Heart and Dagger by Holland Rae

Author:Holland Rae [Rae, Holland]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, historical, Caribbean, action, spicy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Whatever demons they had been fighting in the other seemed to disappear below the surface, as they continued their journey to the cove where, according to their reformed pirates, Henri was being held. Their friendship truly had been forged the night before in her cabin, when they had spilled their pasts and their fears in stilted but honest conversation. It was nowhere near the friendship of their childhood, tentative and new as it was, but it was real and strong, and Catalina felt a fierce relief to manage that at all. Everything would change once they reached Henri, but knowing she and Armand had established a solid foundation on which to live their days, was a victory indeed.

Sometimes, she allowed her mind to wander, as the waves pulled them across the sea. What would it have been like to marry to the brooding man who stood at the bow most days and held a powerful command with such ease? Armand was a subtle force. Controlled and fierce, and undeniably handsome, with his dark stubble against his dark skin, gold-brown eyes reflecting like the corals of the ocean. He was tall and his shoulders were broad, and try as Catalina might, she had a devil of time keeping herself from staring at the sway of his back when he pitched in with the crew, the cresting of muscles as his arms bulged against his linen shirts.

She reasoned with herself that the attraction was nothing stronger than a combustible mixture of nostalgia and loneliness. Recalling the days of their youth left her feeling safe and comfortable in his presence, and she was becoming increasingly aware of how she spent her nights—alone. If she had been kidnapped by pirate forces, her own dear sister wouldn’t know of the event for many months to come. Catalina had no doubt her crew would make every effort to find her, but when the past comes throttling forcefully in your direction, it can be difficult to dodge.

Still, their friendship was amicable, almost easy. Though it remained a fragile sort of thing, she had little doubt of its truth. This wasn’t the rekindling of an old relationship. This was the building of a brand-new one, made not from the children they had been in London, but the people they had become in the years since. Catalina was finding she rather liked this Armand. He was dry, sardonic, and witty, but truly brilliant. There was no doubt in her mind he would have run his estates like the best of them. Still, she knew equally as well he loved his work as both a magistrate and a trader—running rums, silks, and spices all across the world, not, incidentally, unlike herself, but without the army of orphans, thieves, and escaped brides.

They jested of their roles in the world, how neither of them had become what had been expected of them. They even managed a fleeting fantasy or two, about the world, had it been different, about what they might do in the future.

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