"Not me, perhaps, but Lihua and the others."
"You're not Lihua."
"I'm no better or worse. I feel no more shame of my body than she does in hers. It's you and those others who take and then try to heap shame on us."
"I haven't taken anything from you yet," he said curtly. "I just want you to put that habit back on."
"I won't do it." She shrugged. "But I don't have to take off anything else. The chemise and drawers are light, and I may need whatever protection they offer."
"What protection? That cloth is thin as cobwebs. Put on the habit."
She glared at him. "Would you rather I drowned?"
"I'd rather you kept your clothes on and let me ride the blasted horse."
"That's not a choice. I told you that I was going to do it."
"Because you're too stubborn to admit how dangerous it is for-" He broke off as he realized she wasn't listening to him. She had made up her mind and was closing him out. He muttered an imprecation, snatched up the discarded habit and saddle, and turned on his heel. "Go on. Ride the damn horse. Dive into the sea as naked as Venus. Let him crush you. Why should I care?" He strode down the beach toward the longboat.
"I take it you lost the battle," Bradford asked as Jared climbed into the boat and tossed his burden to a seaman. "She wouldn't listen?"
"She'll be lucky if he doesn't kill her," he said savagely.
"Kapu loves her," Lani said. "He won't hurt her."
"Even when he's mad with fear?"
"She's given him patience and love and care for two long years," Lani said quietly. "He will know she means him well."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Jared glanced back at the woman on the shore. She was standing beside the horse, talking quietly to him while she stroked his mane. She looked small and frail and infinitely breakable beside the big stallion. He tried to hold on to his anger, but he could feel it ebbing out of him, replaced by cold fear. "Christ."
The sun had gone down, but it was still twilight when Cassie saw Jared wave from the Josephine. That was good, she told herself. Kapu would be less nervous if he wasn't swimming in darkness.
Maybe.
She took a deep breath and pulled herself onto the stallion's back. He shied nervously, and she instantly bent over and whispered in his ear. "Easy. It's going to be fine. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. We're just going for a swim." She nudged him gently forward into the surf. "You like the water, remember?"
He might like water but Kapu didn't like ships. He had too many memories of neglect and starvation and a master who wandered drunkenly down into the cargo hold to beat him. When she had first seen Kapu after he had been brought ashore, the fresh whip marks on his body had filled her with anger. It would be a miracle if he submitted meekly to having the ropes put on him.
But it had to be done. She couldn't leave him here. "It won't be like the last time," she murmured as he reached deeper water and began to swim. "No one cared about you then. We're together now. I'll take care of you."
His ears were back, listening, but she could feel his muscles tense beneath her thighs. He sensed this was not like their other swims.
A quarter way to the ship.
He didn't know their destination. If she could keep him turned slightly away from the ship until the last minute…
She lifted her head and saw Danemount leaning over the rail, watching, his expression grim. But he always looked grim and intense.
No, that wasn't true. That night on the beach he had been sensual and free, and his smile had lit his face with pagan recklessness.
He had been happy because he had found her father.
Halfway to the ship.
She whispered to Kapu, "Just stay with me. We can get through this."
He neighed softly as if he understood.
Surely that was a good sign. It was possible he might have forgotten his experience on the ship. It had been two years, and she had made sure he had known only kindness since then.
Almost there.
She kept Kapu's head turned away as she angled toward the ship.
"That's right," Danemount said quietly. "Edge him just a little closer. The rope can't reach him yet."
What did he think she was doing? she thought in exasperation.
"Two feet closer. Just a yard or so more and the rope-"
Kapu jerked his head sideways, toward the ship.
Dear God!
She could feel his muscles bunch beneath her thighs as he saw the ship less than four yards away.
"It's all right," she said frantically. "It won't hurt you. I won't let it-"
He went wild! He screamed with rage and dived under the water, his legs thrashing wildly.
Cassie's mouth and nose filled with salt water as she fought her way off Kapu's back. She grabbed wildly for the reins.
Missed.
Reached again.
Leather! Her grasp closed on the reins as Kapu surfaced, pulling her with him.
"Drop the reins!" Lani's voice.
But she couldn't drop them. It was her only way of controlling Kapu. They would both drown if-
Blinding pain streaked through her shoulder. She had struck the side of the ship.
"Let go, dammit!" Not Lani, this time. Danemount, she realized. He was in the water, only a few feet away. "I have the ropes to fasten him. Let go of the reins before he kills you."
He had the pulley ropes. "Give me one of them," she gasped.
"Get away from him. I'll do it."
"He'll drown before you fasten both of them. You take one side and I'll take the other. We have to get him out of the water."
His eyes blazed at her. "Get him out of the water? Swim to the ladder and let them pull you up."
"We don't have time to argue. He may decide to strike away from the ship. Give me one of the ropes."
"Damn you!" He threw one of the pulley ropes to her. "Stay away from his legs."
She dived below the water, trying to avoid Kapu's flailing hooves. She could dimly discern the white canvas webbing of the halter. Where were the steel rings?
Her lungs were bursting as she fought to hold her breath. She could see Danemount on the other side of Kapu, his hair billowing about his face like seaweed. She felt a sudden surge of confidence. Together they could do it; together they could do anything.
The salt stung her eyes as she searched desperately for the ring that-there it was!
Kapu's hoof narrowly missed her head as she dived beneath his belly and passed the rope through the ring.
Hurry. She had to hurry. Her breath was almost gone.
Once through the ring and then back. Knot. The knot had to be very secure to hold his weight.
Done!
She fought to the surface.
No Danemount. Panic iced through her.
No, there he was, surfacing about ten feet away.
"Did you-" She broke into a fit of coughing.
He nodded as he drew in great gulps of air. "You?"
She nodded.
He waved his arm to the men on the deck. "Take him up."
She moved closer to Kapu. He was going to be so frightened. "It's all right. I'm here. It will be over in a moment."
"Stay away from him," Danemount said.
"I can't. He needs me."
"He'll need you more when he's pulled on board the ship." He added grimly, "He may explode once he's out of the water. We may all need you at that point."
He was right. It was more important that Kapu sense a friendly presence when he reached the deck of the ship. She struck out for the rope ladder.
Danemount reached the ship before her and was already climbing the ladder.
She heard Kapu's terrified squeal behind her as he was lifted from the water by the pulley. She forced herself not to look back as she climbed the ladder. Soon the stallion's ordeal would be over. They would be together on the ship, and she could comfort him and make him feel safe again. Dear God, she was weary. Now that the task was done, all the strength seemed to be seeping out of her.