Authors: Rebecca Hart
The sparkle in her expressive eyes gave her answer before she could speak. “She’ll love it!” She played with the folds of her skirt. “I’ll stay behind with Nelson and head up in a couple of hours. That should give you plenty of time to talk to her.” She wiggled like an overexcited child.
Daniel chuckled at her exuberance. “All right, then I will see you this evening at the cottage?”
Her smile glowed with the light of the sun, warming him. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
***
Daniel leaned in, his soulful brown eyes drawing her to him, mesmerizing. His firm lips brushed across her cheekbone. “I’ll see you again soon, then.” His breath fanned the tiny hairs at her temple.
Ellie shivered, unable to find her voice. Her entire body tingled and her cheeks grew hot. She managed a slow nod before Daniel turned on his heel and strode away, giving her a view of his retreating form.
Drawn first to his broad shoulders, her gaze wandered down his back to a trim waist. An appreciative sigh blew past her lips.
“Try not to drool on the decking, El. Someone could slip and hurt themself.”
Nelson’s teasing voice made her cringe.
Was I that obvious?
“I’ll make sure to see that it’s cleaned up.”
He nodded. “See that you do.” The laughter left his eyes. “So you are really going to marry the bloke? You sure that’s what you want?”
She could always count on Nelson to cut straight to the heart of matters. “If I really plan to run my father’s shipping business, I had to reveal my identity. I can’t start off with deceptions, not if I want their respect.”
“Fair enough, but what’s that got to do with getting married to the captain?”
“Sailing to Gibraltar with the crew being aware of my gender poses a problem. I can’t bunk with them anymore, and I’ve no interest in trying to find a suitable guardian. Even if I did, we’d have to refit the ship to create separate quarters for that. That would take time we just don’t have.”
“So your plan, if I’m to understand it correctly, is to marry Daniel to protect your reputation. A reputation that’s questionable at best after spending five years aboard a pirate ship masquerading as a boy. All this so you can sail with him—dubious reputation intact—to slice the heart out of a murdering pirate? Did I get that right?”
Ellie really didn’t need him to point out the holes in her planning; she had enough doubts of her own already. His lack of faith grated on her already tenuous nerves. “Aye, sounds like it.” She folded her arms. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve work to do. Daniel has to travel to Truro to testify before the magistrate, so it’s up to me to get this ship ready to sail.”
“If you sell your soul for the sake of vengeance, El, it will eat you up inside. I know you.”
She brushed past him and stalked across the deck, intent on the sanctuary of the captain’s cabin. Nelson’s words bounced around inside her skull, hurrying her steps.
Despite her effort to outrun them, the seeds of doubt he’d sown took root in her heart, burrowed deep in the fertile soil of her own insecurities. Heart pounding, Ellie lunged into the cabin and slammed the hatch closed behind her. She leaned against the door, chest heaving.
He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. This was the best option.
Wasn’t it?
A light knock vibrated the door at her back, startling her.
“Go away.”
“Open the door, El.”
Nelson.
She huffed. “Find someone else to lecture. I’ve got work to do.”
“No,
we’ve
got work to do. Now grow up and open the door so we can get to it.”
He’s beginning to sound like Daniel.
Ellie peeled herself from the door, turned and ripped it open. She glared at a startled Nelson. “Just because I’m not doing things your way doesn’t make me a child.” Taking a calming breath, she stepped away from the hatch. She couldn’t afford to drive her only friend away, not now. She extended an olive branch. “No more wedding talk. Deal?”
A grin split his face. “Deal.”
Brushing away her rising fears, Ellie waved him in. “Then get your scrawny ass in here. We’ve got plans to make.” She took a seat behind her father’s desk.
It took her a moment to realize Daniel had cleaned up. The clutter was gone, replaced by an expanse of polished wood. A bottle of rum and four crystal glasses sat atop a silver tray at one corner, and a quill and inkwell stood in the other.
Nelson sat across from her and poured himself a drink. “Want one?”
She relaxed back in her chair. “No, thanks.” Ellie waited for Nelson to finish and settle back with his drink. “I need someone to follow Daniel to Truro.”
Nelson lifted a brow. “You’re about as changeable as the tides, El, you know that? You get upset with me for not supporting your choices, yet you’re planning to marry someone you still don’t trust?”
“Ho there.” Ellie held up a halting hand. “We agreed. No more wedding talk.”
“You are right, sorry.” He lifted his glass in salute. “But tell me, what do you think he’s doing in Truro if not testifying like you said?”
She’d not been able to put her finger on it, but something about Daniel’s demeanor around General McTavish niggled at her, as if the two knew each other a lot better than either was letting on. “I’m not sure, really, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”
Nelson drained his glass and set it on the desk. “Consider it done. When your betrothed leaves Newquay, he’ll have a shadow.”
Instead of the relief she’d expected, a sense of dread crowded Ellie’s thoughts. She prayed she was only being paranoid and Nelson would have a boring trip to Truro.
Please, let me be completely and utterly wrong about this.
***
As Daniel crested the final hill on the path leading to the Winters cottage, he put the finishing touches on the speech he planned to give once presented with Ellie’s mother. Jolts of nervous energy shot through his limbs every few steps and he had to continually wipe his palms on his breeches to dry them. He was still mumbling to himself when he knocked on the front door.
The door swung open to reveal a beaming Mrs. Winters, hair pulled back into a practical bun and an apron draped around her neck. “Daniel! What a pleasant surprise. Come in, come in.” She stepped back to allow him to enter, craned her neck to look past him out the opening. “Is Ellie with you?”
Daniel stepped inside. “No, ma’am, she’ll be along shortly. I wanted to speak with you privately, if you don’t mind?”
“Of course.” She moved into the parlor and took a seat on the sofa. “Is everything all right?”
Taking her lead, Daniel followed her into the sitting area, taking the chair across from her. “Yes, yes. No need to worry, ma’am.”
“Amelia, please. I never much cared for ma’am.”
“All right, Amelia.” He cleared his throat, studied the floorboards. “I want to talk to you about Ellie, just not for the reason you might think. What I mean is,” he forced himself to meet her gaze, “I’d like your permission to marry your daughter, ma—er, Amelia.”
Mrs. Winters gasped and clapped her hands. “How wonderful!” Her expression sobered just as quickly as it had lit up. “Oh, wait.” Her fingers knotted together. “What about your little secret? Does Ellie know?”
Daniel drew back. Did she know about his selkie blood or about the work he’d been doing with her husband for the crown? She’d have to be more specific. Lately he seemed to be keeping more secrets than he could count. He opted for the innocent approach. “I’m sorry? Secret?”
“You know.” She waved a hand at him, as if he were being daft. “You being half seal and all.”
Daniel swallowed his shock. “How did you know about that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Michael and I had no secrets between us. He told me the night you saved Ellie from drowning.” A frown pulled at her lips. “She doesn’t know, does she?”
“No.”
“Not good, Daniel. Ellie doesn’t do well with secrets. Don’t you think she deserves to know the truth before you marry her? What about your children? They’d be her children, too.”
Panic stabbed Daniel in the chest so hard, it launched him from the chair. How did this go so wrong, so fast? “Whoa, now. Nobody said anything about children.”
Mrs. Winters continued speaking as if Daniel had never moved. “They may carry your blood, what Michael said you consider a curse.” She turned accusing eyes on him. “Don’t you think she deserves to know about that before she agrees to be your wife?”
As much as he wanted to argue, he knew she was right. He wasn’t being fair to Ellie. He’d have to tell her, risk her scorn, her rejection. “Yes,” he whispered finally, “she does.”
“You need to have a bit more faith in my daughter. If there’s anyone in this world who knows what it’s like to be different, it’s Ellie. She’s always been unique, nothing like the other girls growing up. If anyone can accept you for who you are, Daniel, it’s Ellie. I think that’s why Michael put you in charge of watching over her all those years ago. He knew back then you were a matched pair.”
Daniel let her words sink in. Had the Captain really thought that, taken steps to bring him and Ellie together? He shook the thought away. Ridiculous. Captain Winters hadn’t made Ellie swim for
The Siren’s Call
that night, and that was when he’d fallen in love with her.
His heartbeat skipped as he realized what he’d just admitted to himself.
I love her.
Putting voice to the reality lifted a weight from his shoulders.
A goofy grin broke out on his face. He’d always loved her, starting with that first moment they’d made eye contact on the beach the night she’d almost died. Captain Winters’ order to Daniel to watch over her only served to cement those feelings.
Daniel lifted his gaze to Mrs. Winters. “I promise I’ll tell Ellie the truth before I let her marry me. You’re right, she deserves to know.”
Mrs. Winters pushed up from the sofa, as if his assurance put the matter to rest. “Then you have my blessing on your marriage.” She winked. “And I know you have Michael’s. He always had a soft spot for you, Daniel. He always thought of you as the son he was meant to have.”
The front door swept open. Ellie rushed into the parlor, hurried along by a strong gust of chilled wind. She spun, forced the door closed with both hands. With an exaggerated sigh, she brushed windswept hair from her face. “It’s blowing hard out there. I think we might be in for a storm.”
Daniel bit back a laugh at the ironic timing of her entry. He settled back down in his chair. “I think you may be right.”
***
Ellie shrugged out of her cloak, hanging it on a peg by the door. She pivoted to Daniel, cast a glance toward her mother. “Did you two have a chance to talk?”
Before Daniel had the opportunity to reply, Mama came whirling around the sofa. She captured Ellie in a tight hug. “We did! I’m so happy for you!”
Laughing, Ellie squeezed her mother in return, catching Daniel’s pensive gaze over her gray head.
What did I walk in on?
She released Mama and covered her blossoming curiosity with a smile. “What’s for dinner? I’m positively starved.”
“Roasted chicken and vegetables, your favorite.” Mama moved back to the hearth and the pots simmering there. She lifted a lid and steam rolled up toward the ceiling. The scents of celery and carrots filled the air.
Ellie rubbed her hands together, stomach grumbling in anticipation. “Can I help with anything?”
Mama waved a hand at her. “No, no. I have everything well in hand. You sit, relax. I’ll give a holler if I need anything.”
She flicked a glance toward the sofa. Daniel sat with head down, elbows on his knees. He studied his fingernails. An aura of tension seeped from the area surrounding him, the air practically crackling with it.
Ellie sank into the seat across from him, cocked her head. “How do you feel about roasted chicken, Daniel? Do you favor it?”
He grunted, eyes still focused on his hands.
She wrinkled her nose. Had he even heard her? “Maybe you prefer octopus ink on a bed of sea slime?”
“Aye, sure.” He still didn’t look up.
“Daniel!”
Her shout appeared to penetrate, snapping him to blinking attention. He sat upright. “Huh, what did you say?”
What’s wrong with him?
“You sure you’re all right? You were a world away.”
“Aye, I’m fine, just thinking about the trip tomorrow, making a mental list of things I still need to do.”
Her heart sank at the reminder. She’d be hard pressed to admit it, but Ellie would miss him. “What time does the coach leave?”
“Noon. I’ll pack after dinner.”
While he seemed more attuned to the conversation, Daniel still wouldn’t meet her gaze. She shot a glance at her mother, who worked in the kitchen, humming to herself, completely oblivious.
So glad I’m skilled at mind reading.
She blew a stray curl from her face.
Stick to business.
“We need to go over what arrangements you’ve already made and what still needs to be done. I’d like to be ready to sail in a few weeks. I know we originally figured on six, but I think if we push, we can get it done ahead of schedule.”
Daniel’s head whipped up.
That got his attention.
“I don’t think we should rush anything. Jashir isn’t going anywhere. We need to proceed with extreme caution, take well thought out and deliberate steps. Six weeks is soon enough. The new mast won’t even arrive for another three anyway.”
He had a point there.
He’s probably just worried about the upcoming meeting with the magistrate.
“We’ll see how it goes. Once you get back, we can better assess everything.”
Daniel studied his hands again, but caught himself doing it and rubbed them along his thighs. “I should go pack.” He jumped to his feet. “I’ll stop over in the morning before I head into town to catch the coach.”
Ellie’s head throbbed from trying to make sense of his strange behavior. “Aye, sure. See you in the morning, then.”
He rushed to the door, almost stumbling over his feet in his haste, and pulled it open. Cool air rushed in the opening, reminding Ellie of the storm brewing.
“Night, Mrs. Winters,” Daniel called into the kitchen. He peered over his shoulder at Ellie, finally meeting her gaze. He sighed, whispered, “Night, El,” and disappeared.