“Just relax. I have no idea where Reg is taking us but we are not going to go far I don’t think?” He spoke loudly in the hope that his colleague would take the hint. Now that they were alone they could talk a little more freely without fear that they would be overheard. There was no reason for Reg to be so secretive.
“Let’s go round this headland and then you will understand,” he replied.
“Oh, Heavens above,” Rose whispered when they rounded the premonitory and all saw a huge ship anchored about half a mile out at sea. “Is that for us?”
“I hope they are armed and see us coming,” Ben growled suddenly from behind her. “We need backup if we are going to get onto that.”
“Just how many men does Chadwick have working for him?” Rose asked with a frown. Both boats behind them were packed full with men.
“A lot,” Barnaby replied. “But nobody really knows for certain.”
“Chadwick is likely to hire local thugs. They will be men who, for the right price, will do whatever the man asks of them, no questions asked,” Ben added.
“Whoever they are we are going to leave them behind,” Barnaby growled.
The light was fading rapidly now that the storm was upon them. The wind swirled around them, whipping the sea into a frenzy of cacophonous terror. Barnaby knew they had to get aboard the huge ship or they were going to get swept under by the height of the waves that were now starting to form.
“Get a move on,” Barnaby snapped.
“Can they see us?” Ben asked as he
squinted through the poor light at the huge ship.
“I hope so,” Reg snapped. “We haven’t got the time to signal them.”
“It’s huge,” Rose whispered as she studied the hulking outline of the massive ship they approached.
“They see us,” Barnaby muttered when he saw several sailors appear at the rail.
“Oh my word,” Rose whispered in awe when they finally drew alongside the massive vessel.
In spite of their need to hurry, Barnaby grinned at her. “Have you not seen one before?”
“No. Never,” she replied. Her gaze roamed over the sleek, highly polished sides of the craft which stretched into the darkness. “Oh, my word,” she whispered.
Barnaby looked sharply at her as he clung to the rope ladder the sailors lowered over the side. “I thought you were going to say that you had never seen one up close like this.”
“I haven’t seen one at all. I don’t get to travel much,” Rose replied without thinking about how much she was divulging to him.
Barnaby nodded and considered her revelations about her parent’s drinking. It appeared that whatever funds they had available were spent on imbibing rather than educating their daughter in the ways of the world. In one way it annoyed the Hell out of him while in another he was quietly pleased. At least now he could be the one to show her new sights and experiences the world could offer. If she would let him.
“Up you go,” Reg said suddenly.
Rose eyed the make-shift ladder with trepidation and then looked down at her dress. Before she could decide what to do, Barnaby took the situation right out of her hands.
“Hold my hand,” he ordered gently.
Rose squealed when several loud blasts suddenly boomed overhead. She flinched instinctively and looked up.
“They are shooting at our followers,” Barnaby told her making no apology for it.
Rose grabbed hold of his hand and held tight. Swaying a little as the boat rocked alarmingly in the rising swell of the ocean, she staggered a little and fell against Barnaby’s steadying hold as she struggled to gain purchase with her feet.
“We can do this two ways,” he growled. “I can either carry you, or you can go up there by yourself.”
Rose’s eyes widened. She studied the height of the ladder, and in spite of the situation felt her cheeks heat at the thought of Barnaby witnessing the bare flash of her legs.
To spare her blushes, Barnaby grabbed hold of the rope beside her.