The Notorious Lady Anne: A Loveswept Historical Romance by Sharon Cullen Page B

confident laughter turned to shrieks of terror.
    The other men paused before moving on. Emmaline didn’t fault them. They understood that the important thing right now was to get the sail secured, to keep the ship and the rest of the crew safe.
    She raced to the mast and began to climb, her bare toes digging into the ropes, the wind ather back pinning her to the rigging. The lad held on, his face white with fear, his muscles straining. She didn’t look down, because she knew what the view would be. Churning black sea tipped with white foam, waiting to swallow a person whole.
    Her heart thundered above the rumbling of the storm clouds. Her chest ached with each exhalation and her head still throbbed from her fight with Shamus.
    She’d lost crewmen before—in battle, in illness and in much the same circumstances as these. No matter how they died, a little part of her died with them.
    The command to attack the merchant vessel had been a sound one, yet the knowledge didn’t stop her guilt. They might have been able to outrun the storm, but doing so would have left them without provisions.
    Her shoulders screamed in agony every time she lifted herself to the next rope. The wind howled, reminding her more of a person doomed to the watery depths of Davy Jones’s locker than mere nature rolling along its course.
    She pulled her battered body up one more rope. Rain pelted her face and ran down her neck. The lad above her hung on for his life.

    Nicholas clung to his bunk but his strength wasn’t enough. The horrendous noise was like a living thing, wrapping itself around the ship, imprisoning everyone in its awful clutches. The terrible shrieking worked its way inside his head until it became a part of him. All thought of his captivity was replaced with nothing more than the will and strength to stay alive.
    Over the sound of the wind, the sloop groaned in protest. The boards creaked against the force of the gale. Only mere wood, pitch and tar stood between him and drowning.
    The ship tilted starboard. Nicholas rolled, hitting his head on the side of his bunk. His vision wavered.
    Slowly, he pulled his legs beneath him and attempted to stand. His thigh screamed in pain, almost buckling his knees. He flung out a hand and braced himself against the wall.
    Water began rolling in under the door, swirling around his feet. With a growl of rage he put his shoulder down and charged the still-locked door. He was damned if he was going to die in this cabin, locked in as a prisoner. The door shuddered under the impact. The ship tilted, forcing him back. Putting all of his weight on his bad leg, he gritted his teeth and kicked with his good leg. The wood cracked. He kicked again. And again and again until the wooden door finally gave way.
    He raced out of the cabin that had been quickly becoming his coffin.
    Where was everyone? Were they battened down? Or had they been swept overboard?
    He struggled down the corridor, tossed from side to side. Another door stood open and a man lay half-in, half-out of the cabin. He was shirtless, with a bloodstained bandage around his torso. Nicholas hurried to him, bouncing from one wall to the other. The injured man opened eyes glazed with pain. ’Twas the giant from Alphonse’s ship. How the devil did he get here?
    Nicholas grasped the man under his arms and tried to move him into the cabin and onto the bunk. Not that it would do much good. He’d probably be tossed right back off, but Nicholas couldn’t leave him lying on the floor.
    Thankfully the man was conscious enough to help, and together they staggered to the bunk.
    Fresh blood soaked the bandage, but there wasn’t much Nicholas could do without supplies. Besides, attempting to change the man’s bandage would be fruitless in this storm.
    Sweat beaded his gray face. “Thank you,” he mumbled.
    “Should I fetch the surgeon?”
    He shook his head. His eyes drifted closed.
    “What the hell happened to you, mate?” Nicholas spoke more to