“How clever!”
“I’ll let the craftsman who fashioned it know you said so,” Devlin said in a conspiratorial way that made Penelope beam with pleasure. Cassandra’s heart filled with warmth and appreciation. “But first I must show your mother to her quarters. Will you be all right here by yourself or would you like to come with us?”
“I’d rather stay here and wait for my things to arrive so I can start unpacking.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Devlin said. “We’ll see you in a bit.”
“Are you sure we should leave her alone right away?” Cassandra asked when Devlin gave her arm a tug. “I mean, she doesn’t know anyone here yet. What if she wanders off and gets lost? What if—”
“This isn’t the Louvre, Cass, and we’re just one door away.”
“We?” Cassandra dug in her heels without even thinking and pulled back against him. “What do you mean, Dev?”
He gave her a toothy grin and halted. They’d only gone ten paces but they’d already arrived at the door at the end of the passageway, and he was presently reaching for the handle. “You’ve never called me that before.”
“I…um…” Heavens. Why was he making her feel so flustered? Her face felt hot and her belly swirled around like a whirlpool. “I must have picked it up from Penny.”
“Well, I like it.” He opened the door and ushered her into an elegantly furnished cabin much larger than the one Penelope had been given.
The door closed with a click and Cassandra started. “These areyourquarters.”
“Undeniably,” he murmured, so close she could feel his breath tickling her ear.
A shiver washed over her skin, and she took a step sideways, deliberately adding distance between them. “But you agreed to not sharing a bed, and after our wedding night I assumed and—” She tried to calm her frantic heartbeats only to fail. “You cannot go back on your word now, that wouldn’t be fair. You—”
“Shh…” Devlin strode forward and pulled aside two opposing curtains to reveal the sleeping spaces behind them. “I had an extra bed installed so I would be able to keep my promise. You’re free to choose whichever you prefer, Cass.”
“I can’t have my own cabin?”
“There isn’t enough space to allow for that and—”
“I could sleep with Penelope.” Dear God, just the thought of having him so close by at all hours of the day was cause for panic. Not to mention possibly seeing him in a state of undress, as she would no doubt do if they shared a cabin. “Yes. Penelope and I will be fine together.”
“Cass.” Her name, or more to the point the way he said it – with a bluntness she’d never heard in his voice before – forced her to look straight at him. “I would rather not be embarrassed in front of my men.” His gaze was intense and unyielding.
In a strange sort of way, he made her feel like a young girl who’d just been scolded for being naughty. She blew out a breath and considered the space in greater detail. Devlin was doing his best to adhere to her wishes, but he also had his pride and did not wish for anyone to know his wife didn’t want him.
“Of course,” she told him. There was nothing for her to feel guilty about. She’d explained things clearly to him before they’d married. Yet somehow she still felt like the villain in some horrendous tale with a tragic ending. “I appreciate your taking the trouble to make another bed. It was very thoughtful of you.”
He didn’t smile. He just sighed and offered a nod. “I’ll go check on your luggage, make sure it doesn’t wind up in the cargo hold by mistake.”
It was an excuse to escape, she knew, and for some peculiar reason this hurt in a way she would not have expected. Not that she blamed him for wanting to be elsewhere. Somehow the easygoing friendship they’d shared on their wedding night and the morning after had vanished. In its place was a strained relationship balancing on the awareness that theirs would not be a simple marriage. And Cassandra knew she was to blame.
She waited until he’d left the cabin before dropping into a chair and burying her face in her hands. If he didn’t resent her already, he eventually would. With time, the resentment would turn to hatred, and he’d finally wish he’d never saddled himself with a woman who would never be able to love him as he deserved.
And she dreaded the day that happened, more than she’d ever dreaded any other.
Seatedat the head of the table in the small dining room adjoining his cabin, Devlin stabbed at a piece of meat and stuck it into his mouth. Monty and Bronswick were busy regaling Cass and Penny with tales of their travels, from an abandoned vessel they’d once discovered in the Pacific to a treasure chest they’d managed to haul on board after one of the sailors had spotted it during a swim. Devlin never had learned what happened to the crew of El Duque, but he was fairly sure the treasure chest hadn’t been anything more than a discarded cargo box.
Deciding to keep silent so as not to ruin the stories, he concentrated on his food and wine. He realized he’d won a small victory today. Getting Cassandra to share his cabin was an essential part of the plan he’d made to seduce her. He’d known she’d resist, but he hadn’t thought her reluctance to room with him would feel like a stab to his heart. In every scenario he’d imagined, he envisioned himself laughing it off while she wasn’t looking. Instead, he’d spent the rest of the day in a mood, snapping at people who’d done nothing wrong and feeling rotten to the core.
“Perhaps the captain will let you help steer the ship one day,” Bronswick said when they’d finished the meal.
“Do you think so,” Penelope asked.
“Of course I will,” Devlin told her. “I’ll even let you help keep a lookout for pirates.”
Penelope’s eyes widened. “Have you ever met a real pirate, Dev? Have you killed one?”
