He slowly shook his head. “No, miss. The captain can play tricks, but with magic, he’s deadly serious.”
My smile faltered. “What do you mean?”
He adjusted his position. “What I mean to say is that if the captain said you did something special, then you did something special, and you’d best mind yourself. Being special means you get a lot of attention, and much of it wouldn’t be any good.”
A heavy silence settled between us as I brooded over his words. Footsteps out in the hall forced our attention to the door, and Fidel strode into the galley. “The captain’s awake, Miss Larkin. He wants to see you.”
Some of the color drained from my face, but Cook reached over and patted one of my hands. “It’ll be alright, Rose. Go see what he wants. I’ll hold down the galley until you get back.”
I offered him a smile as I stood. “Thanks, Cook. For everything.”
I slipped over to Fidel, and he guided me onto the deck. Night had been replaced by morning, and a cool sun rose above the horizon. Many of the crew stood at the railing with fishing poles in hand. All eyes were on the cabin door, but some cast their disgusted looks at me. I was glad when we slipped into the cabin.
The shadows of night still clung to the dark corners of the room, but a flickering candle on the nightstand illuminated the bed. The captain lay under the covers with his arms atop the sheets. His eye was open and watching the door. The doctor stood at the bedside and bowed his head at my entrance.
Torvus tried to sit up at my coming, but his strength failed him. He sank back onto the plush pillows, but smiled at me. His voice was soft and low, and more frail than I cared to hear. “Sorry, I’m not rising for your entrance, Miss Larkin.”
“So am I,” I whispered as I hesitated near the door.
The doctor caught Fidel’s attention and nodded. The tall physician turned his attention to Torvus as he sidled around the foot of the bed. “You’ll be alright in a day or two. Just don’t do anything too exciting until then.”
“I can’t guarantee that, Doc.”
“I thought as much,” Doc mused as he passed Fidel.
The first mate looked to his captain, and Torvus nodded. Doc and Fidel slipped out of the cabin, leaving me alone with the injured man. I remained near the door, my hands fidgeting together in front of me.
“You act like we’re strangers, Miss Larkin,” he teased as he studied me with his soft blue eye. “Serpent catch your tongue?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m. . .I’m really sorry this happened. It’s all because of me.”
“Is that what your long face is about?” he wondered as he struggled to sit up again.
I hurried over and grasped his arms. “Maybe you shouldn’t be sitting up quite yet.”
“And miss a full view of your beauty?” he objected as he kept trying. “Just give me a little lift and I can do it.”
I pursed my lips, but helped him sit up. He fell back against the headboard and sighed. “That feels better. Now we’re even.”
I blinked at him as I seated myself in the chair beside the bed. “What do you mean?”
“Fidel told me you were bothered by my heroic deeds, and that you felt guilty that I ended up like this.” He gestured down at himself. “But now that you’ve helped me, we’re even.”
“I helped you-” Realization dawned on me. “All I did was help you sit up.”
“And I’m very grateful for it,” he assured me as he adjusted his position. “And you’re grateful for my help, so there’s nothing we owe one another.”
My face drooped. “Saving my life isn’t the same as me helping you sit up in bed.”
He cocked his head to one side and looked me over. “Do you think I could have let you get eaten by that thing? That I would’ve pushed the ship off the shore and abandoned you?”
I winced. “I didn’t mean it like that-”
“No, you didn’t,” he agreed as he leaned forward and captured my full attention in his single eye. “And I guess it’s my fault for not telling you this in plain words: you are aboard my vessel. For a captain, anyone aboard their vessel is their responsibility.”
“But I was dragged off,” I pointed out.
“That makes it worse,” he mused as he fell back against the pillows and scowled at the wall ahead of him. “You were under my protection and you were attacked on the deck of my ship. I had to rescue you.”
