Liam leaned in with narrowed eyes.“She could be a spy.”
Ayida, passing behind him, smacked the back of his head with her cloth.“An’ you could be a fool, but you don’t see me throwin’ salt at you.”
Dr.Brandt snorted.“Happy to examine her, Captain.I’ve no doubt she bleeds like any woman.Though I’ve never seen fabric like that black skin she wore.”He poked at a biscuit.“I’d dissect her if it weren’t indecent.”
Caleb’s jaw tensed.“You’ll do no such thing.”
“Protective, are we?”Liam grinned.
The captain’s brows rose.“When any woman graces my ship, no matter the suspicious circumstances, until I discover her intent,” his imperious gaze shifted to her, “she is under my protection.”He dipped his spoon in the stew.“You’d do well to remember that, Liam, along with the rest of you.”
Groans of consent rumbled across the table.
Alden cut into a slab of pork.“The truth has a way of surfacing on its own.I’m sure we’ll discover from whence she hails soon enough.”
“I am right here, gentlemen, and I do speak English,” Desi said, annoyed.
“Aye, but from what I hear,” Alden said, “the explanation for your appearance begs a man to put reason aside.”
Despite his suspicious tone, Desi sensed a calm wisdom behind Alden’s eyes.“You don’t seem concerned about me or where I came from.”
“I’ve seen miracles,” he said simply.“And monsters.You don’t seem to be either.”
Keg belched loudly, wiping his mouth.“As long as she don’t bring rats or rot, I don’t care what she is.Food’s good.Belly’s full.Let the captain sort the rest.”
Ayida hastened from the room, muttering something in Creole.
The captain took a sip of his drink.Not rum, from the color and smell.Neither did Alden partake.The rest of the men, however, continued to pour alcohol into their cups.
Taking her spoon, Desi sampled the stew.As delicious as Caleb had said.She plucked a biscuit from the platter, this one softer than the one that morning.The buttery taste filled her mouth as she slid a piece of roast pork onto her plate from the platter Liam passed to her.
The clap of silverware, slurp of food, and belching filled the air as the men continued to eat.Her stomach welcomed the food, and her strength started to return.Did people enjoy food this much in dreams?
Another reason, she must accept where she was…or ratherwhenshe was.Still, there had to be a logical explanation for what was happening.A scientific one she was not aware of.Hadn’t some scientists discovered portals in the universe?Cracks in space and time?Why hadn’t she spent more time studying physics?
The food soured in her stomach, and she set down her fork and glanced around the table.She’d always wanted to write a historical novel, an exciting adventure filled with suspense and romance.She’d tried several times but couldn’t get past the first chapter.Now, an authentic historical drama played out right in front of her.Not just in front of her…she was a part of it.But she found the danger and suspense not to her liking.It was one thing to curl up with a good romance adventure and quite another to be in the middle of one!Minus the romance, of course, though as that thought crossed her mind, she found the captain’s piercing eyes upon her.
He shifted his attention to the doctor.“Brandt, cease your studies for one moment and enjoy your meal.”
Frowning, the man peered above his spectacles at his captain.“The answer is in here somewhere, and I’m going to find it.”
“Edrick is not suffering overmuch.It can wait.”
Shorty poured more rum into his cup.“But I saw ’im earlier and ’es gone a bit wacky wit’ that rash.”
Alden turned to the doctor.“The tropics are full of strange illnesses.You can’t solve them all.I’m sure he will eventually heal.”
This did not seem to appease the physician.A scowl lowered his already sagging jowls as he jutted out his chin.“I am a Doctor of Medicine, licensed by the Royal College of Physicians of London and the University of Cambridge.A simple rash will not conquer me.”
Desi stared at the man.Impressive credentials for a ship’s surgeon, whom she’d heard were more butchers than anything.
“I admire your determination,” Caleb said.“But you take on too much.”
The surgeon huffed.“The pot calling the kettle black.”
Liam swerved his spoon between Caleb and Brandt.“Both of ye need some fun in yer lives.What say ye, Cap’n, to stopping at Nassau and showing this lovely lady how real pirates celebrate life?”
“Because we are not pirates, and because I must complete my mission.”Caleb snapped, but then his tone softened.“Afterward, you have my oath, we’ll stop at a port for a few days.”
