Concentrating on breathing deeply and evenly, she tried to think. She knew it was important to keep her mind clear and working properly. “I will marry Mr. Armstrong,” she said evenly.
“I knew she was smart,” the captain said. “Come, then, my dear, let’s get it over with. I’m sure you want to return to the—ah—safety of your cabin.”
Nicole nodded and stood up, her hand holding her dress together.
“Frank here will stand in for Armstrong. It’s all done legal-like. Armstrong had a lawyer draw up papers sayin’ I could choose a man to act as his proxy.”
Numbly, Nicole stood beside Frank in front of the captain, who would perform the ceremony, and the doctor, who would act as a witness.
Frank readily answered the captain’s questions in the traditional ceremony, but when the captain said, “Bianca, will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Nicole refused to speak. It was all so unfair! She’d been abducted, taken away from a country she was just becoming accustomed to, and now she was being married against her will. She’d always dreamed of her wedding, a blue satin gown, roses everywhere. Now she stood in a filthy cabin, her dress torn half off, her mouth bruised and tasting of a disgusting foulness. The last three days, she’d been thrown about like a leaf in a turbulent stream. But she would not give up her own name! At least she could hold on to that, even if everything else was out of her control.
“My name is Nicole Courtalain,” she said firmly.
The captain started to speak, but the doctor nudged him.
“What do I care?” he grumbled, rereading the sentence and inserting Nicole’s name for Bianca’s.
At the end of the ceremony, he produced five gold bands of different sizes, pushing the smallest one on Nicole’s finger.
The ceremony was finally over.
“Do I get to kiss the bride?” Frank leered.
The doctor firmly took Nicole’s arm and led her away from the man to the table in the middle of the room. Taking a pen, he wrote something, then turned and handed the quill to Nicole. “You must sign it,” he said, thrusting the marriage certificate at her.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and she had to wipe them away before she could see. The doctor had put her real name on the marriage certificate. She, Nicole Courtalain, was now Mrs. Clayton Armstrong. Quickly, she signed her name at the bottom.
She watched impassively, feeling numb, as Frank made his mark on the bottom of the document. It was legal now.
The doctor held her arm and escorted her from the captain’s cabin. She was so numb that she was back at her own cabin before she realized it.
“Listen, my dear,” the doctor was saying. “I’m very sorry about all of this, because I do believe you are not Miss Maleson. But, believe me, it was better for you to proceed with the ceremony. I don’t know Mr. Armstrong, but I’m sure that an annulment can be arranged easily when you reach America. The alternatives were…much worse. Now, let me give you some advice. I know the voyage will be a long one, but stay in your cabin as much as possible. Don’t let the m
en see you on deck. The captain isn’t worth much, but he does control his men—to an extent. But you need to help him by making the men forget your presence, at least as far as that is possible. Do you understand?”
Nicole nodded.
“And smile. It’s not as bad as it seems. America is beautiful. You may not even want to return to England.”
Nicole did manage to smile. “That’s what Janie says.”
“There, that’s better. Now, remember what I said, and try to look forward to your arrival.”
“I will. And thank you,” she said as she turned and entered the cabin.
For a moment, the doctor stood still. Personally, he thought Armstrong would be a fool to let a woman like that get away from him.
“You were gone so long!” Janie said when Nicole entered the cabin, her voice rising sharply. “What happened to your dress? What did they do to you?”
Collapsing on the bed, Nicole lay back, her arm across her eyes.
Suddenly, Janie grabbed her left hand and studied the shiny gold wedding band. “I was with Clay when he bought these. He got five sizes so he’d be sure one of them fit. I bet the captain kept the others, didn’t he?”
Nicole didn’t answer as she held her hand out and studied the ring along with Janie. What exactly did it really mean? Did this bit of gold hold her to the promise she’d just made to love and honor a man she’d never met?
“What made you agree to the ceremony?” Janie asked, touching Nicole’s neck where an angry red mark was forming.
Nicole grimaced. It was the place where Frank had bitten her.