But she couldn’t help herself. She watched him through lowered lashes every night as he quickly removed his trews and slipped in between the throws. And she’d only seen him from the backside. She was thankful for that. She wasn’t sure she would be able to contain her composure if she got a glimpse of his manhood.
Honey still thought she’d been mistreated by a man in her past and she’d never corrected him in that thought. She just figured that made it easier for him to not be so open with his nakedness in front of her. Even though she secretly enjoyed it.
But her nights upon the ship hadn’t led to much sleep. She was too nervous that her hair would come out from her plait or peek through her cap. She was terrified to unbind her breasts for long moments for fear of being discovered. So most days, her chest was painful. She looked forward to the day that she could be free of the tight wrap.
But that day wouldn’t come until she had avenged her father’s name.
When she looked Storm in the eyes and killed the light in them.
In the mornings, she went into the galley to see if Duncan needed any help. Most days he said no, and today was no different. She walked in and he was there hunched over something on the table that looked like dried, crusty bread.
One of the crewmen, Derrick, if she remembered correctly, was sitting on a cask in the corner juggling four oranges, tossing them in the air in a circle. She’d heard about the jesters in the king’s court that held such talent, but she’d never seen anyone perform the trick before.
Seonag stood and watched him for a minute or so before he let them drop. He caught them, two in each hand. He gave her a wink.
She smiled back. “Where did ye learn to do that?”
He hunched his shoulders, “I taught myself when I was younger. It gave me something to entertain myself with when I was sitting in my room after being punished by my father.” He gave her a crooked smile.
“Ye could work for the king with that talent.”
He laughed out loud at that. “The king doesna want me in his court and just as well, I would rather die than be tethered to the king as his entertainment. He has plenty of bards and jesters for that.”
She nodded and looked to the floor. “I meant no disrespect,” she said quietly.
“Och, Needle, none taken,” he said, calling her by the nickname the crew had given her due to her sewing skills. She remembered the day the name came about. The men had gathered to pick up the various items they’d dropped off for her to mend. By now, she was positive that she’d stitched at least one item for every crewmember on the ship. As they gathered, they started mumbling about how everyone had a nickname except for her. Duncan threw out “Needle” and that’s all they’ve called her since.
“Where did ye get the oranges?” she asked, referring to the fruit he’d been tossing in the air.
“Duncan here was hiding them from us.”
“I was doing no such thing. Ye grabbed them off the table when ye came in here to bother me.”
“Keep lying to yourself. Ye like the company,” Derrick quipped.
“I like being left alone to do my job. Now give me those.” He grunted when Derrick lobbed the fruit over to him.
She looked at the cook. “Oranges are rare, where did ye get them?” Seonag was especially curious. She rarely saw them when she was in the village. The last place she’d expect to see some was on a ship in the middle of the sea.
“Our last raid. It was part of our booty, along with the apples. We need to use them before they go bad.”
“Are ye going to make a tart?”
Duncan roared. “A tart? Are ye daft, lad? Our supplies are severely limited. I’ll segment them apart and each man will get a piece or two.”
Her eyes widened. Was she included in that? She’d never eaten an orange before.
“Now, will ye two leave? I’ve got work to do. Derrick, dinna ye have a deck to swab? And Needle? Something surely must be in need of yer stitching.”
She and Derrick laughed, but left Duncan alone to his duties. As they ascended the stairs to go above deck, Peggy let out a holler.
“Cap’n! Avast ye!”
Honey came thundering down the deck from opposite the direction she and Derrick came from. “What is it?” he called.
Seonag noted the thin sheen of sweat on his skin. He must have been working on something before being called up.
“’TisHades Revenge, Cap’n. Up ahead.”
