The Pirate's Desire by Jennette Green Page A

lines crinkled from the corners of his eyes. “You heard it all, did you?”
    “Answer my questions!” She glared.
    The smile eased back into a straight line. “Haskins is the first mate on my ship, the Tradewind. ”
    “A merchant ship.”
    “Yes. A privateer. Which means I own my ship, but in time of war we are authorized to attack enemy ships. The Royal Navy has commissioned me to work on their behalf.”
    “Oh.” Lucinda reassessed the facts. The Royal Navy had an assignment for him. A secret mission, perhaps? A thought flew to mind. Her father had recently been on a secret spying mission, or so she’d guessed. “Was…was my father on your ship when he died?”
    “Yes. We were under cannon fire. A cannon ball hit the stern railing, and your father was too close. We made him as comfortable as possible during his last minutes.”
    “I see.” She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Now things were beginning to make sense. Riel and her father had met on the Tradewind and become friends. But how had Father grown to trust him so implicitly? They hadn’t known each other long, had they? “How long was Father on your ship?”
    “Seven months.”
    A good amount of time. And her father had never known a stranger. Seven months confined on a ship could probably make even enemies bosom buddies. But none of this explained what Riel was currently trying to hide from the English government. Truly, he didn’t want them to become suspicious of him—she’d heard him admit as much to his man, Haskins. What was he hiding?
    Then the other suspicious bit of information she’d overheard returned to mind. What about the money he’d claimed to be receiving soon? At the end of this week—coincidentally, when Mr. Chase would deliver Ravensbrook’s monthly monies directly into Montclair’s hands.
    The idea that Riel might be planning to pilfer Ravensbrook’s money for his own personal use made her see red. In fact, she opened her mouth to confront him on that subject, too, but then she bit her tongue. He would tell her nothing. Especially if he did plan to steal from Ravensbrook.
    No. She shouldn’t tip him off to her suspicions. Far better to catch him in the act—if, indeed, that was his nefarious plan.
    So, she’d learn how to keep the ledgers. Hopefully she’d be able to prove his unsavory deed, should that be his scurrilous intent, and bring the evidence to Mr. Chase later. A good plan.
    Unfortunately, she had little faith in her ability to prove mismanagement of funds, and even less faith in Mr. Chase’s willingness to expend any effort to help her. As well, Riel would be leaving soon. He may not even write in the ledgers until he returned. What, then, would happen to the stipend Mr. Chase planned to pay him on Friday? What a confused mess th is could become! No. The best plan would be to get rid of Riel now, before he signed the papers on Friday. Before he could touch a pence of Ravensbrook’s money. Before it was too late.
    Riel’s big body appeared relaxed, but it belied the guarded look in his eyes.
    Lucinda decided to pretend satisfaction with his answers. Clearly, he would reveal no deep, dark secrets to her. However, now she trusted him even less than before.
    In the next few days, she would continue to ferret out facts and expose them to the bright light of day. Perhaps then Riel would be revealed as the rat he probably was, and scuttle off to the darkest cave…a dungeon, perhaps…and leave Ravensbrook in peace. No need to tip him off to her plan, however.
    “Very well,” she said. “I will take your leave.”
    His fingers gripped her arm as she brushed by, which forced her to stop very close to him. Her heart beat faster when she looked up at him. It was late, almost time for supper, and a dark beard shadowed his jaw. He was a powerful man. And dangerous. She again felt this rush of truth to her very marrow. Certainly not a man to trifle with. Much as he appeared civil now, if she pushed him