Didn’t Daland say that she’s been looking after the lighthouse all night? Then she had to deal with that towering buffoon, and now she has to play hostess?
His internal protective force kicked into gear. He nodded towards the remaining empty chair by the fire. “You sit down. I can make a pot of tea if you tell me where things are. At the very least, I can get the water heating up.”
She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her nose up at him. “I’m not going to sit and let you serve us in our own home. You already pulled my father from the sea. Sit.”
He wanted to smile at the lively spark in her eyes. She reminded him of a tiny dog, unaware of its own size, barking up at a big hunting hound.
He wanted to smile, but he didn’t.
I know what Jem wants, but I can’t do that to her. I’ve known this woman for less than twenty minutes, and I already know that I don’t want to be the one who breaks her heart or her spirit.
“Then I’ll help.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You’re a captain. Do you even remember how to make tea? Don’t you have someone who does that for you?”
“I’m fairly certain I can handle putting water over the fire and adding some leaves,” he answered drily. “Unless tea means something different to you here?”
“No.” She shook her head. “It just surprises me that you would be willing to do such a menial task when you could be relaxing by the fire. At the very least, shouldn’t your subordinate over there be doing this for you?”
He could hear the edge of sarcasm in her voice, the bite that suggested that, though she didn’t believe the words herself, she had heard them often enough to expect them to be said.
“I don’t know what kind of experience you’ve had with captains to lead you to believe that we expect to be waited on, but I can make tea.” Casper punctuated his statement by shedding his coat and hat, hanging them on a hook by the door, and stepping into the kitchen space.
“Alright then.” Sienna handed him the kettle and directed him toward the water spigot.
The low sounds of Jem and Daland’s conversation settled into the silence that fell over them as they worked. Casper strained his ears to hear exactly what they were talking about, and the brief snatches he could hear did nothing to ease his mind.
“...needs to find a wife…”
“...broken engagement…”
“...maybe they’ll…”
He cleared his throat and turned his attention to Sienna, who was standing in front of the stove and stirring a pot of something savory and delicious. “What’s the story with that Erik fellow, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Her hands stilled for a brief moment, then resumed. She pressed her lips together and kept her eyes on her task. “And if I did mind your asking?”
She’s got a lot of spunk for someone so small.He shook his head.Why do I care? I’ve never bothered to think twice about the amount of spunk a woman has before.
“Then I would beg your pardon and ask about the weather.”
Sienna’s nose wrinkled like she had just smelled a barrel of old fish. “I might mind that question more than the first. I hate talking about the weather. Around here, it’s always the same: either cold and dry, or cold and wet.”
“Not the weather, then.”
She smiled wryly and eyed him from the side. “But to answer your first question, the elf you had thepleasureof meeting was Erik Escoundre. He’s the oldest son of the only elf family in Nivem and owns and controls most of the fishing boats in the area.”
Casper crossed his arms and leaned back against the table behind them. There was more to the story than Sienna was saying. The elf had seemed far too entitled and possessive of her for there not to be a deeper thread running through. He suddenly remembered what Daland had said about Sienna’s previous relationship. Hadn’t it been with an elf?
His mind skimmed over the little conversation he had heard on the path. “And he wants to add the lighthouse to his list of ventures as well?”
Her face hardened. “Something like that. He’s had his eye on the lighthouse for some time, though the reason why is anyone’s guess. He certainly doesn’t have the patience or diligence to be a keeper himself. I think he was quite put out when Papa and I were given the lighthouse instead. But really,” she added tightly, “it’s his own fault. If he hadn’t ripped away the job he promised Papa, we wouldn’t have needed to take the position here.”
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and Casper shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to do. After nearly fifty years of living with only his crew, female emotions felt like dangerous waters.
“I’m sorry?” He wasn’t sure if it was the right response, but it seemed better than saying nothing.
Sienna’s smile was forced. “It’s alright. Erik has always been like that—once he sees something he wants, he’ll stop at nothing to get it. Since he normally gets what he wants, it makes him quite upset when someone says no.”
