Call of the Sea (24 page)

Daniel leaned back in his chair, arching a brow. “He’s a rather sensitive bloke. Do you think we can count that as his blessing?”

Ellie barked a laugh in spite of herself. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation they found themselves in finally hit her full force.

Tomorrow she’d be marrying a man who was only half-human, one she refused to acknowledge having romantic feelings for. The same man who professed to love her and appeared willing to ignore the fact that she didn’t return his feelings. Nelson wasn’t the only one that wondered if they’d both lost their grip on reality. She was mad to think this would turn out well for either of them.

With a sigh, Ellie forced her thoughts away from the potential disaster ahead. “I’d wager that was as close to a blessing as we are likely to get.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ellie’s bare feet paced the length of her father’s cabin, hands twisting and kneading each other. She cast occasional glances toward the door between anxious passes.
Where is Mama with that dress? I can’t very well get married in my shift!

A light rapping sounded at the door. With a nervous squeal, Ellie rushed to the portal, cracked it open, and peered through the gap.

Nelson fidgeted on the other side, dressed in a navy blue waistcoat, beige breeches and matching hose. She’d never seen him dressed in a gentleman’s garb before. Ellie stuffed down her surprise and ushered him in, closing the door behind him. “Have you seen Mama yet?”

“No, but the ceremony isn’t for another two hours.” His gaze swept her up and down. “You mean you have nothing to wear until she arrives?”

Ellie looked down at her shift and back to Nelson. “Not unless boots, breeches, and a work shirt are appropriate.”

“While I am sure
you
would prefer that, neither Daniel nor your mother would be too amused if you came out wearing men’s attire.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Probably not.” Ellie swung back to the mirror. Shaking fingers threaded through her wild hair, pushing and prodding it into some semblance of order.

“You sure you want to do this?” Nelson asked from behind her, meeting her gaze in the glass’s reflection. “You still have time to change your mind.”

Ellie huffed. “And then what?” She pivoted about to face him. “Give up everything I’ve worked and sacrificed for to this point? Put on a frilly dress and content myself with a boring life in Newquay? Do you really expect me to just walk away and forget that Jashir murdered my father? Forget the men my father expected me to look after?”

“No, of course not. I know you better than that.”

“Then what? What would you have me do, Nelson?”

“Marry him because you want to, not because you feel you have to. You’ve never been one to worry about what looks proper or what wagging tongues gossip about, yet you’re planning to tie yourself to a man you seem to loathe and certainly don’t trust? I’m afraid it doesn’t make much sense to me, El.”

When he laid it all out like that, her plan did seem rather ludicrous, even to her. Her father’s voice echoed through her head.
Stay the course, Ellie.

Her voice came out as barely a whisper. “I don’t loathe him.” No, hatred was definitely not what she felt for Daniel.

Nelson’s head cocked to the right. “You want to know what I think?”

Ellie cringed. Nelson had an uncanny knack for jumping right to the core of any situation presented, as if he knew all of life’s answers and had just run out of patience waiting for her to stumble upon them. “Most desperately.”

He ignored her patronizing tone. “I think it drives you insane to think your father may have actually known what was best for you.”

Ellie swung about, eyes wide with shock. “Wha–”

Nelson held up a hand. “Let me finish what I have to say before you start arguing with me.”

She clamped her mouth shut.

“All your life you have believed your father didn’t understand you, and it turns out he may have known you better than you know yourself.” He set his hands on his hips, brown eyes burning into her. “I also think you’re in love with the lad, despite all the things he’s kept hidden from you. And you aren’t angry with him because you feel you can’t trust him, you’re mad because he didn’t trust
you
with his secret.”

His words hit their mark. Ellie swallowed, dropped her gaze to his boots. She could grant she had feelings for Daniel, but love? Certainly not.

Before she had time to decide how she felt about what Nelson said, the door to the cabin swung open. Her mother hustled in, followed closely by a grunting Jacobs who dragged a large, apparently heavy chest over the threshold.

“The dress has arrived,” Mama announced.

Ellie’s stomach dropped into her toes. She took a deep breath and embraced her excited mother.

Mama flicked an annoyed look at Nelson. “What are you doing in here?” She waved her hands, shooing him toward the door. “She needs to get ready. Out you go.”

Jacobs scurried out behind Nelson, leaving Ellie alone with her mother and a chest that looked as it if would hold enough clothing for a year.

“The dress is in there? Is it made of lead?”

Mama turned, bent and swung open the curved wooden lid on the chest. Sky blue satins and lace filled the compartment. She carefully removed the folds of rich material from the trunk, laying the dress across the bunk in the corner.

Ellie eyed the garment, heartbeat sounding in her ears.

Mama returned to rummage through the rest of the items in the trunk. She pulled out a herringbone corset, lace petticoats, and a pair of satin slippers, setting each item on the bed beside the dress.

As much as she tried, Ellie couldn’t tear her gaze from the corset. She’d tried one of the torture devices while away at school and promptly passed out due to lack of air. “I’m not wearing that.” She pointed at the offending garment. “Not bloody likely.”

Her mother’s crestfallen look poked Ellie with tiny needles of guilt. “But you have to wear it. The dress won’t fit right if you don’t.”

She wanted to insist, but didn’t have the heart to disappoint her mother. After all, a girl only got married once. Who was she to take this small joy from the woman she’d spent half her life hiding from? “You’ll help me put it on?”

Mama’s warm smile returned. She straightened and grabbed the corset, offering it to Ellie. “That’s my girl. I’m here to help you with whatever you need. This is your day.”

My day. That doesn’t explain why I want to vomit.
Ellie turned her back to her mother, wrapped the corset around her breasts and held the ends for Mama to fasten.

Her mother laced the back, pulling the bones tight against Ellie’s ribs. “How’s that feel?”

Like someone just shoved my torso into a vise.
“Fine, but I think that’s probably tight enough. I’d like to be able to take a full breath today.”

“It’s not that bad. You just aren’t used to wearing one.” Mama grabbed the petticoats and handed them to Ellie. “Put these on and I’ll get the dress.”

Ellie took the ruffled undergarments. She tried to step into them, but the corset bit into her sides making it nearly impossible to bend at the waist. After a small struggle, she managed to get both feet in the hole and pull them up. She tied them off at the waist. No wonder women were always arriving late to events. It took all day for them to get dressed.

She faced her mother and raised her arms.

Mama placed the dress over her head, letting the yards of smooth satin slide down over the full petticoats. Ellie pushed her arms into the fitted sleeves and lifted the bodice section into place so her mother could fasten the back.

“All finished,” Mama said.

Ellie faced the mirror.

The woman staring back at her was a stranger. The long-sleeved dress set off her pale shoulders, the bodice dipping low to expose a tantalizing view of round breasts pushed up by the impossibly tight corset. Tiny pearl-like beads adorned the fitted bodice and stomacher, while waves of satin flowed from her waist to brush across the floorboards.

“Stunning,” her mother breathed beside her. “Your father would be so proud.”

Ellie studied her reflection. Would he really? At that moment, she’d have given anything for that to be true. “I hope so, Mama.”

“Well, I know so. Your father only wanted your happiness, Ellie, no matter what that meant. I promise you were never a disappointment to him.”

Ellie wrapped her mother’s words around her, snuggled into their warmth.

“Now, you wait here and I’ll go find out if the vicar has arrived yet.” Mama crossed to the door, glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t you dare let anyone in here while I’m gone, especially Daniel. It’s bad luck for him to see you in your dress before the ceremony.”

“All right, Mama,” she replied. Mama need not have worried over that detail. The last thing Ellie needed in her already complicated life was bad luck.

***

Daniel stood beside the vicar with Nelson and tried to keep his breathing slow and even. He watched the door to the captain’s quarters so intently his eyes watered. His weight shifted left to right as he adjusted his cravat for the third time in the past minute.
What if she changes her mind?

“Would you relax,” Nelson whispered, poking him in the side with an elbow. “Your fidgeting is making me nervous.”

He flashed Nelson a pained look. “Heaven forbid I make you uncomfortable. You know…since this is
your
wedding day and all.”

Nelson grinned wide. “I forgive you, lad.”

The door to the captain’s cabin cracked opened, and Daniel thought his heart would burst from his chest. He leaned forward, searching for Ellie. His pulse raced and his throat tightened. What if she changed her mind? He certainly couldn’t blame her for not wanting to wed an abomination.

Ellie stepped out onto the quarterdeck to a collective gasp from the crew. Jacobs and the new cabin boy, Mac, lifted their catgut-strung instruments and began to play, drawing their bows across the strings in unison. The lilting sound filled the air.

Nelson sucked a whistle of air through his teeth. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

Daniel tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. He wiped damp palms on his pants legs as Ellie floated toward him on a cloud of shimmering white satin. He drank her in like a man lost in the arid desert, memorizing every detail of his glorious red-haired hellcat. Everything he had ever hoped for, the culmination of his every childhood wish, walked toward him wrapped in a sea of delectable satin and lace.

The more you have, the more you stand to lose.

Needles of fear prickled his spine. Daniel took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and smiled down at his petite bride.
She’s always been mine to watch over. This just makes it official.
He reached out a hand to her. “You look stunning, El.”

She presented him with a heart-stopping smile, cheeks growing pink, and placed her warm hand in his. “Shall we?”

Daniel wrapped his fingers around hers and together they faced the vicar.

The ceremony slipped by in a blur. He managed to repeat the right phrases at the proper time, but his focus remained glued to the woman at his left—her breathing, the feel of her palm against his, and the succulent scent of lavender and roses that surrounded him whenever she was near. He wondered when he would wake and find it all had just been a perfect dream.

The vicar’s deep baritone jerked Daniel back to reality. “…the Lord has joined, let no man put asunder. You may kiss the bride.”

Daniel pivoted to face his wife.

My wife.

Repeating the words to himself sent a rush of warmth through his limbs. His hands found her slim waist. He dipped his head and pressed his mouth to hers in a chaste kiss. Even the simple contact elicited a swell of desire.  Daniel quelled the urge to crush her against him and, with effort, withdrew his mouth from hers.

“Gentlemen…and lady,” the vicar inclined his head toward Ellie’s mother, “may I present Master and Mistress Daniel Patrick O’Roarke.”

A roar of cheers and applause exploded from the deck of
The Siren’s Call
.

Nelson extended one hand to Daniel as the other slapped him on the shoulder. “Congratulations.” He flashed a grin at Ellie. “And good luck. You’re going to need it with her.”

“Very funny, Nelson.” Ellie gave his arm a hard pinch. “You know damned well I’m as sweet as they come.”

“Aye, that.” Nelson gave her a fatherly peck on the cheek. “I really am happy for you, El.” He jutted his chin toward Daniel. “He’s a good man, and a fair match. You make sure to give him a fair chance.”

Ellie turned three shades of red and dropped her gaze to the deck. “I will.”

“Thanks, Nelson. For everything.” Daniel gave Ellie’s hand a light squeeze.

Ellie’s mother rushed forward, gathering her daughter in a tight hug. “Congratulations, sweetheart.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I know your papa is smiling down on us. I can feel him.”

A sense of loss knifed through Daniel.
Captain Winters.
Without his mentor, he’d never have found Ellie or known what it was like to have a real family. He’d come to believe as Ellie’s mother did: the captain intended for Daniel to fall in love with his daughter. He took a moment to send a silent prayer of gratitude to the heavens, and the father he should have had.

Daniel stiffened when he noticed General McTavish approaching from the back of the group of well-wishers.

“Congratulations, Mrs. O’Roarke. My sincere hope for your every happiness.” McTavish shifted his smarmy gaze to Daniel. “A word, Captain?”

As if I can refuse.
“Of course, General.” He leaned in to Ellie, a hand at her waist, and whispered in her ear. “Be right back, love. Sorry.”

Ellie cast a glance from the general to Daniel, the light in her eyes fading. She nodded stiffly and returned her attention to her gushing mother.

Daniel led the general to the other side of the mainmast. “What do you need, General?” He didn’t bother to hide his annoyance.