“What do you mean by your day?”he finally asked.
“I know you don’t believe me,” she said between bites, “I’m not even sure I believe me either.”
Caleb chuckled, grabbed cassava bread and dipped it in his stew.“I’ve seen many strange things in my life, I’ll grant you, but traveling through time?”He took a bite of his bread and glanced around the tavern.More eyes than usual were directed their way.Not a good sign.
“This is pretty good.”Desi took her bread and soaked up the rest of her stew.“It’s not a burger and fries, but not bad.”
Burger and fries?Caleb should ask but several men were heading his way.
And by the snarls on their faces, they weren’t the welcoming committee.
♥
The stew, delicious as it was, began to bubble in Desi’s stomach.She must be in shock.She knew it, had read about it in articles, seen it in movies.A shock that numbed her mind, kept her from fully accepting what was happening.It was one thing to be on a ship at sea in 1718—something that could be conjured in her dreamsorfaked with actors—but it was another thing to walk through a town and eat in a tavern.Everything was so authentic, down to the minute detail, including the pirate-priest sitting across from her.
That he didn’t understand her words was obvious.That he found her odd was evident.That he didn’t trust her glared from his stormy blue eyes whenever he looked her way.
There was no way to know how or why she had landed in this time.At least not yet.What she could know…what was still in her power…was to find a way to get back home.
And it had something to do with that Ring.
Still, Caleb sat, broad shouldered, relaxed, his manner unruffled even in the rowdy crowd ofLe Chien de Mer.The hum of drunken songs and clattering tankards lessened as the air seemed to shift.
Three men shoved through the crowd and loomed over their table, their grins twisted in the candlelight, their clothing stained and tattered and smelling of tar and grease.
One of them jabbed a finger toward Caleb.“Yer Caleb Hyde, aren’t ye?”he slurred out.
Caleb didn’t flinch, didn’t even look up.“Who’s asking?”
“Geoffrey Snipes, that’s who.”The man ran a sleeve beneath his oversized nose.“An’ me an’ me mates ’ere demand ye leave this island at once or face the consequences.”
The two men standing behind Geoffrey snorted their consent, but their gazes were on Desi.
With deliberate calmness, every motion unhurried, Caleb slowly rose.“Gentleman, I’ve no quarrel with you tonight.Best return to your drinks.”
Caleb’s tone was calm, rational, almost pleading the men to back off.Strangely, she sensed it was not out of fear for himself…but for them.
Geoffrey’s bloodshot eyes snapped to Desi.“What’s a fine lady like yerself doin’ wit’ this scoundrel, Miss?Yer wasting yer time with this murderer.Come wit’ us an’ we’ll show ye a far better time than ye’ll have wit’ the likes o’ ’im.”He thumbed toward Caleb, offering Desi a leering grin that consisted of a row of yellowing teeth and a missing one on the bottom.
Murderer?Desi’s throat went dry.
Caleb didn’t flinch, didn’t move.“Leave the lady out of this.Now back to your drinks, gentlemen, before someone gets hurt.”
One of the men behind Geoffrey spoke up, “That someone be ye, Hyde.”
“That’s Captain Hyde, if you please,” Caleb answered as calmly as if he were at church.
Hoots, hollers, and jeers erupted as patrons, eager for entertainment, gathered around.
Was she about to witness a pirate brawl in a tavern in 1718?Absurd!She closed her eyes for a moment, begging her sanity to return.
That’s when one of the brutes grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.“The wench comes wi’ us!”His putrid breath stung her nose.His grip sent pain radiating through her arm.Fear jolted through her chest.She struggled, tugging with all her might, but his clamp was iron.
Caleb’s eyes became storm clouds as he drew his blade free with a mighty hiss.
The three men did the same.
What Desi witnessed next, she could only describe as a blur of steel and fury.Caleb slashed this way and that, like a man born with a blade in his hand.Each movement fluid, precise, each strike marked.Geoffrey, blade raised high, swept it down upon Caleb, but he quickly sidestepped and brought his own sword up to meet the beast’s.The clank of metal rang through the room, joining the shouts and curses of its patrons.
