Page 53 of Escaping Pirates
“It was fine,” I answered politely.
“Sit,” he urged me, jiggling the chair slightly.
I remained standing.
“I won’t hurt you,” he assured me. “I know how my brother treats his guests, and I wanted to show you that not all Renshaw men are as barbaric as that.”
I slowly lowered myself into the chair, wrapping my arms tightly across my chest.
Tyrone sat opposite me and began serving up a plate. “Now tell me,” he said in a warm, flattering voice, “how has your stay thus far been? Is Gil helping you? Or helping too much? He gets a little overenthusiastic at times. I can assign him other duties if you wish.”
“No, I enjoy having him around. He’s sweet.”
“I thought you might like him. My brother’s crew can be a little rough around the edges, but Gil…”
“I think he’s the least rough-around-the-edges person I can imagine.”
“Exactly. I’m glad you’re feeling comfortable with him.” Tyrone offered me the plate, but I hesitated. “It isn’t tampered with,” he told me patiently, and to prove it, he took a bite. “I heard about the stunt my nieces played on you and that boy.” He shook his head and tsked. “Like I said, barbarians, all of them. Rest assured I’ll never treat you that way. You are a guest aboard my ship, not a prisoner.”
Harlan had claimed that Tyrone had slipped something into my drink the night of the dance, so my apprehension remained. “So the next time we make port, I can go free?”
“Of course.”
I bit the inside of my lip and narrowed my eyes. “Meaning next time we arrive at any city, I can walk away, no questions asked?”
“Naturally.” His broadening smile still reminded me of an eel. “Why would I have rescued you if I didn’t intend toliberate you? If you recall, I was the one who offered to buy your freedom in the first place, and it was I who gave you better bedding and clothing and made sure that you had meals any time I was aboard. I assumed you knew I was trying to help you.”
My misgivings increased. It didn’t make sense. For all his honey-coated words and lavish gifts, I couldn’t trust him, I just couldn’t. But also…I couldn’t afford to push away any help, especially not now that Harlan wasn’t there for me.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
Tyrone picked up my hand and bestowed a kiss to my knuckles. “It’s my utmost pleasure. Now please, eat before the food gets cold.”
I ate and discovered that Tyrone’s crew had a better cook than the one aboard theKraken’s Revenge. The food was still saltier than it would’ve been on land, but that was something easily overlooked. I could eat all I wanted without Harlan having to secretly pass me scraps of his own meals.
By the end of supper, my eyelids grew heavy, but not from an artificial, drugged sleep like the one Sugar and Blossom had forced upon me. I was full, content, and surprisingly relaxed. Tyrone hadn’t made any attempt to so much as hug me. Had his forwardness from before been a fleeting fancy? Or he had been drinking too much before and his actions weren’t a true reflection of his character? Had I misjudged him?
“I have something to show you,” Tyrone said, pulling my chair out for me.
“What is it?” I asked, my suspicions aroused once more.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”
The former sleepy contentment vanished. I instantly looked back at the table, trying to analyze if I had eaten or drunk something that Tyrone hadn’t.
“It’s a good surprise. You’ll enjoy this.”
“Can you give me a hint?” I tried to make my voice sound playful. If Gil was a hundred pounds heavier and a foot taller, I would have been tempted to call for him.
“It’s something new, and I recently gave my brother a set as well. Any guesses?”
“Dentures.”
Tyrone laughed. “I’m not that old, love. Come take a look.”
He brought me up to the uppermost deck where the helm was and rummaged to unlock a heavy chest. Several sailors had been lounging about deck, some playing reed pipes or harmonicas, but they all stopped and eagerly watched as Tyrone pulled three long cylinders out of the chest.
He leaned casually against the railing of the upper deck, the salty wind tossing his dark hair across his brow as he held up a narrow tube about the length of his forearm. He spun it once between his fingers and shot me a grin. “Ever seen one of these before?”
