Read The Notorious Lady Anne: A Loveswept Historical Romance for Free Online Page B

with the pads of his fingers. The farther the
Pride
sailed from London, the stranger the crew behaved. They still went about their tasks and accomplished what needed to be done. There had been no dissension since his talk with Oliver and the threat of flogging, which should relieve him, yet high tension hummed in the air.
    It was almost as if they were in fear.
    He massaged his aching thigh and stretched his leg in an attempt to unknot the muscle. Someone knocked on the door.
    “Enter.”
    The door opened, the wood creaking on leather hinges. Oliver stood in the opening.
    “You wanted t’see me, Cap’n?” His gaze darted around Nicholas’s office, resting on nothing.
    Nicholas beckoned him closer. “Come in. Please close the door behind you.”
    Oliver closed the door and shuffled to stand in front of the desk. From the trembling of his hands to the ready-to-flee look in his eyes, his demeanor screamed his nervousness. It could still be the threat of flogging, but Nicholas didn’t think so.
    “Sit down. Please.”
    Oliver perched on the edge of the chair, his bony shoulders squared, and licked his lips.
    “I’m concerned about the men,” Nicholas said.
    Oliver clutched the arms of the chair. “Sir?”
    “The farther we sail from London, the more … nervous … the men appear. What’s the talk amongst them?”
    Oliver cleared his throat. “Well … uh …”
    Nicholas sighed at Oliver’s furtive look and his futile attempt to gain time. “Out with it,man. I can’t address their fears if I don’t know what they are afraid of.”
    “Pirates.”
    “Pirates?”
    Oliver nodded.
    “What about pirates?”
    “Blackwell Shipping ’as problems with pirates,” the man said, as if explaining the obvious to a child.
    “Do the men think we’ll be attacked?”
    Oliver nodded.
    “And do you believe this?”
    He nodded again.
    “What makes you believe we’ll be attacked by pirates?”
    “The last three of Blackwell’s ships was attacked. By pirates. Lady Anne.”
    Nicholas blinked and tried to control the twitching of his lips. “You don’t honestly believe that woman exists, do you?”
    Oliver nodded vigorously this time.
    “Have you seen her?”
    “Nay. But I’ve ’eard stories. She’s mean and nasty and she steals your soul when she looks at ye wit’ those strange eyes.”
    “Strange eyes?”
    Oliver’s head bobbed. “They change depending on her mood, and watch out when they turn orange.”
    Orange?
Nicholas wiped a hand down his face and coughed to cover his laugh. “Tell me, Oliver, have you ever been on a Blackwell ship that’s been attacked by pirates?”
    “No, sir.” Oliver shook his head so hard he lost the ribbon tying his hair back. Dirty brown strands fell across his shoulders.
    “What does this Lady Anne do when she attacks?”
    “She puts a spell on the crew, enchants them, then takes ever’ting off the ship.”
    How had the man made it this far in life? Ridiculous. The whole story was ridiculous. A pirate—a
woman
—with orange eyes that changed depending on her mood? Who attacked and plundered ships? No, not ridiculous. Impossible.
    A knock on Nicholas’s door had Oliver jumping so high Nicholas feared the man would hit his head on the ceiling.
    “Enter.”
    Samuel came rushing in. “Captain, you’re needed up top. Fog.”
    “Bloody hell.” Fog. Could this day get any worse?

    Emmaline took a deep breath, felt for the dagger strapped to her thigh and headed with purposeful strides toward the orlop deck. Fog had rolled in earlier that afternoon, blanketing the ship, closing them in, bathing everything in an eerie glow.
    Addison had furled the sails and the
Pride
sat unmoving in a calm sea. The clanging of the rigging produced a muffled, hollow sound that sent goose bumps running up her arm. Fog was never good, especially for a merchant vessel. If the
Pride
’s cargo reached Boston after other ships on the same run, the price of the merchandise she carried would