Page 23 of Hired by Pirates

His mouth curled into the strangest grin I’d ever seen. “Don’t let on that she’s a woman. I want to see their faces when they find out.”

There was a faint chuckle. “Aye, Captain.”

I was too nervous to laugh with him, as I pinned my hair up, double checked my instruments, and tried to mentally prepare myself for a patient who might scare me to pieces.

I knew that Captain Evans would take care of me. I just hoped that was enough to keep my hands from shaking when it really mattered.

~ Chapter 10 ~ The Captain ~

* The Black Stag *

If I was the sort of man who would order a lady around, I would have absolutely forbid

den Astor to set foot on the Black Stag . Although I knew some of the crew were good men, there were others who definitely were not.

And Captain Searcy was questionable at best.

I knew a bit about his rough life, and how he’d had to kill to save himself one more than one occasion. But it was no reason to forgive his cutthroat ways.

If we didn’t have Astor on board, I would have simply wished them well and sailed on past. But she was right. A call for a doctor seemed like an almost spiritual mission to her. A higher calling. I couldn’t ask a person to be less than what they truly were.

By the time we reached Port Lumsden, Astor was dressed with her hair pinned up neatly, and a basket of supplies packed for me to carry out to the deck.

She peered into the darkness ahead, as the lamps of the larger ship came into view. “There’s no town here?”

“No. Just a handful of villagers. Likely less than fifty, which is why they don’t have a doctor.”

“Then it’s a spot of good luck they found us,” she said.

“I’ll be right beside you the entire time,” I said gently.

Her head jerked up to me as she stared. “You’re going to leave your ship?”

“Yes. I will be clinging to your side like a barnacle. And Jocko is coming as your assistant.”

“I don’t have time to train him.”

“He’s a sharp lad. He can boil water, or hand you things. Mostly, I want him there so that he can read their expressions and guess if anyone has an inkling to do us harm.”

The terror in her eyes told me I should not have said those last few words. Damn and blast. Something about her makes me want to speak openly, even when I shouldn’t.

“I’m just being overly careful,” I said quickly. “I’m sure they will be very grateful for any help.”

She was nervous, I could tell. Her hands twisted in her skirt, her breathing seemed fluttery, and her eyes couldn’t land on a single place to rest.

I leaned down to bring my lips to her ear. “Astor, I haven’t had a chance to tell you how I feel about you, because I’m not sharp enough to find the words. But you must know that I care for you deeply. Although I don’t like the thought of you touching Searcy, you’re so determined that I won’t stop you. But I need to be right beside you to keep you safe.”

I saw her fingers twitch, as if she wanted to reach for me. “Thank you, Captain.”

If my nervous little lamb needed my touch for reassurance, that was more important than keeping up appearances with the crew any longer. Taking her hand in mine, I dipped down to give her a tiny kiss just as the sails dropped and we coasted into port.

We were barely tethered when Tobias dropped the gangplank and we rushed across the pier to the other ship.

“I’ve brought the doctor,” I called out.

Harry, their quartermaster, rushed to the gangplank, raising the lantern and staring in disbelief. “But – she’s but a girl,” he gaped. Several other heads appeared along the railing, murmuring in confusion.

“She’s a qualified doctor, but more than that, she’s apparently your only option right now. “

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