Christine Dorsey - [Sea 01] (9 page)

Jack shut his eyes. “God’s blood, not you, too.” When he opened them again his glare could make even the bravest man tremble. “For the last time, there are no little invisible animals!”

“But she done said—”

“Phin!” Jack took a deep breath. ‘There will be no more talk of this. Do you understand me?”

“Aye, sir.”

The quartermaster’s demeanor wasn’t as convincing as his words, but Jack let it drop. “Good. Now get below and take our prisoner some breakfast.”

“Aye, sir.” This response was much more enthusiastic.

“No, wait.” Jack reached out to grab Phin’s arm. “Give the lady another quarter of an hour before you go.” Jack had nothing against seeing his prisoner in a torn nightgown himself. As a matter of fact, he quite enjoyed it. But others seeing her that way was a different thing altogether.

And Jack didn’t like to wonder why that was.

Even though this time a hearty knock preceded the rattle of key turning lock, Miranda expected to look up and see the pirate captain standing in the doorway.

She wondered at her flicker of disappointment when instead a small wiry pirate stuck his grizzled head in through the opening.

“Got some vittles for ye,” he announced before pushing on into the room. “Ain’t much. But then when ye ain’t got no time to set in supplies, ye can’t be too picky.”

The wrinkled little man eyed her as if he thought the entire thing Miranda’s fault. He also waited as if he expected some sort of reply. She watched him nearly drop the heavy pewter tray on the desk. A thin, grayish green gruel slopped over the sides of the metal dish. Miranda cleared her throat. “I’m certain it will be fine.”

“Ye ain’t tasted it yet.”

And if she weren’t so hungry, she wouldn’t. But food had never held much importance to Miranda except to replenish her body, so she waved his comment away. She hoped she wouldn’t be prisoner on this ship long.

Miranda assumed the man, whose skin was darkened a nut brown, would leave, but he continued to just stand there. Now his black gaze was riveted to the top of the desk.

“That there, that scope thing?” he asked while rubbing his grizzly chin with a gnarled forefinger.

“My microscope, yes,” answered Miranda hesitantly. She’d just recognized this man as the second pirate from the attack on the ship she took from England. The one who had wanted to steal her microscope. Miranda inched her way between the desk and the pirate.

The pirate didn’t seem to notice. He was still rubbing at his chin, and now he started shuffling back and forth on cracked and worn boots. “Ye don’t suppose I could—”

“The microscope is mine.” Didn’t the pirate captain just say as much?

Phin’s obsidian eyes flashed to hers. “I ain’t aimin’ to change that. Just wanted to get a look at them animals swimmin’ around.”

“The animalcules.” Miranda’s shoulders relaxed.

“Aye, them things. I’m kinda curious to see such a thin’.”

“You are? I mean, you are. Of course you are.” Could this pirate, this gnarled outlaw from society, be a kindred spirit? All Miranda knew was that curiosity drove her... excited her. And from the looks of this man, it excited him, too.

“Wait just a moment and I’ll show you.” Miranda finished clearing away the maps and charts that were covering the desk and set them in a pile on the floor. Then she set up her microscope. From the bucket near the door she scooped a small amount of water. “If you would light the candles, I think perhaps you can see better.”

It seemed like she took forever to move the blasted thing to just the right spot and move the little looking glasses around, but finally she stepped away and motioned for Phin to take her place. “There. Don’t be afraid.”

Phin straightened. “I ain’t feared a no little animals. No biggins neither,” he clarified.

“Of course you aren’t. I simply meant that sometimes things that we don’t understand can be somewhat... frightening.” Miranda pressed on because she saw she’d hurt his pride again. “It’s’ like that for everyone, I suppose. But the truly brave people are the ones, like you, who do it anyway. Cowards will shy away. Not even take the chance that there might be something there they could learn.”

“The cap’n ain’t no coward.”

“I didn’t mean...” Miranda stopped because she had a sneaking suspicion she was referring to the pirate captain, and she didn’t like to lie.

“I never seen him flinch in a fight.”

“I’m certain he’s a wonderful fighter.” Obviously this man thought a lot of his captain.

“Even when he was no more’n a lad and just escaped from them filthy, thievin’ Spaniards, he never backed down from no man.”

She really didn’t want to know the pirate captain’s history—or anything else about him for that matter. “Come here. Hold this up. Just squint your eye and look through this little hole,” she said, trying to stem the flow of information.

The pirate followed her instructions—only a little reluctantly. Miranda could tell the exact moment he focused in on the animalcules. He jerked, his face a mask of incredulity.

“Ye put them in there,” he accused.

“No I didn’t.” Miranda worked hard to smother her grin. “It’s just a plain drop of water.”

He looked again—longer this time. Then he eyed Miranda suspiciously. “How come I can’t taste ‘em. Or feel ‘em crawlin’ round me mouth.” He screwed up his face, and Miranda thought for a moment he planned to spit on the floor.

“Because they’re so small. You can’t even see them without a microscope. No one can.”

“But—”

“Your captain has a spy glass, doesn’t he? Have you ever looked through it?”

“Aye.” The pirate nodded for emphasis.

“It makes things that are far away look closer. By magnifying them. The microscope does the same thing. It uses specially ground lenses to make thing look bigger.” She wasn’t sure the pirate understood her explanation. He only shrugged and squinted to have another look.

“Of course, there are different types of animalcules. They’ve been discovered in rain water and sea water.”

“Let me see some a them.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have anything but fresh water here in the cabin.”

“Get yourself up on deck. You’ll find more salty brine than you can handle.”

“I’m certain I would. However, your captain has restricted me to this cabin.”

“Has he now?” Phin rubbed his chin. “Don’t ye worry none, I’ll see to the cap’n.” He stole one more quick peek through the microscope. “Better be on me way. Name’s Phin, your ladyship. I’ll be back.”

Miranda didn’t know how Phin managed it, but the next morning he returned saying he was to accompany her on deck for her morning outing. “Ye’ll be getting an evening stroll, too,” he confided.

The sun was bright, the wind was warm and brisk singing through the sails, and Miranda was very happy to be on deck.

If she didn’t know better—which of course she did—Miranda would have thought herself on an ordinary ship. The crew looked perhaps a little more savage than that on the vessel that brought her from England. But not by much.

Miranda shaded her eyes and scanned the deck, stopping only when she realized she was searching for the tall, golden-haired captain. She dropped her hand quickly. What was wrong with her? If anything, she should be hoping she didn’t run into the arrogant man.

She hadn’t laid eyes on him since yesterday morning, and her day had progressed quite nicely without him. She didn’t need or want another encounter.

And she had no idea why she’d dreamed of him last night.

“Is Phin telling it true?”

Miranda swirled around at the sound of the deep voice behind her and came face to naked chest with a blackamoor. She tilted her head until she could see his face, then cringed back until the rail bit into her spine. He was huge—even larger than the pirate captain, though she would have thought that impossible. And his cheeks were tattooed with peculiar markings.

He watched her as intently as she did him, but though he looked menacing, he made no move toward her.

“Can’t ye see yer scaring her ladyship.” Phin gave the giant of a man a small shove. “This here is King. I done told him about seein’ them animals in the water.”

Miranda stood as tall as she could and straightened her skirt. “You’re not frightening me, Mr. King, truly.” Miranda didn’t always tell the truth. “And, yes, Mr. Phin did see the animalcules in the water. Actually we came on deck to get some oceanwater so we can compare them.”

By the time Miranda climbed down through the hatch, she’d promised to let not only King but several other pirates see the secrets unveiled by her microscope.

“I never realized the crew would be so interested in science,” she observed as Phin escorted her along the companionway.

“After I done tol’ ‘em what I seen, they was.”

“Well, I think it’s wonder—” Miranda stopped suddenly when she noticed the cabin door was ajar. Pushing it open the rest of the way, she stepped inside, her hands clamped on her hips, her eyes filled with angry sparks when she saw her precious microscope being manhandled.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Jack straightened and speared the irritating woman with his stormy gaze. “What am I doing? I should think the question is, what are you doing?”

Miranda raised her chin. “I was under the impression my excursions on deck were approved by you. Irregardless, that gives you no right to—”

“I don’t give a damn about your excursions on deck.” Actually he did. When Phin suggested them Jack thought they would be the perfect opportunity to come below to his cabin without running into his captive. “However, I do wish to know what you did with my charts.” Each word grew louder, so by the end of his sentence Jack was yelling. And he rarely yelled. He wasn’t known as Gentleman Jack Blackstone for nothing.

“They were yours?”

“Aye! They were mine. What did you think? And where the hell are they?”

“Cap’n, there’s no call to—”

Jack’s stare shifted to Phin, whom he hadn’t even noticed till now “Don’t you have duties elsewhere, Mr. Sharpe?”

“Aye, Cap’n, but—”

“Phin!”

Miranda watched as the pirate she almost looked upon as an ally retreated through the door, shutting it quietly behind him. When she turned back to the pirate captain he was regarding her intently.

“Well?”

“I put them in that sea chest.” Miranda indicated the trunk near the foot of the bunk. But before the pirate could move, she continued. “Do you suppose you could put down my microscope... gently?”

Jack had forgotten he was still holding the damn thing, but he did as she asked, adding a mocking bow after placing it on his desk. Then he went in search of his maps. They were indeed in the chest in neat stacks and rolls. Glancing over his shoulder, Jack caught her examining her microscope, acting as if he’d done something to it. “In the future,” he said, “refrain from moving my things.”

 She stood and met his stare. “Then, I suggest you remove your things from my cabin.”

“Your cabin!” Jack dropped the maps. “This is my cabin.”

“Yours?”

“Whose did you think it was?”

“I don’t know.” Miranda gnawed on her thumbnail a moment. “I suppose I thought it was a cabin for people you kidnapped for ransom. You did say it was done all the time, and I can’t imagine you like giving up your cabin much.”

“I didn’t say I did it all the time,” Jack corrected. “This happens to be a first. And frankly, it will be my last.”

Miranda shrugged. “That’s probably for the best.”

“I’m sure it is.” Jack began rearranging his charts. “In the meantime, remove your things from my desk so I can—”

“Where am I to put my microscope?”

Jack shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “I really don’t know, nor do I care.”

Miranda could tell he was angry... very angry. And his sheer size made him formidable. Carefully she picked up her microscope and laid it in the crate.

The pirate captain gave her a smug smile, then spread his charts on the desk’s surface. With that he straddled the chair and began studying his maps. Miranda stood to the side. She tried not to notice the way his thigh muscles bulged against the fabric of his breeches. But she couldn’t seem to look away.