Page 16 of Only By Grace
“What is it, mate?”
It must be important for Fergus to return so soon after he’d been relieved from the wheel. His eyes shifted nervously.
“Speak, man. What is it?”
“The men are agitated.”
“About what?” Ronan knew, but he needed him to say it, and hopefully realize how ridiculous it was.
“The crew thinks the bad luck is due to the girl.”
“And what do you think, Fergus?”
“It does seem mighty suspicious that we’re suddenly stuck in the Channel. We’ve never been stuck in the Channel before.”
“And you think that slip of a girl controls the weather?”
“I could not say, Cap’n, but the crew is talking wild already and it hasn’t been more than a few hours yet.”
“And what is it they wish me to do, precisely?”
“Row her to the shore, sir.”
The shore that was very likely twenty miles away.
Ronan cursed. “Can you not talk them down? The last thing I need is a mutinous crew. It’s just the bloody Channel and as soon as this passes,” he waved at the sky, “we will be on our way.”
“Might I suggest something to pacify them?”
Ronan looked askance. “You mean give them extra grog so they will not care who or what happens to the ship?”
“Aye.”
Ronan ran a frustrated hand over his face. “It could go awry. They could become more belligerent.”
“They could,” Fergus admitted.
“How about a compromise? They shut up and trust me and they will not be turned off when we make it to Ireland safely!” he barked.
Fergus puffed his cheeks, then blew out a breath.
“Shall I talk to them again? Truss them up like one of the horses and throw them in the brig?”
“I will speak to them.” Fergus backed away warily.
Ronan had been in a sour mood before and now it was downright putrid, but it wasn’t his crew’s fault. Not entirely. “Give them an extra measure of grog for now,” Ronan called after his second. “I don’t want them cup-shot!”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Fergus called and continued hurrying away before Ronan changed his mind.
Unfortunately, the winds were no better when O’Brien and Kelly came to relieve his watch several hours later.
They approached him cautiously. They must have heard he was in the devil’s own mood.
“Are the crew still mutinous?”
“Aye, Cap’n. They’ve been sitting idle all day. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”
“So instead of being grateful for being taken out of the miserable weather, they sit down there and stew about the girl.”
