Marrying for Money Ch. 13

The two men turned to see her clutching an arm across her bosom, the shreds of her bodice gaping open. Seeing her dilemma, Trevor quickly slipped off his coat and vest and gave them to her. Leanna shrugged into the vest and hastily buttoned it over her ruined gown. If she was going to face the sailors, she intended to keep at least some of her modesty.

Grabbing Leanna's hand, Trevor pulled her to the door with Steven bringing up the rear. Trevor opened the door a crack, and saw the same burly seaman who had been guarding the area before standing nearby. The seaman turned and reached for his pistol, but Trevor shot him before he could get it free. The sound of the shot was deafening, but no one came running.

Trevor led Leanna and Steven toward the stairs. So far, no one else had come to investigate the shot, but there was no way of knowing what they would face above deck. The rain had almost stopped and the wind had died down to a dull moan. There was every possibility that the shot had been heard and that they would soon be overrun by angry sailors.

At that moment, they heard a cannon shot, and the ship pitched violently as a heavy ball crashed into the ship's hull. Leanna screamed, and Trevor clasped her against his chest as they were thrown against the wall of the passageway.

"What the hell?" Steven gasped. "It sounds like we're under attack."

"I don't know, but let's get out of here," Trevor cried, dragging Leanna quickly up the narrow stairs.

The trio reached the deck just as another shot was fired. A lead ball whizzed overhead and crashed into the main mast, shattering it into splinters as the sail came crashing onto the deck. Sailors were running everyone, no one paying them the least bit of notice as the men scrambled to save their own lives.

The ship began to roll steeply to one side, and Leanna fell. Trevor's grasping hand pulled her upright once again, and they struggled up the slanting deck toward a lifeboat that was lashed nearby. There was no time to lower the boat properly, and using the knife, Trevor quickly cut the ropes securing the craft. While Leanna clutched a nearby post, Trevor and Steven struggled to heave the lifeboat over the railing.

Suddenly, Leanna was jerked around and stood face to face with Eliza. She held a pistol pointed at Leanna's chest, but Leanna didn't hesitate. She knocked Eliza's arm, and the pistol went skidding beneath some nearby debris. The two women grappled with each other, but Leanna's strength was fueled by fury and the need to escape. She managed to grab Eliza by the hair, and she flung her backward using all her strength. Eliza landed among some barrels and coils of rope, and she lay stunned.

Leanna scrambled back to Trevor's side just as he and Steven dropped the lifeboat overboard. The cannon sounded again, and this time, they were able to see the flash and make out the outline of a nearby ship that was barely visible in the gloom. The ship was coming straight toward them from about three hundred yards away.

Trevor glanced at Steven. "It must be the sheriff. We have to make a break for it, this ship is sinking." Grabbing Leanna by the hand in a grip that nearly shattered her fingers, Trevor pulled her against him. "Jump!"

All three of them jumped, plunging the twenty feet or so into the murky water below. Leanna went under like a stone, the weight of her dress pulling her down despite her frantic efforts to swim upward. Trevor's hand was still clasped with hers, and he yanked on her arm, threatening to pull it from the socket, but he finally managed to drag her to the surface. By the time Leanna's head cleared the water, her lungs were burning from the lack of air, and she took a huge breath, choking on the brackish brine that she swallowed.

The lifeboat had landed nearby, and Trevor swam toward it, towing a sputtering and coughing Leanna behind him. The tiny boat was bobbing roughly about, but Trevor managed to grasp hold of the side. He grabbed Leanna around the waist and hoisted her like a sack of potatoes over the edge. Despite her swollen belly, she managed to scramble the rest of the way into the boat and turned to help pull Trevor over the rim. Steven was only a stroke or two behind his brother, and finally they were all three panting as they lay on the floor of the pitching craft.

Steven scrambled to the seat and grasped the oars. He started rowing toward the approaching ship, but with the heavy waves, they made slow progress. They hadn't gone far when they heard a scream from the ship above.

"Nooo!" Eliza screeched in fury. She was clinging to the railing, and she could see them in the boat below. "You can't do this to me!"

She raised a pistol, trying desperately to steady it with the ship pitching beneath her. She fired a shot and it ricocheted off the wooden boat, only inches from Leanna. Trevor threw himself across his wife, knocking her into the hull as a second shot rang out.

Eliza was determined, and she concentrated on aiming a third time. As Steven and Trevor watched, helpless to do anything but wait for the next shot, a broken yardarm swung around and crashed into Eliza from behind. There was a sickening crunch as the heavy wood bashed in the back of her skull, and Eliza's lifeless body toppled into the water, quickly sinking beneath the waves.

Steven didn't spare her another glance as he applied himself once more to the oars. Trevor rose on his elbows above his wife. She was gasping like a fish out of water, and his heart leaped into his throat at the thought that she had been shot.

"Leanna! Leanna, are you hurt?" Trevor sat up and frantically searched for blood or signs of a wound.

Leanna gasped once more before managing to croak out a response. "No . . . fine . . . you knocked . . . wind out of me."

Trevor and Steven both burst out laughing with wild relief. "My God, you gave me a scare!" Trevor finally managed to say.

He hugged her fiercely to his chest, closing his eyes against tears of joy. The ship they had been aboard was already halfway sunk by the time they reached the other ship. The sheriff was indeed aboard, and he and his men were quick to lower ropes to the lifeboat.

"Thank heavens you are alright," the sheriff cried, giving Trevor a hearty handshake and a clap on the shoulder.

Trevor lowered his eyebrows, giving the sheriff a dark scowl. "Well, I can't say we had much help from you," he drawled. "You nearly sank us man!"

The sheriff looked sheepish. "Sorry Trevor. We only meant to cripple the ship, but it was hard to aim properly, with the waves pitching so much. We had to chance a shot because your ship was getting away, but our first shot hit the hull by mistake."

Trevor frowned for only a moment more before his face relaxed into a rueful smile. "Well, all's well that ends well. Thanks for your help."

The two men clasped hands once more before the sheriff turned to bark orders to his men. They arrived at the sinking craft and searched briefly around the wreckage, managing to pull only three waterlogged sailors from the water. Everyone else who had been on board went down with the ship, including Neville Woodsworth. Trevor, Leanna and Steven couldn't muster any sympathy for the man.

Holding Leanna tightly against his side, Trevor could feel her violent trembling. He turned aside and spoke quietly to his brother.

"I'm going to take Leanna below. She needs to rest."

Steven nodded in response, and Trevor led Leanna down to a cabin. He searched in a cupboard and found several wool blankets. Returning to Leanna's side, he brushed aside her numb fingers and quickly stripped her of her wet clothes. He used one of the blankets to dry her off as much as possible. Then he wrapped her in two more blankets. He scooped her in his arms and carried her to the bunk, laying her gently on the mattress.

"Cold . . . so cold," Leanna mumbled, trembling violently with cold and shock. Her lips were blue and her teeth were chattering violently as she looked up at him.

Trevor quickly stripped of his own soaking garments and climbed in beside his wife, using his own meager body heat to try and warm her.

"It's alright now, sweetheart," he said soothingly, stroking her wet hair back from her face. "No one can hurt you now."

As he said the words, he suddenly realized the truth of them. For the first time in weeks, he was free of the doubt and worry that had been plaguing him. The storm had passed, and he knew in his heart that they were in for smooth sailing from then on.

Leanna's trembling finally ceased, and she fell into an exhausted sleep, snuggled against her husband in the tiny bunk. Trevor laid awake, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead softly, thoroughly content in his role of spouse.

***********

The next afternoon, Trevor, Leanna, Steven and Amanda were all gathered in the parlor, the first three recounting the events of the prior day. Each one contributed to the tale, interjecting bits of information until the story was finally complete. Amanda listened through their entire account, alternating between anger, horror, incredulity and relief. What amazed her most was realizing that just one day after the horrible incident, the other three could laugh about it.

"Well you were a lot of help," drawled Trevor, giving his brother a mock frown. "I told you to wait with Silas, but no, you had to follow me and get your silly self shot!"

Steven pretended to be outraged, but a smile was flirting with the corners of his mouth. "It wasn't my fault! You were the one who lunged at the guy. I had no choice but to join in the fray. If I hadn't been there, he would have blown your fool head off."

"Possibly," Trevor grinned, "but it nearly scared me to death anyway thinking that you'd been killed."

Steven was sitting on the floor at his wife's feet, and he reached to grasp her hand as he gave her a reassuring smile. "After surviving all those damned Yankees shooting at me during the war, one lowly seaman didn't seem too intimidating." He winked at his wife before turning back to Trevor. "I could have taken him if you hadn't jumped the gun."

"Hmmm," said Trevor. A sudden thought occurred to him, and he bent a fierce scowl on Leanna. "And you madam," he growled. "What the hell were you thinking, going off by yourself with Eliza of all people? I think I'll follow through with my earlier threat and take you across my knee right now to paddle your pretty little backside!"

Leanna gave a careless shrug, obviously unconcerned about the possibility of imminent physical abuse to her person. She perched on the arm of Trevor's chair.

"Well how was I supposed to know she was a crazed lunatic? Besides," she said with a wicked grin, "it finally gave me the opportunity to pull some of Eliza's hair out, just like I had been itching to do since I met the woman."

The four of them laughed heartily at the thought. Trevor sobered first, and brushed a wayward strand of her coppery hair behind Leanna's ear. "And that you did, madam. You were very brave in the face of danger." They shared a warm glance before his expression turned menacing once again. "But you nearly did me in when you offered to give yourself to that bastard. I almost ripped my arms off trying to get free."

Leanna laughed gaily, remembering her ploy. "You forget that I have an older brother. He taught me how to defend myself against the unwanted attentions of men. I knew that Neville would have to eventually reach for his trousers if he wanted to complete the nasty deed, and that is when I kicked him." She toyed with a lock of Trevor's dark hair, giving him a sly grin. "What's more, I knew that if I made you jealous enough, sooner or later you would squirm free of those ropes. I could see you were getting close."

"Hmmm," growled Trevor for the second time. "Obviously, you didn't need my help. I could barely believe my eyes when you bashed him over the head with that log. Little did I know that my sweet tempered wife could be such a tigress."

Leanna caused them all to howl with laughter when she gave her crisp reply. "Let that be a lesson to you in the future, sir."

When the laughter finally died away, Leanna gave a deep sigh. "The only thing still bothering me is wondering what will become of the children. They've all been left orphaned."

Trevor put a comforting arm around his wife. "Don't worry, love. I already spoke with Eliza's brother Tom. He and Marie have wanted children for years but haven't been able to have any. They are going to adopt Miranda, and I'm sure she will be much happier than she was before. What's even better, I found out that the young lad Adam who was so helpful yesterday is an orphan. Tom and Marie have agreed to take him in as well." Trevor grinned as he remembered the events of the prior evening. "I couldn't believe he was waiting for us when we made it back to shore. When I said as much, he told me that there was no way he was leaving until he got the five dollars I had promised him. The boy certainly has spunk."

Leanna smiled but her brow was still furrowed with worry. "But what about Neville's daughters, Susanna and Marianne. They've already been through so much, losing their mother, and now this."

Steven spoke up to ease her fears. "Sheriff Mitchell said he would look into contacting their other relatives. I'm sure someone from their mother's family will take them in. From what Eliza told you, the children have an uncle who was trying to rescue them from their evil father anyway. He will probably be relieved to have them. One way or another, we'll make sure they are well taken care of."

The sound of coach wheels on the drive brought the foursome to their feet, and they went out onto the front porch to greet their unexpected visitors. As soon as the coach stopped, the door opened and a dark head appeared in the doorway.

"Jeremy!" squealed Leanna, racing down the steps to greet her brother. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Jeremy hugged her fiercely, laughing with relief to see that she was looking so happy and healthy. "As soon as we got your letter, we had to come see for ourselves that you were alright."

As he said the words, his wife Christina appeared in the doorway, clutching a small infant against her bosom. Leanna squealed again with delight, barely giving her sister-in-law time to step down before giving her a warm hug. She released her only to gaze down at the sleeping baby.

"And who's this?" Leanna asked softly.

Jeremy placed a proud arm around his wife's shoulders. "This is your niece, Elizabeth Leanna Bradley."

Leanna's face was alight with wonder as the small form was handed to her. She cradled the baby tenderly. "She's lovely. Oh Trevor, look! Isn't she the most beautiful little girl you've ever seen?"

Trevor dutifully agreed, although he was more enamored with the charming sight of Leanna nuzzling the child. Turning to Jeremy, he clasped his hand while giving him a warm smile. He made the introductions and then gestured to the house. "Welcome to The Meadows."

Jeremy nodded his thanks, laughing a bit nervously. "I have to tell you, I have been so worried about Leanna. When she ran off with you, I couldn't help but think that you had taken cruel advantage of her, forcing her into marriage. When I received her letter, she had written that she was happy and content to be your wife, but I had to make sure she didn't need rescuing."

The Grayson's exchanged grins and then burst out laughing. At Jeremy's confused frown, Leanna finally sobered enough to reply. "Well, brother dearest, you arrived just one day late for that!"

The happy group returned to the house and spent the rest of the afternoon explaining what she meant.

**********

It was much later that night when Leanna and Trevor lay entwined in their bed. She was snuggled with her back against her husband's broad chest, and his arm was curved protectively around her thickening waist. Their limbs were heavy and relaxed after their lovemaking, and they both stared into the flickering fire in the grate. After a long time, Leanna broke the silence.

"Trevor?" she whispered.

"Yes, my love." Trevor placed a soft kiss on her neck beneath her ear.

"I never dreamed I could be this happy. I love you."

Trevor smiled and pulled her tighter, snuggling his legs beneath hers. "I love you too, Leanna. You are more than I ever dreamed I would have in a wife."

Leanna grasped his hand and pulled it to her breast. She rubbed her hand over the back of his, urging him to squeeze the tender flesh of her nipple. The look she gave him from over her shoulder was pure feminine enticement.

"So I'm just a wife to you, nothing more?"

Trevor grinned and squeezed hard on her nipple, twisting it until she arched her back wantonly. He felt his cock spring to life as she moaned and lightly stroked the back of his hand, encouraging him to keep torturing her breast. Trevor nibbled at the sensitive skin on her neck as she began to pant in his arms.

His hand eventually skimmed down over her slightly swollen belly where his child was growing. Trevor briefly caressed the roundness before stroking through her thatch of hair to find her swollen pussy lips. He explored them leisurely, loving the way her fluid coated his fingers and made a sloshing sound that they could both hear. He lifted her thigh and slid into her until he was buried to the hilt in her luscious heat. When he spoke, his voice was gravelly with passion.

"You know you'll always be my willing little whore."

"Always," Leanna sighed in agreement.

Note to readers: I hope you have enjoyed my story. I have two more books that I have already written, and I will be posting them soon. They need to be tidied up a bit. But first, I think I will take a stab at writing a couple of short stories here on Literotica. I hope you will check them out and let me know what you think.