The English Lily (Tales of the Scrimshaw Doll) by Kae Elle Wheeler Read Free Book Online

that.
    Leaning back, he peeled the stained fabric away.
    Her hand clenched. “My hands—”
    He brushed his lips over the tiny scars. “Your hands are perfect,” he said. “We’ll have to marry, you know.”
    “Married. I’ve dreamed of marrying,” she whispered, smiling. Her eyes were dry, but in them he read the shock and fear.
    Something tight squeezed Joseph’s chest, and he found he could hardly breathe. Death hovered over them. While he might fail in creating bliss for Kendra’s last moments on this earth, he could offer her the whimsical fairytale.
    Joseph dropped her hand and cupped her head with both hands. “Lady Kendra Frazier, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, mademoiselle, s’il vous plaît ?”
    With a stately incline of her head, she replied with a trembling smile. “I shall be honored, Viscount Lawrie, Chevalier Joseph Pinetti Gray. Lord Hardwick’s Marriage Act was put in force in Scotland in fifty-four, so we’ve no need to post the banns.” A small hysterical laugh erupted. “Shall we escape to Gretna Green, my lord?”
    Her spirit touched him as nothing else could. Even in the throes of shock and danger, she managed to recall his full proper name and title. He pulled her to him as heavy steps echoed on the wooden planks just beyond the door. But for a moment he could pretend they would live a long and fruitful life together. “ Oui, Gretna Green suits my purposes, perfectly, love,” he whispered against her lips, before crushing them beneath his own.
    Her trunk was shoved harshly aside as the door crashed open.

Chapter Six
    She cowered in her cabin, but all was useless against the pirates smashing in the door. Her trunk slid across the room from the violence of their intrusion. Their stink, vile; their manners, coarse. Splintered wood flew in all directions, the door broken beyond repair. But when Joseph touched her lips in a tender kiss, he quashed her every fear. She couldn’t have dreamed such a romantic proposal. A tarnished knight shining through an agony of…
    Kendra woke, startled, heart pounding.
    Warm moist air stirred against her neck, and an unfamiliar weight rendered her legs immobile. Straw scratched her backside. She rubbed matted eyes with a bare fist before she mustered them open. Clutched in the other hand, absurdly gloved, was the gypsy doll. She’d thought it a dream, but its black hair tickled her nose.
    Sunlight streamed through slatted wood, adding more confusion to her befuddled mind. And why couldn’t she move? Bits and pieces filtered through her fogged brain. ’Twas odd, but it seemed the ship had quit rocking. No water slapped port and starboard. No crude language reached her ears from the boatswain or the first mate. No waft of salty sea air tantalized her nostrils, just dust and the smell of horses. Horses?
    She tried again to dislodge her legs, jingling the doll’s bangles and jewels. At the sound of a deep masculine groan, she froze, throat constricted.
    “My head feels as if an anchor is holding it under water.”
    Joseph!
    Had they been imprisoned? Still she couldn’t move her legs.
    He nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck and tugged her closer to his body. Every word came rushing back. Marriage. Kendra struggled to move and realized his arm braced her about the waist like an iron band. His breath teased her hair, his lips spreading unexpected desire to prickle her skin.
    “Lord Lawrie? Joseph?”
    “What is it?” He actually growled.
    “I’m very frightened, sir. I don’t hear water,” she said softly. “I fear we’ve been captured and thrown in the hold. Where are the pirates, do you suppose?”
    His lashes whispered across her skin as he seemed to digest her words. He shifted his body from hers, rose slowly, and squinted at the light. It left her curiously bereft. Kendra sat up.
    “Pirates,” he repeated. “There were pirates.” He glanced about. “I don’t believe we’re in the hold. There wouldn’t be