Free Till Dawn Tames the Night by Meagan McKinney Page B

thought they were the only two in the large cabin until she glanced over her shoulder and saw Vashon at the bookcases pouring from a set of decanters.
    He looked magnificent. He was as plainly dressed as any man she had ever seen—he wore only black pantaloons, a double-breasted waistcoat in bottle green merino, and a white muslin cravat—but the severity of his costume suited him as none other would. His attire only accentuated his startling handsomeness and, too, that particular facet of his character that straddled the razor's edge of civilization.
    She hardly realized she was staring at him until their eyes met. Then vivid emerald clashed with soft aqua, and a strange, foreboding tingle went down her spine. She wanted to look away, but she found she couldn't. His gaze held her captive almost as well as his arms could have. And as he gazed at her, she found something in his eyes she had never seen before. A look of total, incontestable possession. He looked at her as a pirate might his captured booty . . . or, perhaps, one of his female prisoners.
    "Sherry, Miss Dayne?" he asked abruptly, breaking the spell.
    "I don't . . . ah . . . thank you." She had meant to say no, but Benny was already at her side with a tiny sherry glass. She graciously accepted it and took a nervous sip. The Phippses had always strictly forbidden spirits in the Home, and in her entire life she had never tasted them before. But then, she was doing a lot of things now she had never before done. Again her anxious gaze swept distrustfully over her host.
    "Oh, Aurora," Mrs. Lindstrom burst out, "I am so glad you've arrived! Vashon was just telling me all sorts of hair-raising tales! Imagine! Even now a dreadful sea serpent could be swimming beneath us—ready to devour the entire ship!" Mrs. Lindstrom eagerly scooted over on the couch so that there was room for one more.
    Aurora gave the widow a huge smile of relief and gladly let the captain seat her on the couch. She wondered how she would have gotten along at all on this strange voyage if it wasn't for the audacious Flossie Lindstrom.
    "I can't imagine there are actually such things as sea serpents," Aurora lightly reassured her, thankful for the reprieve. "But nonetheless, surely the Royal Navy will be there to protect us should we encounter such nefarious creatures, isn't that right, Captain?"
    The captain smiled and took an elbow seat next to the ladies. "Most definitely," he answered, giving Vashon a sly grin. "In fact, if you must know, the Royal Navy is quite fond of Vashon's ships. It seems wherever he goes, the Royal Navy is quick to follow—"
    "Brandy?" Vashon asked, scowling.
    The captain cheerfully accepted. "Why not? If we're to be attacked by sea serpents, then I should like to go happy."
    Aurora smiled and took another sip of her sherry. It burned like fire down her throat. She wasn't sure she liked the stuff, but it did make her feel a bit more comfortable, which was certainly hard to do in Vashon's presence.
    "Pooh!" Mrs. Lindstrom burst out. "All this talk of sea serpents! The only reason you gentlemen are not quivering in your boots is because that terrible figurehead wards off all the sea creatures!" The vivacious widow looked as if she were anxious to devour a really choice bit of gossip. "Now do tell, Vashon. Why is there a dragon affixed to the prow of this ship? I suspect it's for the same reason this supposed 'packet' has a gundeck right above my cabin. For shame, Vashon! Why, this is no packet at all but a readily armed warship!"
    A slow smile turned up the corner of Vashon's mouth. "This is a packet, I assure you. The gundeck is rarely used—a vestige of times past. As for the dragon, every ship I own has a dragon for a figurehead, regardless of the ship's name. I'm partial to them."
    Aurora watched him while he leaned casually against the bookcases. He did like dragons. There were dragons woven into the carpet beneath his booted feet. Behind him a black-lacquer coffer was