Read Online Never Trust a Pirate by Anne Stuart - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Anne Stuart
Ads: Link
hoop, he was a far cry from anything she’d ever dealt with. He was more like something from her childhood dreams, when she’d wanted nothing more than to run off and live in a gypsy caravan, traveling the country.
She’d even done so for three days. She’d been ten years old. Her father had disciplined her for shoving Sophie in the pond at Somerset, which was ridiculous because Sophie had always been a great swimmer, and in affront Maddy had decided to run away. She’d gotten as far as the neighboring Gorton Woods, only to run across an encampment of Travelers.
She’d been dirty, wet, hungry, and miserable, and the grandmother, who seemed to be in charge of the group rather than the old man, took her in, bathed her and fed her and tucked her up inside her own
vardo
. And Maddy had immediately decided right then that she would marry a gypsy and live in one of those wonderful caravans and travel the world.
Of course, she had been so young. And the grandmother had returned her to her father three days later, a brave act since she could have been accused of kidnapping. But her father had always been a fair man, and he knew his rebellious middle daughter well, so he’d simply thanked the grandmother, gave her a gift of wine and foodstuffs, and told her they would always be welcome to camp on his land.
But it wasn’t his land anymore. She hadn’t seen them for years, but she hoped they wouldn’t return to be faced with the new viscount.
Now here she was in the household of someone who looked like her adolescent dream of romance, with that honey gold skin and flashing eyes. And he’d kissed her! So much for her plan to slip through the household unnoticed. Most people never even gave housemaids a second glance, and despite Mrs. Crozier’s complaints Maddy had madeherself as plain as possible. An elderly sea captain might not notice her, but the man who’d accosted her this afternoon certainly would.
She should have paid more attention when her father spoke of him. She’d known he was a far cry from the other men who commanded Eustace Russell’s ships, with his mysterious background, a stint at piracy in the Far East, and a gift for getting a cargo where it needed to be faster and safer than anyone else. Sailors fought to be on his ships. Her father had trusted him implicitly as one of the most valued of his employees, or so she thought, until they’d found that scribbled note after he died.
Never trust a pirate
, he’d written. Why couldn’t he have said more?
This was going to be a great deal more difficult than she’d expected, starting out, but then, she had no choice. She’d committed herself to this path and she would see it through. If the captain made unwelcome advances she would scream her head off. But she’d seen his fiancée—her own complete opposite. Gwendolyn Haviland was skinny, flat as a board, Maddy added uncharitably, with watery blue eyes and pale skin and colorless hair…
She stopped herself, astonished at her own cattiness. Gwendolyn Haviland was a beauty. She was slender rather than thin, with porcelain skin, pale blue eyes, and the blond hair that her sister Sophie assured her was so much more à la mode. She was like some exquisite doll, and she made Maddy feel like an overblown peony, with her dark hair and dark blue eyes and admittedly voluptuous figure. Clearly she wasn’t the captain’s type—that kiss had been just what he’d said it had been—a salutary lesson. She just wasn’t used to lessons feeling so disturbingly… good.
“Greaves!” Mrs. Crozier’s carping voice came from the kitchen, and she couldn’t dawdle any longer. She’d find some way to coexist with the captain, perhaps pretend it hadn’t even happened. Pushing herself out of the seat with her one good hand, she returned to the kitchen and her two taskmasters.
Wilf was busy shoveling food into his mouth, and he didn’t even bother to look at her. She’d been a fool to expect him to thank her
She’d even done so for three days. She’d been ten years old. Her father had disciplined her for shoving Sophie in the pond at Somerset, which was ridiculous because Sophie had always been a great swimmer, and in affront Maddy had decided to run away. She’d gotten as far as the neighboring Gorton Woods, only to run across an encampment of Travelers.
She’d been dirty, wet, hungry, and miserable, and the grandmother, who seemed to be in charge of the group rather than the old man, took her in, bathed her and fed her and tucked her up inside her own
vardo
. And Maddy had immediately decided right then that she would marry a gypsy and live in one of those wonderful caravans and travel the world.
Of course, she had been so young. And the grandmother had returned her to her father three days later, a brave act since she could have been accused of kidnapping. But her father had always been a fair man, and he knew his rebellious middle daughter well, so he’d simply thanked the grandmother, gave her a gift of wine and foodstuffs, and told her they would always be welcome to camp on his land.
But it wasn’t his land anymore. She hadn’t seen them for years, but she hoped they wouldn’t return to be faced with the new viscount.
Now here she was in the household of someone who looked like her adolescent dream of romance, with that honey gold skin and flashing eyes. And he’d kissed her! So much for her plan to slip through the household unnoticed. Most people never even gave housemaids a second glance, and despite Mrs. Crozier’s complaints Maddy had madeherself as plain as possible. An elderly sea captain might not notice her, but the man who’d accosted her this afternoon certainly would.
She should have paid more attention when her father spoke of him. She’d known he was a far cry from the other men who commanded Eustace Russell’s ships, with his mysterious background, a stint at piracy in the Far East, and a gift for getting a cargo where it needed to be faster and safer than anyone else. Sailors fought to be on his ships. Her father had trusted him implicitly as one of the most valued of his employees, or so she thought, until they’d found that scribbled note after he died.
Never trust a pirate
, he’d written. Why couldn’t he have said more?
This was going to be a great deal more difficult than she’d expected, starting out, but then, she had no choice. She’d committed herself to this path and she would see it through. If the captain made unwelcome advances she would scream her head off. But she’d seen his fiancée—her own complete opposite. Gwendolyn Haviland was skinny, flat as a board, Maddy added uncharitably, with watery blue eyes and pale skin and colorless hair…
She stopped herself, astonished at her own cattiness. Gwendolyn Haviland was a beauty. She was slender rather than thin, with porcelain skin, pale blue eyes, and the blond hair that her sister Sophie assured her was so much more à la mode. She was like some exquisite doll, and she made Maddy feel like an overblown peony, with her dark hair and dark blue eyes and admittedly voluptuous figure. Clearly she wasn’t the captain’s type—that kiss had been just what he’d said it had been—a salutary lesson. She just wasn’t used to lessons feeling so disturbingly… good.
“Greaves!” Mrs. Crozier’s carping voice came from the kitchen, and she couldn’t dawdle any longer. She’d find some way to coexist with the captain, perhaps pretend it hadn’t even happened. Pushing herself out of the seat with her one good hand, she returned to the kitchen and her two taskmasters.
Wilf was busy shoveling food into his mouth, and he didn’t even bother to look at her. She’d been a fool to expect him to thank her
Similar Books
