A Pirate of her Own (19 page)

Serenity wondered if listening to Kristen
was the wisest thing to do. For nearly an hour Kristen and her maid had pinched, pulled, and plucked until they had finally approved Serenity’s appearance. She felt more like the Christmas goose than a woman.

Still, she was pleased with the results. They had actually managed to give her a becoming hairstyle that curled around her face and shoulders, showing off her hair. The light blue dress was every bit as kind to her eye color as Kristen had predicted.

“Just wait until Morgan gets a look at you,” Kristen had whispered in her ear before they had descended the steps.

Even so, her heart had been in her throat the entire way down the winding staircase.

Pausing in the doorway of the drawing room, she saw Jake first. He was talking to Robert. Morgan had his back to her.

Somewhat disappointed, she followed Kristen to where her mother waited for them on the stuffed sofa. “My, Miss James, aren’t you the fetching one,” said Martha. “Why, Robert,” she called to her husband. “I do believe we’ll have to keep Miss James as far away from the townsmen as possible.”

Serenity blushed at her kind words.

Morgan turned in her direction with his usual composure. But once his eyes focused on her, they grew larger, then seductive as a slow, appreciative smile curved his lips. Chills shot through her. Never in her life had she received such a wonderful compliment.

“Well then,” Martha declared. “I believe we are all ready to sup.”

And by the look in his eyes, Serenity already knew what Morgan wanted to feast on. A thought that thrilled her even more.

Maybe Kristen was right.

Maybe, just maybe, she would listen to her new-found friend. Because if Kristen knew anything at all about men, then she knew one hundred times what Serenity knew.

Dinner was lovely. The dining room was as grand as the rest of the house. Two crystal and gold chandeliers hung over the long mahogany table on each side of an enormous fan that was set in motion by a chain pulled by a crisply dressed servant.

Martha had broken out her best china, silver, and crystal goblets. Never in her life had Serenity beheld such splendor. And the meal—gracious, not even the Christmas bounty could compare with the meal before her.

Stuffed goose, roasted pork, candied fruits, and meat pastries were served with great flair.

She listened quietly as the men told their sea stories. Morgan sat at the opposite end of the table from her, to Robert’s right, while Jake sat to his left with Barney by his side. Two seats were vacant, and then she, Martha, and Kristen sat at the opposite end.

“I know the seating is a little unorthodox,” Martha said as she placed a serving spoon full of gravy on her plate. “But I thought the men might enjoy more time together to reminisce.”

Embarrassed that her thoughts were so plain, Serenity fiddled with the napkin in her lap. “You needn’t explain to me.”

“Try the goose, Serenity,” Kristen offered as the servant brought the platter to her side. “It’s Carmen’s best dish. You’ve never tasted goose until you’ve had hers.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, taking a few slices. “I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

There were several seconds of silence before Martha spoke again. “Morgan tells me you’re a writer?”

Serenity lifted her head with pride. “Yes, ma’am.”

“What a noble profession. I’ve never met a writer before. It must be difficult for you though, being a woman.”

“It’s certainly not easy.” She cast a glance down to where Morgan sat and noted that he was staring at her. Swallowing, she quickly looked back at Kristen, who gave her a knowing smile.

“I always wanted the courage it would take to make the world stand on its ear,” Martha continued. “To make men appreciate me for something more than my looks.”

“Oh, Mama, Papa loves you for more than your looks.”

“Now he does, but it took thirty years of marriage and an aging body before he saw me as something more.”

“Oh, Mama.”

“So tell me, Serenity, have you ever read Mary Wollstonecraft?”

“Avidly.”

“Scandalous!” Martha cried. “She writes the most scandalous things I’ve ever seen. But between us, I admire her views, especially on the education of women. Why, I only learned to read by raw detemination. I remember my father tanning my backside when I was thirteen because he caught me reading. Like many men, he thought book learning would fill my head with the devil’s notions.”

And so the dinner passed with Martha’s enthusiasm and Kristen’s humorous cries of alarm, and Morgan passing looks to her.

When they had finally finished dessert, the men headed back toward Robert’s study, and Martha started leading the women toward the drawing room.

“Serenity?”

Serenity paused at the sound of Morgan’s voice. “Yes, Captain?”

He walked toward her with a masculine swagger that made her breathless. The candlelight played in his eyes, making them dark and shiny. There was an amused tint to them as well, one that was beguiling and warm. “I was wondering if we might have a walk outside in the garden. It’s a pleasant night.”

She lowered her voice to keep Martha or Kristen from overhearing her. “I remember what happened the last time it was a pleasant night, and I allowed myself to be alone with you.”

He gave her a devilish grin. “I promise it won’t happen again. I shall be on my best behavior.”

Then he leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “Unless you
wish
for it to happen again. In that case, far be it from me to disappoint a lady.”

Her heart pounded. Part of her was delighted by his words and the knowledge that he did in fact want her.

Still, it was improper for her to encourage him. “You’re a sly one, Captain Drake. And you’re certainly mistaken if you think you can get me where you want me. I dance to no man’s tune. Most especially not yours.”

He covered his chest with his hand and feigned a wound. “I’ve been cut down, my lady. Now and in the prime of my life. You have fatally wounded me with your words.” His grin returned, just as wicked as before. “But tell me, what would it take for you to join me in the garden?”

He looked past her to where Kristen and Martha waited. “Tell her, Kristen,” he said, raising his voice to where they could hear. “She’ll be safe with me for a few minutes. You know yourself what an honorable man I am.”

Kristen laughed. “You mean a cad. Aye, I know all too well what a cad you are, Morgan Drake.” She approached them. “Go ahead, Serenity. Mama and I will leave the doors open. If he so much as kisses your cheek, just gasp and we’ll come running.”

Morgan directed a warning glare Kristen’s way. “Shall we?”

He held his arm out to Serenity, and before she could stop herself, she tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and allowed him to lead her outside.

It really was a beautiful night, she thought as she looked around the carefully manicured garden. Roses and ivy were entwined around trellises set off by tall hedges and carved marble benches. Kristen had told her earlier that this garden was Martha’s pride and joy, and it showed in every aspect of the carefully planned and tended area.

A soft breeze caressed her cheeks as she turned to face Morgan. “So what is it you wished to talk to me about?” she asked.

He looked away for a second, as if collecting his thoughts. When he spoke, his voice was deep, thick. “I was thinking that maybe you shouldn’t buy passage on that colonial ship. You have no idea what kind of captain is in charge.”

Her heart soared at his words.

Could he possibly be saying what she wanted him to say?

Dare she even hope it?

“Are you asking me to stay with you?”

“No,” he said so fast that it brought an ache to her chest. So much for her wants.

At the moment, she wanted to strangle Kristen for encouraging her!

“I wasn’t saying that at all,” Morgan continued, dashing all her hopes with each word. “I just think that you should think twice—”

“Think twice before what?” she asked, her voice sharp and edged.

Who was he to dictate to her? He didn’t even want her around!

“Think twice,” she continued, “before I head off in the middle of a night on a ship full of men who can’t be trusted? Hmm, where have I seen this scenario before? At least I know the captain of the new ship isn’t a pirate, wanted by—how many governments?”

“Just two, but that’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

Morgan bristled at her tone and the way she kept twisting his words around. Making him say things he wanted to say, but didn’t want her to hear. “Where did you get the money to buy passage anyway?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Everything about you is my business.”

Her mouth dropped and she looked at him incredulously. “How do you figure that?”

“I got you into this and—”

“I believe I am the one who got me into this, and therefore I should be the one to get myself out.”

“Yes, but as a man it is my duty—”

“Oh, please,” she said, throwing her hands up, “must we have this tiff again?”

Torn between the desire on one hand to kiss her, and on the other to strangle her, Morgan chuckled. She was a challenge, most definitely.

But that was one of the things he liked most about her. With a woman like her, a man would never be bored. “Can we ever have a moment when we’re not arguing?”

Serenity smiled and reached out to carefully pluck a yellow rose from a nearby bush. He watched as she gently stroked the delicate petals between her fingers and the moonlight played against her profile. “We do seem to do that a lot, don’t we?” she said.

“Yes, yes we do.” Morgan became quiet while he tried to think of some way to keep her on board his ship. Some way she wouldn’t find arguable.

Then it occurred to him. “You know, if you let me take you home, I’ll teach you how to be a sailor.”

She sighed and sat down on one of the marbled benches. “I no longer wish to be sailor, and I promised you I wouldn’t write any stories about you, Jake, or your crew. All I want is to go home.”

He walked over to where she sat, her arms braced on each side of her.

“But why?” he asked, looking down at her as she dipped her head to study her feet. “Surely you know what waits for you back there. The gossips, the—”

“I know,” she interrupted, her voice filled with pain. “I know firsthand how vicious people can be.” She looked up at him with the moonlight sparkling in her eyes. He saw her soul there. A soul of need, of longing.

And he wondered what he could do to ease the pain that flickered in the center of her cobalt eyes.

“I have to go home sometime,” she whispered. “The longer I’m gone, the harder it will be for me to return.”

He wanted to argue with her, wanted to know what words would make her stay with him, but for his life he couldn’t think of a single one.

Hell, he wasn’t even sure why he did want her to stay. Only that if she left, he knew it would give him more agony than he wanted to experience.

Sitting down next to her, Morgan gently cupped her face in his hands. She was so beautiful in the moonlight with the shadows and light playing across her face. Her light eyes were shining, and he would give anything to stay like this with her.

“Are you going to kiss me, Captain Drake?” she asked in the same forthright manner he’d come to expect from her.

“And if I said yes?”

“I would remind you of your promise.”

“Is that what you want me to do? To walk away?”

Serenity swallowed at his tone, at the longing she saw reflected in his eyes.

Was it there, or was it just her desire for him to want her that she saw?

“No,” she answered honestly. “I don’t want you to walk away.”

She held her breath, half-afraid he would indeed release her. Instead he leaned forward.

She parted her lips.

“Captain Drake!”

She felt his hands tense a moment before he pulled back and glared at Kristen, who approached them. He lowered his hands from her face.

“What?” he snarled.

Kristen blinked her widened eyes and lifted her brows. “Don’t yell at me,
Mister
Drake. You’re the one who wanted to know as soon as the carpenter came. I’m merely following
your
orders.”

“What the devil is the man doing here at this hour?” Calming, Morgan sighed before looking back at her. “Another time, Serenity?”

She barely nodded before he walked away.

Kristen approached her like a cat stalking a mouse. “Rule number three,
always
leave him wanting more.”

“Excuse me?”

Kristen inclined her head toward the direction Morgan had gone. “Give me your decision, Miss James. Do we bring the good captain under your heel, or do you return home on the colonial ship?”

It must be the full moon, Serenity decided, because right then with the heat of his touch still burning her skin, she made the decision her heart cried out for.

“All right, Kristen. What do we need to do?”

Unleashing Kristen was like turning loose a
cyclone. Serenity wondered what she’d done to deserve all this!

The two of them spent the next morning in the drawing room, with Kristen tutoring Serenity on what Kristen considered the fine art of coquetry.

And what Serenity dubbed the fine art of foolishness.

Really, Serenity wondered, who had thought up all these ridiculous mannerisms and flirtations? And were men really so gullible?

Biting her lips, Serenity realized that yes, men really were that gullible.

“Now, stand up straight, Serenity,” Kristen ordered, pulling her shoulders back. Kristen walked around her. “Lower your eyelids. No,” she snapped suddenly, “don’t close them, just lower them a little…perfect.”

“I can barely see.”

Kristen shrugged. “You’re not walking through a nest full of vipers where you need to know where you’re going. You’re trying to steal a heart. Remember, love is blind.”

“So am I when I hold my eyes like this.”

“Serenity.”

“Forgive me.”

So the morning went, with Kristen showing her how to walk, speak, and perform all the other odd mannerisms Serenity had never mastered.

“Now for the best part!” Kristen warned, and Serenity gulped in apprehension. After all the bizarre and uncomfortable things Kristen had shown her, she shuddered to think what new torture Kristen was about to employ.

“What?” Serenity asked apprehensively.

“It’s time to learn the fatal stoop.”

“The what?” Serenity asked with a frown.

“The fatal stoop,” Kristen repeated. “It’s guaranteed to bring a man to his knees.”

Serenity pursed her lips. “It sounds dangerous. What am I supposed to do, knock him over the head with something?”

Kristen rolled her eyes. She grabbed an apple out of the silver bowl on the table that was set just inside the French doors.

She dropped the apple on the floor. “Pick that up.”

Serenity did, and all she got out of Kristen was a sharp
tsk
.

“Now watch me.” She dropped another apple. “Oh my, look what I’ve done,” she declared in an exaggeratedly sweet voice.

“Now,” Kristen said in a normal tone, “this is where he’ll stoop to retrieve it. And you must make sure to stoop at the same moment.”

“Why?”

She smiled. “Pretend you’re Morgan for a moment and I’ll show you. Go on,” she urged, “pick up the apple.”

As soon as Serenity bent after it, Kristen was there in her face.

Well, rather, Kristen’s ample bosom was right in her face. And from where Serenity was, she had more than just a little glimpse of Kristen’s cleavage.

Heat flooded her cheeks.

“Oh, that’s ridiculous,” Serenity said. “I couldn’t possibly do—” she hurriedly moved the apple back and forth between her own breasts—“that. Besides, he would know that I did it on purpose.”

Kristen shook her head. “Honey, I assure you, that man won’t
think
a thing. His mind will be on other matters. You could chop off his head and he wouldn’t notice.”

Serenity laughed. “We shouldn’t be talking about this. It isn’t proper.”

“Well,” Kristen said saucily as she wiped the apple against her sash. “You know what I have to say, proper has its place, but it sure doesn’t warm your bed.”

Ignoring Serenity’s gasp, Kristen tossed the apple into the air and caught it. “Now back to our lesson. After he gives back the apple, or whatever you drop, make sure you keep his attention on your body by taking the object and trailing it across your décolleté.” Kristen demonstrated by rubbing the apple across the tops of her breasts.

“But I don’t have a dé—”

“You will tonight.”

Later that afternoon they were in Kristen’s bedroom, where they had picked out a gown for that evening. Now Serenity sat at the vanity while Kristen experimented with her hair.

Dutifully Serenity listened to Kristen’s instructions for her dinner behavior, wondering how she could ever remember all of them.

However, the worst idea was yet to come.

As soon as Kristen’s eyes darkened and she put on an impish smile, Serenity knew she was in for it.

Kristen drew Serenity’s hair up into a topknot. “You know, what we need to cinch this tight is competition.”

Serenity just looked at Kristen in the mirror. “Competition?”

“Yes,” she said as she added a few hairpins. “We need to get you a man.”

“I thought that’s what we were trying to do.”

“Well, yes,” Kristen said, fluffing hair around Serenity’s face. “But we need a man other than Morgan. Nothing makes a man want a woman more than when he thinks another man is interested.”

Was that true?

Serenity didn’t know for sure, but by the light in Kristen’s eyes, she could tell her friend definitely believed it.

Not that it mattered. There was no other man interested in Serenity. No man other than Hopping Hands Charlie had ever been interested in her.

“Well, we’ll have to forgo that, since—”

“Actually,” Kristen said, picking up the brush and looking at Serenity in the mirror. “I know someone who will have Morgan stewing in his jealousy. Someone absolutely perfect for the role. Someone who owes me a favor and would…” She screwed up her face in thought for several seconds.

Finally Kristen shook her head and looked at Serenity determinedly. “I’m sure I could convince him to do it.”

Serenity was skeptical, but she agreed to follow Kristen into what turned out to be a wonderful excursion.

They rode into town in an open carriage so that Serenity could see just how beautiful the island was.

It wasn’t far to the small village, which was a model of efficiency. It held all the shops needed for a thriving community—butcher, baker, smithy, and more.

Serenity was amazed at how charming the place was. Shops had been built up, much akin to the style of Savannah or Charleston. Women dressed in modest fashions like hers and Kristen’s, of elbow-length sleeves and light cotton, blended in with the shameless daring clothes of the island women who wore short skirts and bared their arms.

But all that faded from her thoughts as Kristen led her into the smithy.

Serenity stopped in the doorway, momentarily stunned.

The smith stood before his forge with his bare back to them as he pounded a piece of iron with a huge hammer.

Never in her life had she seen the like.

Long blond hair was pulled back into a queue that hung between tanned muscles, which bulged and flexed while he struck a piece of red-hot metal with his hammer. His entire body glistened with sweat.

“Stanley!” Kristen shouted.

The smith paused and glanced over his shoulder. A slow smile spread across his face. “Kristen, my love,” he said before burying the metal piece back into the coals. He placed the tongs in a bucket of water and pulled his large leather gloves from his hands.

“Oh, my…goodness!” Serenity whispered.

He was gorgeous. Incredibly gorgeous.

His chest bare, she could see every well-defined, bulging muscle and vein. He looked like some half-naked mythic god emerging from battle.

Not even what she’d seen of his back had prepared her for coming face-to-face with this perfect piece of maleness.

He had a beautiful face with laughing blue eyes and wide dimples that cut deep moons into his cheeks.

“Stanley,” Kristen said as if immune to his looks. “I’d like for you to meet a friend of mine. Serenity James. Serenity, this is Stanley Fairhope, the most handsome man ever born.”

Stanley gave a charming smile that showed off his two huge dimples. “And still it wasn’t enough to get you to marry me,” he said with a wounded sigh. “Why, you would never even allow me to call on you.”

Kristen rolled her eyes.

Stanley turned to Serenity. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss James.”

Serenity couldn’t speak.

His smile grew wider. “Take your time. Women do that a lot around me.”

He glanced back to Kristen. “Except for that one. I never could get more than a ho-hum out of her.”

“As if
I
would add to your overgrown ego. Besides, I know the real you, and you’re not half as charming as you think you are.”

He snorted. “Do you talk to your husband this way?”

“Absolutely. It’s why George married me and it’s why
you
can’t forget me.”

He shook his head. “I know you didn’t come all this way to pester me. Nor did you bother me for a friendly visit. Tell me, squirt, what’s the latest scheme you’re going to try and get me to take part in?”

Kristen grinned like the cat about to take the cream. Joining her hands behind her back, she rocked back and forth on her feet. “Very well, Stanley. I want you to court Serenity.”

His stunned look was almost comical, but at least it gave Serenity back her tongue.

“This is ridiculous, Kristen. Morgan would never believe that this man would be interested in me.”

Stanley cocked an eyebrow. “Morgan Drake?”

“You know him?” they asked in unison.

“Aye, I owe the man my life. I was on board the first English ship he attacked as a pirate.”

Serenity frowned. “Then how is it you owe him your life? I thought he took no prisoners.”

“No, ma’am, that’s not true. He whipped the English like the dogs they were, but he was kind to the rest of us who had been forced to serve them. Brought some of us here, while some stayed on board and became part of his crew.”

“Oh, drats,” Kristen’s aggravated voice intruded. “Then he would know who you are. It’ll never work now.”

“Nay,” Stanley corrected. “I doubt he’d remember me. It’s been at least eleven years. I was only fourteen and he wasn’t much older.”

Her face brightened. “Oh, good. Then he’ll have no idea who you are.”

“I doubt it.”

“Well then, fair Stanley, I dub thee Captain Fair-hope of the
Sea Princess
bound for Charleston.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tonight, you’ll be a colonial captain who is instantly attracted to our Miss James,” Kristen said, sweeping her arm toward Serenity in a theatrical move. “A captain who will try and get her to join him on his way home.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because our good Morgan Drake is in love with her, but he refuses to admit it.”

Stanley gave a most undignified snort. “You’re not about to drag me into the middle of this. I’ll not do anything to hurt Captain Drake.”

Kristen sidled up to Stanley and folded her hands into a steeple up under her chin. She looked up at Stanley from under her lashes, and Serenity watched in awe as Kristen wound the man around her finger.

Indeed, the mesmerized Stanley watched every move Kristen made like a starving man eyeing a feast.

“I’m not asking you to hurt him,” Kristen purred as she traced one finger down the length of his bulging biceps. She flicked her finger off his forearm. “I’m asking you to
trick
him.”

Blinking as if he just woke up, Stanley gave her a doubting glare. “Only a woman would see that as a difference.”

Kristen made a grand showing of folding her arms over her chest and narrowing her gaze on him. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t someone whose name I won’t mention try to tell George that I swore I’d never marry a sailor?”

Stanley stiffened. His jaw turned to steel. “You did say that.”

“Be that as it may, you did try to trick him into leaving me, did you not?”

“That was different.”

“Why?”

“All’s fair when it comes to love,” he said.

“And this is love. For Morgan and Serenity.”

He looked askance at Kristen. “Are you sure?”

“Never been more positive.”

“All right,” he said with a sigh. “For you, chick-pea. I’ll do it. But you owe me.”

Kristen’s smile grew wider. “I’ll have your suit delivered to you. I believe my maid knows where to borrow one.”

Kristen looped her arm through Serenity’s. “Come, fair maiden, we must now add more spice to the pot.”