Chapter 11

The next few days were only slightly more peaceful than the previous three. Though Jane now knew of Devlin’s presence in her home, it was still something of a trial to keep that startling fact from Dora, or anyone else who might chance to visit. And with the news of Jane’s miraculous recovery, well-wishers were arriving in droves.

To add to the confusion, there was Zeus to take into account. While Devlin swore the big bird was trained to obedience, Eden was not so easily convinced, most especially when she considered who had educated the falcon. She was simply waiting to see which of the two of them—Devlin or Zeus—would create the most havoc.

In order to escape the deluge of visitors in the house, and gain a bit more privacy, Devlin and Eden spent a good deal of time at the warehouse. There, they concentrated their efforts on finding discrepancies in the accounts which they might use as legal proof against Tilton and Finster. The work was tedious, with no results, which was vastly disappointing to Eden. She would have liked, if only for her own satisfaction, to have been able to prove that Tilton had been stealing from the warehouse for the past three years, and that Finster had somehow benefited from her failing business. For she doubted she’d ever see the return of one stolen pence.

After three days of fruitless searching through past accounts, Eden threw up her hands in despair. “I give up! If I keep at this much longer, I swear I’ll go blind! Or mad! Or both! If I were any good at figuring, I might see some sense in it, but—”

“Sweetling, if you were any good at figuring, you wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with,” Devlin put in bluntly.

Eden graced him with a sour smile. “Why, how gallantly phrased, Captain. And might I remind you that you seem to be faring just as badly? I thought pirates were supposed to be able to tally their stolen booty with the utmost ease and precision. What’s wrong, Devlin? Did you run out of toes and fingers upon which to count?”

He tweaked the end of her nose. “Fear not, my beauty. I’ve not lost my talent with numbers. The problem is that I do most of my own tabulating in my head, where no one can tamper with the figures. I’m not accustomed to dealing with ledgers, where sums can be manipulated to appear correct when they are not. Since you can find no inconsistencies, ’tis my guess that Tilton, most likely with Finster tutoring him, has only registered the figures he wanted you to see. In doing so, the accounts appear to balance perfectly with the receipts and expenses.”

“So what do we do now?”

“I suppose the next move would be to fire Tilton before he can cause any more harm. He doesn’t seem to be leading us toward a solution, as I’d hoped he would once he was aware that you might catch onto his game.”

“Did you honestly think he was going to confess all, Devlin?” Eden asked with an arched brow. “Merely on the suspicion that I could stumble across the truth?” He shrugged. “He might have. For that matter, he still could, given the proper incentive.”

“Such as?” she prompted.

“A few imaginative threats might do the trick, and have him squealing for mercy and naming Finster as his accomplice. Or a chance meeting in a dark alleyway with a few of my more bloodthirsty mates. They wouldn’t necessarily need to hurt him too badly. A couple of broken bones might make him willing to talk.” Eden gave a delicate shudder. “Why don’t we simply dismiss him first, and see what happens then? As much as I dislike the man and what he has done, I can’t see how roughing him up will regain my losses. I’ll simply have to content myself with preventing further failure of the business.”

“Are you sure, Eden?” Devlin questioned. “The man might have hidden the money somewhere, in which case you could see some of it returned to you. For all we know, he might be banking it.”

Eden snorted. “Where? The only banking institution in Charles Town belongs to Dudley Finster and his father, and if that is where Tilton has put it, you can rest assured ’twill never be found by either of us. You could probably drag Tilton into Finster’s office by his ear, written confession in hand, and Dudley would deny all knowledge of wrong doing, or of any such account, if one exists.”

“All right, we’ll do it your way for now, since you are bent on being squeamish. Dismiss Tilton, and we’ll watch to see what their next move will be. But I can’t help thinking you’re wasting a fine opportunity to throttle the bastard. And asking for more trouble in the bargain.”

“Perhaps,” she agreed. “But as you pointed out at the start, ’tisn’t merely Tilton we want to net. If Finster is the mastermind, I want him squarely caught. I don’t want him to catch wind of this and cover his tracks before we can collect the proof we need against him.” 

Devlin grinned. “Again you surprise me, duchess. You may not have a head for figures, but you’ve a fine mind for battle tactics.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Ah, wench, what a pair we would make, if only you were a man! Then I could take you sailing with me, and we’d really put your brain to good use.”

“A shame, to be sure, Captain. Were I a man, there are a great many things I could do that I cannot do now. I could travel the world at will, and most likely run this company more efficiently without everyone trying to cheat me out of it. Moreover,” she added with a wry smile, “I wouldn’t have Dudley Finster attempting to court me, or you sniffing at my skirts, would I? Indeed, life would be so much simpler, had I been born a man.” 

Black eyes glittered into hers as he conceded the verbal contest to her. “Touché! You have shed light on my erroneous thinking. Upon further reflection, I can see that ’tis much better that you are a lass. For both of us.” With that, he bent and placed his arms on either side of the chair in which she sat, effectively trapping her there. Then, ever so slowly, as if to tantalize her with anticipation of his touch, he leaned forward until their lips were a mere whisper apart. “Have you been wondering when I would repay you for calling me other than Devlin? I haven’t forgotten, little one. Oh, no! Never think that I have. I’ve simply been biding my time, letting you dwell upon that moment when I would collect my due, savoring the thought of it in my mind. Have you been doing so as well, my sweet? Dreaming of it, perhaps, while you lie in your virginal bed with just one thin wall separating us? I’ve heard your restless stirrings in the night, you know.”

He didn’t give her time to deny it, but brought his lips over hers in a warm caress, a sliding of flesh upon flesh, until her mouth trembled in invitation beneath his. His teeth nibbled at her lips, his tongue laving them, tasting her, sucking at them until her lips parted beneath his. Then his tongue intruded to parry with hers in a heated duel that sent the blood spinning to her brain.

Eden’s breath caught in her chest, crowding her thumping heart. Her limbs went hot and weak, her body tingling to life as it seemed to only when Devlin touched her. She felt a strange need to be closer to him, a yearning so strong that it overcame her natural inhibitions. Almost of their own accord, her arms rose to twine about his neck, her fingers sifting through the tawny hair at his nape, drawing him nearer, until the male scent of him filled her head. Through the haze that clouded her thinking, she registered his touch as his hand closed over her ribs, searing her skin through the fabric of her dress. Her surprised gasp served only to seal his lips more tightly to hers, his tongue delving deeper into the sweet, hot recesses of her mouth, his mouth sipping at hers like a bee for nectar.

Slowly, inexorably, his fingers worked their way upward, until they rested against the outer slope of her right breast. In promise or threat, Eden wasn’t sure which. Nor did she care. It was she who completed the touch, twisting until her breast fit to the curve of his palm, nestling within his long, strong fingers like a fragile flower turning its head toward the sunlight.

Devlin groaned, a low growl deep in his throat. The weight of her full, firm breast in his hand was an almost unbearable pleasure, even through all the cloth that separated their flesh from actual contact. How long had it been since he’d touched a woman this way? Weeks? Months? It was nearly more than he could stand, and it took all his willpower not to rip her clothes from her back and toss her to the floor, then and there, so hotly was his blood thrumming, demanding release for his tormented body.

Though he knew he was tempting fate, still he could not make himself release her just yet, not when she was offering herself to him so sweetly, so openly. His thumb strayed further, barely skimming across the peak of her breast. The hidden nipple budded immediately, cresting within his palm like a wave.

Now it was she who moaned with burgeoning passion, pressing her breast forward, rubbing against his yearning flesh like a feline wanting to be stroked. Catching the nub between finger and thumb, he tugged gently at it, imagining his lips replacing his fingers, his tongue sleek against her silken breast, envisioning its texture and color, the contrast against his darker flesh.

A breathless whimper escaped her lips, a quiver rippling through her, and Devlin silently swore he had never before felt so powerful, so masterful—so proud. She squirmed slightly, as if in need, yet not truly knowing what it was she sought, and Devlin was lost to reason. It mattered not that they were in her office at the warehouse, that the door was unlocked, or that anyone could walk in on them at any moment. He had to have her. Here. Now. Before his next breath. Before he had time to think about what he was doing—before she had time to realize what they were doing.

Eden was caught up in a cloud, a delightful mist of the most marvelous sensations she’d ever experienced, or had ever hoped to experience in this lifetime. Pure, raw feelings were tumbling through her, buffeting her like ocean waves, relentlessly pushing her toward an unknown shore.

Suddenly, without warning, the bell over the office door clanged, announcing an intruder and bringing both of them to their senses. Abruptly, as if they’d been doused with a bucket of icy water, they sprang apart— Eden’s face now aglow not with passion but with guilt and embarrassment. Instantly, Devlin sought to reestablish contact, reaching out to grab her arm as he felt himself begin to fade from view.

Thankfully, the interior of the small room was dimly lit. Tilton appeared to notice nothing more amiss than his spinster employer in very intimate contact with the pirate captain. The foreman’s gaze traveled from one to the other, his eyes narrowing as he stared hard at Eden’s flushed features and moist, kiss-swollen lips. Eden could almost hear the man planning to run to Finster at the first opportunity, spreading tales of her most recent misbehavior.

Tilton’s apology and the knowing smirk that curled his lips were at odds as he said, “Beggin’ your pardon, Miss Winters. If I’d have known I was about to walk in on such a cozy scene, I would have knocked first.”

Perhaps the knowledge that she was going to dismiss him gave Eden’s reply an added dose of venom. Her ire was at its peak, her hackles up, and Tilton’s impertinence was all she needed to push her patience past its limits. Extending her hand toward him, palm up, she demanded frostily, ‘Turn in your warehouse keys, Mr. Tilton. All of them. As of this minute, you have a quarter hour to collect anything which might belong to you and get off this property. I never want to see you here again. Your services are no longer required.”

For several stunned seconds, the man stared in dumb disbelief. Then he frowned, his eyes squinting at her in warning. “Now just hold on there, missy. Mayhap you’d better consider what you’re doing. You can’t dismiss me just like that.” He leaned forward, snapping his fingers before her nose. “I’ve given more time and effort to running this company than you can begin to know. Why, I’ve worked myself ragged trying to save this place for you and your ma. And this is the thanks I get?”

“That and whatever pay you have coming to you,” Eden said, refusing to be intimidated by such a worthless worm. Glaring back at him, she longed to tell him all she truly knew, and what more she suspected. Such as how he’d been lining his pockets at her expense, and deliberately trying to ruin her business. Somehow, she held her tongue, knowing now was not the time to spill the beans from that particular pot. “I’ll also have all the monies you have collected this morning on behalf of the warehouse, Mr. Tilton. And the receipts for the logbook, if you please.” Consulting her pendant watch, which hung suspended at her waistband from her father’s gold watch chain, she told him, “By my calculations, you now have twelve minutes. If you have not left the premises by that time, I will have you forcibly removed.”

“At the point of my sword,” Devlin put in for good measure, noting the malevolent gleam in Tilton’s eyes, and the way the man leaned toward Eden as if he wanted to launch himself at her.

Under Devlin’s Satan-black gaze, Tilton backed down, though not without a final word of warning. “This won’t be the end of it, Miss High-and-Mighty Winters.” Digging into his pockets, he threw a crumpled wad of hand-written receipts and money onto her desktop. Next, the company keys came clanking, tossed with such force that they skittered off the edge of the desk onto the floor, dragging coins and papers with them. “You haven’t heard the last of me, not by a long shot! You’ll regret this day for years to come. And you’ll regret putting in with this passel o’ pirates. Mark my words, girl. There’ll come a day when you’ll beg to have me back here running this place for you, but my help won’t come so cheap then.”

He stormed out of the office before Eden could think to tally his final pay, leaving her limp from their heated exchange and his lingering threats. While she was more than justified in firing Tilton, she still wasn’t accustomed to standing toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with a man in verbal altercation, despite the practice she’d had of late with Finster and Devlin. It left her distinctly shaken, even as she felt a glimmer of pride expanding within her chest.

“Now then.” Devlin chuckled, recalling her attention to him. “Doesn’t that warm the cockles of your heart, seeing old Tilton dash off with his tail tucked betwixt his legs?”

She frowned up at him. “Devlin, he didn’t seem particularly cowed to me,” she hastened to point out. “In fact, he seemed extremely angry and vengeful. And he practically promised to make future trouble for me.”

Devlin gave an unconcerned shrug. “Don’t fret your pretty head, duchess. If ’tis trouble he wants, I’ll be glad to see he gets it. Meanwhile, we’ll bide our time.”

“And do what until then?”

The devilishly wicked look he gave her, with those gleaming dark eyes and that seductive smile, should have singed the laces on her chemise. “Where is your imagination, wench?” he teased. “By the stars, I swear I must have found my way to Charles Town simply to save you from withering away from sheer boredom. To rescue you from yourself, and the likes of Finster, who would have shriveled your soul and wrung you dry of all life. Sweetling, when are you going to realize that there is more to living than simply existing from day to day, always doing what others expect of you, never veering from the path of righteousness? Let down your hair a bit, love. Shake loose of those stiff stays, and taste the world as it was meant to be tasted. Glory in it while you may.”

“And go to hell in a hand basket?” she countered, giving him look for look, trying to resist the temptation in his twinkling eyes, the promise of passion lurking beyond his teasing words. “Should I sell my soul to the Devil for a few minutes’ pleasure?”

“Not your soul, Eden. Your heart, your lovely body, the sweet essence of yourself. Freely given, never sold. And to no other devil but me.”

“And what would you give me in return, Devlin? Other than a broken heart, a body no longer pure, and my reputation in tatters?”

He could not promise her what he knew she longed to hear, and he refused to lie to her, yet there were some things he could pledge in good faith. “I would teach you desire, and ecstasy, as can only be shared between a man and a woman. I would offer you freedom from the confines of the tiny cage into which society has locked you. I would give you passion beyond your wildest imaginings, and a treasure trove of memories to last all your days.”

A sad, regretful smile etched her lips. “I rather think you would bring me great sorrow, Devlin, should I ever take a bite of this tempting apple you offer me.”

“Mayhap,” he conceded quietly, nodding, “but I could also bring you great joy, Eden. ’Tis for you to decide if the prize be worth the risk.”

Devlin was not used to taking no for an answer. Thus, he set out to change Eden’s mind, through fair means or outright trickery, whichever worked faster or better. He began by deluging her with gifts. He bought her a new parasol, which she adored at first sight. Still, he practically had to beg her to keep it, for she insisted that ladies never accepted articles of clothing from gentlemen.

“Ah, but there you have it,” he informed her with a victorious smile. “I am no gentleman, so you needn’t worry. Moreover, I fail to see how a parasol can be considered clothing, since you but carry the thing, you do not wear it.”

He used the same argument when he presented her with a beautiful silk fan, intricately gilded with pure gold. “Oh, but Devlin,” she moaned, unable to tear her hungering eyes from the magnificent gift, “’tis far too expensive.”

Fearing that she would further object if she knew it had cost him nothing, that it was part of his booty from one of his raids, he offered instead, “Eden, take a lesson from the Trojans, and learn not to look a gift horse in the mouth, will you?”

“Ah, but in this case, perhaps I should question your motives,” she said. “What do you expect in return for such an extravagant gesture?”

“What would you give me? Your sweet body lying naked next to mine? Passionate kisses in the dark?” When she started to hand the fan back to him with a frown, he relented. “I’ll settle for a smile to replace the glower you are about to bestow upon me. Nothing more, at least for the moment.”

She reconsidered, obviously reluctant to part with her fine treasure. “A smile, then. And something more.” 

His hopes rose, only to be quickly dashed again as she added with an impish grin, “I shall teach you proper manners. For a start, you may begin by removing your feet from the sofa table. If you must prop them upon something, please use the hassock.”

She continued to instruct him in gentlemanly behavior, and he continued to bring her gifts. Brightly colored hair ribbons and a garland of flowers for her hair. “Though your glorious mane needs little enhancement,” he told her, flattering her yet again. He was continually complimenting her hair, her eyes, even her nose, which Eden knew was not among her best features. Still, his pretty praise did turn her head, though not enough to make her leap into his arms and immediately forfeit her maidenhood.

His most unique gift was a large copper bathing tub, ornately scrolled, with a raised headrest. Even Jane was taken aback, considering it too intimate a gesture.

Devlin promptly brushed the women’s objections aside. “I know not how long I’ll be required to stay here, and that old tin washtub you possess is far too cramped for my tastes. If you wish me to remain clean and presentable, then please allow me to do so in comfort. Of course, ’tis for your use also, and will remain yours when I am gone.”

But once Eden had accepted his gift, and tendered her thanks, he could not keep from teasing. “I shall envision you in the tub, you know, all sleek and bare and wet, the water softly caressing every sweet curve of your body,” he whispered privately, his flashing dark eyes traversing the clothed length of her. “Think of me when you bathe in it, pet. Imagine my hands replacing the water, stroking your dewy, flushed flesh.”

“I will not!” she claimed, though she feared she would now do just that.

He gave her a wink and that outrageously roguish grin. “Then think of me when I use it. Picture me hot and naked and longing for your touch. Better yet, imagine the two of us enjoying it together, both immersed in warm water, our limbs tangled and our skin slippery with soap, my body sliding sensuously against yours.” 

Eden’s cheeks burned, and she could not meet his gaze. “Please cease such ridiculous prattle, Devlin. You tempt only yourself with such talk.”

“Do I?” he countered with a knowing smirk. “I sincerely hope not, duchess.”