Too Far to Whisper (19 page)

Shadow’s silence made her feel uneasy. She took a deep breath before continuing. “There were but five men aboard, and their eagerness for female companionship made them easy prey. We offered them a drink from our flasks…laced with a goodly amount of sleeping potion. Molly said it was an old Indian recipe! Do you know of it?”

An awkward silence hung between them before Shadow finally responded. “What you did was both foolish and dangerous.” His tone was icy. “Adam gave me his solemn promise that he would see to your safety. I see now that I was wrong to put my trust in the man.”

“Do not place blame on Adam,” Rosalind said softly. She reached for Shadow’s hand and wrapped her fingers around his. “His only desire was to see me happy.” She drew a shaky breath. “The moment you left me this eve, such a terrible feeling of loss overcame me, I could do naught but weep. ‘Twas Adam who convinced me to follow my heart.”  She wished a ray of light magically would appear and enable her to search Shadow’s face for clues to his feelings.

When Shadow offered no response, Rosalind whispered, “Please, leave this ship with me posthaste, while the men are still sleeping off the effects of the potion, ere their mates return. I told Nathaniel you were headed west. So perhaps now we can safely go to New France.”

Although Rosalind’s use of the word
we
when referring to any future travel greatly pleased Shadow, something else in her statement held the opposite effect. “You spoke with Nathaniel?” he asked tightly. “When?”

Rosalind imagined his jaw muscles tensing as he posed the question. “This eve, shortly after your departure. He came seeking Adam’s advice because he had heard he was somewhat of a local authority on Indians. You can well imagine Nathaniel’s shock when he found
me
there!”

“And what was the captain’s reaction upon seeing you?”

Rosalind hesitated, not certain how much of the evening’s events she should disclose. “He was pleased…very pleased.”

Instinctively, Shadow sensed the reason for her reluctance to answer. “Did he attempt to…”

“Aye,” she cut him off before he could complete the question. When she felt Shadow’s fingers tighten beneath hers, she hastened to add, “But ‘twas my good fortune Adam arrived home from the tavern when he did and he abruptly cooled Nathaniel’s ardor. Nathaniel wished to stay the night at Adam’s, but Adam wisely refused him and directed him to the inn. But Nathaniel said he would return for me in the morning to escort me back to Eastwell so that we may be…wed.”

“And if you are not there when Nathaniel returns, how will Adam explain your absence?”

“I believe he intends to tell him you returned for me and dragged me off in the night,” she answered. “Adam is confident that as long as the Corwins believe I am a victim, no harm will come to my family.”

Shadow sighed and shook his head. The few hours he had spent in the dank, lightless hold had been more than sufficient to convince him he could bear little more of the confinement before he went mad. Even a short voyage to Boston now seemed unthinkable. Still, he was reluctant to flee the ship with Rosalind. To do so might increase the danger of her being discovered as his accomplice, especially with Nathaniel lurking about.

“If I leave with you,” Shadow said evenly, “what then?” He still was not certain exactly how – or where – he fit into Rosalind’s future plans.

“We shall be together,” she stated simply. “That is all that matters.”

Shadow found himself at a loss for words. Although he desperately wished to believe that Rosalind’s feelings for him were as deep as her actions professed them to be, he could not dismiss the suspicion that her sudden, urgent need to seek him out aboard the ship may have been a result of her encounter with Nathaniel earlier that evening – especially if the captain had frightened her in some way.

“Please, Shadow,” Rosalind pleaded, her voice interrupting his thoughts. “If we are to leave this ship, we must do so now! The rest of the crew shall soon return.” She hesitated before adding, “Unless you still wish to journey to England…alone?”

“I have no desire to go there,” he quietly responded.

His admission afforded Rosalind a small measure of relief. “Then come,” she urged him, rising to her feet and tugging on his arm. “We must hasten back to Adam’s. Once there, we can decide what to do next.”

She left Shadow little choice. He could not allow her to return to Adam’s unescorted in the middle of the night, especially with scores of drunken sailors wandering about, nor could he allow her to remain aboard the ship with him. He reached out and felt the floor around him, gathering his belongings, then stood. “I hope we have not already waited too long,” he said.

In silence and with measured steps, Rosalind allowed Shadow to lead her out of the cargo hold and past the galley. Gripping his hand, she pressed close to his back, carefully matching his every step as she strained to hear any sound of activity on the deck above. The stillness was reassuring, yet Rosalind could not ignore the hammering of her heart. Her only desire was to return to the safety of Adam’s house and warm herself before the fire. The damp chill of the ship felt as if it had penetrated her every pore.

When they reached the hatch, Shadow motioned Rosalind to remain below while he climbed out onto the deck and scanned the area. When he saw no sign of any of the crew members above, he helped Rosalind onto the deck and together, they crept toward the gangplank.

Shadow and Rosalind barely had set foot on it when three figures emerged from the darkness on the dock below.

“Well, well, what have we here?” a voice called out, its slurred pronunciation of the words attesting to the owner’s drunkenness.

Rosalind dug her fingers into Shadow’s arm and froze where she stood. In one fluid motion, he dropped the pack and pulled Rosalind behind him, blocking her from the strangers’ view.

The three sailors, one burly and the other two lanky, staggered up the moonlit gangplank and did not halt until the burly one was within an arm’s length of Shadow.

“I asked you a question,” the burly sailor snapped, craning his neck to look beyond Shadow and catch a glimpse of Rosalind. “What seems to be the problem, red man? Can you understand only the primitive grunting you and your kind call your language?”

Shadow stared unblinkingly at him, his chin rising.

“What have you done with our crew?” one of the other men questioned. “Why is there no one out here on watch?”

The burly sailor’s brows creased together. “Aye. Where are they?”

Shadow’s continued silence appeared to do little to ease the men’s growing anxiety. Boldly, the burly one stepped forward and poked his finger into Shadow’s chest. “Answer me, you ignorant savage!”

Moving only his right arm, Shadow reached up and grasped the sailor’s wrist, then twisted it and shoved him backward. The startled man stumbled, but his fall was halted by his two companions, who caught him and steadied him, then pushed him forward to once again confront Shadow.

“You are trespassing,” the burly sailor, struggling to regain his composure and his dignity, angrily informed Shadow. “I have every right to defend this ship.” He narrowed his eyes. “Even if it means killing you!”

Shadow shrugged. “Then by all means, do so.”

“He speaks English!” the burly sailor said. Shadow’s calm acceptance of his threat appeared to cause the sailor to carefully consider his next move. “If I were sober,” he finally stated, “I would easily bring you to your knees, savage, but at present, I fear you have the advantage.”

“But the rest of our mates are on their way back here,” the youngest sailor chimed in. “Soon you will find yourself sorely outnumbered!”

Shadow cast him an amused smile. “It appears to me that I already am outnumbered.” He directed a glare at each one of them. “You will forgive me if I choose not to remain here long enough to meet your friends.” He bent to lift his pack, then took Rosalind by the hand and moved forward, attempting to lead her down the gangplank. As he had anticipated, the sailors blocked his path.

“Allow us to pass,” Shadow stated coolly, “and no harm shall come to you.”

The burly sailor laughed mockingly. “Oh, how kind of you,
sir
!” His expression sobered as he added, “You are going nowhere until we find out what you were doing aboard our ship…and what is in that pack of yours. What did you steal?”

Glaring at the man, Shadow released Rosalind’s hand and took another step forward.

“Stay where you are!” the burly sailor warned, as he backed away from him. When Shadow did not comply, the sailor inhaled, straightened his shoulders and lunged at him. Shadow’s reflexes were sharp, and his movements as swift as a cat’s. With a well-timed step to the side, Shadow easily avoided his drunken assailant’s charge. The man landed hard on his stomach, a loud gush of air expelling from his lungs.

Once again grasping Rosalind’s hand, Shadow stepped over the moaning sailor, who seemed in no hurry to make any attempt to stand.

“Step aside,” Shadow ordered the two remaining sailors, who stubbornly continued to block his way. Although their attempts to maintain their stances were greatly hampered by their drunkenness, they appeared determined to stand their ground.

Sighing, Shadow eyed the two lanky, swaying men who had become more of a nuisance to him than a threat. He was tired, and his patience was wearing thin. Once again dropping his pack and Rosalind’s hand, Shadow reached out and grasped the front of the younger sailor’s shirt, the action so swift, the man had no time to react. Effortlessly, Shadow lifted the slim form and tossed it over the side of the gangplank. A shocked gasp was the only sound the sailor made before he hit the water with a loud splash. Shadow spun around to face the other sailor who, with his hands and teeth clenched, threw a punch at Shadow’s face. Shadow ducked, causing the intoxicated man to lose his balance and stumble forward. Shadow lifted his foot and rammed it into the sailor’s chest, sending him, his arms flailing in the air, over the edge of the gangplank to join his companion in the frigid water.

Shadow reached for Rosalind and his pack. “Hurry!” he shouted, pulling her behind him down the gangplank.

When they at last set foot on land, Shadow tightened his grasp on Rosalind’s wrist and broke into a run. Twice, Rosalind lost her footing and stumbled, but Shadow yanked her back to her feet before she was able to fall. The pair reached the protective shelter of some trees just as they heard the off-key singing and drunken revelry of a group of sailors returning to the ship.

“That was too close,” Rosalind breathlessly whispered, sagging against a tree.

“We are not safe yet,” Shadow said. “We must hasten back to Adam’s house ere anyone else spies us.”

Before Rosalind could take another breath, he reclaimed her hand and pulled her to her feet, leaving her no choice but to follow him.

* * * * *

“Latch the door!” Adam called out when Shadow and Rosalind entered his house. “Good Lord, I am relieved to see the two of you! I could not sleep, my worry was so great.”

“And with good cause!” Shadow snapped. He tossed his pack onto the floor and cast a scowl of disapproval at his friend. “What thought you, allowing Rosalind to take part in such a dangerous scheme? Did you not give me your word you would keep her safe? I trusted you, Adam. Do you realize how very near we came to not making it back here at all?”

With each question, Adam opened his mouth to respond, then closed it abruptly, allowing the Indian to continue his rant.

“Do not place the blame on Adam,” Rosalind cut in, seating herself before the hearth and extending her hands to capture the warmth of the blaze. “It was all my idea, my plan. I gave Adam little choice other than to help me, for I still would have carried it out on my own. My desire to prevent you from sailing out of my life was so strong, it blotted out all rational thought.”

“May I assume then, that your plan worked?” Adam’s eyebrows rose.

“Perfectly!” Rosalind could not suppress a giggle. “I wish you could have witnessed it!” She removed her cloak and revealed a dress that obviously had hastily been altered to make her performance more convincing. The bodice was cut low, revealing an ample swell of pale bosom, and so snug, her breasts looked as if they were about to burst from the dress with her next breath.

Shadow’s eyes widened as they scanned Rosalind’s immodest attire. “How can you sit there and make light of this?” he exploded. “Tell me, would you still be so pleased if the sailors had refused the drink and instead had violated you, Rosalind?”

Her victorious smile instantly faded. “But my plan did not fail,” she emphasized. “Everything went exactly according to plan, and you are back here where you belong. So there is no point in discussing what might or might not have occurred. ‘Tis over!”

Shaking his head and frowning, Shadow took a seat on one of the benches.

Adam turned to face him. “So, pray tell, what do the two of you intend to do now? You do realize that Nathaniel will arrive at daybreak to fetch Rosalind?”

Rosalind visibly cringed at the mention of Nathaniel. “We have discussed no plans yet,” she said. “We were too busy making our escape from the ship.”

“If you need a place to stay for a spell while you form your plans,” Adam said, “my brother, Joseph, has a place about two kilometers from here on the river. He’s a trapper who recently has been made a widower and at present, is staying with his daughter and her family until his grief eases. I have been keeping an eye on his house for him during his absence. So if you stay there and disturb anything, he simply will think naught of it because he will believe I did it.” He directed his next statement to Rosalind. “I think you would be wise to hasten there posthaste, while you still have the cover of night to conceal you, and be well away from here ere Nathaniel’s arrival.”