“Bastard.” Seonag swore under her breath. The letter made no reference as to why Honey wanted the information, yet she knew he had a reason, his man at the inn had alluded to it last night before Honey quickly gave him the boot.
She wondered what the reason was. But in the end, it made no difference to her what his reasoning was. He was tracking down the man that she would see dead. She would offer him the same fate he offered her father.
Death.
Not for one minute did she believe it was the cause of the French.
Especially since the letter mentioned gold coins. Seonag knew her father was transporting a great treasure when his ship was attacked. If it was the French, they would have taken possession of the gold, not leave it to the crew of the captain they’d just slaughtered. And they’d have slaughtered the entire crew as well or taken them prisoner. Very few, if any of the crew would have made it back to Lunan Bay. Any survivors the French would have taken on as slaves.
That evening, Honeybrought in a pallet and blanket for Seonag to sleep on. She watched him with wide eyes as he set the pallet on the floor near the far wall on the opposite side of his massive bed. If there was something that would give up her ruse, it would be this.
“There’s an empty shelf in the case next to ye. Ye can use that to store yer belongings. They’ll be safe there. The only person allowed in here besides me is Peggy, and now ye, but he never goes past my desk.”
He reached his arms back and grasped his shirt before pulling it over his head.
Her breath caught. This was improper. But she couldn’t avert her eyes. His smooth skin was tanned a lovely golden color from many days spent in the sun.
This was wrong. She should look away.
She couldn’t.
He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his boots, placing them neatly beside a small table tucked against the wall. Then he stood and in one swift motion, as her heart pounded in her chest, he whisked his trews off and Seonag audibly gasped. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands and scrambled under the blanket and faced the wall, but not before she’d gotten a full view of Honey’s perfectly muscled buttocks.
Even with her eyes closed, she could still see them. They were seared into her memory. What a beautiful man he was. Oh, how her mother would not approve of the compromising position in which she’d suddenly found herself.
“Ye all right?” Honey asked from his position on the bed. His naked position.
“I’m fine,” she squeaked. Not turning around to face him. If she did, she feared he’d see her face aflame from embarrassment. She’d never seen a naked man before and his image, in all its glory, was scorched into her brain.
In the future, she would need to ensure that she didn’t react. Would a boy react? She didn’t think so. They saw each other all the time, didn’t they? It would be the same as if she’d seen another woman’s body.
After a bit of time passed and no more words were spoken, Seonag heard Honey blow out the candle and they were suddenly enveloped in darkness.
In her youth, when she dreamed of her future, she’d never envisioned her first night spent with a man would entail her sleeping on the floor dressed as a boy. Though one could argue that she wasn’t truly spending the night with a man if they weren’t in the same bed together.
She didn’t care. This was the closest she’d ever been to a man that wasn’t her father. She lay there, lulled into a sense of relaxation from the ships gentle rocking as it maneuvered its way over the waves. With each passing nautical mile, she was getting closer and closer to the man that killed her father.
How she would get Storm to confess to what he did, she was unsure, but she would. Her father would have justice.
The ship was surprisingly quiet, considering the amount of men onboard. Even the water splashing along the sides was barely audible. As she listened to Honey’s breathing, it became slower and was soon replaced with the softest snore she’d ever heard. She never knew a snore could be so enticing.
Her father could rattle the rafters with his snorts and whistles as he slept. It was funny the things she remembered about him that made her smile.
Sleep didn’t come for her that night. Her mind raced with scenarios yet to come and how she could continue to play this part without her true identity being discovered.
Chapter Seven
Colin woke atthe break of dawn, then sat up, stretched and glanced over at Sean. The lad looked like he was still sleeping. He was facing the wall and still had his clothes and hat on. The boy was a bit odd, but pleasant enough.
After dressing, he splashed his face with cool water from the basin and patted it dry with a square of linen.
“Sean,” he called.
The lad sat straight up, dragging the blankets with him, covering his chest even though he still wore his clothes. Colin shook his head in surprise at the boy’s unconventional reaction.
“’Tis time for ye to rise.” Sean nodded in agreement. “Get ready and meet Duncan in the galley. He’ll need yer help this morning.”
“Yes, si…” he paused, biting his lower lip. “If ye dinna want me to call ye sir, what should I call ye?”
