Page 43 of The Sea Witch
His chains jangled as he took one step, and then another. He paused on the threshold of the brig, turning his head so his gaze met hers directly.
“I believe you,” he said lowly.
His words sank all the way through her, landing deep in her belly with a peculiar shiver.
She motioned for him to precede her. As he clanked his way past her, their gazes held. An unnerving tremor moved through her.
By the tides, if only she hadn’t dreamwalked with him. Yet she’d had no choice. Now they were tied to one another. And she had no idea when, or if, that connection could be severed.
The more she learned of him, the more tangled they became in each other. Such tethers could drag them both down into the depths, sinking together into the profound deep.
Chapter Ten
Ben started into wakefulness. The manacles on his wrists and irons on his ankles jangled with the movement and rubbed against his skin.
He was still Alys Tanner’s captive.
Immediately, he turned toward her berth. Perhaps she’d still be asleep. Maybe he’d be fortunate or cursed enough to watch her dress.
She was gone. The berth was neatly made, as it had been the day before. Surprising that she would take the time to be so fastidious to tuck in her blankets, though a dent remained in her pillow.
Three bells rang out. Early in the morning.
She’d quitted her cabin without a word to him. A peculiar heaviness settled in his chest—doubtless because he was still sleeping poorly in an unfamiliar place and had strayed from his routine. He always woke at four bells, washed, brushed his clothes to ensure they were neat and trim as befitting a sailing master. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he broke his fast with the other warrant officers, and immediately went topside to take readings and chart the ship’s course. He spent his days going up and down the rigging to ensure his readings were accurate. Dinner at eight bells, including his single drinkof rum. Then reviewing charts, reading a few pages of edifying works of literature, and finally to his berth.
Now, all of that had been thrown off.
A pitcher and basin waited for him on a slim spare table. Thank God. He went to them and splashed water on his face, his manacles jangling. Well, he wouldn’t trust himself, either.
She’d no idea his intentions toward the fail-safe.
The door to the cabin swung open and an angular, narrow-shouldered member of the crew came in, bearing a bowl and a mug.
It would take a very long time for him to get used to the sight of a woman in trousers, including the wide-legged ones worn by this particular female. At the least, they were much looser than the tight leather breeches worn by Alys, which left little to his admittedly detailed imagination. It didn’t help that he no longer had to rely on imagination to picture the captain’s bare legs.
The crew member set the mug and bowl down on the table. In a brusque colonial accent she clipped, “The cap’n says I’m to answer your questions.”
“What’s your name?”
She glanced at him suspiciously, then said, “Jane.”
“Did you meet Captain Tanner here in the Caribbean?”
“She and I came from Norham,” Jane answered. “Our village in Massachusetts.”
“You were friends?”
“One of my few.” Jane’s mouth twisted. “I had no need for friends, or so my husband believed. He had strong opinions when he saw me talking to anyone he didn’t approve of. He didn’t approve of many.”
She gently pressed a hand to the side of her pale freckled face, as if touching a bruise even though her skin was unmarked.
A leaden weight formed in Ben’s gut.
Jane shook herself, then cocked her head, her brow furrowing. “She said you’d ask me about something that happened five years ago, here, in these waters. Not about life in that piece of shit village.”
“Yes. Right. Do you know of any pirate’s involvement in the murder of Captain Daniel Priestley? I know you’ve only been in the Caribbean for a year, but perhaps you’ve heard something, perhaps a piece of gossip or rumor, or someone said something in your presence that might indicate they had a hand in it. Or perhaps they knew someone who did.”
Jane exhaled. “I keep to myself whenever I go ashore. Hard to break the habit, I suppose.”
