Katie St. James sat quietly listening to her stepfather as he laid out the plans he had made for her future: an arranged marriage to a wealthy lord in London, England. A man she had never met, from a land not her own. Her heart sank at the painful realization that her future was not hers to make. But when what should have been a short crossing from Ireland to England turns into an adventure at sea, it is the dashing captain of the Sea Goddess who captures her heart. Will Captain Jack keep the stunning beauty who has lit the fires of desire in him, or will he feel honor bound to deliver her to London and Lord Devon as was intended?

For You My Love

By Tina Crisp

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Tina Crisp
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-3880-9

Chapter One

1809

Cold, dark earth slowly swallowed the sealed wood coffin. The air was damp, and dark, thick clouds hung low in the gray morning sky. A single tear rolled off a pale, delicate cheek to the ground, and Katie St. James watched painfully as it was swallowed up by the earth.

* * *

Katie stood outside the large oak doors inside the grand Irish house, straining to hear the conversation going on in her stepfather's study. This was a room she was only too familiar with, being summoned there on many occasions to be lectured by her stepfather for something she had done to gain his unwanted attention. The walls were lined with tall shelves holding literally hundreds of leather-bound books. Many nights she had fallen asleep next to the pale glow of a candle while reading some of those books that were filled with knowledge, adventure, and mystery. A massive mahogany desk with a matching chair sat in front of the expansive bay window that was covered with heavy drapes that were tied back with thick corded rope to let in the daylight. On the opposite side of the desk were two plush chairs that provided seating for anyone who had come to discuss business with her stepfather. Now as Katie waited quietly, she could sense the bleak mood that engulfed the house since her mother had been laid to rest a few short hours before. Months ago, Marie St. James had developed a light cough that slowly spread to her lungs and then prematurely took her life. Katie, Marie's only child, was now left in the hands of her stepfather, Sir Martin.

The muffled voices came to her through the large, heavy doors, and she strained to hear what was sure to be her fate. But try as she might, the doors were simply too thick to make out the conversation going on behind them, It was no secret that she was little more than a stone in her stepfather's expensive shoe. And now that Katie was twenty years of age, with her mother gone and no longer able to protect her, she had little doubt that she would be sent away, out of her home, to God knew where. The man her stepfather spoke with was a complete stranger to her and was certainly no gentleman. As he walked through the grand entrance of the house mere moments ago, Katie could smell the stink of whisky on his breath and the scent of tobacco lingering on his filthy clothes. The fact that such a man was permitted into the house at all both scared and sickened her, for the only place one might see a person such as this would be on the streets in the poorer parts of town or the docks with the rest of the riffraff. Yes, she certainly had reason to worry as the remnants of what little she had of her morning meal threatened to come up.

Even though the details of the conversation were unknown to her, Katie knew enough to feel she had to take matters into her own hands, for there was no way she would submit to the wills of her stepfather if his plans were distasteful or unsatisfactory in any way. She would, however, give him the benefit of the doubt where her future was concerned and make no rash decisions until her fate was laid plainly before her.

After a few frustrating minutes of standing with her ear planted firmly to the door, Katie gave up trying to overhear the conversation going on in the study. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, she now sat ramrod straight in the sunny sitting room, patently waiting to be summoned by the only father she had ever truly known. This room was not overly large but was welcoming and where she did most of her receiving when acquaintances came calling.

The day dress she was wearing was reasonably fashionable, a soft pale pink, which was the style for a young woman of her age preparing to take that giant step onto the marriage block. Katie found this term distasteful and mildly degrading until, that is, she realized her stepfather may be taking her choice of husband into his own hands rather than allowing her to choose her own husband as was the more usual custom. Her hair was a long, black mass of waves that hung to her tiny waist and was tied at the back of her neck with a pink lace ribbon. Small tendrils framed her creamy white face, adding an innocent yet unknown seductive air about her. Her eyes—a striking green and one of her best features—were framed with dark, spiky, long lashes, and although her frame could only be described as petite, her breasts were full and added to a shapely figure. For all outward appearances, Katie looked like a quiet, well-bred young lady, whom polite society could only consider a model for other young ladies preparing to come out.

However, there was much more behind her demure exterior. Katie had a strong will and the knowledge of worldly ways. At a younger age than most other ladies, she had been instructed on the things that went on between a man and woman and how to run a household, along with the knowledge of how to wisely invest money should she desire. All this was learned from books other young ladies were denied, books considered not appropriate for a woman. Gentlemen preferred to reserve the knowledge contained in their many pages in order to have the fairer sex more dependent on them.

Why a woman's independence was distasteful to gentlemen was a concept Katie couldn't quite grasp. The only reason she was allowed contact with them at all was because of her mother. Thinking back fondly, Katie remembered her mother entering her room late at night, holding a flickering candle tightly in her grasp, with one of many books tucked deep in the pockets of her heavy skirts. She handed it to Katie, whispering with a warm smile, "It will be our little secret." She often handed Katie money as well, hidden in the same deep pockets, saying more seriously, "Tuck it away for a rainy day. A woman should never be left to depend completely on a man—any man."

Katie wondered now if her mother was preparing her for this day, a day when Marie would not be here to protect her from her greedy stepfather. This was the man who had seduced her mother after her real father had died in a carriage accident when she was only a small child, taking Marie's small fortune for his own. It wasn't long after they were married that his true intentions were known. He had squandered his own fortune on women and gambling and used her mother to replenish that lost money with a fortune that was not earned, but inherited.

It was the thought of her hidden money that now gave her a small sense of relief, for thanks to her mother, should her stepfather try to do anything distasteful with her future, she was in a position to do something about it. What that may be Katie didn't know, but one thing was for certain, she would not be leaving with any man who was anything less than satisfactory if her stepfather's intention was to auction her to the highest bidder as quickly as possible. Katie was almost certain that the man in the study wouldn't have the means to take her off her stepfather's hands, but she knew from experience that things weren't always as they seemed. That man could very well be in the employ of someone else who had dispatched him to take care of the details. This thought gave her some small comfort.

Just then Trudy, Katie's personal maid, breathlessly entered the sitting room. She was a tall, kind woman in her middle years who still maintained a slim figure. Her hair, once a striking red, was now beginning to show signs of graying, but the paler coloring suited her just as well as the more vibrant shade...