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“Now,” Edern said, “the woman might’ve accepted ’is ’and, but she told ’im that she couldn’t, for she be…” He paused, raising his brow and lowering his voice to a guttural whisper, “a mermaid.”

The children’s eyes widened, but Trevik was no longer paying attention to their reactions. He was captured instead by Miss Hollow, who watched Edern with an unamused expression.

“The fisherman was upset with ’er refusal,” Edern continued. “So upset that ’e tried to capture ’er and force ’er to wed ’im. But she refused again.” He lowered his voice. “So the man took revenge by takin’ the woman’s life.”

A few of the children gasped, and Ruby looked back at her father with wide eyes. Gryffyn grimaced, waving her forward and embracing her as he whispered what had to be words of comfort in her ear.

Miss Hollow must have seen the girl’s reaction to the story, as well, for her scowl increased.

Edern seemed none the wiser to the poor reactions around him, simply continuing with his tale. “While the sea-maid lay dyin’, she used ’er final breath to cast a curse on the town’s ’arbor. After ’er death, a terrible storm came, one the likes o’ which no one ’ad e’er seen. Durin’ that storm, a sandbar formed before the town of Padstow, ne’er to be removed. Still to this day, it lingers, wreckin’ sailors’ ships and endangerin’ people’s lives.”

He paused, his eyes wide with warning. “That be why ye don’t trust strangers. And that be why ye always be on the lookout…for mermaids.”

As he said the final word, his focus shifted to Miss Hollow. His accusation was clear, and a palpable silence followed around the group, as if they waited for her to refute Edern’s claims.

Instead, her eyes hardened further, and she leveled her gaze at Edern until he was the one to look away.

“Well,” Gryffyn said, “at least we know that sea-maids be better than seiners.”

Finally, the tension dissipated, and laughter broke out among them. Miss Hollow, however, merely dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap.

As the evening finally drew to a close, the group dispersed, allowing a wide berth around Miss Hollow, though Mother and Poppy stood at her side.

Trevik moved to join his own family, but he stopped when Edern reached for his arm, clutching it tightly.

“Now she does know we be on to ’er,” he grumbled with a triumphant smile.

Trevik gave an awkward nod, then excused himself, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard, but most of the group had already reached the cobblestones.

Mother’s expression was tight as Trevik approached, standing at her opposite side away from Miss Hollow. “What tales that man can weave,” Mother said under her breath as they moved together across the sand. “I do ’ope ye can talk sense to ’im, Trevik.”

Trevik didn’t bother responding that he had not the smallest hope that Edern would ever believe Miss Hollow was anything but a sea-maid.

Instead, he turned to something he could control. “Where be Poppy?”

He glanced around, only to find her back at the fire with Lieutenant Harris, and frustration bubbled inside his already boiling stomach.

He liked Lieutenant Harris. The two had become quick friends over the few months they’d known each other. But Trevik couldn’t stomach seeing Poppy injured, even if it was unintentional. He’d allowed their friendship to progress for far too long. Poppy should have seen sense by this point, but it was now up to Trevik to find it for her and the lieutenant both.

“Poppy?” he called.

She met his gaze, giving him a covert shake of her head before turning back to the lieutenant.

“Poppy, we’re goin’ ’ome now,” he called out again.

Mother and Miss Hollow’s eyes were both on him, but he ignored them, focusing intently on Poppy until she gave a bob of her head to Lieutenant Harris, then stormed toward Trevik.

“Why’d ye do that?” she seethed, fists clenched at her sides.

“Do what?”

“Ye know what, ye ’ateful man,” she said, then she stomped past him.

Her reddened cheeks seared into Trevik’s conscience. He should have found a way to bring her home without embarrassing her.

“Poppy, don’t be angry with I,” he said, catching up to her and trying not to be too keenly aware that Miss Hollow still watched him. “Ye just need to be careful, that be all. Come now. We can talk about it when we get ’ome.”

When Miss Hollow would be tucked away in another room and out of earshot.