Page 26 of To Claim His Highland Bride

Rowena startled at the use of her married name. It was the first time she’d heard those words in connection with herself. She must not get used to them, for they would not be hers for long.

Marcus turned swiftly back to Rowena. “Why did you ask about Bryce?”

“He mentioned last night that I should take care so that I did not fall overboard.”

Marcus’s face hardened. “Eck reports that Bryce was unwillingly swabbing the forecastle for the past hour, under Thomas’s supervision.”

Rowena’s jaw sagged. “You had him swabbing a deck in the middle of a storm?”

Marcus’s features softened and the hint of a smile pulled up the corner of his mouth. “What better way to break him, than to give him an impossible task? Bryce has a few lessons to learn before he will be a functioning member of this crew.”

Rowena held back a smile. Marcus would not humiliate his cousin, but he would teach him the value of hard work as a part of his crew. “I’m ready to get started on my own contributions. Would you show me to the treasure?”

“You should first break your fast.” His smile vanished. “The food aboard is nothing like Mrs Honey’s, I’m afraid.”

“I didn’t expect it to be. Whatever is good enough for the rest of you is good enough for me.”

A glint of admiration brightened his eyes. “Come with me. The galley and the treasure are below deck.”

Rowena resettled her shawl about her shoulders and followed Marcus. Her new life was about to start. The thought filled her with a deep sense of satisfaction that she could do something to help her husband, and perhaps relieve him of some of the burden he had chosen to carry.

*

Marcus clutched a cabin lantern in his hand as he led Rowena down the fore hatch and to the port side. The galley was empty except for Bennett the cook who offered Rowena a slice of ham placed between two halves of a biscuit, and a small portion of ale. Food aboard the ship tended to be simple and salty, but she did not object. When she was through, they proceeded down to the ship’s hold. The air below deck was stale and unmoving, yet any foul odour was offset by the scents of pitch, oakum, and wood. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, his gaze moved to Rowena.

Excitement lit her features and brought a sparkle to her eyes that rivalled any of the gems she would soon hold in her hands. The light from the lantern penetrated the gloom, bathing the hold in muted hues of yellow and gold. Revealed were cannon balls, the powder locker, casks of drinking water and ale, provision barrels containing beef on the port side, pork on the starboard side, and flour, potatoes, rice, and the like in the wings.

“This way,” Marcus said as they walked past the brig and fore mast towards the bow of the ship. The berth deck was above them, next to the galley, but since the men were either asleep or above deck, the only noise around them was the lapping of water against the hull. At the door, he paused to open the iron padlock, then handed the skeleton key to Rowena. “You’ll need this so that you may come to the treasury room whenever you like.”

She accepted the iron key. “I am honoured.”

“I trust you,” he said with a smile.

Rowena frowned. “Why bring the treasure with you? Why not leave it at Dunvegan or somewhere safe on land?”

“We had no time to offload the treasure due to our hasty departure.” Marcus opened the door and held back to allow Rowena to enter first.

She stepped inside and stopped, gazing spellbound, scarcely breathing.

“What do you think?” He set the lantern on a hook that hung from a beam overhead.

“I’m overwhelmed,” she whispered, her voice filled with awe. “The treasure is so much larger than I had imagined.”

Chests and barrels of jewels, silver, and gold filled the chamber. He lifted a large emerald from atop a chest near his feet. “With one of these stones you could buy a castle somewhere in the Highlands.”

“There is so much here.” She shook her head dazedly as her gaze wandered over piles of silver and gold bullion, barrels of gold coins, silver plates and vases studded with jewels, lustrous black pearls, diamonds, emerald, rubies, and sapphires. “You are going to give all this away to the families of the crewmen you lost?”

“Most of it. Close your eyes.” He stepped farther into the chamber and retrieved a necklace that from the moment he’d seen it had reminded him of Rowena. He slipped the cold metal around her neck and fastened the lock, then arranged it to settle between the rise of her breasts. “You can open your eyes now.”

Rowena did as requested, glanced down at her chest, and gasped. “Marcus. It’s the most exquisite necklace I’ve ever seen.” Her fingers came up to caress the largest square-cut emerald at the centre. It was surrounded by diamonds and had a large round diamond between each of the twenty other similarly designed square-cut emeralds of graduating size as they wrapped about her neck. Facets of the diamonds caught the lantern light and turned it into a dazzling array of brilliant hues that cascaded across the chamber.

“It matches your wedding ring,” he said with a hint of pride.

A smile touched Rowena’s lips. “It must be worth a fortune.”

“It is worthy of a queen.”

“I am no queen.” Her smile faltered. The brilliance vanished from her eyes. “My future will never afford me the means to wear this.” She reached up to remove it, but he stalled her, forcing her hands away and instead of pulling back, he ran his fingers through her hair. He brought the length forward to settle on either side of the necklace.