A Captain's Destiny by Marie Caron Read Free Book Online

formations of some sort hanging from the ceiling, and these were matched by similar ones standing on the ground. Amazingly, they seemed to glow with a light of their own. She had never seen or heard tell of anything so wondrous, and her mouth fell open in awe.
    “I thought you might like to see it.”
    “Yes, indeed! Thank you, Jack,” she told him sincerely. She realized he had brought her to see the cavern for her own enjoyment, and she really did appreciate his thoughtfulness. He could be very thoughtful and considerate when the mood struck him; she knew that from experience. For an instant she remembered her childhood and how many times Jack had been her protector, her hero. But what about now? Had he been acting as her hero when he had abducted her from her home, or did he have an ulterior, selfish motive—one that would eventually reveal itself?
    On the way out, Jack left her standing alone in the dark passage, while he turned down a branch off the main tunnel. “Stay here. I will be back shortly,” he promised, and she watched as the torch light bounced from wall to wall as he made his way down the narrower tunnel.
    She figured the little passage must lead to where he had stashed the casket containing the stolen wages. Katherine shivered, but not from the cold. It was exceedingly dark in here, and the feeling of being closed in had returned, but fortunately for her it wasn’t long before Jack returned to her side. Then they proceeded back to the cave where they had spent the night.

Chapter 8
    Seated on the ground in the damp, dimly lit cave, Katherine was warmed by the campfire and the hot spicy seafood chowder brought to them by Jack’s cook. It was delicious, and Katherine freely complimented the man, who blushed profusely.
    “It weren’t nothin’ much, your ladyship…just bits and pieces of whatever I could catch,” the man replied as he came back to retrieve the bowls.
    As soon as the man had gone out to wash the bowls, she smiled at Jack. “He seems to be able to create miracles, whether on a ship or on dry land. Has he always been a cook?”
    “No. He was a farmer when I met him. But he took to sailing right off and has been with me ever since.”
    Katherine could imagine living on the sea nearly all the time, and she doubted many people could do it. Certainly the people she knew would not be as adaptable. Her stepfather would go stir-crazy in such a small space as a ship, and being stuck on a deserted island, without his friends and his law books, would be worse than death for him. Just then an image of scrawny, pale Viscount Richelieu sprang into her head, and she giggled.
    “What?” Jack asked, giving her a confused look.
    “I was just imagining Viscount Richelieu under these trying circumstances. He would most likely be crying for his mama and vowing to have you beheaded.”
    “I do recall you wishing for something similar,” he reminded her, referring to her earlier tantrums upon discovering that he had abducted her.
    Katherine gave him a remorseful look, shaking her head as she looked back over her shoulder at him. “I am sorry, Jack. I know now that you never meant me any harm. You were only trying to help me avoid a fate worse than death,” she told him, an impish dimple appearing in her cheek, as she smiled at her captor.
    “Well put! But I dare say Richelieu would be aghast to hear it,” Jack remarked, smiling.
    The howling of the wind could be heard outside the cave, and Katherine shivered, more from nervous energy than from the cold, although the air was brisk. Despite the hot food, and the fire, which Jack and the other men kept burning by frequent additions of wood they gathered, the cave was still damp and cold. Katherine sat huddled under her shawl, as near to the fire as she dared.
    “You’re cold and we can’t leave until the storm abates. You should try to get some rest,” Jack said gently from the pallet where they had spent the previous night.
    The blankets