The Spiteful Vixen by Erika Phillips

Author:Erika Phillips [Phillips, Erika]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Juan had stayed with Olivia for some time after their second encounter. She talked about Barbados; he, about his ship and crew. They were merely languishing in each other’s company when there was a sound at the door, then a sharp staccato knocking.

“Aye? What is it?” Juan shouted through the door, sounding much more authoritative than Olivia had experienced.

“Captain, we’ve hit port, but there’s a problem--”

Juan had his shirt and breeches on and was out the door without even a word to Olivia. She would have spent some time being incensed about this, but the word “port” echoed through her mind. This was her chance!

She quickly grabbed her clothes and dressed. Then she crept to the door and tested the latch. Much to her delight it clicked open without hesitation. She angled the door open and peeked out, no one was in sight. She silently exited and stealthily moved through the ship under the cover of night.

Olivia avoided going any direction where there were sounds, finally making her way to the main deck. She crouched as she examined the layout and where the crew stood. Eventually, she saw her way out. There were planks of supplies being carried off the ship, if she were just able to wedge herself in one of the bundles, she could leave the ship undetected.

Olivia made her way to the pile of supplies and discretely fitted herself under the canvas tarp, making sure to tuck all of her skirts in. She waited, barely breathing until she felt the plank being hoisted in the air. The men carrying it off the ship seemed to either be drunk or not yet have their land legs, as they stumbled every other step. Olivia thought more than once that she would be tossed from the side of the plank as the items shifted sporadically.

With a thud, the plank was dropped and Olivia’s gasp of surprise was muffled by the sounds of the busy port. She waited until the noises seemed to fade away and then slowly peeked out of the corner of the canvas. She did not have a good vantage point, but still heard few sounds. Olivia decided it was now or never and she inched out from the plank. To her great relief, no one seemed to notice her. She brushed off her dress and straightened her underlayers and began to sneak away.

Little did Olivia realize that back on the main deck of the ship, Juan was watching her every movement with irritated amusement. He sighed and shook his head, grabbed his overcoat and cutlass, and then begrudgingly began making his way towards her.

Olivia tried to move quickly through the dark, bustling streets. There were pubs and brothels all along the shoreline and she needed to get away from this disreputable area. The unfortunate thing was that she had absolutely no idea where she was and was certainly not going to ask any of the unscrupulous locals. She turned at the corner of an especially rowdy pub and headed down a street towards what she hoped was a more respectable part of town.

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