TWO MONTHS LATER
It felt like forever to her, but Maxwell returned to his post. Sandra never thought she would feel nostalgic seeing him standing atop the helm flanked by Hodari as they sailed towards the unknown. She caught Maxwell’s crew gawking at her through the window into the galley like her Master’s children did whenever she baked treats for them. That was until Hodari ordered the mostly grown men back to the rigging. She smiled to herself as she walked by the men. Each one glanced up at her with their unique features burned into her memory. There were fewer to remember since the sirens attacked. Sandra started to wonder where the crew was headed. What sort of business would she watch them partake in? Maxwell was obviously well respected but his cargo was not too important. The crew sailed without urgency after a near-death experience.
“Excuse me?”
She tapped his shoulder. The blonde turned, folding away his eyeglass with the tap of his palm.
“What can I do for you, Miss Swift?”
“How are you feeling?”
“I have felt better, but I have also felt worse.”
“You are welcome.”
He squinted at the horizon, looking for Sirens or the Duchess.
“If you are trying to avoid me, this won’t work.”
“I’m not trying to avoid you. I’ve…had a lot on my mind recently.”
“Me too.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“Where do I begin? I returned from the market. However, my Master is waiting for me. With a…surprise.”
“A surprise?”
“A stray girl. He asked me to take care of her. I did. Three days later, I left Isolation Bay with you.”
“You left the girl alone? You were her only friend, by the sounds of it. That’s cold AND selfish.”
“Let me finish. As I was saying. Master will take care of her, as he did for me. She will be cared for.”
“You aren’t?”
“I said no such thing! If we run into the man who hurt her, I will do anything to stop him from reaching her.”
“Did she describe him thoroughly enough for you to point him out in a crowd? Even I cannot point my sword at everyone that I meet.”
“Why do you care?”
“I could ask the same of you. Is she more than a stranger to you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Maxwell lent back against the mast. Arms crossed. The heel of his boot resting on the loyal side rail. He studied Sandra with a quirked brow and a lopsided grin. She turned sharply, jutting her hip out. Her hem flounced in his direction. He laughed - a beautiful sound.
“You were reckless. You abandoned a loving home and stable employment for a stranger with a BIG ship.”
“Not the biggest SHIP I have ever seen.” She laughed.
“You are a…different kind of woman.”
He spoke as if he knew something about her that no one else did. Sandra’s heart raced ahead of her legs. Her knees knocked under her skirt. Now that one of her secrets was out, she could wear feminine clothing once more. She stumbled backwards. He pinned her back to the mast.
“If you worried for me so much, why would you allow me aboard? Have you heard the names your crew call me?”
“No, I have not.”
“They say, ‘If not for that harlot, cap’ain would be fine. That witch is a bad omen.’ I cook for them. I stay out of their way so they can play their silly games. I clean for them. Is a little respect too much to ask for? I am more than a wench. I am their Cook! I am the third most important person on this ship. Captain. First Mate. Cook.” She checked the roles off on her fingers.
“You…did your research.”
“I like to be informed. It helps me to adapt when things do not go as planned.”
“Was this your plan from the start? To get me alone. You think your feminine charms can sway me? Unlike the rest of these sailors, I have been with women before. Women are no more mysterious to me than the ocean.”
“Of course you have. A man like you would have women falling over him. While you are more attractive than Isolation Bay’s middle and lower class. Your breath is satisfactory, even at this proximity. Unlike you, Mister Bayne, I am not shallow enough to plan for accidents such as this.”
“No one plans accidents, Miss Swift. That is why they are called accidents.”
“Stop twisting my words. The cheek of you!” Sandra shoved him, laughing out of amusement.
“What if I were a pirate?”
“You are not a pirate.”
He laughed before something caught his attention.
Maxwell whipped out the eyeglass once more.
“We do not have time for small talk, I am afraid. Go to my quarters.” He shoved her urgently.
“What is it?”
He glanced from her face back to the horizon.
“The Duchess again? But how-?”
“You said it yourself. She’s the fastest of her kind. We have a size advantage near the shoals, but this is open water. LOAD THE LONG NINES!”
“Maybe they didn’t see us? We could slip away. I beg you!”
Her mind flashed back to their first traumatic encounter.
He shook her off his sleeve, shaking his head.
“I’m not going anywhere!”
“He cannot be reasoned with, Sandra. Listen to me. I know you are one of those things that attacked us in the cave. I WILL NOT allow you to be captured. It’s not safe for you up here.”
“No! You listen to me. I know what you are. I have nothing to lose. If I am captured, I have my feminine charms. You have nothing. No, less than nothing. You have a P branded into the back of your hand.”
“Who told you this?”
Sandra shrugged her shoulders as followed the blonde across the deck.
“You saw it? When I was bed-ridden? I should have known. What is your idea? Quickly.”
“I am NOT a pirate. I am an innocent woman whose fiancé was murdered by pirates. When he tried to defend me. I was taken hostage. Forced to cook and clean. If I didn’t, they’d send me to join my fiancé. Or…worse...heaven forbid.”
“Are you sure you are a maid? You have quite the imagination and a penchant for storytelling.”
“Sarcasm is unbecoming of you, Mister Bayne. Do you think I would condemn you to the gallows after what you’ve done for me? I think those scoundrels hit you on the head too hard. You are a mere merchant. Your crew and captain were slaughtered by the ruthless pirates. You tried to defend me, a helpless woman who lost the fiancé who was supposed to protect her, but in your act of selfless heroism, you were badly wounded. I tended to your wounds in secret.”
“Scandalous!”
“Pfft. You and your fantasies. Can you answer one question seriously?”
“That depends on the question, Miss Swift.”
“How long have you been able to see things that cannot be explained?” His pretty mouth scowled at her.
“Hey! Pouting is my job.”
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