Page 68 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

I looked at Ace, eyebrows raised. “What are we having?”

“Grub-worms sounds about right. Do you think I can put ’em in a pot and call it soup?”

Twenty-Three

Boots scuffed on the floor above me. I woke disoriented then remembered I was in a cabin aboard theSea Storm.I had fallen asleep after eating Ace’s concoction that I prayed was mostly potatoes.

I meant to sneak out of the cabin once the crew was asleep, but the side effects of time travel, fatigue, and hunger caught up with me.

Rolling out of the swinging bed and almost face planting, I gained my balance and peeked out the window. There were more ships in the harbor. Damn. I’d overslept and the sun was higher in the sky than anticipated.

I’d slept in my frilly dress, so I braided my hair and made use of the facilities. Raising my hand to the scarred wooden door, I knocked until Shrug opened it.

“What ye need, miss?”

At least he wasn’t calling me witch. “I’d like some fresh air. A walk around the deck.” An Egg McMuffin with a side of hashbrowns.

“I’ll escort ye to the deck for ’eh short walk.” He motioned for me to go ahead of him, turning so the butt of the rifle poked me in the backside. He steered me up a steep ladder. Climbing rung by rung in my stilettos with the ruffled homage to Mary Poppins gathered in one hand wasn’t a speedy task.

Shrug poke checked me in the ass.

“I’m climbing as fast as I can.” I spilled out onto the open deck and stood blinking at the blinding sunshine.

The crew moved lazily about, as if they had all the time in the world to work the riggings, scrub the deck, mend sails, and test ropes and lines. They didn’t look like men preparing to set sail.

I made a sun visor with my hand and looked out toward the mouth of the harbor. No sign of Woodes Rogers’ fleet of ships.

TheSea Storm’ssails were trussed up, and the ship’s flag hung limp. There was little, if any, wind.

I turned toward Shrug. “Are we getting ready to set sail?”

Shrug shrugged.

An unexpected giggle escaped because, well, he shrugged, and I couldn’t help the irony. I clapped a hand over my mouth.

His dark, bushy brows drew together at my schoolgirl giggle.

“We can’t sail until the wind picks up. Right?”

Silence.

I crossed the ship’s width to view the other vessels anchored in the harbor and, beyond them, the beaches of Nassau.

Shrug followed behind me, a little closer than I liked.

“Which one is Captain Vane’s ship?” They all looked the same to me.

Silence.

“Not much of a conversationalist, are you?”

“Take yer walk, witch. Then we go below until the cap’n’s ready.”

I turned swiftly at his foreboding tone. “Ready for what?”

“For the joining of yerself wit’ the cap’n by God for life.” Shrug’s mouth widened into a partially filled, gap-toothed smile. He reminded me of a jack-o-lantern.

“Joined for life?” I pondered the words for a minute, and then my chest constricted. I couldn’t breathe. My hands flew to my neck. I tried to suck in air.

---