Free Carried Home by Heather Manning Page B

here below the waterline when the ship capsized.
    Ivy fingered the knife before she struggled against the binding ropes.
    ****
    Please, Dear God. Some help would be much appreciated. Gage pried the soaked hat off his head for a moment, shook the water off, and then repositioned it back on his head. He raised his eyes to the skies. They continued to dump water on his ship. The waves and wind buffeted them around and around, up, down, and sideways. Sometimes the deck tilted so far to one side, Gage feared they would capsize.
    Although the men grumbled about their condition, they obeyed his orders faithfully. It seemed as though they understood how serious a situation they faced. Many a man had died in such a storm at sea.
    Lightning cut across the black sky. Only a second later, thunder rumbled.
    Despite the situation, a cold resolve enveloped over Gage. He confidently barked orders to his men, and they obeyed, tying the sails back up and doing whatever needed to be done in the effort to save their ship.
    Adam had returned to the main deck and was assisting both Gage and the crew, repeating and carrying out orders. He had said in a few words that Lady Shaw and Emma were safe in their cabin below, fastened to the cot. A wave of nausea slapped Gage at the realization of what he was putting them through. A lady of her stature should not be subjected to a storm so violent, but there was nothing to do. If he sailed through this successfully, they would arrive at their destination all the sooner and Lady Shaw would be reunited with the brother who was so precious to her. Besides, the further they entered the storm, the sooner Gage would be able to find Addie and protect her from all the dangers of the world. He understood where Lady Shaw’s way of thinking came from.
    The deck tilted violently to the right. Gage was forced to grab onto the foremast to keep from tumbling over. They continued to tilt until the deck lay nearly perpendicular to the churning sea. Finally, the ship righted and Gage could breathe again.
    Adam, his face a greenish hue beneath his scars, stumbled towards Gage. He stared in horror at the rising sea around them. The last thing Gage needed was for one of his men to freeze on him. He needed his first mate. This man appeared to be well experienced with life at sea. So why was he behaving so?
    Gage grasped the man by the shoulders. “What’s wrong, Mr. Douglas? Are you all right?”
    Adam blinked, wiped droplets of rain off his forehead with his wrist, and looked down. “I am fine, Captain. Don’t worry about me.”
    Gage frowned but released him. It would do no good to slow down any member of his crew. A moment after Adam vanished from sight, a soft hand landed on Gage’s arm. He spun around. Lady Shaw stood behind him. She had Emma wrapped around her waist with a sheet. Lady Shaw’s bronze curls were soaked with rain. The woman stumbled as the ship plunged over a wave, but righted herself after a moment.
    Fury kicked Gage with full force after a moment. What on earth was she doing up here? Adam had told him she was safely tied to her bedpost. Gage held her arm and immediately led her back towards the companionway. He would not allow himself to be responsible if anything happened to her or the babe.
    The ship plunged to the side, causing Lady Shaw to jolt forward. She landed hard against him and he could not help but throw his arms around her. To steady her, of course.
    Her sweet citrus scent mingled with the salty rain and ocean water as she strained against his arms. By the time she disentangled herself, her face was a bright shade of cherry red.
    â€œWhat on earth are you doing up here, woman? I clearly asked Mr. Douglas to make certain you stayed safe below.”
    â€œI…” She inhaled and wiped some of the wetness out of her face. It did no good. The constant shower of rain replaced what she had wiped off in an instant. “I was a little…frightened down