Page 29 of To Claim His Highland Bride

After she’d lost count of the number of coins she’d thrown back into the pile, she instead reached down and let them trickle through her fingers until it was silent in the chamber once more. As proven by the vastness of the treasure these men had already recovered, they were earning more as treasure seekers than they would ever earn in a lifetime on land. Why would they want to cease their plundering when a guaranteed treasure waited for them at their next destination?

The only logical answer was that someone objected to her presence on The Cliodna. The fear that resided in Rowena’s chest shifted to a slow-burning anger. Was it Bryce who didn’t want to share any of his ill-gotten gains? Or one of the crew? It didn’t matter because as soon as she was released from this gaol, she would take it upon herself to find out who wanted her out of the way. She might be female, but she was not powerless.

If someone wanted her dead, perhaps it was time to stop resisting the attraction between herself and her husband. She could go to her grave having tasted what else lay behind his passionate kisses. If she lived, then she could still petition for an annulment from someone who would not require a physical examination as part of those proceedings. Or, they could remain married, and live their lives separated by two distinct goals and dreams.

She sighed into the emptiness of the chamber and clutched the heavy bullion in her hands. It appeared she would have plenty of time to consider her options while she waited for whatever happened next.

Chapter Twelve

Marcus opened his cabin door and looked inside the chamber, expecting to see Rowena sitting at the table or on the bed. She wasn’t there. With a frown he grabbed a brace of candles from the table and raced from the room. When she’d missed the midday meal, he had figured she was simply too engrossed in her work to realise the passage of time, or that she had been avoiding him after he’d stolen yet another kiss. Then she’d missed supper. Now the sun was starting to set, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something else had happened. He’d check the hold first before he raised an alarm, and if she wasn’t there, he’d make every crewman on this ship search every corner of the vessel until she was found.

Darkness blanketed everything inside the bowels of the ship, but he knew this place like the back of his hand. Once he passed the powder locker, he lit the candles with flint and steel and scanned the hold and, seeing nothing, he hurried to the treasury. The door was locked and no light emanated from inside the chamber. He was about to turn away when he heard the shifting of coins. “Rowena?”

“Marcus, I’m in here.” Footstep shuffled towards the door. “Help me get out of here.”

“What happened here?” He rattled the lock.

He heard a relieved rush of breath on the opposite side of the door. “Someone locked me inside after extinguishing the lantern.” Her voice held anger but a hint of desperation.

“You’ve been in the dark this whole time?” His throat went dry as he rattled the lock again. He had to find a way inside.

“Do you have another key?” she asked in a hopeful voice softened by the thickness of the door between them.

“I gave you the only one.” He set the candelabra down, crouching to feel along the bottom of the door where it met the floor. There wasn’t enough space for her to slip the key underneath to him. He sat back on his heels. “I have an idea. Move away from the door.”

When Marcus heard her shuffle away, he stood and drew his sword. He might not be able to cut through the metal lock, but he could cleave through the door. Lifting his sword high, he brought the weapon down at an angle once, twice, three times before the wood splintered and the padlock and a chunk of the door fell to the floor.

He sheathed his sword and opened the door. The dim candlelight cast a surreal cloak of grey across the treasury. Rowena stepped from the shadows. “Thank you for coming for me,” she said, her face pale and grim in the mellow light. “I believe someone doesn’t want me aboard this ship.”

“Tell me what happened.” He moved towards her, his gait measured and steady. He wanted more than anything to pull her against his chest, to comfort her. However, the next time they touched, he wanted her to be the one to initiate it.

“I was taking inventory and must have been thoroughly engrossed in my counting because I heard not a sound when suddenly the light extinguished and the door closed.”

“I’ve been interviewing the men all morning and afternoon, trying to discern who amongst us might have tampered with the sail. And now this.”

A slight widening of her eyes suggested she suspected foul play might have been involved in both incidents as well. “Did you come to any conclusions?”

A long pause settled between them until only the sound of the waves against the hull echoed around them. The steady rhythm had most likely helped to keep Rowena calm during her hours in the darkness. “I’ve narrowed the list to four people: Bryce, Rob Roy, Gordon, and Fergus.”

She walked up before him, tipping her head back. “How will we determine who amongst the four is trying to kill me?”

“We?” His brows rose in challenge.

“Aye. We. I have a stake in the outcome, therefore I should be part of the investigation.”

“Nay.” He had no intention of letting her involve herself in anything that might cause her more difficulty. “It could be dangerous.”

She raised a brow. “More dangerous than having a sail almost knock you overboard or being locked in a dark chamber for hours on end, waiting for your attacker to come back and finish his task?”

“The matter is being dealt with. Rest assured of that.”

Her glare pierced him. “Has anyone ever told you that you are insufferable?”

“More than I’d like.”

The comment robbed her of words long enough for him to study her more closely. She appeared unharmed from her time alone and her tongue was as sharp as it had ever been. Instead of smiling at the thought, his brows drew together when his gaze lowered to her bosom, rising and falling with the force of her indignation. “Where is the necklace I gave you?”

She pointed to a chest behind her. “I cannot keep it, so I returned it the chest over there.”