“Sweet dreams, Fox,” she said, as she turned away from him and headed into her cottage at the back of The Cauldron.
“Oh, they’ll be sweet, I assure you.” His dark laughter echoed behind her.
She went inside without turning back, closing the door tightly behind her and sliding the bolt across it.
The candle on the kitchen table burned low. She stared down at the two gems tied so tightly together. Dare she risk pursuing her goal, with Fox so clearly interested?
She had to decide quickly, because the man of Sunny’s dreams was trapped right on the edge of time, this very night—and Sunny there with him.
CHAPTER SIX
Cullen Thaine awoke with a lazy yawn then cursed under his breath when he glanced at the window and saw the sun high in the sky. It was near mid-morn. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep at all. His time with the wench had been particularly pleasurable, though, and it was no wonder he’d drifted off.
He looked down at where she slumbered in the bed, her hair a splendid mess upon the pillows. She wore it loose, and it was the thickest mass of long ringlets he’d ever seen. She was a curious sort with unusual features and dusky skin, and she said the strangest things. He’d never seen her in Raven’s Landing before last night, however. A sad oversight, he reflected, for he would have liked to know her better. He’d quickly developed fondness for the wench, and would gladly offer her his protection, if he wasn’t destined to travel abroad this very day. She had a healthy appetite for pleasures of the flesh too, and his time with her had gone far too quickly for his liking.
He leaned over and pushed back some strands of hair from her cheek with one cautious finger, admiring the pretty upward tilt of her nose. He hadn’t meant to wake her, but when her eyelids fluttered up, he couldn’t help smiling. “I must go. I have to get within sight of the harbor soon.”
She sat up with a start and looked around as if surprised.
Surely she remembered what had passed between them the night before?
After taking in the details of the room, she shrugged, and turned her attention back to him. “Is the ship coming for you now?”
She looked disappointed.
That pleased him. “On the turn of the tide. I have to get to the far cliff to watch out for its approach. I’ll take shelter past the harbor. I’m known hereabouts and wish to avoid questioning.”
She stared at him, her expression heavy with thought.
She was such a pretty wench, with those dark brown eyes and wild hair. When he reached the Americas, he would have to write and thank Nathaniel for bringing him such a timely distraction. She was not only pretty to the eye, but she was also adept at her trade. In fact, she seemed to know more about how to respond to a man and give him pleasure than any other woman he’d ever known. He was fascinated by her. He hadn’t thought he could go at it four times in a row, but that thing she’d done with her mouth...
She suddenly moved with deliberation, pulling her heavy hair back and knotting it at the back of her neck. “I see no reason why I shouldn’t come down to the harbor with you.”
Cullen was surprised at her words, but when he pondered them, he supposed there would be no harm in it. It might be a long day for him, waiting for the Gloriana and contemplating his sorry state. In his heart of hearts, he had no desire to leave on the accursed ship, which would make it an even more difficult wait. She would be the perfect distraction, he decided, and his body agreed, the blood quickly thundering in his loins as he glanced over her feminine form. So beautiful. So ripe for plunder.
He stood up, grabbing his clothing and quickly pulling it on. “Where are your garments?”
She wandered the room, staring oddly at everything. “I don’t know. The dream made me forget, I suppose.”
“We must make haste. The servant girl is due here and we’ll have to find practical garments.” He frowned as he looked down at the floor where the strange, silky undergarments she’d been wearing the night before lay in an abandoned heap. He’d never seen anything like it, and she didn’t seem to have any other clothing in the room. They didn’t have time to hunt for her gown and petticoats, which he assumed she’d left elsewhere in the house. She could collect them later. Besides, the gown would no doubt be totally impractical, some gaudy affair that would hamper her movements. He reached for his knapsack. Pulling it open, he brought out his spare shirt and a pair of breeches. “These will have to do.”
She was still looking about the room. “It’s not my bed,” she commented. “The things are different in the dream.”
He didn’t understand her comments, but his thoughts were already elsewhere. They’d have to depart, for the sun moved across the sky with each moment that passed. He’d no idea what time the tide was due to turn and when the Gloriana would approach. He pushed his possessions into his knapsack then snatched up the flask of rum and the bundle of food Nathaniel had left for him. There was bread and cheese wrapped in a cloth, accompanied by four shiny, red apples. He shoved them all into his knapsack and knotted it closed.
They were almost ready to leave. She had wriggled into his breeches and was pulling the excess shirt material into her hand and tying it in a knot at her waist. She looked adorable and, wearing his clothes, would pass for a ragamuffin lad if it weren’t for her beautiful hair and her striking beauty. Her rosebud lips were more womanly than anything he’d ever seen, and he wanted to kiss them at length.
He glanced down at her pretty feet, still bare. “Where are your shoes?”
She looked around the room. “I don’t know.”
He shook his head and walked over to a cupboard in one corner After some efforts rooting around amongst the contents, he pulled out a pair of pink dancing slippers complete with ribbons. They were no doubt expensive, but they would have to commandeer them
if she had misplaced her own.
“What year is this supposed to be?” she asked, peering at the slippers as if she’d never seen anything like them before.
Supposed to be? Perhaps she wasn’t at her best first thing in the morning. “1820,” he answered cautiously.