Chapter 14 #3
He could read, count, navigate the stars. He had never been a sailor before he’d become a part of Rosetta’s crew, but she knew he was up for the task, and she trusted him explicitly.
He was a few years older than them, but she knew Mr Smith had taken him under his wing like a son, showed him how to do everything. I feel like he did it so he had someone to replace him when he died.
She snuffed out the ache that started to rise before it overtook her.
“I think you’ve made a wise decision,” Naeem answered. “I’m glad you made it before we set off.”
She’d been thinking about it for the past few days, trying to make her choice. Thomas had already been temporarily performing the requisite tasks, but she thought she should finally give him the official title.
“I’m glad I’ve got your approval,” Rosetta said. “I’ll put his name forward, and hopefully, the men will vote him in.”
Naeem nodded. “Good idea, but I don’t think there will be any naysayers. Will he be bunking with me in my cabin?”
“Yes. I know you’ve enjoyed the space to yourself for a while, but he will need to be near the helm as well.”
A bright grin showed the humour of his loud laugh.
“True! But I don’t mind sharing. I kind of miss John’s snoring now that I don’t have it.”
She gave a soft, sad smile, before walking in front of him to climb the steps to the surface. The repairs for her ship were done, the railing rebuilt.
She spotted Alister leaning against said railing next to the gangplank on the main deck. His arms were folded, and his head snapped up when he noticed her emerge.
A deep sigh left her. I knew he would come.
“I have to go. I think he wants to discuss exiting the port.”
Naeem, never one to question her or see through her lies, nodded in understanding. “Makes sense. I’ll keep making sure we’re ready.”
She threw her hand up and poked him in the chest. “Check everything.”
He rubbed the back of his head with another laugh. “Sure thing, Captain. We won’t make the same mistake as last time.”
Rosetta turned from him and made her way up the stairs to the quarterdeck. It put her in the path of Alister, and she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Let’s talk in the navigation room.”
With a nod, he unfurled his arms and followed her.
Rosetta let him close the door as she made her way to the desk, turned, and leaned her backside against it. She crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head to the side.
“I’m sorry,” she grumbled. “I didn’t know she was your mother. She never told anyone the name of her son and I didn’t tell her who I was sailing with because you told me not to.”
He walked further into the room, his boot steps heavy and echoing. “Aye, I know.”
He threw a bag of coins onto the desk next to her, making them rattle and clink together when it landed.
She frowned as she looked down and grabbed the pouch. “What’s this?”
“It’s half of what you paid,” he answered, stepping back from her. “Not going to make you pay for something that’s half my fault, lass. Not that I approve of what you did.”
With a sneer, she tried to hand it back to him. “I didn’t ask for your help.”
“Nay, but you’re getting it.” He raised a brow when it was obvious she was going to argue with him. “Take it. I told her I would.”
With a sigh, she placed the sack back on the desk. At least I have funds now.
“About Lillian...”
“You can’t tell anyone she’s my mother,” he rushed out. “I’m a criminal, Rosetta. Not just any criminal, but one of the most wanted men on the seas. The moment anyone discovers who she is...”
“They’ll capture her to use her against you,” Rosetta finished for him. “I know. I figured as much already.” She finally turned her eyes away from the sack to look at him with a sigh. “I’m sure you didn’t intend for me to find out about her until you saw me sitting with her.”
“Aye, figured there was no point in hiding it once you saw me.”
Her lips thinned tightly. “I’m guessing you forced her to tell you why I was living in that house.”
“Nay. She refused to tell me.”
“Liar,” she scoffed, making his eyes narrow.
“Although I very much wanted to keep that part of my life hidden, I know she would have told you if you coerced her enough. There are things I’ve done that I’m not proud of, Alister.
Ways I behaved to get where I am now.” She turned her gaze away to rest on the cabinets, needing to look away from him.
“I wanted this ship and Theodore dead to the point where I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as I reached those goals. I didn’t even care if I died.”
She clasped her hands in front of her, circling her thumbs together as she stared down at the floor.
“Lillian is very dear to me. She made that time bearable, helped me get through the first year I escaped. I would never do anything that would put her in danger.” She finally turned her face to him to see he had a deep frown, his lips tight with emotion.
“I will never reveal your relationship with her, regardless of what happens.”
No matter what happened between Alister and Rosetta, she would never break their trust, would never reveal this dangerous secret.
He gave her a singular nod to say he understood. “Is your ship ready?”
“Yes. Naeem and I have been working on it while waiting for you to return.”
Rosetta had peeked over at his ship to see Pierre and Derek doing the same.
“Good, start leaving the bay. We’ll go after you.”
Then Alister turned from the room to leave. Things were never meant to get this complicated.
“Wait,” she demanded, making him turn back around.
She grabbed a small leather pouch sitting on top of her desk and threw it at him. He grabbed it from the air and opened the fold of it.
“My eye patch?” He pulled his usual black convex eye patch from it. “You had it all along?”
Not only did Rosetta roll her eyes, she rolled her head on her shoulders as well. “Look further inside, you big idiot.”
When he did, he pulled out a second black eye patch that looked exactly the same – except for one important feature.
She watched him rub his thumb over the convex shape, thumbing the pattern etched into it. His brows drew into heavy creases.
“My family crest?” He turned his head up to her. “But you didn’t know my ring was my father’s until I told you last night.”
“I know,” she answered, lifting her shoulders.
With her heel against the ground, she started to sway her other foot from side to side to appear casual, as if she didn’t care how he reacted, even though she very much did.
“I took your eye patch so I could have its exact dimensions, since I knew you must favour it. I’ve never seen you wear any other.
” She turned her gaze to the wall. “I’m good friends with the leatherworker here and I asked him to make it for me while I got Naeem.
I studied your ring while you were asleep this morning and drew it for him. ”
Somehow, she felt a little uncertain and... shy about giving Alister a gift. She didn’t even know if he would like it.
Alister’s family crest had been pressed into the convex of the patch and painted with a leather-safe paint.
“I picked blue for the crest since you like the sea so much and I figured it was your favourite colour. Sorry if I got it wrong, or if it’s supposed to be a specific colour.
” She bit the inside of her cheek. “It should be as comfortable as your other one, since I got him to make it the same. Actually, it should be better, since he would have used the highest quality materials for me.”
When Alister stomped towards her with an undecipherable expression, she felt her gut twist. Perhaps I overstepped.
It was often hard to tell where the boundaries were between them, especially since the line seemed to be heavily blurred these days.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it,” she started, turning her gaze away once more while nibbling at the corner of her bottom lip. “I just knew you wouldn’t give me your patch without asking why.”
He was also a little sensitive about the whole thing.
Alister grabbed her jaw in a firm grip and forced her to face him. There was a dark hint to the way he stared at her, one that wanted to swallow her whole right there and then.
He ripped the flat eye patch from his face to stare down at her, his two different eyes directed at her.
“You’re lucky we have ships to set sail,” he said with a deep rumble, before he crashed his lips against hers.
A small moan caught in her throat at the contact, his tongue swiftly coming forward to brush against hers. The kiss was deep, controlling, unyielding, and he ended it too soon, staring down at her with that same hungry look before backing away.
He walked from the room to go back to his own ship without a word.
A soft smile curled her lips when she saw him don the eye patch with his family’s crest instead of his old one.