A Woman Made for Sin (34 page)

Understanding overcame Reece and he could feel the blood drain from his face. The
conversation itself was vague in his mind. It was when he was still struggling with
not just his feelings but appearing to be a love-whipped boy in front of his crew.
What he did remember, however, was Collins and his reaction. Normally, his chief mate
was sympathetic to woman troubles, having had his share in the past. But not that
night. Collins had not said so, but his aloof mannerisms had made it clear he thought
Reece just one step shy of a fool.

It had spurred Reece into reassessing his situation. He considered the men and truly
watched as they and Aimee interacted, waiting to see what would come of it—jealousy,
obsession, resentment, arguments. But none of those occurred, nor, from what Reece
could see, were they going to occur eventually. The crew was happy, and if he was
being truly honest with himself, for the first time so was he. He wanted Aimee. He
needed her. He wanted her in his life and had been impatient to get to Savannah, where
he could irrevocably bind their lives together.

“What inn is she at?”

The question was calmly put; however, refusing to answer was not an option. Based
on Reece’s reaction to learning of Aimee’s departure as well as his current look of
determination, Collins was relieved. The captain was finally going to do what he should
have done weeks ago, if not back in December. “She’s not at an inn. I found her safe
passage on a suitable ship that was leaving immediately for London.”

Reece quickly began to mentally catalogue all the ships in the harbor. The
Albatross
had arrived after them and would not be leaving so soon. He had seen the
Ella Marie
, the
Bonnie Star
, and the
Longview
in dock preparing to go, but none of them had been taking on foodstuffs, so time
of departure was questionable. In town, he had exchanged curt nods with the captain
of the
Miss Charlotte
, who was working out an unwelcome change in his cargo. From what Reece had overheard,
the unexpected goods were causing the
Charlotte
to head directly to the London Docks before going to Spain. And these were just the
ships he saw, for there were many more up the river.

Any captain on his way to England would have agreed to transport Aimee without hesitation.
However, her being unmarried and having no chaperone made her extremely vulnerable.
Nobility would not protect her. If anything, it would only enhance her appeal. “She
had better be safe,” Reece growled dangerously.

“She is on the
Sea Rebel
—”

The first fragments of relief broke over Reece. The
Sea Rebel
belonged to W & H Shipping. It was one of his own and he knew it well. It was much
older and larger than the
Emerald
, equipped with a larger crew and more cargo area for bigger hauls. Its captain had
also fought in the war and had been handpicked by Reece to manage the bulky ship.
Shay was a real hard-ass, but fair and honest. And, blissfully, he was also very married.
The man would have no issue with Reece coming aboard, getting Aimee, and leaving with
her.

“—with Captain Shay and his wife,” Collins finished.

“His wife?” Reece repeated.

“Aye—she travels with him now and then. Mrs. Shay met Lady Wentworth at a seamstress’s
shop where she purchased some new clothes. I would expect they are back aboard the
Rebel
by now.”

Reece blinked as he assimilated the information and looked up as he began to deliberate
on his next move. Only then did he realize most of his crew was lurking around, pretending
to work in order to listen to his and Collins’s conversation. Even JP was among them,
only he was openly staring at the upper deck with his arms crossed, doing nothing
to hide his obvious curiosity.

Reece looked behind Collins and waited for his bosun to stop whistling and sneak a
peek at him. “Carr, go to the
Sea Rebel
and tell Captain Shay that he is not to leave until I get there if he wants to continue
working for W & H Shipping.”

Carr’s eyes grew large as he realized that Reece was serious. Anyone who had ever
gone to see Shakespeare performed in one of the cheap, unlicensed theaters, knew the
saying “don’t shoot the messenger,” but no one ever thought their life would truly
be put at risk by delivering a simple message. Then again, no one was reckless enough
to deliver a threat to Captain Shay.

Recognizing he was a dead man either way—refusing Reece or doing what he asked—the
bosun finally murmured, “Aye, Captain,” and then left.

Seeing Carr needed no additional motivation, Collins asked softly, “What are you planning?”

Reece took in a deep breath of air and exhaled. His gaze fell over his crew and then,
loud enough for all to hear, he said, “I am going to go fetch my soon-to-be wife and
remind her of just why she snuck aboard my ship. To catch a husband. Well, she caught
him
and a crew
and she is now going to have to live with the consequences.”

Cheers erupted from the deck. Reece smiled and waved for a few moments before going
belowdecks. Men started shaking hands and slapping each other on the back. A few even
broke into a brief jig. Only Collins refrained from joining the crew’s merriment upon
hearing the captain’s decision.

It was not that he was not supportive of the captain’s plans. Just the opposite. Collins
just feared that it might be too late.

The captain may now want to marry, but
both
parties had to be willing before a preacher would agree to perform a marriage ceremony.
For that to happen, it was going to take a lot more than charm and some passionate
kisses. The only way Collins could envision Aimee accepting Reece’s proposal was if
she became convinced that he did not just want her, but truly and absolutely loved
her.

And for that to happen, the man would first need to admit those feelings to himself.

Reece stepped out of Captain Shay’s cuddy. He clenched his fists and forced them to
relax. It was rare he found himself covetous of any ship over his, but having a designated
room to converse with officers—or unexpected visitors like himself—had advantages.
What was even rarer was confronting a man whom Reece could not intimidate in the least.
It was the reason he had hired Shay. He just had never anticipated their being on
opposing sides.

After an hour of explanations and arguments, Reece had not gained any ground when
it came to Aimee. Though tempted, he had not threatened Shay’s continued role with
W & H Shipping. Good captains were hard to find. Honest ones were damn near impossible,
and Shay was both. His morals were so strong that an ultimatum would not have worked.
If anything, Reece’s demands were pushing the man toward quitting.

Not until Reece revealed his and Aimee’s whole story did the old captain begin to
understand the real reason Aimee had come to be aboard his ship. Only when Reece had
fully admitted his blunder was the captain swayed to let her leave. But only if certain
stipulations were met. The four of them would go directly to the chapel. There, Captain
Shay and his wife would be present to witness the happy nuptials.

At first, Reece resented how the man was trying to act like his father, but then realized
that Shay had no interest in him. The fatherly role was for Aimee.

Reece took another deep breath and reminded himself that he had achieved his goal.
He and Aimee would soon be married.

He then proceeded up the gangway, which led to the poop deck. Just before he moved
out of the shadows and into view, he heard Aimee’s voice.

After thanking Captain Shay profusely for his offer to take her home and the lending
of the wardroom for her to stay in, Aimee had wandered up on the highest deck in the
far aft portion of the ship. She was determined to stay out of the crew’s way and
not make Captain Shay regret his decision.

The
Sea Rebel
was at first glance similar to Reece’s ship, mostly because of the number of sails
and masts. But once on board she realized it was noticeably wider, and had more deck
levels, which meant there were more rooms and interior space. Aimee remembered Mr.
Linwood explaining how the
Sea Emerald
was made for smaller cargo and speed, while most of the other ships in her brother’s
shipping business were built to transport large amounts of goods.

With the augmented space and cargo came more work and a larger crew. Like those she
had come to know and care for, the men on the
Sea Rebel
were working side by side, some singing shanties to ensure the rhythm was maintained
and to synchronize their efforts. On the
Emerald
, the crew was smaller, so it was rare to hear more than one song at a time, but not
on the
Rebel
. Some of the songs were sung with one group singing the verse and another the chorus.

Aimee leaned against the rail and hummed softly to the one being sung in D minor.
Its melancholy tone reflected her current state of mind.

“How do you like your stateroom?”

Startled, Aimee jumped and then quickly apologized. “Mrs. Shay, pray forgive me for
my reaction just then. I did not see you. Oh, and the room is more than lovely. I
feel quite spoiled.”

“Good.” The older woman laughed softly and joined her at the rail, smiling. “I always
love coming ashore, but it’s nice to be going again.”

Aimee sighed in agreement. Mrs. Annabelle Shay had been like a godsend at the dress
shop, helping her to navigate the world of ready-made gowns. Aimee had found herself
enjoying it far more than she did going to a modiste for a new dress, where she would
see the material and the accessories but would not know how the dress looked until
it was delivered. It was rare her modiste made something she did not like, but there
was something about selecting dresses that were already made that was refreshing.
None of them fit as well or were of the quality she typically wore when home, but
at sea, such things did not matter.

“Thank you again for your help today at Miss Henderson’s.”

Mrs. Shay patted Aimee’s arm. “My pleasure. To my husband’s delight, we had three
sons. All of them are now grown and on ships of their own, but how I longed for a
daughter. Helping you gave me the chance to know what it would be like to have one.”

Aimee squeezed the older woman’s slender fingers. She had instantly liked Annabelle.
Though in her late forties, Mrs. Shay was still a stunning woman. Her red hair was
turning a beautiful white around her temples, perfectly framing her oval face and
large dark brown eyes. She was neither tall nor short, and her figure was lovely and
feminine. Her nose and cheeks had several freckles and her skin had browned somewhat
from being in the sun and wind. Aimee wondered if her own face had taken on the loathed
brown color. She secretly hoped it had; then maybe Society would discount her as an
eligible marriage choice and allow her to be alone with her misery.

Annabelle pointed to a group of men who were singing near the mainmast as they adjusted
the halyards. “I was wondering how my men would do with you around.”

“I . . . um . . . I am not sure that I understand. Your men?”

Annabelle shrugged. “I travel with Henry in the spring until it becomes too hot, and
again in the fall until the weather turns too bitter to enjoy being on deck. Spending
so much time on board, I have developed relationships with the crew. From what I saw
of Mr. Collins this morning, you have done the same in a relatively short bit of time.”
She pointed again. “I think you might have already started to enchant some of my men.”

Annabelle was teasing her, and despite Aimee’s worry that she would not find anything
to smile about for a long time, she found her lips curving upward. “Sailors are unique
in personality and demeanor. I am not sure everyone I know would appreciate their
good qualities, but they do have them.”

Annabelle nodded in agreement. “I’m glad you think so, for my husband tells me that
the crew is trying to make a good impression. Have you not heard all the songs they
are singing?”

Aimee threw her head back slightly and laughed out loud. “I thought it was because
this is a big ship and singing helped to ensure things ran smoothly.”

“True, but until today I am not sure that I have ever heard four tunes being sung
at once.”

Aimee shook her head in amazement. “But why would these men care about my opinion?
They do not know me. If anything, I am an additional burden.”

“Hmm, well, the crew of the
Sea Emerald
did not consider you such. I was with my husband when the chief mate came to visit
him and ask about berthing space. That young man spoke incredibly highly of you. Even
mentioned that you climbed a mast and saved their lives, something that notably impressed
my husband. And that is very hard to do.”

Aimee shook her head and turned around. Crossing her arms and leaning back on the
rail for support, she said, “It may sound courageous, but I assure you it was far
from it. Did Mr. Collins add that I took so long getting down that I became the target
of a wave, scaring me and terrifying half the crew?”

“No, your Mr. Collins was intelligent enough to keep that to himself,” said Annabelle
softly, laughter still laced in the sound. “So then the sea does
not
agree with you.”

Aimee stood straight up and moved to face the woman, shaking her head. “Oh, very much
the opposite. Though this was my first voyage, I immensely enjoyed being out in the
open with the wind in my face and hearing the splashing sounds of the waves. No, Mrs.
Shay, I love the sea.”

“I believe you. It is just that very few women, including captains’ wives, feel the
way you and I do. They are tolerant, but this life does not inspire them. But there
are some of us who have a passion for the water just as strong as any man’s. It is
a shame women with your family connections are discouraged from ever getting the chance
to develop a love for the sea.”