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“Thank you,” Julianne said. She had nothing else to say to the man. She hated him, despised him. He was not a man she would ever choose to associate with, let alone marry, but she had to be careful. If he suspected her of trying to escape before the ceremony, he would do anything in his power to keep her.
Even if it meant killing her.
“Such lovely news,” Margaret said, clasping her hands together. “And what a beautiful pairing.” She looked at Julianne and Vince, and for a brief second, Julianne thought her mother looked truly happy.
Then she remembered that her mother didn’t have a soul. Any emotion she displayed, aside from anger, was a carefully calculated appearance designed for maximum manipulation.
But during her childhood, Julianne hadn’t simply learned how to run a house or how to sew. No, Julianne had learned more than that. She had learned how her mother worked, how Margaret used emotional manipulation to get what she wanted.
Julianne realized that if she wanted to escape this marriage, she would have to act quickly. Once she was alone in Vince’s house, she would never be allowed to leave. She would be locked away: another prize he had won.
But there was something Julianne’s parents didn’t know, something Vince Fiddick didn’t know. There was something none of them knew, and it would be her saving grace.
Julianne’s twin brother wasn’t in Ellensworth.
He wasn’t an apprentice.
He was a pirate, and The Dark Lovely was due to make port tomorrow.
Julianne would have to act quickly, and she would have to catch her brother alone, but she knew one thing was for certain.
She would not marry Vince Fiddick.
Julianne Rye was going to get on the pirate ship with her brother, and she was going to sail away.
She was going to escape.
She was going to live.
1
Four weeks later
Julianne knew she should be thankful to be alive, but as she stared at the hard tack in front of her again, she wondered if it might be better to starve. After all, how much more of this could she take? It had been weeks. When she wasn’t busy feeling seasick, she was being feeling hungry. Her stomach emitted a growl, reminding her that for today, it was better to suck it up and eat the food.
“Thanks, Nelson,” she told her twin brother. She tried to shoot him a grateful look, but it came out pained instead. Nelson was the one who had sneaked her away the night before her wedding to Vince Fiddick was supposed to take place. He was the one who promised to save her. He was the one who kept her hidden and fed, despite the rocky waters and low food supply.
She didn’t know where the ship was headed or what was going to happen when it got there, but they both knew that this was Julianne’s only option if she ever wanted to be free.
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry it’s not more.” Nelson shrugged regretfully. Julianne knew that he was cutting his own rations in half in order to keep her hidden and alive. Her twin was nothing if not res
ourceful. His determination mixed with cleverness was keeping her alive. She wouldn't forget it and she wouldn’t ask him for more. Anytime she was tempted to complain about how hungry or bored she was, she considered the position she had put her brother in.
He was a pirate, after all. It wasn’t in his nature to be merciful, yet here he was, taking care of his sister when no one else would.
“When’s the next port?” Julianne asked.
“Tomorrow. Hold tight until then and I’ll try to get you off the ship for a little while, at least.” He looked nervous, and she knew he was thinking about what a risk it would be to let her out of the little storage room. Crates and barrels surrounded her day in and day out, but there was comfort in knowing this space was rarely used. Most of the pirates spent their days on the main deck when they could and in the crew’s quarters when they couldn’t. Even when they needed to access cargo, there were two other rooms they used more frequently than this one.
Julianne had gotten good at being quiet in her tiny space on the ship, but if Nelson allowed her to leave, even for a little bit, she would risk being seen. What would happen to her brother if he was caught?
She nodded and wrapped her blanket tighter around herself, cold from weeks of staying in the stores of the ship. Nelson gripped her shoulder for a moment in a soft sign of compassion, then disappeared around the corner. Julianne heard the door close and the lock click in place. She allowed herself to crumple onto the floor with a sigh.
She was stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean and she had no idea where they were headed. Rumor had it that Wade Docherty, the captain of the ship, was searching for something. Nelson was tight-lipped about what it was. He always told Julianne he wasn’t sure what the pirate captain wanted, but his eyes flicked away when he said it. She had been his sister long enough to know when he was lying, and Nelson was definitely lying about knowing.
Was the hunt that dangerous?
Or was Nelson afraid that Julianne would figure out his secret?
