Souls Aflame Read Online Free PDF Page A

her voice. “I want you to go. We can talk tomorrow.”
    “Oh, you’re just scared…”
    “I am not scared.” Now she was becoming angry, and she did not want to be. The man was scarred and unattractive, and she didn’t want him to think that was the reason she was rejecting him. He had already shown he was sensitive about his appearance. Trying to make herself sound as pleasant as possible, she explained once again that they could talk in the daylight hours.
    “Be still…” he whispered tersely, interrupting her.
    And then she heard it: footsteps scraping on the stairs.
    “No one must know I’m here,” he said nervously. “Don’t make any noise.”
    Julie had not closed the door, and a faint glow of light filled the opening. Then a man appeared, his face framed in the halo of the small candle he held. She could see that he was over six feet tall, for he looked as though he were stooping to peer inside. Large framed, there was a military set to his wide, broadcloth-covered shoulders. His expression and high forehead beneath curling dark hair gave an impression of great intellectual possession, and she sensed at once that he was a man of importance.
    Was this the famed and feared Captain Ironheart? There was a glint in his wide-set dark eyes that hinted he would be quick to anger.
    Lifting the candle higher so he could see better, he all but growled, “Harky! What are you doing down here? You have no business in Miss Marshal’s cabin.”
    Shad snapped, “I brought her some tea. Thought it might settle her down. It’s bound to be unnerving to a lady whilst we’re running the blockade, knowing we could get fired on any second…”
    “We’re through the blockade. Get to your post at once.” His eyes glowing in the candlelight seemed to sparkle with tiny red dots of rage. “This will be reported to the captain.”
    So, Julie realized with surprise, this was not Captain Arnhardt. Then who was he? He certainly seemed to have authority, because Shad quickly obeyed. He scurried past them, out of the cabin, and she heard him moving quickly up the steps.
    The tall man bowed slightly. “I am First Officer Edsel Garris, Miss Marshal. Allow me to welcome you aboard, and please accept my apology for Boatswain Harky’s intrusion upon your privacy. He’s aware of the captain’s rules where female passengers are concerned. He will be punished, I assure you.”
    “Not on my account, please.” Julie raised her hand in protest. “He was only trying to be nice, and the tea will be welcome. He did nothing to offend me. He was concerned that I would be frightened as we ran the blockade.”
    He laughed softly, a warm sound that put her at ease. “I don’t think you have anything to fear. Captain Arnhardt is one of the best when it comes to navigating. Only once has the Ariane even been fired upon, and we were able to show our heels and make a rapid escape.”
    He glanced about. “Are your quarters comfortable?”
    Julie followed his gaze. “I suppose. But Mr. Harky tells me my mother and I will not be allowed on deck.”
    “That’s true. Our crew can be an unruly lot at times, and the presence of women as lovely as you and your mother could present problems.”
    She felt herself bristling. “We can handle ourselves. You can tell your Captain Ironheart we don’t intend to spend the next few weeks staring out a porthole.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “Ironheart, did you say? It seems Mr. Harky has done a lot of talking.”
    “Your captain’s reputation travels before him. I’ve already heard how the crew calls him that behind his back, and I’ve seen the scars on Mr. Harky’s face from being keelhauled. That sounds quite barbaric to me.”
    “The crime he committed was barbaric.” He stared at her thoughtfully, a muscle in his jaw twitching slightly. “I’m afraid you don’t understand the law of the high seas, Miss Marshal. A captain is almost godlike in his powers. He can sentence a man to death if he so