The Duke's Daughter -Wattys2014 Collector's Dream Award Winner-

Chapter Seventy Two

Arianna had not slept at all through the night. She had lain upon her bunk, contemplating the many different schemes that might help her to avoid shooting the pirate. Short of sending Betsy out to the Lady the moment the pirate set foot on the sand, Arianna saw no way to guarantee that he would not goad her to do it. Had she pulled the trigger of the dead pirate's horse pistol when it had been pressed to his chest, Violet Petals would now be dead.

Arianna debated whether she would even be able to kill him. It was true she had killed a pirate before. However, her life, and that of her maid, had been in jeopardy then. Yet presently, Betsy could be exposed to a life worse than death. Arianna pondered whether a second soul lost would be worth the weight upon her conscience. 

Yes.

The pirate's words echoed through her head. Do you have what it takes to pull the trigger, Enchantress?

Did she?

Arianna drew in a heavy breath and realized that the patch of sky she could see through the top of the tent was brightening. Perhaps what she needed was a swim. Perhaps there might be dolphins playing in the surf as she had occasionally seen. It was barely dawn, it would be a some time yet before the camp began to stir.

With a step lighter than her thoughts had been over the last few hours, Arianna retrieved her shift, being careful not to wake her mother, she slipped quietly from her tent.

*****

"Ouch!"

Derek sat straight up in his bunk. What was that?

"Damn it!"

A smile crossed his face. She was trying to be quiet, but it appeared Arianna felt the curse necessary.

With a grin, Derek slipped from his pallet, pulling on his breeches before he went to investigate. Pulling back the flap of canvas, Derek watched as Arianna leapt about on one bare foot, trying to remove something from the bottom of the other one, battling her loose hair for visibility at the same time. He couldn't help it. Derek started chuckling.

Arianna's head snapped up just before she lost balance and landed on her backside in the sand. "It is not funny!" She was angry; Derek fought to control his mirth. "I stepped on a thorn and it really hurts."

Derek continued to shake with laughter as he walked over and lifted her in his arms.

"I do not find your injury amusing, love," he smiled down at her upset face, "Only the predicament in which I found you in."

Arianna's lips pulled into a pout until she noticed that he was taking her into his tent.

"Derek?"

A shiver ran through his blood at the sound of his name upon her lips, until he glanced down and saw the uncertainty in her eyes. "I intend nothing more than to see to your wounds, love." He chuckled softly to ease her trepidation. "Where was this shy little rabbit I see before me when we were at the pool the other night?"

Her cheeks took on a rosy hue as his lip quirked in humor. "This is neither the time nor the place to make you mine, love." Derek set her gently upon his bed and took a seat on his trunk across from her. He carefully retrieved her injured foot and placed her heel upon his thigh. With a quick movement, he extracted the barb that protruded from the ball of her foot. His grimace was evident as he set the inch long barb on her palm.

Arianna gave him a small smile before she began to inspect the barb, her eyes then widened as she frowned down upon the instrument of torture.

"Oh!" A stinging upon the wound would have brought her to her feet had Derek's grip on her ankle not been firm.

"The stinging will lessen and soon the area will be numb." Derek reached into a bag that sat beside his sea chest, he began to rub a poultice Shaw had made him long ago into Arianna's skin. Arianna found his words to be true as the stinging had begun to lessen already.

"Just where were you sneaking off to this morn, love?" Derek's eyes, warm with amusement, seemed to caress her face.
"I was hoping to swim in the surf before the camp awoke."

"Might I join you?"

She debated for a fraction of a second before a grin as large as his crossed her face and she nodded.

******************************

Violet Petals was rather pleased with the crew he had assembled. They had finished the tarring quite quickly and were now removing water from the bilge.

Vi took a few moments, looking around to admire the brigantine, as she was abundantly more grand than his Saucy Wench. The Green Eyed Lady's speed was legend upon the sea. What he would give to feel her beneath him with the wind filling her sails. It would probably never happen, Violet admitted. If the look upon Trent's face last eve had been any indication, he was not one to share either of his green eyed ladies.

An indulgent smirk crossed Vi's face as he began to loosen lines and drop sails. He had always been one to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

*****

Arianna glanced up at Derek's face as he carried her through the high tide at the point. This handsome man was hers, all hers. Her joy was uncontainable.
Derek glanced down and caught the warm expression in her eyes. "I have missed you, Angel."

"And I have missed you." She laughed, remembering the same words being spoken the last time they were on this beach together.

The happy glow about her made her natural beauty shine like a diamond that had lovingly been polished for hours upon hours. Derek found himself mesmerized yet again. He would have to remember to thank his father when he saw him. Had he known what awaited him in England two years ago he would have set sail for home then. He was now in awe and extremely thankful that the pirate ship they had been trailing that fateful day had decided to attack Arianna's ship. Had it not, she might have been lost to him forever.

"Derek?"

He realized that he had been standing still for a long moment simply staring down at her with wonder. He smiled as he allowed her lower body to slide down the length of his until her feet touched the sand.

"I must change." She smiled up at him, her arms still about his shoulders, his still about her waist.

"I shall meet you in the surf." Derek's head dipped to capture her lips in a teasing kiss before he pulled back regretfully and set her from him.

Arianna pouted for a moment before a cheeky grin took up residency upon her face.

Derek laughed and slapped her backside when she turned towards the trees. Arianna started before tossing him a coy look over her shoulder as she went behind the trees to slip into her shift.

Derek found he was hard pressed to stifle his grin as he stripped to his drawers, folding his other clothes and placing them upon a bit of driftwood before making his way out into the surf. He waded in to about his waist before he dove under the next wave and swam out until his lungs burned for air. Derek went still, allowing himself to float to the surface, then opened his eyes. He was past the waves and could see the reef that extended out to this side of the island. There were hundreds of colorful fish swimming about, some in schools, others alone. A pod of dolphins darted through the schools feeding freely.

As he surfaced, Derek glanced back into shore to see Arianna wading thigh high in the surf. She spotted him and lifted a hand before she dove under a wave and began swimming towards him. Derek paddled back towards shore. As he saw her coming closer, Derek dove under the waves and tugged Arianna under by her ankle. He surfaced next to her and laughed as she pushed her hair from her face and spit out the water that she had inhaled while startled.

Once she could see and breath again, Arianna splashed Derek's laughing face, causing him to ingest sea water he had not meant to.

As Derek coughed and tried to clear his throat Arianna placed a hand on each of his shoulders and pushed him under the surface.

Derek, unwilling to go under alone, caught an arm about her waist and pulled her under with him.

When they surfaced, they were both laughing and spitting out water. Derek ran a hand over his face to remove the excess moisture before pulling Arianna close, keeping them both afloat with occasional kicks from his powerful legs. His hand caressed Arianna's cheek before he tasted her lips. Arianna clung to him, kissing him back with all of the joy she felt inside. This was what she had wanted when she left England. Someone she could trust and love. Someone who would play and laugh with her and kiss her senseless. Arianna knew not how, but when she stretched her legs down she felt sand beneath her toes. Had they not just been out past the surf? A smile crossed her face; this wasn't the first time she had been lost under Derek's kiss.

"What are you thinking of, love?" Derek asked as he nibbled at her earlobe.

Arianna grinned, and he heard it in her voice rather than seeing it on her lovely face. "I was thinking of how kind fate has been."

He nodded, remembering his thoughts earlier. "Had I known 'twas you my father chose, I would have hastened to your side two years ago."

Arianna smiled, "Had you done that, or had I never left, we would never have found my mother nor captured Bailey."

"Very true, my love. Should we swim more? There were dolphins out by the reef a moment ago. Perhaps they are still there." Derek was loathe to ruin the moment with thoughts of Bailey.

Arianna's eyes grew wide with excitement, but rather than answer him, she grinned and pushed away from him, initiating a race back out beyond the surf.

Derek laughed and allowed her a head start, knowing his superior swimming skills would best her.

*****

Carmelita stepped from her tent where her husband and son still slept. The sun was bright and quite high in the sky already, however the entire camp seemed to be content to sleep the morning away. Except for Cook, she realized with a smile. She had heard him laugh about an occasion where he had slept later than his captain once and realized it was no joke on his part that he had learned better of it.

She stepped nearer to Cook's tent, drawn by the delicious aroma, where Cook served her an overly generous portion. Her thoughts must have been evident upon her face because the Frenchman commented on it.

"You may be the only one having breakfast, madame. I do not believe the captain will have much of an appetite when he awakens."

Carmelita's brow knit as she contemplated the Frenchman's words. "Why is that, Monsieur?"

The Frenchman simply nodded out to sea.

Carmelita turned to see the Lady, sails full of wind, heading south, outside the reef.

"Oh, no!" Carmelita breathed, as the implication of who was sailing the Lady filled her mind.

Carmelita set her plate upon Cook's table and went to wake her husband.

*****

"Alejandro, Alejandro." Carmelita spoke in a low voice near his ear, shaking him softly, hoping to not startle her son. "The pirate has absconded with the Lady."

Alejandro was on his feet before Carmelita could even step back. As a result, she was set off balance, until her scantily clad husband slipped an arm about her waist to steady them both.

"I am sorry, my love. If you will stay here in the cabin, I will right everything on deck."

Carmelita giggled as her husband left the tent in just his drawers.

A half moment later a fully awake Alejandro stepped back into the tent to retrieve his clothing.

"What is this about, my love?" Alejandro asked, as he slipped into and tightened his breeches.

"The pirate is sailing away on the Lady."

Alejandro's brow lifted as he pulled his shirt down over his shoulders, "I knew the pirate was daring, but I did not believe him to be an imbicile."

Carmelita nodded in agreement as she slipped onto the bed with her son.
Alejandro exited the tent and glanced south down the coast. It was true, the Lady was sailing away from them. Shaking his head, Alejandro headed to his captain's tent to wake him.

"Captain.." Alejandro began, as he swept the makeshift door aside. He stopped speaking when he noticed the tent was empty.

Is Derek aboard the Lady also? Alejandro wondered this as he let the sailcloth drop across the entrance once more. He decided that he had better assume his captain was not.

Alejandro turned in the sand and headed towards the men's tent. There was only one course of action he found appropriate.

*****

Derek watched Arianna as she glanced about under the waves at the sea life around them. Though the underwater scenery was beautiful; fish of every color imaginable swam above and through the reef, sea turtles could be spotted here and there, dolphins either fed on the plentiful fish or played with one another, and the reef itself was a sight to behold; none of it compared to the beauty of his siren taking in the sight.

Her hair floated freely around her in the water and her eyes were large and bright with wonder. Her wet, white shift gave him glimpses of the beauty beneath, when her movements pulled the fabric tight against her skin. Once more, Derek found himself thanking the heavens that she was no proper Englishwoman. No sooner had the thought completed itself before her eyes found his. Her smile was beaming until she exhaled the breath she held and swam to the surface. As Derek surfaced beside her, drawing in breath, he found himself surveying the way the saltwater clung to her eyelashes.

"It is beautiful, Derek! I never would have swam out this far had I come alone. Thank you for showing it to me."

He drew her close in the water until he could feel her body heat against his skin. "It is beautiful, love, but not half as beautiful as you."

Arianna laughed, and pressed a kiss to his unshaven cheek.

"Would you like to stay here a little longer, or are you ready to head in, love?" Using his fingertips, he lifted a length of her raven hair from her sunkissed cheek as she frowned slightly.

Arianna glanced towards the reef. She did not want this interlude to end, yet she knew it must. "I had better get back before that pirate steals off with my maid."

Derek laughed at that. "Are your pistols still at the ready?"

A sheepish expression took up residency upon her face. "You heard about that?"

"Aye." He nodded, grinning widely at her.

Her nose wrinkled as she submerged all but her eyes under the water. Derek chuckled and brought her up, pulling her closer to him. His lips and teeth found her earlobe and he whispered to her, "You ought to quit issuing threats so freely."

"Hmmph! I did not threaten him. I merely warned him of what would happen should I find him stealing off with my maid again."

Derek pressed a kiss to the sensitive hollow below her ear. "Whatever soothes your conscious, love."

Arianna placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him under the water. Laughing, she swam away from him and initiated the race back to shore.

*****

Vi was thoroughly enjoying himself. Never in his years at sea had he ever been aboard a ship that handled like The Green Eyed Lady. Vi tacked into the wind and watched the sails catch the wind more fully.

He turned the wheel and practiced maneuvers he had never dreamed of being able to perform from the helm of his ship. Vi stood in awe of the Lady's responsive behavior to his slightest touch. How adequately the ship had been named, he thought, though he doubted that Trent's intended would be as easy for him to maneuver. With a mischievous grin, his gaze dropped from the sails to the deck and he noticed that the men of his shift were divided.

Vi's men were pulling lines and obeying his every directive. The men from the Lady's crew looked to be deciding whether they should initiate a fight or jump overboard and swim to shore.

"You, men!" Vi called down to them, "What seems to be your debate?"

The largest and smallest of the group stepped forward. The large man shaded his eyes from the sun and called up to the bridge, "Were thinkin' it's time fer you ta return the ship to her captain."

"And if I disagree?" Vi called down, turning the ship back along the shore. The camp disappeared from sight as they rounded the southern rocky beach.

"Well, we was hopin' you'd agree," The short man called up, "Cause if'n ya don't, were gonna havta gut cha."

Vi glanced down at the man with an amused expression. "Could you reach high enough, sailor?"

The sound of rapiers being pulled and pistols being cocked was his answer as every man aboard from the Lady's crew drew his weapons.

"Alright, Alright." Vi sighed. These men had no sense of humor. He turned the ship north along the opposite side of the island. "I fully intend to return the ship to her captain. I am merely testing the repairs."

"The captain ain't gonna see it that way." The large man called up.

"Of that, my man," Vi's eyes lit with a purple glint, "I am fully aware."

*****

Derek was already mostly dry and slipping into his breeches when Arianna finally walked from the surf up the beach towards him.

"You cheated." She accused with a wry smile as she neared him.

Derek, still focused on tightening his breeches, answered with an arched brow, "I was not aware that letting the waves bring me into shore was cheating, my love."

"No, but pulling me under every chance you had, was." She laughed.

Derek's smile was brilliant as he turned his attention her way, but when his eyes found her, the smile began to fade. A hungry look of desire took over his eyes as they traveled the length of the wet shift that clung to her curves and hid very little from his sight.

"Beautiful." He breathed, as he stepped closer and slipped his arms about her, drawing her wet body against him.

She lifted her face to his and he did not waste the opportunity to bring his lips to hers. Arianna's heart skipped a beat as desire began to take root deep within her, however, before she knew it, Derek set her from him with a curse and began running towards the surf once more.
For a moment, Arianna was completely confused. What had she done that would make him curse at her as he pushed her away?

She turned just in time to see him dive and disappear under the waves. It was then that the sound of sailcloth flapping in the wind caught her attention and she saw the Lady heading towards them from the northern tip of the isle.

Was Derek hoping to catch the ship? If he did, what good would it do with him floating in the ocean?