Yet, if his father had been a ship’s captain many years ago, the old man would understand. Wouldn’t he? Was this the reason his parent allowed Barry to go into the trading business? He was almost anxious to return home and have his father tell him the stories of before he’d married, and Barry especially wanted to discover if his father was indeed responsible for the death of the governor’s father many years ago.

  As Barry wandered the courtyard, he knew he was alone, yet shivers ran up his spine, convincing him that someone else was with him. Eyes followed him. He could feel it.

  As he passed some hedges on his way to the gate, the feeling became stronger. Someone was definitely keeping him company. If only they’d make their presence known.

  When he passed a cluster of tall hedges, he made a sharp turn...and in the shadows, he bumped into another person, almost knocking them down. He grabbed hold of slender arms and kept them from landing on the ground.

  Silk glided underneath his fingers, and when his vision adjusted to the shadows, silver appeared. So did wide, beautiful dark eyes. Because of the shadows he couldn’t see their exact color, but he remembered from earlier they had looked almost silver—with a touch of blue.

  “Oh, forgive me for running into you,” he said. “I didn’t see you standing there.”

  “It’s not your fault. I mean, because this spot isn’t lit very well; it was bound to happen to someone.”

  Her soft voice and the warmth from her body being so close stirred something inside of him that he didn’t dare think about right now. This was not the place to desire a woman—one of the governor’s daughters, no less—especially with Josephine still unmarried.

  Instead of this particular daughter keeping her eyes on his as she’d done inside, she kept her gaze downcast. He didn’t like that. He wanted to look into those amazing orbs.

  “You are one of the governor’s daughters,” he stated, taking his hands off her arms, but remaining close.

  “I am.”

  “Where are you in line to get married?”

  Her gaze lifted to his for a brief moment then lowered. “I’m the youngest,” she replied sadly.

  “How many sisters are waiting to find a husband before it is your turn?”

  Her head came up again and a smile touched her eyes. He assumed she was smiling, but still couldn’t see her mouth because of the veil.

  “My father has told you about our custom?”

  “He did.”

  “Did he proposition you? He is desperately trying to wed Josephine because a prince has asked for the hand of one of his other daughters.”

  Barry chuckled. “Yes, he did proposition me, but I’m not in the marriage market.” He shrugged. “I can tell your father cares deeply for his daughters.”

  “I suppose he does. He is very old fashioned, and it doesn’t matter to him that Josephine will be forty years old before she is married, which means all of his daughters will be old maids, as well.”

  He grinned. The youngest daughter definitely had a sense of humor that surprised him, but then again, since she’d been so open with her inspection of him earlier, he should have assumed she’d be a little more forward than her sisters.

  “That doesn’t sound fair.” He scanned over her petite frame, and hated that the veils, scarves, and satins hid so much of her. One thing he knew for certain was she had intoxicating eyes. He wanted to yank the veil away from her face and gaze upon her beauty, because he was certain she would be strikingly lovely. He also wanted to rip off her headdress and run his fingers through her hair. For sure, it would feel silky and smell... He inhaled deeply. Like flowers. His heart rate climbed a notch, and he held himself back from following through with his thoughts.

  For some reason, she reminded him of someone. Yet, he’d seen so many women with veils covering their face, there was no way to know who this woman reminded him of. Familiarity poked at his conscience, and he’d drive himself insane soon if he couldn’t figure it out.

  Her attention dropped to his mouth and his heart jumped to his throat. He bunched his hands into fists and put them behind him to keep from touching her.

  “No, my father’s custom isn’t fair. But that is the way it has been done in his family for many years.”

  “Can you not go against customs?”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, no, Captain Braxton. That is unthinkable.” She lowered her gaze again, turning her head slightly. “Although it has crossed my mind a time or two.”

  Barry laughed. “Do I detect a little defiance in the youngest daughter?”

  As her gaze lifted and met his, she gripped his arm. “Shh, you mustn’t say that too loud. It cannot get back to my father.”

  “I won’t tell.” He removed her hand from his arm only to cradle it in his. “I also won’t tell your father about our little talk. I’m certain he’d scold you if he knew we’d been alone in the shadows.”

  “Quite right. You have no idea the trouble I would be in.”

  As he studied her face—what he could see, anyway—his attention wandered down to her mouth barely visible through the veil covering it. If only he could pull the veil from her face. He kept himself from doing that very thing by stroking his thumb across her palm. The erratic beat of her heart pumped against his fingers. Strange to think his heartbeat matched the rhythm perfectly.

  She tried to gently tug her arm away, but he held onto it tighter.

  “I—I really must be going, Captain Braxton.”

  “Can’t you stay just a little while longer?” He took a step closer. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better. I’m leaving tomorrow to sail back to England, and I don’t know when I’ll return.” He brushed his fingers across her cheek, the silkiness of the veil caressing his skin.

  Once again, her gaze lowered to his mouth, and rested there. “Captain Braxton, you are making it extremely hard for me to leave.”

  She had no idea how hard it was for him to leave. Her soft voice made him want to keep her talking just to hear the musical tone.

  He slid his arm around her small waist and pulled her against him. She gasped and placed her other hand between their bodies on his chest.

  “You are making it impossible for me to leave, as well,” he whispered huskily. “Just one little kiss, I beg you. I think you would enjoy it as much as I.” He paused, before adding, “And I really would like to see you without your veil.”

  She shook her head and her eyes widened. “I cannot.”

  “We are alone. Nobody will know.”

  Her palms pushed against his chest. “I cannot. Please, Captain Braxton—”

  “Call me Barry.”

  She hitched a breath. “Barry.”

  He smiled, enjoying the way his name rolled so sweetly off her tongue. He lowered his mouth to her forehead and brushed his lips across her skin. He paused, waiting for her reaction...waiting for her to snap at him and push him away. Instead, a small sigh escaped her throat. She tilted her face back and closed her eyes. His heart thundered against his ribs, realizing she wanted this as much as he did.

  Of course she would. Her father probably wouldn’t allow any man to court her since she was the youngest and all of her sisters had to get married first. Well, he’d give her a little kiss—something that she would remember him by.

  Gently, he moved his lips down to the tip of her perky nose and placed a small kiss there. He stroked her cheek again, shifting his fingers to the edge of the veil, ready to pull it from her face. He wanted so badly to see all of her face, knowing it would be beautiful.

  Cautiously, he tugged and the veil moved slightly. He held his breath, praying she wouldn’t stop him. He breezed his lips against hers, but the veil was still in place. Before he could do anymore, voices echoed from the house and grew louder, entering the courtyard.

  Letting out a small squeak, she pushed away. Her hand flew up to her mouth. Wide eyes laced with panic met his stare. “It—um, it was a pleasure meeting you, Barry.”

  She turned, fled through the hedges, and disappeared. He reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to stop her, but she slipped through his fingers. Sighing heavily, he cursed the unexpected visitors, and especially their rotten timing. All he needed was five more minutes. He was certain she would have allowed not only his kiss, but to remove the veil covering the lower half of her face, as well.

  Grumbling, he raked his fingers through his hair before taking in a deep breath and leaving the privacy of the large potted plants and bushes. When he entered the courtyard and recognized the governor’s guards, Barry wondered if the older man had sent them to look for him.

  As he walked toward the guards, his heart sank. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get to know the young woman better. If he had a few more days to dally in Turkey, this particular woman would have agreed to meet him in secret, away from the observing eyes of her siblings and her father’s very cautious guards, Barry was certain.

  He wished he knew her name. There was a mystery about her, which fascinated him almost too much, but he had to put her out of his mind and concentrate on sailing bright and early the next morning. He couldn’t let anything distract him from that now.

  Especially not a pretty woman.

  BARRY’S HEAD POUNDED with impatience as he paced the deck of his ship, the Braxton Quest, the next morning, barking out commands. Although he’d hired a few new men on his crew, most of them had been sailing with him for years. So why couldn’t they get anything right now?

  “What did you tell me was wrong with the sail?” Barry asked his first mate.

  Jeffrey shuffled his large feet and tapped his fingers on his even larger belly. Clearly flustered, the man’s eyes darted everywhere but on Barry.

  “Captain, the rope was not securely tied, and last night’s wind ripped the sail. I have Homer and Eric repairing the tear.”

  Barry glanced across the deck. Men scurried around with mops. “How do the masts look?” He glanced up, following the thick pole of the fore-mast until reaching the top. “I’m assuming they stayed secure in the wind.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “As long as the beams are secure, we should do fine.”

  “Wesley found some birds’ nests along the shelf-pieces, but he couldn’t just sweep them off.” He scratched behind his ear; his long greasy brown hair hanging over his hand.

  “Why not?”

  “They still had eggs in them. The first nest he tried to remove, the mother bird pecked at his head and wouldn’t leave Wesley alone.” Jeffrey shrugged. “So that one took more time than the others.”

  Groaning, Barry rubbed his forehead. “Anything else?”

  “Well, some of the men were into their cups a little more than usual, knowing this would be their last trip since you’ll be taking over your father’s position. Needless to say, they were not alert first thing this morning, and some of them became sick on deck.” He pointed to the mops. “Which is why they are cleaning up the deck now, Captain.”

  Barry rolled his eyes, holding his breath from snapping at his crew. These men knew better, so why were they so careless now? Perhaps he should give them some leeway, since it was their last time sailing with Captain Braxton.

  “Is that all?” he asked his first mate.

  “Um, well...no, it’s not all.”

  Barry hesitated to ask. Actually, he was afraid to hear what else had gone wrong. “Continue.”

  “You see, Captain, the cook had invited a few doxies onto the ship last night, and when he awoke early this morning, he noticed they had taken some of our food from the storeroom.”

  Barry clenched his jaw and fisted his hands by his sides. “Did Hank get the food back?”

  “No, he can’t find the women, Captain.”

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, Barry tried to calm his temper before his crew saw how on edge he was today. “And pray tell, what is Hank going to do about it?”

  “Purchase more.”

  Barry rubbed his achy neck. He’d been holding in his anger, it tensed his muscles. “Then I suppose we should postpone leaving port until tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s a wise choice.”

  “I trust you will let the crew know of our plans?”

  “Right away.”

  “And when you’re finished, let us set up our tent in the marketplace again. We might as well try to sell more artifacts while we’re here.”

  “Quite right, Captain.” Jeffrey nodded then spun around to spread the word.

  As Barry took the steps down below deck to collect the pieces they would sell, his mind took a different path. Perhaps since he was staying one more day in Turkey, he could call upon the governor again in hopes of seeing his youngest daughter. Of course Barry would make the excuse that he’d enjoyed hearing stories about his father and would like to hear more. Then perhaps he could sneak back into the courtyard and wait for the young woman to come to him.

  He’d have to see how late it was when they closed up shop to see if visiting the governor’s home could even happen.

  As luck would have it, the day proved very profitable. Many more people were at the marketplace, and the crowd around the shop was almost nonstop. Now as the sun slowly dipped into the horizon, Barry breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he thought about going to see the governor, he was too exhausted. He was also ready to begin his journey home. He’d been away from England too long, and it would take a few more weeks before he stepped back onto his home soil.

  The crowd had diminished to just the curious onlookers, so he was able to sit back and watch the Turkish people walk by while Jeffrey helped those who’d come to make a purchase. As Barry scanned the sparse crowd, he came across a familiar figure that stood back, almost as if she were trying to hide as she crouched in a corner behind a crate.

  The same servant girl from yesterday.

  When his gaze met hers, her eyes widened, so he acted as if he didn’t recognize her by sweeping his gaze further along. If he made a move toward her now, she’d certainly run. He couldn’t have that. Instead, the only way to get to her was to bide his time and sneak behind her when she wasn’t paying attention.

  He waited a few minutes before walking the opposite way around the shop. Peeking around the corner, he could see she still hid behind a crate. Slowly, he made his way around the tents, ducking behind the next shop. Within minutes, the back of her came in view. The servant’s head moved from side to side as if she were looking for someone. He grinned. Obviously, she tried to find him.

  He crept closer, being as quiet as he could. She didn’t hear him, but still rose, her feet shuffling as if preparing to flee. Reaching out, he grasped her shoulders to keep her in place. Her body stiffened and her head swung around. Her gaze clashed with his.

  “I have you now you little imp.”

  Color left her face and her lips parted. But before he could enjoy his capture, a hand yanked on his arm, giving him a hard yank until he faced an older man.

  The man was the same size in height as Barry, but overly round. His white hair had thinned, leaving a bald spot on top. His brown eyes were dark with malice. “Where do you think you are going, sir? I have caught you red-handed now, so don’t even think about trying to escape.”

  Barry blinked, not believing what he heard. He understood their language enough to know what the man was saying, but nothing made sense. What did the man think Barry was doing—and why should he escape?

  “Pardon me, but I think you have the wrong man.” Barry shook his head. “What do you think you have caught me doing?”

  The very large shopkeeper’s face flamed, his lips curled into a snarl. He lifted his stubborn chin. “I have been warned about men like you from different countries. You are part of those groups who steal our women and sell them in other places, and I will not let you do it again!”

  Dumbfounded, Barry stared at the man. Why would the shopkeeper think that? Of course, Barry still held the girl’s arm in a tight grip. He chuckled. “Oh, no, sir. This is not what you think—”

  “It is, and you are going to jail. I will see to it that you are punished for your crimes.”

  THREE

  Shock vibrated through Lindsay from everything that was happening. She didn’t want Captain Braxton to see her, and now...now he was being accused of a crime he did not commit.

  Gasping, she covered her mouth. Should she say something? Obviously, the shopkeeper thought he was doing the right thing, but she couldn’t let the Englishman get taken away when he wasn’t at fault. She was the handsome sea captain’s only hope.

  Praying for courage, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat, trying to get their attention. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Both men ignored her.

  “Look here, sir,” Captain Braxton said, his lips tight with anger.

  The other man shook his head and interrupted. “I have already sent my son to fetch the guards, and you will be thrown in prison very soon. We will stop your kidnapping attempts and there will be no more selling our women as slaves.”

  Frustrated that the men weren’t looking at her, Lindsay stomped her foot. Her brother had always accused her of being too forceful, but doing it in front of the family was far different than doing it in front of others. She had no choice. She must change the shopkeeper’s mind.

  Lindsay cleared her throat again, harder this time. “Pardon me.” Her voice boomed through the air louder than she’d anticipated, but at least she received both men’s attention. She looked at the shopkeeper. “You have this all wrong. He is not kidnapping me.”

  The man glared. “Stop trying to defend him. I don’t know what he has promised you, but men like him are liars. Would you rather me not do anything and have him steal more of our country’s women?”

  “Of course not, sir, but you have gotten the wrong man. He isn’t who you are looking for, I assure you. He wasn’t kidnapping me. He was...um...” She scrambled for an intelligent idea; something to make the shopkeeper believe her. Sadly, nothing intelligent was entering her mind fast enough.

 

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