No, no, no! They’ll all be killed if they try to come after me.

Besides, those brigands were closer to the truth than they realized. Her affair with Kennan was fleeting at best. No matter how much she wanted to believe he loved her, his heart was duty-bound. When they returned to Scotland, he’d have no choice but to find a highborn lass to wed, and push Divana away while he and the future “Her Ladyship” raised bairns in the castle.

She hid her face in her palms while she tried to will away her tears. This was no time to turn into a simpering maid. She was alone again, and only her wits would see her through this nightmare.

The lock screeched, making her jolt.

“Come, wench,” barked the guard. “Vane is asking for ye.”

Throwing her shoulders back, Divana clenched her fists at her sides. “Whyever would he be keen to see the likes of me?”

A wicked grin spread across the brigand’s whiskered face. “He’s a man, is he not?”

She gulped.

The wretched guard stepped into the tiny chamber. “Will ye come on your own two feet or must I toss ye over me shoulder?”

Somehow, Divana managed to sweep past him. “Do not touch me.”

“Oy, ye think ye’re miss ’igh and mighty, do ye now?”

She said nothing and followed him through the middeck.

“Ye’d best face it, the life ye may ’ave ’ad afore is gone. If ye defy anything the captain wishes, ’e’ll feed ye to the sharks. And there are monsters around these parts as big as the Silver Mermaid ’erself—swallow ye with one gulp, they will.”

Divana wished Petey would stop talking as they climbed the steps aft. The wind blew a gale as they stepped onto the main deck, forcing her to cling to the rail before they proceeded in through the corridor leading to the officers’ cabins.

Once she was announced, the guard unbound her wrists and pushed her inside, then slammed the door behind her. Again, Divana jolted with the noise. She tightly gripped her arms across her midriff as Vane looked up from his writing table, looking every bit as sinister as he had on the beach.

The ship pitched, making her lose her balance. After a stutter step, she bent her knees and surfed with the rocking. A storm was brewing for certain.

Vane’s cabin was smaller than Kennan’s with an enormous four-poster taking up half. Lanterns creaked, swinging from the rafters. Trunks with crosses and symbols carved into dark wood lined the walls. She craned her neck to peer inside an open one.

Undaunted by the shouts coming from the helm above, Vane poured a dram from a flagon into a stout pewter cup before he spoke. “A tot of rum?”

Divana rubbed her outer arms. “I’ve nay eaten since dawn. Rum would serve me no good at all at the moment.”

He grabbed a bunch of grapes from a plate and tossed them at her. “Eat.” He poured a second dram. “Then drink.”