Not bloody likely.
“You have the floor, Plunge, or the deck?” the Duchess of Yardley said.
“Promenade deck?” Mary asked.
“Afterdeck?” someone called from the bank.
“Foredeck?” Sir Milton added.
“Gun deck,” Mr. Percy said, not to be outdone.
“I’d like a gun,” Zach muttered.
“Begin!” the Duchess of Yardley demanded.
“‘I fear, my dear Lady Nauticus, that I cannot go on,’ Captain Broadbent said. ‘The heat here in Faiyum is unbearable,’” Lord Plunge said.
“Faiyum?” someone on the bank said.
“Egypt,” Zach and Mary said at the same time.
She did not turn to look at him but kept her eyes on Plunge. Back rigid, he could tell she was bristling with displeasure over the fact he was behind her and had said the city’s name when she had.
She’d poked out her tongue at him and he’d felt a powerful urge to kiss her and nibble it.What was wrong with him?
“Ancient city of Crocodilopolis, whose inhabitants worshipped a sacred crocodile named Petsuchos,” Cam said.
“Really?” Plunge asked. “A crocodile, you say?” He looked at the water surrounding his boat.
“We have no species of crocodiles here,” Zach snapped. “Get on with the story, Plunge.”
“Don’t be rude,” Mary hissed at him. She’d turned partially, and her lovely deep chocolate eyes would have burned him to a crisp where he sat if they could.
And that was another thing, since when had he started thinking of Mary in terms of lovely?
“‘I fear the temperature is flagging my spirits,’” Plunge continued. “‘You will need to find water, my dear Lady Nauticus, for your dear mother Cerise and me.’”
“He is not really a good hero. One wonders why we love these books so much,” Beth said.
“Perhaps it is because they are flawed?” Mary added.
Zach studied Plunge while the debate about Broadbent’s character continued around him. He was a big man, and there didn’t seem a large amount of fat on his body. His shoulders were broad, and for all people said he wore his hair in a swirl on top of his head, to cover a bald spot, in fact, he had a thick head of it.
How is it none of them had taken the time to notice things about him before? Possibly because when his mouth opened, absolute twaddle came out. The man made himself the butt of every joke and appeared not to care a jot about that. Had he been fooling them all this time?
“Next!” the Duchess of Yardley said.
There was a muffled round of applause from the bank for Plunge’s efforts.
“No really. I could read more.”
“Sit and pass the book to Mary!”
“Yes, Duchess,” Plunge said mournfully.
Was there more to him?
Zach watched as Plunge looked at Mary. His eyes did not hold their usual empty-headed expression. In fact, Zach was sure that was laughter he saw.
