“Was he a good lover?”
She looked at him oddly, the change of subject confusing her.
“Benjamin,” he said, his stare steadfast on her as he waited for an answer.
Her answer expressed her hopes and dreams for the future. “He was kind and gentle and concerned for my feelings. He made our time together a memory I shall cherish forever.”
“Benjamin sounds like a real gentleman. And you do prefer gentle men, don’t you, Catherine?”
Catherine didn’t care for his emphatic tone. The captain was far from a gentle man. She had experienced that firsthand. He was a man bent on revenge and she was the instrument of his revenge. If there ever was gentleness to his soul, it was probably whipped out of him with each strike of the lash he had suffered.
She studied his hardened stare, ignoring his question. His eyes looked weary and strangely enough lonely. She experienced an overwhelming sense of loneliness looking into their depths. He almost seemed to drown in it, fighting against it, tearing at it like a frightened child needing to be loved. Her heart went out to his suffering and she wished at that moment that she could put her arms around him and chase his loneliness away if only for a short time.
“Do you often get lost in your thoughts, Catherine, or is it a ruse so you don’t have to answer a question you don’t wish to?”
Catherine was saved from answering once again by a knock at the door.
“Supper, Captain,” Bones called out.
“Come in,” he ordered.
“Right fine supper tonight,” Bones commented, his skinny frame struggling with the heavily laden silver tray.
“Don’t dare drop that, Bones,” Lucian warned.
“Don’t you worry, Captain, I have everything under control.”
“Good, because you’re in a room with people who respect control.” He shot Catherine a sharp glare.
“Let me help you,” Catherine offered, rising and ignoring Lucian’s intimidating tactic.
“Sit down!” Lucian bellowed, causing Bones to jump and the dishes to rattle on the swaying tray. “Don’t dare touch that tray, Catherine.”
“I’ve got it. Everything’s fine, just fine,” Bones said, lowering the tray to the table with shaking hands. “Cook outdid himself,” Bones rattled on nervously. “Fresh-caught fish, potatoes, biscuits and cheese.”
“That will be all, Bones,” Lucian said, his eyes focused on Catherine as she returned to her seat.
“Sure thing, Captain. Enjoy the meal,” the skinny man said, bobbing his head, his toothless grin wide as he backed out of the cabin.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Lady Catherine,” Lucian said as the door clicked shut. “I’m in control here and you will obey me.”
“Or?” She heard her own audacity and couldn’t believe her own ears.
“Or you’ll suffer the punishment,” he said calmly, too calmly to her way of thinking.
“And the punishment?” My lord, but she was being willful tonight. She wondered where the devil it came from.
“I’ll think of something appropriate. After all,” he said with a nasty grin, “I’m a pirate.”
Chapter Nine
A pirate. She was sharing a bed with a pirate. The evening meal had been partaken in relative silence. His casual remark had reminded her of his felonious trade and had stirred uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Afterward she had quietly taken herself off to bed without so much as a by-your-leave.
Now she lay on her back, her arms crossed, hugging her middle with her eyes opened wide staring at the planked ceiling. The gentle sway of the ship and the soft steady rhythm of the rain against the windows provided little help in her quest for a blissful sleep.
Her thoughts ran rampant. Mental images of Dulcie’s pirate tales danced in her head. And the questions tormented her to the brink of insomnia — were they truths or tales?
The only way for her to have peace of mind and blessed sleep was to ask the captain himself.
A soft, almost undetectable, sigh slipped from her lips and she hugged her middle more tightly.
Courage. It would take a strong amount of courage to even discover if he was still awake. It had been at least thirty minutes or more since he had climbed into bed. And she mustn’t forget that he lay completely naked next to her. If she probed for answers now while in such close proximity to his nakedness would she find herself in a precarious situation?
But if she didn’t at least attempt to settle her concerns they would grow out of control. Then of course there was that chance that the answer she received might prove more upsetting than settling.
You’re wasting your time, Catherine, she silently warned herself. Either ask or spend the remainder of the night listening to the rain and the creaks of the ship.