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.They climbed down in the same order as their assent.Jared went first, followed by Merideth, then Daniel.There were no near-accidents.Once, close to the bottom, Merideth’s leg brushed against a root.She sucked in her breath, expecting the same feeling of tree limbs snarling about to entangle her legs.But it didn’t happen.And the more she thought about the snaring from before, the more it bewildered her.By the time Daniel reached the rocky beach, Jared had settled Merideth in the longboat.The inky sea was choppy, with crowns of frothy white skimming the swells.‘Twas a foreshadowing of a storm brewing to the east.a storm that sent the wind whipping through Merideth’s hair and fluttering her skirts.A fast-moving squall.on them before they knew what was happening.What had begun as a simple trip from Land’s End to the Carolina, became a race against time.“Keep it straight,” Merideth heard the captain yell above the thud of waves splashing against the sides.Lightning raged across the sky, etching the captain in bold relief, his muscles straining against the wind-plastered shirt.Then the rain began, a deluge of skin-prickling pellets that immediately soaked the three occupants of the longboat.They were almost to the Carolina.Merideth could make out the skeletal stand of its mast through the sheets of falling water.She clutched the seat, digging her fingers into the splintery wood, holding on as the small boat rocked and heaved into the next trough of sea.Salt water sloshed in the bottom of the boat and Merideth no longer tried to raise her slippers above the wet.It was simply too deep.“Get the bucket!” At first Merideth didn’t realize this growled order was meant for her.But with the next flash of lightning she could see the captain shouting her way.“I don’t know.” The wind carried the remainder of her words toward land, but Jared apparently knew what she meant, for he yelled for her to search the bottom of the boat.Slipping down on hands and knees, Merideth braced herself against the ribs and felt about till her hand closed around a rope handle.“I found it!”“Bail!” came his snapped command as he bent his back into the next swollen wave.She made little progress against the steady stream of water that splashed over the hull, but at least her efforts kept her too busy to think.Merideth supposed she should be thankful for that.She was so frightened.Surrounded by open air and still she was frightened.Were they moving toward the Carolina? Merideth couldn’t tell.Over the angry rumble of the sea she could hear the captain yelling at Daniel.It wasn’t until a web of lightning seared the sky that she saw the hull of the schooner looming beside them.Then there were more shouts, this time from above.Merideth glanced up, protecting her eyes from the rain with the curve of her hand.Lights bobbed overhead spilling murky circles of yellow on the ochre-sided ship.“A rope.They’ve thrown over a rope.” His voice faded as he maneuvered the longboat around toward the Carolina’s hull.“Grab hold, Merideth.”But the words were barely out of his mouth before the boat tilted and Daniel lunged toward the dangling hemp.Balancing himself, he twisted the rope around his waist, knotting it frantically, then giving a yank.The crew above lifted, and he used his shoes to keep him from banging against the hull.By sheer luck, the next rope fell nearly in Merideth’s lap.She clutched at it just as a wave smashed the longboat against the hull.“Hell and damnation,” she heard the captain yell above the splintering sound.“Wrap it around your waist,” he ordered, “while I try to keep this thing still.”“Still” was obviously a relative word, for they were bobbing all over the place, one minute cracking against the Carolina, the next pulling away.“Not without you.” Merideth clutched the slick hemp and crawled toward the bow of the longboat.“.hurry.up.Tie it!”“I said.not going without you.” Merideth fell to her knees as a swell swamped over them.He barely hesitated before pulling in the oars and grabbing the rope.The longboat seemed caught in a vortex, spinning uncontrollably.For one hideous moment as he lashed the rope around his waist, Merideth saw herself being left on the sea to drown when the longboat sank.Before she could voice her fear, he stood, lurching to the side, and circled her body with his arms.“Hold on tight, your Ladyship,” he yelled as he gave the rope a yank.Merideth wrapped her arms around his neck as they were lifted, swaying with the yaw of the ship and the fickle wind.She tried to strengthen her grip, linking her legs with his, and her wet skirts tangled with his feet.They were suspended in air, surrounded by water.It poured from the heavens and surged beneath them, ready to swallow them up.Her sob was born of fear and involuntary.a mere extension of her rasping breath.“Hang on, Merry—” His last word was punctuated by a grunt of pain as they banged into the side of the ship.The impact jarred her arms loose from their grip around Jared’s neck.If not for his bruising hold on her waist, she might have fallen.But she didn’t, and within moments she felt herself being lifted.Members of the crew had hauled them close enough to grab them.It didn’t matter that strong hands were pulling her over the rail to the safety of the deck; Merideth found it difficult to give up her regained hold on the captain
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