Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
B etween all the supplies for themselves and their horses, Freya and Nathan were running low on coin by the time they arrived in the next small town. The fare for their inn nearly depleted the rest of their meager supply, but it would be worth it to sleep in a soft bed once more, and to have a warm hearth and hot meal without needing to keep looking over their shoulders every few moments. A small comfort, but a worthy one.
“This is the time fer some gambling, I think,” Nathan remarked after they had stabled their horses for the night, ensuring they had enough food and water to rest properly.
“Oh, is that right?” Freya teased, not seeming to have any real issue with the prospect of playing cards.
“We just have tae find a game ye’re good at.”
“I’m good at most games. Dinnae insult me, Nathan.” Freya said sharply, but he knew it was all in good fun. He grinned, stepping closer to her.
“Are ye now?”
“That’s right. I wouldnae bet against me.”
“Never.”
The moment stretched as he looked deeply into her eyes, blinking slowly as the temptation to kiss her again started to grow stronger with every passing moment. He ought to keep to himself. If he kept allowing the temptation to build, he was only going to get them into more trouble.
He could do it.
He knew he could close the distance between them and kiss her, and she might even welcome the contact, but he couldn’t allow such a thing. He needed to keep moving forward, they had work to do. But damn it if it wasn’t getting harder to stay focused on the task at hand with each and every passing day.
“Tell ye what,” Nathan started. “I’ll head tae the tavern next door and see what they are playing, and then come back and meet with ye after ye ask about the ship. Though, I think the likelihood of us getting satisfactory answers is getting smaller and smaller.”
Freya nodded. “I ken. But that doesnae mean I want tae stop trying.”
“I will say, if they are playing cards and ye wipe the floor with them as ye did before, it does make me a might nervous.”
“I’m nae going tae pander tae their fragile egos, Nathan.”
For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine hearing any other name tumbling off her lips in a way that would make him feel the same. He might have been somebody else before, but he was her Nathan now, through and through.
“I’m nae saying tae pander to them, I’m just saying there isnae any reason tae have ye walking into harm’s way either,” he said, hoping it would get her hackles down a little bit more if she understood where he was coming from.
She took his words to heart and contemplated. She tapped her chin with her index finger thoughtfully. “Hm, well, I suppose I dinnae have tae be the one playing, technically.”
Nathan didn’t understand, and cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to continue to explain.
“I think if I explained some of me tricks tae ye, ye might be able tae dae so yerself. Then, we could both play separate tables and double our possible profits.”
How could any man hear such a scheme from lips like that and think she was anything less than wholly and utterly perfect?
“Aye, now that’s a good idea.”
“I can sit across from ye, and perhaps we can come up with some sort of signal for one another if ye need me assistance, or the game daesnae look like it’s going yer way?” Freya asked, and he nodded happily.
“I think that just might work, actually.”
It was a crazy plan, and certainly there was more than a lot that could possibly go wrong but weren’t all the very best plans that way? He was oddly excited to see her in motion once more.
They sat down in front of the comfortable fire, and he lost track of time as Freya regaled him with one story after another of all the tricks and the various things the nuns had taught her. He wasn’t going to lie, a good portion of it was rather confusing to him, and he was likely going to need her help, but it was still a decent start.
“That’s as good as it’s going to get.” Freya said. He had no idea how long it had even been, but the sky was dark and the streets were quiet by the time he left the inn and walked next door to the tavern. It seemed like every soul of working age was packed into the small space. The hum of conversation provided a short burst of noise as he opened the door.
Nathan wove slowly through the room, heading toward the bar and trying to get a proper feel for the games those around him were playing. All seemed to be a variation of the game Freya had spent the afternoon teaching him. He was a terrible player, but he hoped he would manage to help. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt as if he had truly played games like that.
If only he had been some sort of savant card player in his former life and even just that solitary skill had returned to him. But, alas, that was not the case.
Instead, he found a table and ordered himself a pint of ale and got comfortable. He started small, wanting to wait until Freya had arrived before attempting any of the tricks she had taught him. He figured that was the least he could do, so as not to make a total and complete fool of himself.
She arrived some time later, and they locked eyes the moment she entered. His question was silent, but she understood easily. No, the inn keeper hadn’t known anything about a ship either. Freya walked around the room until she found a table that seemed to have slightly higher stakes, and then they started. As they had planned it, Freya wasn’t the one who was supposed to be making the big earnings. Certainly not because she couldn’t but because Nathan didn’t want to have to be accountable for what he might do if another man dared to look at her like the sailor on the boat had.
After winning a few hands, Freya took to mingling around the tavern, giving him stolen glances and ensuring she knew what was in his hand, making subtle gestures and clues to help the pair of them win enough money for the next leg of their trip, if nothing else. Perhaps, if this next town didn’t yield any results, they could just do this for a couple more nights in order to earn enough coin to start a wholly new life all over again.
Nathan finished his ale, slamming down the empty tankard before happily sliding over his most recent winnings when the man beside him reached over into his personal space, and plucked up the cards that Nathan had not yet played. The man flipped them over, examining them and spreading them between his fingers before he hissed a displeased breath and shook his head.
“It just daesnae make any sense!” The man proclaimed, eyes narrowing into beady slits as he watched Nathan. “I dinnae ken where ye came from boy, but I ken there’s something nae right about ye!”
Nathan shook his head. “Nae need to be a bitter loser. We all have our off days.”
Perhaps he was playing with fire, but their plan had been working so well up until that point that he didn’t want to stop. If only it wasn’t also making him feel terribly arrogant as well.
Another stood up. “Aye! Nay outsider is going to come in here and take all our coin!”
Nathan huffed. “That’s exactly what it looks like is happening, isnae it lads?”
The man didn’t care for that one bit, and it was very obvious from the way his clenched fists started to shake and tremble as he fought to contain himself. He didn’t look like he had seen a single moment of combat in his entire life, however Nathan could feel the challenge starting to radiate off him in waves.
“I willnae be spoken tae like that by an outsider!”
“I’m sensing this ‘outsider’ thing is really a sore point fer ye, hm?” Nathan continued as he slipped the coin into his small coin purse.
“Hey! Give that back!”
Nathan shook his head. “I willnae. This might be a valuable lesson fer ye tae learn that ye cannae just go losing tae everybody at cards and then think it isnae fair. Ye lost yer coin because ye’re bad at cards. I won fairly because I’m nae bad at cards and that’s all there is tae it.” Nathan leaned forward as he spoke. Even though the man was standing, and he was still seated, they weren’t that far apart in height.
The first man reached over and clamped a bony hand down on Nathan’s shoulder as if he could possibly have any hope of holding the man in place while the other cocked his fist back and aimed to strike. His swing was lazy, and easy enough to dodge.
“Well now, if ye cannae handle losing, then ye shouldnae be playing cards in the first place.” Nathan continued, his eyes alight with amusement.
“Who dae ye think ye are tae speak tae me like that?” The man shouted, his voice rising at the same speed his words were starting to slur together.
“A man with a heavy pocket, thank ye fer asking,” Nathan said as he easily shrugged out of the hand on his shoulder. The man beside him seemed rather shocked that he could be dislodged so easily. The others at the table all stood at the same time as Nathan did—but he was nonplussed.
He knew when to leave a game before things got ugly, and just to make things more interesting, he pulled a single small coin back out of his pocket and placed it on the table for those who has lost. “Ferr the fun game, enjoy the rest of yer evening lads.”
“If ye ever come in here again, I’ll?—”
The second man was silenced by the first. He grabbed onto the man’s wrist and yanked him back into his seat so firmly that the wood seemed to rattle against the floor, but Nathan didn’t look back.