Love's Fiery Jewel (33 page)

Nodding dumbly as her eyes widened in fear. Amethyst
sat shivering in the chair, causing a frown of uncertainty
to slip over the young mate's frozen countenance.

"You must get out of those wet clothes, Miss Greeri If
you were to become ill again the Captain would be very
angry."

Nodding even more emphatically as her teeth chattered with cold and shock, Amethyst finally found her
voice. "Yes, Jeremy. Please return to deck. I can take
care of myself."

Obviously thankful for her permission to leave,
Jeremy Barnes smiled briefly before turning on his heel
and moving quickly out of the cabin to close the door
tightly behind him. The picture of Damien's form swinging precariously above the churning sea still vivid
in her mind, Amethyst finally arose and began to undress.
Her frozen hands fumbling inefficiently at the closures
on her sodden clothing, Jeremy Barnes's words resounded
in her mind, accompanied by the vivid mental image that
haunted her. "You needn't worry about the Captain,
Miss ...if you were to become ill again the Captain
would be very angry."

The mental vision of Damien's fury replacing all else
in her mind, gave speed to her frozen fingers, and within
moments she was free of her wet clothing and shivering
in the bunk, prey to the horrifying vision of Damien
swaying high above the deck which would not leave her
mind.

It seemed to Amethyst the storm was abating. The
screeching of the wind gradually turned to a dull roar as
she huddled beneath the coverlet, her body aching from
her recent ordeal. She had received no word from the
main deck and felt a deep dread of the events progressing
abo've her. To divert her mind as her world swayed and
dipped incessantly with the raging sea, she had a short
time before stumbled from the safe cocoon of the bunk
and braved the cabin's cold to slip into a fresh night rail,
and quickly wrapping herself back in the blanket, had sat
by the stove to thoroughly dry her matted hair. When all
else failed to remove the image of Damien's figure
swaying high above the deck from her mind, she had
begun to brush her hair with a vehemence that set her
scalp to tingling and transformed the snarls caused by the
angry sea into a shimmering ebony cascade that gleamed
vibrantly down her shoulders and back. Still shivering
from the cold, she had climbed back into the bunk to
wrap herself tightly in the extra coverlet while her mind
totally avoided the possibility of an accident. Damien was an obeah-man, was he not? What else could account for
his retaining his grip on the icy hemp in the midst of a
howling gale? Yes, he would be fine.. .she was
certain... almost certain...

With a startling abruptness the cabin door snapped
open, interrupting her thoughts to bang loudly back
against the wall. Damien stood in the doorway, his
apparel stiff from the freezing rain, his face blanched
white with cold, the frost on his eyebrows and hair silent
testimony to the grim situation topside. Until the
moment of his appearance. Amethyst had not realized
fully the depth of her fear for his safety. A wild surge of
joy sweeping over her, she was about to jump to her feet
to embrace him when the brutal fury in his glance jerked
her to a stop. Advancing slowly into the room, Damien
stripped off his knit hat and dropped it carelessly to the
floor. His heavy pea coat followed, as did the rest of his
sodden apparel, until he stood unashamedly naked
before her. The rage in his glance did not waver, and
Amethyst was momentarily relieved when he turned to
reach for the robe lying on the chair. Obviously frozen to
the marrow, his tall, massive frame shook noticeably, but
somehow the quaking of his strong body did not dilute
the wrath burning in his light, clear eyes. Moving slowly
toward her, he bent to grasp Amethyst by the shoulders
and jerk her upright. When that did not seem to satisfy
his anger, he pulled her roughly from the bunk to stand
in her bare feet beside him. The mask of rage tightening
as he stared unblinkingly into her face, he finally rasped,
"You will never... NEVER come topside in a storm
again, Amethyst, do you hear me? You will stay below in
your cabin as you are told, and will not stray one inch
from the area in which I have instructed you to remain!"

Suddenly infuriated with herself that she had spent
the past several hours in quaking fear for Damien's safety when the main point of his concern was purely her
disobedience of his orders, Amethyst glared back into his
angry glance, her mouth tightening. She had made a
mistake, yes, but his manner was insufferable. She had
fully intended to apologize for the trouble she had caused
his first mate, but now, faced with his overbearing
attitude, Amethyst abandoned all thoughts of an apology.
He could command her all he wanted, but he could not
force her to...

"Amethyst!" Sensing her resistance, Damien shook
her violently. "You are a damned fool ...an idiot...
risking your life for a whim! Did your curiosity get the
best of you, Amethyst? Did it?" he demanded shaking
her emphatically, "Did you have to see the full force of
the storm for yourself?" His hands were biting cruelly
into her shoulders as he shook her repeatedly, and
Amethyst bit her lip against the pain, refusing to give him
the satisfaction of pleading for release.

"And did it never occur to you," Damien continued
furiously, "that you could have been killed.. .could
have been swept over the side so quickly that no one
would have realized you were gone?" His words suddenly
choking off, he stared into her face, his expression
inscrutable as he swallowed hard. When he resumed
speaking a few moments later, his voice was controlled,
but rage still seethed beneath the surface of his words.
"You owe your life to Jeremy Barnes's bravery and quick
thinking. In the event you are not aware, Mr. Barnes was
almost swept over the side with you in his unselfish
heroism.. .but that is surely one thing we can never
accuse you of, Amethyst... unselfishness!"

Jeremy Barnes had almost lost his life trying to save
her! She had not been aware of anything in that moment
of soul-freezing terror when she had felt herself slipping
over the rail, but the knowledge now shook her to the core. Still, she could not accept this man's blatant
criticism of her actions. She had been foolish, yes, but
selfish? She had had no thought of risking another
person's life. He could not speak to her that way!

Stubbornly ignoring the numbness in her feet,
Amethyst stood rigidly in Damien's fierce grip. "How
dare you, of all people, accuse me of selfishness? Perhaps
you feel yourself the master of the trait and well able to
recognize it in others, but you are wrong, Captain!" Her
glance filled with loathing, she continued venomously,
"And if I am the ignoble person you make me out to be,
Captain Straith, I do not see why you should be so upset
by my behavior. Would it not be far better to allow me to
continue my foolish conduct and next time instruct your
men to ignore me while I am swept over the side? After
all, who would know? And you would be spared the
annoyance of my company as your ward once we reach
Philadelphia. There would be no explanations demanded
by outraged mistresses, and you could continue with
your life as if I had never existed!"

The small twitch at the corner of his mouth at the
conclusion of her remarks the only indication that he had
heard her venomous tirade, Damien's grip slipped from
her shoulders. Raising his hand in a quick, unexpected
movement, he slapped her hard across the face to send
her staggering backwards across the bed with shock.
Taking a short step forward, he leaned over her, his
hands on either side of her shoulders supporting his
intimidating stance as he glared into her eyes.

"Bitch! You will never speak to me so heinously again,
or I swear I will..."

A short rap on the door snapped Damien's attention in
the other direction, interrupting his heated declaration.
Slowly straightening up, he said hoarsely without
looking back, "Cover yourself!" Then in a louder voice, "Come in!"

Lassiter's gray, grizzled head appeared around the door
within a few seconds. His glance moving uncertainly
from one to the other, he advanced toward the table,
carefully balancing the contents of his tray. A small
covered pot steamed invitingly, and placing cups on
either side of the small table, he commenced completing
the remainder of the table setting. A loaf of dark bread, a
bottle of rum, cheese and he was finished, looking up to
shoot a questioning glance between the two tense figures.

"It be a light meal tonight, Captain," the old man
ventured hesitantly, "but the hot tea should take the
chill out of yer bones."

When there was no response from the tall man glaring
coldly in his direction or the small pinched face in the
bed, Lassiter lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug of
acceptance and turned away. Damien stood staring at the
door for long moments after it had closed, finally turning
abruptly to send a short glance in Amethyst's direction.

"Come and eat now before the tea cools." His terse
command left no room for argument even should
Amethyst feel the inclination, which was hardly likely as
her empty stomach gurgled in appreciation of the mere
sight of food. Too hungry to pretend otherwise, she
ignored the stinging on her cheek and scrambled to her
feet, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. Within
moments she was seated at the table, haughtily avoiding
the light-eyed stare seldom lifted from her person. She
would not give him the satisfaction of knowing his blow
had shook her. However, finding midway through the
meal that Damien's deep scrutiny was proving a severe
hindrance to her enjoyment of her meal, Amethyst
finally placed her cup on the table and raising her eyes
boldly, stated in a determined tone, "If you would devote
as much time to eating as you are devoting to sending black looks in my direction, we could have been finished
here and tucked warmly in bed by now."

A small smile playing across his lips for the first time
that evening, Damien directed a knowing look into her
eyes, successfully raising a full blush to her cheek as she
stammered ineffectively, "I didn't mean ...I only
meant to say..."

"Don't try to explain, Amethyst." Damien's tone bore
a slightly taunting ring,"I do understand quite well what
you meant, and I do agree. Certainly you owe me
something for the trauma I experienced when I saw you
slipping over the rail the second before Barnes grabbed
you, and you have my assurance you will pay. But
perhaps not tonight. I find I am quite fatigued and
unfortunately my bed is far more appealing right now
than the comforts you so willingly offer. But you needn't
worry. My baser instincts are sure to revive once I have
had some rest. You may console yourself with that
thought."

Her eyes flaring wide at his insinuation that he was
turning down her sexual overture, Amethyst angrily
slammed her napkin down on the table. "You are a truly
insufferable man, Damien Straith!" Abruptly jumping to
her feet, Amethyst had only stomped two steps toward
the bunk before she stopped just as abruptly, to turn,
retrace her steps and resume her seat at the table."And,"
she continued, her eyes narrowing with emphasis as she
directed what she hoped was a deadly look into his now
openly amused expression, "your insidious jibes will not
stir me from this table one moment before I am ready to
leave!" Finally dismissing him with as haughty a glance
as she could muster, Amethyst turned her attention back
to the food.

Within the hour the storm had abated to a low moan
and the remains of the meal had been cleared away. Feeling the bunk sink with Damien's weight as he slid in
beside her, Amethyst curled tightly in the corner. Her
back to him, she stiffly resisted as he attempted to pull
her into his arms, only to jump as Damien hissed sharply,
"Behave yourself, Amethyst. I have not totally forgiven
your reprehensible conduct of this afternoon, and will
stand for no more of your foolishness!"

Finally allowing herself to be drawn into his arms,
Amethyst looked up as he turned her to face him. His
expression unreadable, he lightly touched the almost
indistinguishable mark of his blow on her cheek, wincing
lightly as if he himself felt the soreness of the bruise. His
quiet voice was solemn.

"Amethyst, you will never again behave as thoughtlessly as you did today, with complete disregard for your
safety, for I warn you, I will not take another such
incident lightly." When she did not respond, he insisted
quietly, "I would like your acknowledgment now,
Amethyst."

His intently serious, concerned expression draining
the last of her defiance as his mouth hovered only inches
from hers, Amethyst felt something akin to shame for the
trouble she had caused that day. With a faint, barely
perceptible nod, Amethyst stammered slightly, "You...
you have my word, Damien."

His expression unreadable, Damien's eyes moved
slowly over her face to settle warmly on the soft, parted
lips only inches from his moments before he lowered his
head for a deep, searching kiss. The clinging pressure of
his mouth leaving hers at last, Damien adjusted her slight
body to fit intimately against his own massive frame
before closing his eyes to sleep.

Amethyst had been up since dawn, excitement
charging the adrenalin through her veins as Philadelphia harbor came into view. Anxious to stay out of the crew's
way, she stood quietly at the rail as the activity surged
around her. From his position on the quarterdeck,
Damien barked quick, concise orders to his men as they
prepared to furl the mainsail. Tugging expertly at the
halyards, a dozen sailors lowered and steadied the
yardarm, securing it quickly on the belaying pins before
moving to work the braces. Spilling the wind from the
canvas by pivoting the yard until it pointed into the wind,
they secured the braces, relinquishing the next portion of
the task momentarily to the men manning the sheets.
Once positioned, the square sail was hoisted to the
yardarm by the clew and buntlines as the top men
scrambled up the ratlines on the windward side. Moving
cautiously across the yardarm, their feet balanced
precariously on foot ropes, the crew worked precisely,
securing the middle of the sail with gaskets, moving to
the weather side, and concluding on the windward side.
That portion of their job complete, the men nimbly
descended the shrouds, moving immediately to accomplish the next orders being issued from the
quarterdeck. In the frantic bustle of activity, Amethyst
was all but unnoticed, and suddenly feeling a useless,
unnecessary part of the lively scene, she turned to gaze
toward the shoreline.