“That can’t be undone. It’s a blood oath born of the North Sea. You will be bound to that promise unless you die, and even then, your spirit will never rest unless you succeed.” I whispered, aware of people inching closer to us.
Rose was fearless in the sort of way that she probably should have been locked up for her own safety.
She smiled up at me.
“Then I guess you should make sure I succeed,” she chirped.
This woman. This infuriating, impossible woman. I was backed into a damn corner, and she made sure of it. She knew I wouldn’t go to the gallows if her life hung in the balance. It would have been fine. Back with her family, she’d used my gold to build a solid shipping empire. Spinsterhood was in her reach, and a symphony of cats was ready to purr at her feet. Instead of taking it, she schemed to try to chain me.
“You are counting on my obsession with you being enough to stay the single goal I’ve spent half my life working towards.” I snapped.
I wanted to rage at her, but also tell her that she had laid a perfect trap.
She lifted up her toes, leaning into me.
“You are free to ruin me, Bash, but don’t pretend like what you feel for me is a sickness. Either way, after that dance, I’m tied to you. If you fall, I fall with you,” she said.
She stepped away, and Oscar appeared behind her, holding out his hand to her.
“Do you know what she’s done?” I snapped.
He smiled and laughed as if I had said the funniest joke.
“Not here, Bash. We can talk about it later, but you need to stop scowling. It’s less endearing on a gentleman rather than a pirate captain.”
“You are all going to get us hung.” Oliver Bailey said, clapping me on the back and smiling. “Oscar, go dance with Rose.”
Oscar nodded, dragging Rose by the hand away from us. The urge to grab her and take her away from here, to carve that fucking mark off her was incessant in my mind.
Oliver patted my shoulder once more and urged me away from the dance floor. I didn’t know why I let him, except the world was beginning to feel heavier than ever. An ache formed at the base of my chest as I wished I could have asked Billy what to do. He would have known of some myth or legend that could get us out of this.
I missed him.
“I dislike you in a way that is singular only to you, but right now, my sister’s reputation and life depend on you playing nice, so if she means anything at all to you, play the role she’s created for you,” Oliver said through a false smile.
Like all the Baileys I’d met, Oliver was easy to like. He was clever and purposeful. It was no wonder he was succeeding in his parliamentary role. The way he protected his family was admirable.
“And what am I supposed to be doing?” I asked.
We both knew I was going to concede from the start.
“You spent the last ten years in Paris; your mother, a cousin of the Smith family, died five years ago. You’ve been enjoying Parisian society until Edmonds found you and informed you that your Uncle was looking for you.”
“That story has a lot of holes,” I said.
Oliver laughed. “It sure does, ah, Ruby!”
A woman with blond curls and a thin frame walked over with delicate steps, her station evident in the way she held herself. Another older woman followed her, with deep chestnut hair and an alarming number of freckles.
“Oliver, I was hoping I would run into you and Mr. Smith. I was just telling Lady Buxton that Oscar and Mr. Smith were well acquainted before Captain Edmonds found him. You know, sometimes it seems like such a small world,” she said.
Ah, Ruby Bailey then. She looked nothing like her twin siblings, almost as if they weren’t related at all. If it weren’t for the distinct air of scheming around her, I wouldn’t have recognized her as a Bailey.
“How interesting!” Exclaimed the freckled woman. “You know, up close, it’s easy to see the family resemblance. You have the Smith nose. Your Uncle must be delighted to have you. After all, it was tragic what happened to his wife and child. No one should have to endure such suffering.”
The words felt forced and insincere. A nicety while probing for more information.
Oliver’s hand on my shoulder tightened.
