She eyed the candelabras dubiously, then sat in the remaining vacant seat at the earl’s side. He huffed his disapproval, giving her a sideways glare.Just you wait, oh Earl of Shite, her inner voice whispered.I shall be victorious in the end. She smiled tentatively at the men around the table and picked up a roll.
The other men nodded politely in turn before breaking into small discussions among themselves. The low hum of voices and the gentle clink of cutlery filled the room.
“You don’t need that,” the earl muttered sideways lifting his brow at her roll.
“I’m hungry,” she murmured back.
His gaze narrowed on her. “You’re mine now, Calluna, and you shall do precisely what I say. You are permitted one piece of meat and a glass of Madeira.”
Indignation flared in her chest. “You’ll have me starve, sir?”
“Indeed not,” he replied with a jovial smile that failed to reach his cold eyes. “You’ll have a piece of meat.”
“You must at least permit me some citrus, sir. It’s imperative to stave off scurvy.”
He sighed gustily. “Onepiece, no more.”
Well, this certainly won’t do. Her aunt and uncle had attempted precisely the same. Heather hadn’t accepted their attempt at control and manipulation then, and she wouldn’t accept it from the earl now.
With light fingers, she palmed her roll and hid it within the folds of her skirts.
“I saw you speaking rather intimately with a crewmate earlier,” the earl growled in her ear a moment later. “You seemed quite familiar with the man. Who is he?”
Gooseflesh spread over Heather’s scalp and down her back, and she suppressed the shiver that threatened. The earl was far too observant—that boded ill for her assignment.
“I don’t know his name,” she lied dismissively. “I asked him where I might stand to better view our departure while also ensuring that I did not disturb the crew’s productivity.”
His blue eyes glinted, and his hand slid beneath the table to palm her thigh. Heather stiffened at the contact, alarm spreading in her chest. He squeezed. Hard. For a heartbeat, she sat in immobile shock at the man’s bold aggression, fury riding her. Percy had taught her at least twelve ways in which to incapacitate this bastard, but she was meant to be intimidated by his power and fearful of the punishment he might bring down on her, her family, and her friends.
She gave a faint wince—for the man would expect her not only to show her pain, but to be cowed by his show of dominance.
“I’ll not be made a cuckold, Calluna,” he whispered through gritted teeth. “Neither here aboard the ship, nor during our life in the Americas.”
“O-of course, your lordship.”Beautiful performance, Heather.
A genuine smile pulled at his lips, and his gaze shone with satisfaction as he sat back and bit into a roll.
Bastard.
She cut into a piece of meat and forked it into her mouth, taking no notice of its flavour or the texture, her mind entirely occupied with how she might carry out her search for the earl’s secretive documents.
Heavy footfalls reverberated overheadas Heather waited silently in her gloomy cabin. Faint light shone in through the upper portion of her door, which was comprised merely of narrow wood slats—decidedly inappropriate, for it afforded her almost no privacy.
She listened carefully for the earl’s loud, inebriated blustering as he ascended to the quarterdeck. This was her opportunity.
Anticipation driving her, she padded the two steps to her door and inched it open, peering through to see if the way was clear of the earl’s men. Several sailors were eating a late meal in the “mess,” while numerous others had retreated to their hammocks. No one paid her any mind.
A jolt of nerves raced through her middle. Percy had said that he would be on either the gun deck or the quarterdeck making casual conversation with one or more of the earl’s staff. This was most decidedly her time.
With quick strides, Heather slipped from her cabin and into the empty wardroom. The earl’s cabin was said to be at the far end of her row. She peered between the wood slats to be certain before sneaking inside. The room was dimly lit—precisely as hers had been—but the light coming in between the slats on the door provided just enough for her purpose. The space was bigger, both in width and length, but it was largely the same as hers.
Move quickly.
Her pulse sped, and her lips quirked with a grin as she commenced her search. She began with the chest of drawers on her left. Atop it was a glass of water, a comb, mirror, and unlit candle, which she ignored, going instead directly for the top drawer.
The earl’s valet had done a fine job organizing the earl’s things. Fine enough that it was directly evident that nothing was hidden in the drawer. Nor the next. Nor the last. In an attempt at thoroughness, she inspected the bottom and underside of each drawer, in the event that there was a false bottom where one might hide documents.
Nothing.Blast.
