Nathan's right eyelid twitched. Twice. God, he was developing an affliction, he noted, thanks to his innocent wife's mischief. He still couldn't trust himself to speak to her. He took hold of her hand and pulled her into their cabin. He slammed the door, then leaned on it.
Sara walked over to the desk, turned, and leaned against it. She was trying to look nonchalant. 'Nathan, I cannot help but notice that you're once again upset about something,' she began. 'Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or are you going to continue to stand there and glare at me? Lord, you do strain my patience.'
'I strain your patience?'
She didn't dare nod in answer. He'd roared that question at her, and she guessed he didn't want an answer.
'Does this look familiar?' he demanded in a rough voice. He lifted her parasol but kept his gaze fully directed on her.
She stared at the parasol and noticed right away that it had been broken in half.
'Did you break my lovely parasol?' she demanded. She looked incensed.
His eyelid twitched again. 'No, I didn't break it. When the first mast let loose it broke your damned parasol. Did you untie the latchings?'
'Please quit your shouting,' she protested. 'I cannot think when you're yelling at me.'
'Answer me.'
'I might have untied a few of the fatter ropes, Nathan, but I had good reason. That's a very expensive parasol,' she added with a wave of her hand toward him. 'It got caught up, and I was trying to… Nathan, exactly what happens when the ropes become untied?'
'We lost two sails.'
She didn't comprehend what he was telling her. 'We what?'
'Two sails were destroyed.'
'And that is why you're so upset? Husband, you have at least six others on this boat. Surely-'
'Ship,' he roared. 'It's a ship, not a boat.'
She decided to try to placate him. 'I meant to say ship.'
'Do you have any more of these things?'
'They're called parasols,' she replied. 'And yes, I do have three more.'
'Give them to me. Now.'
'What are you going to do with them?'
She rushed over to her trunk when he took a threatening step toward her. 'I can't imagine why you would need my parasols,' she whispered.
'I'm throwing them in the ocean. With any luck they'll cripple a couple of sharks.'
'You cannot throw my parasols in the ocean. They match my gowns, Nathan. They were made just for… it would be a sin to waste… you can't.' She ended her tirade in a near wail.
'The hell I can't.'
He wasn't shouting at her any longer. She should have been happy over that minor blessing, but she wasn't. He was still being too mean-hearted to suit her. 'Explain why you want to destroy my parasols,' she demanded. 'Then I might give them to you.'
She located the third parasol in the bottom of the trunk, but when she straightened and turned to confront him again she clutched all three against her bosom.
'The parasols are a menace, that's why.'
She looked incredulous. 'How could they be a menace?'
She was looking at him as though she thought he'd lost his mind. He shook his head. 'The first parasol crippled my men, Sara,' he began.
'It only crippled Ivan,' she corrected.
'Which is why you made the damn soup that crippled the rest of my crew,' he countered.
He had a valid point there, she had to admit, but she thought it was terribly unkind of him to bring up the topic of her soup again.
'The second parasol crippled my ship,' he continued. 'Haven't you noticed we aren't gliding across the waters now? We had to drop anchor in order to see to the repairs. We're easy prey for anyone sailing past. That's why your other damned parasols are all going into the ocean.'
'Nathan, I didn't mean to cause these mishaps. You're acting as though I did everything on purpose.'
'Did you?'
She reacted as though he'd just slapped her backside. 'No,' she cried out. 'God, you're insulting.'
He wanted to shake some sense into her. She started crying.
'Quit that weeping,' he demanded.
Not only did she continue to cry, but she threw herself into his arms. Hell, he'd been the one to make her weep in the first place, he thought, and she certainly should have been upset with him just a little, shouldn't she?
Nathan didn't know what to make of her. Her parasols littered the floor around his feet, and she was clinging to him as she sobbed wet tears all over his shirt. He put his arms around her and held her close even as he tried to understand why in God's name he wanted to comfort her.
The woman had damn near destroyed his ship.
He kissed her.
She tucked her face in the side of his neck and quit crying. 'Do the men know I broke the ship?'
'You didn't break it,' he muttered. God, she sounded pitiful.
'But do the men think I-'
'Sara, we can fix the damage in a couple of days,' he said. It was a lie, for it would take them close to a week to see to the repairs, but he'd softened the truth just a little to ease her worry.
He decided then that he had lost his mind. His wife had caused nothing but chaos since the moment she'd boarded his ship. He kissed the top of her head and began to rub her backside.
She leaned against him. 'Nathan?'
'Yes?'
'Does my staff know I caused this mishap?'
He rolled his eyes heavenward. Her staff, indeed. 'Yes, they know.'
'Did you tell them?'
He closed his eyes. There had been such censure in her voice. She thought he was being disloyal to her, he surmised. 'No, I didn't tell them. They saw the parasol, Sara.'
'I wanted them to respect me.'
'Oh, they respect you all right,' he announced. His voice had lost its angry bite.
She heard the smile in his voice and felt a quick rush of hope until he added, 'They're waiting for you to bring on the plague next.'
She thought he was teasing her. 'They don't believe that nonsense,' she replied.
'Oh, yes, they do,' he told her. 'They're making wagers, Sara. Some think it will be boils first, then the plague. Others believe-'
She pushed away from him. 'You're serious, aren't you?'
He nodded. 'They think you're cursed, wife.'
'How can you smile at me when you say such sinful things?'
He shrugged. 'The men are superstitious, Sara.'
'Is it because I'm a woman?' she asked. 'I've heard that seamen think it's bad luck to have a woman on board, but I didn't credit such foolishness.'
'No, it isn't because you're a woman,' he answered. 'They're used to having a woman on board. My sister Jade used to be mistress of this ship.'
'Then why-'
'You aren't like Jade,' he told her. 'They were quick to notice.'
She couldn't get him to elaborate. A sudden thought changed her direction. 'Nathan, I'll help with the repairs,' she said. 'Yes, that's it. The men will realize I didn't deliberately-'
'God save us all,' he interrupted.
