By Fire and by Sword (17 page)

She could feel his breath on her cheek, and then suddenly
he was kissing her, a deep, searching kiss. He cupped her face, teasing her earlobes while his mouth continued to assault hers, probing, seeking, questioning and highly erotic. Passion shot through her like a cannonball, laying waste to everything, to the point that she felt her knees buckle and the answering tightening of his arms, which slipped around her to keep her there with him. She never knew it was possible to feel desire in so many different parts of her body, for it seemed like a well-coordinated machine that was grinding away and making great strides to reach a goal that yawned like a great abyss in the distance.

And the words of Dante came creeping into her mind…
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

Thankfully, for both of them, he chose that moment to break the kiss. “I wish I had either a stronger conscience or a weaker one, because you are both so innocent and damnably seductive.”

He was smiling down at her, and then kissed her lightly on the nose. “I was not sure if you would kiss me back or slap my face for taking such liberties in broad daylight.”

“If I had slapped you, I would not have gotten my kiss, now, would I?”

His laugh was thunderous. “You are a pert and saucy wench, I will grant you that.”

She was wishing he would grant her a lot of things, but she couldn’t tell him that, of course. All she knew was, she enjoyed kissing him immensely, and was thinking of little else at the moment. Her heart pounded in a manner that kept interfering with the rhythm of her
breathing. It seemed that whenever she was around him, everything went slightly off kilter.

He captured her hand in his and held it to his lips, while he pressed a kiss to each of her fingertips.

“Would it be…?”

He waited a moment, then asked, “Would it be what?”

“Scandalous,” she said.

“How do you mean?”

“Would it be scandalous if I told you I have thought about being with you like this many times since I saw you in France? I found myself praying that the curse of Lord Walter would be lifted from me, so I might allow myself the luxury of responding to you in the way I feel inside, not in the disciplined, self-denying way I know I must follow. I understand that this outrageous exposé contains thoughts that could be damaging to my reputation.”

“Only if they were used by someone with an intent to hurt you, which I would never do. You are a woman of strong and sincere emotion. To open your heart to another is never scandalous. There are more choices to consider in a romance between a man and a woman than silence or scandal.”

She placed her head against his chest, and allowed her hands to wander freely over the tight musculature of his back, much in the same manner his hands did to her. It had been so long since she had felt safe and peaceful enough not to search about for a sign, a presence, a shadow, an old enemy that could disguise himself and step out of the darkness and drive a dagger into the heart of another human being.

She knew she was walking on boggy ground and that she could be sucked under at any moment. She wanted to see where this mutual attraction would go, but she could not. She must be on her guard. She must never allow anyone else to suffer death in her place again.

She had to see this for what it was, two people who might have loved each other had they met at a different time. He was like no man she had ever known, and she realized she was beginning to fall in love with him. But she would never tell him, any more than she would let her tender feelings for him progress to full bloom.

She would allow herself only this one time—until they reached Durness Castle—to feel alive, young and carefree, and to open her heart, but when they reached Durness, she would send him away, and out of her life.

She sighed and hugged him tighter, enjoying the thought that for now, he was here and he was hers. There was such strength beneath her fingers, and she could feel a surge of power flowing into her from him. It left her feeling restless, and desirous of all he could show her.

When she gazed into his eyes, she felt an instant connection with him, as if they had known each other forever. She would almost swear he knew her thoughts. “Will you kiss me, just this once, like you would if we were the only two people left on earth?”

She had expected a wild, passionate mating, but his lips touched hers softly, and with much tenderness, and then, as quickly, they were gone, and she felt the emptiness inside as acutely as the cool kiss of air where
only a moment ago had been the warm weight of his lips against hers.

“I care for you,” he whispered against her mouth, “too damnably much, and it has happened way too fast.”

The visual kiss of her skin sent an eddy of pleasure across her, and she wondered what it would be like to lie with him and feel the drugging weight of his body move over hers. How would his hard muscles play against her own feminine softness? What would it do to her to know the touch of tempered-steel thighs pressing between hers, offering the exquisite promise of his body, the refined cruelty of its denial?

His lips came again, and this time they covered hers tenderly and moved with slow, sweet languor, a kiss that was gentle, yet swept through her with brutal effect. She responded to him as if her body could not get close enough to his, or her mouth feel the probing heat of his kiss long enough.

Paralyzing, dizzying seconds ticked by, like smoke rings, each one looping into the other, like a chain that held them one to the other.

The future seemed to well up inside her, tinted with purple hues and full of rainbow bubbles that threatened to carry her away, and for a thin slice of time, she knew that if he were to ask her to sail away with him she would have gone.

But the present has a way playing the bully, by elbowing its way brutally against the fragile links that connect the future with the past. The moment was shattered, and her hopes of ever knowing what it would be like to make
love to him fell like tinkling glass around her feet, and she knew, sooner or later, this thing between them would end.

The sound of voices passing by reached them, and reality set in. She tilted her head to look at him, and was surprised to hear him say, “It’s not over, no matter what you think. This is one thing that will not end before it has begun. Remember that.”

He offered her his arm and they went around the corner and started down Broad Street, in the opposite direction to where Josette and Alejandro had gone earlier.

“I wanted to walk this way, so I can send a couple of my men back to the inn to get your things. Do you have it all packed?”

“Yes, all three dresses. It took ever so long to do.”

“Brat,” he said, and laughed. “Does anyone ever get the best of you?”

“Josette does all the time,” she said, “but I always find a way to get even.”

She noticed a skiff, its bow resting on the sand. Three men were waiting beside it. “Are those your men?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead and speak with them. I will wait here.” What she did not tell him was how much it pleasured her to watch him walk in that long-legged, loose-hipped way he had of moving that made her ache with desire for him and filled her with a sweet languor.

“We’ve been looking for you.”

Kenna turned around at the sound of Josette’s voice
and she smiled at Alejandro. “I am sorry I did not have an opportunity to speak with you earlier. It is good to see you again, although I must say it took me a while to get over the shock of seeing you and Colin here. Kirkwall does not have the same draw as Paris.”

Alejandro looked her over, and then did the same with Josette. “I could never agree with that. From where I stand, I see it has a great deal more to offer.”

Kenna had to confess the compliment was well received, but her attention soon settled upon Colin, who was laughing at something as he stood talking to his men. She knew she would never grow tired of looking at him, or listening to the uplifting sound of his laughter, and while she drank in the sight of him, she was dreamily recalling every moment of the kisses they shared, all the more precious because of their scarcity.

Journeys end in lovers meeting.

—William Shakespeare (1564–1616),

English poet and playwright.

Twelfth Night
(1600-1608)
, Act II, Scene 3.

I
t was late afternoon by the time everyone was aboard
Dancing Water
, ready to set sail for the last leg of their journey to Durness Castle.

Up on deck of the sloop, Kenna and Josette sat upon a huge coil of hemp rope. This put both of them out of the way, yet gave them the opportunity to enjoy secondhand the excitement of preparing the ship for sail.

She considered it her good fortune to not only see Colin, but be able to watch a man who tackled his work with dedicated enjoyment. This unique experience helped her understand why an adventuresome life appealed to him. The sea holds a place in every Scot’s heart, she thought, so it must be something he inherited from his father and grandfather.

It was easy to see it held a place in his heart. She knew too well life at sea was not all romance, for it could be a mystical, sometimes miserable existence, where motivation came from the sound and sight of the ocean; the power of a ship skimming over the waves.

She observed how he moved aboard ship with as much grace and assurance as he did on land, whether standing at the helm or climbing the rigging, which he did with the skill and agility of an acrobat, for he was quick and nimble, with a sense of balance that bespoke a body in perfect harmony with itself.

Her reverie was suddenly interrupted by a shout from the top of the mast that a large sloop was anchored off the coast, and had launched two rowboats that were coming straight toward them.

Kenna was happy the weather was warmer today, and the wind not as strong. Colin wore neither his cape nor his jacket, but seemed perfectly comfortable in his customary white shirt, tight brown pants and tall boots. She was thinking he looked quite splendid, but she put the thought away, for at that moment, he appeared right in front of her. He looked much better up close.

“I must order both of you to go below and stay there.” And then, as if he knew how much Kenna would chafe at being confined to quarters, he smiled down at her, and his tone softened. “I regret the inconvenience, but due to the approaching boats, it will be necessary for both of you to remain out of sight. I have instructed Mr. Cooper to escort you to my cabin, where you will at least get a glimpse of the boats through the windows.
Mr. Cooper will remain there with you until it is deemed safe for you to return topside.”

He gave them a courteous bow, then Mr. Cooper asked that they lead the way. He fell in step behind them, until they reached Colin’s cabin. He unlocked the door and ushered them inside. “The captain said to make yourselves comfortable. I will be standing guard outside the door. Should you need anything, you’ve only to knock.”

Kenna looked around the cabin and recalled that day in Edinburgh when she first saw Colin sitting behind his desk, quite inebriated but still charming. As she looked around the cabin, she decided nothing had really changed, except her.

When they heard the click of the door behind them, Kenna and Josette made for the open portholes, to observe the approaching boats and speculate about what it all meant.

On deck, Colin had his eye to the glass. There were nine men in all—four crewmen in each boat, and another man who was probably a ship’s officer. It appeared each of the boats also carried a chest. All the men were armed, but not heavily.

Colin closed the glass and handed it to Alejandro. “They are nine men in all, plus two sea chests. If she was flying colors, she has struck them. The ship’s name I could not make out. I saw nothing to give a clue as to why they are coming toward us. It is a ‘wait and see scenario.’ Tell the men to arm themselves, and send Mr. Cunningham below to ready the cannons to fire on command, and pray like hell we don’t have to give that order.”

It turned out to be a French brig, the
Marie Claire
, hired by Spaniards at Cadiz and then sailed to Veracruz and Havana. “We were on our way to Sweden, when we were fortunate enough to outrun two British war ships, only to encounter a British man o’ war half an hour later,” the captain explained. “They engaged us in a fight and we were heavily damaged, with a cracked main mast. We were fortunate that it was late in the day when they went at us, so it grew dark quickly. We managed to escape into the night, and made it this far before the rough seas further damaged our mast and it gave way and toppled into the sea. But luckily the current brought us in far enough that we could drop anchor.”

“And your reason for coming to my ship?” Colin asked.

Captain Pierre Antoine Laurent seemed quite ready with an answer. “Please believe me, Captain, I have no interest whatsoever in the cargo of the
Marie Claire
, which belongs entirely to the Spaniards. Our cargo consists of sixty-five chests of silver, five barrels of cochineal, fifty-seven of indigo, one case of vanilla, sixty cases of sugar, and thirty-five hundred cow hides. I have brought with me two chests full of silver, one of which I will give to you, Captain, if you will take us wherever you are going.”

Colin agreed and the two chests and nine men boarded
Dancing Water.
At the helm, Colin said to Alejandro, “Get word to the men to keep an eye on our guests. I don’t trust the bastards. I think they have designs on sending us to the bottom of the sea and sailing off with my ship and the Spanish silver.”

“Why did you agree to take them with us?”

“I would bet this ship that they have their big guns trained on us, and if we don’t agree they will blow us out of the water. At anchor like this, we are like birds on a fence. I figure we have them outnumbered, and if they try anything, we have the better chance of overpowering them and may end up with two chests of silver instead of one.”

“We could do with two chests of silver,” Alejandro said.

Colin ignored that. “Make sure the men stay armed, put a double guard at my cabin door and tell the women to lock it from the inside.”

Alejandro started off and Colin called him back. “One more thing, tell Mr. Higgins to put their rowboats in tow, and try to have a serious face about it.”

With an unfurling of sails that immediately caught the breeze, they set sail. They were approaching the
Marie Claire
, riding at anchor, when Captain Laurent came to speak to Colin.

“
Monsieur le Capitaine
, if I might have a word with you.” The words were barely out of his mouth when he swiftly extracted a dagger from his pocket and pressed it against Colin’s ribs.

“A slight change of plans,
Monsieur le Capitaine.
”

“You are so right,” Colin said, at the exact moment Alejandro came up behind the Frenchman and, with a tap to his head, put the Frenchman down for a nice nap. Colin’s crew then kicked into action and made equally prompt dispatch of the eight men that had accompanied Captain Laurent.

Once they were out in deeper water and past the
Marie Claire
, Colin said, “Load the captain and his men into their boats. They should be back aboard their ship in time to greet the British man o’ war when she comes looking for them.”

It wasn’t until they sailed around the tip of John o’Groat’s that Colin allowed the women back on deck, and then wished he hadn’t, for he was hit with a round of questions from both of them, which he politely answered by pointing them in Alejandro’s direction.

They sailed on past John o’ Groat’s not far from Dunnet Head, and through the Pentland Firth, with the northeast point of Scotland on their left and the Orkney Islands to their right, heading toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Kenna overheard Colin tell Mr. Porter, “The sea is unusually smooth, and the wind dead aft. I think this would be a good time to have a look at those chests our French friends left us. Pick enough men to move the chests over here.”

Mr. Porter gave him the respectful “Aye, aye, Captain,” and departed. They watched several men move the chests, before Josette, already beginning to feel the queasiness in her stomach, decided to return to the cabin so she could lie down before the worst of the sea-sickness was upon her.

Kenna insisted upon going with her, so she could see her comfortably settled. “Then I will come back on deck.”

“Stay here and see what is in the chest,” Josette protested. “If they start giving away jewels, grab a handful for me. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

The deck was alive with men moving and others talking among themselves as the chests were pushed and shoved, and sometimes carried into place, while the men grunted and breathed heavily with the effort. Kenna, meanwhile, found it pleasant to lean her head back, for she loved the feel of the wind-scented sea spray on her face as the ship skimmed over the tops of the waves like a soaring gull, and while the canvas sails flapped overhead as they caught the wind. When Kenna closed her eyes, the sounds on deck seemed magnified, and she tried to associate what she heard with what she imagined was happening.

Her reverie was broken when Josette said, “I decided to come back.” She sat down beside Kenna.

Kenna opened one surprised eye and then the other. “Are you feeling better? That was awfully fast.”

“No, I still feel the same, but I want to see what is in those chests.”

“Mr. de Calderón, will you open the chests and let us see if we have Spanish silver or a load of rocks,” Colin said.

Alejandro broke the locks on both chests, and threw back the lid on the first one.

A synchronized gasp rose from the crew. Kenna and Josette could not see over the heads of the crew, so Kenna stood on top of the rope coil to see what caused such surprise. The chests did not contain silver. “They are full of gold,” Kenna cried. “Filled to the top, they are.”

“Sacre bleu!”
Josette said, prompted now to clamber up beside Kenna to have a look for herself. “Dare
we hope the captain shares with us some of his rich bounty?”

“Don’t go spend it just yet” was Kenna’s advice.

It had grown awfully quiet on the ship, while everyone stood silently staring at enough gold to rival that of King Midas.

With all eyes on the two chests, Kenna thought for a moment that if anyone dared dip as much as their little finger in either one, they would probably find themselves tossed overboard. The moment stretched painfully thin, and something was sure to snap, unless someone spoke up soon.

That someone turned out to be Alejandro, for he came right out with the question every man there wanted an answer to. “What are we going to do with all this gold?”

Kenna focused on Colin with eyes of stern disapproval. Yes, she thought, what are you going to do with all that gold, Captain Montgomery? Would he buy himself a shipping line with it? Or build a mansion in America to house his beautiful wife and a dozen off-spring? Or would he have a ship built that would put all the royal barges in the world to shame, and simply spend his life sailing from port to port, with a different woman waiting for him at each stop?

She hated to be so cynical, but she had seen too many times what money did to honest people. Wealth was too often a place where vipers bred. It brought out the worst in people. She knew it was quite possible an argument could break out, and perhaps fighting, too, along with it. As for her, she wanted no part of the scavengers that would come in after the kill.

She turned, ready to go back to the cabin, when Josette caught her by the arm, and when Kenna looked at her to see why she stopped her, Josette tilted her head toward the gathering, indicating Kenna should look there for her answer.

Kenna’s gaze barely had time to settle on Colin when he spoke. “Mr. de Calderón, you will see that every man on the ship receives twenty gold pieces, and that includes yourself. The rest we will leave with my grandfather, Baron Fairlie, who will see that it is distributed to the poorest Highlanders, including the widows and orphans of those lost at Culloden, and passage for those who lost everything and want to emigrate. It will be deposited safely in the bank, and Baron Fairlie will contact the lairds of every clan to meet in Inverness, so we may come up with a list of those who need and deserve it most.”

Kenna was stunned, and on the heels of that came shame. She had judged him falsely, and based it upon nothing but her own cynicism. When had he ever shown a side of himself to her that was not honorable and just? She had judged him…wrongly judged him, and she was sorry for it to the depth of her being.

She realized that the crew seemed pleased with his decision, and most of them took time to tell him so, for they had seen firsthand the devastation that was the Highlands. She could understand now why his men held him in such high regard. He was obviously a man who lived his life according to his values, with a fine respect for intelligence, justice, responsibility and consideration for those less fortunate.

She watched him move among the men, as Alejandro counted out their gold coins, and admired his smooth and easy way. It left her with the feeling that he was comfortable with his skin and everything beneath it. He was friendly, easy to be around, quick to laugh, slow to anger, with a fondness for humor. And those striking blue eyes—with the fine mind behind them, and a good heart a few inches below…

Colin spotted her sitting on the coil of hemp and started toward her. He realized when he reached her that although she was there, her mind was somewhere else. He did not speak but was content to wait her out, and see how long it was before she wanted to include him, if at all.

It took her longer than he expected, before she realized he was standing there. She jumped, and looked up to meet his gaze. He saw there an expression he had not yet noticed in her eyes and he gave her a quizzically puzzled look in return.

He sat down beside her. “I was wondering where you were, or if you were even going to come back and join the here and now.”

She turned her head to look out over the vastness of water, as if she was considering something, before she turned back and said, “If you must know, I was chastising myself for thinking you would hoard the gold, and then, when I heard what you said about taking it to your grandfather to distribute to the poor Highlanders, I realized I could not have been more wrong, nor more unprincipled, in judging you. You have proved
you are not only aware of the Highlanders’ plight, but you are also sympathetic to it. I can only say, it made me feel incredibly small.”