Sea of Desire (11 page)

“What in the hell was that about?” Jared met
Padriac at the top of the ladder. He’d already sent a prize crew
aboard the merchant ship, which had been bound for Waterford from
London with a cargo of iron and dry goods. With any luck both
vessels would reach Morlaix in three days.

“What was what about?” Padriac began, but
thought better of playing coy after gauging his friend’s mood. “I
simply thought it better if you didn’t throttle the wench in view
of the entire crew.”

“Have you gone daft?”

“More to the point, have you? From the look
of you when she mentioned your failure to lock the cabin door, I
thought you would strangle the poor girl.”

“That ‘poor girl,’ as you call her, can take
care of herself. She’s a liar and, unless I miss my guess, an
accomplished spy.”

“You’ve let your imagination run amuck.”

“Have I?” Jared’s brow arched. “Or have you
simply let her beauty cloud your common sense. I told you her
history.”

“Aye, you did.” Padriac shrugged. “But she
does have the look of an angel about her.”

“Deceiving as hell.”

“I gather she didn’t give you the information
you sought.”

“Nay, and you needn’t look so amused. I doubt
she reveals anything until the gold is sufficient.”

“So you’re giving up?”

“Hardly. Since we spotted this prize off our
bow this morn”—Jared gestured toward the captured British schooner,
now trailing behind them—“I’ve had scant time to think of Lady
Merideth.”

“Really?” Padriac arched a bronzed brow. “I
should imagine her hard to forget. But since she’s taken a shine to
me, I shall be only too glad to get what I can from
her—information, of course.”

“She’s my problem, and I shall handle her,”
Jared said before clambering down from the quarterdeck. He failed
to see any of the humor Padriac found in the situation.

The knock, a faint brushing of knuckles
against wood, stopped Merideth in mid stride. Kicking aside a
waistcoat, her attention flew to the sword. With a sigh she
dismissed the idea of fighting off whoever stood in the
companionway.

“Who’s there?” she queried, and realized how
ridiculous her precaution was.
She
was the one locked
in.

“ ‘Tis Tim, yer Ladyship. Cap’n Blackstone
sent me.”

He sounded like a child. “Come in, then.”

There was a fumbling with the lock and the
door veed open. A narrow, boyish face peered around the edge. He
shyly studied Merideth a moment with big brown eyes, then glanced
around the cabin.

His eyes grew round as saucers. “Gawd, what
happened? Cap’n said his cabin needed straightening, but I never
thought... Did ye do this?”

The inquiry was so sincere that a wave of
guilt rushed over her. “I did,” she answered, then hastened to
explain. “I was searching for a weapon.”

“Cap’n keeps his pistols under the bed,” Tim
began. “But they ain’t loaded,” he continued when Merideth
instantly doubled over to see that under the mattress there was a
box large enough to hold a brace of pistols.

Sighing, Merideth plopped onto the bed. It
was probably just as well she hadn’t found them earlier. As she
watched, the boy, whom she imagined to be no older than ten, began
picking up the captain’s clothing and folding it. Or, rather,
attempting to fold it. He mostly wrapped things around his thin
arms till there was no material left. Then he transferred them to
the open chest.

“Why are you on this ship?” Merideth leaned
forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

“Me? Why, I’m the
Carolina
’s cabin
boy, I am. Cap’n Blackstone picked me out special for the job.”

“He did, did he? Don’t you think you’re a
little young for such a job?”

“No sir... I mean yer Ladyship. I be nearly
twelve.” Tim picked up a boot and, after polishing the toe on his
sleeve, laid it on top of a clean but wrinkled shirt.

She hated gambling, but in this case she’d
make a hefty wager that the boy was lying about his age. Years of
living with her father had given her clues to the telltale signs.
And Tim was showing all of them. His eyes darted around the room,
refusing to meet hers. His hands, judging from the way he rubbed
them down his sagging breeches, were sweating, and his voice was
too firm.

But there was something else there, fear
possibly, and Merideth decided not to pursue it. Perhaps he was
afraid that Captain Blackstone would throw him off the ship if he
knew the boy’s true age.

Of course, he might be thrown off when the
captain saw his wardrobe stuffed into the sea chest.

Picking up a shirt that lay strewn across the
foot of the bed, Merideth folded the shoulders together. When she
had Tim’s attention, she proceeded to fold it neatly. “There,” she
said, placing the garment in the other chest she’d dumped earlier.
“That should keep the wrinkles at bay.”

Tim picked up another shirt and tried to copy
her actions.

“Arms together,” she said. “Like this.” She
proceeded to fold another. The captain’s scent drifted up to her,
and Merideth tried to ignore the memories it evoked.

“Ye think I should refold them others?” Tim
asked after they had cleaned up most of the shirts and breeches
strewn around the cabin.

“It probably would be best.” Merideth sat
back on her heels. She was straightening into a neat pile the
charts she’d scattered. She watched Tim fumbling with the deerskin
hunting shirt. “How can you know so little about folding clothes if
you take care of the captain’s?”

“Don’t usually have to do none of this. He
takes care of hisself for the most part. ‘Course Mr. Padriac, he
done told me that the captain has a blackamoor to care for his
needs when he’s at home. But he don’t bring him on the ship.”

“How very democratic.”

“Huh?”

“ ‘Twas nothing.”

“Ye make messes like this often?”

“Actually, this is my first.” She was far
more used to cleaning up messes her father made.

“Was it fun?” Tim asked, his pinched little
face so intent Merideth laughed.

“Well, yes,” Merideth began, surprised at her
admission. “It actually was.” She was searching for something, true
enough, but she was also mad at Captain Blackstone for bringing her
aboard and telling her nothing. More angry than fearful, which
under the circumstances was foolish.

But it
had
been fun to throw his
things around the room. It reminded her of all the times she’d
wanted to grab the decanter from her father’s unsteady hands and
slam it against the paneled wall of the library. To show Tim,
Merideth retrieved one of the ill-folded shirts from the trunk and
gave it a toss.

Tim looked at her as if he thought her ready
for Bedlam.

She threw another.

“Here, you try it.” When the lad shook his
head vehemently at the breeches she offered, Merideth flung it over
her shoulder. “We have to refold these anyway,” she said, pushing a
blue silk waistcoat into his hands.

“Oh, I couldn’t. Cap’n would have me hide
sure.”

“He won’t know. Goodness knows I shan’t tell
him. Besides,” Merideth said with a conspiratorial smile, “I’ll
help you put everything away again. I promise.”

“Nay,” Tim said, but Merideth could tell he
wavered. “ ‘Twouldn’t be fittin’.”

“Like this,” Merideth coaxed. She sent a
shirt flying across the cabin.

It was followed by the waistcoat.

When Merideth turned, Tim had a big grin on
his face. With no more than a nod of her head as prompting, he
grabbed up another shirt and tossed it high. It caught in the
rafter and hung like canvas in the doldrums.

“That’s the way of it.” Merideth scooped up
another garment, laughing as she threw. Tim’s giggle joined hers,
and before they knew it they were competing to see who could throw
the fastest. And having a grand time doing it.

“What in the hell is going on?”

Merideth and Tim turned in unison toward the
doorway when they heard the captain’s booming voice. Apparently
their laughter had hidden the sound of his entry. But he now stood,
feet apart, arms crossed, surveying the disarray of his cabin.

His dark features looked even darker than
usual. His expression, harder.

Merideth caught only a glimpse of Tim’s
beet-red face before she grabbed his thin shoulders and thrust him
behind her. “It was my fault, Captain Blackstone. I made him do
it.”

“I’ve no doubt of that,” Jared said, though
it hadn’t looked like she was twisting the boy’s arm.

“ ‘Tain’t true, Cap’n.” Tim squirmed around
Merideth, though she tried to keep him out of harm’s way. “I done
it, and I’m ready to take the consequences.”

Jared rubbed his chin to hide a grin. The boy
showed courage, but then Jared had thought so from the time he’d
found Tim alone and hungry down by the wharf in Charles Town.

“Just exactly what do you think these
consequences should be?” Jared asked, his expression serious.

“You won’t flog the boy. I won’t allow
it!”

Jared went from amusement to annoyance at the
sound of her voice. His brow arched. “
You
won’t allow it? I
didn’t think you were in a position to allow or disallow
anything.”

Merideth felt heat flood her face. How could
she have done this? Poor Tim. She’d only wanted him to have a good
time because he’d seemed so serious. But if anything happened to
him it would be all her fault. And the captain was right. There was
absolutely nothing she could do about it.

“I’m ready to take me punishment, Cap’n sir.”
Tim’s shoulders straightened.

Jared’s attention focused back on Tim. There
was no sense frightening the boy just to scare the woman. “Cook’s
making bread pudding tonight. I think you should forego yours.”

“Aye, sir.”

“And to bed with you early tonight. I should
think by two bells in the second dogwatch.”

“Aye, sir.”

“And Tim?”

“Aye, sir?”

“You’ll have to clean this mess up
later.”

“Oh, aye, sir. Is there anything else,
sir?”

Jared smiled at the boy, his dimple deepened,
and then he tousled Tim’s blond hair. “Nay. Now run along while I
have a word with Lady Merideth.”

“Aye, sir.” Tim bolted for the door, but
paused, his hand on the latch. “Cap’n Blackstone, sir? We didn’t
mean no harm, neither of us. We was just havin’ a bit of fun.”

Jared nodded and Tim escaped through the
door.

When the captain’s stare focused on her,
Merideth realized her mouth was agape and closed it with a click of
her teeth. She had expected... Merideth wasn’t certain what she had
expected the captain to do to Tim.

Whip him? Yes, hadn’t the boy said the
captain would have his hide if he caught them? But he hadn’t so
much as raised his voice... to Tim, anyway. And the punishment, if
you could call it that, was more one an indulgent father would pass
on to his son.

It surprised her, this different side of the
captain.

But though his attitude toward Tim seemed
friendly enough, Merideth doubted she’d receive similar
treatment.

“Now would you mind telling me what all that
was about?”

His tone was calm, but Merideth didn’t miss
the agitation behind it. She swallowed, wondering how she ever
convinced herself the captain didn’t frighten her. “We were
straightening your cabin,” she said, her voice as firm as she could
make it.

Jared said nothing.

“Well, we would have gotten around to it
eventually. We were simply... Oh, for goodness’ sakes, you know
what we were doing. We were throwing your clothes about.

“Might I inquire as to why? Or is this simply
a penchant of yours?”

Merideth shot him a look that clearly showed
her regard for his wit. “I thought Tim might enjoy it.” Merideth
decided the truth couldn’t get her any deeper into trouble than she
already was.

Tim obviously had. Jared had rarely seen the
boy so animated as during the ruckus. Not that he hadn’t tried to
get Tim to enjoy himself. He had. The boy loved sailing on the
Carolina
, and would do anything for Jared and the crew. But
Jared had never seen that childish glee in Tim’s eyes until minutes
ago.

He supposed he had Lady Merideth to thank for
that.

But there were still many reasons to distrust
her. Jared pulled his thoughts to the problem at hand. “I imagine
my shirts are in need of a good scrubbing after all they’ve been
through.”

“Most of them are clean.”

“That was before they were used for your
amusement.” Jared hesitated a moment. “I want them washed... by
you.”

“I’m not your servant.”

“No,” Jared agreed. “My servants are in
Charles Town. I think, though, you shall do in a pinch.” Jared held
up his palm when she started to protest. “They need to be cleaned
before they can be put away. And I need the cabin straightened
before Tim’s punishment ends.”