by Haley Travis
Cookie sighed deeply. “If that maniac Hoddnett took over, he would add tariffs at every pier, and help himself to a cut of all the goods. For the sake of all the traders, we can’t let this happen.”
“I’m glad you’re all in, men,” the Captain said. Then he turned to me. “Maggie, I didn’t want to mention any of this to you. I didn’t want to upset you. But I do want you to be a member of the crew.”
“I appreciate that. I hope that I’ll always be told about everything going on here.”
“The thing is,” Willy said gently, “that we could really use your help.”
“And we’ve figured out a plan that puts you in almost zero danger,” the Captain said quickly.
“Only almost zero?” Dwyer asked. His brow was deeply furrowed. Was he worried on my behalf? I found that rather touching.
The Captain spread his hands wide. “Nothing is certain in this world. But as far as we can guess, the Devil’s Blue Sea would have no desire to involve another woman. It would be too risky for them.”
“What would I have to do?” I asked.
Willy grinned from ear to ear. “I knew that she’d be in.”
I looked down to see my hands twisting nervously in my lap. “Probably. You don’t expect me to use a sword, do you?”
To my surprise, the Captain slipped his hand around my back to rest on my shoulder. “Never, my lass.” He quickly snatched his hand away, as if not realizing what he had just done.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Our ship is much faster than the Devil’s Blue Sea , and we are at full sail. We should arrive barely an hour behind them. They will still be unloading their cargo as we dock.”
Willy leaned in, clasping his hands on the wooden table as he stared at me intently. “That’s when you and I walk quickly to Mrs. Wescott’s sister’s house. When we get close, I’ll fall back and let you approach.”
“Only if there is no sign of anyone suspicious around,” the Captain interrupted, holding up a finger.
“Of course,” Willy said. “You rush in and warn her, so that she and her sister can hide at a neighbor’s house. When the men arrive to take her, she’ll be gone.”
“How long will those men wait around to find her?” I asked. “Surely they won’t give up right away.”
“They will if there’s a…disturbance on their ship,” Willy said slyly.
“What sort of disturbance?” I asked.
The men all looked at each other, and Willy shrugged. “We’re working on that. It will depend how busy the pier is right then, and what cargo they’re unloading. We’ll prepare several ideas, and choose one when we see what exactly we’re dealing with.”
I took a moment to think of poor Mrs. Wescott. I couldn’t even imagine visiting a relative, chatting over a cup of tea, and suddenly having strange men haul you away. She would be terrified to pieces. I knew I would be.
They’d likely lock her up, possibly in the bilge of their ship. I hadn’t even dared to peek at the second level down, as the thought of it made the back of my neck prickle. Being locked up at all was horrific, but the dank, sludgy area at the bottom of the ship could give a lady nightmares.
“I’ll do it. I can’t let her be frightened like that,” I said in a small voice.
The Captain’s hand settled on my knee under the table. “I’m glad to hear that, lass, thank you. It means that we can get this done with much less violence.”
“Aye, that crew from the Devil’s Blue Sea is a ragged lot,” Dobbs said, shaking his head. “Murderin’ batch of bas–”
The Captain silenced him with a sharp glare.
“Sorry, sir.”
I knew that I should be nervous. That I should ask more questions and discover the entire extent of the plan. But all I could focus on was the heavy, warm hand on my knee, and the way his fingertips eased a half inch up my inner thigh.
I wanted the Captain to be proud of me. To let me stay as part of his crew.
And I wanted Levi to see that I was a brave woman, ready for anything and everything.
~ Chapter 12 ~ The Captain ~
* Head Over Tea Kettle *
There have been very few times in my life when I’ve actually felt nervous. But sending my sweet, beautiful Maggie out alone to run an errand when we knew dangerous men were about felt wrong. Like there was a beast standing on my chest, its claws digging into my ribs.
Sending her with a large man such as myself would draw attention. Willy was a smaller man, the kind to blend in. People never remembered quite what he looked like. He also seemed to have extra eyes in the back of his head, and threw a knife with astonishing accuracy.
I knew that he’d keep my Maggie safe.
My Maggie.
There was so sense trying to continue to keep our secret. The men weren’t idiots. Even Dwyer looked away as soon as Maggie and I were together so that we could have a little cuddle.
So it didn’t matter if I showed her how I felt in front of them. But it might matter to her.
As the Midnight Treasure approached the dock, I stood beside Maggie on the front deck and took her hand. Those huge, bright eyes looked up at me in surprise, then she smiled softly.
“What’s your mission, my lass?” I asked softly.
“Go to Elizabeth Wescott’s sister’s house. Willy knows the location of Biddy Smythe’s home from the town maps, and he’ll fall back when we get there. I’ll tell them they’re in danger, and send them to a neighbor’s house. They should hide, away from the windows, for the rest of the day, and not go into town.”
“That’s my girl.”
Maggie looked around again, almost nervously. The rest of the crew were back on the middle deck, politely looking away from us. As I slipped an arm around her, there was no mistaking my intentions.
“Women listen to other women,” I said gently. “This will be much easier on Mrs. Wescott than sending strange men to her door.”
She nodded, her brown hair shining with more auburn in the early morning sun. “You’re likely right. I would have a fit if a man just appeared and told me I was in danger.”
“Don’t be afraid to throw a fit if you need to make her listen,” I chuckled.
Her sweet grin warmed my heart. Pulling her toward me, I kissed her gently as the wind from the shore picked up, throwing pieces of her hair around my face. I loved it when she left her hair down so the breeze could tousle it around her.
“You’re so beautiful, my darling girl,” I murmured, “But you’re smart and capable as well. You have no idea what that does to me.”
“Mmm,” she hummed, snuggling into my arms like a contented kitten.
I wanted nothing more than to take her to my bedchamber right now and show her how much she meant to me. Hopefully, I’d be able to do that soon.
I kissed her lightly as the ship docked. “Be quick, be firm, and come back to my arms quick as a whip, Maggie,” I whispered into her ear.
“Yes, Cap…Levi,” she smiled up at me.
The warm pressure in my heart built to a point where I thought it might actually burst. This sweet, brave girl, off to assist with her crew’s mission. I was so proud of her.
The ship hadn’t quite stopped moving when Cookie dropped the boarding plank and took off down the pier.
I finally released Maggie’s hand. Willy escorted her safely down to the dock, then they walked side by side to the north.
Maggie was behaving exactly like we’d taught her. Just polite enough to be ignored. Never drawing attention.
That was trickier since every dockman was admiring her seductive curves even through her puffy dress, but Willy’s sharp glare kept them from whistling or speaking with her beyond a curt, “Good morning, miss.”
Even though Dwyer and Dobbs were moving a few empty crates and barrels to the pier so that it looked like we were unloading cargo, we were all watching Maggie and Willy carefully. They walked past the Devil’s Blue Sea without incident, then strolled toward a quiet part of town.
I found myself pacing in frustration. Although I knew Willy would do absolutely anything to protect my girl, as he would with any member of the crew, it felt wrong that I wasn’t there myself.
Cookie returned with a small cloth bag and a huge smile on his round face. “My old friend Slappy is still the chef on the Devil ,” he said gleefully as he came aboard.
Somehow all of the best ships’ cooks knew each other, trading spices and gossip like washerwomen.
“It took a pouch of my finest hyssop to trade for some of his famous beef stew blend,” Cookie grinned. “I also discovered there are currently only four crewman on the ship, since five of them stayed back in Larringsville for a week to visit family.”
“Perfect,” I muttered, almost to myself.
I turned to Dobbs, who was all ready to go in his almost military looking jacket. “You’ve got the letters?”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Then run like the wind, boy.”
Dobbs grinned from ear to ear, giving me a saucy slanted salute before tearing down the plank.
Once the Mayor of Port Chancelry received an official looking letter in Cookie’s best handwriting that the Devil’s Blue Sea was transporting illegal goods, the ship would be held and searched for at least the remainder of the day.
No Captain would consider a kidnapping job higher on his list of priorities then the safety of his own vessel and crew.
Dwyer and I made ourselves useful by purchasing some fresh fish, and trading a few bits of gear with some of the other local vessels.
Yet half of my mind was turning in circles, worried about Maggie.
It was time for me to court her properly. Or at least, as properly as one could while we lived together on my ship. She was a proper young girl who deserved flowers and moonlight and to be told she was my special little angel.
Somehow, in such a short time, this young woman had made me not only want to be a better man, but made me want to protect others. She was now the lantern that was lighting my life.
And it was time to admit, to myself as much as to her, that I had already fallen head over tea kettle in love with her.
~ Chapter 13 ~ Maggie ~
* Trapped *
I was so relieved once the ship was in sight again. How strange that after only a few weeks, it felt like my home more than my father’s house had ever been.
I noticed that Willy’s sharp eyes darted everywhere as we approached the dock. This was likely a habit left over from the days when the crew had apparently run jobs that were much more dangerous. I wasn’t sure how dark the past of the Midnight Treasure and its crew actually was, but was fairly certain I’d be better off not knowing.
They were good men now, and that’s all that mattered.
Also, I was simply too exhausted to think on the matter further. Convincing Mrs. Wescott that she was in danger had been tricky at first, but her sister Biddy believed me straightaway.
It hadn’t taken long to escort them to a neighbor’s house a ways to the north, and make sure they were hunkered down away from the windows for the rest of the day.
The neighbor, a terribly excitable lady named Mrs. Miller, seemed to love the threat of adventure. She was more than happy to break out the cooking sherry to calm Mrs. Wescott down in her moment of need. When I left, the three of them were preparing to play cards.
It was comforting to know that Willy had been outside all the while, keeping watch. He was a very strange man, but I knew that he would protect me no matter what.
The sense of duty and dedication each man had to the ship and its crew was astounding. It felt like an even deeper connection than family. Like there was some special bond, an invisible glue, that made lthem anticipate the actions and thoughts of the others.
Or perhaps that was just fanciful thinking, and the men had been together so long that they simply knew each other’s patterns.
Willy walked closely beside me as we approached the dock, those dark eyes always darting from face to face.
Then his gaze locked on a pair of fishermen and instantly he broke into a chuckle. “As I live and breathe. How are you two beggars still alive?”
The older, dirtier men roared with laughter.
Willy looked around, waving to someone at the very end of the pier. “The Captain is by the Treasure , Maggie. Walk quickly, now. I need to get some news from these salty dogs.”
“All right.” I walked like the crew had taught me – briskly enough that I appeared to have a purpose, but not quite in a rush that might indicate something was wrong.
They had also instructed me to keep my eyes forward, but on the ground ahead of me, so that I didn’t need to meet anyone’s eyes.
Apparently appearing standoffish would attract comments, as would meandering. But people didn’t want to interrupt someone if they were in the middle of urgent business. That was the sense I was to portray.
I actually found it rather interesting that the crew had so many habits and tricks designed to make them invisible. It wasn’t just good for thievin’, apparently. A woman walking alone certainly might be at risk in some areas.
But certainly not when Willy was still close by, and the Captain was somewhere up ahead.
As I passed the Devil’s Blue Sea , I couldn’t help but pause to look up at the dark hull. An arrangement of bones and skulls was painted in gray on the black wood. It was subtle, and could only be seen up close. The entire ship had a strange, almost evil look about it.
Perhaps it was a warning to other sailors at the docks to keep away.
The Midnight Treasure looked just as powerful and fearsome, but not…sinister. It didn’t appear to be obviously full of criminals.
The Devil’s Blue Sea , however, was definitely up to no good. It might as well have been painted across the sails that they were thieves and pirates.
A shudder ran through me as I realized they were truly dangerous, wicked men.
With a start, I realized I was standing quite close to the gangplank, and someone might think I was trying to come aboard.
I began to turn away, but a solid arm wrapped around my waist.
As I turned to scream, I looked up into the Captain’s eyes. “Easy, m’lass, it’s me.”
He turned so that his back was toward the shore, shielding me with his body. “The Devil’s crew are all down at the pub,” he said. “But I don’t want any of them to get a look at you.”
I loved that he was so protective of me. I loved that he was always thinking of my safety.
His hand settled on my hip, as I looked up into those glittering blue-black eyes. He wanted me. Completely.
I almost laughed out loud as I realized the look in his eyes was even clearer than the painted skull and bones.
Those perfect lips dipped to my ear as he breathed, “Maggie, I can’t have you out here looking so ravishing. I can’t have so many men staring at you.”
“Why not?” I asked teasingly, smiling up at him sweetly.
His low growl was almost taken away by the breeze. “You know why, my beautiful girl.”
“Do I?”
His grip tightened as his lips skimmed my cheekbone. “Because you’re mine. The only woman in the world for me.”
Those words undid me. It was something a girl always dreamt of hearing, but could never quite truly hope for. Yet now it was true.
His lips slowly tilted down, about to brush mine, as I stretched my hands up around his neck.
Then his entire body stiffened. “Be still,” he hissed.
I didn’t move a muscle as he looked back over his shoulder.
“Dammit. Two of the crew of the Devil .” His eyes darted around almost frantically, realizing that our ship was too far away. They would definitely see us if we bolted.
Suddenly I was in the air, being carried aboard the Devil’s Blue Sea .
The Captain carried me to the tiny chart-room, and before I knew what was happening, the two of us were jammed in the cupboard together.
; For a moment, all I could think about was the Captain’s chest being pressed so firmly against me. His seductive aroma of ocean air with a hint of musk and leather. His hand gripping my behind firmly, pulling me tight.
Then the three wooden walls and the door began to close in around me.
I was trapped.
This time, I could easily break out, but if I did I would endanger us both.
I wasn’t sure why that made it worse, but my heart began to thump much too too fiercely. If I panicked, the Captain could be hurt as well.
