The Pirate Captain - By Kerry Lynne Page 0,277

as much and were having a good laugh at his expense. The remainder stared at Nathan and Thomas in slack-jawed wonderment.

“Very well,” Nathan conceded. He sighed. “This is a bother. There has to be a way. The lad deserves his justice, field of honor and all that.”

“True, true.” Thomas nodded pensively. He hooked a fatherly arm around Biggins’ shoulders. “Come to the fire, son, and we’ll drink on it, whilst we ponder. ’Tis ill-advised, it is, to go off killing, before your mates have been allowed to properly toast your success.”

With a smooth bit of manipulation, Thomas handed Biggins off to several Grisellers, who shepherded him away amid a barrage of hails and hearty backslapping.

Thomas watched to assure the lad was well away, before asking the remaining crowd, “Any of you drunk or stupid enough to have declared yourself his second?”

Quiet murmurings and shaking heads was his answer.

“Then there’s nay harm, unless you desire your justice now,” Thomas said turning to Nathan.

“Jesus and Mary, no. Was he drunk?” Nathan asked looking in the unfortunate Biggins’ path.

“Not yet and not enough,” Thomas said, with a half-smile. “Pitiful wretch can’t hold it, either. In an hour, he’ll be face down, and by dawn he won’t remember a thing.”

With nothing of any further interest pending, the small crowd dispersed and returned to their revelry. Thomas excused himself with a “Don’t you dare touch that board,” to Nathan.

When they were finally alone, Cate came up beside Nathan. “How many duels have you been in?” she asked in a low voice.

One side of Nathan's mustache lifted in an odd quirk. “Not. A. One.”

His attention shifted to Biggins’ direction. “Barely has hair on his balls. Tonight, I let him live, so he can curse me for it when he’s old and decrepit.”

“Hell’s fury. A fine kettle o’ fish,” Nathan steamed at length. “These upstarts nowadays can’t be trusted. No upbringing. I blame Thomas for this. He’s had the lad under his wing for a time. Certainly long enough to have taught him a man’s responsibilities.”

With a sweep of his hand, the matter was dismissed. Nathan returned to the chess game. Studying the board with renewed interest, he glanced to see where Thomas might be, and then hunched with intensity.

“Let me see…this knight would be ever so much more advantageous over here…” he said under his breath, reaching delicately for the game piece.

Several unkind thoughts surged to the surface at the sight of Prudence some time later standing at the edge of the light, drooping with weariness, first and foremost being Nathan’s suggestion to turn her skirts and spank her as her parents apparently never did. In her less generous moments, Cate considered that the manipulative little busy-body and Creswicke deserved each other.

Cate felt Nathan stiffen beside her. Seeing the muscles in his jaws go white, visible even in the dim light, brought her to think perhaps it would be best to allow cooler heads to prevail. Berating Prudence would only serve to stir a pot that had barely ceased to boil. There had been enough excitement on for one night.

A more generous side prevailing, Cate rose; a desisting hand to Nathan bid him to stay. Under his glower from where he sat, and a series of incensed huffs and sputtering, Cate retrieved Prudence, scooped out a spot in the sand, spread the quilt and guided her to bed. The child was asleep, before Cate rose to her feet.

Cate almost collided with Nathan when she turned around.

“Where the hell are you to sleep now? Couldn’t the little—?”

“Shh.” Cate pressed her fingers to her lips and pushed him several steps away. “Just allow her to sleep. I’ll manage.”

“That’s the trouble.” Nathan's shoulders jerked under his shirt. “You’re always the one to manage.”

Muttering, he disappeared into the darkness. He returned shortly, a piece of canvas in tow. Moving nearer to where he and Thomas sat, he scooped a depression in the sand, and then spread the canvas over it. Straightening, he swept an inviting hand. Too tired to object, she did as she was bid.

“Sleep well, luv,” Nathan murmured as he knelt and spread his coat over Cate. His eyes gone to near black in the fire’s shadows, he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his fingers lingering on her neck. “You’re safe tonight.”

Lying only a few feet away, Cate could see Nathan and Thomas, knee to knee, hunched over the game board. The flames gilded them in gold and flickered on their profiles as they sat