“I’m happy to learn something new, Captain,” the boy replied, looking perfectly pleased.
Maudit. Martin was apparently content with his new role. If that were true, he wouldn’t prove an ally in switching back. She’d been planning to speak with him and ask him to try to convince Cade he’d made a mistake.
“Glad to hear it,” Cade replied.
Martin glanced at Danielle again, obviously interested in the person who’d replaced him.
“Anything else, Captain?” Martin asked.
“Yes, Martin. Will you please bring a meal for Cross here as well?”
Danielle started. “I can eat in the galley with—”
“No. You can’t,” Cade said calmly but firmly. “Martin, another plate, if you please.”
“Right away, Captain.” The boy bowed and hurried away back to the galley.
As soon as Martin had quit the room, Danielle turned on Cade. “Are you mad? Now they’ll all think—”
“They’ll all think something preferable to discovering you’re a beautiful woman.”
Thatknocked the anger out of her. She couldn’t help it. “Beautiful?”
The shadow of a frown crossed his face. “Quite beautiful.”
She snapped her mouth shut. She couldn’t stay angry with him after he’d called her beautiful and added a “quite” to it. She was seriously trying and having no luck. Not to mention she was famished. Perhaps eating in the captain’s cabin would be preferable to scrounging for seconds in the galley with the rest of the crew. She took a seat across from him and waited patiently until Martin returned with her plate. Danielle pulled the cover from the meal and stared down at white fish, green beans, and fried apples. It smelled heavenly. Her stomach growled like the traitor it apparently was. She snatched up her fork and took the first delicious bite. The food onThe Elenorwas a sight better than on most of the ships she’d worked. Probably best that she wasn’t in the galley to make it worse, but she’d hang from the mast before she admitted that to Cade.
She waited until Martin had left before speaking again. “So, I’m beautiful, eh?” She stabbed her fork into a plump apple slice swimming in cinnamon.
“Fishing for compliments?” he replied.
“Never. I don’t fish… or swim.”
One of his eyebrows arched. “A sailor who doesn’t swim?”
“I know many who don’t.”
“And fishing?”
“Never tried.”
“Care for a drink?” Cade stood and pulled the bottle of whiskey down from the cabinet.
“I already had my inaugural toast,” she replied.
“That’s no reason to stop drinking.”
“If I didn’t know better I’d wonder if you’re trying to get me foxed.”
“And if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to avoid it. It’s fortunate that I do know better.”
The man was outrageous. “How do you know better?”
“Because we’ve had drinks before, you and I. Don’t you remember? The library? The wine?”
Her eyes flashed. “That was… before.”
“Before what, love? Before you were working? We both know that that’s not true.”
