A Pirate's Curse (Legends of the Soaring Phoenix) (15 page)

“I promise you that you’ll be perfectly safe.” William bowed.

“Are you sure
?” She bit her lower lip as a cold knot formed in her stomach.

William stood.
“Aye, the waterfall’s absolutely beautiful. The running water will revive you.”

Hannah
glanced down at her grimy shirt and breeches and gazed up at him. “You know, William, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

He beamed. “Good.
I’ll make the arrangements.”

Hannah shuddered, but she refused to change her mind. She wanted to prove to Kane she didn’t care what he thought. Besides, she had to get used to being with other men, since Kane was discarding her. A lump formed in her throat and she pushed it down.

Within a short time,
William escorted Hannah to the edge of the railing where she climbed down a rope ladder into the longboat. Amadi steadied her as she stood in the wavering vessel and escorted her to the rear of the boat. After William joined them, Amadi rowed toward shore.

Hannah huddled to the side of the boat.
Why had she agreed to do this? She thought about going back, but after tomorrow, she’d never see Kane again. Before she descended into her father’s world, she wanted one more taste of freedom of doing what she wanted before she was chained to a man she didn’t want. Besides, she wasn’t alone with William. Amadi was here.

She peered over the boat
into the clear blue water. Long leafy plants swayed underwater. Black and silver striped fish chased each other around purple and green corals. Small thin, orange fish glided in groups spinning in circles. She streamed her fingers through the warm, fresh water and sighed. The fish were freer than she was. Free to swim where they chose. Free to mate with whom they chose.

Amadi reached the shore.
Waves lapped against the white beach. A breeze rumpled the palm trees and rustled the round bushes of mallows, glossy fronds, and feathery ferns in the jungle. Inhaling their sweet fragrances, the coiled muscles in her shoulder lessened with each breath she took. “’Tis beautiful.”

William
jumped out of the boat and offered his hand. “Thank you,” she murmured.

He smiled
, pulling her gently out of the boat. “This way.” 

Still gripping her hand, he led her into the forest
with Amadi following close behind. Parrots cawed overhead and toucans squawked. Her boots sank into the moist leaves littering the jungle floor. Running water roared nearby. With each encroaching step, the sound vibrated louder. When they reached a clearing, the lush foliage diminished. Water cascaded down from a rocky cliff into a blue pool, pouring over the sides of the rocks and forming a stream winding into the forest. Ferns, ginger and colorful bushes surrounded the pool. Ambling over to a bush, she sniffed the sweet subtle fragrance of a large trumpet shaped orange flower, wanting to bathe in the scent.

At the edge of the
pool, William tossed his weapons onto the ground, unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on top of his weapons. He whisked off his boots and yanked down his trousers. Hannah’s cheeks heated and she kept her eyes on her boots. What was she doing? She glanced at Amadi who sat scowling on a log with his arms crossed over his chest.

William
dove into the pool. Droplets of cool water splattered over her. William splashed water at her, drenching her boots. “Come on in Hannah. It feels grand!”

Swinging his head back, his wet hair clung to his broad back.
His muscles rippled as he wadded in the water. Definitely handsome, but he didn’t ignite the same feelings as Kane. Her mouth ran dry, thinking of Kane swimming naked in the water.

Amadi tilted his head toward
William. “’Tis all right, poppet. He’ll behave himself. I’m here to ensure he does.”

William
filled his mouth with water and squirted at Amadi who glared at him when the side of his arm got drenched. He stormed over to another log. Tilting his chin and setting his jaw tight line, Amadi sat glaring.

“Come on
Hannah.” William backstroked in the pool. “I promise you, you’ll like it.”

With Amadi nearby to stand as her sentinel, she decided to indulge in the moment. She
whipped off her boots, her toes sinking into the cool ground covered with fallen ferns. She slowly pulled her trousers down, but chose to leave on her shirt and chemise. 

“Hannah, I’m not going to hurt you.” William made the sign of the cross over his naked chest. “On my honor, I promise.”

Giving him a shy smile,
Hannah edged her way to the pool. She inserted her right toe into the water and shivered. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Where did this rebellion come from? If someone would have told her she’d be swimming with a beautiful half-naked man under a waterfall, she’d have scoffed. She remembered William’s kiss and thought about kissing him. Heavens, she must be ready for bedlam.

Without thinking of the consequences, s
he plunged into the pool. Cool water took her breath away. She popped out of the water. “’Tis freezing.”

“Ah, you’re just being a baby,” William chided.

Holding her breath, she dove underwater, circling him and kicked water into his face. He slammed his palms into the pool, spraying water onto her backside. Her smug satisfaction disappeared when he seized her ankles. She jerked her feet, burst above the surface and spit out water. Strands of her thick hair shrouded her face. She parted her hair with her hands and stared into his laughing face. “You cur,” she splashed him. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Laughing, h
e backstroked over to the waterfall. Sitting under the falls, the water plastered his hair to his naked back. “Hannah, I dare you to try this.” He winked. “So, are you coming?” 

Hannah
wadded over to the waterfall and sat on a rock. Water pelted down her head, shoulders and back, she sighed as the tension melted.  “William, this is divine.”

“Aye,
’tis relaxing.” His tone failed to match his words. She glanced over, and he turned his head away. “Your a shirt um…”

S
he frowned. “What about..?” She looked down. Her face burned hot, and she wanted to crawl under one of the nearby rocks. Her shirt formed against her, revealing her flat stomach and her rosy nipples. She might as well have been naked. Had Amadi seen too? She glanced over, but he appeared to be staring into the jungle.

Not wanting to know, s
he jumped back into the pool. Water darted up her nose and she gagged. Her lungs filled with water.

A strong hand hauled her out of the water.
William patted her on her back. “Are you all right?”

“Um, uh, yes, I’
m fine, sorry.” She slipped back down into the water, unable to meet his eyes. He must think her a hussy. What would Kane say? Why did she have to be so foolhardy?

William swam alongside her
and she recoiled. On the other side of the quiet pool, in the shallow water, she kneeled and squeezed the water out of her hair. She kept her head down. “This is beautiful, but maybe we should go back soon.”

“Oh,
we can stay a little longer,” he urged.

Kane wounded and lying in bed came to her mind. She mumbled, “I’m going to dry off.”

She climbed out of the water
, shook out the excess water in her shirt and stretched out on her stomach onto a long flat boulder at the edge of the pool. She closed her eyes and let the sun heat her skin. Maybe she should not have done this. Why had she agreed to go swimming alone with William?
Admit it. I wanted to hurt Kane.

The rock warmed her wet shirt and bare legs
and doused her anger. She dozed, but woke with a start. She turned her head to William swimming in the pool. His gaiety had vanished and looked uncomfortable. She yawned, “You’re going to turn into a prune.”

“Aye,” he answered wearily.
“That I am.”

Hannah
caught sight of his manhood. He was definitely aroused. What was she thinking? William was a pirate. This had been a mistake.

Amadi stood.
“Time to go back to da boat.”

“
Yes, I’m ready to go.” Hannah grabbed her breeches, socks and shoes, and slipped them on. Her shirt and chemise had dried and she no longer looked like a hussy.

Getting out of the pool, William immediately laid out on a rock.

She peered over her shoulder.
“Are you coming William?”

He didn
’t answer her at first. “I’ll meet you at the boat in a few minutes.”

Amadi motioned.
Hannah hurried after him, trying to keep up with his long strides. The birds chirped and chattered in the trees overhead. Her boots crunched broken twigs. A branch smacked her in her face, disturbing a small brown furry animal hanging upside down—a bat. Hannah stopped. The horrors of the last few nights rushed over her and she trembled, putting her hand on her pounding heart. The bat screeched and flapped its long webbed wings. She sighed and dropped her arm. The creature’s eyes were black, not red.

Amadi stopped.
He glanced over his shoulder at her and frowned. “Are you all right?”

She grabbed his bicep with her small hand.
“Ah, yes, let’s just get to the boat.”

Grabbing her hand, he es
corted her to the beach. “Hannah, nothing can get you. Not when I’m around.”

Taking a deep breath, s
he stopped trembling. “Amadi?”

“Aye, poppet?”

“Who’s Sharon?”

He
halted at the edge of the jungle. “What?”

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that William
wasn’t behind her. “William called me Sharon the other night. When I asked him who she was, he fell silent.”

He glimpsed back into the jungle. “She was his wife.”

“What happened to her?”

“Dead. Her brother killed her.”

Hannah
stepped back. “Why?”

“Because
she married an Irishmen.”

She flinched. “How horrible!”

Amadi’s brows pulled into a wary frown.
“Hannah, don’t bring her up to William.”

She shook her head.
“I’ll not say anything.” How much tragedy could one family endure? Were the Irish and British so different?

They stood on the white beach with the bright sun shining down.
Even though her clothes were dry, her body shivered from a cool breeze rushing over the beach. Sea gulls flew overhead. Orange and red parrots cawed in the thick brush. William came loping out of the jungle. His handsome smiling face caused her heart to clutch. How could her countrymen be so selfish? Was the
Fiery Damsel
the only reason why they were sending her to Saint Kitts? Did they resent her heritage too?

She
smiled. “Thank you for this, William. It helped take away some of my worries.”

He bowed. “I’m glad, lass.”

Hannah gazed at the ship. Aye, she had made a mistake by spending time with William. She had promised Kane she’d not be alone with him. Nothing had happened. She had thought about kissing him again, but kept her distance. True, Amadi had been here, but she doubted Kane would think she kept her promise.  

A few minutes later, she climbed the rope ladder and Doc stood at the railing.
He reached down and pulled her aboard. His grin made her feel like she was home. “Hello Doc.”

“Hello, lassie.
D’ye enjoy yourself?”

“Yes, William took me to a waterfall
, and we swam all afternoon.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, watching William as he climbed up the rope ladder and onto the deck.
“Did he now?”

“
’Twas beautiful, but I need a change of clothes. Could I have a bath?”

Bowing, he said, “Aye, lassie.
Da Captain still be in dis cabin, but we could give you a bath in da galley. Dinner won’t be for sumtime. We'll set up a tub in there.”

“Are you sure?”

He put his hands on his hips. “Aye, lassie. No one will disturb you.”

She stayed on deck staring at the island as the sun set beyond the fluttering lush foliage.
The high tide surely washed away their footprints on the beach.

“La
ss,” Doc called, “your bath is ready. There are clean clothes in there for you.”

“Doc?”

“Aye, lass?”

“Where is Kane?
Is he in pain?”

“
Nay, he’s still sleeping right now. I don checked on him when I got dese clothes. I’m sure he be joining you for dinner das evening.”

“Thanks Doc.”

“
I’ll stand guard outside. No one will bother you,” Amadi promised.

She nodded and squeezed his arm.

A large brass tub with steaming hot vapors was up against the starboard wall. On the floor, next to the tub, there was lavender soap and lotion. Feeling like a spoiled princess, she marveled about the special care the pirates had shown her, but they weren’t pirates to her anymore. They were her friends, near and dear. When had this happened?