“You don’t believe me?”
Wendy heard the hurt he tried to disguise and hurried to assure him. “Oh, no, I believe you. I’m curious about something Raghu said.”
James scanned the deck as though searching for his crewmate. “And whatdidRaghu say?”
She blew out a puff of air. “Oh, he made it sound like Tomi wasn’t the most upstanding of men.”
“He’s not the most upstanding of men,” James agreed.
Wendy tilted her head as she looked at him. “Then why do you do business with him?”
The captain stepped around a crate and narrowly avoided bumping into Mücahit. The bosun waggled his eyebrows at the pair, then let them pass. When Wendy peered over her shoulder a few steps later, he was following them with his hands on his hips and a whistle on his lips. She rolled her eyes.
“Trading with Tomi adds an air of illegitimacy that aids the pirate act. It also comes with a wealth of information. Thanks to him, we’ve rescued more than a couple of children whodidn’tbecome Lost Boys because we got to them first.” He noticed Mücahit then, and frowned. “We never deal in stolen or illicit goods, if that makes you feel better.”
“It does, but only because I couldn’t imagine you doing so now that I know more about you. It just didn’t fit.”
That was the last bit of conversation for the rest of the day that felt even semi-private. Since the others had become aware that some romantic feelings between the two were out in the open, it seemed that they believed the pair required a chaperone. At all times. No matter where the couple went, or even if theywere in full view of the whole crew, someone always joined them within a minute. TheJolly Rogerwasn’t that big!
Davi let it slip that Smee had organized the chaperone rotation after gleefully announcing that it was his turn when he found the pair trying to take advantage of the empty galley after lunch. The older crew members tended to give them a decent amount of space—as long as they stuck to very public locations, that is. Privacy was a concept the younger ones, on the other hand, had yet to grasp.
Despite the interference that Wendy was choosing to believe was well-intended, she and James managed to cover a wealth of topics. When Mücahit babysat them a second time, he spent an inordinate amount of time tuning his fiddle, and James told Wendy a bit about what he remembered of his mother. Wendy reciprocated with stories about her birth father while Maaka swabbed the same twenty deck boards for thirty minutes straight. James learned more about her brothers during the hour that Davi held Wendy’s hand and dragged her to his favorite places on the ship. She learned more of the history of theJolly Roger’s crew while they helped a quiet Cooper repair a barrel.
For as irritating as the day could have been, Wendy found herself enjoying the bulk of it. This, in turn, caused guilt to flare on a regular basis as head and heart fought about the irresponsibility of falling in love while her brothers were in danger. The wildly vacillating emotions encouraged her to seek her bedearly. So many feelings in so little time had depleted her energy reserves.
*****
Davi came and woke Wendy the next morning. He pounded on the outer brig door and shouted until she stumbled over to open it.
“It’s dark outside. What do you need?” she yawned.
“We’re here!”
“Already? Fine, I’ll be up soon.”
“You better,” Davi called as he raced toward the stairs.
Wendy grabbed the first dress that came to hand, pleased that she had snagged a clean one on the first try. In the dim light, she thought it was a pale pink. Either that, or she was about to wear a nightgown for her introduction to the woman theJolly Roger’s crew was completely infatuated with. Talk about first impressions. At least the new one was stylish.
She undid her sleep braid and quickly reformed the plait without brushing. Davi had been impatient, and it felt like the ship had slowed to a near stop. The sheeries were given the option to come with or stay inside. Leq rolled over on her cot with a grunt, but Disa sleepily buzzed after her. When he flew into the wall, she placed him on her shoulder for safekeeping.
On deck, a brisk wind wound its way through the crates and rigging. Wendy crossed her arms and wished she had thought to search for the shawl that had been included with the dresses. Athick mist covered the calm water. It seemed to brighten as she watched, and Wendy knew that dawn couldn’t be far off.
She found James at the railing where it opened up for the gangplank. “Where are we?”
He looked away from the mist to greet her. Seeing her shiver, he pulled her in front of him and wrapped both sides of his jacket around her. Disa protested and moved to James’ shoulder. “Farrah’s. When this burns off, we’ll anchor at her harbor.”
“She has her own harbor?”
“Business is good.”
“No kidding. Good for her.” Wendy was predisposed to like this woman and sincerely hoped her expectations wouldn’t be disappointed.
The mist began wisping away too soon for Wendy’s warm and happy position, and far too late for her curious mind. When the visibility allowed, theJolly Rogertook its place at Farrah’s dock, and the gangplank was set. The crew took turns casting lots to determine which two had to stay behind. Mücahit and Kalaakaar lost. If possible, Wendy became even more intrigued.Who is this woman?
Not two steps beyond the dock, Wendy got her answer.
“What are you doing here?” a fractious voice demanded. It belonged to a mist-shrouded silhouette.
