Andrea Kane Read Online Free PDF Page B

would have such diminutive feet. Shrugging, Alex slid her bare feet back into her slippers. If she followed form she would be barefoot shortly anyway. She always was when she sailed. It was one of the freedoms she allowed herself when she was alone on her beloved skiff, unchaperoned and unhindered by convention.
    Her hair. She needed no one to tell her of its appearance. A quick appraisal of the cabin revealed no comb. Ah, well. There was a solution to everything. Her fingers were the closest thing she had to a comb. Using them, she carefully untangled the thick waves until they cascaded in moderate disarray and total freedom to her waist. She longed for a mirror to tell her the results of her handiwork. There was none. Actually, she amended with a wry grin, that was probably a blessing, considering her state of dress.
    Well, for good or for ill, she was ready. Alex moved along the deserted passageway leading to the stairs. She could hear voices coming from the deck above, as the men engaged in cheerful banter with one another. The ship’s movement was brisk and steady as it cut cleanly through the slapping waters of the river.
    Alex felt relief wash through her. The crewmen are too busy to notice me, she told herself as she climbed the steps. My presence won’t affect them in the least, she assured herself, strolling onto the deck.
    You could have heard a pin drop on the main deck.
    Twenty pairs of male eyes stared, unblinking and unbelieving, as the shockingly dressed young woman walked calmly to the railing to inhale deeply of the cold air.
    They are appalled by my atrocious attire.
    They were stunned by her unconcealable beauty.
    No amount of effort could diminish Alexandria’s regal presence. The ill-fitting garments she wore hid some of her feminine curves, but they did little to detract from her fine-boned, delicate features or from the graceful sway of her hips, emphasized by the breeches that clung to them.
    Embarrassed by what she construed as disapproval, Alex tried to ignore the men’s stares. She gazed around her with genuine pleasure, noting every detail of the magnificent ship. Although still not allowed full freedom, the sails snapped proudly in the crisp wind, the heavy masts gleamed in the thin sunlight, and the decks shone, polished and clean. Alex ran her hand appreciatively over the timbers. She had never seen a ship of this size up close and had only dreamed of sailing on one. Like a child opening her Christmas presents, she wanted to take it all in at once—the smells, the sounds, the very essence of the three-hundred-ton merchant brig. The enthrallment of discovery glowed in her eyes and spoke volumes to the two men who watched from their lofty positions on the quarterdeck.
    “That child is a rare treasure,” Smitty commented. “I cannot blame the men for staring.”
    Drake gave the wheel a vicious turn. “That is shock you are seeing, Smitty. Total, utter disbelief. I should never have agreed to this insanity.”
    Smitty fought back his smile and his taunting retort as well. “Not merely shock, Captain,” he disagreed mildly. “Admiration. Lady Alexandria is a beauty.”
    Drake’s jaw tightened. “That’s lust, Smitty, not admiration. Most people are ruled by lust—unless, of course, they are ruled by greed or power. In this case, it is lust.” He gave a snort of disgust. “The fools cannot take their eyes off her. Do they realize how ridiculous they look?”
    “I suppose not, Captain.” Smitty again refrained from mentioning that, whatever the men’s affliction, Drake seemed also to be suffering from it.
    Drake could not tear his gaze from her. Damn it, he had thought the clothes would do a better job of disguising her charms. Instead, they clung in all the right places and made her look even smaller and more vulnerable, dwarfed within them. He wanted to wring her neck.
    He hadn’t noticed the color of her hair before; the cabin had been too dimly lit. It was like honey, rich and