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His hands cupped her breasts. He pulled her toward him and lifted her off her feet. Before
she knew it he d carried her over to the bed. All the while ignoring her request for a kiss.
The ships bell tolled anxiously and Rafe s eyes slipped away from hers.
Damn, he muttered staring anxiously around the cabin. The moment had been broken
and he was already straightening and tugging his shirt back into place.
What is it? she asked. She suddenly realized that she still wore her nightgown. She
needed to change into something more sensible if she were on the brink of another adventure.
That is a warning signal, he muttered. Listen!
I don t hear anything, she said shaking her head. She was concerned about him. He
seemed to be quite uneasy.
Exactly! He moved toward the chest and began pushing it aside.
Rafe I do not understand. What are you about?
Ethan and I have a signal system rigged. I don t have time to explain but we need to get
off of this ship straightaway.
I beg your pardon?
I should have known. I should have spotted it sooner. What was I thinking! Ethan will
have a good time with this one, he muttered. Why didn t I see that it was a ruse? Bloody fire
ships! I ve experienced that particular trick before and nonetheless I fell for it again. I m a right
and proper fool.
Right you are there, she muttered jumping off the bed and moving toward him. He
gripped her wrist and pulled her toward him.
Do you trust me?
Well that s a bloody loaded question. You kidnapped me! She remarked. He heaved a
heavy sigh and stared at her with his piercing eyes. They were filled with seriousness and she
knew that for now the time for jesting was past.
Elizabeth & he waited for her answer.
I trust you more than I trust Chastity. Is that good enough to satisfy your curiosity?
Yes and thank God for that. Stay here I m going to check to see if the coast is clear.
Wonderful. You go do that.
He returned in scant seconds and held his hand out toward her. We ll be escaping by the
skin of our teeth you know.
Well that s a funny thought. Me escaping with my own kidnapper. She snorted loudly
looked down at his hand and gripped it firmly. Very well. Onward sir I see no point in dallying
I LL BE YOURS Marly Mathews 68
around. Though I do not see why we must escape I shall go along with you. However might I
point out that I believe you have gone just a wee bit barmy?
You may. And I ll explain our escape to you in a summation of one word. Chastity.
Ah so she s the witch behind the warning. I can understand her being the root of this
evil. Her mind still couldn t grasp his full meaning. But she didn t like the way that he was
acting. It had to be quite serious if he was this worried.
Whatever happens Elizabeth be brave and know that I would go to the ends of the Earth
to keep you safe.
For what is worth I think that I am finally beginning to believe you.
They emerged into the Captain s cabin and then he opened the door quietly.
Stay close to me. With all luck they will be busy with the rest of the crew and they
won t realize we ve made a run for it until it is too late.
But why are we running?
Because my dear girl if we remain here Chastity will no doubt slit your throat.
Oh is that all? Well then lead on lead on. She hadn t liked this Chastity to begin with
but now she thought more of the swine in the pigpen than she did of her.
You ll have to climb down the side of the ship with me it will be the only way to keep
things quiet.
We shall make quite the pretty picture. Fancy it a pirate and an heiress running away
from their own ship. First it was mine and then it was yours and now it s hers. Seems it has made
a full circle. My father purchased it and he was a no-good rotten fellow and now Chastity has it
under her wing and she s the rottenest woman that I ve ever had the displeasure of coming
across. How could you make love to her?
We don t have time for your endless prattling right now and just to ease your mind
love had nothing to do with what Chastity and I shared, he muttered.
She watched as he climbed over the side and then she followed his lead. He lent her a
helping hand but she found that she really didn t require it.
Where did you learn to scale a ship like that?
I climbed trees when I was little and I ve climbed out of my bedroom window on more
than one occasion.
Why Miss Elizabeth I would never have pegged you for a certified hell raiser. You re
quite the wild one.
Well that just goes to show that appearances can sometimes be deceiving. Take Chastity
for example. She looks like an angel but acts like the very devil himself.
Shush, he murmured.
They were but a drop to the waterline.
Where do we go once we are in the water?
How about you come right back up here? Chastity murmured popping her head over
the side of the ship just as they splashed into the water.
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