He gave a low snort.“No sailing ships?I do not believe I would care for such a future.”
“Therearesailing ships,” she said quickly, glancing upward as if she could see the canvas overhead.“But they’re used mostly for fun.”
“Fun?”He leaned back, bewildered.“Who would command a brig like theSentinelmerely for a hoax?”
Her lips twitched in a mocking grin.“Fun means… recreation.Pleasure.”
“Ah.”He scowled.“Still sounds like nonsense.”
She giggled.“To me also, now that I’m here.”
The sound of her laughter softened the air.Outside, waves murmured against the hull, and a soft wind whispered through the rigging like music.Yet the laughter faded as her eyes clouded.“It’s a hard world, Caleb.There’s violence, greed… not many people you can trust.And very few who live moral lives.”
He crossed his arms.“Much like our age, then.”
“But worse,” she said.
He studied her in silence for a moment, then asked gently, “And your life there?What occupies your time?Who cares for you?”Fear suddenly rose that perhaps the lady had a suitor.
“I take care of myself.”Her voice came out no more than a whisper.“My parents are both gone.”
He nodded, remembering her father had perished at sea.His gaze fell to her ankle before he could stop it.
“You remembered my tattoo.”Smiling, she lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the tiny rose compass inked on her skin.
He swallowed.“Aye.I remember.I’m sorry, Desi.”
She dropped the fabric and shrugged.“It’s okay.I survived.I have my business,Ocean’s Echo.”
He tilted his head.“A woman running a business?”
She grinned.“Yes.In my time, women have the same rights as men.”
“Hmm.”He chuckled, teasing.“I cannot decide if I admire that or dread it.”
Her laugh, bright and genuine, filled the space between them.“Anyway, I take people diving underwater.We explore wrecks, look for treasure.That’s how I found your ship.”
“You wear those black skins and breathe from those strange tubes.”
She nodded.“Exactly.I have a crew—Ethan, Camila, and Silvia.”But her expression dimmed.“Only, when I returned, Ethan and Silvia were gone.One was dead, and one had never existed.”
He drew a slow breath, unsettled, remembering Ayida’s words of how time had been altered.Finally, he said, “Something you did here changed the course of your time.”
She eased a lock of hair behind her ear.“Yes.And I can’t undo it.”
“I am sorry, Desi.”His voice lowered, wondering if he should ask the next question, fearing where it would lead.“Tell me of your sister.What is she like?”
Her face brightened just speaking the name.“Daria.She’s beautiful.Three years younger than me.We look alike, but her hair’s darker and she’s thinner.She has the most incredible green eyes.”Then her smile faltered.“She has kidney disease.Without a new kidney, she’ll die.”
He blinked.“A new… kidney?”
“In my time, they can replace organs.Give someone a healthy one.”
“Astounding.”He scrubbed his jaw.“And they will not do this because she lacks wealth?”
Her lower lip trembled.“She can’t afford it.And I don’t have enough to help.Which is why—”
Before she could say more, Caleb reached out and laid a finger against her lips.“Hush.Not now.’Tis late, and the night grows cold.”His hand dropped to hers, enclosing it.“Thank you for telling me of your world.But I confess, I find little joy in it.”
