Captain of Her Heart
Sold into slavery by her jealous sisters, Ada finds herself captive on the ship of a Greek merchant. Expecting a harsh new master, sheâs surprised to find the captain compassionateâand attractive. Yet she canât fall for the man who owns herânot when she watched her enslaved mother pine after her unyielding father.
Nicolaus only wants to rescue the beautiful, mistreated woman from the auction block. He plans to free Ada, just as soon as he secures his inheritance. Which means racing the ship back to his homeland to best his brother. If he loses, all his cargo will be forfeitedâincluding Ada. But as perilous storms reveal her courage and grace, the question becomes, can his heart stand to let her go?
âI should let the sea have you.â
She stiffened, frightened he would carry through with his threat. However, she would not respond, would not give him the knowledge that she knew his language, a language her father often spoke when conversing with traders.
âSave me the trouble. Good coin spent on saving you from disgrace. Should have let the procurer have you. I would have been richer.â He halted beside the ladder leading to the room and deposited her onto her feet. âFoolish, foolish woman, Iâll bind you to the mast if need be.â
Before she knew what she was about, she drew back her hand and slapped him.
Nicolaus furrowed his brow. âYou do understand me.â
Her eyes widened and he smiled. âIt is as I thought, but how?â
A wave sloshed over the boat. Her pallor did not look well as his ship rocked back and forth.
âCome along, then.â He lifted her into his arms and tucked her head beneath his chin. Her slight frame nestled perfectly against him when she wasnât pushing her palms against his chest. That part of him that had been cold for so many months began to beat, to breathe and to hope for a better future than the one heâd resigned himself to.
CHRISTINA RICH is a full-time housewife and mother. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. She loves Jesus, history, researching her ancestry, fishing, reading and of course, writing romances woven with Godâs grace, mercy and truth. You can find more about her at authorchristinarich.com.
I will extol Thee, my God, O king; and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever.
âPsalms 145:1â2
To Ami Jo, Jordan, Logan and Katie,
I love you much. Thank you for blessing my life.
Chapter One
Ashkelon 668 BC
The shadow from the high mud tower loomed over Ada. Its shade broke the heat of the sun, causing her overheated skin to cool, stealing her anger. However, she knew the shivers racking her body had nothing to do with the coolness and everything to do with the fear coursing through her veins.
A young boy tugged on the lead bound around Adaâs neck and hands, causing her to stumble. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out when her knees hit the wooden stairs. Before her bound hands hit the wood, a hand gripped ahold of her tunic and yanked her to her feet.
âYou, there.â The large brute released her and jabbed a finger into the boyâs chest. âTake care with the merchandise.â
The deep Philistine accent grated along Adaâs nape. Waves from the great sea thrust against the port, filling her ears, roaring in her head. Breathing in through her mouth and out through her nose, she fought to calm the fear vibrating her limbs and risked a glare at the man through the mass of hair veiling her face.
âCome now, we donât have all day. These men would like to go home before the wind shifts again.â
If she delayed the process, perhaps her brother would arrive and rescue her from her sistersâ folly. Their jealousy had always been contained to biting words and foolish antics. Their last, a viper in her bed, had proven vicious, but selling her to an auctioneer in exchange for a gold band was beyond Adaâs comprehension. How could her oldest sister, Dina, be so cruel? Because her sister, only half her blood, believed Ada nothing more than a daughter of a slave. All her sisters seemed to despise the way their father treated her as their equal, a daughter of a wealthy merchant. However, none treated her as poorly as Dina.
She shook the hair from her eyes and jerked her hands back. The rough rope cut into her wrists as the boy clung to the other end. The child stumbled and fell to his backside. His flushed cheeks, and beady black eyes quickly turned fearful when his master snatched him up by his tunic. The Philistine narrowed his eyes and Ada thought heâd clout the child, but he righted the boy and then patted him on the head like an obedient pet.