Beauty's Curse Page 17

  James slapped David on the back. “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

  With a nod, David sat on the seat next to her and gasped for air.

  “Your wound.” She peered at the stitches in his side, his bandage gone. No blood. At least that was a blessing. She reached out, but stopped short of touching the battered skin. “Is it—”

  “I’m fine.” David took her hand and brought it to his chest. “More than fine actually, now that I’m with you.”

  He looked at her with contentment and warmth, a smile on his lips, even as he panted for air. Had she ever seen him so happy? Still, what he’d said on the beach… “What made you change your mind?”

  “As I stood in the sand and watched this boat carry you away from me, I realized that nothing matters more to me than you.” He brushed his hand along her cheek in a gentle touch that brought tears to her eyes. “I love you.”

  Those three words stole her breath and infused her entire being with a sense of exhilaration so strong she felt faint. “But I thought…”

  “All I know is that you make me want to be a better man. Hell, I am a better man when I’m with you. And if you’ll have me, I’ll be the best husband you could ever want. Marry me, Amelia.”

  “Marry you?” The shock gave her heart pause. “I haven’t changed my mind. I want to travel to my family in England.”

  He didn’t so much as blink. “I know. We’ll go together.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “I’ll do it for the both of us.” He clasped her hand harder to his chest, a flicker of worry in his eyes. “Marry me. Please.”

  “Yes.” The answer came out in a shaky whisper as emotion clogged her throat. He loved her.

  David lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers in a thorough yet tender kiss. “I promise I’ll make you happy.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, her heart filled to overflowing. “You already do.”

  The longboat pulled up alongside the ship and, one by one, the passengers climbed to the deck. David rose to his feet. They’d board this ship with even less than what they’d taken when they’d been cast off the last. Even his shirt was gone…and his violin.

  “Your violin.” He’d left it behind.

  “I didn’t have time to get it.”

  She glanced toward shore. Was there a way?

  He took her hand in his, bringing her attention to him, still dripping from his swim. “No worries. There will be other violins, but there will never be another you.” He pulled her to her feet and guided her to the ladder. “Come, Beauty. Let’s go back to England.”

  To England, and her family. A true sense of happiness bloomed in her chest. David had opened her eyes to a new world, one filled with promise and love. He’d taught her what was real and what was not. He’d saved her life in more ways than one, and now this wonderful man was hers. She was a lucky woman indeed.

  Epilogue

  David stared down at his borrowed suit. It had been quite some time since he’d worn fine garments such as these. They felt foreign and uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before knocking on his father’s front door. He would have let more time pass before this visit. After all, they’d arrived at port just short of an hour ago. But James had been tenacious. He wanted to know David had been reunited with their father before he set sail again. In a fortnight, James, Charity, and his crew would be off to Africa at Isaac’s request. Isaac, Ruth, and their young babe would return to his people there.

  Amelia’s gloved hand wrapped around his. “He’s going to be relieved to see you.”

  David forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re right.” His father would be relieved, at first.

  The door swung open, and an elderly man with stark white hair and a large nose stood before them. He looked the same as he always had—impassive and dignified, even when he would slip candy into David’s pocket.

  “Hello, Godfrey,” David greeted the butler.

  Godfrey’s eyes widened for the briefest instant before he recovered to his usual stoic state. “Mr. David.” That deep voice wobbled a bit, but he maintained his composure. “Mr. Lamont will be eager to see you. Please follow me.” He inclined his head toward Amelia. “Miss.”

  They walked down the main corridor of the stately residence he’d once called home, the familiar scent of furniture polish permeating the air. David knew full well where they were going. His father rarely left his study. He’d always cared more for work than anything else.

  The closer they came to his father, the tighter David’s stomach clenched. He hadn’t seen Gordon Lamont in more than a year, and that last meeting had been filled with shouting and spite. David ground his teeth in anticipation, and when they reached the doorway, he stepped forward. “Allow me.”

  He lifted his chin and entered the study. “Father,” he said to the man sitting behind the large mahogany desk.

  His father’s head snapped up. “David?” He rose and crossed to the door, a bewildered look on his face. Strong and sturdy, his father had been barely touched by age, save his graying hair. They stood eye to eye for a full minute, his father’s gaze traveling over David as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, before he pulled him into a hug that squeezed the air from David’s lungs.

  David stiffened. His father hadn’t shown him affection in years. But once the initial shock wore off, he relaxed and hugged him back. The moment would be fleeting, he was sure. Best enjoy it while he could.

  “It’s damned good to see you,” his father rasped before he released David and studied him once more, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a shake. He glanced toward the door and spotted Amelia. “And who do you have with you?”

  Amelia stepped forward and settled a hand on David’s arm, offering him strength. Although he’d been determined to come here alone, now he thanked the heavens she’d insisted she join him.

  He settled his hand over hers. “Father, allow me to introduce my future wife, Miss Amelia Archer.”

  His father nodded, a broad grin on his face. “Welcome, Miss Archer.” He turned toward the decanters on a table by the window behind his desk. “This calls for a drink. Join me?” In short order, he returned with two glasses of liquor and a goblet of sherry, handing them out with glee. “What happened to you? Where have you been?”

  He’d rather not discuss all that had happened, not with his father, who would judge him for his every action. “Doesn’t matter. It’s over now, and I’m putting it behind me.” He’d come here to inform the man that he would live his life as he saw fit, no matter what his father wanted. A thousand times, he’d rehearsed in his head what he’d say and now he couldn’t remember a thing.

  His father hesitated as if tempted to push for answers, then acquiesced. “I’m so glad you’re back.” His father took a long drink from his glass. “You should have never gone on that ship. You belong on land…here.”

  David nearly growled his frustration. And so it would begin already, not five minutes after their reunion. “I won’t work in your business.” He didn’t desire to, and he never would.

  As expected, his father’s brows slanted in displeasure. “Will you marry and raise a family without money?”

  David suppressed a sigh. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dream of asking you for money.” He thought he’d feel more anger, more outrage and contempt, but none of those emotions rose to the surface. Although physically his father appeared strong and hale, he had a vulnerability about him David had never detected before, as if his will had weakened. David’s voice softened. He had no urge to hurt his father, only to make him understand. “We’ve fought for years about what you want from me, and I’ve grown weary of it. My future will be mine to determine, with or without your approval.” He peered at Amelia, a promise in his eyes. “Trust me, I will support my family either through music or another profession, but I will do it on my terms.” Her responding smile made him feel like the luckiest man in the worl
d.

  His father shook his head. “Musicians are paid a pittance. You won’t be able to live on those wages, and what other profession are you suited for?” Although his father’s words held venom, he said them with less vehemence than expected. Perhaps it was true that absence made the heart grow fonder. “A man must support his family. A man must—”

  “We’ll be visiting my father soon,” Amelia supplied. “He’s a devoted patron of the arts. Maybe he can help David.”

  His father mumbled a curse. “David, you’re like your mother—with your head in the clouds.” He returned to the desk and sank into his chair. “It’s because of your mother that I’ve pushed you so hard. You meant the world to her.” He set aside his drink and raked a hand through his hair, tousling the usually tidy strands. “The two of you had a relationship I could never be a part of, only envy, and now I’m failing her.”

  “You’re not failing her,” David said. “She’s the one who introduced me to music. She told me I could do anything I wanted to with my life.”

  “And she was right,” his father muttered. His eyes met David’s. “How about a compromise? I offer you patronage for your music for three years, and if after that time, you can’t make a decent living in that manner, you are welcome to come work for me to supplement that income, if you want to.”

  What? “I don’t understand. Why would you make such an offer, after all this time?”

  His father’s chin quivered. “I thought you were dead…and it made me come to understand what a fool I’ve been, demanding you do as I say, regardless of what you wanted… I can’t lose you again.”

  David’s first instinct was to question his father’s sincerity, but the sorrow in his father’s eyes, the regret… The resentment he’d held for so very long faded like a wisp of smoke. He approached the desk and rested a hand on his father’s shoulder. “You won’t lose me ever again. And I accept your offer. Thank you.”

  His father nodded but avoided his gaze. He’d never been comfortable showing emotion. Still, he clasped David’s hand and held it tight.

  David cleared his throat and set his glass on the desk. “Now, I suppose I should go see my sisters, or they’ll have a fit that I waited so long to seek out their company. Would you like to come with us?”

  “I would.” His father rose from his seat, and David glimpsed the tears in his eyes. “I’ll have the carriage sent around,” he said as he left the room.

  David exhaled a long breath and returned to Amelia’s side.

  Her face glowed with a bright smile. “That went better than I could have hoped.”

  Very true. He returned her smile, his heart lighter than it had ever been before. “I’m not the same man who stood before him last, and apparently he’s changed, too.” He set her goblet on the desk and took both of her hands in his. “Are you sure you’re ready to become a musician’s wife?” Even with his father’s help, it wouldn’t be easy for her. He wouldn’t blame her if she changed her mind.

  Amelia’s eyes sparkled with warmth and love. “I don’t care what you choose to do for a living as long as we’re together.”

  Such an amazing woman. “You’ve always accepted me for who I am.”

  “And I always will.”

  For the longest time, he’d hidden in the shadows as bitterness ate him up inside, destroying him bit by bit. Then along came an angel on a sinking ship. Only through her love and guidance had he seen the light and stepped out of the shadows to become the man he was destined to be. His angel, his beauty. He’d love her for now and for always.

  .

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  Author’s Note

  Now that I look back, it’s crazy, but initially I had planned to have James, the hero of the first book in the Love on the High Seas trilogy Tempting the Pirate, discover that David had died. Poor David.

  My critique partner Barbara Longley was the one to suggest that David survive and have a book of his own. She’s such a wise woman. Then came the hard part… What the heck happened to David? We knew that he’d been kidnapped by the crew of Neptune’s Mercy and later escaped in Madagascar. Hmm. What then?

  I researched Madagascar in the 1700s and found very little, sad to say. But I did come across an interesting book, Robert Drury’s Journal. Over the years, there’s been some dispute over whether this story is true or not. Some say it was actually written by Daniel Defoe as a piece of fiction. Regardless, the book tells the story of how Robert Drury became a slave to a Madagascar prince and later escaped. Whether the tale is real or fictional, the descriptions of Madagascar are believed to be true. With that knowledge, I read the book to get a background of what David might have gone through as a slave in that region. Really interesting stuff.

  From there, because Beauty’s Curse is the second book in a pirate trilogy, I needed a pirate, so I decided that David had joined up with a pirate ship after he escaped. His internal demons were already well established. His whole reason for sailing in the first place was because of his father’s scorn.

  I had my hero, a tortured soul, who sailed the seas to escape life, but I needed a heroine to wake him up and make him realize what he’s missing. I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of luck and all the superstitions that surround it. And pirates were extremely superstitious people. Who could blame them? Their lives were always at risk, because of the weather, the battles they fought, and the need to avoid those who would bring them to justice.

  So why not place an unlucky heroine on a pirate ship and see what happens? Beauty’s Curse was a lot of fun to write. I always learn so much with each story, and this time I got to research pirate superstitions. First, women aboard ship were considered bad luck. Amelia had the odds stacked against her even before she stepped on deck. Then there were some really strange ones: whistling, sneezing to the left while boarding with your left foot first, and sailing on Thursdays or Fridays. All were no good. And forget about having bananas on board. Ha! Needless to say, it wasn’t all that difficult to establish the pirate crew’s growing wariness toward Amelia. And once that was present, the rest of the story just poured out.

  Amelia and David were such a well-matched couple. I hope you enjoyed spending time with them as much as I did. My next book in the series involves a female pirate. So cool! She must steal a priceless artifact from the hero. Hee hee. I love the whole conflict in this one. Stay tuned.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to Jeff, Brenna, and Megan for your steadfast support and love. You make my days a joy. To Ron and Shirley Bores, thank you for all you’ve done for me on this crazy ride. From your constant encouragement to distributing my books to all the folks in the Stratford area, you’ve gone above and beyond.

  Huge thanks to my editor Erin Molta, whose advice is always right on the mark. And of course, to my critique partners and friends Barbara Longley and Wyndemere Coffey, who pore over my books and help guide me in the right direction. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

  A happy wave to the Midwest Fiction Writers, a family of Minnesota romance writers who are always there for me, whether my news is good or bad. And thank you to the Romance Writers of America, an amazing organization that helps writers reach for success.

  Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my readers. Your awesome messages and reviews make this all worthwhile. If you’d like to chat, feel free to visit with me on Twitter or Facebook.

  I hope you enjoyed David and Amelia’s story. Next up is the fight for the Ruby Cross. Catherine, a female pirate, needs it to save her son, but first she must steal the priceless artifact from Captain Thomas Glanville, a man not so easily crossed.

  About the Author

  A small town girl with a big imagination, Tamara Hughes had no idea what to do with her life. After graduating from college, she moved to a big city, started a family and a job, and still struggled to find that creative outlet she craved. An avid reader of romance,
she gave writing a try and became hooked on the power of exploring characters, envisioning adventures, and creating worlds. She enjoys stories with interesting twists and heroines who have the grit to surmount any obstacle, all without losing the ability to laugh. To learn more, stop by her website: www.tamarahughes.com

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  More in the Love on the High Seas series…

  Tempting the Pirate

  Charity Goswick thinks she is escaping an arranged marriage to a brute when she slips onto a ship unnoticed. Little does she realize that it’s a pirate ship. Now she has been locked in the cabin of a handsome rake of a pirate who sparks the most unladylike feelings within her. But as violence and danger mount on the high seas, Charity will have to put all of her trust in the most untrustworthy of men... the arrogant pirate who just might steal her heart.