“Nice, isn’tit?” Henry whispered in my ear, his tickling breath sendinggoosebumps scouring down my body and hardening my nipples.
I could onlymoan in response. The water softened my tired muscles and the steamseeped into my pores, opening them up and washing them clean. Westayed like that, soaking in the warm bath and the silence our roomoffered. The crackling of our fireplace the only sound to be heard.Henry’s able hands sensually washed my body, paying close attentionto all the neglected areas and lathered me in silky soap. When hefinished, he set the soap to the side and began smoothing the skinof my stomach admiringly.
“He’s gettingbig,” he spoke softly.
I craned myneck and shifted slightly so our eyes could meet. “He? Whatmakes you so sure it’s a boy?”
A dreamy smilespread across Henry’s scruffy face and he planted a gentle kiss onmy mouth. “I’m not. Just hopeful thinking.”
This was new.Henry had never expressed a preference for the baby before.Suddenly, my mind wandered to thoughts of a little boy. A full headof blonde curls bouncing as I chased him through the grass. “Aboy,” I said, matching his dreamy tone.
Henrycontinued to rub my belly. “Honestly, I don’t much care what weget. I consider myself lucky enough to have the chance to be afather.”
My hand slidovertop of his and we cooed over the baby inside together. “Well,if it is a boy, we can just try again until we get a girl.”
“My,” hereplied with a smirk. “If I didn’t know any better, Miss Cobham,I’d say you were trying to get me into bed.”
I tipped mychin up and brushed my lips against his. “Bed, bath. Does it matterwhich one?”
“No,” Henrytold me as his hand slowly crept down my leg and then found its wayback up where it nestled between my thighs. “Nothing matters aslong as I’m with you.”
***
The water hadbecome tepid before Henry and I pulled ourselves out of the tub. Itfelt good to be clean again, truly fresh and clean over every partof my body. With a warm towel wrapped around and tucked underneathmy arms, I strolled over to the trunk on the bed and opened it tofetch something to wear. Each piece of clothing I held up to mynose and gave a disgruntled moan at the damp, musty smell of itall.
“I’ll send ourclothes out to be properly washed,” Henry told me when he noticedthe growing pile of discarded choices building up.
I held up asomewhat clean red, cotton skirt. It would have to do. Afterslipping on a shift and covering it with a white blouse, I securedthe waistline of the skirt up over my protruding stomach. “God, I’mgetting huge,” I noted as I stole a glance in the floor-lengthmirror next to the bed.
Henry’s handsquickly found me and slid around my torso from behind, his mouthnuzzling into my neck. “You look radiant.” I tried to stifle thegroan that pooled in my throat before he turned me around andplanted a tender kiss on my lips, his thumb brushing the flushedskin of my cheek. “You’ve never been more beautiful, Dianna.”
“Youhave to say that,” I replied like a child.
Henry laughedand pulled away but gripped his fingers with mine and headed towardthe door. “I don’t have to say anything,” he noted and then pulledmy hand to his lips before turning the knob, “but I do have to feedyou. Shall we head down for supper?”
“It’s kind oflate,” I replied. “Do you think we missed it?”
He led me downthe hall and toward the mouth of the staircase. “No, it's not like back home in Newfoundland. This isa bustling tavern that caters to the traffic of the port. We shouldbe able to acquire a meal at anytime.”
Together, wedescended the stairs and I was surprised to find that he was right.Suppertime had obviously passed; the sun was long gone and thedining area had been mostly cleared out. But a few guests were leftstanding about. Mingling at the bar and sitting around the massivestone fireplace that anchored the common area. My eyes scanned thehalf-empty tavern and I smiledwhen I realized the faces around the fire were familiar. Finn, Gus,and Lottie. Henry noticed them, too, and we strolled overtogether.
“I was aboutto come and check on ye two,” Finn said with a hearty chuckle.“Make sure ye were still alive.”
I felt mycheeks flush. “I suppose I was more tired than I thought.”
“We all were,”Lottie chimed in as she leaned forward and set her empty plate downon the large coffee table that occupied the space between them. “Iwas out for a couple of hours at least. I could have slept rightthrough ‘till tomorrow if this one here didn’t force me to get up.”She gave Gus a playful smirk from across the center.
“Yes, well,”he replied and awkwardly cleared his throat, “It was for goodreason.”
I saw in hiseager eyes that he had news and I took a pulled one of theoversized wingback chairs over to join in the circle. Henry did thesame and sidled up next to me.
“Did you findout anything?” I asked Gus.
He glancedaround and then leaned in close. “Yes. The Burning Ghost sailedinto port about a week ago. A merchant said she stopped at theirtent and traded some things. But Maria Cobham hasn’t been spottedsince. If the devil’s here, she’s keepin’ quiet. Not causing notrouble or nothin’.”
“Seemssuspicious,” Lottie added.
I looked toHenry who was unusually silent. Even for him. Just the idea thatMaria Cobham, the woman who took so much from him, could possiblybe anywhere around us must have been eating him up inside. I knewhis desire to end her life. But I also knew the struggle he facedby deciding not to do it, to take the higher road. We’d bring herto justice.
Eventually.
“Maria’sprobably just searching for my mother,” I said and then, after asecond thought, “our mother, I mean. She’s most likely
