“You cannot leave,” Nicoll reminded her.
“If I see danger, I can retreat quickly enough. And, just in case, remain quiet.”
She then slipped outside and sat beside him.
Mr. McNaught looked her over from head to toe and shook his head.
“Is nothing of mine off limits to you?”
“We do not know how long we will be stranded here and we will need an extra set of clothing,” she argued.
“I see that you have made yourselves comfortable in my home.”
“We have managed,” she responded.
“I suppose you expect me to continue sleeping in the hammock.”
“It would be for the best since young ladies should not share a chamber with a bachelor.”
“This is not a bloody bedchamber but my house.”
“I would ask that you not curse in front of the children.”
“They are not out here,” he ground out.
“They can still hear you.”
“Then stuff their ears with cotton!” he said right before he bit into a piece of bread.
Yes, they were an inconvenience, but that didn’t mean he needed to be so unpleasant.
Except, it could be that he was worried. Her father often grew short when concerned, not that he ever yelled at her or her sisters, but there was a definite shift in mood, and with soldiers having walked nearby and having set up camp not very far away, she could understand his tension.
“When do you think they will come back?”
“If the supplies had not been dropped, they were to spend the night and return. Apparently, they were to have been delivered two days ago but this was the first that someone had been sent instead of having men there for three days.”
“Thank goodness for that or they may have seen our arrival.” Tempest gave a shiver at how precarious their situation was.
“Thank you,” she said after a moment. “For the use of your house and warning us.”
“I will sleep on the terrasse tonight in case they decide to come back.”
“Would it not be better if you were at the back of the house, the part that faced the forest instead of away from it?” How would he even hear if anyone approached?
“Normally I would sit just inside the door and be ready, but as I am not allowed in my own hut, I refuse to sleep on the ground where any spider, snake, turtle or lizard might want to join me.”
She gave a shiver, more because of the venomous vipers that were native to the island.
“If you are found on the terrasse, then we will be found as well,” she argued.
“Not if I make enough noise so that you and your sisters can slip out the back.”
She had not considered that possibility.
“Also, leave nothing lying around that would indicate females are about and sleep with your shoes on.”
“Really, Mr. McNaught. I do not think shoes are necessary.”
