When he finished, she sighed. “You’re very brave.”
He shook his head. “No, I did what any friend would do. Besides, when we finally caught up to Thorne, we had hundreds of men withus. There wasn’t even a true battle—more of a skirmish.”
She smiled. “Well, I wish I had a friend like you.”
Ocean-hued eyes met hers, holding her gaze for a long moment. “I’m sure you have many friends.”
Her father cleared his throat. “How did Thorne escape?”
The lieutenant stiffened. “I believe he had inside help. There’s no other way.”
“What now?”
“Now, we go after him. I have more men and ships being delivered to Savannah as we speak. I’ll set sail shortly after returning. Thorne’s days of terror are soon coming to an end and he will be brought to justice.”
Josephine cocked her head. A very bold and heroic statement. But it sounded too…rehearsed. The small amount of conviction in his voice didn’t match the sentiment. Was he scared?
No. Though he downplayed what he had done, she had seen the determination in him the night he came for the ship. He would have faced anything for his friend without hesitation.
“Where do you think he is?” The words slipped from her lips as he took a long drink of his wine.
Her father gave her a disapproving glance at the blunt question, but the lieutenant didn’t seem to care. “I’m not sure. It’s almost as though he disappeared into thin air. Have you heard anything here? With the number of pirates and smugglers passing through, maybe someone has said something?”
The question was directed at her father but she answered. “No. They only speak of his escape. His ship hasn’t been seen since the night you showed up.”
This got her a raised brow. “His frigate is in possession of the Navy, currently being retrofitted to become one of our own.”
She winced at her mistake. Of course they would have taken his ship when he was captured.
Her father scratched his chin. “I have heard nothing. Thorne is an easily recognizable man; if he had passed through any of the nearby islands, someone would have noticed.”
“Precisely. This confirms my suspicions that he’s somewhere along the coast of America.”
“America? His haunt is here in the Caribbean.”
“Not as many people there have heard of him, so he’ll be able to lie low with fewer chances of being recognized. I have a feeling he won’t be in hiding for long.”
Her father arched a brow. “Why’s that?”
“Just a hunch. And there’s the fact he’s a pirate. He won’t ignore the thrill of plunder for long.”
“Very true. Well, we’ll be glad to see him gone. Anytime there’s even a whisper of his presence, the port clears out. Bad for business, he is.”
The rest of the meal passed faster than Josephine would have liked and the talk shifted to commodities and business. Still, she sat there, transfixed as the lieutenant finished every bite on his plate. He complimented her on each dish and her heart soared.
Her father downed the last of his wine. “Would you like to stay for a glass of spirits and a cigar?”
The lieutenant shook his head and stood. “Thank you, but we leave tomorrow, and there’s much preparation to do before we set sail.”
“I thought you might say that.” Her father wiped his napkin across his lips and he leaned back in his chair. “Josephine, why don’t you see Lieutenant Caldwell to the door? I’m going to have another serving of your banana tart.”
She smiled at her good fortune. The last minutes had passed with her fervently trying to memorize every angle of the lieutenant’s face. Now, she’d won a few more moments with him.
Lieutenant Caldwell bowed. “Thank you for the meal, I mean itwhen I say it’s the best I’ve had in a long while.”
Her father beamed. “My Josephine is the best cook on the island. I’m lucky to have her.”
The lieutenant raised a brow. “You did all this?”
