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she’d resisted him.
    She cast her gaze to the floor. “Who are you?”
    “My name is Jonathan Taylor. Most call me Taylor.”
    “Why are you here…on this ship?”
    “I’ve served as Captain Kane’s quartermaster for several
years. I attend to his business dealings and the financial aspects of his
endeavors.”
    Cathy kept her eyes downcast, unable to face the scrutiny in
his gaze. Could this man possibly know the truth about her wanton behavior? Did
the heat that infused her at the mention of the captain’s name manifest itself
on her cheeks?
    “How… How did someone like you come to be here?”
    His brow furrowed, his mouth set in an expression of deep
thought. He seemed to consider her words carefully. “Captain Kane saved my
life. I’d traveled to America from Lancaster, but I was unprepared for the
reality of the Baltimore seaport. The men who attacked me had no intention of
leaving me alive. If Kane hadn’t intervened, I would have been a dead man that
night.”
    She listened with interest. Her mouth pursed as she
considered the notion that her captor wasn’t the villain he wished her to
believe. “He saved your life?”
    “Kane took them on. There were four men in all. By the time
he was finished, they’d either fled or lay bleeding in the street. He brought
me to the shelter of his ship. I spent a few days recovering from the beating
I’d received. The captain was in need of someone on his crew who could read and
write to assist in managing his accounts, so I decided to join them.”
    She quirked a brow in disbelief. “The captain…needed someone
to read and write for him?”
    Taylor shook his head. A glimmer of amusement danced in his
eyes. “To the contrary, miss. Captain Kane is a learned man, quite brilliant,
actually.” He gestured to the well-stocked bookshelves that lined one wall of
the cabin. “The captain is an avid student of military history. His interest
has served him well on the many occasions when he’s outmaneuvered the Royal
Navy.”
    “So, he is a pirate.”
    His eyes darkened. “No, not a pirate. President Madison has
issued him a letter of marque. His services have aided the American government
on many occasions.”
    She folded her arms across her chest, hugging the quilt to
her bosom. “Do you know why he’s abducted me? Surely the government has no
interest in my father or myself.”
    Despite his formal manner, Taylor’s gaze lingered over her
unclothed calves. “Captain Kane will reveal his motives when he’s ready.”
    Cathy flushed, though she felt sure he posed no threat to
her. “Taylor,” she began, hesitating as she spoke his name, “what will the
captain do when he grows tired of keeping me here?”
    He stroked his clean-shaven chin. “The circumstances of your
presence here are most unprecedented. I don’t know what the captain’s plan is,
but I assure you he will never allow harm to come to you. Despite what you may
think, he’s not a monster.”
    She sat up straight, meeting his gaze. “My father will pay
you if you help me escape,” Cathy ventured boldly.
    Taylor turned from her then, staring at the ground for a
long moment. “I will not betray Captain Kane.”
    “I appeal to you as a gentleman. Your captain intends to
ruin me. I’m quite certain of it.”
    He leaned against the carved chest, looking as though a
heavy burden had been placed on him. “I cannot help you.”
    Folding her arms, she studied him. “You fear him.”
    He shook his head in a gesture filled with sadness. “I’m
sorry, but I will never betray Kane’s trust. Your place is here. In time, you
will understand.”
    “Please…don’t leave me here.” Her eyes welled with
frustrated tears. Taylor turned away. He left the cabin, closing the door
quietly behind him. Cathy pounded the mattress with her fist as the sound of
the bolt sliding back into place assured she would remain the captain’s prisoner.
There would be no escape. She was utterly vulnerable to his