Читать книгу Mistress Below Deck - Хелен Диксон, Хелен Диксон, Helen Dickson - Страница 9

Chapter Three

In desperation Rowena went down to the harbour to talk to some fishermen she knew, not knowing what she would achieve by this, but desperately hoping to find someone who would help her in her dilemma. The information she was given by one fisherman was unexpected. It would seem there was only one man who could help her—Tobias Searle.

Rowena felt her hopes rise. It would seem the whole of Cornwall had heard of the exploits of Tobias Searle. By all accounts he was the scourge of every pirate and brigand between Europe and the Caribbean. He had feelers everywhere and knew the seas and the North African coast like the pirates themselves.

Rowena stood looking at the Cymbeline in silence for a long time. Until yesterday it had been riding at anchor out in the bay, but now it was moored further along the quay. If what she had been told was true, then could she humbly go to Tobias Searle and beg his help? Plead with him to help her, bargain with him? But she had nothing to bargain with. Slowly her gaze shifted from the majestic vessel to the smaller Rowena Jane, and she realised she had something to offer him after all.

Rowena hated the thought of humbling herself before her father’s sworn enemy, but her desperation to find Jane was the stronger force. If it meant he would help her, she would crawl and grovel to Old Nick himself. He represented her one chance of finding Jane.

She observed the vessel was taking on provisions, as though it was preparing to leave, which she considered strange, since she truly believed Mr Searle would not leave Falmouth until her father had paid him what he owed him.

Walking towards the vessel, she paused at the bottom of the broad plank connecting the ship to the quay, along which members of the crew were carrying casks of water and salt meat and other provisions.

‘I wish to see Mr Searle,’ she said to the first man she encountered. ‘He—is on board?’

‘Aye, miss—in ’is cabin with Mr Dexter. Follow me and I’ll take you to him.’

The cabin, with dark wood panelling and polished chairs, was quite splendid. Tobias was at a table, poring over a chart spread out over its surface, his finger on a particular spot. Another man stood beside him. Tobias looked up.

‘Rowena?’ Though he was clearly surprised, it in no way shattered his cool disdain.

‘I’m sorry to intrude, but I would be grateful if you could spare me a little of your time.’

He grinned. ‘Forgive me. I thought you were the new cabin boy.’

Her eyebrows rose. ‘Do I look like a cabin boy?’

His gaze flicked over her in her sky blue muslin sprigged with tiny violet flowers and a violet velvet sash about her waist. Grinning, he had a wicked twinkle in his eye, as though her arrival on board was an amusing diversion. He shook his head. ‘Not in the slightest. This is Mr Dexter, captain of the Cymbeline. Mark, allow me to present to you Miss Golding.’

Mark Dexter stepped towards her, smiling broadly. About forty years of age, he was a splendidly built man, broad shouldered and bearded, with a lined and cheerful countenance.

‘Welcome aboard, Miss Golding. If you will excuse me, I am needed on the quarterdeck.’

When they were alone, Tobias stood still across the cabin, his eyes running over her swiftly, and there was something in their depths Rowena could not fathom.

‘And what brings you into the camp of the enemy with such urgency, Rowena?’

She stared at him, the rush of familiar excitement causing her to become tongue tied, affected strongly as she was by the force of his presence. He was dressed in a brown leather sleeveless jerkin over his loose white shirt. Studying him, she was acutely aware of the strong arms where the shirt had been rolled up to the elbows, of the small area of chest exposed by the open neck of his shirt.

Calming herself, she said, ‘I have come here on a matter of the greatest importance to me and my father.’

The startling blue eyes rested on her ironically. ‘You have come to settle his debt?’

She coloured hotly and shook her head. ‘No, I’m afraid not. I am here because I believe you are the only person who might be able to help us.’

‘Us?’

Rowena could sense that he was wary, that his guard had been dropped just a little, but his steady gaze told her he was not going to make it easy for her.

‘Of what help could I possibly be to you and your father? Did he send you here to plead for him, to use your petty wiles?’ His voice was instantly terse.

Rowena controlled her temper as he rested his hips on the edge of the table and folded his arms across his broad chest. He had not invited her to sit down, and she knew he was deliberately keeping her on tenterhooks until she told him the reason for her visit.

‘My father knows nothing of this visit. If he ever found out, he would flay me to within an inch of my life for sure.’

A muscle twitched in his cheek. ‘Then what is it that only I can do to help you? My curiosity is aroused as to why you have sought me out on my ship without your father’s knowledge.’

Confident that he would not turn her away without a hearing, Rowena moved towards him and looked at him directly to allow him to see the velvet softness of her long-lashed eyes. She meant to make use of every advantage she possessed.

‘What is it, Rowena?’

She stopped just three feet from him. He was telling her he had no time to waste on pleasantries. He was busy with his own concerns, his manner said. She would be better served to state her case and be on her way.

‘You will know about the Petrel, the passenger vessel that was bound for the Scilly Isles and was attacked by pirates?’

His jaw tightened. ‘I have heard. What of it?’

‘Are you not concerned?’

He shrugged. ‘Not unduly. It happens all the time.’

She drew a breath, steeling herself against his reaction. Her face was flushed as she realised she had never felt so unsure of herself. ‘This—is difficult for me.’

He eyed her keenly, his brow puckered. ‘Really? In what way? I must ask you to state your business—I’ve not got all day.’

‘No, indeed,’ she said icily, finding it difficult to keep her temper under control, but knowing she must if she was to win him over. ‘You are a man of some importance and a reputation that most seamen must envy.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘Let’s get to the point. I’m not a man who needs to be buttered up before he can be asked to do anything. Speak plain, Rowena. You want something from me and you must want it badly for you to seek me out like this.’

‘I do. The devil drives where the devil must,’ she said, feeling that the devil was certainly driving her when she must grovel to this man. ‘You will not have heard that my sister was on the Petrel, and that she was taken captive.’

At last she had his interest.

‘No, I had no idea. I’m sorry. It can’t be easy for any of you, but I still don’t see why you are here.’

‘To ask you to help me find her.’

He looked at her in genuine astonishment. ‘Rowena, there really is no other woman who would have the damned impudence to come here, after all that has happened between us, and ask me to find her sister.’

‘I know what it looks like, but I—I thought…’

‘What? That I would up anchor and sail into some of the most hostile waters in the world to search for one young woman? Did it not occur to you that I have my own ship, my own business, to attend to, and that I would not be languishing in Falmouth harbour if I were not waiting for your father to settle his debt to me?’

‘There is nothing I can do about that.’

He looked at her hard and then after a pause, he said, ‘You want me to do the impossible. You are asking me to go behind your father’s back and take my crew into a hornets’ nest, where there is every chance they might not survive.’

Fire sprang into her eyes. She clenched her hands tightly in the folds of her skirt. ‘I would not have thought the task so impossible for a man such as yourself. I have been told you know the coast and the sea around North Africa well, and that you are acquainted with some of the Barbarians personally. I have no wish to know the whys and wherefores of this—that is your business—but with all this to your favour you are better qualified to find my sister than anyone else.’

For a moment he looked at her in silence. There was a glint in his eyes. ‘I cannot believe you have come here to ask this mad, impossible thing.’

Rowena felt a wave of desperation as she strove for control. ‘Do you think I don’t know that? It is mad and perhaps it is impossible,’ she exploded, her eyes bright with anger, ‘but I have to try. If you will not help me, perhaps you can tell me someone who will, because I swear that if there is the slightest chance of finding Jane I will row all the way to North Africa myself.’ Behind her words lay the shadow of a struggle. When she had entered the cabin her objective had looked close within her reach; now it seemed as remote as ever.

‘Don’t be a fool, Rowena. Look at the facts before you do anything rash. The fanatical, tyrannical network of Islamic slave traders have declared war on the whole of Christendom, and the whole of Europe has been hit by repeated raids, including England’s coastal villages. Thousands have been snatched from their homes and taken to Algiers and Sale in chains. The corsairs are highly disciplined. They are ruthless and make a formidable fighting force. No one knows what happens to the captives seized by the corsairs. Once sold, many disappear without trace and are never heard of again. That is a fact, and cruel, as it may seem, you must accept it.’

‘Never. I will never accept it. What would you do, if it were your sister who had been captured? Would you not want to go after her, to get her back?’

Rubbing the back of his neck, he nodded slowly. ‘If I am honest, yes, I would.’

‘Then, please, I beg of you to give it some thought. If it were within my power, I would pay you anything you asked.’

Tobias cocked a brow. ‘Anything, Rowena? I cannot think of any amount of money that might tempt me.’

‘You have to help us, for without your help Jane is doomed. Will you please think it over?’ Her voice cracked painfully and she was looking at him with eyes that had turned a brilliant and quite incredible green in her despair.

‘I have no wish to think it over and no need. I am sorry for your loss, but I cannot help you.’

A great wave of disappointment and anger filled her heart. ‘So, you refuse,’ she said with a rush of emotion. ‘You really don’t care, do you? You don’t care for anyone but yourself. My sister can rot in some Arab prison and be murdered for all you care and you won’t lift a finger to help.’

‘Spare me your temper, Rowena,’ he said, his voice clipped. ‘No one can help her. It would be useless to try.’

‘But you must,’ she blurted out. ‘There is no one else.’

‘Rowena,’ he said, sighing deeply, ‘you never cease to amaze me.’

She bristled at his light, mocking tone.

‘The debt your father owes me stands between us. Does that not bother you?’

‘Of course it does, and I hate myself for having to come to you of all people for help, which must show you the extent of my desperation. I am quite helpless at going after my sister myself.’

‘The hell you are. Helpless be damned. A woman who can approach her father’s enemy and beg for favours, and still lift her head with fire in her eyes, is not helpless.’ He shook his head, his thick hair falling over his wide brow, unmistakable laughter bubbling in his chest, rich and infectious. ‘No helpless female would dare to board my ship alone and with nothing on her person for protection. You deserve a commendation for sheer guts, Rowena. I salute your courage and your boldness. You are undeniably brave—as well as beautiful. But your father is in debt to me up to his ears. Would you compound that debt by adding to it?’

‘There—there is something I could give in payment.’ With surprise she was conscious that he was now studying her with a different interest. She returned his look. His expression did not alter, and yet she felt the air between them charged with emotion.

‘Could you indeed? You mean that you and I could have—a very delightful arrangement?’

His voice was like silk and his eyes had become a warm and very appreciative blue, and Rowena knew immediately what price he was asking her to pay. She felt fury rise up inside her—not just with him, but with herself and the excitement that stirred at the very idea.

‘When I spoke of payment, I was talking about the Rowena Jane.’

‘And why would I want another ship? I have any amount of vessels and no need of another.’ He frowned. ‘The Rowena Jane belongs to your father. What right have you to offer it to me?’

‘Father—is quite beside himself with worry about Jane. He would do anything to have her home safely.’

His eyes gleamed, an intense, speculative gleam that Rowena did not care for and she felt a frisson of alarm. His contemplation was steady, for he had already set the price in his mind and only waited the moment. ‘If your cause is so important, I will bargain with you, but the price will be high.’

‘Oh?’

‘I prefer payment of a different kind. In short, Rowena, you.’

Her breath came out in a rush and her eyes flared with anger. She gasped with stunning rage at the affront. Never had she been so insulted, felt such humiliation, she told herself, her temper whipping up her colour until her cheeks glowed a poppy red. Deep down she was outraged and if she hadn’t been so desperate for his help she would have lashed out at that supercilious mouth and seen the flesh shatter. She despised him more than ever for this, but not so much as she despised herself, for she could not deny that she was deeply attracted by him.

‘What are you suggesting?’

He smiled slowly and raised a dark brow as he considered her flushed cheeks and the soft, trembling mouth. ‘Don’t play the innocent, Rowena. You are a woman—a very beautiful woman any man would desire to have in his bed. You know exactly what I am saying.’

She stared at him, aware of the trap that closed slowly around her. There was a quiet alertness in his manner, like that of a wolf, its strength ready to explode, but docile for the moment. ‘Yes,’ she said tersely, ‘I think I do, Mr Searle.’

‘Tobias. My name is Tobias. So, shall we strike a bargain?’ His lips curved slightly, and then, with all the time in the world, he shoved himself away from the table and turned to consider the map.

‘And my future husband? How do you suggest I explain such an arrangement to him?’

A secretive gleam shone in his eyes. ‘That, my dear Rowena, is a matter for you and your conscience.’

Rowena looked at him hard, knowing that, if she wanted his help to get Jane back, she really had no choice but to do as he asked. ‘I came prepared to plead Jane’s case, to pay in any way possible.’ Her voice was low and husky. ‘I did not come to pay the price you ask—the highest price of all—but pay it I will, even though I shall despise you for it.’

Tobias looked amazed for barely an instant. He had not expected her to comply so easily. He was well satisfied. It would almost be worth sailing into North Africa’s barbarian-infested waters in search of Rowena’s sister. ‘So, is it a bargain?’

Convinced he had no morals if he could ask her into his bed, knowing she was promised to another, Rowena raised her chin haughtily. ‘Yes, we have a bargain—but it will be for one night only.’

He nodded slowly and his eyes glowed intently. ‘For one night you promise to belong to me?’

‘My need is great,’ she said, never more aware of the truth of it as she was then, ‘so, yes, if you will help me find Jane?’