“Aye, ye just remember tae practice around him,” he replied gruffly.
“Him most of all. Now go on before someone else comes down for that halyard. I think I’ll just stay in here for the time being, until duty calls again.”
He nodded and left her. Georgina wedged herself between two fat bundles of rope and rested her head back against the bulkhead. She sighed, thinking the day couldn’t get any worse. Malory. No, he had a first name. James Malory. She decided she didn’t like the name any more than she did the man.Be honest, Georgina, you can’t stand the sight of him. For God’s sake, his touch even made you sick. All right, so she disliked him a lot, a whole lot, and not even just because he was English. There still wasn’t anything to be done about it. In fact, she’d have to pretend otherwise, or at least pretend indifference.
She yawned and rubbed at the binding cutting into the skin around her breasts. She wished she could take the thing off for a few hours, but she knew she didn’t dare. Getting discovered now would be worse than she had counted on becausehewould be the one to decide her fate. But as she started to nod off, her lips tilted up into a smug little smile. The man was as stupid as he was obnoxious. He’d been so easy to fool, seeing only what she wanted him to see, and that was worth gloating over.
Chapter Fifteen
“Georgie!”
Her head had rolled forward in sleep, but now it slammed back against the bulkhead as she was startled awake. Fortunately the bulk of her hair and the cap cushioned the blow, but she still glared up at Mac, who continued to shake her shoulder. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but he got his say in first.
“What the devil are ye still doing down here? He’s got men searching the whole ship fer ye!”
“What? Who?” And then it came rushing at her, where she was and who else was on this ship. “Oh, him.” She snorted. “Well, he can…” No, wrong attitude. “What time is it? Am I late serving his dinner?”
“More’n an hour late, I’d say.”
She swore under her breath as she scrambled to her feet and headed directly for the door. “Should I go straight to him, do you think, or get his dinner first?” she asked him over her shoulder.
“Food first. If he’s hungry, it might help.”
She swung around to face him. “Help what? He’s not angry, is he?”
“I havena seen him, but use yer head, lass,” Mac admonished. “This is yer first day serving under him, and already ye’ve neglected—”
“I can’t help it if I fell asleep,” she cut in, her tone a bit too defensive. “Besides, he as much as ordered me to take a nap.”
“Well, then, I wouldna worry about it. Just get yerself going afore any more time’s wasted.”
She did, but she worried, too. The captain might have told her to sleep, but in his cabin, where he could have awakened her when it was time to fetch his food. Wasn’t that why he wanted her near, so she’d be there for whatever he needed doing? And here he’d had to send people looking for her. Damn, double-damn. And she had thought she was through with anxious moments for this day at least.
She rushed into the galley so quickly, the three men there stopped what they were doing to gawk at her. “The captain’s tray, is it ready, Mr. O’Shawn?”
He pointed a flour-coated finger. “Been ready—”
“But is it hot?”
He drew himself up to his medium height in an affronted manner. “Sure and why wouldn’t it be, when I’ve just now filled it for the third time. I was going to send Hogan…here…”
His words trailed off as she left as quickly as she’d entered, the heavy tray, much larger than the one she’d delivered earlier, weighing down her arms but not slowing her down. Three men called to her on the way that the captain was looking for her. She didn’t stop to answer. She just got more anxious.
He said he won’t box your ears. He said he won’t. But she had to keep reminding herself of that all the way to his door, once again before she knocked and heard the curt command to enter, and still one more time before she did.
And the first thing she heard as she stepped inside was the first mate’s voice saying, “Ought to box his ears.”
Oh, she did hate that man, she truly did. But instead of revealing to him the flash of heat in her eyes, she bowed her head, waiting to hear James Malory’s opinion, which was the one that counted.
She heard only silence, however, tortuous silence, since it told her nothing of the captain’s mood. And she refused to look at him, imagining his expression to be at its most intimidating, which would only increase her trepidation.
She jumped when he finally asked, “Well, what have you to say, youngun?”
Reasonable. He was going to be reasonable and listen to whatever excuse she had to offer. She hadn’t expected that, but it brought her head up to meet those bright green eyes. He was sitting at his table, hisemptytable, with Conrad Sharpe, and she realized suddenly that because of her tardiness, both men had had to wait for their dinner. And yet she was feeling relief because the captain wasn’t looking like thunder held over. He was still intimidating, but then he always would be, big ox that he was. But there was no hint of anger about him. Of course, she had to remind herself, she didn’t know how this man would look when he got angry. He might look just as he did now.
“Maybe a flogging, too,” Conrad suggested into the continuing silence. “To teach the brat to answer when he’s asked a question.”
Georgina didn’t hesitate to blast him this time with a fulminating glare, but all it got her was a chuckle from the tall redhead. A glance back at the captain showed he was still waiting, his expression still inscrutable.
