Cadan slowly stepped into the room, only then smelling his stink of sweat, blood, and gun smoke.
But the sight before him sent a lump of burning into his throat.
Lady Fox, sitting upright in bed, her back leaning against the bulkhead, her golden hair tumbling about her, and a tiny, swaddled babe in her arms.
So absorbed with her child, she barely noticed him until he halted beside the bed.
She glanced up.Gone was the usual hatred, fear, angst, and hauteur.Instead, she had the face of an angel filled with love and hope, a verytiredangel.
“It’s a boy, like I said.”She gazed back down at her child.
He nodded, unsure of what to say.He should hate this child, should despise its very existence, but instead, he found himself mesmerized.A tiny pink face, complete with perfectly formed lips, nose, and eyes stared up at his mother as if she were an angel.The babe reached his tiny chubby hand up and his fingers clasped onto one of hers.She smiled.
’Twas a life, a person, a miracle that had emerged from the lady’s womb.
But it is Allard’s bastard.
He tore his gaze away.Bloody blankets were heaped in the corner, evidence of the lady’s pain.
Omphile slid onto the seat, clearly exhausted.“She done good, Captain.”
“As did you, Omphile, Thank you.See to it you get some rest.”
The mulatto nodded.
He turned to leave.
“Did you sink Allard?”Lady Fox asked.
“Nay,” he ground out.“Your lover lives to fight another day.”
Looking up from her babe, she frowned.“Now you have your bait in plain sight, Captain.You should be pleased.”
Chapter 15
“There is no excuse for your error, Smity!”Cadan glared at his bosun, who stood before him, eyes downcast and jaw bunched.
Pell and Durwin stood on either side of Smity, and two of the topmen cowered behind him.
Smity thumbed to Kipp over his shoulder.“Were ’is mistake, not mine, Cap’n.I gave no such order.”He dared to glance up at Cadan, his one eye drifting off to the side.
The topman in question fidgeted, his face turning red.Cadan would talk to him privately later.
“Matters not.You are the bosun and hence, responsible for your men,” Cadan ground out.“Your mistake could have cost lives, maybe even the ship.”If Lady Fox had not noticed it.But he wouldn’t add that.’Twould make him seem weak.And weakness, evenperceivedweakness, was the ruin of any captain.
Sunlight angled in through the stern windows, shifting over the man’s face with each roll of the ship.He rubbed his scars, as he always seemed to do when being chastised or ordered about.Was he trying to make Cadan feel guilty, to soften whate’er punishment would come?
“Like I said, it weren’t me order.”
Frowning, the topman Kipp heaved a deep breath.
“You have one more chance, Smity”—Cadan shoved his face toward his—“or you will be removed as bosun.Is that clear?”
“Clear as fresh ale, Cap’n.”But the man’s tone was anything but conciliatory.
“Dismissed.Pell, Durwin remain.”
Smity and his men marched out, Kipp shaking his head at Cadan before he left.
