LITMIR.BIZ

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He looked at Cookie in question. “A lord’s ring?”

      Cookie bobbed his head. “That there’s a gentleman’s handkerchief. Got the initials HCG stitched in the corner. Mayhap our little miss be a thief runnin’ from the law?”

      Jaxon shook his head. “She’s no thief.” He couldn’t explain how he knew, he just did. Pushing the ring and its wrapper into his pocket, he scanned the deck. No one seemed interested in his discussion with Cookie. Certainly, there were men about too curious for their own good, but they looked to be minding their business.

      “Anything else?”

      “Robbins swears there’s a spirit aboard. Come to me, twistin’ his hat. Boy swears he heard screams during the storm. His mates are givin’ him one hell of a ribbin’, tellin’ him he’s daft in the head and sayin’ maybe his rum be tainted.”

      “See to it he gets a deeper ration.”

      “Aye, aye.”

      “Seems she has more questions to answer.” He scanned the crew again. “I’ll be below.”

      * * * *

      Jaxon’s gaze took in the sight of his lovely captive sleeping soundly in his bed when he returned to his chambers. A warm woman in his bed should be a most welcome sight. Not this time.

      Moving to his desk, he took the ring and handkerchief from his pocket, then studied them both. The silk appeared new, but the ring told another story. The gold had thinned from generations of wear. An elaborate crest graced its face with small rubies and sapphires set into the engraving. He slipped it onto the third finger of his left hand. It fit as if made for him.

      He watched her sleep, his mysterious Annalise. The ring was just another piece of the puzzle surrounding her. Would he ever get the whole story? And why did it even matter to him?

      Anna lay on her side. The wide neck of the chemise she wore allowed one pale shoulder to peek above its lacy trim. He imagined the petal-soft feel of her skin. Her delicate collarbone set off the shadowed hollow of her throat. He had a decided urge to bury his nose there and breathe in the sweetness of her before kissing his way to the satiny skin just beneath her…

      Whoa. Am I daft? This woman could be nothing but trouble. She was going to get him hung. He fought and pillaged his way through too many bloody battles. Became one of the most feared captains on the sea. He’d be damned if he lost everything because of some misguided female. The crew would kill her, while he watched, and then be happy to kill him in the vilest way they could conjure.

      Plus, he’d lay coin on the fact she was a virgin. That alone should have been enough to cool his thoughts. He loathed virgins. They were nothing but grief. Every last one of them. Bloody hell. Jaxon moved to his washstand and threw a handful of cold water onto his face. He debated dumping the ewer’s icy contents down his pants.

      Back at his desk, he slipped off the ring and dropped it into a drawer. It wouldn’t begin to pay for all her trouble, but it was a start. He slammed the drawer closed.

      Annalise stirred.

      “Ah, the beauty wakes.” He frowned at the undeniable truth. She was a beauty. No question on that score. “I trust you slept well.”

      She rose and stretched before pushing her glorious hair away from her cheek and tugging her chemise back into place. Firm-tipped breasts caught the flimsy fabric.

      Someone needs to shoot me. Jaxon forced himself to look away.

      “I would bid you a good-morn, but I’ve lost track of my days and nights.” She touched her neck, running her fingers across her throat before lifting her hand to her mouth and worrying her lip. “May I ask if you’ve had the chance to find my bag?”

      “My cook found what remained of it.” Her golden eyes sparkled and her chest lifted in a sigh of relief. He watched her closely. “All was lost, I’m afraid. Rats made short work of it. Ate everything.”

      She shook her head as panic flashed in those eyes. “They couldn’t have eaten--there was nothing left?”

      “What else was there? Perhaps your pack contained something more than food? A trinket? A square of fine silk?” He reached into his desk and held up the ring. “Would you be looking for this?”

      Relief lit her face again. “My ring. Thank goodness you found it.” She stood using the frame of the alcove to steady herself and reached out a hand for it.

      “No.” He shook his head and closed his fist over the ring. “Not anymore. Now, it’s my ring. And I dare say, unless you wore the blasted thing on your big toe, it never belonged to you. A bit light-fingered, are you?”

      She jerked her hand back as if he’d slapped it. “Light-fingered? You think I stole it?” Color flooded her face. “It belongs to me, and I must insist you give it back, please.”

      Jaxon laughed and slipped the ring onto his finger, admiring it. “Pirates never give back, my lady. Call it plunder or call it payment for passage. Call it what you will, this ring now belongs to me.”

      She held tight to the edge of the alcove as the color slipped from her cheeks. “I don’t care if you’re a pirate or a milkmaid. That ring is mine, and I need it back.” She dropped her gaze to the floor and worried her lower lip. “I’ll do a-anything you ask. Just please, give it back to me.”

      He cocked an eyebrow. Was she propositioning him? She had nerve. He’d give her that. “Anything? I would watch your words. I’m no milkmaid.”

      “It’s all I possess.”

      “If you didn’t steal it, how did you come by the ring of an English lord? Who is HCG?”

      “Herbert Charles Gatherone. My uncle.”

      “Your uncle was a lord?”

      “Yes, and before him,” she pulled in a long breath and met his stare, “that ring belonged to my father, the Marquis Gatherone.”

      Jaxon pushed his eyebrows toward his hairline. “You’re a lady?”

      She shook her head. “Was. Lady Annalise Gatherone died the moment I stepped upon this ship, and my father’s ring is all I have left. It’s the only thing that remains from a life I once lived and the one possession I have to secure a new one.”

      “How did you manage to get on the Scarlet Night?”

      “I snuck aboard and planned to stay hidden until your first landing--Port St. Maria, where I’d sneak off just as I had crept on.”

      “What awaits you in Port St. Maria?” Jaxon moved his prize to the other hand, catching the gleam of the gold to taunt her.

      Anna’s gaze never left the ring, as if she feared it would disappear. “Safety.”

      He stopped his teasing. Something in the way she said the word brought him up short. “Safety from what?”

      She lifted her gaze and held his stare. “The man who killed my uncle. He sent that ring to me as a warning, or perhaps it was more of a hideous announcement. The night my uncle Herbert disappeared, his murderer delivered it to me covered in what I can only guess was my uncle’s blood. I believe he killed Herbert to get to me.”

      Jaxon followed the single tear that spilled over her lashes and trailed down her cheek. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Does this man have a name?”

      “The Duke of Wentworth. But most call him Wolfsan. Benedict Wolfsan.”

      CHAPTER 5

      A hired coach rattled down the cobblestone streets of London. The Duke of Wentworth sat within its shabby interior. Grimacing at the peeling panels and cracked leather seats, Wolfsan held a perfumed handkerchief beneath his nose to stifle the smells of sweat and filth that assaulted him.

      The coach was getting

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