Authors: Kitty Margo
“
Merci,
sir. But I am not without an escort. I fear I have simply misplaced him.”
They both laughed as the smiling stranger took the place beside her at the rail.
He
gave an overly dramatic sigh as he placed his hand over his heart and purred, “Alas, you are married, no doubt
, and are sailing to your honeymoon destination
. Were you not
,
I could be the happiest and most fortunate man on this earth
.
”
“
Non
, bu
t I am not married.” She giggled
, enjoying his lively banter. “The Captain is my escort
and t
he purpose of this voyage is to visit relatives in America.” She had been instructed to tell no one that Georgia was her destination and had thankfully remembered it. “I have never crossed the ocean
,
you see.”
“Then perhaps you will allow me the pleasure of giving you a personal guided
tour when we dock
, before you are whis
ked off to destinations unknown,
” he offered. “There is much to discover in my home to
wn of Charleston
.”
“Then you are an American, how nice.
Oui
, I would enjoy that.” Lynna smiled brightly, watching a playful dolphin leaping and swimming alongside the ship. As she thrilled to the morning breeze ruffling her hair
,
she was attentive to the gentleman beside her, yet her eyes wandered the deck
,
searching for any sign of the Captain
. She blushed to the roots of her hair remembering the vivid dream she
’d
had last night. It had all seemed so… real. But…it had to be a dream. It
could not have really happened! Although,
never before had her imaginings been
quite
so…colorful!
“I will look forward to it then
.” He gazed
out across the calm ocean
and breathed a dramatic sigh
. “It is a pleasant voyage thus far, but I pray we
do not
meet with any of the violent storms on our return voyage, such as the ones we encountered on the passage over.”
“Storms!” Lynna shrieked, placing her hand on his arm and for the moment
forgetting all else
.
“Violent storms
?” Only her father and Gertrude knew how deathly afraid she was of thunder and lightning. She would never forget the haunting memory of
the booming thunder that
filled the skies the night her beloved mother had disappeared forever. Her father, who always held her and s
ang to block out the
noise of the terrifying storms
,
would no longer be with her to soothe her fears.
“I had not considered there would be storms at sea,” Lynna
mumbled absently as worry creased her brow.
Oh, how
she feared storms! For some
reason she had the foreboding
feeling they would be far worse at sea.
She could not allow herself to dwell on such thoughts or her first adventure would be ruined. “
I am
sorry, but I
do not
know your name, sir.”
The stranger bowed and gallantly extended his hand. “Malcolm Robinson, at your service.”
“Mr. Robinson!” Lynna cried, the vexati
on of storms firmly fixed in
her mind. “Are there very many storms at sea?” Had she even contemplated the possibility, she might never have left h
ome at all. Thoughts of towering
waves crashing across the deck where she now stood almost paralyzed her with fear. She would much prefer to take her chances with the ever-present threat of kidnappers than to be completely at the mercy of jagged forks of lightning and the heart stopp
ing
thunder
bolts
that were sure to follow.
“Perhaps I should not have mentioned it. I certainly
did not
wish to upset you.” Leaning toward her
,
he whispered close to her ear. “And what is your name, my beauty?”
“Bridget,” she mumbled, remembering her father’s instructions to tell no one onboard the ship her true identity.
“A lovely name for a lovely lady. Something tells m
e we will become much better
acquainted on this cruise, Bridget.”
“
Merci
, sir.” Lynna bestowed upon him a most enchanting smile and considered it a fortuitous occurrence to have met such a kind gentleman. Perhaps his would be a shoulder to fi
nd solace on should any
storms arise and the Captain be busy attending to ship’s business.
“It has been a pleasure passing the morning with you, I assure you. However
,
I fear I must return to my cabin. I can only endure the sun for brief periods, as the heat seems to bring on a simply horrendous headache. I suppose I shall read to ease the boredom.” He eyed her closely as he spoke.
“Oh, how featherbrained of me not to have brought along some books. Gertrude should have had the presence of mind to pack some, as it would certainly have made the
journey more tolerable. Although,
we packed in such a hurry.”
“Why
, I would be
happy to share mine with you. I have more than enough to keep me occupied. Several
of a romantic persuasion
that should be of interest to you, in fact. If you will accompany me to my cabin you may select whichever ones your little heart desires.”
“
Merci
, sir. You are most kind.”
“Believe me, the pleasure is all mine,” he assured her as he took her elbow and escorted her below deck.
Lynna glanced over her shoulder looking for the Captain, but he was busy talking to one of the deck hands with his back turned to her.
Malcolm’s room was cluttered with clothes carelessly strewn about, and smelled offensively of stale whiskey, not at all like the Captain
's immaculate cabin. A
t once possessed
of an unusual sense of dread, o
f a sudden, she felt trapped, suffocated. Should she turn and leave? Instinctively she felt the urge to run, but at the same time chided herself for being ridiculous. Silly girl! Here this thoughtful gentleman was only attempting to be courteous and she was ready to flee
like a frightened child
.
Taking a deep, calming breath she turned to inquire a
bout the books when he suddenly
grabbed her and clutched her hard against his chest. When she opened her lips to protest he covered her mouth with his
own
. As she struggled to get her bearings and make some sense of this madness
,
his lips trailed over her face and neck, toward her
bosom. Even though her world was
t
emporarily spinning in the wrong direction
, she had the presence of min
d
to realize that his kiss
es were not at all like the Captain’s
. At once repulsed
,
she tried to push him away, but he increased his hold
,
squeezing her breast and murmuring a name that wasn’t even hers. “Stop, please! I do not wish to do this, Mr. Robinson!”
“I fear I cannot stop now
,
my little French beauty! We desire each other and you
do not
have to affect any silly modesty with me. You were well aware of what would happen when you entered my cabin. Please do not be tedious and pretend otherwise.”
“
No
n,
sir, I assure you, I did not!”
“Just relax and enjoy it
,
as I am sure you do with our illustrious Captain.”
“
Non
, I will not!” She struggled against the iron grip around her waist, fighting with all the strength she could muster, but it wasn’t e
nough. She cringed at
the
sound of the
rending tear as her bo
dice was ripped and her
breast
s
were displayed before
his lusting gaze.
“My word, but you are a rare beauty!” He sank to the bed
,
pulling her to stand between his legs as his mouth fastened greedily on her breast and his hands roamed beneath her skirt
,
sending shivers of revulsion surging through her.
Lynna was dumbfounded as she watched him suckle her breast. She felt none of the pleasurable sensations she had experienced when Joshua's lips had caressed the very same spot, when his tongue had drawn circles around her taut nipple… Oh! Joshua’s lips
had
been on her breast. Last night had not been a dream! A deep blush stained her cheeks
,
leading Malcolm to the erroneous conclusion that he was causing her body temperature to rise.
Lynna was mortified by her wanton behavior with Joshua! But at the same time it had been so… beautiful. Nothing at all like what was happening now! She knew from the very essence of her being that this was terribly wrong. When his fingers begin to gouge painfully in the sensitive area between her thighs she cried, “
Non
!” and shoved him backward with all her might.
Fighting back the nausea that boiled in her throat, she watched with dread as Malcolm's head crashed into the bedpost. “Oh, forgive me!” she sobbed, fearing momentarily that she might have killed t
he contemptible man, but she cringed
in horror as he came toward her with rage glistening in his murderous eyes.
“You like it rough, do you
,
bitch
?
” he snarled, grabbing her roughly as he squeezed both
her
hands behind her back and sunk his teeth into the tender skin of her breast.
As p
ain shot through her breast as if
it had been touched with the fire from a branding iron, she
let loose
a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through every cor
ner of the ship just before slipping
into a dark
,
painless void.
Hours later,
Lyn
n
a sobbed uncontrollably as she lay cradled in the safety of Joshua’s warm embrace. “Joshua, he was so beastly! Why did he wish to harm me? For the life of me
,
I
do not
understand his reprehensible behavior. He seemed so considerate at first when he volunteered to share his books with me. But he was not the same gentleman at all when we were alone i
n his cabin. He was like a man…
possessed. What could I have done to make him loathe me so?”
“Share his books with you? Is that how he lured you into his cabin?” Was the sultry siren that had totally captivated him
the night before
such a naiveté? “Simply by offering you books to read?”
Joshua gently dried the tears that hovered on her sooty lashes.
“
Oui.
In my haste
,
I forgot to bring some and Gertrude failed to pack any.”
For sure
,
Malcolm must have imagined he had stumbled upon a miracle in the guise of a simpleton. “He will never hurt you again, my sweet. That is one promise I shall take to my grave. And he did not loathe you.” Joshua faulted himself for permitting this to happen to her. He should have never let her out of his sight. He had made a promise to h
er father and failed to keep it, therefore h
e was entirely to blame and accepted full accountability. Why had he allowed her to roam the ship at will, when he knew any man who laid eyes on her would desire her at first glance? Yet, in his own defense, he had no way of knowing there was a molester onboard his ship. Malcolm had made several crossings on the
Windjammer
and partaken of numerous meals in the Captain’s cabin. Never once had Joshua considered the dandy to be a threat.
But he had made a dreadful
error in judgment and Lynna had paid the price.
“
I cannot understand why the odious man would wish to cause me so much pain and distress if he did not hate me?”
How could he explain this? “Because, my pet, some men have a strong, almost overwhelming physical craving for women
,
and some men, like the cretin who assaulted you, will go to any lengths to possess them, even committing the heinous crime of rape.”
“Rape?”
“When a man forces himself on a woman entirely against her will.”
“By forcing himself on her,” she s
topped and blushed profusely. “Y
ou mean doing…
what we did… last night…
making love? Even though she does not wish for it to happen?”
“Yes, except that in such a situation as you describe
,
it would not be termed making love, Lynna. It would be a case of forced sex, or rape.”
Her
luscious lips pursed in confusion
as she appeared to ponder his words. “But we had
…
sex, since in order for it to be described as making love
,
the man would have to love the woman. Would that be an accurate assessment?
”
“Yes…I mean no!
Lynna, sometimes love has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
” Joshua had the sinking suspicion
that
this conversation could not turn out well. “
As I said, sometimes it is merely a physical release for a man… and a woman.”
“So, in essence, what you are telling me is that a man does not have to love a woman in order to
make
love to her?”
“Yes, I suppose
,” he answered r
uefully, while fervently wishing they were discussing any topic besides the current one
.
Lynna tilted her head in concentration.
“Then do you love me? Or did you simply need a physical release? And was it wrong, what we did?”
Scrubbing both hands across his face, Joshua knew he could not
bring himself to lie to her
,
so he surreptitiously avoided the question entirely. She had suf
fered so much pain already, why
cause he
r additional distress by admitt
ing the truth, which w
as that no, he did not love her?
Nor that yes, they had only had sex, albeit spectacular sex, and if but a hint of their encounter behind closed doors were ever brought to the light of day
,
she would be labeled a woman of dubious virtue by polite society.
As Lynna turned to remove herself from his lap
in order to think more clearly
, she clutched her breast and winced in pain.
“What is it, Lynna?”
“It is nothing. I am but a
little sore from the ordeal.”
Joshua was not so easily convinced. Turning the chair to face the light
,
he removed her hands from her torn bodice. His entire body went rigid as he stared at the deep red marks on the porcelain skin of her breast. Around the teeth prints a livid purple bruise was already beginning to form. “The bastard!
He will pay!” Joshua roared. “On this you have my solemn promise. I will see him keelhauled for this!” He eased Lynna gently to the bed and stormed toward the door. He had left Malcolm little more than a bloody heap earlier, after Sam had finally s
ucceeded in dragging him off
the vermin. But seeing Lynna’s mangled breast
,
his fury began anew.
“
Non
, Joshua! Please! Do not leave me! I cannot be a
lone now. What if the despicable
man should return?”
Joshua's anger slowly subsided as he noted
the intense fear in her eyes. L
ying down beside her
,
he lightly stroked the ugly
,
swollen marks. “I will not leave you, my sweet. You need not be afraid. Rest now.” He pulled the covers over her ravaged body and drew her into his arms.
“Go to sleep, Lynna,
you will be safe with me.”
Lynna had never felt safer, even at the Chateau with armed guards posted at every entrance. And she did sleep, through the night and most of the following day
,
waking only once to hear Sam whisper to Joshua that he had slipped a generous dose of laudanum into her evening libation.
She awoke to the bright light of the midday sun pouring through the open windows to find several books scattered across the foot of the bed. Opening one
,
she saw
Property of Malcolm Robinson
scrawled on the inside cover and shuddered
,
not wishing to touch anything that belonged to the horrid reprobate. Then she saw a note protruding from one of the books that read:
S
omething to help pass your day. Joshua.
That evening during dinner
,
feeling as refreshed as if she had slept for a fortnight, Lynna ventured to ask about Malcolm.
“He is chained in the bowels of the ship. I paid Malcolm another visitation upon arising this morning, however the man was still…sleeping. I left the guard with instructions to alert me the second he awakens. Rest assured
that
he will do you no more harm.”
Lynna felt a great burden
lifted from her shoulders at his words. “You cannot imagine how relieved I am to hear that.
Merci
, Joshua.”
“Do you feel up to going
on deck tomorrow? The sun and fresh air will do you good.”
“
Oui
, I would enjoy that. However I was content today, passing the time in the cabin with the
books. Thank you, Joshua
for the kindness
.”
At midmorning the following day
,
Lyn
n
a
again
stood at the railing
,
enjoying the kiss of the warm ocean breeze on her face. Water splashed against the hull of the ship
,
spraying her with tiny droplets. Pelicans dipped in the ocean
,
scouting for their morning meal
,
and seagulls cawed and swooped around her head. Deck hands were busy hoisting sails and scouring decks as the tempting smell of fish frying drifted from the ship’s galley. It felt wonderful to leave the stuffy confines of the cabin. She held the rail and leaned back as her glorious mane ruffled in the gentle morning breeze.
“What a lovely day it is with blue skies, calm sea, and cool breezes,” a woman beside her said, as Ly
nna breathed deeply of the salty
sea air.
“
Oui
, it is a glorious day.”
“I fear I shall miss the sea when I return home, for I am certain this will be my last voyage. Oh, but where are my manners? Good morning, my name is Natalie Johnson,” said a heavyset lady with a ponderous stomach and hair of the brightest orange Lynna had ever beheld. “And your name is…”