Virgin Star (47 page)

"He wanted to!" Butcher came to Seanessy's defense. "Show the lass your fingers, Sean."

Seanessy held up his hands, and she saw the tremble of his trigger fingers. "I wanted to, Shalyn. How I wanted to." He approached the place where she sat and leaned over, his hand picking the virgin star from her neck. "I can't shoot him yet. Not until we find the treasure."

"What treasure?"

"The one this virgin star belongs to. Don't be daft, Shalyn mine. Why do you think he wants you so badly?"

After a thoughtful pause: "Not my winning charm?"

Seanessy shook his head.

"Not my extraordinary grace?"

He shook his head again.

"My sparkling wit?"

"Afraid not. He wants you because you know where the treasure is."

"I do?"

"Well, you did."

"You see," Butcher thought to explain. "That slaver we sunk was headed here to the Isle of Blue Caverns. One of its men told us how the duke is digging up half the island looking for this treasure. Every bloody island in the world has a rumor of treasure, and at first we thought it was just a reflection of the duke's ridiculous character—"

"Until we saw the whole windward side of the island devastated," Seanessy said. "Dug up and torn asunder. Then Kyler explained the more preposterous elements of the duke's story. It seems the man needs a little financial help with his plans for domination of the region, the opium and tea markets, the whole thing."

"You see, lass," Butcher continued. "It seems one of the reasons he bought this island in the first place was because of this rumor of treasure. Only he didn't know where the devil it was. Until he was approached by an Englishman, a surgeon, a man named Sinclair—"

"My father! The duke said his name was Henry Slakes, and I knew that wasn't true. It was Charles... Charles Sinclair!"

"Aye, and by your very own Ti Yao."

"Ti Yao? But how do you know that?"

"The rumor says it was some kind of Oriental monk. We figured it had to be Ti Yao. Anyway, they found the treasure—we know that from the pretty piece hanging on your neck. They must have found it. But apparently they needed help getting it out and off the island.

“
The operation probably couldn't have been done without the duke's permission and aid. So, they no doubt approached the duke. They probably asked for title to the island in exchange for the map telling the duke where it was—that way it would ensure their claim. They probably offered the duke a fifty-fifty split."

"Of course," Kyler said with plain masculine disgust. "That wasn't enough for the rapacious bastard."

"Lass, he probably tortured them to get the information."

"And they... they, oh my—"

"Aye, they died without telling," Seanessy finished. "So our dear friend the duke backtracks over their lives, hoping to discover something that will lead to the map. And, he finds a young girl who wears a curious mark on her breast. He assumed you knew where it was. You probably didn't know what he was going on about. You didn't even remember getting the mark—"

"But I do remember now," she told him. "I remembered when I saw your pipe on the floor. My father came back one night. He was tall and drunk and he smelled bad! He said soon he would take me back to England and put me in a proper school for girls. The idea horrified me—I never wanted to leave Ti Yao and Gschu. We were going to be rich, he kept saying. I was so afraid he would take me away. And that night, that night he held me down and filled me with... with opium, and I screamed for Ti Yao but then—"

"He put the mark on you, so if something went wrong you'd have the map,” Butcher concluded. "And, Lord, did something go wrong."

"My mark is a treasure map?"

"There it is," Kyler finished. "The duke knew it. He probably thought you did too. He had to marry you in case you ever found the treasure before he did. That way it would still belong to him. You should have heard him pondering your memory loss as we sailed to his island. She truly doesn't remember me, he'd ask, and you actually saw this bump on her head? So it is true; she doesn't remember? He was going mad trying to figure out if it was a trick or not, if it could possibly be true."

"But since I don't remember—and I don't—why does he still want me?"

"In case you ever do," Kyler said. "Because he still doesn't have a clue as to where the treasure is hidden. He can't take any chances. Right now the duke is no doubt planning his attack, as soon as he gets his greedy hands on you, he'll be coming after us."

"That man will never touch her!" Sean predicted.

Shalyn's thoughts spun over this fantastic tale; she wondered if it could possibly be true. "I just wish I could remember!"

"First things first," Seanessy said. He went to his trunk and removed a large piece of parchment and one of the new French pencils. These were set before Kyler. "Draw it. We have about an hour before the men go off on their mission of mischief. A hundred pounds to the man who figures it out."

Shalyn lowered her strap just enough. Kyler carefully copied the mark. A diamond shape, a point, and a face. What could it mean? The island certainly wasn't shaped like a diamond and what could the face possibly mean?

Shaking his head, Kyler rose with Butcher. They left the room to present the case to the men. The door shut behind them. Shalyn's thoughts--still spun over the wild tale of her life. She rubbed her forehead, distressed, desperate to fill in the missing pieces of her life. "I can't remember, Seanessy! I don't remember any of it!"

"I think I can help you."

She studied Seanessy's stare. A no-good stare. She slowly shook her head, familiar with that look of malice. A rush of panic pushed her to her feet. "I don't care about the treasure, you know." She shook her head adamantly. "I don't really care to remember what he did to me. Let's just shoot him and be done with it!"

He made no response.

"Seanessy, you are scaring me now..."

He reached behind him and picked up a coiled rope.

Her amber eyes widened like saucers. "Oh no! Oh no! You wouldn't! I know you wouldn't!"

Yet he stepped to her. She backed against the wall. A violent shudder went through her as she stared at the ropes in his hand, her hands went clammy, her face went pale...

Outside Edward and Toothless had left to stuff the cannons with rocks—just in case a war broke out. Butcher and Kyler stood on crates beneath the light of a lantern, holding up the picture of Shalyn's mark. Seanessy's men always rose to the occasion of a hundred-pound note. They stared. Feet shuffled. Hardened, weathered faces twisted with concentration as they stared.

"All right," Kyler said. "It's a treasure map. Think of this island we just sailed around. Two parts: the diamond and the face. Start with the diamond. What say you?"

"Could be the gems," Hamilton said. "In the treasure."

" 'Tisn't the shape of this island."

Cherry Joe called out, "Nay. This island is shaped like my wife's legs: fat end down."

The men laughed, but Slops settled it. "It ain't the island, and it ain't your wife's legs. So what is it?"

No one had any idea.

"All right, let's look at the face. What does that remind you of?"

"My wife again!"

Kyler sighed, rolled his eyes. "Will you get off your wife!"

"That's the point—it's been a long time since I got on her."

"It looks like a monkey's face, don't it?"

"Like I said, my wife's—"

"Oh, shut up about your wife!"

They explored another tack. "Monkey see, monkey do—"

"There's a big help," Butcher groaned.

"Well, face, saving face," Prescott said.

"Face on cards," Knolls said.

"Poker face," Slops said, illustrating his point.

"Hey! The diamond is a suit."

"Aye, and its opposite face is a heart!"

"The heart-shaped rock! By the warehouse!" Knolls grinned. "The treasure is inside the heart-shaped rock."

Butcher laughed and as if he were an auctioneer announcing a winning bid said, "Sold to the man standing there!" A cheer went up and Knolls was lifted and thrown into the air like so much baggage. "Let’s blow this place to hell and then we see if we can't get our greedy paws on the lass's treasure for her."

The men rushed to the lifeboats.

Quiet descended over the ship, interrupted only by the gentle lick of ocean on the ship's sides, Oly's occasional forlorn howl at being left alone on board, and the quickened pace of Seanessy's and Shalyn's breathing.

"Seanessy, Seanessy!"

"What?"

"I don't think it’s working!"

He had tied her hands to the bedpost. He struggled up from the sweet onslaught of sensations, all of them: the rich gold curls spilling over the bedclothes, the hot sultriness in the amber eyes, the lingering taste of the sweet port in her mouth, and the heated sound of her love cries as his hands felt the swell of her breasts, soaking her softness through his fingertips and sending the sensation like a hot current through every fiber of his being. With effort he managed to register her complaint. "You don't remember anything?"

"Seanessy." His name sounded with a small delicious pant. "I can't even remember my name like this!"

"Shalyn," he told her in a husky whisper before he molded his mouth to hers. She melted helplessly beneath this kiss as she felt the caress of his spanned fingers slip along her back and lower still until they were stopped where her gown gathered loosely at her waist. He broke the kiss, only to let his lips play elsewhere along her flushed and soft form as his hands reached around the shimmering pink silk, pushing up the skirt, his fingers like his lips-teasing, their movements orchestrated by her pleasure cries.

It suddenly occurred to him, "Do you think I should untie you?"

"Oh, please!" Then she gasped, feeling his fingers seek and stroke the feminine apex between her thighs. She forgot the directive as hot warmth rushed to greet him, and his lips began a molten exploration of the rest of her. Small gasps and feverish love cries characterized the remainder of their conversation. She was swimming on the shimmering sea of warm bright colors, flushed breathless, seized with violent waves of pleasure, returning to feel him finally, mercifully ready to join her.

"Oh, Lord, you are so tight, so hot..." He kissed her, trying to hold back for a moment longer—

"Seanessy! Someone is coming!"

"Again?" This thrilled him. He kissed her mouth, chuckling even as he was panting, "I love watching you—the surprised, almost startled look on your face ... Like now! Oh, Shalyn ... Oh, Lord, I don't know if I can wait—"

He felt her small body tense beneath him and she started screaming. He stared at her with amazement. The power of what seized her sent his pulse skyrocketing and that was all it took. The force of his release sent him for a moment into blackness. Only to return to see she was still screaming his name. "Good Lord, Shalyn—"

He abruptly smelled the tobacco smoke.

The duke was laughing. The men accompanying the duke chuckled, too. The duke's amusement quieted a bit as he said, "An astounding performance, Captain." He smiled, his arms folded casually across his chest, the cigar dangling from well-shaped fingernails. "This surpasses my wildest hopes. I admit the ropes are a surprise. I mean considering what I put her through..."

Seanessy stiffened, froze. He felt the cold metal of the barrel digging into his back. The Duke de la Armanac and maybe four men. So terribly, dangerously close. His pistole lay somewhere on the floor. He didn't even have his pants on.

And Shalyn was tied to the bedpost.

He supposed if he had to die and he could see that he did, he couldn't have dreamed of a better last hour. "At least, Your Grace, I can get the job done. If you must know, I was trying to spur her memory."

"And with such flair," the duke said, chuckling again. "But come now, Captain, a man of your worldly experience would not fault a man for what he is, what he cannot change. Though I have tried, and considering Isabel's beauty and ignoring as best one can her unusual personality, I eventually came to accept it."

"This is all so fascinating," Seanessy said. "But would you mind ordering your rascal's barrel from my back?"