the elderly man grumbled. “Ye’re still in trouble for the way ye snitched on that poor woman earlier.”
Quentin winced and shuffled his bare feet in the dirt. “I said I was sorry.”
Nevis assumed the elderly man was the smith. “Good evening, I’m Nevis.”
“Tommy?” Lobby whispered. “Is that you?”
The smith gasped. “Lobby?”
“Holy goddesses!” Lobby lurched toward the smith. “Ye’re alive!”
“Lobby!” Tommy grabbed him in a tight embrace. “I thought ye were dead.”
Tears streamed down Lobby’s old weathered face. “I thought ye were dead, too. I thought all me mates were gone.”
“I did, too.” Tommy leaned back to look at his old friend. “After the shipwreck, I washed up here on this accursed island. What happened to you?”
“I hung on to a broken mast for two days; then some fishermen found me and took me back to the Isle of Moon.” Lobby grinned at Nevis and Elinor. “I found one of me mates!”
Nevis nodded, smiling. “We gathered that.”
The young boy, Quentin, pranced around the two old men, grinning.
“I’m delighted to meet you.” Elinor shook Tommy’s hand. “We’ll be happy to take you back home.”
“She’s the princess,” Lobby whispered in a loud voice.
“Princess Elinor? Good goddesses!” Tommy quickly bowed.
Bettina’s eyes widened. “You’re a princess?”
“She’s a princess?” Quentin gawked at her.
She nodded. “Please call me Elinor. And yer names?”
“I’m Quentin!”
“A pleasure to meet you, Quentin.” Elinor ruffled his hair, and the boy grinned up at her.
“Elam.” The young man sketched an awkward bow.
“I’m Catriona.” The young woman sidled up close to Bettina. “Where did you find these people?”
“They found me. Come this way.” Bettina led them all to the girls’ cottage. After leaving her basket by the front door, she ushered them inside.
Elam agreed to stand watch outside. Inside, Nevis noted five girls of various ages, all eating bowls of soup as they sat on the wooden floor at one end of the cottage.
Quentin sat beside them and whispered loudly as he pointed at Elinor. “She’s a princess!”
The girls all stared.
“I’m afraid we have only two chairs.” Bettina motioned to a chair in front of a large loom and another by a spinning wheel. “If Your Highness would like—”
“I’ll be quite comfortable here.” Elinor sat on the floor next to the girls. She smiled at them. “Hello. I’m Elinor.”
They all nodded, their eyes wide.
Nevis smiled to himself. He loved how the princess never put on airs.
Catriona sat next to Quentin. “We never get any visitors here, so they’re a bit stunned.”
Nevis settled on the floor on the other side of Elinor while Lobby and Tommy sat by the door, whispering to each other.
Bettina brought two wooden cups to Nevis and Elinor. “I’m afraid we’re out of soup. All we can offer you is water.”
“Thank you.” Nevis downed his cup.
“Ye’re very kind.” Elinor took a sip, then set her cup on the floor so she could rummage through her canvas bag. “Ah, here it is. I brought this in case we needed it.” She opened a linen-wrapped bundle, revealing seven honey cakes topped with cherries.
The young girls gasped.
Elinor passed the bundle to Bettina. “Please enjoy these. Nevis and I are quite full, so we don’t need them.” She gave him a pointed look. “Isn’t that so?”
He winced inwardly. He hadn’t eaten in hours. “Exactly. We’re stuffed.” His stomach growled, and he cleared his throat to cover up the noise.
With a smile, Elinor gave his hand a squeeze, and he suddenly felt full to the brim.
“This is wonderful. Thank you.” Bettina handed out the seven cakes to Catriona, Quentin, and the other five girls.
“The other boys don’t know what they’re missing!” Quentin laughed, then gobbled down his cake.
“What about you?” Catriona asked Bettina.
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine.”
The youngest girl rose to her feet and hesitantly approached Bettina. She tore off a piece of her cake and offered it to her.
With tears in her eyes, Bettina knelt down and gave the girl a hug. “Thank you, Sarah. You’re very sweet.”
Nevis took a deep breath. Damn, but Elinor looked like she was about to cry, too. He needed to get back to business. While the girls in the room happily nibbled on honey cakes, he turned to the older men. “Lobby, can you and Tommy take the boat back to the Isle of Moon tonight?”
The two men exchanged a glance, then nodded.
“I can’t stay away for very long,” Tommy said. “The soldiers will know I’m missing.”
“We could tell them you’re ill,” Bettina suggested.
Tommy nodded. “That could buy us a day or two.”
“Good.” Nevis turned to Elinor.