If he was starting to care for Tempest beyond simple attraction, it was something he would give more consideration to once they were safe. His biggest fear was being distracted by her, which could see them captured and him killed.
The afternoon he had spent measuring the new and fresh boards he had taken from the port, then measured again, before he sawed through them. He then fitted them into the hole until he got them just right. Once they were perfect, he set to sanding them smooth. Tomorrow, he would heat the tar over a fire and start brushing it onto the boat to see that the boards were sealed.
He had never done this type of work before, but he had witnessed it, and if there was one thing a spy learned, it was to observe everything and anything new for information that might be needed later. One of those things had been watching a man repair his boat in France while he was waiting on a message to be intercepted from a general to Napoleon.
“I wish to apologize, Rhys.”
He quickly dropped the bottle of rum, not that there was more than one swallow inside, and kicked sand over it because he did not want to be chastised.
He had come back to his hammock after supper so the girls could prepare for bed and had stared out at the sea.
“Why?” He could think of no reason.
“It was not proper for me to have embraced you this morning.”
“I am not one for propriety, Tempest. I was certain you would have realized that by now.”
She smiled and looked down.
“I do not know what came over me. I suppose I was more worried than I realized.”
He slid over. “Join me.”
“Thank you.” She took a seat next to him. “I promise to be more careful when I stand this time.”
Rhys chuckled. He was glad that she had come out to sit with him.
“It has been over a week. Do you think my family believes us dead?”
“I do not know,” Rhys answered honestly. “They could still be searching the area between Barbados and Dominica and they just haven’t reached here yet.”
“I suppose, but how would they even find a sunken ship?”
“It was attacked so there might be debris floating that would identify the ship you were on.”
“If they find that, they may stop looking for us.”
That thought hadn’t occurred to him. It was imperative that Tempest and her sisters were gone, and soon. The British could invade Martinique at any time. They had been planning to do so for months, but he did not know a definitive date. How much was their decision made because of the information he had been able to provide?
“The Royal Navy has counted on the information that I give them so at the very least, I assume your uncle will send someone to retrieve that and will learn that you are here.”
“I hope that it is soon because I hate to think of what my father must be enduring. He has already lost two wives so I cannot imagine the anguish he must be experiencing at the thought of losing all his daughters at once.”
“Instead of that, think about how happy he will be when you are all returned to him.”
“Except, he will suffer until then,” she practically whispered.
Rhys reached over and took her hand and squeezed it. “It does no good to take on his worry when it is not something you can control.”
She turned to look at him with a weak smile and sadness in her eyes. “I know, but it is not easy.”
He wished that he could ease her mind, but Rhys knew that it would be impossible. “The best you can do is keep your sisters safe until you are once again home.”
“You are doing that as well as me. It was something I gave a good deal of thought to last night.”
“When you were worried about me?” he teased, hoping to lighten her spirit.
“Yes,” she answered, not at all light-hearted. “I realized that I care about you and what happens to you when a week ago, I wanted you gone.”
