Read Online April Moon by Susan King, Merline Lovelace, MIRANDA JARRETT - Free Book Online Page A

ship. The other stood tall, broad-shouldered, his hair as black as midnight, his eyes a cold, silvery blue.
    Until he turned to Sarah.
    His harsh expression softened. Something close to pity flickered across his face.
    “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
    That fleeting look spurred her pride. Her spine stiffened. Her chin tilted.
    “Yes, it is. Far too late.”
    He looked as though he wanted to argue the matter, but refrained. With a smooth grace that belied his size, he made an elegant bow. “Farewell, Lady Stanton. I wish you a fair wind and a safe harbor at the end of your journey.”
    She couldn’t speak over the lump in her throat. A mere dip of her head had to serve as her answer.
    “All right, Mr. McDougal. Get the boarding crew into the boats.”
    Bound by their oath of parole, the officers and men of the Linx could only watch with clenched fists while the Americans departed their ship. One after another dropped over the side and scrambled down into the waiting boats. Blake was among the last to leave.
    With a mocking smile for the captain of the Linx, he turned and made for the rail.
    “Bastard,” James growled.
    Snarling, he spun to the officer next to him and snatched the pistol from the man’s waist. When he leveled it at Blake’s back, Sarah didn’t stop to think.
    “James! No!”
    She flung herself at him in a desperate attempt to throw off his aim. For the second time that night, a pistol belched fire just inches away from her. The deafening report was still hammering against her eardrums when the night seemed to explode around her.

CHAPTER SIX
    R ICHARD HEARD Sarah’s desperate cry a mere heartbeat before a pistol barked and a bullet whizzed past his left ear. In an instinctive move honed by his years in uniform, he ducked, whirled and came up with his own weapon in hand.
    A single glance at the smoking pistol in Lowell’s hand told the story. The bastard had violated his parole. And Sarah had without doubt saved Richard’s life by throwing off Lowell’s aim.
    Richard’s jaw clenched as the British captain whipped his arm free of her clinging grasp and sent her crashing to the deck. Stunned by his actions, his officers had yet to draw their weapons and violate their own sworn oath, but the shot had galvanized their seamen. Those not still affected by the sleeping draught were scrambling toward their stacked swords and muskets.
    The American marines Richard had ordered high up in the Seahawk ’s rigging to provide cover for the boarding party saw what was happening. Wild shouts carried across the water as they let loose with a volley designed to keep the British seamanaway from their weapons. When bullets sliced through the rigging above Richard’s head and splintered the deck some yards away, his heart jumped into his throat.
    “Sarah!” he bellowed to the figure still prone on the planks. “Stay down!”
    Sincerely hoping the moon’s bright glow would allow his marines to distinguish between his uniform and that of the British officers, Richard charged back across the deck. Those few of his men still aboard the Linx pulled their cutlasses and prepared to follow him.
    “To the boats!” he bellowed, knowing he had to get them off the British frigate before they lost the advantage of the marines’ covering fire. “Jenkins, take Mistress Maude to safety!”
    He had one chance, only one, to get to Sarah. Using the confused melee to his own advantage, he charged straight for her and scooped her up right under Lowell’s nose. The British officer roared in outrage.
    “Damn you!”
    Whirling, Lowell lunged for his first officer and snatched at his sword. Thrown off balance by his superior, the lieutenant stumbled back into the ranks of men behind him. Both officers went down and took a number of the seamen with them.
    Richard gave a fervent prayer of thanks for the lieutenant’s clumsiness. As much as he ached to put his own sword into Lowell’s gullet, his main concern now was