Page 100 of A Tenuous Betrothal
When Kristoff stepped on board, the crew signaled to each other, and soon, they were drifting out into the bay.
Karl pointed toward the west end of the bay. Many similar boats’ white sails, puffed with wind, clustered together out on the water. “We have to catch up to the others. Then all we have to do is sail along the shoreline until it ends, turn around, and return to Oldenburg.”
“Are we already behind, then?” Rhi shielded her eyes from the sun and searched the bay for other boats.
“We are, but we have a secret weapon.” Karl’s boyish grin made her laugh. He patted the wooden mast holding up the sail. “She’s sleek, she’s small, and she’s very fast.”
Kristoff leaned over the side to stare down into the dark-blue water. “Who’s in it this year?”
“All the neighboring countries, and the British navy has two.”
“And Layton?”
“Naturally.” Karl frowned. “He’s the one we have to worry about.”
Kristoff laughed. “He or the British win every year.”
“Access to the finest boats gives one a rather strong advantage,” Karl said.
“By his own account, Layton owns the fastest ship on these waters,” Kristoff said.
“He made some adjustments to his own, consulted the British, and now boasts such a thing frequently.” Karl winked. “But we’ve been doing our own research and adjustments. Like I said, secret weapon.”
Rhi enjoyed their conversation. The more she came to know the family, the greater her desire to be among them became. She wished, as she had when Marc had come to her aid in Wales and more than once since, to thank her father. Perhaps he was looking on from the skies to see what good he had done for her.
As soon as they were a bit farther out on the open water, the wind took to the sails, and they leaped forward. She laughed up into the sky at the sudden thrust, clutching at the ropes to steady herself. “Surely, we shall win with a boat such as this.”
Prince Karl came to stand beside her. “Secret. Weapon.”
She turned to him, pleased with the camaraderie she felt with him. “So you have mentioned. Do tell.”
“The smallness of this ship. I told you, but”—he looked about them mysteriously, then talked into her ear—“we think perhaps we have found a way to outmaneuver and outsail the others.”
Kristoff joined them. “It was Karl’s idea, but I’m in complete agreement. And Henri agreed with the science behind it.”
She looked from one brother to the other. “Are you all joining forces against Layton, then?”
“Always.” Karl stood up on a bench, leaning out over the water while holding fast to the ropes. “Our goal in life is to beat Layton at everything.”
Rhi laughed and thought it rather unfair to the youngest. But she held her tongue.
The wind rushed about them, and Rhi wished to remove every pin from her hair. The breeze was lovely, and the air smelled like the sea. Memories from her voyage across the ocean came to mind, and her heart pined for Marc with a hurt she didn’t think would ever leave.
But she also smiled at the happy memories and laughed thinking about Kristoff and his shipboard antics.
He stepped closer. “Thinking about me?”
Her mouth dropped open. “I was!”
“I knew it!” He tipped his head back in exultation.
“I can say that because you won’t let it get to your head,” she joked.
“Too late. It already has.” His grin was wide and friendly. He lowered his voice. “So, Karl?” He nudged her with his elbow. “A handsome fellow.”
She shook her head. “What is this?”
“Just wondering if there is some potential there. We must be siblings, you and I, one way or the other.”
