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There was a loud commotion in the hallway, and her eyes flew to the door. She still gripped the bellows in both hands, as though poised for battle. She heard a man’s step, flying up the stairs, and then there was pounding at the door.
“Beth, Beth! Are you in there?”
Aidan.
She raced to unbolt the lock, and Aidan burst into the room. He stood there, sword extended, looking ready to storm the gates of hell. In a split second, his eyes went from her to Fraser’s limp body and back again, a broad smile splitting his face. “I told them naught can slip by my Beth. ”
Relief flooded her, crumpling her legs, and he caught her, snatching her in his arms. He pulled back to kiss her hard, and then clutched her even closer, running his hands along her body, as though to reassure himself that she was safe.
He was there, and she was safe, and suddenly she trembled so violently, feeling cold, like all the blood had drained from her body. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, clinging to his chest. “What took you so long?”
He laughed and tilted her chin up to face him. “Me? Could you not have waited for me? Just an hour, Beth?”
It seemed an easy thing, now, to have waited for Aidan. But she’d been so distraught by the scene at her farm, so frightened.
“I’m sorry. I … I didn’t know what to do. My father had me so confused. ” Her foolishness had almost ruined everything. She should’ve trusted that Aidan could take care of things. She should’ve stood up to her father. “I thought if I didn’t marry him, he might come after you. ”
“You’re only allowed to marry one man, and that’s me. ” He shot a disdainful look at Fraser lying in a heap on the floor. “And besides, you thought I couldn’t stand up to that?”
“He has all the dock men in his pocket, and so much wealth, and, well …” She slumped against him. “I just always make such a mess of things. ”
“Mess? I don’t know about any mess. ” He cupped her chin, sweeping his thumb along her cheek. “I will grant you one thing. You appear to have made a mess of me. ”
He leaned down for a kiss. It was slow and gentle, spreading warmth in a gentle pulse through her body. With Aidan holding her, no longer was she shaking and cold. She felt instinctively that everything would work out—the farm, her father, all would be sorted to rights. She wrapped her hand around the strong column of his neck, feeling how safe, how right it was to have her pirate rogue by her side.
Her muscles seized. She pulled away on a gasp, remembering. “But what of your pirate with the black pearl? I met him—he was docked here. Did you see him, get him?”
He gave a rueful shrug. “It was you or him, Beth. I chose you. ”
She pushed away, not believing her ears. “But you’ve always dreamed of besting him, of having your revenge. ”
He grabbed her, pulling her close with a light thump against his chest. “Don’t you see how happy
you’ve made me? No, Captain Will shall live to see another day, and I’ve made my peace with it. You see, I had a wedding to stop. ” He kissed her gently on the forehead, and with a wink, added, “And now I’ve one to attend. ”
He glanced toward the door, but none of the servants were brave enough to show their faces. With a squeeze he let her go. “I hear there’s a minister about. We need to fetch him. There’s only going to be one marriage today and it’ll be yours and mine. ”
She grabbed his arm to stop him, and he paused, looking down at her, his brow raised in question.
“I have a wedding gift for you first. ” She rustled through her skirts, then proffered her open hand, where a luminous black pearl lay nestled in her palm.
He gave her a puzzled look, then touched it with a tentative fingertip. “I don’t understand. Is it … ?”
“Yes,” she said proudly, pursing her lips so as not to smile too widely. “I pried it from his ear. ”
“You did no such thing!” He laughed and shook his head. “Truly? You just … took it? How?”
“I was forced to kiss him, but it was not,” she interjected quickly, seeing the rage cloud his face, “not so very long a kiss. And it was in front of Fraser. ”
“Mm-hm. ” He nodded, seeming unsure what to make of it.
“It was an old thing, you see. And ill made. It slid easily from his ear. ”
Awe replaced the anger in his eyes. “You clever girl. ”
She gave a shy shrug, even though his words made her proud beyond reckoning. She held the pearl up to the window to study it. It was shiny and irregularly shaped, with a greenish cast in the light. “He seems a superstitious sort. He kept rubbing it, which led me to think … I believe he thought this held off evil spirits. A talisman of sorts. ”
Aidan laughed hard then, alternately clutching her close and pushing apart to admire the pearl. The noise roused Fraser, who was beginning to stir and moan on the floor.
