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“Disoriented. And depleted as well.” She looked up at him. “Where are we and what happened?”
His gaze fixed on the angry bruise that marred her forehead, and he frowned. “We were attacked by an American ship, and—”
“I remember,” she cut in. Suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh my God, Drake, I remember.” She tried to sit up, but the effort cost her. Shards of pain pierced her skull, and her stomach lurched in protest. She swallowed, frightened by her pain and by her body’s reaction to it. “Drake, I think I am going to be sick,” she whispered.
“Fine, love.” He kept his voice even and eased her over to her side, anchoring her head with one hand and stroking her back in soothing motions with the other. She retched helplessly, bringing up only water, since she had eaten nothing. But long after her stomach was empty she continued to heave with dry, shuddering spasms of her body. All the while Drake continued to comfort her with reassuring words and caresses. He was not overly alarmed. Since he was quite sure she had a concussion, it was not unusual for her to react this way. She was suffering from both pain and shock and, right now, fear at her body’s lack of control.
When she was still, he rolled her gently back to the ground. Then he stood, shrugged out of his ruined shirt, and walked to the water’s edge, dipping the material into the cold, clear water. Returning to her side, he squatted down and wiped her pale face with the makeshift cloth.
“Better?”
She nodded slowly, her eyes filled with questions.
“You were struck by the boom and knocked overboard,” he answered, watching her expression. “Do you recall?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “And I tried to save myself, but the currents were too strong and these damned clothes were too heavy.” She paused, realizing as she spoke that not much remained of her formal attire. “You came after me,” she went on. “I saw you.”
He nodded. “But that tiny island of rock got to you first, unfortunately.” He touched her forehead lightly, so as not to intensify her discomfort. “You have quite an impressive bruise, princess, and probably a concussion as well—not to mention an enormous bump on the back of your head from the boom.” He gave a mock sigh, attempting to ease her stress. “As usual, princess, you got yourself into trouble, and I had to rescue you.”
Alex didn’t smile. “Oh, Drake,” her voice trembled, “La Belle …”
“… is gone,” he finished.
Her pearl gray eyes softened with pain, his and hers. “I’m so sorry. I know how much you loved that ship. I grew to love her, as well.”
“The important thing is that everyone got away safely— the entire crew and us.” Drake kept his voice even. “Kingston is one of England’s most important Canadian military posts. Once the crew arrives there, Smitty can arrange for safe passag
e home.”
Alex could see the emotion Drake held in check. He was not yet ready to deal with the loss of his ship. When he was, she would be there to comfort him.
Her gaze darted about, though she was careful to keep her head still. “Where are we?”
“On our own island, princess.” He grinned.
She looked startled. Drake proceeded to explain what had happened after she struck her head on the rock and how they came to be on the deserted island.
She listened carefully, then asked, “How bad is my concussion?”
“Now that I see how lucid you are, I feel relieved. I don’t think it’s too severe. However,” he added, giving her a meaningful look, “you are going to have to remain quiet for several days. And that means that I am going to have my work cut out for me keeping you that way.”
“How far are we from the Canadian shore?”
He considered. “Over a mile, I would say. We’re far closer to the American shore, unfortunately. And if you have any ideas of going anywhere, you can forget them. You are in no condition to attempt another bout with the currents.”
She gave a resigned sigh. “What will we do?”
He flashed her a devilish smile. “Why, survive in the wilderness, princess, of course. You did say that you were seeking adventure when first we met, did you not?”
“I’m not certain that this is what I had in mind.”
He chuckled. “Well, we are going to find out.” He stood, hands on hips, and looked behind them.
It was a paradise of nature. Magnificent birch, elm, and oak trees spread their densely covered limbs all around them, cloaking the thick grass in a velvet cascade of forest green. Brilliant wildflowers sprang up everywhere, along with bushes overflowing with berries. Overhead, in a sky as blue as the ocean, huge white gulls soared in exuberant abandon, the beating of their wings intermingling with the gentle lapping of the river upon the shore.
Perhaps Alex was right. Perhaps this was heaven, after all.
“We are very lucky, princess,” he told her. “This region is brutally cold and frozen throughout the winter and far into the spring. We could not have survived long. But as it is, we will do just fine.”
