Delightfulmoans escaped my body and I wrapped my legs around his waist topull him closer. “Good, now make me forget all my worries, CaptainBarrett.”
He leaned in,pressing his warm mouth to my ear, his lips moving against my skinas he whispered, “Aye, aye, my queen.”
***
After asleepless morning in bed with Henry, I dragged my tired and sorebody down to the mess deck for some food. The crew had alreadyeaten and were well into their day. My cheeks flushed as I passedthem on the way, their playful smirks alerting me to the fact thatmy quarters may not be as sound proof as I’d thought.
I found Lottiein the kitchen, cleaning up and preparing for lunch. I grabbed afresh bun and strolled over to the sink where she was bent over aheap of dirty dishes.
“Morning,” Igreeted.
She stoppedand smiled. “Morning? More like afternoon. Are you still findingyourself tired? That baby is takin’ a lot out of you.”
I lobbed off abite. “It’s not the baby stealing all my strength,” I joked,surprised when I actually made her laugh. “Here, let me dothese.”
“Are yousure?”
“Yes, I needto do something. Feel useful.”
“Dianna,you’re going to be leading us across the Atlantic,” she remindedme. “I hardly think you’re useless.” But she removed her hands fromthe soapy water and stepped aside.
I finished mybun and then went to work on the dirty dishes. “Yes, but–” I pausedand shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
Lottie noddedand busied herself with peeling potatoes at my side. “Yeah, I do.Feels good to do things with your hands.”
We chatted fora while, small talk about recipes and me answering Lottie’squestions about where I came from as we cleaned the kitchen andprepared the food together. It did feel good to accomplish thingswith my hands. I missed working at the restaurant.
“Hey, do youmind if I prepare supper tonight?” I asked.
She lookedslightly offended. “Are you not happy with the food I’mcooking?”
“Oh, no!” Iquickly amended. “Your food is amazing. The crew loves it. I just…cooking back home, I really miss it.” I smiled with an idea. Amemory, really. “And I have this special recipe that the boys love.A pasta dish. I bet you’d love it, too. Actually, you can help me,if you want. Learn it.”
Her shouldersrelaxed. “Okay, sure.”
“I mean, oryou could take some time for yourself,” I poked at the idea. “Youknow, go hang out with the boys. Maybe spend some time with Gus.I’m sure he’d love your company.” She didn’t answer, just flushedred and turned away from me so I changed the subject. “Just dosomething fun, for yourself. I haven’t seen you do that since I metyou.”
“Fun?”
I shrugged.“Yeah, like a hobby? Don’t you have something you’re good atbesides cooking and cleaning?”
She was lostin thought, maybe a memory, but her lips curled up at the cornersas she moved the heavy pot of potatoes to the stove. “Yeah, I havea hobby,” she finally replied. “I’ll show it to you someday.”
I laughed.“You’re a woman of mystery, Charlotte Roberts.”
“You’re one totalk,” she quipped. “A time traveller from the Cobham bloodline? I believe you’re farmore mysterious than I, don’t you think?”
I moved closerto her. “Does that scare you?”
“What? Youbeing related to MariaCobham?”
“Yeah, I mean,any of it.”
She stoppedand stared at me, chewing the skin of her lip much like I do whendeep in thought. “No,” she finally replied. “I trust you. That’swhat friends do, isn’t it? Trust one another?”
I breathed asigh of relief. “Yeah, it is.”
Just then, thekitchen dimmed with a heavy shadow and I turned to find the largeporthole void of the sunlight that had shone through it justmoments earlier.
“What the–” Istepped closer, peering out. My eyes bulged. “There’s a ship rightnext to us!”
I turned toleave but a loud boom shook through the air and Lottie grabbed myarm, pulling me down behind the counter.
“That wasgunfire,” she whispered. “We’rebeing boarded.”
“Well, weshould go up and help them!”
“Are youcrazy?” she strained not to yell. “You’re my captain, mypregnant captain. I’m not letting you go anywhere wherethere are guns being fired.”
“Lottie!” Iprotested as she hauled on my arm when I tried to stand.
“Dianna, no!”she squealed.
I grabbed thelargest kitchen knife I could find, a small machete, really. I’dleft my dagger upstairs in my quarters. The knife would have todo.
“I’m going up.Are you coming or not?”
She let out amoan of frustration but grabbed a knife for herself, flipping itaround in her fingers like a skilled ninja. Aghast, my eyeswidened, but I didn’t have time to comment as she fled the kitchenand led the way upstairs.
We ducked andhid behind a couple of stacked barrels, careful not to venture toofar out to the wide-open upperdeck. I could hear angry voices just a few feet away and see thetops of heads through the cracks of the wooden barrels.
“We should’akilled ye when we had the chance,” Finn growled at theintruders.
I shiftedbehind Lottie to get a better look over her shoulder and caught theface of one of the men, the one that Finn addressed. My veinsimmediately filled with anger, flushing out what little fear wasthere. I stood, clenched the kitchen knife tightly, and took a stepforward. But Lottie grabbed my hand.
“What are youdoing?” she whispered.
“I know thesemen,” I told her confidently. “It’s those street pirates I told youabout.” She released me from her grip and stood, remaining close tomy side as we joined the standoff.“Good day, gentlemen. I wish I could say it was nice to see youagain.”
Amos let hissword fall to his side loosely at the sight of me and grinned wide,revealing his blackened teeth. “There you are,” he greeted inreturn. “So, it’s true, then. A lady captain graces the stern ofThe Queen. I heard it was you, I just had to see it with my owneyes.”
“Dianna,”Henry piped in as he took careful side-steps toward me. “Youknow these men?”
I held my chinhigh, not taking my eyes off Amos who was flanked by the same twomen as before. “That I do,” I replied. “And I was kind enough tolet them live after they attacked me in the
