Till Dawn Tames the Night Read Online Free PDF Page B

exactly the same thing.
    From the shadows of the quarterdeck, they watched the man step onto the Seabravery. Captain Corbeil went to greet him, and it was clear they were well acquainted. Now it was obvious that the terrifying man was the owner for whom they had been waiting.
    In one lucid moment Aurora was sure they were attributing too many sinister overtones to this man's presence. But then, as if to point her out, Captain Corbeil's gaze slid unwillingly to her figure.
    And the owner's gaze followed.
    Even though he was on the main deck below, the man's overpowering presence captured her. As if by spell, he forced her unwilling gaze to meet his own, and Aurora was shocked by his eyes: so startlingly beautiful, so startlingly cold. He bestowed barely a glance upon her, but in that time his gaze was so utterly thorough she felt as if even her soul were under his scrutiny. He had such a tight hold on her that even when the moment passed and he had turned back to the captain, she couldn't tear her gaze away. Nor escape from the dread that was beginning to seep into her very bones.
    "Oh, what excitement! What exquisite terror!" she heard Mrs. Lindstrom whisper to her. "In all my days! Aurora! That man is a pirate! A pirate! Oh, we're certainly in for an adventure now!"
    Aurora stared at her. In dismay, she found her hand clinging to Mrs. Lindstrom's arm quite as tightly as the matron's clung to her own. Looking down, she watched the owner disappear belowdecks . Rationally, she had no reason to think anything wrong, but still she couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening. And as mad as it sounded, she couldn't dispel the frightening thought that it concerned her.
    In one swell of panic, she released Mrs. Lindstrom's arm. Guided by instinct alone, she walked to the gangway and had every intention of leaving the ship, even if it meant crawling back to the Home with her pride on her sleeve. But at once she heard the clicking of the capstan and the heavy fall of water rushing off the weighed anchor. To her utter dismay, the gangplank had already been lifted, and there was nothing below her but the black glittering waters of the Thames. Appalled, she turned to Mrs. Lindstrom. The widow's face mirrored her own. In desperation Aurora's eyes wildly scanned the decks for escape, but, like it or not, there was no going back now.
    Her adventure had begun.

Chapter Two
     
    "We've got her."
    With that statement, Vashon tossed off his carrick and flung it onto the dolphin-legged settee. Kicking a chair out from under a table, he turned the chair around and sat down, his hands gripping its back.
    "I think she's really quite a nice little maiden, Vashon. I hope you'll handle her with care. I don't see it to our advantage to frighten her now." Isaac Corbeil took off his gold-embellished captain's cap and rubbed his balding pate.
    "How am I going to frighten her?" Vashon smiled a rare and fleeting smile. His teeth gleamed a wicked white against his evening growth of beard, and for a quick, elusive moment, he looked almost happy.
    The captain sighed. "Good God, but have we done some terrible deed, Vashon? I mean, this girl's not some easy- virtued wench from La Tortue that we can haul away without so much as a by-your-leave."
    "Don't be absurd. This is the best thing that's ever happened to the chit." Vashon released a mirthless laugh. "She's better off with us than at that rotten almshouse, by half."
    "Perhaps, but her complexion certainly lost that pretty apricot glow when she set eyes on you."
    "She'll hold up." Vashon's mouth twisted sarcastically. "Too, we may be underestimating her abilities to take care of herself. After all, she took one glance at me and looked ready to jump overboard. So at least she's a woman of action."
    Isaac chuckled and shook his head. "Yes, I suppose she is."
    "Besides, if you're worried about me, I'll have you know I'm certainly not in the habit of taking my pleasure with stiff, proper little virgins,