“I’ve never cheated you, Ezra. I won’t start now. Don’t like hearin’ Betsy complain. Just be certain that the man is alive when he is put on theDuke of York. The captain will make a report.”
“Wot? These are transports?” Gwendolyn understood he was referring to them. Transports were criminals being shipped to Australia for their crimes. “Ye know half that ship will be dead before they reach Queensland.”
“Not our problem, mate. See you in a week.”
The boatman picked up an oar and used it to push the boat into deeper water.
Gwendolyn tried not to panic over the knowledge that she and Beck were going to be loaded on a ship that transported criminals to Australia. This was almost worse than drowning. It could take years before she’d be able to let her sisters know what had happened and where she was—
Two strong fingers found and squeezed her hands bound at the wrists.
It was Beckett.
He was awake.
She started to roll toward him, so relieved she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. The gag kept her quiet. His strong fingers stopped her motion.
The boatman walked by them to unfurl the sail. The breeze was picking up.
“It’s going to rain,” his companion said.
“We’ll outrun it. Keep the course to the river entrance,” was the reply. The wind caught and filled the sails. “Those two are all right where they lay. I’m going to close my eyes a bit.”
“Aye.”
Beck and Gwendolyn kept still during the exchange. The world fell quiet, save for the water against the hull and the creaking of the lines as they pulled against the wind.
That is when she felt his fingers begin working the knots at her wrists. She edged closer to him to make it easier. After several minutes, she realized she would be more successful untying his ropes because her fingers were smaller. Heseemed to have reached the same conclusion because he let her take over.
Patiently she picked at his knots. She tried to keep her movements to a minimum so that the boatman wouldn’t notice what they were doing. She was aware of time passing and felt frustrated that she could not move faster.
However, her persistence was rewarded when Beckett was able to slip one finger from his bonds. Then another. Elated, she continued to loosen the knots until he had a hand free.
With complete freedom of movement, Beckett made quick work of her knots. Their legs were still bound. However, Gwendolyn’s first act was to pull the gag from her mouth. It took all her will to not cough in disgust.
The man at the rudder had not noticed a thing.
Beck tapped her arm for her to wait.
She felt his body curve as he brought his knees up to his chest and began untying his legs. She listened for a warning cry that the boatman noticed. There was none.
And then Beck slowly rose to his feet. She heard his faint, sharp intake of breath at his first attempt to stand. She imagined it hurt. The blood needed to circulate. She knew she’d feel the same when she first tried to move. She wiggled her toes in preparation, wanting to do what she must to stave off the inevitable.
She attempted to see the man at the rudder. His face was turned skyward. Was he navigating or woolgathering?
It didn’t matter. Beckett moved with the slow, quiet patience of a panther. She watchedhis silhouette stay in the shadows. Three steps and then a yelp and a splash. He’d tossed the sailor overboard.
The man hollered.“Billy. Billy.”He choked on water. Then he began swimming. Gwendolyn could hear the sound of his thrashing.
Billy could, too. He came awake with a start. He jumped to his feet. “Ezra?” He saw Beckett and grabbed an oar, which he raised over his head.
Gwendolyn sat up, wanting to call a warning. Apparently the sailor had forgotten she was there. Her sudden movement caught him off guard. He whirled on her with his oar—
Beckett grabbed the oar. Over her head, the two men grappled with it. They fell into the sail. The boat heeled dangerously as the sail shifted with the change of direction.
A fist was thrown and then another. The moon peeked out from the clouds, and Gwendolyn saw that Beckett held the sailor by his shirt. They were punching away at each other—Billy lost his balance.
He started to fall and would have landed on Gwendolyn save for Beckett grabbing him and pushing him over the side. There was another quiet splash. A beat later, a gasp and a curse.
