Dunham

Chapter 44

44

She wept into Rafael's bare chest that night, and the years fell away.

I swear to God I don't know what to do with you, Lass.                Ach, don't look at me like that. I'm not going to eat you.                                        He didn't mean it, you ken.

He— He— He—didn't?

Nay. Honorable men don't generally go about killing wee lassies.

But he—he—he—

There, there. Calm yourself. Take a deep breath, there's a good lass. You don't know who I am, do you?

N—n—no.

My name is James Dunham, and I am the captain of the ship we're on. The Iron Maiden.

How—how long will I be here?

Ah ... well ... Ah, that is to say ... Here, let's clean your face a bit. Doesn't that cold water make you feel better?

Ye—yes. Why—why were you doing that to my mother?

Don't tell me you've never seen a man and a woman kiss before?

Not like that.

You have now. Are you hungry? Aye, of course you are. Come, let me show you to the galley and Cookie can fill your belly.

How long will I be here?

Well, Lass. You are my responsibility now, so ... You're here to stay. I'll do the best I can, but this turn of events is as shocking to me as it is to you. I ken we didn't get off to a good start, but do you think you could trust me just a wee bit?

She was still hiccupping even once the worst of her sobs had passed.

"Play wi—with m—my hair," she whispered, expecting nothing, so she was surprised when Rafael complied. He didn't usually care to indulge her in that manner.

She was almost asleep when he said, "We must discuss the figurehead."

His heart thudded soft and slow under her cheek, but hers began to race.

"It has inside it the deeds to my unentailed lands in Andalusia, as well as this house, my villa in Ponta Delgada, and a townhouse in Paris."

Celia lay stunned, so shocked she could not speak.

"I returned to Spain some years ago to find that my brothers had found one deed to a property in Catalonia, then successfully had the courts transfer ownership to them. Naturally, the judge who decided that suddenly acquired half the property, but never mind that. I gathered up the rest from their hiding places, along with a few other valuables, jewels and the like, and had the sculptor hollow out the left foot for their secretion."

Her mouth opened and closed. "Why in God's name would you put such things in a ship, a vessel used for war, no less?"

"At that very moment, I had nowhere else to put them and I was pressed for time. I had thought to retrieve them on our voyage, but our ... dealings ... with each other were such that I simply forgot—and then you shackled me in the hold before putting me ashore without so much as an adios."

"I hope you learned your lesson," she grumbled.

"Sí, I did," he sneered.

They were silent for a moment before Celia murmured, "You're not poor?"