Read Online Love's Rescue by Christine Johnson - Free Book Online Page B

pocket and discovered the brooch she’d found in the mate’s desk on the Victory . “Oh dear, I forgot.”
    “Forgot your key?”
    “No, no. That’s not it. Something else I meant to do.” Already the Windsprite was a sizable distance away. Even if she asked the master to turn around, he would not do so for a bauble. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll take care of it later.” She’d return it to the mate when the Victory ’s crew arrived in Key West.
    “Take care of what?” Aunt Virginia called out.
    “Nothing of note.” She tucked the brooch back in her pocket and pulled the key from around her neck. “I suppose I should fetch my aunt’s keys also.”
    “No, miss. Her trunks are already locked.”
    “They are?”
    How could that be? Her aunt had insisted her trunks were latched but unlocked when the ship hit the reef. She’d wept when Elizabeth couldn’t unlatch the smaller one to get her pearls. Had Aunt Virginia forgotten that she’d locked her trunks, or had someone gotten hold of her keys during the rescue?
    But who?
    Elizabeth sucked in her breath. Only one man had gotten near enough to Aunt Virginia to snatch the key—Rourke.



5

    R ourke barely had time to offer a prayer for Elizabeth’s safety when the master of the doomed schooner stomped across the deck with another demand. Unlike Poppinclerk, Captain Cross’s boots were stained and scuffed. His coat was clean but threadbare. His cocked hat sagged atop white hair and a weather-beaten face whose lines indicated he never smiled.
    He drew up before Rourke. “I’m sending my men over to patch the hull and pump the bilges. Once we get her afloat, you can haul her off the reef.”
    Hadn’t the man heard John’s report? “You can’t patch that large a hole. My diver said it’s breached from stem to amidships.”
    The master’s gaze narrowed. “You expect me to take the word of a darkie?”
    So that was what this came down to. Rourke glanced at John, who had pasted on the blank expression that effectively concealed his feelings before those who refused to see him as a man. John, who had experienced the bitter end of slavery under a cruel owner, showed greater restraint than Rourke would have.
    Rourke squared his jaw. “I expect you to take the word of my chief mate. I trust this man with my life.”
    “That’s your mistake,” Cross snarled. “Not mine. Keep in mind, Captain, that the Victory is my ship, not yours. My word is law.”
    Rourke smothered his frustration. Cross was right. “Do what you need to do, Captain.” He would have to wait a little longer to see Elizabeth.
    The master leaned back on his heels, triumph curling his lips. “I will require the use of your boat, Captain.”
    “Of course.”
    The master nodded curtly and headed for his crew, who ranged along the rail waiting for orders. This attempt served no purpose but delay. By the time Rourke finished the salvage and returned to Key West, Elizabeth’s family would have had ample time to turn her against him.
    He chased down the master. “Let my men assist. Together we can patch the hull twice as fast.”
    The master waved his hand as if swatting a fly. “Extra men would only get in the way. We know the old girl better than you. You stay here and prepare your chains and winches. Mr. Buetsch, come with me.” He glanced at Poppinclerk, who yawned like a cat. “You stay here.”
    Rourke chafed at the arrangements, even though they made sense. Poppinclerk could lend no assistance worth having, but Rourke didn’t relish having the man underfoot. He had little choice, though.
    He watched Cross muster his men and board the ship’s boat. The master’s insistence on floating a bilged ship meant the cargo must be infinitely more valuable than he was letting on. A little poor-grade muslin and ruined rice would not induce aman to take such desperate measures. Rourke’s spine tingled in warning. He glanced at John, whose nod indicated he’d come to the same