Bound by the Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

are no burden on your generosity."
    "Damn right you won't be, Governess, if you know
what's good for you."
    Summer's cheeks flamed darker at his rudeness, but he
merely grunted at Thorny and strode out of the cabin.
    Mr. Thorntree cackled again. "No trouble, eh? Ho!
Ye should've been 'ere when all the 'ollerin an' screamin' started. Sparked the
cap'n's temper a mite, runnin' into ye unawares the way we did. Could've been
another ship, ripe as n'owt. Whoever was on the watch'll prob'ly feel the lick
o' the cat tomorry."
    "Lick of the cat?" Michael queried.
    "Cat o' nines, aye. 'Ere, ain't ye never 'eard
'ow a man learns 'is lessons on ship? Might say as 'ow the cat is our
governess."
    "Whipping a man for being unable to see in the
fog and darkness is barbaric," Summer declared icily.
    Thorny curled his upper lip back, debating his reply.
"Mayhap so. An' mayhap ee'll be that much sharper next time 'round fer the
lesson. Sharks in these 'ere waters 'r mean devils. They take real kindly ter
sudden meals. Give a man 'is d'ruthers, I warrant ee'd take a taste o' the cat
over bein' fodder fer them big whites anytime. Ye knows it yerself. 'Ow long
were ye floatin' 'round afore we picked ye up?"
    "Most of the day and all night," Michael
supplied in a whisper.
    "Aye, an' would ye care ter do it again
soon?"
    "No, sir." The boy's eyes were round and
frightened again. He was remembering the "slippery things" he had
felt gliding past his legs.
    "Mr. Thorntree," Summer broke in,
"Michael has been through quite enough today without you reminding him.
And I should prefer it if he stayed in here with me tonight; it would be cruel
and inhuman to make him sleep alone in a strange bunk in a hostile atmosphere.
Thank you for your assistance, however. If we need anything, we shall address
you."
    Obediah Thorntree's eyebrows bristled up almost to his
hairline. The creases parted, and for a full minute the whites of his eyes were
visible.
    "Address me?" He looked from one to the
other. "Aye. Ye do that, lass. Address me."
    He shuffled to the cabin door and was halted by a
further question from Summer.
    "Is there a lock on that door?"
    "Eh?"
    "A lock, Mr. Thorntree. Does the door have a
lock?"
    Thorny scratched his head, screwing up his mouth to a
thoughtful pucker. "W-a-ll now, I don't t'ink as 'ow the cap'n would take
too kindly ter bein' locked owt'n 'is own cabin. Mayhap ye should wait a day 'r
two afore ye try that one on 'im."
    Summer was bone-weary and growing more so by the
minute. The tempting softness of the bed beckoned her, and she did not see
anything to be gained by arguing with an illiterate sailor.
    "Very well," she sighed and waved her hand
impatiently, "I shall discuss it with him myself in the morning. Good
night, Mr. Thorntree."
    He gave one last bemused glance over his bony
shoulders before pulling the door shut behind him.
    Michael released the pent-up breath he had been
holding. "Summer! You oughtn't talk to them like that. You're supposed to
be my governess, not Lady Muck."
    Summer sighed and rubbed her throbbing temples. Her
body had no more reserves of strength to call upon, and although she heard
Michael's voice, she had no idea what he was saying. She slid sideways onto the
berth, curled into a tight ball, and was instantly asleep.
     
    Chapter
3

S ummer C ambridge had never seen a shark, yet she dreamed of them.
Sleek, writhing forms circled in the water, razor-sharp teeth gleamed from
gaping, white jaws. . . . She spent long hours tossing and turning in the bed,
suffering through alternating waves of heat and chills that left her drenched
in a clammy sweat. She was dimly aware of someone entering the cabin on several
occasions to thrust a cool hand on her brow and adjust the tangle of blankets.
She heard background voices and bells and heavy footsteps on the deck overhead,
and she could feel the rhythmic dip and sway of the ship thrumming through the
currents.
    "Summer?" It was a whisper, very close to
her ear. "Summer,