Chapter Thirteen
Nathan was taken aback by the girl’s angry question. He almost laughed at how close to the mark it was, yet it didn’t make sense. Nonetheless, the instinct for self-preservation kicked in, and quickly.
“You’ve mistaken me for someone else. But I’m not surprised. First you thought I was a ghost, then you took me for a landowner. Isn’t it more obvious that I’m just a hardworking seaman trying to earn a living?”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’d never forget a face that’s haunted me for five years, and now I recognize your voice, too.”
“From five years ago? I doubt that’s possible.”
“From two weeks ago when you accosted me in that ruined house,” she said hotly. “You’re a criminal and I won’t have you on board endangering my family.”
So it was her, he thought, and not one of the duke’s servants as he’d assumed that night. And maybe she was not quite a lady either, except in title. That was an intriguing thought and even likely, considering how he’d met her, both times, out and about alone at night. And now tonight.
“It seems to me you’re the one guilty of criminal behavior, breaking into houses that don’t belong to you. And more’n once? Tell me, darlin’, does your family know about your late-night rendezvousing?”
She sucked in her breath. “Don’t even go there. You know I spoke the truth about why I was there that night.”
“If I wasn’t there, how would I know? Or wait, were you there to see me again?” He grinned, suddenly beginning to enjoy himself. “Well, me in ghost form, but me nonetheless. And you already admitted you did that at least once.”
She scoffed, “You’re not turning the tables on me here, but nice try. There’s simply no comparison to a smuggler, or is it a thief? Which one are you?”
“And why would I be either of those?”
“Because the facts add up precisely, and there’s a long list of them. You even proved yourself to be a liar that night. You weren’t just passing by, not with your own cot set up in that room.”
“A criminal who carries a cot around with him? Do you realize how unlikely that is?”
“You put a lock on the door.”
“If whoever you are talking about did that, I’d think he did it to keep pesky ghost hunters from waking him in the middle of the night. Didn’t work, did it?”
“You think this is amusing?”
He smiled. “Did I say that?”
“You didn’t have to when it’s written all over your face,” she snapped.
“Well, you have me there, darlin’. But it’s not every day I get accused of criminal activities. I have to admit, I do find a certain humor in that.”
“You were hiding illegal goods there and that put my family at risk! My cousins could have been implicated. No one would believe they couldn’t have known what was going on in their own backyard. The scandal would have touched my entire family!”
Enraged in defense of her family? Well, that at least he could understand. It just didn’t alter that he needed to convince her she’d made a mistake.
So he chuckled. “Will you listen to yourself now? No one in their right mind would blame a duke for anything, much less something illegal.”
“So you admit it? You came out of the hidden room, and I tasted brandy when you kissed me. You were not just a vagrant passing by as you claimed! I don’t doubt you’ve even been using that ruined house to hide smuggled goods for five years, haven’t you?
He was hard-pressed not to laugh. She’d figured everything out and with amazing accuracy. Smart girl. Beauty and intelligence. When was the last time he had come across that combination? But she was merely making charges she hoped to hear him confirm. That wasn’t going to happen. He did need to get her off the scent though. . . .
His voice dropped to a husky timbre, his smile broadened. “You know, darlin’, if you and I had actually shared a kiss, that would be a pleasant memory I’d not soon forget. And now you make me wish it had happened. . . .”
She was staring at his mouth. As he’d hoped, he was distracting her. He just hadn’t counted on his getting distracted, too. The pull was incredibly strong to kiss her again, right there on the deck in the moonlight. Utter madness.
But he was saved from finding out what might have happened next when he heard two of the crew talking, their voices getting louder as they approached. She heard them, too, glancing nervously beyond him.
“Good night, darlin’. I better fade away like a ghost. I’d hate for your family to learn of your predilection for late-night trysts.”
Nathan walked away. The subtle threat plus the doubts he’d tried to put in her mind would hopefully be enough to keep her mouth shut for the time being. He was going to climb the mainmast again, but unable to resist the urge to look back, he merely moved into the mainmast’s shadow. She was halfway to the quarterdeck before she turned to look back as well. Had she thought of more aspersions to cast on him? But he relaxed when he saw she wasn’t looking for him, but for the book she’d dropped. She came back to retrieve it.
A few moments later he lost sight of her when she entered the captain’s cabin, but her image was still in his mind. The woman was too beautiful—but she was trouble. He was going to have to come up with a better way to keep her from voicing her suspicions to other people. But that could wait for tomorrow.