The Duke's Daughter -Wattys2014 Collector's Dream Award Winner-

Chapter Sixty Two

"Where are you taking me?"

Arianna no longer fought Derek as he carried her deeper into the thick vegetation. She was sulking horribly.

"Just a little further," he replied, pressing his lips to her forehead as he ducked beneath some low branches.

They emerged next to a crystal clear, spring fed pond. Large fish could be seen swimming in the depths. The grass was plush and dry near the waters edge, Derek set Arianna gently upon it.

He took a seat next to her and began to remove his boots. Arianna noted his disrobing, but stubbornly kept her mouth closed. She stayed where he had set her and stared into the water's depths.

She was not so unaffected when she noticed that, once his boots were removed, he began to unbutton his shirt. Heat flew to her cheeks when the shirt was dropped into her lap, a sideways glance confirmed her suspicions. His toned, golden chest was deliciously bare.

Her eyes shifted back to the water as the heat in her face intensified. How was she to stay angry with him now?

"Arianna."

Her eyes turned back to his, she found the same heat she felt inside, reflected in his gaze. She fought back a sob.

Derek sighed and took her hand, delicately tracing the lines across her palm with his fingertips. "Love, your right, I am sorry." His eyes lifted to hers, "I realized the truth that morning in my cabin with Viscount Whitmore. I meant to tell you then, but you were angered by my unintentional slight." Her eyes flashed fire his way. He simply smiled, holding up a hand to deflect her angry retort. He watched her eyes flick down over his naked torso before she turned towards the water once more.

"I mean in no way that your feelings are imagined, only that I had not intended for you to feel them. Honestly, Arianna, I was far too wrapped up in my own thoughts to even ponder how you might feel then. I explained to you my need to find, and capture Bailey. I'm not saying I was correct in doing so, but I had made that my priority." He dropped her hand and stared off into the depths himself.

With his attention diverted, Arianna allowed her own to return to him. She could see concern written clearly upon his face, his shoulders were tense. He was obviously affected by their conversation as well. She thought about that morning in his cabin.

My father is attempting to force me to marry.

Her words from that morning sounded loud and clear in her mind. How would she have reacted had she been in his place?

"Derek, I feel like a fool. You have known this whole time while I.."

"To a point, Arianna, you should feel like a fool."

Her temper was back. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Who doesn't study their betrothal contracts, to know just what they are in for, if nothing else? But, more than that, love, this morning's antics were more than foolish."

She was on her feet, she threw his shirt back at him, "If I behaved as a fool this morning, then you have behaved as an ass since. I am done with this!"

She went walking the way they had come, this time Derek let her go. But not without one last taunt.

"If you wish to break the engagement, I suggest that.."

She spun, and he saw the tears in her eyes, "Break the engagement? As if that is still an option after I have been gone for so long. No, Derek, you will have me for your wife. I just hope you know what you have gotten yourself into."

She turned once more and was gone from his sight. Derek's temper flared as his fist connected with the grass beside him. This conversation had not gone as he had planned at all. He sighed heavily and stared once more into the pond.

After a few moments, he stood and removed his remaining clothing. He might as well bathe in the fresh water while he had the privacy to do so.

*****

Alejandro stopped, he heard loud trampling in the underbrush ahead. 'Twould be just his luck to come across a rutting boar. He had dealt with some mean hogs before, 'twas not an experience he would like to try again. Alejandro glanced at the vegetation around him, finding a well defended spot between two trees.

The trampling became louder. Whatever was making the noise was certainly coming his way.

Then he heard a sob, and knew 'twas no beast coming his way, just an upset beauty.

"Pig headed f-f-fool." Alejandro heard her complain, "Damned ass of a man. I will not be ordered about. I will not!"

Alejandro shook his head, leave it to his captain to anger the nymph. He stepped from his makeshift defense, back onto the pathway, just as Arianna stepped into view.

"Oh, Alejandro," Arianna tried to smile, "You will find your obtuse captain farther down the path whe-re," a sob broke her speech, "where a pretty small pond lies. Now probably tainted," her nose wrinkled, "with his stubbornness."

Alejandro laughed at that, "A bit spiteful, are we?"

Arianna managed to smile for a moment as well, "Aye, I suppose you could call it that." She stopped, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She shook her head at the Spaniard she regarded as a friend. "Why is he so short with me?"

Alejandro took her hand, leading her to a tree that grew sideways a few feet off of the ground, forming a bench of sorts. Once they were seated upon it, he turned to her.

"That, right there, is your answer, Senorita."

"What do you mean by that, Alejandro?"

The Spaniard smiled, "Arianna, my captain is not a short tempered man with most things. Men have robbed him blind, yet he only took back what was his. Women have double crossed him, yet he smiles and wishes them well." He paused, taking in her lost expression. "You still do not see, Arianna?"

She simply shook her head.

"My captain only fights for things he cares about. That he fights with you, that he can be a pig headed ass, with you," Alejandro smiled as color bloomed in her cheeks. She now knew that he had heard her. "That he loses his composure around you, should show you the depth of his feelings."

Her eyes snapped to Alejandro. "You believe he.."

"Yes, Arianna! My captain loves you. He has from the moment he saw you, pistols in hand, standing tall before a half dozen pirates! Surely you are not so blind to have not noticed."

"I..."

"Lady Kent, a man does not sail across an entire ocean after being shot, to save a woman he does not love. But neither one of you are going to get anywhere, unless you learn to communicate with one another."

"That's just the problem, Alejandro! I was angry and his voice turned sweet. Yet the moment I soften, he stabs me where I am vulnerable!"

Alejandro smiled, "Aye, Senorita, I know his ways. Make your point with him, Ari, but try to do so with words, and not hurtful actions."

She stood from their low bench, all traces of tears were gone from her face. "I shall try."

She turned to face the Spaniard once more, "Thank you, Alejandro."

"Anytime, Senorita. What are friends for?”

*****

The Duchess glanced around the beach with a satisfied smile. She had organized everyone's efforts to align with the running of the camp. Older boys were skimming the shallows in pairs, with large rectangular nets spread between them. They had already gathered several large buckets of fish to donate to cooks efforts. The younger boys were farther out, past the surf, with a couple of crewmen, diving from one of the rowboats for shellfish. Growing up on an island themselves, the boys were well accustomed to accessing the bounty of the ocean to add food to their family's tables. Even the small children were lending a hand, along with their mothers, they gathered wood and coconut husks to keep the fires going.

A few crewman had gone out to see if they could find any game on the island. Other groups of crewmen were busy digging the ladies a privy and constructing sailcloth walls for privacy. They also constructed a few tents set apart from the rest, for the captain and the ladies to occupy. Being sensitive to the fact that Alejandro and Carmelita were newly reunited, as the duchess soon hoped to be with her own husband, she also directed them to erect a tent for the small family.

She noticed cook was smiling, he had several, adorable little girls as his helpful assistants, they, in turn, were giggling at the man with the funny mustache and even funnier accent.

The Duchess found that, after she had organized everyone else, there was nothing more for her personally to do. Thinking to take a moment simply to herself, she began walking down the beach, away from the rest of their group. She smiled as she strolled down the beach, past the woman she had only ever known as a slave. She had never seen Carmelita this way before, she seemed to have grown ten years younger in the last few days. Other than the overboard scare, which thankfully was resolved fairly quickly, the woman carried hope in her heart and it showed in her eyes. Which in turn, made the Duchess think of her own hopes.

The hope that her husband had remained true, and was just as needful of her as he always had been. She needed him too, he was her rock, her anchor in this world. She had been adrift the last fifteen years and needed her husband and her home. She grinned a little, thinking on the times she would sneak into the Duke's study when he was working at his desk. She would lock the door, hoping to steal an hour of his time, how he always looked surprised, then very interested in whatever she had in mind. If only he were here with her now, would he enjoy being thrown on a beautiful island or would he be scrambling to find a way to leave? She looked up, realizing she had come to the end of their crescent beach.

She lifted her skirts, wading around an outcropping of rocks, enjoying the feel of the sand under her feet and the water around her ankles. Once on the other side of the rocks, she kept to the shallows, watching tiny fish dart in, searching the sand around her feet.

Looking up the empty beach before her, she was shielded from the others by the rocks between the camp and this stretch of sand. It was stunning, the white, untouched sand was rippled from the winds in waves across the ground. Driftwood formed natural pieces of art washed up on the canvas. The only thing out of place was her daughter, up the beach a little, sitting on one of the larger pieces of wood.

*****

William Kent, the eight Duke of Marlborough, stood on the bridge of his ship, the Merry Kathleen, as her captain guided her safely into the harbor. The coordinates matched those that the Viscount had given them; this was the island his daughter was held hostage upon.

From what he could see, the island looked deserted. One large ship sat at anchor in the harbor, though no crewman could be seen upon her deck. A few smaller boats were upside down upon the shore, obviously not in use.

For a madman's stronghold, this island did not seem very well defended.

"Your grace, I dare not take the Kathleen farther." Captain Daniels advised.

"Drop a small boat. I will be going ashore."

"Yes, your grace."

*****

Alejandro ducked beneath the branches and stepped into the glade. His captain still swam in the small pond that was... Tainted with his stubbornness? Yes, that was it. He shook his head and whistled when his captain's head surfaced.
His whistle gained Derek's attention, he began to swim towards the bank where Alejandro leaned against a tree, waiting patiently

"Care to join me, friend?" Derek called as he stood in the shallows.

"Nay, I hear the pond is tainted." Alejandro chuckled.

"Tainted?" Derek questioned, his expression completely confused. He glanced down at the water he stood in searching for a clue.

"Aye, tainted."

"I am glad you are amused, Alejandro, but how exactly is this pond tainted?"

"With stubbornness, from what I hear."

"Ahh." Derek answered, with understanding. His first mate had obviously come across Arianna.

"You sure know how to set the siren off, captain. I feared she would begin breathing fire at any moment."

Derek sighed as he waded from the water. He used his shirt to dry himself and then slipped into his breeches. "I was a complete ass, Alejandro."

"Aye, I heard that also. Except it was preceded with 'pig headed'."

"Any others you feel I should know about?"

"I believe a tyrannical fool about summed it up." Alejandro finished.

"Well, she was correct in that." He picked up his shirt and began vigorously drying his hair, his muffled voice could be heard, but not the words he was saying.

Alejandro waited until he was finished, then asked, "Do you care to share that thought?"

"Not really. But since you will hound me till I do, I was saying, she hit the damn nail on the head. Those were the exact words I used for my own father a dozen or so years ago. I could hear his voice coming out of me, but there was no stopping it. And look what it did for him, I fought him every step of the way, everything I did after that was to show him I was my own man. That I no longer wanted or needed his approval." Derek ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, "I like who she is, the fiery vixen or the sweet siren, I don't want to change her, she just scared the life out of me. I can't allow her to put herself at risk, I don't want to lose her. It was bad enough losing Jolene all those years ago, but to lose Arianna after allowing myself to feel again..." Derek let the thought go, shaking his head.

"If anyone understands what it feels like to lose a woman they love, it is I, my friend. And I also know what it is to be in love." Alejandro slapped Derek on the shoulder, relieved his friend had worked it out on his own. He was glad to have heard it though, as he was fond of the Señorita and wanted this to work out for them both. "Let us go eat captain, I for one, am famished."

Having not eaten since the day before, Derek was more than happy to join him. He also wanted to take stock of the condition of his ship.