Felix looked again for the scavenger, but he had disappeared from view further down the beach. He would no doubt be back, with others, but Siro and a crew of men wouldn’t be far behindnow. They would secure the remaining cargo and arrange for it to be transported back to Ostia. “It’s nothing.”
Lucretia wiped her mouth, hand shaking. It unnerved him to see her like this. For all the years he’d known her, she had always displayed the utmost poise and self-assurance, which had only intensified since she’d taken over Cornelius’s business. Seeing her like this—undone, her composure shattered—rattled him to his core.
“I deserve this,” she said hoarsely. “This is all my fault.”
He grasped her elbows and helped her to her feet, then took firm hold of her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “For the last time,this is not your fault. Storms happen. I know that. These men knew that. Your husband knew that.”
Pain flashed in her eyes at the mention of Cornelius. He sensed that was the root of her violent reaction: this wreck must bring up all sorts of unpleasant memories of his death.
Felix softened his voice. “Every man who takes to the sea knows what he is risking. They have judged it a worthwhile gamble. You are not responsible for their deaths.”
She looked deep into his eyes, and Felix forced himself not to look away. Staring into the warm hazel depths of her gaze was like sinking into a hot bath after a grueling bout of boxing. Heat caressed every muscle, soothing aches he didn’t even know he had.
Gods, she was dangerous. Even sandy, distraught, and vomit-flecked, she could still enrapture him without a thought.
As she looked at him, some of the frantic tightness in her gaze seemed to ease. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes,” he murmured.
She broke their gazes, and he released her shoulders, stepping back from her.
“What will happen to them?” She gestured at the bodies on the beach.
“My men will transport them back to Ostia along with the cargo that can be recovered. Those who resided in Ostia will be returned to their families. For the others, I will see funeral rites held.”
She gave a small nod of approval. “And what of those they leave behind? Wives, children who depended on their income?”
Felix frowned at her. “As I said, they knew the risks. They should have money set aside for such an occurrence as this.”
She fixed him with a dissatisfied look.
He sighed. “I suppose I could dedicate a small fund for the widows.”
“Good.”
“Now, I need to collect any cargo that can be easily moved and put it in one spot, so it’s easily defensible in case more scavengers arrive before my men. You can wait for me over there.” He gestured to a shady spot next to the cliff.
She shook her head. “I can help move things.”
He glanced at her dubiously, but thought better of arguing when he saw the determined light in her eyes. “Very well.” He pointed toward a few barrels on their side. “Roll those over here. I will attend to the crates.”
She nodded, and they got to work.
Chapter 15
Lucretia’s arms burned and her back ached as she helped Felix assemble his cargo. His diligence was admirable; a lesser man might have thrown his hands up and declared the entire ship a loss. But Felix was determined to salvage anything he could. It was just for the sake of profit, but somehow, his efforts made it seem like the crew’s deaths would not be in vain.
She painstakingly avoided looking at the corpses that littered the beach. To her, each one had Cornelius’s face.
Nevertheless, Felix’s steadfast assurance that none of this was her fault helped ease her guilt. She chose to believe him, though she wasn’t sure why he had been so insistent on the matter. After all, it was in his interest for her to crumble and fall.
Thankfully, the next people who arrived at the beach were Felix’s men, led by his secretary Siro. They rigged a system of ropes and pulleys on the cliff and hauled the cargo up piece by piece, loading it onto carts to be taken back to Ostia. The bodies, too, were ferried up the cliff and stacked onto a cart, covered respectfully with a wide tarp.
By the time the operation finished, the sun’s lower rim was just sinking beneath the horizon, casting a blinding red glow on the water.
Felix wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. If he was sweating, she must look a thousand times worse. Moisture dampened the neckline of her dress, and she didn’t even want to think about what her hair must look like.
“It’s getting late,” Felix said. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to return to Ostia tonight. Too risky to undertake a journey with all this cargo in the dark. We will secure lodgings in the town nearby. We can eat, rest, and return to Ostia tomorrow morning.”
