Seize The Dawn Read Free Page A

By then, sailors from the assaulting ship were dropping on them like flies upon meat. Men hung from the rigging, then slid to the deck, their swords bared. Fierce battle was engaged. Flat upon the deck, Eleanor stared into the eyes of a dying seaman, watching as they glazed over. His blood spilled upon the deck, and trickled toward them both. "Up!" she shrieked to Bridie, and they were both on their feet. Two men, their weapons lost, went crashing behind them, plowing into the cabin. It was one of the attackers who had their first mate by the throat. Eleanor charged after them, capturing the heavy, very costiy Bible from the captain's desk, and dashing it upon the head of the attacker. Dazed, he stumbled away. The grizzled first mate stared at Eleanor.
    Bridie went for the Bible. She lifted it high. "The Lord is with us!" "Is he, now?" They both spun around. A tall man stood at the entry to the cabin, his hand upon the door frame as he looked in. "Alas, mademoiselle, I think not." He stepped down into the cabin, sweeping his hat from his head.' 'Allow me to introduce myself. Thomas de Longueville. And God is with me, and against you, for the moment." He wasn't an old man, but somewhat weathered bronze by his days at sea. His breeches were a dyed dark linen, his shirt, white, his doublet, a cranberry color, his boots tall, and his eyes, sharp, narrowed, and all-assessing. A small smile curled his lips. "Ah ... so it's true. Lady Eleanor of Castle Clarin, I do believe. You sail to France—to meet a rich man. To bring new money to coffers destroyed by the Scots—God bless their savage souls! Well, we shall see what this man is willing to pay to have you at his side."
    The first mate, backed to the cabin wall, suddenly came to life, springing forward. "You brigand! You'll not touch the lady—" As he surged forward, the pirate drew a knife. Eleanor quickly stepped between the two men. The impetus of the mate sent her crashing into the pirate. An unnerving little fire took flight within his eyes. She pushed away from him, still between him and the mate. "There's been enough death!" she said firmly. Thomas de Longueville arched a brow, amused. "You will tell me when there has been enough death?" "Do you kill for the pleasure of it?" she demanded. "You have taken the ship. There is no reason to kill this man." "Aye, that's true. I have the ship. And as to this man ..." Silently, he thought a moment. "Jean!" he called, and quickly a second man came running to the cabin doorway. "Throw this fellow overboard. Don't kill him, though. Whatever you do, make him hit that water alive and well!"
    "Whatever you do, make sure you set him in a small boat!" Eleanor exploded, as another pirate arrived, and her would-be defender was dragged out. "Nervy little wench, eh? But then, you are the defender of Castle Clarin. Santa Lenora, eh?" "She is a lady, born and bred, a gentle maiden, mild- mannered and well-behaved!" Bridie lied, coming to put an arm around her. "And if you ... and if you ..." Her words faltered. Her cheeks flushed. "She's trying to say that if you harm me in any way, I'll not be worth nearly so much to my prospective bridegroom," Eleanor said flatly. She wondered if any of it mattered. She had been born to a battered land, and from the day her father had died, her life had become a gamble, a charade, a travesty. "Ah, but what if it doesn't matter to me, just what kind of riches I make off you?" he inquired, eyes still alight with humor.
    "What if nothing matters to me, and I throw myself into the sea?" she cross-queried. Anger, a flash of annoyance, touched his face, and he started to retort, but suddenly the man named Jean was back. "A ship!" he said tensely. "A ship?" "Aye, and flying at us!" Jean said. Thomas de Longueville took the time to bow to the women. "You will forgive me, I beg you. Adieu, for the time. Lady Eleanor, a pity, we were just beginning to know one another. I will finish off this new enemy as quickly as I