as the roiling sea pressed the air from his lungs. It was a miracle he’d found Pascal before he himself perished.
“Youwhat?” Her voice took on a shrill quality. Could it be that she was reacting out of fear for him? Again, he didn’t have time to revel in that idea.
“I jumped in. I couldn’t let Pascal die.” Memories of childhood games with the baker’s son assailed him. They’d used to chase each other around the bailey with wooden sticks for swords, pretending they were knights and brigands. Pascal always seemed to take special pleasure in playing a brigand. No one could plan an ambush like Pascal.
“Butyoucould have died!”
Yes.His reluctant lady-wifewasworried for him. The thought warmed his sea-chilled heart. “I grabbed a rope before I jumped off and tied it around my waist so that my men could pull me back. Besides, I thought you would have been relieved to be rid of me. It would certainly fit conveniently into your plans.” Martin rifled through his drawers and found a linen shirt, tearing off a strip and turning it into a bandage for Pascal’s head. There was little else he could do for the man after a blow to the head like that except wait and hope he woke up.
The affronted look on his bride’s face warmed him even more. She did care, even if she’d never admit it.
“I never wished you dead. I merely wished to be rid of your insufferable company.”
From her, that was practically a declaration of love. And she was certainly staring at his chest with inordinate interest. She bit her lower lip as she perused him. If Will and Adelaide hadn’t been huddled in the corner looking on, he might have tried his luck at kissing her.
“I’m needed back on deck,” Martin said, dragging his gaze away from temptation. By God, she was captivating—as lovely as she was fearsome. If only he could linger, but duty called.
“Stay here with Will. We should come out the other side of this storm soon. Will,” he said, turning to the boy, “keep an eye on Pascal, and let me know if he awakens.”
“Yes, my lord,” Will said from the corner where he was crouched, clutching the bulwark.
“Good boy.”
