Chapter Eight
The ship’s rocking disturbed Emmaline as she lay in bed, every movement souring her stomach.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to sleep through it, only to be startled awake a few minutes later by raucous laughter.
Annoyed, she sat up and glared at the door.
There were several gaps in the wood and along the frame, allowing the light and noise from the hallway to leak through.
The ship shifted beneath her again and her stomach sloshed with the movement.
Acid rose in her throat, and she smacked her hand over her mouth to keep it down.
Someone had left a small basin in the room in case of seasickness, but if she vomited now, she would have to thoroughly clean up after herself so the smell wouldn’t cling to the walls.
There were, of course, the candies Rafe gave her. She’d stored them with her other things in the trunk squashed between the bed and the wall. As much as she loathed the man who gifted them to her, she knew they were her best option to settle her stomach.
She held onto the bed to steady herself as she approached the trunk, using her hand to guide her through the dark room.
The moment she opened the lid, the sweet smell of ginger filled the air.
She felt around blindly in the trunk until her fingers closed on a twist of paper.
She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth, then leaned back against the wall as she savored the treat.
Though it smelled sweet, it had a hidden spiciness, a bit of heat against her tongue.
As the candy dissolved, her stomach settled.
She should have gone back to sleep, but the sugar lingering on her tongue kept her awake.
Another bout of laughter drew her thoughts to the rest of the crew.
They’d leered at her when she first stepped onto the ship, but when Rafe introduced her to everyone, their attitudes changed immediately.
The captain must have warned them to treat her with respect.
Although she would have preferred if they simply treated her properly from the beginning, this might be her opportunity to get to know them better.
To let them get to know her, and her fight to save her mother.
Emmaline opened the door and followed the noise deeper into the ship.
The crew not currently on duty were gathered in what Rafe had dubbed ‘the wardroom.’ Half of the large room had tables, while the other half had cots where a few sailors snored in deep slumber.
They were dead to the world, completely unaware of the noise their companions made.
Most of the men at the table had tankards of ale, which seemed to increase their joy in the evening, or at least their volume. She wasn’t surprised to see Rafe deep in his cups, laughing even as he slumped over, gazing at a hand of cards.
She was surprised to find her father among the crew.
Everett glanced up from his own cards, the grin slipping slightly from his face as he spotted her.
She took an instinctive step back, worried she was intruding on this private bonding time between captain and crew.
“Em,” he said, hurrying to stand. “I’m sorry, did we wake you?”
“I was already having trouble sleeping,” she admitted.
“The waves are restless tonight,” he said sympathetically. “Let me get you some tea—”
“No,” she said, the spice of ginger lingering on her tongue. “I want to stay up for a bit.” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down the table at the men. “What are you playing?”
“Cheat,” Everett replied. “Have you ever heard of it?”
She shook her head.
“It’s fairly easy, I’ll show you.” He clasped her elbow and guided her over to the table.
Emmaline sat down and smiled tentatively at the crew, who had lost some of their drunken cheer at her entrance.
All except Rafe. “All right, everyone, we’re starting over!” he declared, plucking cards straight from people’s hands.
“Hey! You only want to restart because you’re losing!” one of the men protested. He held only two cards and gripped them tightly until Rafe pried them from his grasp.
Rafe gasped dramatically, one hand to his chest. “Are you accusing me of cheating?”
“Yes!”
“Good, then I’m playing the game right.” His grin stretched the scar on his cheek and his good eye glimmered with mischief.
Everett chuckled at Rafe’s antics and explained the rules to Emmaline.
“We place cards in order of low to high, Aces low. You can discard as many cards in your hand as you have that match the current number. The goal is to discard all the cards in your hand. Here’s the trick: all cards are placed facedown.
So, if you don’t have the correct cards, or you just want to discard more than you’ve got, you can lie.
Anyone who catches someone lying yells out ‘Cheat!’ Then all the cards are revealed, and we find out the truth. ”
“So, you’re encouraged to lie?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“Damned right,” one of the sailors said.
Everett glared at him and the man swallowed nervously, ducking his head.
As her father explained the game, Rafe dealt the cards out to everyone. “This is two combined decks, so there’s up to eight of each card,” he explained for Emmaline’s benefit.
As everyone gathered up their cards, she noticed that Rafe had skipped her father.
Everett smiled and said, “I’ll be helping you with this round. Let’s see what you have.”
The thirteen cards she’d been dealt didn’t quite fit in her hands. She divided them into orderly piles on the table, then waited for her turn. “Three fours,” she said, picking up her cards and laying them face down on the table.
The round continued, circling the table until it came back to Rafe. “Two sevens—”
“Cheat!” one of the men declared.
Rafe laughed loudly and flipped over his cards, both sevens. The other man groaned and scooped the pile up, adding it to his hand.
The round continued with eight.
“Five queens,” Emmaline declared, placing her pile of cards facedown.
“Cheat,” Rafe called.
Emmaline smiled at him sweetly and turned over her cards, revealing the five royal faces.
“How did you,” he began, looking between the pile of cards and her hand. “I should have known you weren’t lying. A sweet face like yours would pucker at the mere thought.” He gathered all the cards into his hand and the game started again.
“Two sevens,” she said, laying down her cards.
The round continued, until Rafe was called a cheat again, and this time they guessed correctly. He laughed as he scooped up the deck. The laughter subsided as he scanned it. “Oh, come on!” he exclaimed, tossing down an out of order Jack and Ace. “No one called her out on that?”
Everett laughed. “What was that about her being too sweet?”
Emmaline lowered her lashes and hid her smile behind her hand.
It had taken all her effort to keep her smile in place when she realized she wouldn’t have the correct numbers.
Her heart raced, her fingers tingled with anticipation of being caught as she’d laid those two cards down. And it had all passed unnoticed.
Except by her father, who’d watched her lay out her cards in the beginning, knowing she would need to lie at some point. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, giving her a proud smile. “Your mother was always excellent at cards.”
The statement startled Emmaline and she almost fumbled the next round. The soldiers played games sometimes, betting favors and dares, but her mother never joined them. Mama always smiled at their antics and claimed she’d rather not spend her time losing.
“I called her my lucky charm,” Everett said, sipping from his tankard. His expression clouded slightly as he added, “Just being with her, I felt like the luckiest man alive.”
Emmaline watched him for a moment, unsure if she should try to comfort him. It was obvious that her mother’s absence affected him deeply. Why did Mama leave him? What happened between them that she wouldn’t even tell me about him?
“It’s your turn,” Rafe called. He narrowed his eyes and pointed at Emmaline. “I’m keeping my eyes on you, little liar.”
Despite his declaration, Emmaline won the first game, while Rafe lost, since he was the one holding the most cards at the end. He groaned and slumped across the table, resting his head on his outstretched arm. Gazing up at her, he said, “You’re gonna be bad luck for me, I can tell.”